All Hail

**All Hail** is the Origin of Luisito Thalia.

The story jumps forward to Alvera walking in on the Pope’s
indecent indiscretions, and then chronicles Luisito being put up to be hanged.
He is being hanged for the sole purpose of defending Alvera. He offers his own
life so that Thalia would not kill her. Moments before being put up for
execution, he casts a charm on a guard and changes clothes with him. The person
Alvera watches get hanged turns out to be the guard, and not Luisito as she
originally thought.

Luisito goes to his father, Orfeo Thalia, the warden of
Fifth Ward. His father admits that he will not be able to protect him from
Benedict, so he reaches out to a contact on Upsilon named Ortega Pinkman. He
sends Luisito to live there until Benedict can be reasoned with.

As the chapter ends, Benedict is seen celebrating his long, happy life. Orfeo gives him the idea to send Alvera Runehartz to the Grand
Commencement in order to get her away from Olympia Heights. The Pope eagerly
agrees.

### Part II: The Gates of Hail

Luisito is sent to Hail to work for a man named Delta Cross. Delta is a kind-hearted, inspirational young man. He fights the oppressive regime in Hail with Luisito and becomes the new leader. One night, Luisito enters Delta's bed chamber to find him talking to a man in red robes. The man begs him to come with him to "take over the free world." Delta declines. The man calls Delta by another name, Defarios Sinistra.

Luisito goes out to the forest one night and finds a mystical stump. He talks to a fairy in the woods about the wonders of the world. The fairy warns him that the man he trusts most will betray him.

Luisito begins to notice small changes in the town. Delta has rid them of the churches and the shrines in the square. He also keeps Luisito out of the weekly meetings. Luisito confronts Delta in front of the townspeople, and Delta overreacts. He imprisons Luisito and keeps the people from talking to him.

Days later, starved and exhausted, Luisito is approached by a young boy. The boy introduces himself as Erol, and says that he was sent by "God" to free him from the unholy prison. Erol and Luisito escape the prison, and Luisito is troubled to see that the town has made an awful transition to a place of murder and thievery. When they exit the town, Luisito, using his own dagger, cuts his hand and changes the sign next to the city gates to read, "Welcome to Hell."

### Part III: The Death of Luigi

In fear of his life, Luisito changes his name to Luigi and travels to Roamsen with Erol. Erol is a nice man, tending to Luisito's wounds and helping him rebuild his lost trust for companions. Luisito and Erol travel together through Roamsen and hear stories of a thief named Nemesis that has pillaged the area. Erol suggests that they seek Nemesis to restore order, but Luisito dismisses the quest.

Months later, Erol tells Luisito that "God" has called upon him once more and that he must go to the Grove to see her. Luisito trusts Erol and travels with him to New Tides. The two suffer from a brutal attack from pirates and the Thief Prince. The Thief Prince threatens to kill the two unless they hand over everything they have, but Erol and Luisito both have nothing. Rasmus goes to kill Erol but Luisito sacrifices himself for his new friend.

Instead of fighting for his life, Luisito tells Rasmus that he will work for him as long as Rasmus leaves Erol unharmed. Rasmus agrees, and lets Erol continue on his way to New Tides.

Luisito does several small jobs for Rasmus, until he can no longer take the torment of stealing from the poor to make the rich richer. Luisito gives himself a sedative which reacts like poison, and causes himself to convulse and "die" during a grand dinner with Rasmus and his mother, Jusinia Balmore.

Jusinia sees through the ruse but allows her son to bury Luisito alive. As the coffin closes she says to him, "I hope that death is swift and cold for you."

Luisito uses magic to escape his grave. He goes to New Tides and finds Erol in the city of Three Rocks. The two share a heartfelt reunion, and then head to the Grove to meet Erol's "God."

### Part IV: The Kingdom of Rotten Hearts

In the shrine, Luisito immediately recognizes the mystical stump that he'd seen in Upsilon. He tells Erol that he has met Maphrodite Tomě, and that he believes that she is a god as Erol said. Maphrodite presents herself to the two. She knows of Luisito's recent adventures and the death of his second persona.

Maphrodite tells the boys that they must seek the Mask of Metronomus. The mask will give her the ability to cross over into the Ethereal Plane and help her subjects in other realms. The two agree. They look all over New Tides for the mask but find nothing. At a loss, Maphrodite asks for the help of Shoshani Gamgee. The two are reluctant to accept the renowned thief, but Erol takes to her after they bond overnight.

Luisito watches as Erol and Shoshani get closer, becoming jealous of their relationship. He is not attracted to Erol, but loves him as a brother, so when he begins spending less time with her he finds himself without guidance. This worsens when Shoshani begins to rape Erol. Luisito calls out to Maphrodite for help, but she is unable to stop Shoshani from making her advances. Erol changes, and he no longer speaks to Luisito at the request of Shoshani - making traveling along the two of them awkward for Luisito.

