Jump 2: Director's Cut

"Oh brave knight, swift as the wind...heed my call!"

Bright blue light shot into the sky, tearing a hole in the storm above...And from that hole, a lone figure descended in a ray of purple light. A moment later the light reached the ground just before Merlina, and the earth shook as the figure emerged from that ground. She was a strange being-short, bearing both human and animal-like features. Her fur was purple and her hair was long, flowing down her back and covering her eyes at the same time. She was clad in strange clothing-a slim blue jumpsuit-like outfit, with a burnt orange ring attacked to one wrist. She stood from where she had been crouching, and her eyes opened-deep blue, Merlina noted. The figure turned and stared at the army of monsters that surrounded them both.

The strange being-the Knight of the Wind that Merlina had summoned, the sorceress realized-turned back to Merlina. "One moment; I shall handle this." The Knight of the Wind declared. Her figure seemed to flicker like a mirage, and a strange purple tint seemed to overcome the world around them. Then there was the sound of thunder, a rumbling all around that tore up a raging wind. Merlina blinked...and the entire army that Arthur had summoned was gone, reduced to dust. The Knight of the Wind herself had turned to Arthur, and was frowning. "That should've killed you." She said with absolute certainty.

"Nothing can kill me." The dark king answered back. 

The Knight's frown deepened. "We shall see."

"No, you mustn't!" Merlina shouted, reaching out for the otherworldy knight. The Knight of the Wind looked back, and then seemed to deliberately allow Merlina to grab her. The sorceress raised her staff, conjuring a storm around them...and teleporting them away. When the dust cleared they were far away, in a misty forest. The otherworld knight turned her frown towards the sorceress, and she felt the need to defend her actions. "King Arthur cannot be wounded or slain, for he bears The Scabbard of Excalibur."

The otherworld knight nodded at that. "An immortal, then. Tricky..." Merlina's spine tingled; the thought that this knight had defeated other immortals before...The knight shook her head. "I am Genesis the Hedgehog; who might you be, miss?" She asked.

"Ah; I am Merlina. Apologies for your abrupt summoning, sir knight." Merlina curtsied as she both introduced herself and apologized. 

"It's fine; I'm exactly where I need to be." Genesis answered somewhat cryptically. The knight looked around at the forest the two of them had been walking through. "You brought us here for a reason?" She asked.

Merlina nodded. "In the heart of this forest, guarded by the Mist Dragon, lies the Sacred Sword Caliburn. It is said that only the power of a Sacred Sword can pierce through the Scabbard's immortality; with this sword, you just might be able to defeat King Arthur."

Genesis looked rather pensive at that. "Ah...You called me a knight, but I must admit; I am no swordswoman. I've defeated many foes, but I've never wielded a blade."

Merlina smiled. "This is one thing I can assist with! I shall set up some illusory obstacles and targets; we'll make you a swordswoman out of you yet!"

0-0-0-0-0

"If you remove sword and slay King Arthur with it, you shall forever be the worst of knights, slayer of kings." Merlina declared.

Genesis paused, her hand still wrapped around the hilt of Caliburn. For a long moment she considered Merlina's words...then answered back. "Perhaps in this world, it is a great dishonor to slay a king...but there is a saying in mine. 'All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good to stand by and do nothing.' I can think of no greater honor than to strike down a tyrant. Call me a kingslayer, the worst of knights. Earned this way, I could think of no higher praise." A golden glow surrounded Genesis for a brief moment, and she pulled forth Caliburn from the stone.

Genesis considered the sword. "Caliburn..."

"Indeed." The sword answered back Genesis didn't so much as flinch-seeming to have fully expected it. "And you must be my wielder...though by the look of you, you're barely a squire. Not to worry; I shall train you until you're a true knight, worthy of bearing me!"

"We may not have much time for that..." Genesis answered back to her sword, staring off into the distance-where King Arthur, riding his shadowy steed, had appeared. A moment later she launched herself into battle with the newcomer.

Unlike before when her attacks simply did no damage to him, this time it was clear that Caliburn's edge bit into King Arthur's body...and yet, it was not enough. No matter how many times she cut or ran him through, he simply healed back to full health a moment later. After several minutes of battle, she suddenly stopped and jumped back.

"This is pointless." She declared, staring into King Arthur's glowing yellow eyes. "You cannot hurt me, and I cannot kill you."

King Arthur growled, and raised Deathcalibur high into the air-and from its tip emerged dozens of glowing energy balls, and an equal number of energy spears. "Watch out!" Caliburn shouted. Genesis stood still, and raised a single hand-palm outwards.

All of King Arthur's attacks-the beams of light, the balls of writhing magic-simply...stopped, just in front of her. It was as if they were trapped in an invisible wall of amber, frozen in place-though the rest of the world continued to move just fine. The otherworldly knight's eyes glowed with a faint white light as she stared at this wall of death, palm held out. Then, she spun her hand lightly...and every single attack spun around as well, aimed directly at the tyrant King Arthur who had originally launched them.

"Like I said..." Genesis began, "This is pointless." She punctuated her statement by closing her raised hand into a fist...and every single attack from the Tyrant King dissipated, as if crushed out of existence. 

"What in the world-" Caliburn exclaimed

"How..." King Arthur asked at the same time.

"All you presumed that I am a knight...but the truth is, I'm much closer to being a sorceress than a knight." Genesis explained.

King Arthur stared at her for several moments, then sheathed his sword. "Not even worth slaying." He declared, and then simply rode off into the sky. 

"Well...I've never had a sorceress for a wielder, but no matter. We'll make a knight of you regardless!" Caliburn declared, floating out of her hand to speak to her directly.

"It seems the legend is true; so long as he bears the Scabbard, there is no hope of defeating King Arthur." Merlina spoke, walking up to where Genesis and Caliburn stood. 

The otherworldly knight looked back at the elfen woman and asked, "Do you know of a way to circumvent its power?"

Merlina shook her head. "No, but there is one who might. The Scabbard's former owner Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, may know how to hinder its power."

