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Post by InsaneAlphaBeta on Dec 17, 2017 23:44:04 GMT
Universe 13: Amaranth, The Guardian of Fury.
PART 2: Last Good Days.
Nakia was in her room, stareing out of her rooms window, looking at the outside. She had an uncertain look in her eyes, she kept stareing.
A few moments later Ori walked into the room. She stood beside Nakia.
"You okay Nakia?" Ori asked.
Nakia just stood there, not looking at Ori yet.
" No, im not." Nakia said as she crossed her arms.
"Whats wrong?" Ori asked. She sounded concerned.
Nakia just stood there in silence
But eventually she spoke.
"Everything....everything is wrong Ori, all of it. Look at us, stuck here on this nightmare of a planet, barely getting by on what little food we are able to get, and for what? to extend our lives just a little longer while wait for an omnipotent to hopefully find someone to save us from all this!" Nakia said, she began to sound more fustraighted over the whole situation, her tone changeing slightly.
"Nakia....i know it seems bad, but im sure it wont be this way forever!" Ori started
"YOU DONT KNOW THAT!" Nakia shouted, finally turning to Ori. She now sounded angry, though it wasnt directed specificly at Ori.
"Day by day we are running out of food, running out of water, we have to go further and further out just to find creatures to kill just to survive, and we are having to kill larger and larger creatues because the smaller ones arent getting the job done!
And the worst part? WE HAVENT FOUND ANYONE! Not a single person! just these creatures! we could be all thats left here on this planet, we could be completely alone! Just you, me Alen and ROka and the other people here. And who knows how long we will even last!" Nakia said
"I mean thats true, but the gates of Janus may work again someday!" Ori said, trying to remain positive.
"Oh yeah sure, the devine gates of janus! those stupid gates quit on us when we needed them most, we cant depend on those stupid gates Ori, and as much as i hate to say it we cant depend on KUllos either." Nakia said.
"But Nakia..Kullos is trying the best he can!" Ori said
"Ori, Kullos could be dead for all we know. The fact is we cant rely on a maybe if we are gonna survive this." Nakia said, her expression looking more serious then angry, she seemed to calm down a bit.
Ori looked a little sad desbite trying to stay positive.
"Kullos would want us to survive as long as we can until hhe retunrs...if he returns.
So if we are gonna do that...we have to rely on ourselves." Nakia said. As she looked back towards the outside.
"No matter the cost." Nakia said as she nodded to herself, she sounded very confident in her words.
"Well...alright." Ori said, just accept the fact that she was right, she didnt really have any alternative.
"Well, speaking of food and supplys, ima go make sure we are all good for now." Ori said.
"...Okay." Nakia said.
Ori began leaveing the room before she stopped, she turned around and looked at Nakia.
"Hey Nakia." Ori said
Nakia turned and looked at Ori.
"Yes?" Nakia asked
\\"What are we gonna do if that Tower creature shows up?" Ori asked her.
Nakia took a moment to think.
"If The Tower shows up, i'll kill it." Nakia said. She once again sounded really confident, she then looked back at the window and stared outside.
Ori was about to speak, but realised it would do her no good. And she left the room.
"I dont care how we do it, or what we have to go through...
But i refuse to die on this nightmare of a planet." Nakia said.
Later on that night, while everyone was sleeping, Nakia was laying her in bed. She couldnt fall asleep as countless thoughts were all in her mind.
"I cant believe this...how did it gets this bad? we cant stay here forever..one day we are gonna have to leave and find a new home..maybe find more people..if there are any, but i doubt it, knowing our luck.
Why us? why our friends? why out familys? why our planet? just..why...why us....all of us." Nakia thought to herself.
She got up off the bed and took a look outside, it was nearly pitch black with the moon barely visible in the night sky.
"Its so dark...anything could be out there, and we cant see anything...but they can see us. Gee what a smart decision that is to make it so we can be seen but we cant see them...and the stupid moon doesnt make that any easier on us.
Still, it could be worse i guess." Nakia thinks to herself.
After a few moments, Nakia feels footsteps. Her heart sank as she was fairly certain what it was that was approaching, and with every few seconds, the footsteps slowly got louder and louder. Each step shaking the ground and floor more and more. She looked uncertain, but that uncertainty quickly changed to determination. As she loaded her gun and left her room.
In the halls were a approaching Ori Alen and Roka.
"You guys feel it too?" Nakia asked
"Yes, i think its the tower!" Ori said sounding quite concerned, rightfully so.
"Well lets not waste any time." Alen said as he hit the schools alarm system, wakeing the others up so they could leave as the four ran to the schools entrance and walked outside.
As the four got outside it was pitch black, but the footsteps could be heavily felt, until they stopped.
THe four of them looked up and the only part of the tower they could see, were its red eyes, stareing back at them.
Alen and Roka ran past Ori and Nakia with their bows towards the creature.
"NO WAIT!" Nakia shouted.
As the two ran towards the creature, Roka began trying to aim his hand at the creature, attempting to shrink it, but before he could they were hit with one of its giant axe arms, sending them flying back into the schools wall, the impact forced them through the wall and it crumbled onto them.
"NOOO!" Ori yelled.
"Ori! get back inside the school now!" Nakia said
ori just kept stareing at Roka and Alen who were burried under rubble.
"I SAID GO!" Nakia yelled and Ori snapped out of it, she began running inside the school. but befoe she could she felt a gust of wind behind her.
She turned around and saw the axe hit her. Crushing her against another of the schools walls, she fell helplessly onto the ground, now laying on her back, there was a large wound on her chest and stomach now, she was bleeding out of the wound and her mouth.
"ORI NOO!" Nakia said as she ran to ori, trying to get to her before the tower attacks again. As Nakia ran she felt the gust of wind that came before the tower attack, she ran as fast as she could and her was glowing gold, the power of evolution surrounded her.
"I dont care what it takes! im not letting anyone die tonight! PLEASE ORI YOU NEED TO MOVE!" Nakia yelled as a fire surrounded her aswell. trying to get Ori to move if she cant get to her in time.
Ori was basicly motionless but her eyes were open as she saw the towers axe heading down to her.
"ORI!!" Nakia yelled.
The towers axe crushed Ori again, just before Nakia could get there. THe impact knocking Nakia away and cause her to fall on her knees.
The evolution and fire around her fades from gold to red, as her eyes turn red with rampancy.
She begins crying at the sight of her nearly dead friend, Oris wound is much worse now and blood was pouring out.
Nakia was crying uncontrollably, stareing at Ori. As the power of the fire and evolution continue to grow, they both completely cover her, she screams with a voice so powerful it echos throughout the world, a scream of pain and sorrow.
As she reopens her eyes, shes in her realm of evolution, but this realm is covered in a solid red flame, the same color of red that becomes the eyes of a rampant guardian. Now Only has Nakia became a guardian, but she has also gone rampant, as her eyes share the same red color.
Before her is a bridge leading to a platform, all made of the red fire. Tears are flowing down her eyes as she continues to cry, but there is a rage and fury within those same eyes, she is sad and angry, she is struggleing to handle what she just witnessed. She continues to cry as she walks along the bridge to the platform. Once she reachs it she sees her gun on a pedistal, but it begins glowing with the same red, and changes its form. Its not a shotgun with three long spikes along the top and bottom of the barrel.
"I cant let this happen anymore, i cant let this be how they die." Nakia said as she continued to cry.
"I cant..i wont allow this....none of us are dieing tonight.." Nakia said as her tears began to go away and the rage began to consume her, but she somehow seemed to become more and more calm, as her rage and fury seemed to build more and more.
"I dont care what it takes, i just dont. Because this is not how it ends. We will survive tonight.
That giant tower is gonna fall, and ima be the one to burn it down." Nakia said with a serious intent in her voice, she began glowing red as she closed her eyes and picked up the gun and she, began to rise, as did the the fire to the top of the realm where everything went white.
back in reality. the power of evolution left her, but the fire continued to surround her, lighting up the entire area and revealing the giant tower creature.
