Alright, so I'm going to officially end this now at a draw. However, I will say that had the game continued without the role reveal and Sapph been able to vote, the game could have still gone either way. That being said, the ending is going to reflect if the Jolli had won.
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"Fire!" The emperor shouted as a large array of light formed at the center of the Bellmaker, as it then shot out a colossal beam toward the planet of Hohondus, a well known Joieux haven. The light didn't seem to physically hurt the planet rather than engulf it and continue past, also hitting another Joieux planet known as Desparia some distance away.
Waiting nearby the planets were several Jolli ships with orders to survey the planets after the beam was fired. As the colossal beam faded, the Merrymen aboard the Cane-Wings nearby landed on the planets discreetly, preparing themselves just in case the beam itself failed.
The first was Lieutenant Haildross landing on planet Hohondus. Immediately upon landing, he was surrounded by many Joieux soldiers, telling him that the beam had clearly failed. He was hesitant to step out of the ship, but a voice appeared among the group surrounding the ship.
"Hello! Please, do not be alarmed. Come out!" The voice stated gently, as it seemed to reassure him that it was okay to leave the ship, as he did so. When he did, an elderly figure stepped through the crowd with a genuinely pleasant look on his distinguished face, clearly the leader of the area that he was in.
"I welcome you to our humble planet. You are a...Merryman, correct?" the elderly man asked, as Lieutenant Haildross hesitantly nodded.
"Then it is you that we should thank for freeing us from that dreadful curse that held onto us. For many moons, we were slaves to our darkest whims...hurting and even killing and taking part in unspeakable acts. We lamented it greatly...but we could not stop ourselves. It was as if our very souls were pushed away as this malevolent force took root. Your emperor is a true savior, and we are forever in your debt." the elderly man explained. Something in his voice and his mannerisms suggested to Haildross that the man was sincere in his words, as the other soldiers dropped their own weapons and saluted the Lieutenant. The soldiers removed their helmets, breathing in the air as if for the first time in many years and reveling in the feeling that they had in being able to do so freely.
Captain Candin met with a similar reaction on planet Desparia, with children embracing him in thanks and the adults bowing and revering both him and the rest of the Jolli forces as heroes. In fact, they had gone so far as to decide to no longer call the planet Desparia, declaring that from that day it would be forever known as Jollinia.
Meanwhile aboard the Bellstar, the Emperor had received word that the beam had successfully turned the darkness away from the planets. Claus was relieved, but the look on his face suggested that his work was far from finished...and the Black Winter was probably none too pleased and would find ways to destroy the progress he had made.
"So...Emperor Niklas Claudias Claus, how amusing that you've chosen to call yourself that now." A sinister, yet familiarly simple yet elegant spoke as Emperor Claus seemed not to be startled at the figure who had appeared behind him, though his Merrymen were ready to fight. Claus simply held up his hand as the Merrymen held off.
"I find it more amusing what you call yourself now. Revelus was it?" Claus said simply as he turned to indeed see Master Revelus standing there, Cane in hand. "You can change your name and your form all you want, but to me you will always be a parasite that feeds on chaos. Isn't that right...Black Winter?" he stated accusingly, as the Jolli seemed particularly startled by the revelation. This was the dreaded Black Winter that the Emperor had warned them of? Master Revelus indeed had the most dreadful reputation of the Masters, but he was also the leader?
Black Winter simply chuckled slightly at this, something the Jolli were even more startled by since the race the Revelus seemed to hail from were thought to have evolved from emotions. "I must say, I was baffled as to how you survived for so long since your kind are so fragile, and then you put on that wonderful show in your shiny new body. But I'd expect nothing less from Gerrin Scrius." Black Winter explained, as the Jolli's shock at these revelations continued.
Even in the history taught by the Joieux, Gerrin Scrius was the name given to the Luminous One, the being who led the Jollijieux tribe since Wintaros was conceived. If what the Black Winter was saying was true, they were not only on the same ship as basically darkness incarnate...but an actual god as well. Though the Joieux master always taught that Gerrin Scrius was simply a being that sought only to bring what he considered absolute order without question.
