The Judgement of the World

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

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A tree can not survive when it has been split asunder, one side, the weaker side, must die off if there is a chance for survival. Self preservation and self sacrifice were born from such a simple concept. Which is greater, the sacrifice of one life for the sake of many, or the abandonment of the many to preserve just one? When the Nameless Pharaoh sealed away the Demon that unleashed the Shadow Games, his cousin followed suit and sealed away those natural gifts for ages. The power wasn't something that was 'taught' it was an inborn gift, and those born with this ability couldn't change what they were. Even if what they were was lost to time and ignorance...

But people feared what they didn't understand, feared anything stronger than themselves out of the need to preserve their own existence. Not everyone was strong enough to face down the barrel of the loaded gun, and grin. Which was why the Arcadia Movement was created, so that those who were stronger, or different had a place to run to. It was her second home, when her birth home turned cold, it was where she didn't have people give her dirty looks for being a monster. Only respect, respect that she wanted if not the love, though most times people were too afraid to come close to her.

'I should have been kinder back then, too. If I had been, if I took Tobi in, then perhaps he wouldn't have died.'

She was in a dream, she knew that, standing amid the field of roses that bloomed with an iridescent light. The heady sweet fragrance was one she knew so well, the soft touch of the petals more pleasant than the softest silks. Roses didn't glow like the stars above, while the sky above was starless, the earth below only bore the light of the roses, and she... Aki stood alone in a field of wild roses, her heart tense in a strange sense of anticipation. Someone was waiting for her, deep down inside she could feel it.

"Aki."

Her name, just hearing it from his lips made her feel happy. As did the voice that said her name, even though it only reinforced the fact that she was dreaming. The Divine she had adored was dead, eaten by the Earthbound God that Misty served. No one told her how it happened, but she understood why, and despite how much she felt for Divine there was no argument that could be made against that death. When she felt his arms wrap around her, she could only smile as her eyes closed against the endless miles of roses.

He had been returned to the world like all the others who had died the same death, yet he had been arrested in the real world. But that was just that, the real world. Here in her dreams he wasn't a criminal who had murdered and brought harm upon who knew how many. He was her mentor, her benefactor, friend and the one who she loved most dear. Here in her dreams he was a saint who did no wrong.

"Divine, I've missed you," she sighed, leaning against him, feeling his strength and warmth at her back.

"I'm always here, Aki. Deep in your heart, for as long as you need me."

But there were things that the Arcadia Movement didn't give her, like control over her powers, or the ability to reach out to the world.

Look into the eyes of the Earthbound God and you saw yourself in the eyes of others. Unexplainable, a monster that the mind can not explain, warped, disfigured...

"How have you been Aki?"

"I'm going back to Duel Academia," her voiced projected her wistful tone. "While the students who are in my class remember me from my time as the Witch, thus I suspect they'll be fearful. The younger kids, well there is Rua and Ruka."

The arms around her shifted slightly, turning her around to face him. He loved green, it complemented his red hair in it's own way. Multiple shades of green, from his pants, to his vest and shirt, the only things on him that weren't green, was his tie, shoes and socks in fact. Those were black.

"Really now? But what about your ability? You can't contain that power forever, it would be like trying to contain an earthquake in a bottle. Impossible." he asked, his eye, the one she could see, reflecting worry.

"I'm not containing it, I can control it. It's not easy, trying to think and act differently than before. But... Divine I wish the you I adore didn't die. I miss you so much."

"Aki? Why are you crying?" Divine asked, as he gently brushed away the tears she didn't realize she was shedding.

"Because I couldn't do anything... I wanted to be of use. If I had been stronger, controlled my anger or thought about what my daddy was going through then I wouldn't have lashed out like that. I wasted years of my life because I just couldn't control myself. If I had learned that, then you might not have treated me like a tool. You might not be in jail and I'd still be by your side."

"No Aki, it wasn't your place, the place of a child to think of adult matters. They should have realized that you were hurting and understood why you did what you did. They opted not to," Divine offered his voice a soothing comfort.

"Thank you," she replied, though she wasn't sure if she should do such a thing. Her eyes focused on the roses stretched out before her for miles around, bringing her mind a new analogy.

Roses couldn't grow inside their packets, they dried up and died if they did. If she only thought of herself, no one else, it would be no different to being in a closed packet. But also, roses that were just randomly tossed onto the grass, had a smaller chance of survival. While it was true they could, grow up and grow wild it was with a much harsher success rate. But she had been down that road, and a wild rose was a lonely rose, as her lack of control drove people away. Everyone in the Arcadia Movement was a wild rose, Tobi was one that never got a chance to grow either.

But there was another type of rose...

"You've gotten quiet Aki, is something the matter?" His hand cupped her chin, gently guiding her face up to look up at him. "There shouldn't be secrets between us right."

That was right, there shouldn't have been secrets between them, he had been the first person who had taken interest in her. The first person who cared for her when the world turned its back on her, yet there was something... Tobi's memory began to slip away from her grasp... Misty's pain disappearing as his fingers stroked her face in a rhythmic pattern...

Twin roars suddenly broke the serene peace of the wild rose garden, while a hard wind suddenly tore rose petals from their their stems. Her instinct was to jerk around in order to face this potential threat. Every nerve singing a battle hymn while the feeling in her heart suddenly seemed to seize up. But for all the feelings she suddenly was assaulted by, there was Divine, holding her to face him. His fingers were on her chin, keeping her from looking behind her at whatever was going on.

"It's not important Aki, what's important is the bond we have right here."

Behind her a dragon's roar split the sky as it let the world know it's...