Only darkness could be seen, an inky black stretched out all around the area, emanating from an even darker focal point. There was nothing in this place that could seen and with a disappointed sigh, Ben lifted his hand from the bowl, the inky black became clear water again. That was the fourth time today that he could not find the image he was looking for but it was not something he had not anticipated. Earth was dying, of course certain landmarks would disappear with it and the people that had lived close to them. Ben had met many people over the years in his travels and he occasionally would look at them, just to check up and make sure they were alright. He knew that they could not die, but it still made him rest easy knowing that they were alright. Now it seemed that this voidblight, as Ben called it, could even take immortals away. He shuddered, knowing that it was probably not a very nice experience before they became trapped in nothing.

He left his dimly lit room and walked left, down the wooden hallway to a railing that overlooked the bar below. More people were gathering, a steady pool of all sorts slowly conversed with each other, over beer and small amounts of food. He had sent out riders about a week ago from that small town in the middle of nowhere. It had been easy, with a little bit of coercion he had managed to talk sense into the people that lived here. Through his intervention he told them about the state of the world and how they could help if the so chose too, he might have also used his powers but only as to make a point... or something like that.

The riders had done a good job, and now he had like-minded individuals who cared about the problems that the world faced, at least he hoped. His message had been a rather simple one, 'The Earth is dying, all around she crumbles into the void never to be seen again. But there is a solution to our problem! One that might help us all recover from the aftermath of the Great War and all he asks is for people who feel the same way to make their way to the village. There the plan will be let loose.'

On second thought, it might have actually been somewhat a mouthful but it proved successful nonetheless. His plan was simple, they had to reconnect the planes together, it was the method of how they were going to do it, that would ultimately be a test. This was the only logical explanation as to why the world was in such a state, because the other realms were not in balance with each other. There could not be life without death but Ben Crowly aimed to fix that and he knew exactly where to start.

@Lord Zee



The wind came still. The birds stopped singing. It was as if the nature itself held its breath as she approached. The worms squirmed out of her path, as they could feel her anxiety. Her anger. The fool! He thought he knew the Earth was dying? Blasphemy, he knew no such thing! Not like she - who could feel her own essence dimming with every place that was lost to the void.

Hiraga was making her way to where she heard the center of the current commotion was - one of the youngligs thought he could save this world. But it was she who kept it from deteriorating much further, at a high price to herself. She erected mountains around the places that were lost and summoned permanent storms over them to prevent those unlucky enough to be blessed with wings form disappearing into oblivion by accident.

The Third wanted to be thee first. She would listen, she was willing to do that much. In her wisdom, Hiraga herself didn't have a solution to the problem. Well, that wasn't entirely true. If the breakup didn't stop, she would eventually come to fulfill her ultimate destiny - to wreck this world, so a new one may rise from her own power. But until then, she will do what she could to save this one, and if by some chance this human knew the answer...

Curse Amare, the young fool! Who was he to think himself wiser than his elder siblings! And the miserable idiot had to banish everyone to her realm! She should have ended him when that happened! And Amos, the pathetic fool! Even though Hiraga knew he was made into the monster he was, still, he should have retaliated against the youngest of the twelve as was just, not the humans!

Hiraga's angered, frustrated roar made the ground tremble. In the world of the immortal, Hiraga was the only one dying a slow and painful death. She could be excused for wanting to tear those responsible apart. Now a former human wanted to try who knew what in order to try and mend the damage, seemingly uninterested in what would happen if whatever he tried backfired. So before she would permit to meddle with the existence of her realm itself, she would talk to him. Alone.

Slowing her rush as she approached her destination, she shifted into the form of a small girl, no more than ten years old, and walked though the streets. There he was. Benjamin Crowley. Let us hear what you propose. She walked closer, a spring in her step - she was a small child, after all. "Hi~!" She greeted, giving Ben a wave, "Are you the guy who will save the world?"

Rumours were such lovely things. They were often so innocent and light, yet tinged with a poison that spread like wildfire. It was so easy to tease these rumours from people; coax the information out of them to make them seem as if they wanted to spread it in the first place. There was little that Lovinia did not know about the affairs of the mortals. Her time on earth had proven to be boring and repetitive, especially with the same mundane characters that seemed to be everywhere she turned. Keeping up with the everyday gossip was something that added a spark of excitement in the Goddess' new life. In never ceased to amaze her that these humans continued to keep up with these petty feuds and pointless drama even with the end of their beloved world looming. But, the childish nature of the mortals did have its perks. Rumours had brought her out into the middle of nowhere. Rumours had led her to where she was standing in this very moment.

