Call upon the power.

When you first came to Absoterra, you felt alone. There was excitement too, but the world was dangerous, and people were exhausting. It felt like everything was against you, even with the party you managed to cobble together with misfits nobody else wanted. That wasn't the case though. They were there for you, and because they weren't the most adept adventurers in the world, you were definitely there for them. One by one, you met more people to join your numbers. Dozens. And even when everything fell apart, you started anew with everybody at Castle Phoenix--rising up from the ashes.

That's how you feel now, like a bird ablaze, coming back with a lifeforce burning as hot as the sun. You can see them. No, you can hear them. Even more, you can feel them. Every single one of them is here, even if not in this very room. No matter how far they are, everyone you've met has built you into the person you are.

With a flash, you burst into an eruption of pink energy. It's almost uncomfortable just how much energy is welling up inside of you, only able to escape by crackles of lightning and energy rising up towards the void above. Still, you have no weapon.

"Kyle!" cries a voice.

You turn to see the darkness itself torn open in the distance.

Nae looks over, furious. "Who dares ruin my creation?!"

Aris is there, holding the tear open with the remainder of her strength. It wasn't her voice however that spoke. Lady Nyllia Tesgella shines like a beacon of light on the other side, but there's hardly enough time or room to join you. Instead, she hurls her own blade with all her might--spinning and sliding across the floor towards you.

"I don't think so!" Nae shouts, darting towards the opening.

Aris leaps forth at the final moment, causing it to seal up behind her. The two etherites tackle into one another, and begin to wrestle across the void.

You look to the blade, but Elok does as well.

He soars, but you go far behind. In an instant, you Bunny Hop with little to no build-up. You appear at the weapon, long before Elok gets anywhere near. You look down at yourself, impressed by this sudden burst of speed. Then you slam your foot down against the pommel, flipping the weapon enough for you to catch. It's a mighty weapon--a two-handed sword, gorgeous and silver. You usually use more light-weight weapons, but right now, you can hardly tell the difference. You grasp the long handle with both of your hands, and suddenly the blade itself bursts into a beacon of pink, as if were Lauo itself.

"I'm sick and tired of you fucking creations doing your own thing," Elok curses. "I don't know where you gained all the powers you have, but I don't care. You still can't hold a candle to what I've become." With a sneer, he grips his weapon with two hands as well, and lunges forwards for a barrage of strikes.

You dodge the first three, but then you pivot around, and swing with all your might back towards him. The air whistles as the sword cuts through, and a burst of energy hits at the apex. Elok is **** back, yet the blow still hits. His conjured weapon shatters like glass and he tumbles down to the ground, near some debris from the earlier meteor shower.

"My body finally understands," you say. "It isn't about having allies nearby to help me. It's about knowing they'll always be there. These Invisible Ties have no range."

"If next you tell me your power comes from the friends you have in your heart, I'm going to throw up."

"That's unfortunate for you." You lower yourself down, ready to strike once more. "Because that's the long and short of it. That and the other powers I've amassed. It turns out it pays to make connections with people, even demigods. And I'm going to continue to fill these empty slots you left in me until I'm the most powerful man in Abso. But I'm not going to take over the world as a Demon King. I'm going to protect it, especially from people like you."

"No more talk."

"That means a lot, coming from you."

When I first came here, I thought I was the hero in an RPG, but then everything slowly fell apart. After everything, I don't suddenly think that I am again. Demon King. Hero. Whatever. It doesn't matter what names people have for me. All that matters is that right now, I can feel all of Castle Phoenix and even more beyond backing me up. Only one of us is leaving this room, and it'll be a better world for it. A world we can live happily in. One where I can finally just sit back and relax.

"Conjure your sword again then," you boast.

He smirks. "I don't need to." Then he darts, not towards you but away. He stops and picks Lauo up from the ground, and swings it to the side.