Ephemeral Cosmic Dream

[Demon Lord Gira]

Ephemeral Cosmic Dream

A collaboration between Giratina93 and OmegaBearBeast

Prologue: Starry Night on Colossus

Howls of pain and anger echoed across the towering forests of Colossus. All of creation hid away within their hiding holes, watching on from what they hoped was safe places as twin giants fought out in a clearing. Blows that could level mountains resonated through the air, the very earth itself quaking from each footfall, each punch, and each slam from one beast to another. For when the very titans of Colossus fought, there were few that could hope to stop such a rumble. The only witnesses safe from the effects of the battle were the many moons that hung from the dazzling night sky, the judges of the latest rumble between gods.

One of these two mighty creatures was hurled off his feet, the hulking frame sliding across the grassy plane, crushing all unfortunate enough to be in his way. The beast grumbled, shaking his head as he finally managed to stop himself and twist back around. He was a large quadruped, with a pair of tusks jetting out from his lower jaw. His skin rattled with bluish spikes as he waked his blade-like head back and forth, unleashing a guttural roar in defiance. A long thick tail swatted several trees aside, the flattened club at the end of the tail swishing back and forth as it let out another deafening roar, then charged forward, each step cracking and heaving the very planet under it.

His adversary waited, standing tall on two hind legs, arms and body poised for retaliation. Once the bladed one was within reach, she sidestepped, whirling her body around like some human ballerina, the horned quadruped missing her entirely. He tried to twist around as well, to strike at her, but his efforts were rewarded with a flaming fist, backed by over 13 kilotons of force, straight into the side of the face. Dusmus snarled as he was floored, sprawling across the ground as a rivet of blood ran down the side of his face. Growling in anger, he lashed out again, but this time, his hand was caught in the fist of the spiked ursine warrior. Muscles tensed on the iron-clad arms, and Dusmus’s eyes widened as his hand was crushed within her grip like a tin can. Frantic, he dove his head forward, and his blade dug into the chest of the armored warrior, through a kink in her armor.

Not that Kitamura cared about the scratch, for she used the new position to heave a hand under Dusmus’s belly, and letting go of his hand, flipped the surprised monster onto his back, before landing a powerful kick into his side. Scales and spikes splintered from the hit, and blood welled up to the surface around the kidney area. Dusmus rose back up, blood frothing at the mouth as he caught Kit in the side of the face with a powerful slap of his right hand. Claws dredged through her flesh, narrowly missing the eye as she stepped back, allowing the fearsome foe to charge right into her, his bulk and weight pushing her back into one of the trees, the very bark and wood fragmenting as she was pinned against it. Another howl of pain escaped from Kit’s mouth as Dusmus’s jaws clamped around her throat, the massive tusks slicing through flesh and blood. He could taste it, her very blood… and it tasted so GOOD…

A spike of pain into the stomach cut off his blood feast as all the air from Dusmus’s lungs were forced out. He staggered back, looking at the gaping wound in his stomach, and his blood, his own green blood upon the bladed armor on Kit’s knee. Before he could react, the warrior was once again upon him, fists aflame as she slugged him across the face, teeth and scales flying from the burning crater impact. The raging carnivore snarled under the pressure of the blows, before one final uppercut sent him clear off his feet and onto his back, once more skidding across the ground. At first, all was still as the dust cloud settled, then he flipped over, turned and hissed at the ursine warrior, before crawling off, a notable limp in the creature. He didn’t get far, for only after a few moments did he collapse in the center of the clearing, blood dripping from his mouth, body heaving up and down in regular intervals.

Kit kept her eyes on the still foe, but after a few moments, she turned away from his body, and approached the clearing. She brought her hands up to her mouth and shouted, “I’m done with the fight. Dusmus won’t be bothering us anymore.”

From the clearing emerged three beings, two of which looked similar to Kit herself, only instead of a pale red color, they were both blue in color, though one had red spikes instead of blue. These were her cubs, both as large as she was, and very glad to see their mother alright from the battle. They ran to their guardian, and Masser, the female with the red spikes, reached up and touched the bloody holes in the neck of her mother. “You still alright from that?” She asked, eyes widened.

