Welcome back.

its gonna be awhile. they went into the furthest reaches of space and it will take a year for us to get them all. the stars streaked until a rainbow aura surrounded the tiny ship and the ship seemed to phase for a moment. everything shifted as the aura surounded the ship.

OOC: im curious what sort of plot twists? and i got this kind of travel "the aura" from S.G.U. one of my fave shows. its an FTL "faster than light" without hyperspace and it is much faster than hyperspace ever could be.

well even at these speeds it will take a week to get to the nearest demon. what sort of thing do you want to do to pass the time? i looked back at her as i spoke.

"I could play around with my magic, but that wouldn't be very entertaining to you or me in a way. So, I don't know really what we could do."

[colo=white]I sighed resting my head on the palm of my hand which was stemming up from my elbow, which was resting on the knee of my crossed legs. Clear boredom was written in the air.[/color]

well how about we stop at a few places for fun while we are hunting the demons. any ideas on that front for things to do? i know a place only a few hours away that has great colloseum fights with gladiators about half as strong as me and they are well trained in battle. you might learn a few new tricks. or a day away that has the best coral reefs this side of the galactic center.

which one would you prefer? of do you have something in your imagination to see if we can do that?

OOC: i got a hundred planets and types off the top of my head a max combo of 1000 different worlds and thats just the planets themselves if you count stars i have a whole other exponent to add.

alright. the ship rotates as the course change doesnt break the FTL but i should warn you were only going to watch.

sorry. the ship dropped out of FTL and we "crashed" on the planet before the wires and cords disconnected themselves from my head. i opened the hatch and revealed a vast forest and beyond this forest stood a city the like never seen on earth. my jaw dropped in shock as i surveyed the forest then the city. The city appeard to have a gargantuan hole in the center where nothing stood and not only the forest but the hole were clearly the source of my chin hitting the ground. B-But thats not possible this place was a ruined world filled with greed and poverty how was it transformed? i rested my chin on my fist deep in thought then it hit me as hard as i hit my head for my stupidity and forgetfulness. DUH! Kal must have been here oh boy shes gonna be mad about the stadium not being here... i looked back at Utena after this thought knowing she heard my mind.

OOC: go for it he is dumbstruck and now reduced to a blithering blockhead.

BIC: sure. and we dont even have to bland in anymore. the old regime is gone and my name is cleared. sort of... i sat on the air deep in thought wondering how long it was since this "Kal" person came here. from my thoughts she could tell this "Kal" was an important person and that he lived on earth but nothing past that.

"Alright, so let's go explore inside the town. It looks like a very beautiful and inviting place."

I started to take my first step to walk away from the spot we were standing in before a force stopped me from walking. It had me in its gentle vice. It was almost so faint I didn't even feel its presence there. I stopped and turned, still having control of my limbs enough to turn around. The presence's power let go of me and I remained where I stood. The sky suddenly darkened and the atmosphere felt, "not so pleasant" anymore. It seemed a lot more evil now and like something was coming for us. The winds picked up only slightly, but the thing I noticed the most was that it was a bit more chilly, more icy in the air than normal. The winds, however calm they blew against my skin, still seemed to injure me by brushing harshly up against my skin, scratching it in a sense. I wasn't bleeding but it was a bit rough. What was going on? Suddenly, out of the mist and the light fog that had formed in front of us, perhaps for some mystery to this appearance, emerged a shadow, a silhouette of a figure firstly. But, as it grew closer it formed into a specific shape and revealed its face to us and I was nothing but shocked.

"Is it really you....?"

"Did you think you guys could get away from me? You're so silly to think you'd ever escape the great Mero. I mean, let's be honest, anyone whom I've never wanted to let out of my sight, NEVER got out of my sight." She was laughing a bit maniacally, what was wrong with her? She was behaving, virtually, the same.

"Well yes, but the way you just said that was a bit creepy. Are you alright Mero? How could've you followed us here? I thought it was impossible to get here unless you have some sort of power we didn't know about..."