Gerrin shot a beam of pure Kristma light at the Black Winter, as the Black Winter seemed unaffected by it, almost taunting him as it took the light in, and then belched it back out in wisps of bright smoke. "It does have a sort of sickening sweet taste to it, I must say." Black Winter said in a mocking tone. "But your power is nothing to me. I can creep into people's hearts with just a fraction of my power and make them into my playthings. Your sorry excuse for a darkness extinguishing power can never hope to match my immense power of darkness. Soon your pathetic Jolli race will be forever extinguished. This galaxy will be mine, and I will accomplish what I came to do: turning it to nothing. When I'm finished, the entire Jollijieux line as well as any of their followers will be extinct. Winter is coming, Gerrin Scrius...and it will be an eternally Black one." Black Winter explained in an overly confident tone as he readied his Cane.
Unknown to Black Winter, their encounter was being broadcast throughout the galaxy...minus the Resistance base where the Masters were since they had suppressed communication to the main Holo-screens. But throughout the rest of the galaxy and even with some of the Resistance fighters, they had seen Revelus' reveal of his true nature. This was someone who was out to control them so that they could destroy them. But this was also a being that was the true threat to their very core...not the Jolli who were fighting against it.
with the Black Winter's identity revealed, it was clear to the Joieux that the masters had lied to them. Many Joieux, feeling betrayed, made their way to the resistance base to slaughter the masters that they had trusted.
Getting wind of the attack, the remaining resistance soldiers who sided with the masters geared up as well, preparing to fight some of their own brethren. The masters themselves made ready as well, though Krinkus quietly slipped away to give his teacher support. As he made his way toward the back entrance of the compound, he stopped for a moment as a small grin appeared on his face.
"Out of everyone, I never expected that you'd show your face here. I always knew Kringle made the wrong choice in trusting you. I mean, look where he's at now! Actually you can't, because now it's your new master in his body." Krinkus stated, as he turned around to see Merin pointing his Cane toward Krinkus, waiting to flick it into its thorn-whip form.
"Oh...you really don't want to fight me, boy." Krinkus added as he flicked his own Cane, producing its pike-blade.
"It will be wonderful to see you finally die." Black Winter stated with a slightly sinister grin as he readied his Cane. "The only thing you'll see is your reign of darkness finally ending." Gerrin countered as he pulled out his own Cane; one equally elegant in design as the Black Winter's, but something was remarkably different about his. Unlike the normal Cane which was a sort of crimson red in coloring, Gerrin's cane was pure white like snow.
This was because the Black Winter had tainted the Canes when it had arrived in Wintaros. Even his own unique Cane was more of a bastardization of the Jollijeux canes, something that was made in purity altered to serve a more chaotic purpose.
Gerrin flicked his Cane as it split in two, producing a larger shield as well as a unusual pair of gauntlets that rested on his hands.
the Black Winter struck first, immediately being dodged by Gerrin's Cane-shield as Gerrin countered by summoning a ball of Kristma light onto the gauntlet and hurling it at the Black Winter. Black Winter took the hit, completely unaffected as it smiled its sinister smile, summoning more Canes to throw at Gerrin.
Gerrin was barely able to block each of them with his shield, using his Kristma to produce another shield to block an upcoming barrage of Canes being shot at him like bullets. He immediately teleported away, as the Black Winter grinned and teleported, following him.
Back on the resistance base, Master Krinkus had lunged at Merin with his Cane-Pike, as Merin barely dodged out of the way and attempted to use his cane-whip to pull Krinkus' own cane away from him. He failed, as Krinkus used this chance and used his power to hold Merin in place. He slowly walked toward Merin with a disappointed look on his face, shaking his head in equal disappointment.
"You really are predictable." He said simply as he pulled back his Cane-Pike, ready to strike the invisibly-held Merin.
But before he could strike, something at him had shot from behind.
"You really think you could escape me, Gerrin?" a voice cackled as the Black Winter appeared in Master Revelus' form near him. Gerrin turned and dodged more oncoming onslaughts of Canes, conjuring shields to block each of them even though his Kristma was nearing being spent. He countered by firing bullets of Kristma Light, as Black Winter took each hit with a satisfied smile on its face as he enjoyed each one.
