The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 88: What I am. (Part 2)

**

Aria Friend:

"Ascension?" I glared at Kazu. "What does that have to do with anything."

Kazu laughed, throwing his chest and arms to the sky, "It has everything to do with it." He pointed at Poppy, "You Saint of Skies, you know do you not? After all, was that not your initial plan in all of this?"

Our eyes turned to Poppy who's lips tightened, she spoke begrudgingly, clearly annoyed with Kazu, "Ascension means to bring something to a higher plan of life. I don't know much, but I know that it was related to bringing all us Witches to the World Core."

"Exactly!" Kazu belted. "Five of the most powerful beings in the world pouring themselves into the World's Core. The result would ascend it to the next stage of existence and to a level powerful enough to observe the world."

I had to admit his words made sense, "Rift Walkers can't appear where they are observed. It would make a barrier."

"For the most part yes," Kazu nodded, his eyes looking down at me suspiciously favourably.

I grit my teeth and forced my voice louder, "But what does that have to do with Ardent? Why did you kill him!"

"Because he had to be disconnected from the physical. Ardent is not dead, he is simply not here. He has alighted to a new journey that I am oh so curious to hear about."

"Then...," Endi blinked, her voice hopeful. "Ardent, he's really still alive?"

"Of course, I couldn't let him just disappear. What a waste of effort that would have been."

"Effort?" I glared at him.

"A tremendous amount of it too," he smirked.

"You planned all of this?" I couldn't believe it even as I asked the question. "How- why Ardent?"

His eyes again focused on me, "Because I do not trust the World. The World produced you, a Witch to End it all. The World does not believe in us."

Zen coughed beside me, her body still weak, "Aria would never destroy the World."

"Perhaps...," Kazu simply smiled. "At the very least she wouldn't so long as you all live. But I digress, what needs to happen must happen. Why Ardent? Because he had every trait needed. Tell me, between the World and Ardent, who would you trust more?"

It was a no brainer, all of us would choose my brother and our expressions showed it.

"Exactly my point," Kazu gestured to the lifeless body. "Instead of ascending the World, why not ascend someone closer to home?"

"You... you want to make Ardent a spirit?" Mia spoke softly but enough for us all to hear.

Kazu's smile turned deeper, "No, I want to make him more than that. He has already become a spirit and now, we, together, create a god!"

He was crazy. He had to be. A god? What did that even mean. I turned to Endi who looked just as perplexed. We all did. Again, Kazu raised his hands to the sky.

"A god. Not some overgrown dungeon but a being to protect the World from the outside in. A divine being that would seal the space of the Rift, not just preventing its creatures but solidifying our world as one to stand amongst all."

"That's impossible," the Old Man spat. "No being on Areithia can become god and any that has tried has led the world to chaos."

Kazu grinned, "But we're already in chaos, are we not? It is not impossible just improbable. However, what do we have here? The Skies, Valor, Possibility, Insight and the End. Then finally the key to it all." He pointed not towards us but beside us where Elene held Ria. "Amplification."