The Last Hour

**The Last Hour**is a Story Arc of the the Exteria Multiverse. It takes place in Interra and the Venatio, and follows the perspective of three girls who have met a tragic end. It has an indirect sequel in M-Chronicles.

## Main Arc

### A Sudden Death

Friends Aya n'Sully and Marisa Kirisame are enjoying a normal day together, not far from Kimberley, when a sudden car accident kills them all. However, all three of them awaken near a strange presence. For Aya, it is the psychopathic but strangely helpful Richard Slayer; for Marisa, the brooding priest-like Thomas Scarion; and for Kimberley the wierdly sympathic but unstable Julius Breake.

The three of them return to the city, now devoid of people. A strange woman introducing herself as Fortuna, Avatar of Fate and Tragedies, appears and tell them they are dead. However, they have a second chance at life, albeit a brief one. According to Fortuna, the three, now labeled as Horae, have around three days to live. However, they can expand that period by killing other Horae and taking their time for themselves

However, another threat looms. Aside from other Horae desperate to survive and seeking to kill the "newbies", dangerous Hora-killers known as Moirae - including Thomas, Richard and Julius - are making the survival game harder by eliminating all Horae they see. The trio must run away quickly, as a Moira quickly approaches.

### Friends and Foes

After encountering Kenneth Karasu, a savage but fair Hora who helps the escape their pursuer, the trio finds powerful Hora Yue Flaure, who protects them from enemy Horae and brings them home. Yue teaches the three what it means to be a Hora, as well as the three **Movements**, the key powers of a Hora. He helps them awaken their **First Movement**, minor Elemental manipulation, but warns them using that power will drain their remaining time. Acting distant, Yue tells the three to get away from him, and they do so, regretfully.

Marisa encounters young, asocial Kerren Gestal and befriends her, before learning Kerren is a powerful Moira himself. Kerren hesitates to kill her, long enough for Marisa to run away. Meanwhile, Aya encounters strategist Marina Oken and learns there are five Moirae in total. She also learns about the powerful Hora Keishuu, a sadistic man who enjoys killing weaker Horae. Finally, Kimberley seeks to learn more about Yue and confronts him, and only manages to learn that he lost his sister in a tragic accident.

### Bonds and Deaths

While Kimberley, searching for answer, finds veteran Hora and ruthless tactician Nate Lenson, Aya and Marisa begin to grow closer to eachother, a loving relationship beginning between the two. However, the relationship is conflicted as the two have vastly different points of view, and to worsen things, Moira Rosa Sakana attacks and almost makes Aya kill Marisa through magic and manipulation. Aya then unlocks her Second Movement, a powerful probability-altering magic that allows her to slow down Rosa. Kerren then acts against his orders and eliminates Rosa himself.

After this decisive battle is done, Aya and Marisa are brought to a rejuvenating underground spring by healer Estelle Juno. They are quickly healed, and learn this place was born from the sacrifice of Adrya Flaure, Yue's sister, whose Third Movement - an overly powerful but self-destructing power - allowed to bless and protect the place. Meanwhile, Kimberley discovers from religious Horae and Thomas Scarion himself that an enemy to the Avatar of Tragedies does exist : an **Avatar of Miracles** able to save all Horae. Kimberley thus embarks on a quest to find this benevolent God.

### The Reckoning Approaches

Battles are getting bloodier and bloodier. A conflict between Aya and Marisa makes the former leave the sanctuary and she stumbles upon powerful Hora Lucas Erciel. However, by the time they start to know eachother, they are attacked by Keishuu, and Lucas has no choice but to use his own Third Movement to kill Keishuu, giving Keishuu's time to Aya. However, as Lucas dies, his soul is taken by Fortuna, who repurposes him into another Moira. At the very samen time, Marisa learns the truth from Kerren : Moirae are ancient, broken Horae given a final chance, forced to kill others as if they refuse, the game will end and all Horae will die.

Kimberley, alongside Nate Lenson, with whom she has a romantic relationship, manage to unite several Horae with them, while Aya and Marisa do the same, desperate and seeking a final confrontation. Although Nate dies in the process, defeated in a battle against Breake, all remaining Horae unite behind the trio. The final battle has begun.

### The Meaning of Fate

The Hora army marches against the five Moirae. Yue reluctantly goes to the frontline, and reveals to the others he is long since dead. He used his Third Movement to try and save Adrya, but failed and became trapped in a purgatory-like state, his very presence draining the life of others. Yue sacrifices himself in a burst of accumulated energy to weaken the Moirae, allowing the battle to be fairer.

The harsh battle ends with the Hora army barely standing, but each Moira is defeated. Fortuna appears and applauds the Horae. To everyone's surprise, she introduces herself as **Avatar of Tragedies and Miracles**. She tells each Hora that she will bring them back to life ; as for Kimberley, Aya and Marisa, she offers a wish to each of them.

Aya wishes for all those who were killed to revive. Marisa asks for Moirae to be freed of their burden. As for Kimberley, she asks Fortuna to organize another of such game later in life. A smiling Fortuna accepts their requests, much to Aya's irritation to Kimberley's wish. And thus, the game has ended.

## Other Arcs

### Sigma's Tale

Sigma arrives to Fortuna's game only to see Adrya threatened by the Hour about to kill him. She helps Nate, revealed to be an old friend of Yue, protect Adrya, but the Hour's mental attacks reveals hidden weaknesses in her : she powerlessly sees Adrya die and Yue become a monster in order to save her. She then lapses into unconsciousness, slowly devoured by her inner Specter and returning to Memoria after obtaining Nate's Memento.

She returns much latter, in better shape, to learn of Rosa's past. Once, the sadistic Moira was a soft and kind Hora who died alongside her husband. The latter, after swearing to protect her, backstabbed her to drain her of her life. Sigma comforts a broken Rosa and allows her to have her revenge, slowly torturing Rosa's husband to death. Sigma makes a Memento with Rosa and, after kissing her, promises her to come back one day. She then leaves.

## Characters

* Aya n'Sully
* Marisa Kirisame
* Kimberley
* Fortuna
* Kenneth Karasu
* Yue Flaure
* Adrya Flaure
* Estelle Juno
* Marina Oken
* Keishuu
* Nate Lenson
* Rosa Sakana
* Richard Slayer
* Thomas Scarion
* Kerren Gestal
* Julius Breake
* Lucas Erciel

## Trivia

* This storyline was devised as an experiment to see if humans in critical conditions, alone against the entire world, could manage to perform a miracle. The experiment was, obviously, a success.
* It was later revealed that Fortuna used the Venatio in order to accomplish her games.