From the vortex, one found themselves free of their isolation. In a grand open room, albeit, abandoned except by those denizens which called it home. The shadowy figure known as Erebus peaked from one lit cell chamber, into the next.

The ceiling was opened up, like a hole to hell, the only difference, was that it aimed upward, as if to promise an escape that could not truly come for those banished to the pits of the ocean surface, within a confined prison such as this. Occasional waling from the sea monsters and the sounds of churning chains behind walls made the place extra scary, a creepy world meant only for those who deserved it.

Erebus, was on a quest to escape this world. This place truly was a hell, and it carried a sea of surprises. He stepped up onto a platform, taking his arm over a side rail, and with that-- flipped over in one short movement back to his legs, which stomped against a steel flooring and echoed down a path as his finger tips drag with every step.

Cell chambers, stairwells, and narrow steel bridges between the room. It was like a society here, and in some shortness of work hands, showed that perhaps monsters had already taken this level of the prison.

After his short words with Ozart, he had an idea of whom had done it, and with his small militia of other criminals, it didn't surprise the lone shadow of Erebus. However, he hadn't an idea of fostering ties with Ozart. He would defeat the man later, when he could reassess the Hellsea, and retrieve his items one by one.

He pressed onward, stopping and peering into rooms as he walked, eventually, he'd find some token of merit in the act. Fate should be more clear, and not keep one hidden in the darkness such as this. Then again, after long thoughts and time itself, he understood where he had turned against himself, and his personal ethics. They haunted his mind, luring him further into the unknown.

It wasn't until Erebus heard the noise of another come into his head.

"Warmer," it teased with a chortle. "You're getting warmer."

The Hellsea Bastille, a hellhole if ever he had seen one, a place which he hoped never to end up and yet there he was for the third time in under a year, each time as a visitor rather than a prisoner. Each time for different reasons but this instance had been for more selfish reasons. Ever since returning from Sin, Kon had felt something was off with the Rune Knights whether it was his imagination or something truly had changed within the organization was unclear but he could all but sense that there was movement in the background setting the stage for turmoil. His extended absence and the more recent dismissal of his leadership role were just signs of this, but could equally be seen as the only recourse that the Magic Council held to ensure relations with Sin. He had after all been the chief instigator for a major disturbance within Tianjing and he was meant to be a mediator to relief tensions not worsen them. Despite this, he could only feel disillusionment with his superiors as a result he felt trapped and needed to plan for things to come. Many were still supportive of his actions but what was ahead required assistance from someone whom he had rightfully wronged. None other than Erebus, a notorious criminal who Kon had arrested months before his trip to Sin. A man who he had a complex relationship with that dated back to years long since past.

Despite whatever deep-seated resentment the duo had toward each other, Kon suspected that the allure of freedom from the prison albeit being bound to Kon in the prison's stead would be enough of a carrot to dangle in front of him. Still holding sufficient authorizations to place prisoners in his custody, depending on the situation, he might be at liberty to address the ongoing torment that Erebus must undoubtedly be experiencing whilst in this damned place. Whether he needed Kon's assistance was another matter entirely as it seemed the man was now running amok through the building itself. With an almost audible groan about the realization that they would likely need to fight each other once more, Kon left the entrance and began the lengthy search for the former Eternal Nightmare member, drawing his dominator with his left hand. Owing to his mechanical frame, Kon hijacked the prison's network and utilized the coms system of the prison to directly call out Erebus removing a portion of his face. "Erebus, it's Konstantin Sokolov, put down your weapons, I've come to talk, your efforts to escape will be in vain, you've already attempted to escape this prison already, it's time we set the stage for the future."