Nakia opened her eyes, they were still red with rampancy, but she was calm, yet serious.
She had full control of her rampancy.
She held her new gun in her right hand and she looked to her left. Looking at Ori who was helpless but still barely alive for now. She aimed her left hand at her, first closed. Her arm began glowing and when she opened her hand, a red energy ball came out of the hand and flew right at Ori. It began healing her wounds.
She looked back at the tower.
"My name...is Nakia Amaranth...and tonight is the night you fall, as i burn you to the ground." Nakia said with the same ruthless intent. She then ran towards the tower.
the tower swung its Axe arms at Nakia but she dodged them , as she leaped onto one of the towers legs, the fire around her catching the tower on fire aswell, she then began stabbing it with the spikes on her gun. She then leaped off the leg and the tower swung tis axes again, this time she jumps and lands on the winging axe and runs up the axe, shooting her shotgun at the towers face, large shotgun shell sized rockets came out fo the gunw ith each pull of the trigger, as the shells hit the tower they exploded on impact. This caused the creature to stumble, as she ran up the arm and to the shoulder, stabbing it with her spikes, she leaped around the giant arm to the creatures back, stabbing it repeatedly again and again all over the creatures back, useing the spikes to swing around the creature as she stabs it. eventualy swinging to the other arm and stabbing it. catching each part she stabs and lands on on fire, at this point the entire creature was on fire. The creature roared in pain as she swung her way to the creatures head. and stood on the top.
Her eyes were still red as she noticed tons of people scattering out of the school.
She repeatedly stabbed the same spot on the creatures head, and once a bit of a hole was created she stuck the end of the shotguns barrle into the hole.
"Its time for you to burn." Nakia said as she pulled the trigger many times, cause tons of explosions to happen on the inside of the creature. causeing it to roar quite loudly in pain, as its entire outside body and inside were on fire. She then used her guns spikes to run down the creature to get down on the ground as it continued to stumble. She went to Ori, whose wounds were healing rather quickly and moved her away, the fire stll surrounding her not hurting Ori. She ran into the broken down wall and got Alen and Roka out of the rubble and healed them too. She got the three safely away as the Tower began to fall.
It fell right on the school, destroying nearly all of it.
Her gun devolved back to normal and her eyes did aswell, reverting back to being pink like her hair, the fire also faded away. She stumbled herself as she sat down beside Ori Roka and Alen.
She was still calm given what just happened.
She sat there with Ori Alen and Roka for the night.
Early in the morning, Ori finally woke up. Alen and Roka were noticeably gone, Nakia was still sitting beside her.
She rubbed her eyes, at first thinking it was a bad dream. but then she saw what remains of the tower and the school.
"Nakia..what..what happened?" Ori asked
"I...well...
I killed the tower, just like i said i would." Nakia said.
"But..how am i alive, i saw that axe hit me.." Ori said
"I...evolved, i decided if we all were gonna make it out alive...i had no choice but to keep you all safe.
So i became your guardian, for all of you...or atleast whoever is left." Nakia said.
"What do you mean who is left? did nobody else make it out? and where is Roka and Alen!" Ori asked, sounding concerned.
"The alarm caused a panic, everyone ran off in their own direction...Alen and Roka are okay, they are searching for a new place for us all to stay." Nakia said.
"Oh... i see." Ori said.
A few moments later, Alen and Roka arrived.
"We are back" Roka said
"Did you find anything?" Nakia asked
"Well..kinda, we found an abandoned house not far from here, it contains a large fence around it, and has 3 floors and a basement, but we havent gotten in yet...should be a good place to stay." Alen said.
"How do you know its abandoned?" Ori asked
"Because the entire house is empty of anything with any real value." Roka said.
"Well, thats good enough for me." Nakia said as she stood up. As did Ori, but she held her stomach, still hurting from the attacks
"We should be on our way then" Nakia said as the four began walking to the house.
Nakia took one more look back at the school and the fallen tower, before shakeing her head and continueing onward.
END OF PART 2
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Post by InsaneAlphaBeta on Dec 24, 2017 0:08:08 GMT
Universe 13: Amaranth, The Guardian of Fury.
PART 3: Last Good Days Part 2.
Nakia Ori Alen and Roka were walking through a forest, having left the school after The Tower fell. They were walking to the house both Alen and Roka mentioned
Nakia had her backpack with her containing the nine books from before, and ammo for her gun, which she was holding in her hand and looking at it.
Ori noticed but decided to stay silent sighing instead as the four continued onward.
After a few minutes they reach the end of the forest, at the end was a large house with around 2 floors, surrounded by a large fence, they were getting close to the gate itself that let them past the fence.
"Wow! you werent kidding! this place looks great!" Ori said.
"Its a start i suppose." Nakia said as she crossed her arms.
Alen opened the fence and gestured them to go in, which they did. Once everyone was in eh closed the gate behind them, and the four walking into the home.
It was actualy furnished and in very good condition, considering the circumstances, it had a kitchen and a living room on the first floor, aswell as a few bathrooms, on thesecond floor was 4 bedrooms, and another bathroom.
"Any idea who lived here?" Nakia asked
"Nope, when we found this place there was no evidence as to who lived here, as you can see." Alen said.
"I hope their okay wherever they are." Ori said
"Well if they arent here, then they probably arent okay." Nakia said.
The four sat down in the living room, Alen and Roka on their own chairs, Ori in the floor, and Nakia on a couch.
"So whats the plan?" Nakia asked
"What do you mean?" Roka asked
"Whats our plan? is it not obvious? if we want to make this a livable space we need easy acess to water and food, the fence seems like a good start for defences, but if we are gonna make this place right we need to get it together and get to work." Nakia said, and despite her sassy tone, she had a valid point.
"Well, the valley isnt far from here, so we got access to food, there is a river nearby so i can purify that water. As for defenses we will have to just make sure the fence is stable for now.
But luckily, we already got water and food in the kitchen if anyone is hungry, we went hunting while finding this place." Alen said.
Nakia nodded.
Ori decided to look out the window and was just thinking.
"Do you think there is more of those tower creatures out there?" Ori asked them.
"Well, probably, i dont see why not." Alen said.
"I wouldnt be surprised if we saw another one." Roka said.
"Though if we do, and it becomes a threat, it may be best for Nakia to take it down." Alen said
Nakia just crossed her arms.
"What? your the only one who could kill it last time, it only makes sense." Alen said
"I know that idiot, its just gonna get annoying if more show up and i gotta kill them all." Nakia said.
"Well if it makes you feel better your always annoyed." Ori said while smileing.
Nakia just glared at her, though this didnt stop Ori from smileing as she looked back outside.
"Anyway, it will be nice to settle down for awhile, the food should last us alot longer now." Alen said
"True, but i wonder what happened to all the people in that school." Roka said.
"They are probably all dead." Nakia said rather bluntly, the three giving her a surprised look.
"What? im being honest, look at our world, do you seriously think any of them could have survived out there on their own? there is a reason we were the ones who got food, because nobody else could.
So no, i dont think they made it, and if they did they are really lucky." Nakia said
Once again despite her attitude, she was right, or atleast had a very good point.
regarldess, there was a silence.
"So, what are we gonna do? long term i mean." Roka asked
"I think we covered that already." Alen said.
"No i mean what is our end goal? if Kullos comes back and helps us or if The Gates of Janus re-open are we gonna leave this planet? or are we gonna try and save it?" Roka asked
"I mean....i dont know." Alen said.
"I dont care what we do, im not dieing on this planet, i dont care if we leave it, or save it, i refuse to die here." Nakia said rather intently.
"Well, if there are any survivors we should try and save the planet!...right? i mean, we cant just abandon everyone....even if the more accurate term here is...whats left of them." Ori said.
"Yeah, we can try and save as many people as we can, but i dont think we can save them all." Alen said,
"We can try atleast." Roka said.
Nakia just nodded, not really having anything to say on the matter.
