Finally, after hours of battling through hordes of monsters, we arrived at the top. Thunder cracked above us, and a sinking feeling of dread coursed through me.

"We're almost there! Just a little further." Shayla coaxed the rest of us along. While she and Lily appeared to be unfazed, Scott and I were becoming more worn out by the minute.

We weren't prepared for the sight that met us at the top. Arzak stood inside a large piece of machinery; presumably, this was his holding tank that had been transported out this far. However, another figure, dressed in dark robes, stood over what appeared to be the controls. As he looked up at us, we realized that he was the strange figure that we had met back at Insburgh.

"Ah." He punched in a few buttons, and took a step in our direction. "Right on time."

"You madman!" cried Scott. "What have you done to him?"

The darkly-clad man gave a hearty laugh and snorted. "I've only made Arzak realize the cruel punishment that human beings have inflicted upon him for generations; nothing more." As he drew closer, we could see his slick night-blue hair standing out above his staring, ice-cold, clear blue eyes in a strangely frightening contrast.

"Who are you?!" demanded Shayla, readying her sword.

The man didn't answer her question. Instead, he snapped his fingers in an unexpected instant.

My father materialized before me.

My heart fell incredibly in a combination of grief, worry, and relief, before I noticed that there was a strange fire in his eyes. Then, he snarled at us.

"I heard your family was missing," the man said with the hint of a smile. "Well, I thought that out of the goodness of my heart, I'd reunite you with him. You deserve it."

The dark man gave another snap of the fingers and disappeared into thin air as my father lunged at us. At the same time, Arzak's capsule began to vibrate, emitting sparks and flashes of light.

Scott sprinted over to the machine. "I've got to find a way to stop this!"

Lily screamed while fighting off my father. "Scott, get back here! It's too dangerous!"

Scott paid no heed and started to punch at the control keypad furiously. "It's my fault that Insburgh was left in ruins. I will not let Arzak wreak similar havoc!"

The flashes became brighter, and Shayla yelled sternly. "Scott, it's going to blow!"

It was too late. The machine erupted in an enormous blast of light as a bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky to meet the ailing machine. Scott flew back dozens of feet and off the top of the mountain.

"Nooo!"

There was no time to grieve. Not yet. It was made especially evident as the mighty Arzak gave an incredibly deafening roar to the sky and began to approach us with hate in its troubled eyes.

Shayla barked out orders as the commander within her awoke. "Dan, you can't fight your father- you can't see him like this. Get away from here! Lily, Dan! Try to hold off that thing... and I'll be with you to fight in a second!"

Animal instinct took over, and we plunged into a battle that seemed unwinnable.

If you have found the key to victory,
then an otherworldly door is
your gateway to victory. Fight beyond,
onward and forever, to prove your true power.