Fiesta del Caza; Festival of the Hunt!

With the Colosseum being within such close proximity to the Academy (probably for the convenience of students being able to test their mettle here), Nightshade was at the gates of this place in no time flat from Pandemia.

It was actually quite grand and luxurious; almost more so than the actual academy itself. Even he was taken aback by its size and grandeur, for it was rather grandiose, even for a typical Colosseum.

"Awww baby. We're gonna have fun with this thing!!"

He smiled wide, revealing his smug, confident and rather sharp-toothed grin. "I wouldn't mind making this my own little set up! HAHAHAHA!!" It was definitely large enough to accommodate living quarters for himself and his daughter... as well as a great many others, in fact. Maybe he could establish his own little organization of warriors and gladiators and train them here and let them live here and whatnot. That would be pretty bitchin.

"Ah, well. Thoughts for later. Right now... It's time to PARTY!"

With that, he'd take his first steps inside of the Colosseum, getting prepared to get this all under way as swiftly as possible.

Making his way center stage at the completely empty Colosseum, Nightshade looked around, making sure that the area was clear before he began to process.


First things first, he was going to have to connect to the other Two Spirits of the Veritas; the Crystal Oversoul of the Dusk, Kamitamashii, and the Crystal Oversoul of the Dawn, Temari. Once he linked with the both of them, he would be able to directly speak to the Gate Keepers at the same time from either end.


Breathing in deeply and closing his eyes, he held his breath for but a moment to get his energy pumping, abruptly opening his eyes with great intensity. The ground around him would be swept over by a powerful burst from the central point that was Nightshade before eventually tinting the air in a deep reddish hue similar to the color of his hair. His flaming hair did indeed seem to be linked to this aura in some way, for as it streamed from his head it seemed to flow seamlessly into the aura with its embers.


To conduct a Symphony of Souls, Resonance between them was required on a harmonious scale, like playing beautiful music in tandem rather than playing discordant beats all at different times and tempos. He would have to search for them and connect to their wavelengths by expanding his own as far as it could reach. Fortunately, they, too, had extremely powerful and expansive wavelengths, so they not only should be able to feel his growing, but also that he was trying to connect with them.

He closed his eyes as he tried to channel them, keeping his body perfectly still, despite how rampantly active his aura and energy within were.

"Aaahhh..." he muttered, feeling the shaky connection between himself and the Phantom at first, and probably also between the Inari, as well... Yet, it all seemed to straighten out once the two of them synchronized and matched his own tempo in order to receive the call. "... Theeeere we go. Yeah, I need the two of you to do me a quick favor..." he began, running over the connection again to make sure that both Kamitamashii and Temari were both linked up properly. He didn't want to have to repeat himself.

Nightshade wasn't liking Temari getting fresh either, despite how right she was about it all. The only reason she even existed at all was because of the union between Tensei and Titania. Though it balanced out the entire Veritas, as it should, that didn't mean that the two of them had any less of a say, regardless if she was right or not.

"Hmm..." He groaned, not having any knowledge nor recollection about the Insanity being trapped beyond the gates. Then again... For a short time, he was the Keeper. Even so, he'd give them the answer to why he needed these gates opened pronto.


He wasn't entirely sure about how it worked nor what it meant, but he knew that they needed creatures and the spawning rate was going far too slowly for there to be anything significantly capable of hunting here.

"Look, we need some wildlife running around here. This place is kinda barren. Any weak ass monster that comes out, ANYONE of ANY restriction could probably handle it. And if not, we can ALL come together and handle it at once. No matter how much Insanity gets in. That's what we have you AND the Seven Shinsanities for, don't we, Temari?" Temari was the one who was supposed to consistently keep the Seven Shinsanities as well as the Keeper of Shinsanity purified at all time with her presence. That was why she was the culmination of them all; the Peace that kept the Shinsanity stable and from returning to its unstable energetic state of Insanity. That was her purpose in all of this, and she should know that better than anyone else here. Especially Nightshade, considering his memory was the most shot out of all three of them, and he was STILL capable of knowing such a fact.

His stern and serious face grew wide and toothy yet again, his brow furrowing deeper with ever growing intensity after hearing Temari and Kamitamashii comply. His excitement was overcoming him.