They follow a lead to the Kingdom of Rotten Hearts. In a city known as Landis they meet Sophia Rose, and learn the legend of the tortured musician, Felipe Nevarro. Legend tells that Felipe kidnaps the pure children from the city of Landis and consumes them. He absorbs their life energy to preserve his immortality. Luisito and the group head to the kingdom and break into the castle. They learn that Felipe is in fact an emotional young man that does not steal the children for his life force. The woman that he loves was cursed by a dark witch, and without the life force of pure hearts, she would fade into the Relentless Black. Luisito helps Felipe break the curse without the help of Erol and Shoshani. They call upon the dark witch. She presents herself but does not reveal her name to Luisito. Luisito senses that she is a familiar presence. The witch says she will break the curse, if Felipe gives his soul. He agrees. Luisito tells Felipe that their must be some other way, but Felipe is ready to die to give his beloved a full life. He notes that he was greedy in the past, opting to sacrifice children in order to keep her comatose. While killing himself would bring her to a healthy life that she could actually enjoy. He gives the witch his soul. She throws a glowing ball at him and he explodes. The castle, originally floating in the air by some mystical power, falls back down to the hilltop where it once originally sat.

Shoshani and Erol state that without Felipe they will never find the Mask. Luisito has an idea. He introduces himself to the woman that awakens after the curse has broken. She tells them that she believes the Mask is in the Abyss in the center of the ocean, but she admits that she is not sure. Erol is skeptical, but Luisito tells them that they must go for Maphrodite.

Before he leaves he asks Felipe's love her name. She introduces herself as Anabelle Cursley.

### Part V: The Death of Lu

The three prepare for the trip to Abysmal Waters. Luisito notices in the morning that his companions are missing. He goes out to the lake and watches in horror as Shoshani rapes Erol with an oak tree branch.

That night, Erol leaves unannounced. Shoshani insists that they must continue without him, but Luisito cannot be around her after watching what occurred that morning. He calls her a "monster of no comparison" but he hopes that she can "find peace in her miserable existence." This transcription differs from the original in Shoshani's diary.

Luisito heads to New Tides and meets with Maphrodite. She tells him to seek out a thief in New Tides and befriend him in order to get access to a ship to sail to the Abyss. Luisito meets Ronnie the Red and does small work for him until the two travel together to the Quell to meet Ronnie's boss. His boss turns out to be Rasmus Balmore, the same man that Luisito faked his death in front of in the past. Going by the name Lu, he disguises himself once Ronnie leaves on a mission. He meets Rasmus and successfully stays under his radar. He does small work for Rasmus and acquires a ship to sail to the Abyss. He does so. Luisito finds that the Abyss is a gaping hole in the center of the ocean, and fearing for his life, he turns back and does not enter.

During a party Rasmus announces that his sister is getting married. He asks Lu to accompany him to the wedding, rekindling their original friendship. Rasmus states that Lu is a "familiar soul" and that they must have met in a past life.

The two travel to Kamikaze, and Luisito is shocked to learn that Erol is marrying Rasmus' sister. The two reconnect immediately and spend the weekend with each other. Suspicious of their friendship, Rasmus questions how they know each other. Erol is able to deflect the truth successfully. The day before the wedding, Shoshani arrives and tells the two that they must go with her to find the Mask. Erol, owing Maphrodite, agrees to go with her but only after his wedding. Moments later, a guard bursts into the room and tells him of Rosemary's murder.

Rasmus goes to the chamber and finds the three of them. He recognizes Nemesis and immediately asks her business there. She calls Lu by the name Luisito, and Rasmus connects it to Luigi. He sees through the disguise and attacks the three. They rush up to the roof and Rasmus follows them. He is wounded, and the Three of Lore have no choice but to jump from the building.

They go to escape the town, and Luisito briefly sees a woman he recognizes. He thinks about this for days and not much else, with a hasty scrawl written in his journal that says only, "Alvera."

The story opens much later. Luisito describes an encounter in the woods. He tells of Maphrodite betraying the Three of Lore, and how she is not "who we once thought she was." He describes a glowing ball of light that is thrown at him by the mysterious being known as Irabella Roseheart. When the ball hits him his consciousness rises from his body into a higher plane.

He awakens much later on an Island. He walks along the beach, and laying in the sand he notices a familiar face. He mutters, "Calvin," and the story ends.

## Characters

* Alvera Runehartz
* Animus
* Benedict Thalia
* Calvin Shepherd
* Defarios
* Erol Waleigh
* Luisito Thalia
* Orfeo Thalia
* Ronnie the Red
* Shoshani Gamgee