Genesis nodded...then paused. "Before we continue...would you mind if I were to summon my friends and family from the other world?" She asked. 

"Ah...feel free, Genesis." 

The hedgehog nodded, and raised both hands. Her eyes glowed first white, then with prismatic power, and her hands began to glow golden-miniscule slits into the Chaos Force opening along the back of her fingers to fill her with power. She grit her teeth...and with a mighty shout, a strange rift in reality tore itself open before her. The silhouettes of four figures could be seen within.

The first figure to emerge was lashed by ghostly tendrils of power from the portal's edges, and yet seemed utterly unharmed by the experience. "So that's what you were talking about...Hey darling, miss me?" A husky voice called out. Rouge the Bat emerged from the portal. Trails of white mist radiated from her form, which itself seemed somewhat changed. She had been a beauty before...but now, she seemed even more so. Her skin was fairer, her hair and fur both sleeker and softer, her curves enhanced, and her eyes almost glowing from within. 

More than her physical beauty, the essence of her power had changed as well. If one had the mystical senses for it, it would be exceedingly clear; her soul had been enhanced as a knight of the realm's would be, practically bursting through her skin. Likewise was the essence of Chaos Energy which now sparked within her frame-certainly not as much as Genesis could summon, perhaps not even as much as a single Chaos Emerald, but a powerful spark nevertheless.

Behind her three other figures emerged-though they were spared from the lashing of the portal. One of those figures seemed rather annoyed by that fact, actually. "C'mon, Gen. Don't I at least count as second wife?" A younger and gentle voice called out. A deer mobian in a simple though elegant dress emerged from the portal, looking about curiously. 

"Hah! Try again in a hundred years, girly. Gen's mine, and I ain't sharing." Rouge called back to her, making Bump the Deer pout.

"Out of the way, simpleton! I've a whole new world to conquer-I mean, explore!" A young woman's voice called out. Out of the portal marched a human woman dressed in a black undersuit with a red suit on top, with prominent white straps on the sides and capped with four yellow buttons. Omelette had grown up from a young girl, and taken after Robotnik's own style of dress as she came into her own. Her hair was still a spikey, poofy mess and her eyes were covered by her signature glasses, and a grand-though perhaps somewhat maniacle-grin was stretched across her face.

"Don't go overboard, Omelette! We don't know what this new world is like!" Bump tried to temper Omelette's excitement, only for a much more, well, excitable voice to interrupt.

"No way Bumpy! This is a whole new world! A whole new set of sights to see, things to find, and dances to dance!" A flying seemingly-human woman emerged from the portal last, a bright grin on her face as she spun in the air."

"Quite the...colorful cast, sir knight." Merlina noted. "May you perchance introduce us?"

"These are my family; my companions who would cross worlds alongside me." Genesis began, though the others decided to continue introductions.

"I'm Dinya the djinn!" Dinya introduced herself, spinning excitedly in the air as she did so. "I'm just here to have a good time!"

"I am DOCTOR Ivanna Robotnik, though you may call me Omelette!" Omelette went next, posing somewhat dramatically as she did so.

"And I'm Bump the Deer; I'm Gen's second wife!" Bump introduced herself last-getting groans from the rest of Gen's cast.

Rouge sauntered up to Genesis and all but draped herself around the hedgehog's shoulders, getting a near atomic blush from her. "That just leaves me I suppose." She said, smiling flirtily at Merlina. "I'm Rouge the Bat; I'm Gen's ACTUAL wife. Or maybe husband; I tend to wear the pants in the relationship, really."

"Ah-" Genesis tried to raise her voice to protest, only for Rouge to place a finger on her lips and silence her utterly. 

"Quite the colorful cast, indeed." Merlina muttered.

0-0-0-0-0

"I must say, your husband makes a far finer knight than you do, squire." Caliburn remarked as the two of them tore through a small squadron of Hell Knights. 

Some ways away Rouge herself moved with incredible swiftness, wielding a sparkling blade and clad in flexible yet powerful armor. Caliburn's words were true; just by comparing the way Genesis and Rouge fought, it was clear that Rouge was the superior swordswoman. Gen had gotten the basics of slashing and stabbing down, but still relied much more on her immense speed and power to actually turn the blade in her hands into a deadly weapon. Rouge, meanwhile, all but /danced/ her way through enemies-always dodging and slicing at the perfect moment even without relying on mind-boggling speed.

"I know." Genesis agreed with Caliburn. She paused for a moment to cut through a particularly giant Hell Knight, then continued. "The truth is, I rather hate battle. I hate war, and violence. I developed my mystical arts so that I wouldn't need to battle...so that I could save lives, rather than end them. Being a knight...does not come easily to me." She admitted, though this did not stop her from slashing through her enemies.

"If you make for such a poor knight, then why were you the one who heeded Merlina's summons, rather than one of your companions?" Caliburn asked.

Genesis crouched down, focusing her newfound spiritual power into her body and blade. At just the perfect crescendo she struck, again and again-cutting through enemy after enemy in an instant. Afterwards she felt herself only slightly drained, and gave a wan smile; she was getting better at wielding that power. "Merlina called for a knight of the wind...and though I dislike bragging, there is only one who is faster than I. And in the transition of coming to this realm, I have attained speed and power that allow me to surpass even them completely and utterly." She declared. 

"So it was simply a matter of looking in the wrong direction..." Caliburn noted, before switching tracks. "Remember to focus; allow the swell of your soul to flow in time with the strike, and release just as you make contact!" Genesis nodded, focusing on mastering her spiritual energies. The next several strikes cost her practically nothing, and she seemed to have gained a spark of Rouge's own elegance in combat. "I must say though, you do have a knack for the metaphysical. I've never seen a student so easily master the art of the Soul Surge." Caliburn remarked.

