//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: A Sister Talk // Story: The Siege on Equestria // by Nintendoboy1000 //------------------------------// Chapter 12 As the demon stared out of the window, viewing the green and luxurious grassy mountains and terrains with malicious intent, Marshal Maxwell, who knew how to properly introduce himself this time, entered through the sliding electronic doors and presented himself to Nyarlathotep by saluting and standing still. “My lord, I’ve just confirmed that all of the soldiers down in Ponyville have been defeated! Our sources indicate that all of them have repositioned themselves nearby Canterlot in a matter of seconds. Sir, I do believe they’re planning on a counter attack on us. What are your orders, my lord?” Despite the effort to suppress the situation that keeps coming back, Nyarlathotep sighed and shook his head. “Ah, this again, Marshal? I’ve already stated that there was nothing to worry about. But if you truly insist that this indeed a threat to our operation, then I will simply oblige.” He turned around and faced Maxwell, who looked desperate for an actual course of action. Nyarlathotep grinned precariously, while fiddling with the tiara he held behind his back. “Dispatch any groups nearby here and dispose of the traitors at once. Make sure none of them reach here until the portal is completed. And if they do somehow prove to be more of a problem, use necessary force if needed.” Maxwell felt relieved to finally receive an order by none other than the crawling chaos himself. “Yes sir! I will announce the orders as soon as possible!” Just before Maxwell could turn around and move out, Nyarlathotep whipped out a hidden smirk on his face. “Wait, Marshal.” The demon said with a malicious tone. Maxwell turned around and listened. “Y-Yes, my lord?” “Once you dispatch the groups, I want you to come back here and install the final configurations for the portal rift here. Also…” Nyarlathotep hung his head down a bit, while his eyes were fixated on Maxwell. From the moment after he hung his head down, Maxwell saw his glowing green eyes staring at him menacingly, along with an intimidating glasgow smile on his face. Staring directly at his partially obscured face, Maxwell felt that his soul was pierced by an icy sphere, imbedded with the most foul scent of fear and maliciousness. But what was worst of all, the face almost resembled… of an elderly man. Even though Maxwell hasn’t seen his true face yet, but it still brought out the worst of him. A few seconds of staring at his disturbing face, the demon finally spoke. “I want you to inform all the guards in this sector to properly welcome our... special guest. Be sure to greet him… adequately.” ------------ Meanwhile, Luna brought her sister and Fluttershy to the headquarters, located at Canterlot’s haven. Within the domain were hundreds upon thousands of soldiers, preparing themselves for the assault. Each portion of the domain was divided into three sectors, the left side of the haven had medical tents and weapon rackets. In the middle of the haven were soldiers recapping the battle strategy Twilight provided on a large map of Canterlot that was pinned on a large bulletin board. Seeing everything going as scheduled, Twilight pointed her hoof towards the entrance of the cave. “Alright, everyone get into your positions!” She ordered. As the soldiers were marching towards their designated location, Rarity spotted Aero on the other side of the barricade of soldiers. “Aero darling, we need to go!” She called out. After the soldiers were out of view, she gasped in shock to see him around other ponies. They would be terrified or disgusted at him… but they were interested and friendly towards him. She couldn’t believe her eyes that Aero was accepted pretty quickly. Aero heard Rarity and waved his hoof. “In a moment, chappete! These people are becoming quite fond of me, I say! I’m surprised they aren’t intimidated by my… unclassy appearance.” He said with a chuckle. The ponies giggled with him and begun chatting away once more. As Rarity watched Aero having a conversation as a normal pony, she felt like she was ignored. “But Aero…” Rarity grumbled, expressing her muddle reaction. Elsewhere, Luna walked with Celestia as her support, along with Fluttershy moping towards the ground. As both princesses walked towards the medical tent, they spotted a familiar figure up ahead. Standing next to the tent’s entrance was the courageous purple dragon, Spike. He spotted both the princesses with his face expressing full surprise. “Princess Celestia!” Spike exclaimed. He rushed over to Celestia and placed his claw on her hoof. “Are… are you okay?!” He asked. Celestia looked down and smiled at the baby dragon. “Y-Yes… I just… need some rest.” Glad to know she was safe from harm, Spike release a long and relief sight. Yet, after taking a good look at the attendance, he noticed right away that someone was missing. “Wait, where’s Jack?” He