Word had spread that a man had the key to 'saving' the future of the earth. When she had first heard of it, the woman had snorted and dismissed such blasphemy. A human? Saving the world? Nonsense. But as she heard more and more of this so-called saviour, her curiosity began to grow. Maybe, just maybe, it was possible. Such thinking had sparked a tiny flame in Lovinia's heart that she hadn't felt the heat from in a long time. Hope.

The figure standing in the shadows of an alleyway looked anything but hopeful, the darkness concealing her like a protective blanket as she leaned lazily against the brick wall. The only source of light surrounding her was a dull red glow centring around her face, the glow was something that made many look twice as they passed, a familiarity long-since forgotten. The cigarette perched precariously on her bottom lip was a luxury few could afford in times such as these. She had managed to acquire four full packets somehow, and, considering she couldn't die, had decided to make use of them. Thin whispers of smoke spiralled in the air around her, filling the atmosphere with the musky scent of tobacco.

As the commotion surrounding her grew, Lovinia's interest piqued and she pushed herself up into a graceful, loping walk. There was something about this day that stirred inside of her, but she pushed it down along with the rest of her emotions. It was a trick she had been forced to learn long before now, to stop the crushing pain that knocked the breath out of her everytime she thought of her family. Her losses.

A high voice snapped Lov's head to the side, her eyes landing on a man with a young girl. There he was. The man himself. Staying back from the huddle of people forming, she took a long drag of her cigarette before flicking it on the ground, an amused smirk playing at her lips. She had to admit, he was quite handsome for a mortal, and there was a sense of power and order to him that seemed to be reassuring to the other humans, yet she still failed to see how this mere mortal could put a stop to anything this vast.

Benjamin had left the tavern, he needed to clear his mind a bit and the only way to do that was by getting away from the crowded inn. Everyone was talking and he could hear almost all of it, another perk of being a god. Few knew him for what he truly was, a new God born from... Well, he wasn't too sure about where his powers came from but they appeared shortly after the end and had stuck with him ever since. He had not met a lot of other Gods during his wandering, most seldom did anything anymore but weep for what was lost. Sure, there was rumors out there, that some were actively trying to help Earth and the humans rebuild but most stuck to the shadows.

His powers were unique. There had been cases of it before the Great War but nothing as major as what he could do and because of that, he was gifted. His powers had definitely helped him traverse and survive in the new world, now it was his turn to return the favor.

He rounded a corner and saw, as well as heard, a group of people whispering about all the newcomers and the mysterious man who had called them. he etched forward to get a better look at them but was stopped by a little girl. How odd, seldom did he see children anymore, but what caught his attention even more was that this girl standing before him with a smile, was something more. He decided to divulge her.

He crouched down to look at her and smiled. "Well hello there little one, what might your name be? You can call me Ben. What a question to ask from someone so young but if you must know, then yes, I'm the one who said he could and I will try my very best to do so. For your sake, and for the human race."

He had the strange sense that they were being watched and like before, they were something else.

Hiraga wasn't very reassured. "But how?" the goddess asked in a sweet voice. Childish curiosity was a wonderful concealment to her interrogation. Somethign else was bothering though. This high and mighty speech, for the sake of everyone, the savior has arrived. She has heard it before. It was what got them into this mess in the first place. She would not allow for lives to be involved on such a grand scale without their consent again, not until the end time.

"Is it right to do that?" she continued her questions, putting a pout on her face. "I had eleven siblings once. We all used to play on one playground. Sometimes we bickered and fought over toys. My youngest brother didn't like it so one day he locked the gate to the ground and tossed the key into a pond." Hiraga said, telling a concealed version of the events that really transpired, "One of my older brothers got angry, climbed over the fence and broke all the toys at home in return. Even my garden!" she added with a sob.

"It's not nice to do something like that and not ask everybody!" she finished, trying to make Ben think of his actions and hoping she wasn't too obvious for now. After all, a former mortal would hardly recognize her story for what it truly was.

@Lord Zee @Deyedreamer

Just as the conversation between the two began to bore her, Lovinia's ears picked up on something that made her head snap up. Her crystalline eyes narrowed as the little girls whining voice told a story that sounded to oddly familiar. Surely, it was a coincidence- no one but her siblings knew of what happened so accurately. A child could not be familiar with such affairs- it had to be a mistake.

