Key To Life

The End?

3rd POV

With Salem we see the Harlow possessed Y/N staring at multiple screens showing the chaos happening right above him.

Harlow: "Such beautiful destruction. It's a dream come true."

He stares at the server.

Harlow: "A dream that should be mine."

He turns back to the monitor. A load bar pops up. This doesn't go unnoticed by Salem.

Salem: "What're you doing?"

Harlow: "I must thank you Salem. You rebuilt my machine. For that you have my respect. But the pillar was meant for one person and one person only. Me."

Salem: "What're you saying?"

Harlow: "You gained unlimited power. But it's being cut short."

The load bar finishes.

Monitor: "Upload finished. Purging any foreign material."

Salem: "You bastard!!"

Harlow: "Goodbye Salem."

Her connection to the pillar is severed. She's then booted to the great void. Harlow smiles.

Harlow: "Time to make my kingdom."

At the great void we see a white orb manifesting.

Salem: "That bastard, he'll pay for what he's done."

Voice: "A visitor. Don't get many of those."

She turns seeing a yellow orb has appeared.

Salem: "Who're you?"

Orb: "My name is Eve. And you're the great Salem."

Salem: "You know me?"

Eve: "I do. And I must say. You've fallen a long way."

Salem: "Shut up. Now how do I get out of here?"

Eve: "There is no leaving the great void. Once you arrive. You never leave."

Salem: "So I'm permanently stuck here?"

Eve: "Yes."

Salem: "Well. Suppose it's better than staying on a doomed world."

Eve: "Yes. But it breaks my heart seeing a beautiful world fall to ruin."

Salem perks up.

Salem: "You care about Remnant?"

Eve: "I do. It's a beautiful world. Filled with gorgeous creatures of all shapes and sizes. Just a shame it's about to die."

Salem: "What if I told you it could be saved?"

Eve: "How?"

Salem: "That's a secret. All you need to know is that I can save it. You just need to let me return."

Eve: "You're willing to save a world that you were about to destroy. Why?"

Salem: "Look, we're running out of time. We got a deal or not?"

Eve: "I can return you. But it shall only be temporarily. When you're finished you'll return here."

Salem: "Fine by me."

There's a couple seconds of silence.

Eve: "You swear you can save it?"

Salem: "Yes."

Eve: "I shall return you. Do not fail me."

Salem's orb fades from the great void. Back in the real world we see Harlow now uploading his consciousness into the pillar. But his eye emits static.

Harlow: "What the heck?"

Salem: "Miss me?"

Harlow's eyes narrow.

Harlow: "Salem. What're you doing?"

Salem: "Putting a stop to you."

Harlow: "You won't win."

Salem: "We'll see."

Harlow closes his eyes diving into his code. From there a red orb appears. 

Harlow: "Where are you?"

Salem: "Right here."

A white orb appears.

Harlow: "You don't belong here."

Salem: "Funny. I could say the same about you."

Red lightning soars towards Salem. But a shield forms blocking it.

Salem: "Sorry. But you wont beat me so easily."

She sends out a pulse. Harlow's orb rattles while faintly flicking white.

Harlow: "What've you done!?!"

Salem: "I thought you'd try to betray me. Which is why I put a fail safe in the liquid. It's primary purpose was to free you. But it had a second purpose. Should you get out of hand, it'll cage you like the animal you are."

White lightning crackles over Harlow's orb.

Harlow: "If I'm dying, I'm taking you with me!!!"

He spreads his consciousness. Beeping is then heard.

System: "Core compromised. Self destruction initiated."

Harlow: "Now we both die."

Salem: "I'm content with that."

Going to the real world Y/N's core rapidly beeps. An explosion then erupts leveling the area. The server is swept up getting blown to pieces. With the heroes we see the machines spark before powering down. Back at the cave we see rubble everywhere. 

A boom then fills the air. Its owner lands. She shifts through the rubble. Eventually she comes across Y/N's core. But it's in very rough shape. A massive hole is in it nearly splitting it in half. She holds his core close to her chest.

Penny: "Y/N."

She closes her eyes. This leaves her unaware to what happens next. The core very faintly flickers.