Yel’s heart raced as he and Lo navigated the dimly lit corridors of Hellsea Bastille, the oppressive silence broken only by the distant sound of muffled voices. Each empty cell they passed felt like a ghostly reminder of the prison’s dark history, the cold metal bars casting long shadows that danced ominously in the flickering light.
“Do you think anyone’s left in here?” Yel whispered, his voice barely above a breath. He glanced nervously at the cells, half-expecting a pair of eyes to peer back at him.
Lo shrugged, his lavender eyes glinting with mischief. “Who cares? We’re not here to babysit the inmates. We’re here to find allies.” He paused, tilting his head as the voices grew clearer. “Listen.”
Yel strained to hear, his anxiety spiking. “What if it’s a trap?” he asked, his voice trembling. “What if they’re just waiting to ambush us?”
“Then we’ll ambush them first,” Lo replied, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “But I doubt it. Sounds like they’re having a conversation, not a party.” He stepped forward, his curiosity piqued. “Come on, let’s check it out.”
Yel hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to turn back. “Lo, I don’t think—”
“Stop whining, Yel!” Lo snapped, his tone sharp. “We need numbers. If they’re friendly, we can use them. If not…” He trailed off, his eyes glinting with a dangerous excitement. “Well, we’ll deal with that when it happens.”[/color]
With a reluctant nod, Yel followed Lo down the corridor, the sound of their footsteps echoing against the cold stone walls. As they approached a heavy door

Erebus listened as the voice of a familiar mage made it's grandiose call to his name. He looked up to the endless pit over his head, and began taking to a flight of steel stairs in a hurried run; by that point he was right under an intercom speaker. Hearing the metal bolts rustle under his weight, providing information into the current situation of the ward, that this place has been neglected, for some time, and now that Erebus mentioned it to himself. It didn't seem so hard to get out of now, as it did when he was first put in here, drugged, and continuously beaten for months by those he has undoubtedly robbed, swindled, or scathed in his adventures

Where were all those same criminals from before? Where were the officers, was this the same Hellsea he left before, or some deeper pit of the abyss that he couldnt wuite fathom just yet as the Void was taking Earthland? Had new leadership taken over this box prison?

Erebus didn't know if Konstantin was able to actually listen or hear what Ere had to say, but he leaned over the railing and spoke as loud as he could. "You jest with me Commander... You can take whatever offer you're pitching, and save your words. I know you better than most... Yet you may be right," Erebus proceeded to rip the guard rail off its hinges and break it down it's middle, bent inward from his knee between two hands, before pitching it over the other side and making it bounce and skid away against the stone below, flying off in the distance.

"I have an empire to run, the likes of which is dealt in macabre, death sentences. Let's make a few things clear, I have saved this world, a few times over, I should be able to do what I please, when I am pleased to do it. Joya's empress destroyed their own continent, long before my ground forces had arrived. I'm here for a fallacy, this nation is in shambles. Let's not point any fingers, shall we? l showed up for my paycheck, this bastardized government just doesn't want to see the rogue dog win..." Erebus lamented, before a short sigh escaped his breath. He tilted his head, reminiscing the fact that his entire time behind these walls had been in a lucid state between madness and something else.

He had spent numerous attempts to bust out of this hell-hole. Each time, something supernatural, out of his control had reset the turn table, preventing him from fully grasping the conditions or obstacles in his way.

It was like dying in a video game, with no clear GAME OVER and a reminder that he had failed, each and every time. No one there to see how many times the ghosts would come back and haunt, or the torment, even torture on his mind and body would stop. If Erebus weren't so strong in his will to refuse it's management-- he would not have the resolve to risk for his opportunity, he was sure he'd have been butchered already or executed in the shadow of light. But being such a high profile name, he assumed it was more valuable to keep him alive. Something to bring out when needed against monsters; an inhuman treatment, a shepherded bio-weapon.

Erebus pondered whether he still had the narco-subs in the waters surrounding this place, as directed before his departure some months ago, but waiting outside of the Hellsea, if he could at most get out of the door, there was always the chance he could escape back into the day and age of his treasure hunting escapades.