She glided forward, her full attention now fixed on the conversing two. It wasn't until a firm hand gripped her arm and dragged her back that her concentration was broken. "Why don't I know you, darlin'?" A leering voice whispered in her ear as she was spun around to face a man towering over her. Disgust rose up inside her, sparking in her eyes. This type of vermin was the only thing she could openly admit to hate. Back before being bound to the Earth, men like him were common in the trials of human love. They were like snakes, manipulative and dangerous, and always prepared to strike. "Let go of me before you lose your hand, you creep." She hissed. Her voice had a noticeably British accent, dripping with venom all the same.

@Forsythe @Lord Zee

Benjamin frowned slightly, for a small child, this girl sure did ask a lot of questions that were not entirely suitable for someone so small. In fact, he wasn't so sure that she was even a human and it had to do with her little story. Too anyone else it would sound just like that, a child's family but Ben knew better. He had met the one who was on both sides during the conflict and they revealed much to him on the nature of how it all started.

He didn't answer the first question, and moved on to the second, "Is it right to do it? Is it not right to save our home from destruction? Or should we all just stand idly by and watch Earth die around us? Forgive me, my child, for stepping up to the plate where others have not. All I am trying to do, is save Earth, this is why I called the meeting- so other people know what is happening and they can offer help."

"Now, this may come as a surprise to you, but which one of them are you?" He whispered the question to the girl, and if he was right, she would properly reveal herself to him.

He waited for a moment, before hearing something that wasn't really uncommon anymore. He found the culprit immediately, a large fellow holding on to a small women. Ben could not see her face, but knew something was wrong as she tried to break free.

Without saying much of a word he walked away from the little girl and over to the large fellow. His presence was minuscule compared to the giant of a man, but he was not intimidated. For the first time he saw the women, and she was incredibly beautiful. This fact only added too Ben's anger, who was this man to hurt something to pretty?

He pointed at the man and shouted, "You! Let go of her now or you will regret it!"

@Deyedreamer@Forsythe

Hiraga had to admit she was little impressed with Ben seeing through her. It would appear he at the very least was thorough when attempting to understand what it was that happened. Still, she would not be satisfied until she knew what it was he had planned, nor was she any less disturbed by the ethics debate. The goddess could sympathize - she wanted Earth restored more than anyone. But she wouldn't do so at the risk of harming it further, and so until she knew the means by which he intended to accomplish this, she would not be swatted away easily.

"Which one am I? I am the one who you breath. I am the one whose skin you tread on. The hand that feeds you. The one being cut down inch by inch ever since my dear siblings infested my realm and brought ruin to it." she said, her voice clearly translating over the air, drumming into Ben's ears. "I have already been too late to stop one fool who thought himself better than anyone from desecrating my realm. He too thought he was doing it for the good of all! And he was punished for his arrogance!" Hiraga's previously neutral tone now had an undertone of anger in it.

Her gaze following to where he was going, her anger deepening. "Busy enjoying immortality, are they? So quick to forget that not all of the Twelve fell. That

I'm.

Still.

Here."

Hiraga reached out with her arm and closed her fist. The ground around the offending man seemed to come alive and enveloped him, separating him form the woman he was bothering and raising him several feet to the air before solidifying in a new rock formation, hanging the indecent man upside down for everyone to see and laugh at. His surprised shrieking disturbed Hiraga, so one of the rocks quickly found it's way around his mouth, silencing him. As the public eye was distracted by her punishment for him, Hiraga shifted into the imposing shape of one of her dryads, now slightly towering over Ben.



She lowered herself slightly, the two of them now eye-to-eye, the woman nearby seemingly forgotten. "So before I let you do anything to my land, Benjamin Crowly, you will tell me what it is you intend to do, and you will have to convince me that it is safe. Because IF you intend to do something reckless, you will be silenced before a mad idea can take root." she warned with a wave to the hanging man, her tone more warning rather than threatening.

Just as Lovinia was preparing to slit the man's throat, the scene unfolding was interrupted by none other than Benjamin Crowley himself. A hint of a smirk tugging at her lips, she wrenched free of the man's grasp. She watched as he opened his mouth to say something, his face purple with rage, but then suddenly he wasn't there. The goddess took a quick step back as the ground moulded and formed around the man, muffling his terrified cries.

