They all stood before the entrance of Twilight, all three sharing the same features and donning the same outfit.
All bore the name Alex and though one would expect there to be a real and a fake, it was not the case for this peculiar trio.
Each one could be regarded as both the real and the fake, capable of keeping it going even after the others are dead.
Of course, there were ways to figure out which of the three was in charge, one of which involved picking out which one was wielding Excalibur and currently, it was the Alex that stood at the center.
In any case, as they stood before the entrance, they wore complicated expressions on their visages.
"Last chance to turn back." Alex, who stood on the right, remarked. "There’s hardly a need to put everything on the line at this juncture."
"He is right." Alex on the left said. "Our chances of survival are too low to risk it."
Snorting derisively, Excalibur’s wielder retorted. "Since when did I become so cowardly?"
"Since we died and had several close shaves with death." Alex on the right replied, taking no offense as he spoke. "This is basically going to turn out like the time with Enoch."
"The only reason we won back then was because we knew Enoch’s weakness and more importantly, he was mad." The Alex on the left clarified. "Neither of those conditions are valid in this case. Our opponent is in full control of their sanity and they are a mystery to us."
Excalibur’s wielder tightened his grip on the blade’s hilt. "But we have a GodKiller now."
"We are all aware that it doesn’t make a difference. I’ll say it again; last chance to turn back."
"Even with all three of us, there’s no telling if we would be able to come back once we get in."
Listening to the words of Alex on both sides of him, Excalibur’s wielder let out a sigh. "I understand your concerns, believe me I do, but we only have one shot at this. Sayda is only one Daemon and according to Nadia, there are more back at Emet, along with enough Godspawns to engulf the world in chaos. What level of power do you think we’d have to reach to get it back once it falls into the hands of the Paragons?"
The silence that followed was deafening but all three knew the answer.
"Let’s just hope this works and if it doesn’t... Well, we made preparations for that, right?"
"Nyx is untrustworthy. Asking for his aid will surely come back to bite us."
After saying that, the Alex on the right snapped, before teleporting to an unknown location within Thespene.
Then, the Alex on the left also snapped, before making his way into Eternal Night where the members of Constellations were waiting.
As for Excalibur’s wielder, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before unsheathing the GodKiller and then opening his eyes.
Then, he walked through the entrance into Twilight.
The first thing he saw on the other side was a fortress, one forged completely out of ice.
"That was unexpected." Sayda breathed out evenly as she stared at Archibald’s corpse.
When she’d first detected his presence on her way out, she’d thought it a trick of the mind but then, very few illusions would be capable of doing that to a Daemon and so, she decided to check it out, mostly out of curiosity.
And then, she confirmed what she’d detected, leaving her even more curious.
Of all the people she’d killed, he was the first one that somehow managed to come back to life.
Naturally, this was enough reason for her to capture him and figure out what exactly allowed him to return after she’d murdered him.
Unfortunately, he decided to end his own life.
Unexpected, but that only made her even more curious.
What exactly was he trying so hard to hide that he thought it was better to end his own life?
Sayda was just about to pick him up when she paused, sensing the arrival of something... dangerous.
Her brows furrowed in an instant as this was perhaps the first time she felt that her life was under threat.
Something worrisome was close.
She had two options; flee or stay and fight.
Closing her eyes, she tracked the source of the sensation only to open her eyes once again, a shocked expression painting her visage.
"A GodKiller." She muttered softly.
There was supposed to be only one in existence, Aurora’s Grace, which was one of the twelve treasures of the Church of Angelica.
Yet, here she was, coming across another in the hands of an odd entity who appeared to be here for her.
Had he come to give her the weapon?... Sayda couldn’t help but ponder this as she couldn’t fathom the possibility that the individual she’d detected wielding the GodKiller had come to kill her.
Taking a moment to once again consider her options, she quickly came to a decision and turned to take her leave.
As her Authority was retracted, Hamon and Anika were finally able to move again, the latter of which rushed to Archibald’s corpse.
"Wake up, please wake up!" She cried out, tears trailing down her cheek as she cradled his head.
Hamon stood by the side and watched her with a saddened look in his eyes, unsure of what to say in that moment while also being grateful that...
That was the final thought he had before death came like a thief in the night.
Anika’s sobbing stalled as well as she was also welcomed by death.
"Maybe all three of them will come back." Sayda muttered with a thoughtful look, having devoured the life forces of both Anika and Hamon.
Then, she spat out Douglas and ordered. "Watch over them, I’ll be back."
Douglas watched her until she was completely gone before glancing at the unmoving bodies of the trio.
For the briefest of moments, a trace of sympathy flashed through his almost feral eyes.