"There are many forms of magic in my previous world; I had trained in three of them." Genesis offered as explanation. "The first is known as Chaos, and is an unstable power which turns emotions into reality; to master it, I had to train my heart. The second is known as Hyper energy; this power is a part of my flesh and blood. To master it, I had to train my body. The last is Psychic; it is the power to allow one's thoughts to shape reality. In order to master it, I trained my own mind."

"It seems the way of the mystic is no less demanding than the way of the knight." Caliburn noted. "Perhaps more so, even. But what is that power capable of? The power of the Soul Surge is a well known tool amongst knights, but magi are mysterious beings with strange powers."

Having cleared out the enemies around her, Genesis stopped for a moment. "That's a fair question." She fell into a gentle, loose crouch, and held Caliburn forward. "Allow me a demonstration...brace yourself." And with that small warning, her eyes began to shine with prismatic light. Similar light rose up and began to surround her body, and then began to flow up Caliburn's blade.

"Squire? I'm not too sure about this..." Caliburn spoke, watching the rainbow light creep up his body. As it reached the tip, all of the sudden it shined incredibly brightly-and a sensation like fire and lightning hammered through Caliburn's form for just a moment, before relief like being dipped in purest springwater followed. Caliburn opened his eyes-not having realized he'd closed them...and beheld the strangest sight of his life.

The world was unnaturally silent and still. There was no wind. There was no movement. There was nothing, save for the moment that he was existing in. "What in the world..." Caliburn muttered.

"If you feel pretentious, you might call it the Frozen World. More accurately, Accelerated Perception. If you were boastful, Time Stop." Genesis's voice echoed strangely in this world, as if both far away and right next to one. She knelt down and picked up a rock, and in one smooth motion gently lobbed it into the air. The rock moved normally in her hands for just a moment, then began to slow down, and down...until it simply froze in the air, suspended in nothing. "The rock hasn't frozen, if that's what you think." She noted. "It is simply moving so slowly it appears to not move at all. At this speed...from our perspective, at this speed the rock should take about two years to reach the ground."

"Remarkable..." Caliburn quietly exclaimed. "With this sort of speed, the entire kingdom of Camelot could be saved in an afternoon! Ah-but this must cost you, yes? How long can you keep this up?"

Genesis did not reply, and merely began to stroll forward. She reached a Hell Knight a good distance away, and with an effortless casualness cut it in half with Caliburn's blade. She did not swing the sword-no, she simply lifted the blade, and let it drop as one would move their own arm up and down. Despite that, the demon parted under Caliburn's steel so effortlessly that the sentient blade wondered if he had truly made contact with it. Then Genesis moved on to the next one. And the next one. And the next one.

For several subjective minutes, she cut down demons in this way-in fact, she cleared out half of the entire settlement. The rest of the settlement had been cleared out previously. "Is this your limit, sir knight?" Caliburn asked as she paused, staring out of the gate of the settlement. "This method of killing demons...it is not particularly honorable or knightly, but...needs must. How often can you do this?"

She did not reply directly. "The first time I moved this fast, I had been about to fall into a river." Genesis began. "The world slowed to a crawl, and when I landed on the waters, my feet did not sink in. They were as solid as stone beneath me. I simply walked back to the riverside, hardly realizing what had happened. It was only when I tried to talk to my employer at the time and realized that she was utterly frozen, that I realized what was truly going on. The world snapped back into place a moment later, and I wondered if that was my limit."

Genesis turned around and began walking to where she had begun. "The second time I moved this fast, I ran across the entirety of my world within a handful of minutes. Caliburn, the power I summoned up was merely to allow you to witness what I do. This speed...is perhaps a fifth of what I can achieve on my own."

"What-but..." Caliburn stammered, trying to understand what Genesis was saying. "Th-then how? How is the kingdom still imperiled if you could slay every demon within in but a moment?!"

"Hell's armies are endless, and for as many as I defeat in a single moment, endless more shall emerge in the moments that follow afterwards." She answered. "Despite that, since I have arrived in this kingdom I have ensured that not a single peasant has died to the Tyrant's armies. You have not noticed it, but I have dropped you seven hundred times today. Each time I have sped across the kingdom, slain demons with my bare hands, moved peasants out of danger, and returned before it could be noticed. And all of it is for naught; as long as King Arthur lives, more and more demons shall emerge endlessly. And without the method of stopping the Scabbard's power, it is impossible for me to slay the Tyrant. Even with all the speed and power in the world, it's all for naught."

Caliburn was silent for several subjective minutes as Genesis strolled back to where she began, contemplating her words. What Genesis had said was the truth...but it felt as if there was something missing from that truth as well. Words that she carefully did not say. Yet what that might be was lost to the living blade.

It would only be at the day's end, when Genesis returned to a small cabin in the woods to rest with her family and wife/husband Rouge, that Caliburn would realize that she never did answer what her various mystical powers were capable of.

0-0-0-0-0

"Why?" Gen's voice echoed out into the ruined castle. She stared down the black-haired Merlina, both of them appearing calm yet resolute.

Merlina did not ask for elaboration. She knew exactly what Genesis was asking. "This kingdom is doomed to fail. You have already seen it; the people hold no faith in their knights. The knights are powerful, but fractured. The rift between Lancelot and Gawain shall shatter the Round Table, and King Arthur would be struck down by his son Mordred and depart for Avalon. Camelot was to be the ideal kingdom, an eternal ******** for all...and yet, it too withers into sorrow and rot." Merlina summoned up a flower, rotten with age...and yet, with the dark power in her hands, it began to turn backwards. Healing, restoring-until it was in full bloom. "With the power of the Scabbard, I shall undo this fate. I shall create a kingdom which goes on forever, eternal and unblemished."

Genesis walked slowly forward, but stopped in the middle of the room. "You are not wrong." Genesis stated. Merlina's eyes opened in shock, and Caliburn quietly exclaimed a "what?!" as well. She continued. "This world, all worlds...they are doomed to rot and die. All that lives, dies. And it is disgusting, so utterly disgusting, that life must end. And yet...though you found an answer to this cruelty, the answer you have chosen is wrong itself." She swung her sword out, gesturing to the castle at large. "Look around you! Letting the kingdom be consumed by hell will not save it-only lock it in eternal torment! The people suffer, the kingdom shatters, and the soul of Camelot dies so its body may rot forever; this is not the way!"