asked. Both the princesses and Fluttershy knew he would asked such question, thus their lips were sealed. Spike raised his eyebrow up in suspension. He then looked over to Fluttershy looking dejectedly. Spike wondered if they had a fight or something else. He was about to ask her until Luna intervened. “Nevermind him, we need to prepare ourselves for the enemy’s assault.” She said staley. Spike looked at Luna quizzically, then back at Fluttershy. But since time was of the essence, he went along. “Oookay…” He said, as he aided Celestia with a little support. “Come on princess. We need to get you into the medical tent.” As the three entered the tent, Fluttershy was left standing alone. She gloomed down at the ground… then she raised her head and stared blindly at the ceiling. “Jack…” She muttered sullenly. --------- Leaping on to the last pillar of rock, Jack spotted the warship parked nearby the Canterlot Castle. There, four soldiers guarded the entrance to the ship, while there were eight other soldiers patrolling around the perimeter. For the first time in his life, Jack felt eager to face his destiny… and for once holding no burdens or regrets. He observed the challenge that laid before him, glaring at each soldier within the area. He slowly reached for his collapsible bo-staff, twirling it hastily to extend both ends out, and stood there feeling confident. “Here I come… you bastard.” Jack uttered in a dark tone. --------- “CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE, EVACUATE INTO THE TUNNELS! OUR ASSAULT WILL BEGIN IN FIFTEEN MINUTES!!” Luna shouted in her royal voice, alerting the ponies to congregate to the safe cave located at the rear of the haven. As the ponies quietly entered the cave, the mane six did their jobs by leading them into the entrance efficiently. “Let’s keep it movin’ folks! Ya’ll don’t want ta get in this mess!” Applejack yelled, while gesturing her arm to keep the ponies moving on. “C’mon you slackers! Let’s move move move move move!!” Yelled Rainbow Dash, flapping above the crowd while throwing both hooves up skyward. “Weeeee!! Let’s go, everypony!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down to lift the gathering ponies’ spirits up. “Oh darling, do be careful and watch your step!” Rarity gestured at a colt who almost tripped on a rock. As the four ponies were engrossed in their jobs, Twilight was about to encourage the ponies more to pick up the pace when she spotted Fluttershy hanging her head, glooming at the ground. Twilight walked up to her, hoping to get an answer from her sudden behavior. “Fluttershy…? Are you okay?” Twilight asked, but the yellow pegasus had no response or the decency to look at her friend. She just stood there, looking hopeless and depressed. Twilight was about to ask again what the problem was… until it hit her. Jack was nowhere in sight, in fact, she hasn’t seen him yet since they went through the portal. Strucken by anxiety, Twilight had an idea of what had happened between him and Fluttershy. She gasped slightly, her eyes widened a bit. “Did he-” Twilight was about to ask until the quiet pegasus finally spoke. “Twilight…” Fluttershy spoke paley. She looked up at the curious purple unicorn with eyes that showed no life. “He’s doing what’s best for everyone. Let’s just focus on our task…” Fluttershy turned around and walked away, leaving Twilight clueless and worried. “Fluttershy…” Twilight uttered under her breath. The preparations were busy and restless, but the ponies in charge were sufficient enough to get everything together. Pony civilians and townsfolk walked inside the cave with much cooperation and the soldiers carried out their duties with no questions. Everything was going as planned, not one of the humans dared abandoned the orders they were entrusted with. As the preparations for the assault was near completion, Princess Luna flew to the highest cliff within the haven. Below her were hundreds of rows and columns of soldiers, standing still in their pride. The army of humans silently awaited for Luna to speak, more than a hundred thousand eyes were locked onto her at this moment. Luna took a moment to view each dedicated warrior within the assembly. As she did, she noticed that half of them were ready to fight for their cause… while some still questioned themselves and pondered about the outcome of this battle. “Sister… I…” Luna utterly said to herself, remembering what the two sisters discussed earlier today. ---------- “Easy does it.” Neil said to Celestia, as he, Kyle, and Tom aided her by guiding her weak body towards the large medic bed. Each step Celestia took made her grunt in pain. Every muscle in her felt so torn up from the great loss of her magic as a large percentage was absorbed and drained from her body. She had her hoof wrapped around Tom’s shoulders, while her other hoof remained on the ground to support her weight. Her wings were spread out to reserve more balance as Alex and Neil each took a side and held her