Gerrin and Black Winter continued drifting in the space outside of the Bellstar, Gerrin continuously dodging the Black Winter's attacks, now having to resort to his own Cane Shield since his own Kristma had to regain itself. "You're weak, and now you have no power against me." Black Winter mocked, as it made its way toward Gerrin, ready to strike.
The shot had barely missed Krinkus, who had dodged at the last moment and turned to see his attacker. "Princess Katia, I see you're still alive." He said simply as Princess Katia removed her white hood, letting her hair escape and flow freely.
Merin found himself free to move as the Princess caught Krinkus' attention, as he used the moment of distraction to his advantage. He quickly shot a ball of Kristma light at Krinkus, who narrowly dodged it. But as he dodged Merin's attack, he didn't see the second beam of Kristma light hurling at him from the Princess' gun, as it hit him square in the back. This did nothing as Krinkus turned and mocked her for her attempt, not realizing that a second ball of Kristma light was hurling at him until it had also hit him.
"You're weak, and you have no power against me." Black Winter mocked as they made their way toward Gerrin, readying its Cane to strike. Just as they was about to strike, something seemed to internally attack them as Black Winter clutched their chest in a brief moment of pain. Their hold over the masters had weakened, they had felt, as one of them had fallen to their enemy...the Jolli. But Black Winter's hold on the masters was strong, so only one as strong as them could release that grip.
Merin. That treacherous boy that had turned on the Black Winter and his designs for him. Black Winter knew the boy had power, which was why they had been careful to tailor the boy's powers and channel his anger. But the moment the other masters made the foolish mistake of having him watch his enemy, he had lost the boy forever.
Black Winter regained themselves, readying for attack once more. One fallen master wasn't enough to bring him down, as he would kill Gerrin and simply reaffirm his hold for good.
Krinkus regained himself, as he looked lost for a moment. "What...what have I?" he started, piecing everything together. There was an almost immediate shift in his personality as he fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Hold my hand, Princess. We need to get to Bellstar as quick as possible." Merin stated simply, as the princess nodded. "Yes, we must save the Emperor." Katia said simply as she held Merin's hand, and the two of them used their power to teleport to the Bellstar base.
Black Winter's moment of weakness gave Gerrin a moment to regain some of his Kristma, as he threw another flurry of Kristma light bullets at Black Winter, slowly making his way around the base. Black Winter seemed to take the hits a little harder now that his hold had weakened, as he angrily shot Canes like bullets back at Gerrin, who countered them with his shields as he continued flying around the base.
Merin and the Princess appeared on the bridge of the Bellstar, demanding to know where the Emperor was. One of the Merrymen captains pointed outside, as they looked outside to see the Emperor fighting Master Revelus. But something was different about Revelus...as he seemed more angry, more emotional in general to be precise.
"He called himself the Black Winter, and he called the Emperor Gerrin Scrius." The captain explained, as Merin seemed surprised. So this was a showdown between the fabled Luminous One and the dreaded Black Winter?
"You know, it's quite rude not to greet your guests." A familiar voice called out, as Merin and Princess Katia turned to see the figures of Master Hollen and Rudon walk onto the bridge.
The Merrymen immediately pointed at fired at Hollen and Rudon, who lazily dodged each of the bullets. The Princess also attempted to fire a few bullets, as the two masters brushed off the bullets with ease.
"Clearly you don't know how the masters are if you simpletons think bullets will be enough against us." Hollen stated mockingly, not paying any care or attention to a ball of Kristma light that flew at him, landing squarely in the chest.
Hollen took the hit, seeming alright at first as he regained himself. He started to laugh at the attack, as he felt a gradual change in him. He looked at his hands as he felt a strong darkness leaving his body, and for the first time a tear had left his eye.
Rudon seemed shocked by this, and was caught off guard by Merin, who had made his way behind Rudon and grabbed him, channeling the Kristma light into him. He succumbed quicker than Hollen, both of them falling to the ground unconscious as the darkness left their bodies for good, turning them back into the Jollijeux they were before.
