The Ultimate Freedom

**The Ultimate Freedom** is the story of Erol Waleigh*.*

This side-story features more characters than all of the others combined. It is the longest of any of the side-stories or chapters in the main saga, with seven parts.

## Plot Synopsis

### Part I: Waleigh v. Klemens

Erol is a young boy that lives in the small town of Talon on Omega. He goes about his daily routine; doing small chores for Mayor Edwin DeLais, helping his parents, and going to school in Shepherd.

This all changes when Edwin gets a new servant, Klein Klemens, who opens a store in town selling local trinkets. Erol and Klemens bond over similar interests, but Klemens deviates from Erol and ends up losing a large sum of money. Disgusted, Edwin punishes Klemens and fires Erol. In the middle of the night, Erol decides to go over to talk to Klemens about the event only to find Anastacia Runehartz in Klemens' store. Klemens is in a trance in the center of the store and he attacks Erol. Erol scrapes by without dying, and flees the city in fear of his life.

The final scene shows Anastacia as she walks Klemens through how they will frame Erol. Klemens, clearly charmed, follows her orders. He breaks into Edwin DeLais' house and burns it down in the middle of the night, leaving evidence that suggests Erol as the killer. Edwin arrives just as his house is engulfed in flames, but he is too late to stop the fire from killing his wife and daughter. Edwin is devastated, and Klemens wakes the next morning to find that his store has been robbed. Without the memory of his acts the night before, Klemens finds clues that suggest Erol robbed him and killed Edwin's family.

Klemens swears revenge on behalf of Edwin and himself, leading to the rivalry between the two for the rest of the series.

In the woods, Erol meets Maphrodite Tomě. She offers to give him the power to stop the pain in his heart due to his recent encounter with Klemens. He does not understand why Klemens attacked him, and he does not understand why the woman made him leave town. Maphrodite gives him the magic to stop the pain in his heart, and the pain in the hearts of others. Maphrodite warns him that each time he uses the power, a piece of himself will be lost forever. Erol promises to only use the power for good. He uses the magical Numbers that Maphrodite teaches him to stop the pain. He wakes up days later, with the numbers inked into his chest. The pain in his heart is gone, but he notes that he can no longer feel his own heartbeat.

### Part II: Waleigh v. Gamgee

Some time later, Erol treks with Luisito Thalia. Together, the two seek out the thief Nemesis in order to search for a piece of the Armor of Metronomus. Erol finds Nemesis attractive, but after finding that she's not his type he spurns her advances, only for her to react by raping him.

He uses the Numbers to escape from his body and enter a mystical plane called *Saeluca*. There, he sits in front of a mirror and looks into his past. He sits on the ethereal plane for a very long time. He meets the soul of a young Stacy Marvin. Stacy has been hurt by his mother. She abandoned him and caused his heart great pain. Stacy inflicts harm on himself because of the way his mother makes him feel. Using the magic that Maphrodite gave him, Erol reaches out and touches the soul of Stacy to heal him. He watches as Stacy grows physically taller and bigger to make up for his mental insignificance. Erol tells Stacy to do good things, and to never hurt others. Stacy fades away before he makes any promises to Erol. *It is not quite clear how Erol was able to alter the Stacy's past; but he gave Stacy his magic power, and caused him to become Animus.*

Erol grows tired of hiding and decides to go back to the Mortal Coil to deal with Nemesis. Before he leaves, he notices that the 4 on his chest is now red instead of black.

He goes back to the Mortal Coil and fails to stop Shoshani. So, in the middle of the night, he puts a spell on her soul using the powers Maphrodite gave him. The 8 on his chest begins to burn and he notices that, like the 4, the 8 is now red. He flees from the campsite while Luisito and Shoshani sleep.

The final scene shows a young Shoshani. She is with Uupa Garrick. Uupa sexually assaults her and leaves her alone in the woods. She cries, feeling so much pain and sorrow. Erol appears in the woods and kneels down next to her. He touches her heart, and it immediately grows cold. She no longer has the ability to feel any pain. She, just like Animus, is heartless.