"Well in any case we better get to work.
Since we already have food we can do what we can to strenghen the walls, or fence rather around the house." Alen said as the four went outside.
"I will focus my eenergy to increase the size of the fence, you three keep an eye out." Roka said as he extended is hands out and an energy went to the entire fence surroudning the house. He was useing his power to change the size of objects to increase the size of the fence, obviously since it was a large fence this took alot of effort.
The Fences size was increaseing slowly.
Ori Nakia and Alen were standing around talking.
"So what was it like?" Alen asked
"What do you mean?" Nakia asked
"When you evolved....what was it like?" Alen asked
"Well i didnt evolve, my gun did..." Nakia said as she looked at her revolver hand canon.
"When Rampancy consumed me i evolved, or my gun did, it went from this revolver with curved blades along the top and bottom of the barrel, to a shotgun with long spikes along with top and bottom of the barrel, and ya know its shells exploded upon impact...otherwise there was a fire around me at all times, and i was calm, despite being filled with anger and rampancy." Nakia said
"If i recall from the history books on guardians, you are the first guardian ever to take full control of rampancy!" Ori said
"Which is no small feat, its never been done before, maybe never again, ive heard rampancy is overwhelming, yet you had full control." Alen said.
Nakia just shrugged The fence grew by about ten percent at this point, Roka was aiming for atleast fourty percent.
Eventualy the fence got to twenty percent when all four of them could feel large footsteps.
Alen and Roka looked surprised, Ori looked shocked and scared.
And Nakia just looked angry. There was a small fire swirling around her now. Her eyes were not red yet. But in the distance they could see a large reature over the trees. It looked like a tyrannosaurs rex body combined with a tigers mouth arms and general features, it was also black and covered in fur, with black ice , crystals on the elbows and knees and along its back, and it was just as tall as the tower creature from before, moved just as slow, and was just as large with red eyes.
"Another tower?" Alen asked
"No, this ones different, the tower isnt a specific creature, its a whole species!" Ori said As Nakia stared down this creature as more footsteps were felt, there was a second of these rex tiger creatures walking nearby.
"Two of them!?" Alen asked
Ori looked even more scared then before, while the fire around Nakia grew in size
The two towers didnt seem to notice the group and the house for now, but even so they looked more agreesive then the last tower.
As the two creatures walked they did eventualy turn their heads and noticed the fence house and group.
Ori's heart sank while Alen just looked on, the Fence was at around thirty percent.
The two towers looked at them and started walking towards the fence.
Nakia got her gun out while Ori and Alen backed towards Roka.
One of the towers roared as it charged at the fence. Roka braced himself as it easily broke through the fence, but once it did, ROka lost focus and the entire fence shattered into countless peices.
Ori and Alen were speechless as Roka fell down on his knees.
"Roka!" Ori said as her and Alen ran to Roka.
Nakia just turned her head and saw that, then looked around at the destroyed fence, and hen back at the two towers stareing her down.
She closed her eyes, a few seconds later she reopened them and the fire omce again surrounded her, and her eyes were red with rampancy, her revolver morphed into the shotgun. And she turned her rampant gaze to the towers who roared in response.
Nakia began caualy walking towards the tower creatures as they charged her.
The first tower quickly tried to bite Nakia with its large mouth but she dodged it and stabbed its jaw with the spikes, then used the spikes to swing up the creature and stab its body, she landed on its back and aimed her gun at the other tower which was charged and shot it with the explosive shotgun shells, they exploded on impact and forced the second tower to stop chargeing. She then ran along the back of the first tower, stabbing it and shooting it just like the original tower, until she got to the head, but before she could stab it she was knocked off. and the first tower sed its large black ice covered tail to hit Nakia right into the house.
Nakia got on her feet as both towers began chargeing, as they did they broke through the entire house and completely destroyed it as Nakia leaped away.
"NO NOT AGAIN!!" Ori cried out.
The power of the flame around Nakia increased, as did her anger.
"You just destroyed our home...again.
THis wont end well for you." Nakia said, surpriseingly calm as she charged at the towers, she dodged the first ones bit and stabbed the second one in its neck with the shotgun, and she fire many shots into the second towers face, causeing it to roar in pain, she swings her way to the creatues head and stabs it, then leaps uo t dodge the first ones bite. The second tower falls over dead as she stabsed the first towers legs, and then repeatedly stabs and swings her way to the creatures back where she stabs her way to the head where she stabs one final time before leaping off.
She landed by Ori and the others as the final tower falls to the ground, also dead.
The fire seemed to calm down around Nakia, but her eyes remained red as she looked at the fallen towers and destroyed house.
Ori quickly walked up to Nakia, standing in the fire she could feel Nakia's rage.
Alen helped Roka stand as they walked to Ori and Nakia.
Ori wanted to say something to Nakia, but she couldnt think of anything.
"So...what now?" Ori asked
"We do the only thing we can do." Nakia said as she started walked away and then stopped.
"Our last good days are behind us, any house we find, or school or whatever, it doesnt matter anymore.
All we can do is survive....even if that means we never have a home again." Nakia said as she walked off, the rampancy still active.
Ori looked sad.
"Shes wrong....right?" Ori asked Alen and Roka, looking for even the slightest bit of hope.
"Im Sorry Ori, but i think shes right on this one." Alen said as he and Roka followed Nakia.
Ori just looked up at the ice covered sky.
"Why us..." Ori said as she cried a little and caught up with Nakia Alen and Roka.
END OF PART 3
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Post by InsaneAlphaBeta on Dec 27, 2017 0:09:03 GMT
Universe 13: Amaranth, The Guardian of Fury.
PART 4: What We Leave Behind.
Nakia, Ori, Alen and Roka were walking beside a river in a Ice Forest at night, The Water was surpriseingly clean, given it was flowing on the warm Black ice.
Nakias eyes were red with rampancy and the flame surrounded her, giving them light.
"So...where are we going?" Ori asked
"Anywhere, but certainly no school, no house, nothing the towers can destroy." Nakia said.
"Like..what? a cave maybe?" Ori asked
"Assuming we can find one big enough, yes." Nakia said.
"Okay." Ori said, she looked at her refelection in the water, she looked uncertain, but just accepted it, as much as she wanted things to return to normal, they cant. Not while the towers roam the world atleast.
Alen and Roka were silent, carrying a deer type of black ice creature, they didnt really have anything to say.
The four of them continued down the river, not really finding any creatures, it was noticeably silent in forest.
At the end of the river they found themselves at a large lake, the forest going around most of the lake, and on the other end was a large Black Ice Canyon, it seemed to go on for miles, a few large tower creatures could be seen in the canyon, a tiger rex tower and a humanoid tower. A few smaller creatures by them, they are were walking further into the canyon.
Nakia looked around and didnt see any cave anywhere, but by them was another Janus Gate. this one had the name "Umbrial" on it. It was deactivated.
"We will camp here for the night." Nakia declared as she sat down.
Roka and Alen set the deer down, Ori just sat down beside Nakia, ignoreing the fire as it didnt hurt her.
Nakia was just stareing at the creatures in the distance.
There was just silence for the most part.
"We cant be the only people still alive...can we?" Ori asked.
Nakia turned her head to her.
"Well, the world is huge, im sure some people survived, if they are out there im sure they are having the same struggles we are." Nakia said.
"Yeah..." Ori said as she looked out into the lake.
"..I miss my family..and Kullos." Ori said.
"..I miss my family too, and i suppose i miss him too.
We never knew how important his luck was i guess." Nakia said.
"Yeah, i hope hes doing okay where ever he is." Ori said.
"Me too." Nakia said as she looked back towards the creatures.
Later that night, everyone was going to sleep.
Nakia was sleeping.
In this dream, time was fast forwarding. Showing events of the future, and showing how much time is passing.
The Academy could be see, The Demon Kids could be seen, The Legion of Crows could be seen, F could be seen, Slyfer and Kita could both be seen, The Neonyte Royal Guard could be seen. The Eternal Journey could be seen. The Gate of Janus that led to Avalar finally reopened could be seen. And finally, Kullos, along with Slyfer, Kita, and possibly a few others could be seen arriveing through the portal.