"What other way is there?!" Merlina screamed back, an angry and tearful expression on her face. "I have sought for any other recourse, anything at all-only the power of the Scabbard, only the immortality of hell can save this kingdom!"

"Then I shall show you a different way!" Genesis answered back. She raised up Caliburn high, and in an instant she lit up with golden fire, bright as the sun. Within that burning pyre of power was the light of the Soul Surge and the prismatic light of Hyper energy, twisting around Caliburn's body, filling it, reshaping it...A moment later the pyre burst, revealing Genesis changed. Her purple fur burnt golden, and in her hand was not Caliburn...but Excalibur. And yet...no golden armor surrounded her. "RRAAAAAGH!" Genesis screamed, as she plunged Excalibur into the ground.

At once, the golden pyre renewed itself-shooting into the sky as a blazing colum of power. It pierced straight through the hellportal that Merlina had conjured, ripping it apart...and then it gathered into a golden storm of its own, streaked with white and holding a prismatic eye at its center. Lashes of lightning flowed through that golden storm, then shot down from the heavens-striking at the remaining demons on the earth. Where they struck the demons were utterly unmade and the land was healed-truly healed, revitalized and purified rather than forcibly enlivened and twisted as hell's power would have done. The fairies grew stronger, the people grew healthier, the elderly younger...it was as if a divine miracle had descended on the kingdom of Camelot.

And the storm of light was still building-yet it was trapped by the barrier forged from the Sacred Swords. Unlike hell's powers, this storm did not test the barrier; it only acknowledged it, and retreated back to build up on itself. 

Back within the castle, Genesis let go of Excalibur, leaving the blade lodged in the floor. Her fur still burnt a shining gold, and embers of purest light continued to flow off of her frame and into the sky. She spread her arms wide, and smiled a smile of purest joy. "This, is my answer." She said. "I shall be the sacrifice this kingdom needs to live eternal. My soul shall burn, and stir up the embers of Chaos and souls alike-setting fire to the souls of all who inhabit Camelot in turn. Their souls shall not burn like mine does; they will only burn with the lightest embers, stoking the storm of Chaos above us and fueling it to return our embers a hundred fold. All who live under the storm's aegis shall never age, never need for food or drink, and heal from grevious wounds in moments. Merely living their lives will fuel the storm endlessly, and in time the gentle burning of their souls will even strengthen them-inspiring even the least of them to become akin to demigods. Rather than stasis, this kingdom will live and grow eternal-becoming ever greater, endless life that neither stagnates nor becomes diseased."

The black slowly began to leech away from Merlina's hair, restoring to her natural magenta...then lightening even further with gentle highlights of gold. Merlina's eyes glowed golden, and she seemed to look about. "It's true..." She whispered in awe-not only did her clairvoyance show her that the spell that Genesis had wrought was functioning-but even with her eyes, she was watching the castle be restored. Rubble unwinding backwards through time, bricks fusing, glass repairing and even /crystallizing/. It was not enough to merely return it to its previous state-the spell that Genesis had forged sought to /improve/ the castle as well. Merlina collapsed to her knees, dropping her staff in the same moment. "Camelot...is saved." Her voice wavered. She sniffled. And then all at once, she began bawling-overcome with emotion.

In an instant Genesis was by her side, holding her and whispering comforting nothings. Meanwhile Caliburn-or rather, Excalibur-stared up at the gold-stained sky. "This...this is wrong. This MUST be wrong. If it is not, then..." Excalibur struggled, trying to articulate an instinct it could not describe. The idea of, 'in a world without death, what use is a blade?' It was a reasonable fear. A rational one, especially for a sentient sword. A misplaced one, but an understandable one all the same. "I must ponder on this." Excalibur decided. He lifted himself from where he was embedded in the floor, and stared at Genesis. Genesis stared back-her eyes showed understanding, but resolve on this action. "I am not your blade." Excalibur declared with certainty. "This path, is not the path of a knight. Maybe it is a better path. But it is not a path I shall walk alongside you." His piece said, Excalibur floated away-out of the castle, presumably back to Nimue. Genesis made no move to stop the sentient blade.

After some time, Merlina began to calm down. "There...there are still things to do." She said. Her eyes briefly glowed as she tapped into her clairvoyance. "Your Eternal Storm will not spread as long as the barrier formed from the Sacred Swords holds. We shall have to remove them. And-this will not solve the issue of the people's will, nor the schism of the Round Table. Not on its own."

Genesis nodded. "Let me handle the barrier." Genesis declared, before wincing lightly. 

Merlina's eyes snapped wide. "Oh god-you're burning your soul to nothing!" She seemed to realize in an instant.

Genesis gave a gentle smile. "Only my soul was strong enough to catalyze the spell." She explained. "I.../probably/ won't die from this? But it is rather uncomfortable. Do not mind; I will not be terribly weakened by this."

Merlina shook her head. "Why should you have to suffer so that everyone may live?" She asked. A moment later she shoved the Scabbard of Excalibur into Gen's arms. "Here; it is thoroughly useless to me now, but perhaps it can ease your burden?"

The Scabbard began to emit a dark purple smoke...which was immediately blasted back by the golden fires that still burned along Gen's body. Those fires immediately invaded the 
Scabbard itself, filling it from within. More purple smoke emitted from the Scabbard, and the design upon it seemed to shift-burning gold and white, with the gem in the center filling with prismatic light. A moment later streams of purest white light emerged from the Scabbard and surrounded Genesis, sinking into her...and she sighed in relief, feeling her soul heal from the burning she was inflicting on it every moment she fueled the spell above. "Thank you, Merlina." Genesis said, holding the Scabbard closer as it continued to emit a thin stream of light that counteracted her continued spiritual immolation.

