Destinies Intertwined (Lightning x Male Reader)

Chapter 13: The Tenth Power

When I opened my eyes I expected to see the broad plains of Pulse spread out before me, Cocoon standing overhead. But what greeted me instead was another place entirely. There were no walls, no ceiling, even the floor didn't exist. It was just a plain white something to stand on, while the same whiteness was spread for an unknown distance around us. "Where are we?" Lightning asked, and I turned to see her standing beside me. Strangely enough though, the others were completely gone. "Where are the others?" I asked, and she shrugged. I looked around; hoping to see them, but the same emptiness was all around us. There was no one for miles in sight.

That was, until I heard a voice say " Well done, Outsider ." Lightning started at the voice and reached for her gunblade, but stopped when I smiled. "Who was that?" she asked, I shook my head. "Don't worry, she means us no harm." I said, kneeling down and bowing my head, and hand over my heart. The whiteness in front of us shifted, and from it appeared the goddess Etro. She looked the same as always, only with a few slight differences. She still wore the same silver armor Lightning would wear, with a long cape of snow-white feathers and a slim but graceful sword at her waist, but now her helmet had been removed.

The goddess's face was that of a beautiful young woman, her skin milky white and almost glowing. Her ears and nose were pointed and her long silver hair flowed down to the small of her back. Her eyes were a golden yellow, accompanied by cherry red lips and perfect teeth. She smiled, and when she spoke her voice- soft yet strong, feminine and ethereal- sounded through the air. " You have my sincerest gratitude, Outsider. Now because of the efforts of you and your friends, the copies of the games in your world will no longer be able to affect this reality. Thank you." she said.

I smiled. "Thank you for showing me this world. There is more in it then I could dream." I said formally. "(Y/N), who is that?" Lightning asked. I looked back. "That, my dear Lightning, is the Goddess of Death and Time. Etro." I said shortly. She gaped at me, but I looked forward again. "Can you tell us where we are?" I asked. She nodded, and waved her hands. Instantly tiles appeared out of nowhere, landing below us and forming a checkerboard and black and white tiles, while two small paths led to the left and right. " This is an especial part of the Void Beyond, the rift between gate and gate. I have brought you here to offer you something." she explained.

I frowned in confusion. "Offer me something?" I repeated, and she nodded. " Do you remember the words that you read not moments before you arrived in this world? " she asked, and when I shook my head she sighed. " Very well, I shall repeat them: Your fate has been altered , child who bears the crest of the moon. Now you travel to a world beyond your own, cursed to follow the same path as others. Should you follow the path to its conclusion, you will be rewarded with a choice beyond value. Fail, and you shall never see the world you know again. Do you have what it takes to prove your worth? Come, and let us see." she recited. " And now, I have brought you here to offer that choice. "

Etro spread her arms, and an orb of light appeared in each hand. She flung her hands out to her sides, and they shot towards the end of the path, flashing bright before disappearing. In their places stood a pair of Time Gates, both golden and Etro snapped her fingers before a group of individuals appeared before us. I gasped, saying "Mom? Dad?" My parents, along with my brother and sister, stood before us. My father, Deibu, was in his mid-forties, average in height and with a pair of black glasses, a shaved head and graying beard. His skin was tanned from working on street construction, and he wore a red T-shirt with blue jeans with boots.

My mother Anba was both smaller in height and age, in her mid-thirties and only five-two. Her bleach-blonde hair reached her shoulder and her build could be best described as "plush" rather than overweight. She wore her usual pink T-shirt and black jeans, a pair of tennis shoes and her nails painted blue and aquamarine. My sister Emiri at age thirteen was almost as tall as my mother, and had the same hair only brown. She too wore glasses, and was dressed in jeans, high-top shoes and a "1-Direction" shirt. My brother, Akiresu, was tall for a nine-year old and was the third person to wear glasses. He wore a green shirt that had a picture of a T-Rex and said "Dino-mite" and wore jeans with neon green running shoes.