As Kullos said, for Nakia, all of these events and more would happen over the next 300 years for Universe 13, so Kullos would finaly return in 300 years.
As Nakia was seeing all of this she had no idea what to think.
"300 years?...will we even live that long?
..after so many years, he is still gonna come back and save us?
Will i even remember him?" Nakia asked herself all of these questions as she saw even more visions.
A City made out of the Black Ice could be seen, People in that city could be seen, Another world could be seen, Floating islands and a giant floating island with a golden city on its center could be seen, A final world could be seen, A world of darkness and no life could be seen, a kind of reaper could be seen stareing at Nakia as behind him, a vast expansive wasteland of souls and reapers could be seen.
Nakias Nine Books appeared before her, they seemed to relate to these events somehow.
"What is all this? why are the books here? what are they trying to tell me?" Nakia asked herself as the vision faded and she was in her realm of evolution, though it looked different then before.
Half of the world she was in after her world became Black ice, the other half was before it became Black Ice. Gates of Janus scattered around and all her freinds were there. The ground around her was on fire, her footsteps leaving behind a trail of fire.
She knew where she was and just sat down thinking about everything.
"I would give anything for things to go back to the way they were...
But i know they wont." Nakia said as she looked at her freinds and the world.
"So many things could happen in 300 years...we may find a way out before then, we may not.
If 300 years is how long i gotta live to escape this planet with my friends.
Then so be it." Nakia said as she stood up.
The fire began to build around her.
She vanished in the flame as it faded away, and she woke up and back into reality.
It was now day and everyone else was asleep.
She got up and looked at the frozen sky before turning to look at Ori, Alen and Roka.
"If i gotta live for over 300 years, then so will all of you." Nakia thought to herself as she extended her firey hand out, the flame going to Ori Alen and Roka and covering them, after a few seconds it faded away.
She just gave them the guardians blessing.
The three started to wake up and got on their feet.
"Come on, we need to get moving." Nakia said. There was more intent and focus in her voice rather then anger at this point.
"Oh..umm...okay." Ori said as she grabbed her septre.
Alen and ROka got their gear and followed.
As they walked around the lake, Ori got closer to Alen and Roka.
"Hey..do you guys..feel different?" Ori asked
"..Umm, yeah actually...i do feel a little different." Roka said
"Strange, me too." Alen said
"Any idea why?" Ori asked
"Nope, no idea...im sure its nothing." Alen said
"Maybe it was the deer, creatures evolved from the Black ice leave a werid feeling in my stomach." Roka said
"Yeah, its probably just that.." Ori said, though she didnt sound very sure of herself.
The four continued around the lake, its size making the trip take quite a while.
Eventualy they reached the canyon and began walking through it, its size made the towers seem like children, it was nearly halfway to the ice sky in height.
There were plenty of medium sized herbavoire creatures, but since they already ate late last night, there were not hungry.
They continued through the canyon, going where though was the question.
"We still searching for a cave?" Ori asked
"For now yes." Nakia said. Decideing to not tell them about the dreams yet.
Though there was no caves in sight. In the distance though, a few humanoid tower creatures could be seen heading in their direction far off into the distance.
"More towers!" Ori said.
Nakia looked angry..but got an idea.
There was a small cave inside one of the canyon walls.
"Over here!" Nakia said as the four ran to it.
The cave was only big enough for one of them
"Dang, it aint big enough." Alen said
"Yes it is...back up." Nakia said as the three backed up.
The fire surrounding Nakia began swirling around her hand canon revolver. it evolve into the shotgun, She aimed it into the cave and began fireing many shots into the cave, causeing tons of explosions.
Ori Alen and Roka looked surprised, though thankfully the towers didnt seem to notice, or care, it wasnt clear if they could even see, or hear what was going on at the distance they were.
After a few moments Nakia stops with the explosions and checks inside the cave.
It was nore alot larger thanks to the explosions, though she was careful to make sure it wasnt just empty, there were areas that acted as walls, or rather pillers to keep the ceiling up.
"Alright, come on in." Nakia said as they went inside and noticed how much larger it was.
"That didnt take long." Alen said.
"I know, now we are for the towers to pass so we can continue." Nakia said.
Ori looked uncertain, as was the case as of late, she looked at Alen and Roka, who just shrugged.
Minutes pass and the footsteps are heard, they are getting closer and its shakeing the entire cave. Though thankfully the pillers are holding up.
The towers get close and are walking by the small cave entrance, they dont seem to notice them and they continue
Once they all pass through, Nakia steps out and watchs as they leave.
"Alright, they are gone, we can go." Nakia said.
"But wouldnt this do?" Ori asked
Nakia turned around and looked at Ori.
"I mean, this is a cave, we could stay here...couldnt we?" ori asked
Nakia walked up to Ori and stood infront of her.
Ori looked noticeably nervious.
But then Nakia put her hand on Ori's shoulder. This surprised her.
"I know you want somewhere to call home, i know thats what you need.
But a makeshift cave that i turned into a larger one just so we could avoid the towers, is not a place to call home.
We will find the right one, im sure of it...okay?" Nakia said.
Ori nodded. "Okay." Ori said.
Nakia then led them outside the cave and they continued down the canyon.
Eventualy they could see Large mountain in the distance with a rather large hole inside of it. It looked like both a cave, and a good view point.
"There is one!" Ori said.
"Thats a cave alright, and might be the one we need.
Lets go." Nakia said as the four marched onward towards the mountain
One of the towers that passed them turned and saw the group walking away, the tower just watched them go for a bit and then continued on its own path.
END OF PART 4
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Post by InsaneAlphaBeta on Dec 27, 2017 6:52:12 GMT
Universe 13: Amaranth, The Guardian of Fury.
Part 5: What We Leave Behind Part 2
Nakia, Ori Alen and Roka were making there way towards the mountain, which was still fairly far away. They were well outside the canyon behind them.
They were walking along a street that led to a small town between them and the mountain, there was a small chance there may be people inside the town. That was the hope atleast. So they followed the road.
Nakias gun was still in its evolved form as they walked down the street and got closer to the town, it was fairly difficult to figure out the state the town was in from how far away they were.
As they got closer, the state of the town was not good.
As they entered, it was a horrific sight, the entire town was covered in Black Ice, tons of people could be seen on the streets and inside the buildings, frozen inside the Black Ice.
Nakia walked up to a family frozen in the ice, a man woman and their child.
Nakia put her hand on the ice, it was warm just like its always been.
"How can they be frozen if the ice is warm?" Nakia asked Ori who walked up to her.
"Black Ice has a few unique qualitys, while the outside is strangely warm, the inside is freezeing, like zero kelvin freezeing, the coldest known temperture period.
Nothing can survive inside the black ice...i think they..died..before they even knew it was over." Ori said, she sounded sad ofcorse given what was all around them.
People, familys, adults, children you name it, all frozen within the ice.
Nakia looked at her hand she used to heal, she clenched her first, she wished there was something she could do, but there wasnt anything she could do.
Ori was horrified at the sight, as was Alen and Roka, who were each stareing at some of the familys.
"Do you think...our familys had the same fate?" Alen asked
Nakia and Ori both froze when he said that, the possibilitys going through there mind.
"N..N No! ofcorse not!...this didnt happen to everyone! it couldnt have!...not like this.
Not like this....please not like this!" Ori said as she started crying, looking at all the people and familys around her, her tears escalateing.
Roka walked up to her and gave her a much needed hug, Alen just looked at the ground.
"Im...im sorry, i didnt mean to put those thoughts in your head." Alen said but Ori kept crying.
Nakia was just silent, thinking about her own family.
"Its been so long..." Nakia said as she fell on her knees.
Oris crying stopped a bit as she looked at Nakia, as did Roka.
"I..i forgot what they even looked like.." she said as she too started crying.