Before Merin could react, something had struck him from behind. Coming out of his chest was an arrow, piercing him in the heart. He turned to see the figure of Master Nooa holding a Cane-Bow in his hand.
"Noot." He said simply, as Merin fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, Black Winter was making their way closer to Gerrin, as Gerrin's energy seemed as if it was once again spent. However, Black Winter had felt the stings of two more masters being torn from their grip, though Hollen's pull seemed to sting particularly hard. This was because despite them being teacher to Krinkus, Hollen was their very first master that they corrupted when they appeared in the galaxy.
Gerrin took this moment and floated a bit more, making his way to the center. Now completely enraged, Black Winter sped more toward Gerrin, not realizing what was truly happening and only concerned with destroying the one who was ruining their plans.
But Gerrin had made it where he wanted, as the Captain screamed out "Now!" as urgently as he could. Master Nooa realized it too late as the Jolli manning the Bellstar's beam quickly pressed the button.
Kristma light formed massively at the tip of the Bellstar, as it shot out another colossal beam of light.
This time, its target was Gerrin Scrius and more importantly, Black Winter itself. Not realizing until it was too late, Black Winter was hit with the full force of the Bellstar's light, as they felt themselves being ripped from the body they were attached to.
Everyone including Master Nooa watched as a formless figure of pure darkness emerged from Master Revelus' body as it screamed in agony before being shredded into nothingness by the beam of light. Black Winter was finally no more.
The other masters quickly shifted as the Black Winter's corruption left their hearts. Master Nooa, realizing what he had done quickly made his way to the fallen Merin as the others surrounded him, worrying about the state of the boy who had helped achieve the impossible. He was immediately taken to the medical wing as the masters (whom had all regained themselves) watched over him.
Merin finally regained consciousness some days later. The arrow was gone, and he was slowly on the path of recovery. The masters were still there watching over him, as Rudon had gone outside to tell one of the Merrymen the news.
Within moments, Kel Al Kringle had quickly made his way inside.
"So it's true. You're alive after all." Kringle stated, as Merin seemed surprised. "Master Kringle? But I thought--" he started, as another voice interrupted.
"Yes, well I thought with Black Winter gone, that my purpose was fulfilled." the voice stated as Gerrin Scrius, now back in his original body, entered the room.
"So does that mean...?" Merin started, as Gerrin nodded. "Yes, eventually I will die, and I will pass my power to a new Luminous One." Gerrin explained, as Master Kringle turned to Merin.
"He's chosen you to be the new Luminous one. Even with the darkness corrupting me, I knew deep down that I had chosen the right person to take under my wing." Kringle explained as the masters nodded in agreement.
"I may not have agreed with it when I was under the Black Winter's control, but when I saw you turn on your own to the Jolli, I knew that it was only a matter of time before you saved us." Master Hollen noted.
"Noot, noot noot noot. Noot noot noot noot noot noot noot." Master Nooa explained, as Master Rudon countered. "What matters is that if he hadn't had some part in intervening, we would all be under the Black Winter's control and wiped from existence.
"So what happened with Master Revelus?" Merin asked concerningly, as he remembered seeing the Black Winter clearly leaving the Master's body which meant that Master Revelus was just another pawn...even if he was the main vessel of choice.
"I'm perfectly fine, I appreciate your concern." Master Revelus' voice stated as he made his way into the room. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving me from that wretched creature." he added.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did Black Winter choose you specifically as their vessel, master?" Merin asked, as Revelus sighed and turned to face Gerrin.
"It's because like the rest of the masters, we were the ones who led the Jollijieux. But they chose me specifically, because Gerrin and I are in love." he said simply as him and Gerrin held hands. "Their goal was to destroy everything, and when they couldn't control my love himself, they decided to destroy our love for each other by controlling me and ripping me away from him." Revelus added.
"Well...now that we're back together and everything is in order, I think we should celebrate. What do you think?" Gerrin asked, as Merin nodded. "I think that's a wonderful idea."
"Great, then let's hope Rutie's tavern on Beltoon is still open for business, and drinks are on me!" Gerrin replied as the other masters laughed.
But little did they know that Black Winter was only the beginning, for there was something far worse making its way to Wintaros.
The End...?