Merlina smiled widly. "Think nothing of it; you have made all my dreams come true-it is only right that I ensure you survive to see the results of your work!"

"Now, it's time we save this kingdom!"

0-0-0-0-0

The first stone was the easiest to deactivate; Genesis had left Rouge to guard it with a Sacred Sword that she herself had forged for Rouge. The forging had not been an easy task, requiring incredible materials and energies to both match and even surpass the other Sacred Swords, but Genesis would naturally give her all for her love. And in return, Rouge repaid that love with trust; she hardly needed Genesis to explain herself before stepping aside and allowing the sealing to become undone.

The second and third stones were harder. Each was guarded by one of the Knights of the Round-Percival the Cat and Gawain the Echidna. Genesis tried her best to explain herself to them-to show them that the kingdom she sought to forge was not a stagnant and dead one, but one that would both live forever and live with genuine vitality-but neither was willing to listen to her, even for a moment. Genesis was forced to defend herself, drawing up her own shadow and shaping it into a blade to match against the other knights. In the end though, it was no contest-neither could match her speed and power, not even slightly. Especially when she was constantly burning with Chaos Energy and locked in a Soul-augmented super mode as she was.

At the final stone, the last point of the barrier which had weakened immensely, stood Nimue with a melancholic expression. Excalibur floated by her side, turned away-unwilling to watch this confrontation. Genesis walked forward, and her heart carried the will of the Eternal Storm. Rouge followed in her wake, her own Sacred Sword sheathed and gentle golden light surrounding her. And one last time, Genesis sought peace.

"You know that I wish you no harm-I wish no harm to this kingdom at all." She began. "I was careful in my spellwork, and check it thousands of times to ensure its stability and effects. This is not a dead stasis I wish to bring, but an eternal ascension. Life without limits, without ever becoming diseased or rotten. A world where everyone can be happy. I do not consort with hell, and shall doom no one in this endeavor. Please, step aside. Let me save this kingdom, now and forever."

Nimue stared solemnly at Genesis...and spoke. "Tell me, how much of this was a lie-how much of it was a play, so that you may gain the power of the Scabbard?"

Gen's eyes went from sympathetic to flinty, and her expression went flat. "You believe this was for the Scabbard?" She asked, her voice equally empty.

"If not for the Scabbard, why would you betray your ideals as a knight?" The pink hedgehog asked. 

Genesis stared at Nimue for several seconds, then reached behind her. The Lady of the Lake flinched-but instead of a sword, Genesis had pulled out the Scabbard itself. With a casual throw, Genesis tossed the Scabbard to Nimue-only flinching minutely as she felt her soul begin to burn once again. "Take it. If you believe that I did what I have for this petty trinket, then I was a fool for ever believing you wise." Genesis declared. "Now, step aside. I have a kingdom to save."

Numbly and with eyes wide, Nimue stepped aside. Genesis walked forward calmly and with measured grace, and pulled back her fist to destroy the sealing stone with a single strike-as she had the other three. "Wait!" Nimue shouted, making Genesis pause. "I-I don't understand. If not for the Scabbard, then why-why upheave the natural order of the world so flagrantly?"

"Natural order?" Genesis asked. She turned around, and this time there was genuine fury in her eyes. "The 'natural order' of the world is suffering and death. It is life that struggles to bloom for but an instant, and begins rotting away from within. It is striving against an uncaring, unkind, and unjust universe for the sake of just one more breath of life. The 'natural order' is cruelty that cares not for one's honor, one's love, one's hate, one's hopes, or one's dreams. A baby rabbit is born, and killed an instant later by a hungry hawk. This is the natural order. A tree bears fruit, fully intending for it to be consumed and digested in hopes of spreading new life. This is the natural order. A baby dies in the crib from a gentle cough. This is the natural order."

"The natural order is cruelty and chaos. All that lives shall suffer and die, and the best one can hope for is that one's death may feed a new life-a life destined to suffer and die, just as you are. The order I bring is utterly unnatural, and I take pride in it. Children shall not die in the womb. Plants need not perish to feed animals, and animals may live in perfect harmony and peace. Life shall not grow out of control, instead refining what exists rather than multiplying endlessly. People shall be able to pursue their every dream, their every hope. Strength will fill one's body without destroying it. Warriors may practice their craft to impossible limits without fear of death. Scholars may seek to learn all they wish without the specter of time running out. The very land of Camelot will slowly be reshaped in accordance with the hopes, dreams, and advances of the people. It is not natural. Nature could never create something so paradisiacal."

"I...I understand." Nimue whispered, clutching Excalibur's Scabbard only lightly. "You...are right. I was blind to this for so long..." Genesis nodded to Nimue, and turned back to the barrier stone...until the Lade of the Lake spoke again. "Sir kni...no, Lady Genesis. May you permit this foolish woman one final favor?" 

Genesis turned back to Nimue, curious. "What favor?" She asked.

Nimue spoke, staring at the Scabbard in her hands. "I have made so many mistakes, and even now I feel lost in a mire formed from my own follies...I cannot judge you. In good conscience, I cannot stop you from destroying the barrier. In fact, I can hardly hold onto this Scabbard in good faith. I would give it back to you...but permit this foolish woman one final test." She looked up. "Face Excalibur. Defend this peace, this prosperity you seek to bring against the ultimate knight wielding the ultimate blade. Should you fall, I swear upon my honor that I shall see your working completed. Should you succeed...the Scabbard shall truly be yours."

Genesis stared quietly at Nimue for several moments, then tured back to the Barrier stone. Rather than punching it as she first intended, she instead reached out. Prismatic and glowing light gathered around her hand, and a moment later she reached into the stone. The entirety of the stone crumbled around her hand, save for what she held-a fully forged amulet of stone, bearing incredibly dense runework. Likewise, the barrier that surrounded the castle weakened until it was almost entirely gone...and yet it still stood. And due to the nature of the Eternal Storm, even this paper-thin barrier was enough to keep the Storm in check. "I shall give you one week." She declared. "Have your knight train with Excalibur, and master its powers as best he could. Any longer, and my soul shall be burnt to nothing fueling the Storm. Take this amulet as a sign of my word; with a focused soul, it can be shattered with a snap-destroying the barrier alongside it. In one week, destroy the barrier. Prove your honor. The barrier's destruction shall signal the beginning of my battle with your knight."