As she cried the fire around her began to grow in size.
Ori tried walking to her but now the heat from the flame was too hot for her to even get near Nakia. The power of the flame increaseing.
"N...N..Nakia?" Ori asked
"I cant see them..i..i i.. ii..i cant even..i cant remember them... i cant see their faces!...WHY CANT I SEE THEM?" Nakia screamed as she continued to cry, the fire around her growing larger and larger.
The Rampancy was building more and more, but she has not lost control yet.
"I dont get it...has it been so long i cant even remember my own family?" Nakia asked herself, her vision faded to black as all she could hear was herself as she was only focused on her thoughts. In reality she continued crying as the fire swirled around her.
In her mind however, it was pitch black darkness, a void with fire in the distance.
"Its like my family...what they look like...who they were...its all gone..i cant see them..not even faint images...
its just..nothing.Whats wrong with me? why cant i see? am i not meant too? do they want me to forget about them?...or am i just liseing my mind...I dont know what to do...what to think...I dont get it.. i..i dont understand...i..cant..i..i cant..." Nakia started as she was interupted.
"NAKIA MOVE!!" Ori could be heard shouting as Nakia snapped back to reality.
As she looked to her right there was a new tower creature, this one was a bull mixed with a rhino, its face was like a rhino except a bulls horns included, its body was like a bull, and it was as tall as the other towers, its head wa slooking all the way down so the horn was point right at Nakia. and its horn was within inches of hitting her.
She stared down the creature as a wall of fire appeared infront of her in an instant, stopping the giant tower dead in its tracks, nearly breaking its horn as it hit the ground.
Nakia got up with her shotgun and fired it at the tower, hurting it.
The tower got back on its feet and charged her, crushing countless dead people in the process.
She dodged the charge and struck it with her shotgun spikes right in one of its legs, it road in pain as it charged her again. which she dodged and hit another leg with the spikes, this time she used the same climbing trikc as before, as the fire around her set the tower a blaze.
she stood on its back as it tried to knock her off. as he bounced around trying to get her off in typical bull fashion, the tower was destroying everyone and everything around it, the frozen people, the buidlings, the entire town was turning to rubble.
Alen and Roka were shooting their arrows at it but the arrows were bounceing off.
As she runs to the creatures head it succeds in knocking her off.
Ori looked mad as she charged forward
"ORI WAIT!" Alen and roka both called out.
Ori leaped to Nakia and caught her.
Ori put her down.
"What are you doing? you could get hurt." Nakia said.
"Dont worry about me..
Lets kill this thing." Ori said.
Nakia was surprised, all the sudden Ori was confident, she wielded her septre in hand with purpose, Nakia nodded as they both charged the tower. they both dodged its attack as Nakia stabs the towers neck and Ori aims her staff at it and it begins to glow.
Strange symbols appear in the air as countles spiky shards of lava appear and rain down upon the tower, causeing it to roar in pain.
the lava shards kept raining on the tower as she aimed at it with her Septre.
Suddenly the Lava shards turned to Ice shards, which then turned to rock shards.
the symbols vanish as Nakia climbs up the tower and is back on its back.
Ori Gets infront of the tower and aims her Septre at the tower.
A large symbol appears above her as she begins to glow, as does her Septre.
Nakia begins running to the towers head as the shattered black ice cause dby the tower begins to be absorbed into the symbol and forms a large shard of Black Ice.
Nakia runs to the towers head and stabs it befor jumping off and landing on her feet by Ori.
"NOW!" Nakia shouted as Ori, using her septre threw the Black Ice Shard into the towers head.
It roared in pain as it fell into a few large buidlings. It was finally dead.
Ori took a depp breath while Nakia just looked back at it. then looked at Alen and Roka, who seem annoyend and fustraighted that they were helpless in that fight.
"Hey, dont worry about it, stuff happens. We need to stay focused." Nakia said as she looked at the mountain, followed by the others.
"Not much further now, lets get moving." Nakia said as the four began marching to the mountain, which was alot closer now.
END OF PART 5
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Post by InsaneAlphaBeta on Jan 2, 2018 21:05:56 GMT
lolverse 13: Amaranth, The Guardian of Fury.
PART 6: Cold As Ice.
Nakia, Ori Alen and Roka were making their way up the mountain, they had a good view of the area, the town and canyon clearly visible, aswell as more mountains and more forests and wasteland looking areas.
Ori walked up to Nakia.
"Hey nakia." Ori asked
"Yeah?" Nakia said.
"Are you.. okay?" Ori asked
"What do you mean?" Nakia asked
"I mean, about earlier. You kept saying you couldnt remember your parents." Ori said.
"Im fine, it doesnt matter.
Right now parents are the farthest thing from my mind, my focus right now is what it always should have been." Nakia said.
"Whats that?" Ori asked
"Surival." Nakia said as she marched forward.
Ori sighed and looked sad as the four got to the cave.
Upon reaching the cave it was a fairly decent sized cavern, an opening on both sides of the mountain, something they couldnt see before.
"Alright, we found our new home." Nakia said, as Roka brought out a bunch of beds and couchs and other furniture to make the cave feel more home like. He used his power to increase the size of the objects to make them normal size again.
A few hours and everything was set up. Alen had a few sticks in a pile and was not having any luck trying to start a fire.
Nakia walked over to him.
"Move." Nakia said.
"No, i got this...just give me a few moments." Alen said.
Nakia just crossed her arms and watched him.
A few minutes pass and he was unsuccessful.
Alen sighed and moved.
Nakia closed her eyes and the fire surrounded her as she opened her eyes, now red again.
She extends her hand out and fire came out of it and onto the sticks, setting them ablaze. The fire around Nakia then vanished but her eyes remained red.
"Thanks." Roka said.
"No problem. Just dont be so stubborn next time. Nakia said as she turned away and started to walk away.
"Your one to talk." Alen said.
Nakia stopped.
She turned around and faced Alen.
"..What?" Nakia asked
"I said your one to talk." Alen said.
The fire began to appear around Nakia again.
"Whats that supposed to mean?" Nakia asked
"I mean every time you have a problem now, you use your anger to make it go away, rather then look for an alternative solution." Alen said.
"Do you have a better idea? because guess what, we live in a cruel world, we use whatever we have to to survive.
So unless you got a better idea, i suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself." Nakia said.
Alen just sighed.
There was a silence, as everyone began to hear screaming far off in the distance. Ori was standing on the other cave entrance.
The others went to her and they saw a city, it was made of ice it seemed, specificly the Black Ice, it looked rather large, but there was also fire in the city. Several tower creatures could be seen inside the city, absolutely destroying it. The screams were coming from the city.
Alen and Roka looked mad while Nakia seemed unfazed.
Alen then looked sad. Nakia then looked at him.
"Its like i told you, we live in a cruel world." Nakia said as she walked back into the cave.
Alen and Roka just looked on. Ori seemed sad watching the city become destroyed. But she also went back into the cavern.
Later that night...
Ori was sitting at the cave entrance, looking at the now destroyed city. Which is only visible thanks to the fires within the city.
Roka walked up to her and sat beside her.
"You okay?" Roka asked
Ori was just silent, she looked depressed stareing at the destroyed city.
"Was there really nothing we could do?" Ori asked
"Sadly no, there was nothing.
nakia was right, we live ina. harsh world now, all we can do is focus on ourselves...even if that means we have to stand by and watch things like that happen." Roka said.
"I know....i just wish things could be different." Ori said.
"Im sure things will get better someday..that day just isnt today." Roka said.
He then put his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him.
"You should get some rest, we got a busy day tomorrow." Roka said as he got off to go to bed.
Ori just took one final look at the city before getting up and going to bed.
END OF PART 6
FINAL PART COMING SOON.
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Post by InsaneAlphaBeta on Jan 2, 2018 23:06:34 GMT
Universe 13: Amaranth: The Guardian of Fury.
PART 7: The Long Road Ahead.