in place. As she was brought to the bed, the three supporters helped place her on the surface. Celestia collapsed on the soft mattress, grunting in relief. She rested her head on the fluffy pillow and sighed. “There you go, your majesty.” Kyle sighed. Celestia looked at the three and smiled. “Thank you…” At that moment, Celestia spotted Luna entering the tent behind the three soldiers. Luna smiled in relief at she saw her sister finally relaxing on the bed. The three soldiers looked behind them and spotted the princess of the night before them. “Might I ask you three to step outside for a while? I would like to talk to my older sister in private.” The three soldiers bowed, as they started to backup. “As you wish.” Tom replied. The three soldiers turned around and exited the tent, leaving the two princesses all alone. Luna walked up to her sister, placing her hoof on to Celestia’s chest to hear her healthy heartbeat. “Tia… I’ve noticed you’ve been acting very protective towards Jack Armstrong, and in just a short amount of time as well. I may have some faith in him… yet I still doubt that he will fully succeed his task. But you… it looked like you were begging him immensely to not go towards his imminent danger, yet deep inside, you have always held so much faith for him.” Luna paused for a moment to properly formulate her question clearly. “So… why are you so attached to him more than I am? You treat the elements of harmony as if they were precious to you… with such equality. But with Jack… you treat him way beyond them. It is almost as if he’s your some sort of…” “Burden?” Celestia answered, interrupting Luna. Luna looked shocked, shaking her head nervously. “N-No, that’s not what I mea-” She tried to speak, but Celestia’s hoof hushed her from going any further. “It’s okay… I know what you meant.” As the two princesses sullenly gazed at the ground, their brightened mood diminished slowly. Celestia wished she wouldn’t have this conversation with her sister… but she knew it was a proper time to tell her. Starting off with a sigh, Celestia begun her explanation. “I don’t know either, my sister. It’s true, I haven’t interacted with him as long as the others had… but there’s something about him that’s worth more than meets the eye. It is as if he’s something worth protecting above any other else in this world. Everytime I look or think about him… I can’t help but feel responsible for bringing him more suffering to his life.” As Luna begun to understand the picture, she wondered if her next question would fit the puzzle. “Is it because of that incident?” Luna asked. She’d expected to be correct, yet to her slight surprise, Celestia shook her head softly. “It’s not just that… there’s more to it than that. I think it’s mostly because I’ve allowed myself to let a mortal being go free and face an enemy that far exceeds beyond my capabilities. Not only that, I feel as though I’m responsible for placing such heavy burdens on his shoulders, burdens that will scar him deeply if he does fail. I don’t know how or why I value his life that equals to yours, but all I can say is that humans are truly precious creatures. Just like… those three were back then...” As the white alicorn silenced her lips, she pondered on the painful past she endured. Luna, however, had no similar sympathies for what happened in the past. “Tia, I know how you feel about losing them, but that was a thousand years ago. She may had been the older sister of a young brother and sister, and the wielder of the Rainbow of Light, but eventually, her true nature caved in on her regardless of the outcome.” Celestia turned to Luna and glared at her eyes. “They were not monsters, Luna!” Celestia spoke angrily. Luna realized she took the wrong approach, yet she needed to let her sister know what her thoughts were. “I don’t think they were as well, but nonetheless, humans are a dangerous species, Tia! May I remind you that one of them was the Avatar of Zalgo?! We had to bring him down before he could be possessed completely, thus; we had no other choice!” Luna tried to express her reason, but it only made Celestia angrier. “We could had saved him, Luna! I know you felt the same way when that time came!” Celestia replied, her angry tone rose dramatically. “Oh?! Well tell that to the one who’s innocent life was taken away! I-I don’t know why it happened… but the youngest one was marked as a threat, because we thought that the influence of Zalgo was nestled and infused inside her! If only mother didn’t killed her… if only I could had been there for her, remove the evil from within her, and helped her escape… then she wouldn’t of died.” Luna paused, as she was crossing the borders of breaking into tears. She shook her head to fight back the pain that was inflicting her. “I loved her so much… her charming personality always lifted my gloomy spirit… she was my sanctuary! But… but now she’s gone! S-she didn’t deserve such a tragic end. The same thing goes for…” Celestia knew who