Genesis gently handed the stone amulet to Nimue, who took it with eyes wide once again. Finally, she walked back to Rouge and began to walk away. "One week." Genesis reminded one final time-before she and Rouge disappeared in a flash of golden light.

0-0-0-0-0

A week later, two parties met on the grassy plains outside of Camelot Castle. On the one side were the Knights of the Round Table and the Lady of the Lake-at their head was Lancelot, clad in golden armor and wielding Excalibur in one hand. On the other was Genesis and her companions; Merlina had elected to remain in the castle, not trusting in the knight's honor. Genesis herself was pale-faced but still glowed bright with golden light, and showed little weakness in her frame. All she had was what she had come to this realm with; her clothes, the Iblis Ring, and her own body.

Lancelot spoke first, and the very first thing he said was; "You will not even honor this duel by bringing a blade?"

Genesis shook her head. "I am no knight. I never was, in truth." She took a breath, and reached into her shadow...and her hand passed through into it. A moment later she pulled her hand back out, and her shadow came with it-reforming into a dense obsidian blade, plain in design yet seeming as real as anything forged. "If I must wield a blade, then I shall use this."

Lancelot stared for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. Then let us-"

"Hold, Lancelot!" Gawain interrupted. "Can we truly call this duel honorable? Look upon Lady Genesis; do you not see how ill she is? I cannot witness this duel in good faith until she recovers!"

Genesis gave a wan smile and shook her head. "Your concern is touching but misplaced, Gawain." She said. "This malady will not heal until this duel is completed, one way or another. I have set my soul alight to sustain the Eternal Storm; should it spread through all of Camelot, I would have no need to do so and may recover freely as the storm becomes self-sustaining. Confined as it is, only my soul's enkindling maintains the storm. And though my soul is mighty, burning for seven days without rest as it has so far is...taxing."

"Then this duel is even more unjust!" Gawain declared. "There is no honor or chivalry in slaying an opponent so dearly injured!"

"That is my choice to make, Gawain. If you cannot respect my honor as a knight, then respect my honor as a woman." Genesis said

Gawain shook his head and stepped back. "Very well. Let it be known that I see no glory in this, but by honor I shall not interfere."

A moment later, the Lady of the Lake stepped forward. She said nothing-simply staring at both Lancelot and Genesis as she pulled forth the barrier necklace. She said not a word, yet her eyes conveyed that there was so much she wished to say...she closed her eyes, and snapped the pendant in twain. 

Immediately the Eternal Storm boiled forth from the castle, spreading its rejuvenating and augmentative light and power in its wake. Likewise the strain on Gen's soul began to fade away-not entirely, but as the storm grew so too did the strain weaken.

Simultaneous to these things, Lancelot shot forward-glowing with blue light as he accelerated himself to the point of moving faster than light via Chaos Control. It was this power that allowed Lancelot to claim the position as the "Ultimate Knight", a power which utterly nullified speed as a factor and allowed him to slay entire armies with naught but the burning power within his soul. And with Excalibur in his hands, he could unleash that power to levels he'd never even dreamed possible. As he drew back the golden sword to strike down this wretched witch in a single blow, Lancelot smirked to himself. In this moment he truly was the ultimate-

The golden glow that perpetually surrounded Genesis ever since she had initiated the Eternal Storm spell increased, and suddenly her blade interposed itself between her body and Excalibur. The golden blade began to slice through her shadow-forged sword, but slowly-slow enough for her to deflect the blade away from her body before the sword was cut in twain. An instant later the obsidian sword reformed itself from shadows. "This battle shall not be that easy, sir Lancelot."  Her voice echoed out in the frozen world around them. Lancelot grit his teeth, pulled forth more power, and began to strike once again.

Each clash between the golden glowing hedgehogs rippled through space and time, marked by a lasting silhouette each time they crossed blades. In those first several clashes, something became incredibly clear: there is nothing that Excalibur cannot cut through. No matter how strong or how many swords Genesis summoned, Excalibur could cut through it all in a single strike. The second thing that became obvious: the fact that Excalibur could cut through anything didn't matter one whit when Genesis could simply remake her sword instantly and seemingly effortlessly. Shadow must have cut through her sword a hundred times, but she simply remade it a hundred and one times and continued battling without a subjective moment's pause.

After some three hundred or so clashes both Lancelot and Genesis jumped back, both releasing their Chaos Controls. There was a brief pause as those who had come to witness the duel wondered if anything had even happened, then roaring thunder tore the grassy plain apart. Hundreds of silhouettes appeared for just a brief instant, depicting Lancelot and Genesis clashing in hindreds of different places and positions; for those with the eyes to actually witness it, it was simply impossible to tell which of these clashes might have come first or which might have come later. They all appeared at the exact same time, and then detonated-blasting apart as if struck by invisible thunder. 

The two duelists themselves stared across each other...until they both flinched in their own ways. Shadow took several steps back as cuts and scrapes appeared on his skin and armor, and small trickles of blood appeared in certain spots. No such thing happened with Genesis; rather, she began coughing heavily. When she pulled her hand away, there was a clear amount of blood held within.

"Lancelot!/Genesis!/" The two parties called out-but almost in perfect synchronicity, both duelists raised their hands to stop them from running to their aid.

"For a sorceress, you're quite skilled with a blade." Lancelot spoke begrudingly, standing back up to full height. "But that alone is insufficient if you wish to defeat me."

"First blood begs to differ; I have struck you more than a dozen times, and you have yet to lay steel upon me." Genesis answered back, wiping the blood away from her mouth. Underneath his helmet, Lancelot grit his teeth. Both of the duelists began to glow once again-Lancelot royal blue and Genesis gleaming gold-and a moment later hundreds of silhouettes appeared once again and tore the plain between them apart in roaring thunder. Dozens of more cuts appeared on Shadow's form, and Genesis was coughing even further-her face even more pale than it was before, yet she still refused to show a hint of weakness beyond that.

