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A light among the shadows,

A hope among the despairing.

And yet merely the hand of another.

Ilyia sat still against the wall of a planar gateway, looking about to her bleak surroundings. Her blade resting across her drawn knees, all she could do was think on what task had been given her - the portal itself. Rumor had spread of an assassin moving to take on a large faction of the greatest evils around, and although her insistence to aid the would-be hero, she was denied any right save to aid along the means of transport. As it was, there she sat against a pillar gate, eyes shifting in thought, perpetually silent.

Ilyia looked up with thoughtful eyes, and raised an eyebrow upon noticing the one inquiring her entry. Slowly, she rose to her feet and gave a slight nod, pressing her hand against the front of the pillar she had been leaning against. A silver glimmer shot through the runic designs across the gateway, melding to form a mass of light between all sides. The resulting web grew into a full semisolid silver mist, though Ilyia's eyes never left the girl before her.
"I would come if I were able, but you must understand in all practicality I have mere minutes left to live. If, by some hopeful chance you can succeed, it will have ended more than you can imagine. I bid you good luck, and farewell, traveler..."

She began to walk away, though no more than three steps and a silver pulse emitted from her heart, a calm accompanying it as she fell to the ground, lifeless.

Space itself seemed to distort for a long moment, though before even seven seconds had passed nothing save an absolute black could be seen, save the linear edges of a long hallway-like room and the clear image of the figure crouching in the distance, watching with blade in hand to his side. After a moment longer he stood, indicating the edges surrounding him.
"Welcome to Nethi, challenger," he said with a chuckle, "the end of existence. I give you the option; I can explain what I know of this place, or we can skip the pleasantries, and get down to business. Tell me, which would you prefer?"
His armored wings lowered at his sides, a slight metallic ringing sounding as they stopped with an edge against the only logical place a floor could be - between the lowest linear edges.

The Demon raised his blade, flipping it backwards twice in his hand before pointing it in indication to the wall behind Isobellina with a wry grin.
"You see, then. You will have a difficult time merely passing through without a way to leave. Besides, the gate cannot be opened by any simple means, and I know there are greater powers at work in an attempt to see this come to an end. I stand by my prior statement, challenger."
His left hand drifted to the linear edges about them, as if in free indication.
"Look about you, notice how only the trace findings of the structural surroundings exist without notice. In truth you no longer exist, nor do I. Nethi in and of itself is a perfect nonexistence, parted from the obliteration making its way quickly to every standing mortal and immortal life. As for any further?" He chuckled and stepped back, "You will have to proceed to discover that much. Now tell me, do you really think you have what it takes to progress through this place?"
He raised his blade with apparent ease, the individual featherlike blades of his wings shifting slightly.

"Ahh, make no mistake. I don't believe you grasp the full situation here. I am not alone here, and I highly doubt I will survive as it is. However, you have but one life to your name, and more than enough here to keep you on your toes."
He took a step back, holding his blade to point straight at her as if to challenge her.
"Now, enough talk. Come, show me what you can do in the heat of battle."

His left wing folded over quickly, the armored sides deflecting the projectiles with little hindrance. As if in reply, the featherlike blades on his right wing flipped out in a lasting barrage across the room, as quickly as had come to him. He lowered his sword to the floor.
"Better than you might think." He replied cooly.

Again the demon raised his left wing, shielding himself as he felt the blades drop away from him. He took a step forward, raising the sword in his hand to bear.
"Is that all you're going to settle for, challenger? You cannot expect to do anything on merely projectiles. Here... let me demonstrate."
As he said this, his blade began to glow with a crimson aura, rising from it as though the weapon itself were on fire with a bloodied darkness. Just as quickly as it had taken it on however, he had rushed forward in a low stance, his blade slicing through the air to hold at his side, wings protectively over either flank.
"Come then, show me what you're made of!"

Ke-Saren spun with his blade angled down, his smile widening. His wings flinched slightly, but with a roll of his shoulders they straightened again, his smile fading slightly.
"Agile, I must say... but I don't think you'll be able to step through a wall with speed alone; you're going to have to make an offensive at some point. Come and get me, challenger. There's no point in testing patience."