she was going to bring up next, she had to stop her. Just before Luna could continue, Celestia rudely intervened. “Luna, just stop! You don’t know anything what they’ve been through! You don’t know what she’s been through...” She growled. Celestia remembered the times she spent with her friend, all the memories they had shared together were timeless. She cherished her relationship with her that equaled to Luna’s, as if she was another sister to her. As much as Celestia wanted to leave her out of this, Luna couldn’t obliged to her wishes and spoke. “I have so! Have you forgotten that her negative impact on losing her beloved kins almost destroyed Equestria?! Her anger and grief was too much, that the dark emotions brewing withinside her, managed to possessed her and used the Rainbow of Light against us! Like you, I could of saved her too… but our father took her away from us.” Celestia too remembered the time she saw her die, and it was the one image she wished she would’ve forgotten. Angered by the fact Luna brought up that particular memory, Celestia grunted in frustration and swerved her head away from her sister. “Tia…” Luna sighed. “I’m not trying to enforce my actual feelings on humans at you… it’s just that I thought our mother and father did the right thing to protect this land. They were never allowed inside Equestria in the first place, and our parents did warn us about the human race. Looking back… I remembered what those three could managed to do in a matter of years. Imagine what an army of humans that stumbled into this land could accomplish! Equestria would’ve been in ruins in a matter of minutes!” The conversation with her younger sister sickened the sun princess, causing her anger to boil rapidly. “But they weren’t like them!” Celestia hissed, showing signs of disdain of the conversation. “I know that Tia, they were my best friends too, but evolution and time was what caused them to reveal their true lineage. I don’t believe those three were evil… but nonetheless, the rest of the human race we once believed to be peaceful and loving species turned out to be brutal and intimidating-” Celestia couldn’t hear anymore, she released all of her anger at her sister. “THAT’S A LIE!!” She screamed, abruptly interrupting her. Luna sealed her lips shut, finally noticing the message Celestia was giving out. The two princesses remained silent as tension was surrounding between them. Celestia glared furiously at Luna, feeling betrayed and insulted by her younger sister’s conjecture. She just wanted to slap Luna across the face for bashing her thoughts on the human race, but she refrained herself to do such thing. As the silence mended Celestia’s anger, she became less tense. “Say whatever you want about the humans… but they’re not truly evil. I know it’s true…” Celestia said, breaking the silence. In a matter of seconds, Celestia finally gained control over her emotions and simmered down. Luna, on the other hand, was confused and frustrated by her older sister’s blague point of view. “But how, sister?! After what has happened today so far, what still made you convinced that the humans aren’t as a big of a threat than they were?!” She asked sincerely, desperate to know her answer. As silence reigned within the room once more, Celestia took her time to delve into her conflicted mind. She had stated her belief to her sister, but where was the proof? Celestia had forgotten why she believed the humans were good and innocent natured creatures. Witnessing their tenacity of holding onto their hatred and suffering for so long, it was no wonder why the humans were feared. She thought it was one of those questions that had no reasonable answers… that was until she thought of a certain person. She looked back at Luna once more, she smiled with reassuring clarity in her mind. “Because… Jack is the fine example of their true nature.” Celestia simply stated. Luna was taken aback from her answer. “But… why?” She asked with great curiosity and confusion. Celestia looked in front of her, staring into her own space thinking of Jack. “Jack was once tormented by the pain and suffering from the very same species he was born with. And his brother… Jared Armstrong… was the one that drove him towards vengeance. But… all of them weren’t to blame for their bloodshed history. If there was anyone to blame…” Celestia paused as she turned her head to her sister. She had a look of contempt on her face. “It would be the Outer Gods. They were the ones responsible for poisoning the human race with meaningless wars that brought overwhelming fear, unbearable pain, and unrelenting hatred towards one another.” Celestia looked away from her sister and stared at her own shadow. “You see… everyone cruelly punished Jack because they thought that he was the avatar of a monstrous being. Though, it wasn’t their evil nature or their intention to torture Jack himself out of spite… but what was inside of him, the evil that haunted the humans for years that made