"Why..." Lancelot wondered. "I am the ultimate knight, whose power transcends the boundaries of the world. So why can I not move faster than you do?!"

"The truth is that it's a simple matter of arithmetic." Genesis answered. "You have your own Chaos, multiplied by your Soul, and multiplied further by Excalibur. I, too, have Chaos, but do not have the power of my soul to multiply it. Instead, I can simply arbitrarily increase the quantity of Chaos I can call upon, up to infinity as long as my body holds out. And no matter how much power you draw forth from your soul and Excalibur, it does not equal infinity." She raised her sword-and dark shadows began to pool around her body, infusing and strengthening it even further. "This clash shall be my final one. If you do not concede afterwards, it will be your victory." She decided, glowing golden even as streaks of darkness emanated off of her.

Lancelot said nothing in response, merely raising Excalibur back to a ready position and glowing bright blue once more. Rather than mere hundreds, /thousands/ of silhouettes appeared across the plain this time...but if one had the capacity to, it would have been possible to see something different this time. While Excalibur still clearly cut through the shadow blades Genesis conjured...she was also making very clear and powerful strikes against Lancelot's body. But that was quite secondary to the most obvious and shocking tell.

That being that Lancelot was missing his sword-arm. His golden armor was shattered in several places and coated in blood, and he was holding his hand against the gaping stump on his shoulder-a bright glow coming from his hand and clearly holding back the bleeding that should be happening. Excalibur itself lay several feet back, embedded in the ground...and Lancelot's dismembered arm still holding onto the hilt in a deathgrip.

"""Lancelot!""" Gawain, Percival, and Excalibur all called out. 

"I...concede." Lancelot ground out, panting and kneeling on the ground.

Genesis nodded, her body seeming oddly stiff. "It is my victory, then." She then turned to the Lady of the Lake, who was bearing the Scabbard now with regretful eyes.

Nimue walked up slowly to Genesis, stopping just before her. "As the victor, you have earned the Scabbard of Excalibur." She intoned. Much more quietly, she murmured, "Forgive this foolish woman for bringing naught but suffering in her wake, Lady Genesis." And then, she finally handed the Scabbard to Gen's waiting hands.

Clear and pure streams of light all but blasted out of the Scabbard, flowing into Genesis and revitalizing her. Her pallid skin healed to its healthy tan, her fur seemed to regain luster that had imperceptibly leeched out of her, and a spark that had nearly died in her eyes restored itself. Hale and whole, Genesis smiled. "Thank you for keeping your word, Nimue." She said. She carefully did not mention that it had only been her psychic will holding her up at that final point; if the Knights of the Round were willing to wait perhaps a handful of minutes longer, she may have simply fainted into a coma rather than attaining victory.

Gripping the Scabbard in one hand, Genesis walked up to Lancelot. Percival and Gawain, who stood by the kneeling hedgehog's side, glared as she approached, but she did not stop. "You are a powerful knight, Sir Lancelot. A skilled one. This is not where your story ends." She declared. With her other hand she gestured to Excalibur, and the arm attached to its hilt was pulled close by her own telekinetic might. With another gesture, white light emerged from the Scabbard once again-connecting between Lancelot's shoulder and his dismembered arm. The light surrounded Lancelot, blinding all to what was happening within...and when it faded, his body was healed-his arm repaired. 

Lancelot flexed his sword arm in silent wonder, while Genesis continued. "You fought with valor and proved yourself a true defender of the realm against me, even if I was the one to attain victory. Your liege-lord is dead, slain in an honorable duel accepted freely for the sake of the kingdom. By right of conquest and by bequeathment by the descendent of Merlin Ambrosius, I now bear the crown and will of Camelot. Will you swear yourself to me, and continue to uphold the honor, faith, and welfare of this kingdom?"

Lancelot stared at Genesis for several moments, rose to his feet, then knelt before her-one fist down, the other across his chest, and lowering his head to her. "I swear to serve thee, Lady Genesis, King of Camelot." The knight swore. 

Genesis nodded, laying her shadow blade on Lancelot's shoulder for a moment. "Rise, Sir Lancelot of the Eternal Kingdom of Camelot." She declared. As Lancelot stood, her attention moved to Gawain, and she spoke again. "Gawain, you have fought for the sake of this kingdom with honor and valor time and again. You have sworn yourself to uphold chivalry in all manners, and have eschewed percuniary reward in favor of the welfare of your subjects. Your previous liege-lord is slain in an honorable duel accepted freely for the sake of the kingdom. By right of conquest and bequeathment by the descendent of Merlin Ambrosius, I now bear the crown and will of Camelot. Will you swear yourself to me, and continue to uphold the honor, faith, and welfare of this kingdom?"

Almost without hesitation Gawain knelt before her. "I so swear! I shall serve the King and Camelot with my life!" He declared. Lancelot seemed to shoot Gawain a dirty look at how swiftly he declared his service, but Gawain ignored it with aplomb.

"Then rise, Sir Gawain of the Eternal Kingdom of Camelot." She re-knighted Gawain, then finally turned to Percival. Once more, she began. "Lady Percival, you have served this kingdom with honor and valor time and again. You have upheld the glory of the kingdom and the welfare of its people, even in these most trying of times. Your previous liege-lord is slain in an honorable duel accepted freely for the sake of the kingdom. By right of conquest and bequeathment by the descendent of Merlin Ambrosius, I now bear the crown and will of Camelot. Will you swear yourself to me, and continue to uphold the honor, faith, and welfare of this kingdom?"

Percival hesitated for several moments, staring deeply into Genesis's eyes. At last, with careful deliberateness, she knelt. "I swear, Lady Genesis." She said simply. 