She marvelled at the scene for a moment before her eyes darted round to find the culprit, an excited grin plastered atop her face. As her gaze landed on both Benjamin and the little girl, she advanced forward. The girl's change into a dryad caused her to hesitate for a second before skipping over, now even more gleeful. "That was wonderful!" She announced, clapping her hands together as if at a show of sorts. Though her actions betrayed nothing but excitement, there was a voice screaming at her from the back of her head to stay away, to not get involved. But, as per usual, she ignored the voice.

@Forsythe@Lord Zee

He was utterly surprised at the sudden turn of events. So it seemed that his assertion was correct, here was one of the twelve, most likely one of the missing three that had not really revealed themselves. His source told him about the majority of the twelve that stayed in the heavens, but never about one that had stayed on Earth, but it was not really that far out. She really wanted to know what he was up to and Ben supposed he had no choice but to tell her now, before he met the same sort of punishment.

Then the women, who the man had grabbed, appeared next to the odd pair now in the streets. Around them a steady flow of onlookers watched and waited for what would happen. Some of them held shocked faces, others didn't look surprised in the slightest but all eyes were now on Ben.

Ben gave a small bow to the dryad goddess, "So, you are one the twelve after all? Your name remains a mystery to me still but you have persuaded me to talk and so I shall."

He looked around and sighed, "I had today planned and everything but fine. As we all know, the world is falling apart and there is no clear cut solution to the matter but I think I may have come up with a potential fix. I've exhausted all other options over the years and I keep coming back to the one thing that might know what happened on that fated day so many years ago."

He paused, letting the goddess take in the information before continuing, "When your... siblings died, they did something to the balance of the world that they most likely had no clue about. Amare surely would have thought twice before sacrificing himself if he knew that he was going to doom the humans anyway? So, we need to go to the place it all started and if my sources are correct, then your little brother hid an object that could unlock the planes. I think it was a key, I'm not really sure but I know its there, it has to be."

He looked down at the ground, his face became flushed with embarrassment. "The only problem we have is that no one knows where the city is in this plane. Strangely, the name and memories of this place were destroyed, only adding to my suspicions that something is hidden there that could save us all." He looked up at the Goddess again, "There is only one who knows where the city is now, the one who got locked away for his crimes. I'm sorry, but we have to go see Amos, the God of Hatred."

@Deyedreamer@Forsythe

Clicking her fingers, the air some distance away form them came to be completely sill, no longer able to conduct any sound and leaving the onlookers baffled at the following silent conversation. Hiraga was fine with the other woman overhearing - she couldn't point a finger on it, but something about her aura felt familiar. It seemed so distant, somethign she didn't feel for a long time and could not recall properly. Perhaps she would reveal it on her own.

"I am Hiraga, third born of the Sun and Moon, warden of Earth and the mistress of nature." she introduced herself after listening to Ben's plan. "Amos... I did not hear that name spoken in so long." she mused, her gaze pointed on the horizon in the direction of what remained of New York. "I have thought about him often. He was done wrong by the youngest of the fools, it drove him mad. But Even so, he retaliated against your kind, rather than his brother as was jsut. I have left him in his prison as punishment, and my anger did not subside enough to let him out before." she explained.

The truth was little different - Hiraga thought about when to release Amos - if ever - but arrived at one catch: She didn't know how. She only awoke after the battle started, and the Guardian had her hands full with killing the Reaper spawn and healing the damage they did to have a hand in the battle itself. "I learned a valuable lesson that day. Destroy the disease at the source. If I sent them all to another plane while they busied themselves with killing each other, Earth might have been better off." she noted, sounding angry and remorseful at the same time, "Which is why I wish to hear of your plan. Do not be mistaken - I wish for this land to be made as before more than anyone. But I will not allow you to act unless I am sure it can not backfire and end up being much worse. And right now, releasing someone who could bring an army of demons they have been growing all this time for what we know does not make me want to follow you."

Taking a breath, Hiraga calmed down. "But I have only heard the general outline. So, Mr. Crowly, continue - How do you intend to even accomplish this feat? I do not posses the knowledge to transcend the barrier between worlds. You speak of a key, but do you know exactly what it will do? Understand that it is in my powers to remake this world when it would be nearing it'S end. But if you were to tear the planes asunder once more by accident, it is a possibility that everything would just vanish into oblivion, and there would be nothing to take it's place. You will have to walk over my dead body before I let you do that, and that would be quite the spectacular feat in the era we live in."