Then again, perhaps it was foolharty to believe these vessels, he had taken and collected off other criminals, should still belong to him, a fallen underworld don. He had been here now, for what must have been at least a year, he no longer heard from Akudama affiliates, and his reach over society was tattered and stained blood red.

So begging an even larger question, "If your intentions aren't sinister... Why are you helping me? Get off the radio, come meet me down here in this pit, prove yourself capable of integrity. I'm willing to bargain you a wager-- it'll be life-changing." Erebus finished, with his words tinged behind threat, and contradiction. The truth was, Erebus quite literally needed Kon's help, even if the man put him behind bars, there could be no faster way outside of here then by going through the same person who sheriff'd the Law. Then again, he was in no shape for a physical battle with Kon, and so-- would rather have to depend on a cordial discussion, or the magical persuasion of his right eye. "Does this prison of your kingdom's designs' scare you, Captain Commander? Let's talk business." Erebus said, noticing that down below, two characters were trailing the empty underbelly and trench of this places deepest levels.

Erebus figured he were here alone, but now... his curiosity has been piqued again. He decided to turn around and meet these two, after a short few minutes, Erebus would be overlooking them, from a guard rail, fifteen feet overhead of what direction they were heading. He caught tail of their conversation and decided to bring them along in his journey should they be particularly interested.

"It seems as though you two might be the last decent ones' here. I am surprised that you haven't been forced under the thumb," Erebus chanted with a short chuckle. He then lifted his finger up, having hoped they may have heard Kon speaking earlier. "I have a feeling that I might be busting the walls outta this place real soon, at any means necessary even. Why don't you boys come along for the ride? This place is old news," Erebus finished with a long faced smile, hidden under the matte black finish of his concealed face.

Very much like Lo, Erebus looked and gave the aura of a black shade, a wraith, with little human qualities left to the imagination. Yet, like Lo, his intents and purposes remained very grounded in human interest. Such as the love for a fight, a reason to make his statements, and his stakes on the world when it came to jewels, riches, and treasures.

If there was ever a character one could call a bandit king, it had to go back to Erebus. Where he wasn't the most powerful, he always made sure that he didn't quite lose either. Something that had inspired and given way, to a new world of idealists and criminal Interlopers since before Eternal Nightmare and into the era after it had fully broken apart at the loss of his Guild Master all those years ago.

"There isn't much in it for you, but I do think... Getting free of of here would please us all."

Once more Erebus had proven himself to be a curious individual who had seemingly attempted to enter a dialogue with Kon under the assumption that he was perhaps capable of hearing everything within the Hellsea Bastille, an amusing guess which while true did show just how well Erebus knew Kon. Though the two could certainly talk with one another in this position with each being outside of eyesight, Kon favoured direct contact for what he was planning. Thanks to the new upgrades that were installed into his artificial body from the Talaz Lagaar mechanics, Kon was presented with a scaled-down holographic map of the Hellsea Bastille revealing himself, Erebus alongside the countless prisoners, guards and a handful of Rune Knights that littered the area. The latter which he needed to avoid lest he wanted to start asking some awkward questions, keeping Erebus away from the Rune Knights to ensure he didn't kill them, an assumption on Kon's part but one that had been rightfully earned.

Admittedly Kon was anxious about seeking out Erebus's aid which had been affirmed by him greeting the Rune Knight as first Command and then Captain Commander, neither titles which he held or had held save for many years ago, had his information been so lacking that he was not aware of the information that his jailers had undertaken. It was certainly true that he had been in the Bastille for a long time, but Kon could have sworn he was a General at the time of Erebus's incarceration. Holding his tongue, he was curious about the vague mentions of Erebus holding control of an empire, something of which Kon was the one to hold no knowledge. Perhaps Erebus was inflating some overstretched crime organization just as he had done so years ago with the Sentinel Syndicate, a guild where they shared ties.