### Part III: Waleigh v. Marvin

Erol, distraught and lost, calls for Maphrodite to help him find his way. Animus appears to him instead. He states that Erol is *familiar* to him, but he does not know why. Erol tells Animus that he took away his pain when he saw him on the Ethereal Plane. Animus denies the claim, but upon further introspection, he remembers Erol's face and words.

Erol asks Animus if he has done good things with his magic, and Animus laughs. He shows Erol all of the terrible things he has done, and Erol is horrified. Animus states that while Erol *did* help him as a child, he did not give him the magical ability he now possesses. Erol apologizes to Animus for taking away his ability to feel pain, and he states that nobody should have to live that way. Animus attacks Erol with magic, and he nearly kills him. Maphrodite intervenes and scares Animus away.

Maphrodite is upset that Erol has decided to share his magic with people that did not deserve it, and he makes Erol swear to only heal people that will go on and do good things. Erol promises, but thinks to himself that he could never be sure of someone's true intentions so it will always be a gamble on whether or not they will do good.

Erol sets out to find Animus on Saeluca. He finds the soul of young Stacy Marvin and leads another wayward soul to him. He does not realize that this is Defarios Sinistra. He watches as the two souls entwine, and he feels satisfied with giving Stacy Marvin a companion. He does the same for Shoshani's soul, and gets it to entwine with Samwise Gamgee.

He uses his magic to cast himself in the future to see how his plan works out. He sees a vision of Shoshani as she gets her heart ripped out, but he can not see who does it. He then sees another violent vision of Animus being murdered by Klein Klemens. He screams. He carves Klemens' name into the wall using his fingernail. He uses his magic to see the lives of the people Klemens has and will hurt, he sees hundreds of people. Among them, is a beautiful woman. He goes back to the Mortal Coil, and swears to find the beautiful woman and protect her from Klemens. He sets off just as the sun rises.

### Part IV: Waleigh v. Balmore

Erol arrives in the city of Kamikaze and casually makes contact with Rosemary Von Shaft. She finds him compelling, and the two immediately begin a relationship. Erol is in love. He spends several months taking her all over the land and showing her the things he has only seen through the visions in Saeluca. He doesn't share his mistakes with her, but she shares her own.

He asks Rosemary to marry him, but she says she needs approval from her mother and brother. She is not very close with her father, but opted to keep his last name due to his royal lineage. Erol does not fare well with her family. Jusinia Balmore deems him unfit to marry Rosemary due to his lack of social status.

He goes to Saeluca and meddles in Jusinia's life in order to sway her. He accidentally causes a rift in Jusinia's past and allows her to see things that she was not aware of, such as her husband's affair. She kills him in cold blood which sets about a chain of events that makes her even meaner than she was in the original timeline. In the present, Erol has no choice but to touch Rasmus instead. He attempts to use his magic to *make Rasmus feel more*, but instead removes the little heart that Rasmus has left. The 15 on Erol's chest turns red.

Rasmus acts on his aggression toward his mother, and the reality that as long as she's around he will never be the leader of the thieves in Kamikaze. He kills his mother. A distraught and confused Rosemary accepts Erol's marriage proposal after Erol tells her that Rasmus killed Jusinia. Erol and Rasmus get in a tragic battle that ends in Rasmus being gravely injured. Erol realizes that if Rasmus dies Rosemary will never forgive him. Erol, with no other options, calls on Maphrodite to help him. Maphrodite convinces one of her vampire companions to turn Rasmus. Rasmus thanks Erol for making him stronger and gives him his blessing to marry Rosemary. Rosemary does not forgive Rasmus.

On the day of the wedding, Luisito and Shoshani arrive and tell Erol he must come with them to finish the mission Maphrodite set them on. Owing Maphrodite now more than ever, he agrees to go only after his wedding. But while he's distracted by his companions; Klein Klemens kills Rosemary.

Erol is devastated. But Maphrodite urges him to push forward. He does not use the magic to take away the pain. He decides to feel the pain, and let it make him stronger.

