Axel and Iris sat back in the room with both of them holding onto the other's arm. Neither spoke as their minds weighed heavy with the task ahead of them. In order to fast track the process, they would need to delve into Axel's most guarded memories and feelings.
Axel had a distant, stoic look on his face and Iris was unsure of how to address it. She was starting to see that there was more to Axel beyond the ego and bravado. And here they sat in a room alone holding onto each other's forearms. Iris felt a slight twinge in her stomach.
"It's weird, right?" Axel asked.
"What is?" Iris replied.
"Like....I was sure we were the two strongest here. It's just so weird that they're actually ahead of us right now."
"...seriously?" Iris reset her thinking back to zero. "I wouldn't count out Jun and Jayden. They both work hard and don't give up easily. Especially Jun."
Axel leaned in closer to her, "No, think about it for a second! Who defeated the Beast of Apocalypse in a single hit?"
"Um..I guess I did."
"Right! And who slayed the fully powered God?"
"You, but he wasn't-"
"Exactly! So, doesn't it make you feel disgusting?"
Iris raised her eyebrow. "I don't think I follow?"
Axel confidently grinned. "Doesn't it feel disgusting for someone to look down on you when they should be the one shining your shoe? I think it's time we flip the script. Right here. Right now."
Iris wanted to protest his wording, but it was something about the way he said it that made her hesitate for a moment. She loved being with Jun and Jayden, but it felt nice to not be treated like a charity case or feel like she had to be protected. Axel was treating her like a powerful equal.
"Alright," Iris smirked, "let's do it."
Meanwhile, Admin watched from near the door. She had a curious feeling that this very well may be the most important one thus far.
The two released their energy and repeated the same ritual as earlier and their consciousness was transported off. They reopened their eyes, finding themselves with the familiar surroundings of Axel's disgusting childhood prison.
Iris was immediately caught off guard by one very big change - the sleek metal door bolted to the wall had been replaced with an old, crooked red door that terribly needed a repaint.
*creeeeeeak*
The door slowly swung outwards as if welcoming them inside. Neither of them could see anything past the threshold of the door since it was completely pitch black. A gust of wind burst out from inside and pushed against them minimal force - as it blew past them, Axel thought he heard a growl on the wind.
Iris took a step towards the door. As she stared into the black abyss, she felt like someone was staring right back. "Axel," Iris turned her head toward him, "what the hell is in there?"
Axel scoffed and put on his usual excited grin. "Something standing in our way." He walked right past her and into the bowels of the darkness. "Remember what we came here for!"
"Just..just give me a second, damn it!" Iris yelled as she ran in after him. Compared to just the last trip, Axel was definitely more eager to push forward into his own darkness. Yet, something also felt oddly familiar to Iris. It kept poking at her as she entered the abyss with Axel.
*BAM* The door suddenly shut behind them and meshed with the rest of the wall so that it could no longer be used as a door. That also threw them into utter darkness as it was their only source of light.
"Guess there's only one way then." Axel said as he walked forward while feeling out in front of him. While they didn't have their weapons or abilities, they could still sense energy while within this mental construct.
< It's here >
"What's here?" Axel asked out loud.
"Something's here?" Iris chimed in.
"No, I was talking to- you know, never mind. I think something may be hiding out here." Axel kept feeling around in the dark until it hit them both at the same time - a terrifying energy pressure suddenly washed over them as it radiated from further in the room they were in.
"What is that?" Iris asked, a drop of cold sweat rolling down her neck.
Axel could feel the hair on his skin start to lift up. The energy wasn't just large - it was menacing. It reminded Iris of the energy she feels from the spirit within the armor. Before he could respond, torches that had been lined up against the walls of the area lit up one by one. As the last two torches flared up on the far side of the room, they now could get a grasp of where they were.
It was like a torture room. There were shackles hanging from the wall, several different whips side by side on a table, a few empty syringes and some not empty, as well as various buckets with unknown liquids and foul smelling substances. There was also a bloody dog collar hooked to a chain strewn on dirt ground they stood on. And they weren't alone.
Axel nervously chuckled. "You're kidding me, right?"
On the other side of the room sat a dog that stood about their height and was made completely from a fiery shadow that was constantly moving.
"Is that a dog?" Iris asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice. "Why is there a dog in...oh. You're shitting me right now, Axel. That thing you like to say, 'I got that dog in me'...is this your damn ego we're looking at?"