Holding in the form of a retort from Erebus's long-winded speech of sorts, Kon revealed his hand drawing Hirota's Katana before removing the distance between him and the would-be prisoner in an instant through the Dhivir's Thunderous Stride sending bursts of lightning across the metal room licking at the ground. Blade danced upon Erebus's neck encouraging the crimson fluid to leak out. "Believe it or not, I think you have the potential to redeem yourself, fortunately for you and perhaps unfortunately for me, I need your help, but do stay your tongue, speaking so boldly when there's so many around us is not advisable." Shifting his attention for the slightest of moments over to the hologram Kon saw a brief opening from which they could leave without a trace, an opening that would only linger for a few minutes. "First we need to leave this prison, so either yield to me for now so we can get out or fight me here and now without anything to support you as further guards and Rune Knights draw upon us."

Before Erebus could speak, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed from the stairwell, followed by a sharp thud and a pained groan.

"Ow! Ah, wait—I'm coming!" Yel’s shaky voice preceded him as he stumbled into the room. His face was pale, and his eyes darted nervously between Erebus, Konstantin, and the sword at Erebus' throat. "Oh no, oh no, this—this looks really bad,"he muttered, wringing his hands. "Are we in trouble? We’re in trouble, aren’t we?"

Lo stepped into the room behind Yel, his entrance much quieter but far more unnerving. His expression was calm, almost eerily so, as he adjusted the sleeves of his coat with delicate precision. "Now, now, Yel," he drawled, his voice a chilling mixture of amusement and cold calculation. "No need to fret. This is all just... a misunderstanding, I’m sure."

"Misunderstanding?" Yel squeaked, his anxiety spiking. "Th-there’s a sword, Lo! A sword at his neck! How is that a misunderstanding?"

Lo barely glanced at Erebus, his attention more focused on Konstantin. He approached with a slow, deliberate pace, examining the scene like a surgeon preparing for a procedure. "A sword, a blade, all instruments of coercion," he mused aloud. Yel, still nervously fidgeting in the background, let out a whimper. "Please don’t hurt him! I-I mean, he’s kind of—uh, well, he’s not that bad! Usually... when he’s not making deals or... or dragging us into situations like this."

Lo waved a dismissive hand at Yel. "Hush now, Yel. You’ll embarrass yourself—more than usual." His attention remained locked on Konstantin.  Yel, meanwhile, tugged at Lo's sleeve. "Please, Lo, can we just—leave? This doesn’t look good at all. I don’t think we’re supposed to be here."

Lo ignored Yel’s pleas, his eyes gleaming with a mix of arrogance and curiosity. "Let’s not be rash. There’s always a deal to be made... and I specialize in making sure everyone gets what they deserve."

Yel swallowed hard, his knees practically knocking together as he looked helplessly between Erebus and Konstantin. "I-I really think we should leave..."

The tip of the blade, poked against the skin, at his neck. The vein bulged and a small stream of red liquid dropped from the silver glint under a light above. Something that dangled over the steel balcony. Yel and Lo arriving soon after, it seemed as though they were already on their way up those stairs, to this bridge of sorts, the moment Kon had flickered and made a triumphant appearance. "Nostalgic, Konyo, I wonder if you tempt all your adversaries with such fun time," Erebus smiled behind the shrouded hood blanketing his face, his hands left unmoving and dangling at his sides, still staring forward; no context was needed to address the hostility, Erebus was use to it by now. He gently tilted his neck off the tip of the sword, two eyes drawing to the side with the arrival of the other guests. In a childish way, this excited Erebus, who didn't get guests very frequently in his pit, buried in the ground.

The first of which, was someone quite familiar there to Erebus. A business colleague, though somehow, he'd found his way down here. Lo! Just like so many other criminals consorts, from Kana and Koe, even Zariya had made a temporary visit only to disappear when he was alerted of arrivals that seemed to bolster the prison guards and get him sedated once more. Oh well, it was nothing he could really blame her for, nothing he probably should not have expected.