them do it. The same principle can be applied to his brother. Even though he had the essence of evil inside him… he wasn’t born as an evil person. If Jared wasn’t chosen as the next avatar… then things would of been different.” “But that doesn’t explain why you believe they’re truly peaceful creatures. What makes you sure that Jack is the same as them?” Luna asked, still clouded by so many questions. “Because… unlike the rest… Jack was saved by the power of friendship.” “The Elements of Harmony…” Luna agasped slightly. Celestia nodded her head and continued. “If he could be changed into a good natured being, why couldn’t the rest of them be too? It’s because that they lived in such harsh conditions, it would make sense for us to fear the humans for their brutal nature. But by guiding them out of their darkness… and bringing them into the light… then they will be like Jack. After all, he possesses loyalty, clarity, generosity, honesty, compassion, and valor. Even though he does lack some virtues, it still doesn’t label him as a threat.” Celestia turned back to her sister, who was shamefully staring at the ground for being too credulous at the humans. “Do you finally understand? Because I do now. The reason why Jack feels precious to me… is because he reminds me of our old friends. Megan… who showed loyalty and honesty when she wanted to be strong for her friends. Molly… the one who expressed compassion and generosity to cheer up those closest to her. And Danny, who always had clarity and valor whenever his friends are in danger. To sum it all up, all three of them each possessed virtues that Jack inherited. That’s why… Jack is precious to me. And I do believe… that he could be the one that can change the fate of the human race and possibly… bring peace to our world.” Struck by her sister’s factual perspectives, Luna’s view on the humans turned to a brighter direction. “I… I understand now. I’m so sorry for ever doubting you…” She replied in a mortified tone. After all the years of attempting to confute her sister’s beliefs and perspectives towards the humans, she begun to degrade herself for being so blind and foolish. Luna couldn’t look into her sister’s eyes, she was too ashamed to fully admit her mistakes. A hoof was suddenly placed on her cheek and forced her head to turn back to face Celestia, who smiled at her sister warmly. “It’s alright sister, there’s no need to be ashamed. To be honest, I’ve stopped caring for the humans after I banished you to the moon. That is until Jack crossed over to our lives and brought us renewed belief.” Luna shed a tear, while placing a hoof on top of Celestia’s own hoof. She gently pressed down her hoof and snuggled her cheek against Celestia’s caring touch. “So… what does the humans need to be like Jack?” She asked softly. Celestia leaned forward and planted a peck on her forehead. “All they need now… is salvation, compassion… and most of all… hope, my sister.” Celestia stated soothingly. Luna closed her eyes and continued to rest her head against her sister’s hoof. “I see…” She cooed in relief. Luna got on top of her bed and rested her body onto her caring and loving sister. Celestia smiled at her, caressing Luna’s flowing mane gently while the princess of the night closed her eyes and slept. As she kept caressing Luna’s mane, Celestia turned her head to watch the dedicated soldiers marching by outside the tent’s entrance. A tear escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek. Jack… thank you for existing in our world. Celestia spoke passionately to herself inwardly. You’ve done a deed so sacred that it pales in comparison to mine. After all, you’ve inherited Megan’s loyalty and honesty, making you stay true to others and to yourself. You also inherited Molly’s compassion and generosity, sharing your services and sentimental feelings to help out those who mean to you. Finally, you’ve inherited Danny’s valiant spirit and a mind etched with clarity, allowing you to overcome hardships and obstacles you face in life, and protecting the ones you love from danger. But most of all… I want to thank you for giving me back hope for the humans. You truly are someone important in this world… please be careful. ------- As Luna finished reminiscing her conversation earlier with her sister, she begun to see a new perspective towards the soldiers. Each and every one of them had a look of resolve, a desire for change. Luna couldn’t be any happier to be armed with the changed perspective she had. It would appear… that you may be right about these humans, sister. Luna said to herself inwardly. From the look on their faces, they desire change in their world. Their expressions are full of determination and a thirst for salvation. Perhaps… we might be able to do this... Determined to put this operation into action, Luna stood front and center of the ledge. She calmly inhales deeply, and started to shout in her royal voice. “DEFENDERS, ACTIVATE OUR DEFENSE MECHANISMS! MARKSMEN, HEAD OVER