“Of course I am.” Kit said, as she felt the injuries heal away to normal skin. “Dusmus isn’t a beast, so I can’t be killed by him. Only a beast can kill another beast.” This was accompanied by her hugging both of her children, their necks caught in her thick surly arms. That was how it was. The creatures of this planet, called Beasts, had a special kind of blood which the humans called Beast Blood. Others were unable to tamper with it, only Beasts could, and if you weren’t born from the planet, like Dusmus, then you couldn’t kill a beast, simple as that. It was a special property of their blood that Kit herself didn’t really understand that well. “But just because he can’t kill ya, doesn’t mean ya can go and pick a fight with em willy nilly. Never make em mad again, promise?”
“I just wanted to get something to eat…” Masser groaned, pushing herself away from her mother’s reach. She sat down on the ground, and looked up at the sky. Stars as far as the eye could see filled her line of sight, as well as the several moons the great planet had. “Bergunth was the one who wanted a fight.”

“Yes… I am sorry for that.” Bergunth apologized, face to the floor. “I thought we could handle him ourselves. We had no idea he’d ambush us like that…”

“Well, keep that in mind for next time. Tell your mother first before you go try and fight one of her adversaries.” The third figure said. He was slightly smaller than kit, and more hunched over. There were no scales on him, only green mossy fur. Two giant tusks extended from his maw, making him resemble a mossy mammoth. He was Gadon, Kit’s closest friend and resident babysitter. “The last thing we need if for you to pick a fight with a beast that does kill you, understand?”

“Yes, Gadon.” Both cubs said in unison. That put a smile on Kit’s face as she hugged them again. She couldn’t bring herself to be hard on them. They were her own flesh and blood, her family who wanted to be just like her. Of course they’d want to go out and kick butt… but they still had so much to learn, so many things to realize about the world around them. Colossus was a big place, and filled with dangers…

And then, the world itself flipped upside down for those gathered in the clearing. Where they were once on solid ground, the warriors were shocked to find they were now levitating up in the air, against their will. Even Dusmus’s unconscious body was being lifted into the air. The cubs hugged their mother, hoping she could do something to stop their ascension, but as it was, she was helpless. She had no idea what was happening, expect to look upward.

“What… what is that?” Gadon asked. Above them, was a titanic steel ship, unlike anything they had seen before. Flaming jets blew out of the underside, and a large hole beneath it was where they were being sucked up. Kit faced the approaching belly of the ship, eyes narrowed and fangs bared. All they could do, was hope for the best as they were sucked up into the belly of the ship, before it closed behind them. Then, the massive stealthy vessel turned around, and sailed off, before vanishing through a rift in time and space, leaving the world of Colossus behind them…

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 1: Congratulations
“It is on our greatest behalf, that we thanks these heroes for the service that they have done for us.” The Head Minister announced, face concealed behind his veil. “Without their heroic actions at the Galactic Arena, our future would be most uncertain indeed. Not only have they stopped the rampaging Torvus from plaguing all worlds, but the eternal threat of Salavance the Golden has been extinguished thanks to their actions. We cannot thank them enough for what they have accomplished.”

It was a large, spacious room he stood in, one with a ring of chairs surrounding three standing figures. Around him, were the rest of the High Council, judges and Death Gods alike, bearing witness and applauding the three heroes who stood before them at this time. This was a time of grandure, a time of memmoration and joy for all there. A nightmare had been vanquished, a terror that the very foundation of the cosmos feared subdued and slain. The life essense of the terror, the cursed dragon Salavance, the Embodiment of Light and Darkness was now sealed away, as well as that of the traitorous spirit that had allowed for this terrible nightmare, that which had started with the demon lord Torvus’s revival and terror. The Head Minister approached the figure standing on the right, a young man in his twenties, and offered to him, a silver crown , embedded with diamonds and pearls. The young man took it, and placed it on his own head, but not before bowing to the Head Minister.