None would be able to truly escape, if they had decided to take Erebus with them, long ago this place might have been simpler to escape, but not after names such as Caius, Jikan, and even Knuckles had succeeded in their own breakouts. Hence why the old dog Erebus was still down here, crowing for his freedom! It was painstakingly difficult for him, trying to remember all corridors and paths he had already taken and undergone, all alone.

Even now, the memory of those three witches, the Fates, with their black strings and thirsting irritation, were clear on his afflicted mind. And that ghost, with snow white hair, what was her name again? The Pale Horse, who visited him through the mists...

"Welcome, boys. Have you enjoyed your time in this pit, what this place really offers, terrible isn't it? A real horror show. I hope it was worth all the time, you must have spent here, but I think I'm in a position to make some favors happen for you at my case-worker here's discretion. Tell me Lo, just who's this friend of yours... He must be special?" Erebus asked curiously, a subtle air of malevolent force seemed to chill the room, having quietly pled the fifth to the General at his back until he was finished with much more, with his shank readied on the rogue's jugular, there could be nothing but a little honesty spared for the expense of these two newcomers. "First there was that ogre, who took over this floor, and then there was the witch doctor who kept making me forget my way around the building... Perhaps of course, unmistakenly... We wouldn't have ran right into each other here, my old friend. If it hadn't collapsed upon itself without an attentive leader. Maybe I will go beat that out of Zariya for you, I really do miss the old girl." Erebus chuckled, play-hardly with the Cyborg at his back. The daring end something he seemed unafraid of.

Assuming that Erebus was a lone leader, was far out of the question-- he was simply one face at a table of associates, but selling his lick off to Phantom Lord was nothing short of treachery on the Witch's part, causing Helmutt, Erebus, even Lo to be down here dealing with enemy's of their organizations affairs. "I was sure he was here to kill me, but oh am I splendid by this surprise." he mused with the cowardly Yel, and the curious Lo in the corner who awaited by the steel stairwell.

Erebus finally decided to offer the man his own answer, after some thought and a bit of the run around regarding his affairs here, it seemed just and due. "And what could the General of Fiore's Rune Knights, want with someone like me, doesn't involve something foul does it? I really did drag you out into some deep waters here, didn't I? Tell me, have you finally discovered who you really are? I've done so much for you and your troops, really gave you what you needed to grow in this world. I guess you finally see me for what I am, huh?" Erebus said with a smooth tongue, he laced these friendly words with a ruthless double meaning, behind his already deep voice, a word choice that must be resurrecting a forlorn, or perhaps age old question as to Kon's alignment, his syndicate days. Most had forgotten who Kon truly was, under that metal frame, behind the guise of his past shell, but before that, Erebus had never forgotten the ambitious agent of the Rune Knights. Someone who truly played the system until he was at the very top, in a way, that maintained a level of respect, that Erebus just couldn't ignore. Even if they were enemies, and this man was responsible for foulplay against his master. He was simply another master of his trade, manipulation and subterfuge. Erebus might even have been the only one who studied Kon, as hard as Kon must have studied Erebus in turn, to finally catch the wanted man in those holy grounds shocked his numerous consorts. Peering into records that were not his to see, that was a little too daring, he reckoned.

But all information should be shared, that was simply how the criminal felt and chose to see things. So what if he had been caught, at least he took a risk and what better reads than to be needed by his captor! Good show, Erebus thought. He wasn't going to be told no at any level anyways, under most circumstances he would laugh this question away, but since it was Konstantin himself. They both had roles, and both had jobs, that required force at any measure necessary.

"You know Kon, I am feeling a change of heart. Tell me what it is you desire, and I'll tell you if it's worth my time, or my friends here. Because, well, I guess I have more of a heart than I thought, I can't stand to leave anyone else in here. Look at them, they are starving for some fresh air. If you need me, release all of us. More numbers, more possibilities, what say you to this? Sounds exciting to me." Erebus mentioned, regarding Lo and Yel, as he casually laughed. He was so very pleased by this turn of events, Erebus hardly ever laughed anymore, however-- now? He was just full of excitement. If he were about to make off, he could use some help out there, troubling as it was, Erebus was in a position to beg the question of whether Konstantin would fully acknowledge such a negotiation.