*VMMM!*
They were both shocked as their weapons appeared on their bodies in a flash of light.
Axel reached back and pulled his sword out, "My sword? I didn't think we could have our weapons here."
"Yeah, me neither." Iris said as she inspected her cursed ring. Her eyes suddenly widened as she looked past it to the dog on the other side of the room. "Wait, what's happening to it?"
The shadowy dog started to violently bulge in every direction, its form becoming distorted. That's when the voices started.
"Come to mommy, darling. Don't you wanna play downstairs in your special clubhouse?" A distorted woman's voice sounded out.
"Yeah champ, go get your sister and let's go play in the clubhouse for a few hours. Sound good?" A man's voice spoke.
Axel knew these voices all too well. His face seemed to soften as a creeping feeling opened in him that he hadn't felt in a very long time. "Mom? Dad?"
That feeling....was fear. An all too familiar fear. This was a feeling that was supposed to have died when he shed the skin of his horrible childhood. Axel, wasn't supposed to feel fear. But his childhood trauma was coming to life before his eyes and all bets were off.
"RRRRAHHHHHHH!!!!" The dog belted out a large unnerving scream that made them both shove their hands around their ears in a poor attempt to block it out. It finally began to take on an actual shape - and it was a shadow copy of Axel.
Axel seemed confused as he looked upon himself. "Is this a joke? Why would I be afraid of myself?"
"Because I'm your better self." The Shadow Axel spoke back. It had every detail that the real Axel had, even a shadow version of his sword across his back. The clone drew his blade and dashed forward toward Axel.
Axel took his usual sword stance with his knees bent, body turned slightly to the side, and his sword poised to strike like a scorpion's stinger. "There's only one me."
"Why are you sad, brother?" A girl's voice sounded out from the charging clone.
"Emi?" Axel spoke in a quiet tone. His body softened for a brief moment at the sound of his sister's voice. That was all it took for Axel to freeze up and for Shadow Axel to strike. It suddenly burst forward with great speed as a pair of shadow wings erupted from it's back.
"That's your move!" Iris exclaimed.
Axel snapped back to reality and quickly tried to mount a defense, but the shadow was coming in too fast.
"Unholy art: Winds of Change!" Iris manifested her Art and released a powerful blast of wind between them that blew outwards in all directions. *WHOOOOOSH!*
All three of them were sent flying off in opposite directions.
"Guh!"
Axel shoved his sword in the ground and brought his flight to an end. "That's low...even for something that lives in my own head."
Axel's sister was a subject that he had never brought up to someone before and he still didn't intend to. Axel yanked his blade out of the ground and flexed it out in front of him. The walls around him told stories that he had long tried to forget. And now, here those same stories stood many years later.
Blocking his path to ascension.
"You know, Iris." Axel began. "I've never been one to like sitting around talking about feelings. Or how to cope with our past. Or even how we should learn from those things."
Iris looked over at him as the Shadow Axel had regained his footing and was making its way back over step by step.
"Yeah, I can see that." She replied.
"But, I figured the whole reason we're here..is to get rid of the past, right?" Axel got back in his sword stance.
Iris clenched the fist that had her cursed right in front of her chest. "That would be the sum of it." She said. Axel took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he began to focus - a light red aura began to emit from his body.
"Well you know what I AM good at? Breaking bones and tearing flesh. So I say we do away with the past my way."
Iris nodded in agreement as the Shadow Axel approached them. However, something was different. Axel raised an eyebrow as he saw a tiny spec of light around the center of the shadow's chest. It was about as thin as a pencil, but it was definitely there.
Axel felt a pull within himself as he stared upon it. It was like it was trying to pull him forward to it.
Shadow Axel stopped several feet from them - his eyes stark white with no pupil made for a terrifying stare to return. "You've disappointed me for so long, boy." His father's voice projected again from the shadow. "But this...this will only take a second."
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Back in reality, Admin rushed over to Axel and Iris's bodies as their bracelets were both sounding off.
She flipped over their arms and saw an alarming site:
[ Axel: Mental Stability 87% ] [ Axel: System Connection 62% ]
[ Iris: Mental Stability 64% ] [ Iris : System Connection 40% ]
"How is this possible?" She asked. "Both of their numbers have jumped up! Iris's system connection is a record high for her...and Axel..these numbers are promising. If he maintains this in there, he may be able to call upon it."