“Diamen, to you I present this gift, one of the high crowns of bravery and loyalty. You and your father might not have seen eye to eye at first, but through the trails that you faced, you stood by his side, his best man, and even took his mantle when he was incapable of doing so. No matter the face of danger, you stood by your father’s side, and brought those who would bring his end to their knees. You are ready to advance to the next level of Death Gods, Diamen… from Platinum Grade to Gold Grade.”

“You… you can’t be serious.” Diamen began to stutter, his short brown hair fluttering in the way of his eyes. He wasn’t ready for this, not by a long shot. It took atleast a thousand years of training to reach Gold Grade, and he had only been there for 300 years. This was… this kind of leap was unprecedented. “I still have much to learn-“

“Please, take the gift we have bestowed to you, and use it wisely.” With that, the Head Minister moved to the short lady on the other side of the group of three, one dressed similar to how he was, but without the face veil, and with a more emerald green attire than pure white. “Enma, you have showed how we as a Council have become weak and feebile. We were too rigorous and blinded by our own laws to realize the danger we have nearly wrought upon ourselves, but you thought outside the box. You realized that what we would have done was most foolish indeed, and acted as a far better guide to Crigan and Diamen than we could ever have been as a group. For your wisdom and leadership, I now present to you, the position of the Leftmost Minister. I wish we could present to you a higher gift.”

“It is alright.” Enma replied. Her eyes drifted over to where the previous Left Minister was, his face covered in a dark shroud of shame. To think that she was obtaining such an honored position of power from the self-righteous old fool who had tried so hard to deny the evil occurring, to pretend that nothing bad ever happened. It meant so much to her, but she couldn’t let her own emotions get the best of her. She needed to show some restraint, to let people see she was more controlled than her previous head. “I thank you for the gift.”

“I am glad that you accept it, old friend. I hope you can bring your knowledge and wisdom to our courts.” With a sigh, he turned and was face to face with the middle man, one who looked younger than Diamen, and was a hair shorter than him, with slightly longer black hair, and a bowed pose. “Crigan… I know nothing I can give you will change what has happened. We failed you when you needed our guidance and power the most. We failed at our own job, and to one of our most respected and troubled Death Gods in the system. Can you forgive us, for failing you so many times?”

Crigan looked up at the Head Minister, and though he couldn’t see them, their eyes locked on each other. In the eyes, was a certain sadness, one that had faced the harshness of reality, of what could and would happen in the world. “No… it is not your fault. It was mine. I failed to take the initiative so many times… I had so many chances, so many chances to keep her with me, and I thought she was freed at long last…”

“Do not be harsh with yourself, Crigan.” The Head Minister laid a hand on his head. “ We had no idea the evil spirit was still within her, still alive and at work, until it was too late. We should have known, and nothing we can give you can fix that mistake. We wish we could do something, but we are powerless before what Persephone has at her side. Nonetheless, we wish that you accept this token of our appreciation.”

From within the crowd stepped forth a tall, white haired woman, draped in red robes, scars running down the right side of her face that matched the ones Diamen had. She towered above those gathered by atleast two heads, and in her hands, was a scythe, blackish red in color, and glowing with a soft hue. “As the Goddess of the Underworld, I, Cercil, bestow upon you the highest ranking in the Death God order, that of Obsidian. This is a ranking that only two others have ever been granted, Crigan, and with it, comes powers you could only ever dream of.”

Crigan was speechless. Obsidian rank… Beside him, Diamen could only stare, eyes wide open and mouth agape, as could many within the crowd. No one in the past million years had ever reached the fabled Obsidian Rank. The closest there had been was the mechanical expert Dusk, who was no longer with them. Many had given up on ever seeing a new Obsidian rank Death God, but here Crigan was, being bestowed the highest possible ranking. After trying to find the right words to say, to deal with the turmoil within, he took a deep breath. “What are these powers you speak of?” Crigan asked.

“I cannot tell. You must find these out for yourself. The powers gifted to you, though, will help you greatly against my rebellious daughter. I too must apologize for the pain and agony I have brought to you with my own carelessness.”