\*For most of the series it has been thought that Maximus turned Rasmus, but it was in fact Oedipus that turned both of them. This caused the link between the two that would eventually lead to their defeat. Exactly how, why, and when Oedipus turned Maximus is not revealed in this story.

### Part V: Waleigh v. Roseheart

By this point, Erol has erased the hearts of Stacy Marvin, Shoshani Gamgee, and Rasmus Balmore. He tells himself that he will no longer remove pain from anyone, and will instead opt to help people on the Mortal Coil. Erol is exposed to the Nefarious Seven while he is separated from Luisito and Shoshani. He meets Anima, who tells him to keep using his power and good will eventually come of it. He also warns him not to trust Maphrodite fully.

Erol meets with Shoshani and Luisito. The three learn from Maphrodite that a group of Fools will soon defeat the final Disciple of Carnage, and if they are not stopped they will destroy Omega. The three set out to bring the Fools to Maphrodite, and Erol learns that Klemens is among them. He does not seek trouble with Klemens so he avoids conversation. They learn that Maphrodite is truly Irabella Roseheart, the Dark Witch of Etherea. Erol is hit with a magical ball that plunges his soul into the Ethereal Plane.

He wakes up on an Island surrounded by a group of people. They help him piece together who he is and how he got there. They insist that he was sent to help them find the Swan, but Erol does not know what the Swan is. He journeys with the people to the Hatch, and uses the Numbers to open it. A bright light fills the Island, and when it clears Erol is in Saeluca. He sees Irabella and he attacks her. She convinces him to stop. She states that the betrayal was a part of her plan, and that there are people coming to take her away and that he must stop them or Omega will be destroyed. Erol has seen so much pain and death that he does not want anymore blood on his hands. He agrees to help and he awakens in the Grove with Attalia Robinsong near him.

A large ship lands on New Tides and takes Irabella. Attalia is severely wounded, and he must turn her quickly so that he can go free Irabella. He rushes onboard the ship and kills one of the mercenaries sent to retrieve Irabella just as the Orb hits the ship and causes an explosion. The ship plunges back toward Omega and lands in the ocean.

Erol gets Irabella off of the ship. He finds the unconscious body of Attalia in the woods. Irabella tells Erol that they must seek out Alden Juniper to stop the Console, a mysterious terminal that controls the O.M.E.G.A. Experiment. Confused, but loyal, Erol goes with Irabella. He also forces Attalia to go with them to find the answers they seek.

### Part VI: Waleigh v. Garrick

Erol, Irabella, and Attalia arrive in the Shire and find Alden Juniper. He explains that on each level of the Ethereal Plane, there lies a Console. He tells them that the Consoles were created by Fiora Tempest to establish parameters for universal life. And that each time the Console timer hits zero, the Plane loses all of the souls attached to it, and all of the souls are plunged into the Relentless Black. Alden tells them that the Console on Omega is used for something entirely different. He states that the Console controls a mysterious object called the Genesis Device. Similar to what happens when a Console is destroyed in Etherea, if Omega's Console is destroyed all of the life on the planet will be drained. Alden states that Maphrodite was crafted as a failsafe to ensure that the Console was safe. As long as Maphrodite lives, the Console would have a guardian.

Irabella tells Erol that the people of Omega have been lied to for a long time. She tells Erol that he must use his magic to plunge the entire world into Saeluca to keep them safe. When Erol asks Irabella what she is going to do, Irabella reveals that she is going to kill herself, and in turn, the planet. But she wants to do so when the living inhabitants are all safe from the evil powers of the Nefarious Seven.

The mercenaries do not give up their pursuit of Irabella. They arrive in the Shire and cause a large battle that separates Erol and Irabella. Erol casts Attalia into Saeluca to keep her safe, and he attacks the mercenaries and causes them to flee.