Of course, this was a daring agreement. Erebus stakes it for a very real reason. Would Kon really give in to a life of crime, and side with criminals, or was he simply playing everyone and expected them to agree out of mercy for themselves.

As it is said, “Curiosity killed the cat.” A reflection of what reality almost brought for Lo and Yel, two expected elements to an equation that was removing Erebus from this hellscape, who the pair were was an unknown even to Kon. When they came into view, his first thought was to bring forth a swift death upon them and yet as they spoke, he recognized the potential behind them, both in strength and their affiliation with Erebus as opposed to being associated with the Rune Knights. “What were so many prisoners doing outside of their cells?” He thought to himself as he reflected upon the worsening state of the Hellsea Bastille that was only reinforcing his thoughts of things to come. “A failure to maintain what is meant to hold the worst of the worst is a poor presentation of what the Rune Knights are meant to protect against.” He spoke out aloud to no one in particular inadvertently speaking into Erebus’s ear predominantly owing to their proximity. Whilst Kon was sorely outnumbered at this point, his perceived position still held him at an advantage, a current member of the Rune Knights within their prison, the strongest of the trio at his mercy blade ever ready to splay his neck in two whilst he was still left feeling uncomfortable with the presence of Yel and Lo, despite their naive back and forth bickering like a couple of children.

Refraining from responding to the unexpected guests, Kon found himself taken aback when Erebus referred to him as “Konyo.” A name that stunned him for a moment as Miharu and Hirota began to probe his past to uncover the truth buried behind the mountain of lies that lay within his consciousness. “There are few who know me by that name anymore, Erebus as you know.” Spitting venom back. “I will warn you only once, be careful, this offer is not something that I give lightly and will bind both our fates if we are to succeed.” The relationship between the two had always been mixed, to say the least, they had wronged each other more often than not and yet here Kon was working to facilitate his escape. And yet despite Erebus’s inescapably vulnerable position, he entered a dialogue between the unexpected guests in what could only be compared to a friendly chat. An insult perhaps? Or the realization that Kon wasn’t here to hurt anyone merely show his hand.

An assumption made reality as Erebus acknowledged Kon desired not for murder but something else. In recognition of a perceived truce, He stayed his hand returning his blade into the ether shifting his hand from its silver to gold as the Midas Gauntlet reincorporated into his prosthetic. Suspecting little intent for conflict, Kon distanced himself a healthy distance from Erebus as the two could finally begin a proper conversation as equals even if he were a Colonel, something Erebus was either aware of or had purposefully misconstrued referring to him as a General. A bitter pill to swallow whenever he heard the distinction and needed to correct whomever misspoke. “Colonel, I’m a colonel now, the Magic Council saw fit to revoke the title despite the effects I made to rebuild their dying, previous Rune Knights, I wish I could say that I don’t harbour any resentment towards them but I would be lying.”

Whilst they had their disagreements, Erebus was funnily one of the few people he could openly speak to after all who within the ranks of the Rune Knights would listen to a criminal of the highest calibre about the questionable fealty of a former General. “You ask me what I want, I want to see those that wronged me beneath my foot, law and order were something I had sought to serve and yet here I am in this hellscape that is Hellsea Bastille seeking your aid.” He was prepared to release Erebus, a single criminal easy to remove from the books, bribe a few officials and create a rift between here and elsewhere but so many, so quickly would cause problems. “I can take all of you, however, it won’t be easy nor clean, you’ll need to wear these collars at least until you are outside of the facility and garnered by my favour.” As he spoke, a break in reality itself appeared above Kon's outstretched hand bringing forth a series of collars whose innocence was mistaken only by a single blinking green light.