“It’s alright.” Crigan said as he took the scythe. It felt… warm to the touch for him, and he felt an odd energy flowing into him from it. It was different than his old Chrome scythe, slightly larger and lighter. It didn’t feel like a weapon, rather, it was like an extension of him, an extra limb that gave him strength. “No one could have known that Moyashi-“

A hand from the fallen angel silenced him. “I know. But that is not what I am talking about. I meant Persephone. If I had raised her properly, and despite the influence of Morgana, none of this would have happened.”

“Speaking of Morgana… where is she? Didn’t she help us stop this calamity?”

Cercil and the Head Minister looked at each other, and waved off the gathered crowd. The congratulation meeting was now over, and the masses quickly left. “Morgana was the one who started this incident, resurrecting and bringing Torvus to the Galactic Arena, and making me desperate enough to call on Moyashi for aid. For her crimes there, and those before, she has been sentenced to the depths of Makai, locked away from all prying eyes. She will remain there as long as I see fit. She may have been of assistance, Crigan, but her goals were no doubt for her own mischief and desire, please understand.”

“ Of course.” Crigan said, with a sigh. He couldn’t say the true nature of the spirit was unknown to him, and what it had done conflicted with the aid it had given him during the crisis. “I guess I just need some time to calm myself. I am sorry for my question.”

The man turned to walk away, leaving the Head Minister and Cercil there as the group of awarded heroes left.

“Are you sure it was a good idea, to leave them uninformed of Ba’al and his forces? They will need to know sooner or later.”

“Not for now. They need their rest after the turmoil they’ve gone through. But be rest assured, the situation will not escalate without a proper counter response. This we can be assured of.”

____________________________

It felt… nice where she was. It was as if she were floating in a sea of pleasure, her muscles and flesh relaxed and at peace. Her eyes slowly began to open, and at first, all Kitamura could see was a sea of green. She was suspended… in a tank filled with green fluid. Nothing out of the ordinary. She closed her eyes again, hoping to get more sleep.

Wait.

The martial artists eyes snapped wide open, and she tried to take a deep breath, only for the fluid to rush in to meet her lungs. She coughed, choking it back out, before raising her head above the fluid. Or atleast, she tried to, but only managed to get her nostrils up to the plastic ceiling. She tried to move her arms, but they were restrained, wires and metal clamps pinning them against the sides of her body. She flexed her muscles, to summon the fires to her side, but nothing came. She was truly, effectively trapped, only able to gasp for air and look around herself. The mind of the monster was filled with questions. Where was this place? What had happened? Where were her cubs and Gadon? Would she get the chance to cave in the skulls of the jerks who captured her?

“Hello there, miss Kitamura.” A voice reached the ears of the giant through the fluid. It sounded distorted, coming from all directions at once. Kit tried to whirl herself around, but once more was reminded of her shackles. “No use trying to free yourself. We knew you’d be in less than a pleasurable mood upon being awoken, so we had you placed in our strongest restrains. No need to worry either. Your cubs and friends are in safe hands, we promise.”

“Who… Who are you?” Kitamura growled, her voice reverberating through the chamber. Her cubs were safe? They were only safe when she said they were safe, not on some omnipotent voice’s account. “And who are you to tell me how my cubs are?”

“Oh, pardon me. I forgot to introduce myself. You really can’t see or breath in that horrible thing.” With that, a red light flashed around Kit, blinding her. She began to feel the fluid being drained away, the monster having had closed her eyes to not ruin her eyesight. When she opened them, it was already all gone, and she could see, standing right infront of her inside the tank, a small girl. Kitamura wasn’t familiar enough with humans to make an accurate guess as to how old she seemed to be, but if she had to give a guess, she looked around early to mid teens, no taller than 5ft 6, with a lime green sweater and black jeans. Her hair was bunched into twin buns, and yellow eyes looked back at Kit’s own. “My name is Tereza, and I am here to welcome you onboard the Olympus Mons”