"Then rise, Sir Percival of the Eternal Kingdom of Camelont." She declared, re-knighting the cat mobian as she did so. Carefully, Genesis turned her attention to the Lady of the Lake, an unspoken question in her eyes.

The pink hedgehog shook her head. "I shall return to my lake." She declared. "I have made too many mistakes, and must atone and seek wisdom in solitude."

Genesis nodded. "You shall always be welcome in my castle and court." She said, though Nimue had already turned and began walking away.

The Lady of the Lake paused, and turned back for a moment. "Thank you, King Genesis." She said quietly, then turned back and continued walking. A moment later a gentle light and mist engulfed her, and she disappeared.

Rouge sauntered up to Genesis, putting her hand on her shoulder. "So, that it darling?" She asked.

Genesis shook her head. "There is still one more I must speak to." Genesis walked past the knights, then knelt where Excalibur still lay impaled into the ground. "Caliburn..." She began.

The sword's attention turned to her, then turned away for a moment. "You have proven yourself against all challengers and claimed Camelot." Excalibur said. "But I cannot serve any but a true knight."

Genesis shook her head. "I know I am no knight." She told the sword. "I do not ask you to serve me. Instead, I ask only that you serve the kingdom. Serve a knight of the realm-it does not have to be me. In fact, it shouldn't; you would be wasted in my hands. But please, do not hide yourself away to dull and rust."

Several moments passed...until finally, Excalibur came to a decision. "Very well." The sentient blade said. "Though I shall not be your blade, you shall have my service in the defense of Camelot. Lancelot is not exactly an ideal wielder...but he shall do, for now. Do set up a knight's academy soon; I am quite skilled in educating others in swordsmanship and chivalry, and perhaps may find my ideal wielder amongst the fresh recruits!"

Genesis smiled and nodded. "I shall, Excalibur." She stood from where she knelt, Excalibur rising up to float alongside her, and looked towards the golden storm that now fully covered the kingdom. At last it ceased to drain on her soul, and Chaos Energy no longer boiled within her skin; her golden fur faded back to its natural dull purple for the first time in more than a week, and an expression of pure relief washed over her. "The worst is over." She declared. "All that is left is to organize the kingdom."

Not too long after, she'd come to regret those words.

0-0-0-0-0

"I hate you, Merlina." Genesis ground out. "I hate you with a fury that eclipses a thousand dragons. I hate you with a force that eclipses the Eternal Storm. Please, die."

"Yes, I think I might deserve that a little bit." Merlina considered, holding a finger to her lips with an innocent expression on her face. "But I DID warn you of the chaos of the court you'd be facing, my king."

"Curse this kinghood and curse this kingdom!" Genesis shouted at her court witch. "Three different noble houses went to war for a week straight because of an ONION PATCH! Orders from the king only seemed to encourage them! I had to head out to personally slay everyone involved SEVEN TIMES because this kingdom is full of SCREAMING CHILDREN WHO THINK THAT THEIR NEWFOUND IMMORTALITY MEANS THAT LAWS NO LONGER APPLY TO THEM!"

"So there's a few hiccups in ruling an immortal kingdom; we can still work it out! And you have your Round Table to help you!"

"My Round Table is part of the very problem! Gawain is suicidal for his honor and has slain himself over matters large and small no less than TWELVE TIMES! THIS WEEK! Percival is A CAT and REFUSES to leave the Molten Mines because it has the best and warmest NAPPING SPOTS! And LANCELOT IS A FRENCH CROSSDRESSING SLUT! /WHY IS LANCELOT A FRENCH CROSSDRESSING SLUT/?!"

"You exaggerate, my king. Lancelot has only worn a dress...thrice, this month! And he remains quite loyal to his wife Guinevere!" 

Genesis sighed, and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Merlina, please explain Sgàil. A lady of the night popular in the town near Joyeuse Garde, Lancelot's castle. A black and red-furred mobian hedgehog who prowls the streets and all but ambushes passerbys to sate their desires."

"Sgàil? My king, what interest do you have in such a woman? Do you not remain faithful to Queen Rouge?" Merlina asked, though there was notable sweat on her head.

Genesis didn't even bother taking offense. She just sighed even more heavily. 

Far away, in a distant town centered around a certain castle, two bat mobians of remarkably similar appearance shared a moment. One of them was clad in shining knight's armor, the other in a brothel mistress's clothes. One held an immaculately forged sword...the other, a leather leash attached to a certain black and red hedgehog.

The two stared at each other, and nodded. ""Nice."" They said in perfect synchronicity, before going on their way. 

Back at Castle Camelot, Genesis muttered to herself. "I hate Camelot. I hate Briton. I hate rulership. Please, for the love of all, let this decade be over with already."

But the decade would pass with agonizing slowness. Eventually the half-demon son of the illusory Arthur would appear, seeking to take back the Kingdom of Camelot from Genesis...only to recoil as Genesis herself actively begged for death. In the end, Mordred would leave the purple hedgehog alive and go on to found a minor kingdom of demons on a far island. 

There was no escape from the crown of Camelot for Genesis.

0-0-0-0-0

Ten years to the day that Merlina had summoned Genesis from the other world, she stood at the front of the court. "...And so I name Merlina as successor to the Crown of Camelot as I journey forth to new worlds, that may bring glory to the Eternal Kingdom." She spoke. "May she serve the kingdom with honor and bring it glory, and may the kingdom in turn serve her with honor and bring her name glory."

Genesis passed the ceremonial crown on to Merlina's head, and paused as the assembled knights applauded. As the applaus died away, a strange mystical portal opened up behind her, and her own company filed through. Omelette the Royal Engineer, Dinya the Dancer, Bump the Royal Concubine, Rouge the First Knight...all that was left was Genesis. Before she turned to the portal and moved on from this world, she turned back to say one last thing. "On a more personal note, my knights...I hate all of you, I wish every single one of you dies a thousand deaths, for the love of god do not ever summon me again." She finished, disappearing into the portal and leaving Camelot forever.

And good riddance.

Director's Cut 2: Fin