The next day, Nakia Ori Alen and Roka were sitting by a fire in the cave.
"So whats our plans for today?" Ori asked
"Well, if we are gonna make this work, we need to scout there area, find an easy place to gather food, and water. Also search for other towers so we know where nto to go." Roka said.
"Yeah. we need o have a better handleing of the area." Alen said.
"So me and Roka can search for water and you two search for food?" Ori suggested.
"Thats fine." Nakia said. Alen also nodded.
"Very well, me and Ori will search back near the town, you two can search near the other entrance." Roka said.
Every nodded and gathered their things and headed out.
Nakia and Alen were walking through a small forest just outside the cave, the burning city still visible.
"Hey Nakia...im sorry about eariler." Alen said.
"Its fine." Nakia said.
"I know, i just wanted to let you know." Alen said.
The two remained silent as they continued onward.
This forest, like other forests within Black Ice, has all its trees frozen inside the Black ice itself, though cracks in the ice lets the oxygen slip out so they along with other plants may continue to survive. The combination of heat on the outside of the ice keeping the trees from dieing.
"I still wonder how it works." Nakia asked looking at the trees.
"What? the trees?" Alen asked
"Yeah. it can kill people but it doesnt kill the plant life?" Nakia said
"Well, the plants and trees are much more durable then we are, they can take the cold, if anythignt hey evolved to survive the cold, plus the heat on the outside of the Black Ice helps." Alen explained.
"I see." Nakia said as they continued wandering.
Ori and Roka were just outside the city.
The body of the tower Nakia faught remained
Both Ori and Roka noticed this.
"The body..its still there?" Roka asked
"Appearntly." Ori said
"But how?" Roka asked
"I dont know, maybe their bodies dont decay like normal human bodies?" Ori suggested.
"Maybe, either that or it just takes them alot longer." Roka suspected.
Ori shrugged as the two continued.
Nakia and Alen were outside the forest, there was another valley infront of them, which went down, really far, it goes from being a valley to a ravine that goes far below ground.
A few normal sized creatures could be seen, a herd of a bull mixed with a hippo type creature.
"Okay then, i think we found our food source...whatever its called." Nakia said.
"What if we name it" Alen suggested.
Nakia stood there and thought about it.
"Hmmm... how about.... a Geodon?" Nakia said.
"Eh, that works." Alen said.
The two got closer and the herd looked at them and had a chargeing motion.
"Well they arent friendly, thats for certain." Alen said as he got his bow ready.
Nakias eyes turned red and fire swirled around her her hand cannon turning into a shotgun.
"You get one half and i get the other?" Nakia asked
"Yup." Alen said.
The Geodons began chargeing them, there was atleast 8 of them total.
4 of them charge Alen and 4 of them charge Nakia.
Alen dodges one Geodons as he shoots the second one with an arrow, he leaps over the third one and smacks it several times with his bow, he dodges the first ones next charge and kicks it in the face, before kicking the fourth one behind him, he then shoots the first and fourth one with another arrow as the third one charges again, he shoots that one a second time. He then puts his bow away and brigns out two daggers as he begins slashing at all four of them, he then kicks the fourth and third away as he charges at the first two, he kicks them both and leaps to them, he stabs them both. The third one coems back to charge him and he trows his dagger at it, hitting it in the throat. The final one charges him and he kicks it in its face then stabs it in the head. killing it.
The four Geodons charge nakia at once, she dodges an attack from the first and second geodon leaps over the third and fourth one, she stabs the third one and then stabs the fourth one, as the first two run to her she aims her shotgun at them while its still stabbed in the fourth, she fires several shots, the explosions hitting the first two geodons and hitting around them, they were clearly dead. She takes shotgun out of the fourth geodon and stabs it again, this time in its head, as the third one charges she quickly dodges and stabs its other side, she swings around and stabs it in the neck, killing it aswell.
Both Nakia and Alens fights finish at around the same time.
"Well, that takes care of that." Alen said
"Should we take them back?" Nakia asked
"we coudl take atleast one back." Alen said as he began to carry one of the Geodons.
They both began walking back to the cave which was a bit away.
With Ori and Roka, as they searched in the forest near the city they could see a river.
"Lets see where it leads" Roka said and Ori nodded.
They followed the river deep into the forest but before they could see where it ended up...they heard something.
It sounded like a rumbleing.
All four of them could hear it.
"What is that?" Ori asked sounding concerned.
"I dont know..i think we should get home before we find out." Roka said as they began running back to the cave.
Nakia and Alen looked confused.
"Whats making that sound?" Nakia said
"No idea." Alen said.
"Drop the Geodon and lets get home." Nakia ordered, Alen did so and they also ran back home.
Eventualy all fo them returned to the cavern.
"Did you two hear that aswell?" Nakia asked
"Yeah we did, we got back as soon as possibe." Ori said
"What could that have been?" Alen asked
Nakia and Ori just shrugged as it was heard again as the sky darkened.
All four of them went to the cave entrance and all of their eyes widened.
A actual storm was forming in the sky.
"A...a storm?" Ori asked
"I guess so.. but how is that possible? the sky is ice!" Roka said
"Only the very top part is ice." Alen said
"True but shouldnt it be difficult for this to happen?" Roka asked
"Well difficult or not...its happening." Nakia said. Ori looked worried
The clouds began to cover the entire ice sky, covering the entire area in darkness, more dark then night.
Tons of lightning began strikeing all around, the wind gusts were extremely powerful, causeing them to stumble.
"HOLD ON! This is gonna get bad!" Nakia yelled.
Then rain was Black like the ice and also kinda rough, it was pouring heavily. and the rain was only increaseing in scale, as was the lightning. and the wind.
Actualy tornados could be seen with the lightning strikes.
The four retreated back as deep as they could into the cavern, but the wind still reached them. It was trying to pull them out, all the beds and couchs were flying out.
Ori was literately crying, Alen and Roka looked scared. Nakia was angry.
The wind reached it speak and the four began slipping. the wind was winning as it pulled them out of the cave.
The four were now being tossed around by the tornados, their screams couldnt even be heard because of all the thunder and wind. they all were being split up. Nakia was barely able to reach Ori, she wasnt able to reach for Roka or Alen, she grabbed her hand as the two were thrown extremely far way. as were Alen and Roka in another direction.
The wind carried them extremely far, Ori was terrifyed while Nakia was still mad.
"AGAIN? HOW? after EVERYTHING we have gone through! and once again we are still having to go through this? what did we do so wrong to deserve this?" Nakia asked herself as all four fo them were knocked out.
Eventualy, Nakia woke up, the storm had passed.
She opened her eyes and realised she was in a house, in a bed actualy, sitting by a fireplace.
Ori was standing over her, she was smileing.
"Your awake!" Ori said.
Nakia sat up. looking around, this was a living room in a multiple story house, the room had couchs and other furniture aswell, open doorways leading to other rooms.
"Umm...Ori.. where are we?" Nakia asked
Before Ori could answer footsteps were heard.
A very old man who was black walked into the room, had a short grey beard and short grey hair, he had a brown hat along with a grey trench coat, a white shirt underneath and black pants. he was useing a strange cane to walk.
"I see.. your friend has finaly woken up from her slumber." the man said as he sat in a chair near the bed. his voice had a certain, wise-ness to it he seems like hes seen quite alot in his time.
"Who are you? where are we?" Nakia asked
"My name is Elias. And your in my home." Elias said.
Nakia looked surprised.
"You've been here for this long?" Nakia asked
"Indeed i have." Elias said
"Well then, you seem like you got a good thing going if you made it this long." Nakia said.
"Well i suppose that is true." Elias said as he looked at her.
"Its been too long since i felt such a familer aura i must admit." Elias said.
Nakia looked at him for a bit.
"What do you mean?" Nakia asked
"Well back in my day i too was a guardian." Elias said.
"Were? what happened?" Nakia asked.