Erol uses his magic, and causes every living creature on Omega to transmit to Saeluca. The move is almost too much for him, and he can feel the pain of every living person as the world's end draws closer. He opens his eyes and finds himself with Irabella in Animus' throne room. Shoshani is also there. Irabella tells the two that the Fools will soon arrive and be tricked into destroying the Consoles on Ka and Kai, which will effectively render the Nefarious Seven powerless by taking away their dominion over the dead. The Fools appear, and Irabella gives them the option to plunge into darkness, or to walk into the light. This proves to Erol that she is truly good, because she always allows mortals the decision to decide their fate. The Fools choose to go into the Light, and Irabella's plan comes true.

Vesuvius, who's memory has been destroyed due to his connection to Ka and Kai, is approached by Irabella. She spares his life and sends him back to his home planet. She sends Shoshani to another plane to "complete her mission." Erol and Irabella embrace, and Erol vanishes into Saeluca.

The thousands of people that Erol saved are all in a frozen state when he arrives there. He unfreezes Attalia, and tells her she must do one last thing for him. He shows her the Mirror that allows her to see the past, and he tells her that without her help, Alvera will never see Fiora and make the decision to continue the fight to the Swan Station. Attalia, eager to help her friends, goes to the past and appears to Alvera and Klemens to guide them in their time on Kai, and to help Alvera meet the Maker of the universe.

While Attalia is there, Erol feels the words of Irabella imploring him to help a companion of hers, named Monday Mourning. He goes to Monday in Ka and restores her vampirism before going back to Saeluca to meet with Attalia once her job is complete.

Attalia returns to Saeluca. Erol tells her that the hardest part of their journey is yet to come. Attalia does not wish to continue, and cries for her family and friends. Erol feels a pang in his heart when Irabella dies. He excuses himself from Attalia's presence and a bloody tear sheds from his eye. He screams, and the act closes.

### Part VII: Waleigh v. Tempest

Erol approaches Attalia while she sleeps and takes away the pain in her heart. The 23 on his chest turns red. He does not care. He freezes Attalia in her sleep and leaves her in Saeluca. He goes to the Mortal Coil and watches from Wraith as Omega deteriorates and collapses into itself. He cries to himself while the people of Wraith watch in awe.

It is not revealed who Erol used 16 to heal.

Erol uses the remainder of his magic to reach out to the creator herself, and Fiora brings him to her plane. He spites her for allowing the universe to be so terrible and morbid, and causing all of the pain that she has caused him.

Fiora listens as Erol cries and begs for her to end all of the suffering. She does not speak. She just listens as Erol cries.

"Why must the universe be so morbid? If you are God then take away the pain of those inferior to you. Do not make us feel such hurt. Let us instead be dead."

Fiora appears to Erol as Irabella. She convinces him to use the last number to take away the pain in his heart. He does. He feels so dead that he cannot feel anything else. Suddenly, the pain flows back and is stronger than ever just as the 42 turns red on his chest. He realizes that no magic is strong enough to take away all the pain that he feels, and Fiora agrees.

Fiora requests to give Erol the Ultimate Freedom. He begs for it.

Erol sees patches of black in his vision; until there is nothing left to see.

"The pain subsided at last. He smiled as the she granted him the Ultimate Freedom. For death is the end to all pain. She plunges him into the Relentless Black, and he is grateful of the descent. 'There is a Greater Good,' he thought, as the Numbers on his chest began to fade. 'Free me, great Tempest,' he muttered, and it was the last thing that Erol ever said."

## Characters

* Anima
* Animus
* Romulus
* Maximus
* Attalia Robinsong
* Alvera Runehartz
* Elanor Gamgee
* Edwin DeLais
* Erol Waleigh
* Irabella Roseheart
* Klein Klemens
* Luisito Thalia
* Shoshani Gamgee
* Vesuvius Slade
* Anais Morningstar
* Roywyn Garrick
* Melian Amdis
* Zelda Amastacia
* The Man in Black
* The Dark Man
* The Crimson King
* Maphrodite Tomě
* Orion Amastacia
* Utica Amastacia
* Anais Morningstar
* Dodoria Puckett
* Anastacia Runehartz
* Jusinia Balmore
* Rasmus Balmore
* Rosemary Von Shaft
* Samwise Gamgee