"Awwww HELL YEAH!!! That's what I'm talking about, guys!! Thanks a billion!! Since the Crystal Beast isn't being such a stiff anymore, we can get things going!!"

Naturally, he was all for this compromise. He didn't need a lot; he just needed a good number of creatures to come through that would be fun to fuck up.


Once he had confirmation from both ends, he would sever the connection and let them do as they needed to with the two Gate Keepers. And since he could leave that up to them, he now needed to worry about... Magna Signis.

---- Minor timeskip ---

After receiving confirmation on both ends about the opening and closing of either gate on either side of the Veritas, all he had to do was worry about the placement of the Magna Signis in its proper place. The beasts were released, and so was the energy of the deadly Nightshade; Magnus Ignis, the Bloodred Pumpkinhead.

"Hmmm?" He turned to meet the eye of a beautiful red haired (rather, amber haired) woman who harbored within her the great energy of the Fourth Moon that everyone had been talking about. Seeing her face and feeling her energy brought back fond memories of his past; before he was Magnus Ignis and when he was Pumpkinhead. "Mmm... Yes, I see now..." He could tell who she was; rather, who she used to be, and felt inside of her their power that needed to be reunited. He immediately took her hand, letting their powers start to link.

"This is the final part of the Coronation. Where I, the new crowned King, receive my crowned Queen!!!" Despite how there was much more to it than that, it seemed that this was what he cared about the most in his new life; no one wanted to be alone, even if they were reincarnated. "Huh. It's like everything I could have ever wanted is coming true all at once..." He reflected deeply on it, remembering his father, Shinsei, and how he felt when he crowned Pumpkinhead with the Fourth Moon in the first place before their departure of Vescrutia. He must have proved himself in his Father's eye, for now, not only was he no longer the Beast he once was, but he was also the source of all the great Love of this world... Sacrificing his old life and using his destructive might to save the Veritas, he was reborn in a new form; new energy crafted from his old energy, a new body crafted from his old pieces and tempered to be made new, the ability to exist harmoniously and happily with his family, and, as an added bonus, a companion that would keep him from being so damn lonely and solitary as a being.

"... This is the best birthday ever," he said, drawing power from Signis whilst simultaneously granting her some of his own, effectively establishing the Resonance necessary to amplify their powers, "... We're finally home, then... It may not be Dimensia, but it's some place that seems... better. Like a new part of it." Fond memories of his home flooded his mind, as well as the times of yore when the Flames of Eternity flickered and frolicked about as they were, bound to no true vessel but existing as mere congregations of light. It was fun as it was for a while, but something about having an actual physical form was just all so much more appealing. "Thank you, Father..." he said to himself, pulling Signis close, "And you too... For your sacrifice." He knew what her true and original form was, even if she, too, was born anew. They were no longer who they once were, even if they still were those two inside. Both of them knew of sacrifice; probably because they were both of the same original being. Sacrificing themselves for each other.

"I guess the time of Punishment has finally come to an end..." Such would mark the end of the Fourth Moon; the Moon of Punishment. "... And the best way to celebrate it is with this Festival. From here on, this Festival will be known as the Festival of the Fourth; Fiesta Del Caza." Such would be his decree; where all such creatures of the Mezzo Terra could and would be hunted for the sake of good sport for a short time. They would spawn from the Great Furnace as seen fit, and whatever impure soul was contaminated by anything could be brought back to the Great Furnace and cleansed, where the soul could be born anew. This would ensure that Insanity did not enter, and if it did, that it always had a way to be completely destroyed within any soul.

"Yes..." he muttered to himself, squeezing the girl tightly in his embrace, "... We saved everyone..." A tear streamed down his face, yet his wide, nearly deranged, passionate saw-toothed grin did not falter for a moment; growing larger and wider, in fact, the more he reflected on the events that occurred the way they did, "... Our brother... Our father... Our home... Our love... Our lives. Everything, all with the Rise and the Fall of the Forth moon."

And on the day of January 1st, 2015, the Veritas would be christened by the overflowing energy of Magnus Ignis and Magna Signis, the two pieces of the Pumpkinheart respectively, and the energy that came from the Crystal Heart would power the Veritas forevermore. This was the extent of Pumpkinhead's love for his family. To give them new life through him. He was no longer the King of Halloween, but the King of New Life.