"Friend thats another story for another time. Besides its the past, it doesnt matter now, not at this very moment. RIght now you need to rest, you took quite a hit from the storm." Elias said
"Storm....thats right..What was with that storm?" Nakia asked
"It was one of the harsher storms ive witnessed, it happens every now and then at different part sof our world, this time you just so happened to be the ones swept away by the harsh winds.
ive only encountered the storm once in my life, and that was not long after this all began...thankfuly this house as a certain..aura about it that keeps those within it safe." Elias said.
"What about Alen and Roka?" Nakia asked
"Im afraid your friends were thrown far away, to an area of this world even i have not ventured too." Elias said.
Nakia actually looked sad. She laid back in bed.
"Well, if you two need me i will be in the other room." Elias said as he used his cane to get up and walked out of the room and into another room.
"Im sure they are fine Nakia, they can handle themselves!" Ori said, somehow finding a way to be positive in a situation like this.
Nakia just closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.
"Its always something that has to go wrong for us...i guess our price for a safe haven, is being apart from our friends... one day things will get better..
we just gotta keep fighting...no matter what." Nakia said in her mind.
END OF FINAL CHAPTER.
CREDITS: UnOfficial Theme: The Dark Element - Last Good Day
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Post by Master Psychic on Feb 3, 2018 15:34:02 GMT
Universe 11: Raina, the Guardian of Unity
In Universe 11, on Earth.
It was currently night and it was pretty quiet, even for the most Technologically advanced Society out of all 12 Universes.
Some Metalmen were working on some new weapons in a factory by using some rare crystals known as Seratite.
A few kids were at the park with their electronic pets.
Some people were buying some stuff from a antique store owned by a Neonyte.
Then it cuts to a white church covered in vines, constructed by the first guardian of Universe 11, Xan, who has mysteriously vanished for many years now. No one knows where he is, if he is even alive or if he even existed to begin with. The purpose of the church was to be the birth place for people who will willingly become guardians.
Inside the church, there was a Iron Maiden Vessel, inside the vessel was a woman with long blue hair and pink eyes who was wearing nothing but a shoulderless purple dress with vines attached to her body. Her name was Raina Holymoon, the current guardian in charge of protecting Universe 11, who distanced herself from the world after a tragic event that resulted in the death of her caretaker, Cadence, the nun who was in charge of the church before she arrived. Raina was the daughter of Ron Holymoon and Jean Lawrence, who looked exactly like Raina except the color of her eyes she inherited from her father. Her father died when he tried to stop a store robbery and got shot in the chest. Her mother was in pain from the death of her husband and without him, she lost the strength to live. Jean gave Raina away to her best friend Cadence, who promised her that she would take good care of her.
Cadence became Raina's guardian and made a vow that she would always protect her and if Raina would ever die, then she would gladly accept death. If a guardian fails to protect the person they care about, they only have two options:find someone else to protect which is a heavy task or accept death, which is considered to be mercy to guardians who failed. Cadence taught Raina everything about life, the good and bad parts and about the continuing struggle between Good and Evil. Cadence told Raina about a dream that she wanted to come true but died before she could ever see it happen. And now, Raina must make that dream come to fruition, even if it will take her decades, decades, even a million, billion years. She will gladly wait.
Even then, waiting was the hardest part for Raina. Her heart has been in deep pain from the death of Cadence, who treated her like she was her own daughter and the only thing she has left of her was her own guardian spirit combined with the spirits of the other four guardians in order to annihilate the threat that killed her surrogate mother, her friends and save the world. Raina willingly became the guardian of Universe 11 and made a vow like any other guardian before her and protect it from danger.
Raina opened her eyes, staring into the darkness of the vessel she was resting in with sad eyes, contemplating her thoughts.
"...Every day is a torture for me. I feel like everything I tried to do will amount to nothing. Will everything I did be worth it in the end? Will I able to defy Fate and make peace for all the Universes out there? Will I able to...unify them all? Not like it worked the last time with former guardians..." Raina muttered.
Raina gained many different abilities from the five guardians of this world. She has the ability to manipulate light like Cadence, incredible strength and the ability to talk or summon the dead from Rafael, the eyes of Asriel and the power to duplicate herself, jump in other people's minds like Haley and the power of ice from Jacob. The ability that she used the most were the eyes of Asriel, she never really used the other abilities mostly cause she never participated in many fights. Raina disliked fighting and would try to find other ways to win her battles besides fighting. She used the eyes to find guardians from other Universes who were like her and form an alliance with them so they can work together to bring their Universes closer to each other. Unfortnately, it failed.
"...I can't believe how terrible that meeting went." Raina sighed.
Many years ago, sometime after Raina became a guardian
Raina was currently in her own Realm of Evolution, looking at the twelve Earths, sitting next to each other.
She sent a mind message to the guardians from the other Universes that she was able to find in hope of making an alliance with them. She was waiting for them to appear.
Eventually, she received a message in her mind from all of them, telling her that they are ready.
Raina smiled.
"...Good. Let the meeting of the Guardians, commence!" Raina shouted.
Seven image videos appeared, each showing a guardian from another Universe. The Guardians in other were:
A man with short brown hair and beard, wearing a white robe with a sigil known as Minato, a guardian from Universe 2.
A blue-skinned man wearing a dark blue robe with flower patterns on it with flower earrings. Sheldon, guardian from Universe 4
A man wearing a armor from Universe 5, Adam.
A man with red hair and a ponytail, red goatee, two earrings and wearing a dark yellow robe. Shed, from Universe 6
A bald man with cat like eyes, wearing glasses and a white buttoned up shirt with a red tie and a traditional black business jacket. Garren, from Universe 7.
A white dog who was able to talk despite not moving his mouth, Nogra, originally from Universe 10.
And the last guardian was a yellow mouse wearing a black cape who was shorter compared to the rest of the guardians. Fremont, from Universe 12.
"Welcome, guardians from other Universes, to my realm of evolution." Raina said, looking at them at all.
"What matter is it that you needed to discuss it with us, Guardian from Universe 11?" Fremont asked.
"And why are discussing it in your realm, exactly?" Garren asked, finding this suspicious.
"I figured it that it would be best if our conversation was private, so no one would from a outside party would be listening to it." Raina said.
"Yes. That would be for the best. By the way...Where are the guardians of Universes 1, 3, 8 and 9?" Sheldon asked.
"I'm afraid Carvus has passed away. I haven't been able to locate any guardians in Universe 3, there is one guardian who will appear in that Universe but is currently in the Digital World and it's gonna be awhile till he will appear. Universe 1 refuses to cooperate with anyone...and I couldn't find any guardians from 8 and 9." Raina said.
"Hmph. What is the purpose of this meeting? What's the catch, Raina?" Garren asked.
"...I want to make an alliance. The first alliance between guardians from other Universes in history." Raina said.
"An alliance? What for?" Adam asked.
"To bring our Universes closer to each other, so we can fight as one. I'm sure you are all aware of the son of the Demon of Destruction, Erebus, is gonna become a threat soon. If we unite, we could beat him together." Raina said.
"Bring our Universes together? Hm, I sincerely doubt it." Garren said, folding his arms.
"I don't know, it sounds promising. Peace sounds like the best solution for all of our worlds. So, why not?" Minato asked.
"Peace can't be brought by mere words, Minato. If it were that easy, then we wouldn't have wars now, would we?" Shed asked
"Then what would you suggest, Guardian of Universe 6? Use wars as an excuse to wipe out people that we don't like in order to make peace? Or pray to your 'Gods' to make a miracle and expect nothing in return?" Minato said.
"Are you trying to insult my Universe, Guardian?" Shed asked, taking offence to Minato's statement.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't of dream of taking shots at your Universe's barbaric culture. I've seen what your old pharaoh did for a living, it's disgusting." Minato said.
"Minato, Shed, please." Raina said.
Shed looked pissed.
"Why you heathen. How dare you mock my-" Shed said.
The image video of Adam flew right in the middle of the image's showing Minato and Shed.
"Enough, the both of you! You are guardians for Heaven's sake, so stop acting like some kindergarten kids. Knock it off!" Adam demanded.