TO YOUR ASSIGNED LOCATIONS! SOLDIERS, PREPARE YOUR WEAPONS!!” She yelled, pointing her hoof towards the directions she assigned each platoons. Luna faced the soldiers below her, ready to heed her words and commands. I will put all of my trust with you, my sister. She said in her consciousness. Once more, Luna took a deep breath and resumed the royal Canterlot voice to project herself loud and clear. “THIS IS IT! WHETHER YOU FAIL OR SUCCEED, WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THIS BATTLE TODAY, KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE FIGHTING NOT ONLY FOR FREEDOM… BUT FOR REDEMPTION!! ON THIS DAY, THIS FIGHT SHALL BE THE REIFICATION OF MANKIND’S DEFIANCE AGAINST THE OUTER GODS REIGN OF TERROR, AND THAT YOU BRAVE AND ADMIRABLE MORTAL BEINGS WILL REGAIN THE PEACE YOU ALL ONCE LOST!! HEAR ME… THIS IS YOUR DAY… OUR DAY!!” The soldiers stood proudly at their places as they were ready to fight thanks to Luna’s motivational speech. The princess herself was also roused from her speech, feeling more anxious to place action into motion. Luna stomped her hoof on the ground, thrusting her chest forward and tilting her neck back. “DO NOT LET YOUR ACTIONS GO UNHEARD!! SHOW THEM WHAT WE MORTALS ARE CAPABLE OF!! FOR PEACE!! FOR FREEDOM!! AND FOR SALVATIOOOON!!” Seconds later, Luna unleashed a wave of outcries that thundered cheers and battle cries. Every human lifted their rifle guns up in the air in unison, displaying and expressing the strength of their valor. Luna was touched immensely; the hope that wavered her eventually returned. Now that hope was restored to not only humanity… but to Luna as well. All she could do now, was smile up at the ceiling and image a certain someone. “And I will put my complete faith in you… Jack Armstrong.” She said to herself with strong belief. -------- “Sir, the configurations are complete! The portal is ready for activation!” Marshal Maxwell reported diligently. The crawling chaos chortled in a pleasing and dark tone. “Proceed…” He waved his hand lazily. Maxwell stood up after configuring and rerouting wires, microchips, and cables he walked over back to the computer screen and typed in the the last coordinates for the route. As he fulfilled his duty, Maxwell pressed the last button and the deed was done. “Both portal rifts are now connected, main power on!” He announced. Nyarlathotep smiled wickedly to himself, clenching his fists that creek ever so loudly. “Excelent… the time has come!” The generator begun to hum violently, tiny electric sparks shot out from the gateway arch. In a matter of seconds, a small rift started to tear through the fabric of space in the middle of the gateway, slowly growing in size. Within the rift, a swirling vortex that spiraled downward towards a fading point could be seen. The edge of the rifts made contact with the gateway arch, and at that very instant, the entire rift ripped open completely. Now standing in their presence was a fully functional portal that emitted a green and blue color. Nyarlathotep looked at the portal and turned his head back forward, chuckling to himself. It was at that moment that Maxwell started to formulate a conjecture. The way Nyarlathotep had been acting for the past day was very unsettling and questionable to Maxwell. The entire time his armada took over Canterlot, not once he was worried about the resistance slowly conquering a small portion of his entire battalions and slowly retaliating towards the heart of the entire armada. In fact, Maxwell had not seen the lord of chaos showing any signs of dilemma. With his skeptical mind finally in motion, he glared at the dark lord suspiciously. Why is he so calm? Does he not realize that the resistance could be the downfall towards our operation? Does he even… care about us? What is he planning…? Maxwell asked himself inwardly, still trying to conjure up his answers. Maxwell’s train of thought came to a halt as he heard Nyarlathotep chuckling to himself. “Ah… you’ve arrived just in time.” He said in a humble tone. Maxwell tilted his head in confusion, raising an eyebrow. There was no one else here besides himself, but as soon as Maxwell spotted a soldier being thrown into the room, he found his answer. The soldier grunted in pain as he crashed landed on the side of the command steps, groaning in defeat. Maxwell heard metal footsteps… or rather hoofsteps entering the room. “Welcome… Jack Armstrong.” The daemon sneered, turning himself to face not only the bipedal stallion himself, but the Avatar of Am’Dhaegar the Pure as well. “Nyarlathotep…” Jack growled, twirling his bo-staff violently for a few seconds before abruptly stopping the motion and holding his weapon horizontally in front of himself. For twenty long years, Jack had avoided the demon crawling chaotically after him. For twenty long years, Jack lived his entire life through the constant eyes of the Outer Gods. And for twenty long years… Jack and Nyarlathotep never encountered each other… until now.