"I don't have any abilities remember? Gosh Utena, you're growing stupider and stupider as time goes on aren't you? First you're so delusional you actually believe you can be a prince! To whom?! A helpless little boy? I thought that one would go the other way around. Last time I checked, you were a girl my friend. You can't ever be a prince because of that poor thing between your legs. It defines you and you should face the music for once instead of running away from it! Stop living on a memory and face reality. And I guess you're pretty delusional about thinking I have powers too."

"Whoa, what's with all the hostility Me? You've never acted like this before and I know you, you certainly don't act like this now. We're your friends, why would you be saying all these mean things? I could understand if something were troubling you, but, the real Mero doesn't act like this. She has a devotion to her friends and a respect for them and their wishes and feelings. She would never speak out against them like this, even if somewhere deep down it displeases her. I think she does her best to accept it, either that or she doesn't care and accepts it anyway. Either way, I know the real Mero wouldn't act like this. So... how about we make this simple and more clear than it already is and you just reveal yourself and tell me who you really are hm? There is no need to play games like this."

"What games? I am not playing any games, I'm being truthful with you. This is my true form. And after all, in the end isn't truth the most important thing? You, mortals, go through your whole lives searching for truth. But, truth to what. Truth to why things happen the way they do. Truth to find out about life and all of its harsh tendencies. Truth to find out about yourself and discover who you truly are, as if you didn't know already. Utena, you're the foolish one who is playing games..... with yourself. You're fooling yourself, tricking yourself into thinking you're something you're not and then demand respect for it. You claim to be a noble and heroic prince when in reality you're a meek and fragile girl. You're delusional to think that is actually the truth. It's time you found your truth, however useless it may be. Truth can help you or hurt you. So in a way you're living the smarter way. Creating a fantasy to live by, a distant memory or fairytale you've lived through that you choose to live your life diligently. You are insolent and foolish. You are childlike and it is time to wake up from that dream and grow up. As for you Bryant...

"Well then, tell me who you are. Stop rambling about me and everything you think I'm not and tell me who the heck you are first."

"I am an anti form, a shadow, one's true self. The hidden thoughts and emotions of people here on this Earth. I am as much a part of Mero that I am a part of humanity. Everyone has that bit of hatred in them and disgust they hide away. Everyone has a bit of pain or jealousy they hide away. Desperation and others things that go along with those things. A shadow is the true self, I expose all secrets and hide none. I am Mero at the same time I'm not and this world obviously is not enough room for two Meros." A sinister smirk wiped across her face and I could tell we weren't dealing with any normal force. This was what Mero had been keeping from me all along? Is this how she truly felt? This made me think a bit. But, I couldn't think too much, for, she continued to talk.

"Well, since you denied basically all I said and since Mero isn't here to defend herself, looks like I'm going to have to go ahead with what I intended to do anyway. It works in my favor, sweet. Let's get one thing straight, I'm going to kill you Utena. I'm going to rid this world of liars and their essences and you will be the first!"

"Stop. There has to be a reason for you saying the things you are. Has someone hurt Mero? Has someone done something to her?"

"You have Utena. By lying to her. By tricking her and forcing her to accept something she never wanted to accept in the first place. You're nothing but a contradiction in one body and for that, you must be rid of!" The smirk showed on her face even wider now as she began to glow in a darker aura, it clinging to her form. Her eyes glowed a devilishly crimson red as she sank into her own form of rage. She was beginning to transform into a new form, a bigger form, a more powerful form and was challenging me to a fight. I can do this?

"You may be acting different but you're still Mero. You want to fight me, alright. I guess that leaves me no choice. Though I don't want to, it looks like I have to. So .... I will. I'll do my best!"

I shouted about the powerful winds that picked up speed and became quite loud with their blowing. It was because of the surge of power in the area, I supposed. I drew my sword from its sheath and readied myself for the next thing in sequence to happen. A maniacal laugh was let out from Shadow Mero's mouth as she completed her transformation into something I've never seen before. It seemed as though it were amorphous at first, but then it took the form of something similar to a monster. It was way bigger than Bryant and I but, I could still fight it, I knew I could. Alright Utena, let's do this. Get ready, you can do this.

"Let's see what you can do!"