Minato and Shed simply turned their heads, not saying anything else to each other.
"Ha ha, the bickering of egos...how pathetic." Garren said.
"Look, I can understand if some of you have problems with how your Universes handle things, but if we don't unite, then our worlds will never be able to cooperate. Why stay distanced when we could work together to make things better?" Raina asked.
"Quite easy for you to say, my dear Raina. However, I fail to see anything good coming out of this 'alliance'. Their different cultures and rules have no meaning to Universe 7. Hell, Universe 1, 3, 8 and 9 aren't even here so how do you exactly expect this alliance to work with only eight Universes? Plus, I don't cooperate with animals." Garren said, looking at Nogra and Fremont.
"I'm pretty sure I'm not invisible." Nogra said.
Fremont was annoyed by that comment.
"An animal!? Now you listen here, human! I am Fremont, the former apprentice of the greatest and powerful guardian of Universe 12 who ever lived!" Fremont said.
"Yes, I'm sure your master is very powerful alright. Now, do me a favor and get eaten by a cat or something. Your presence alone makes me ill." Garren said.
A vein appeared popped up from Fremont's head.
"Why...you!" Fremont said.
"If we had to point out our flaws, Garren, let's talk about yours. I heard rumours concerning Universe 7, with what you are doing. And quite frankly, it displeases me." Sheldon said.
"Do you have a problem with my work, Sheldon?" Garren asked.
"Yes. You are denying your people their free will and violating the Balance of your Universe." Sheldon said.
"Oh, spare me your fortune cookie nonsense, old man. You use Balance all the time to make excuses for not doing anything productive for your world. I, on the other hand, am preventing crime from destroying innocent lives. What I am doing is an example of what all of you should be doing." Garren said.
"Your actions are similar to every dictator out there. Quite frankly, I do not wish to work with someone who is willing to lock someone up for the most minor crimes in existence like litterring." Adam said.
Garren glared at Adam.
"...If you lost someone that was precious to you...maybe then you would understand." Garren said.
"All of you, stop it! Please!" Raina said, not happy with how this meeting is turning out.
Minato sighed.
"I'm sorry, Raina, but i'm afraid we can't really do anything by arguing with each other. I wish to help...but this was a waste of time." Minato said.
"I was willing to give it a shot...but if Garren participates in this alliance, I can't help." Adam said.
"Hm. Plus, I'm pretty sure anyone who has a brain won't simply stay aside and let Erebus do whatever he wants. Someone will fight and kill him eventually. How about you, Shed? You seem confident in your own skills." Garren smirked.
"Don't talk to me. I'm going now. Farewell." Shed said.
Shed's image video vanished.
"Tch, humans and their stupid pride. No wonder our kind hates you all so much." Fremont muttered.
Fremont left next.
"I believe I should leave aswell. Toodle-Loo." Garren said.
Garren vanished.
"How unfortunate." Sheldon said.
Sheldon left.
"That could of gone better..." Nogra sighed.
Nogra left.
Minato simply looked sad before his image video vanished, along with a peeved Adam.
Raina was now alone, looking at the floor.
Tears hit the floor before Raina's face was shown, crying her eyes out.
"...They would rather fight...instead of working together..." Raina said.
Back in the present.
A single tear fell from her eye, still devastated by how that meeting turned out.
"...If only they saw the bigger picture...most of them would be alive right now." Raina said.
Ever since the meeting has ended, one by one, each of those guardians died, besides Sheldon and Nogra. Ever since then, a few new guardians appeared but Raina din't get in contact with them yet. However, the next time she'll try to approach the guardians, she will do it 'when' it will be necessary, when there will be a event that will need all of them to be together.
Before that can happen, Raina decided to focus on Universe 11 for awhile and form a team that would protect the Universe like the five guardians.
Raina found three kids who were taken by a scientific research group funded by the government known as 'Void Technologies' with the hope of finding those with the Omnipotent potential so they can defend the world from monsters like the one who killed Cadence and nearly destroyed the world. Those who have the potential would get pushed with severe methods in order to unlock the elements while those who din't have would be experimented on to give them powers. Raina found it cruel and decided to free the children and shut down 'Void Technologies'. Those three children were Gustavo, Cerci and Luke, who would later on become Kelou, the Omnipotent of Electricity. Gustavo gained large hands and incredible strength while Cerci got magic powers from those experiments and Kelou had several burn marks all over his skin from all those experiments that pushed him into unlocking his element. Raina decided to raise them till they grew older and learned to use their powers for good, working together as the 'Society of Goodness'
Later on, there was June, originally an android built by the government who was then taken by Raina to give her a purpose in life and learn how to become a human. Next was Mibyll, the Omnipotent of Steel, who was a military soldier who would do anything to make sure his little sister grows up in a secure environment. After the events of a Omnipotent Tournament, Kelou radically changed and left the team. Raina knew it wasn't right but it was his choice and she had to respect that. Next one to join was Vadon, a Lovian from Universe 3 who grew tired of being treated as a joke by his species and wanted to do something more meaningful with his life by protecting the innocent, next was Minerva who crashed on Earth after a fallout she had with a Neonyte Divison and the last one to join was Nexus, a Metalman who lost his purpose after he was defeated by Hastur and was brought in Universe 11 to defeat the Kheogs and join the Society as their guardian and give them the guardian's blessing while Raina helped a person known as Alexander Gomez form a large group to protect the Multiverse from people like Hastur known as the 'Intergalatic Space Police' or ISP for short. The group's role will likely play a huge part in uniting the Universes together more faster that way.
As the ISP grew over the years, there hadn't been any major events in Universe 11. There were threats but they were disposed of by the Society and Raina continued watching over the Universe. Once the major day will arrive, she will have to stay in the Iron Maiden Vessel as she couldn't be able to look at the sinful world with her own eyes till 'that' day arrives. When it comes, she will no longer have to stay in the Vessel no more, hopefully.
"...I guess it wouldn't hurt to check up on the guardians right now." Raina said.
Raina's eyes glew pink as she used the eyes of Asriel to see the guardians and what they were doing.
Jasmine was seen in her hidden city, in Universe 1, talking on the phone with her cousin Akemi Kimura while Yhan was helping some aliens with carrying the supplies.
Zeno, the son of Minato, was playing in Universe 2
Omalley and Lynch were currently talking about something while their son, Marick, was looking at some tapes featuring a few teenagers.
Sheldon was currently lecturing two young people who would take over his place one day.
There were no guardians in Universe 5 yet after Adam's death and...
Raina suddenly switched back to Universe 3, finding something interesting.
She saw a person, walking in the desert, wearing a brown cloak and a cracked armor. He looked...exactly like Omalley.
Raina used the eyes of Asriel on that 'Omalley' to see his past. It appears, this Omalley is not from the same timeline as he is from another one, he is known as Omalley Fall. A timeline in which he and Lynch never married, Omalley got rejected and was devastated. He eventually went to Highton View Terrace in the main Universe 3 and was in charge of a project involving people with powers, but the city got shut down and trapped by a dome. After failing so much, Omalley Fall decided to accept death and go back to his alternate timeline to get killed by a creature who shares his DNA from the same timeline and vanish into dust.
Raina looked quite puzzled by the appearance of this individual from another timeline.
"...Maybe...I shouldn't get involved...but then again...letting him die just like that...is something I can't let happen. Even if he is from another timeline, he is still a person, even if he is not the main Omalley. It may be a hard task, but I'm sure I can help him. I can help give him a new purpose, a new hope...that's all he needs." Raina said.
Raina then looked at her own feet.
"Then again...if I won't succeed...then I will only hurt myself even more. If I can't be able to help guardian who is in the same pain as I am...then there is no hope of uniting the worlds together. I'm sure I can make this right." Raina said.
Raina then looked forward as the Iron Maiden Vessel vanished through a flash of light.
It cuts to Universe 3, on the desert.
Omalley Fall continued walking through the desert, emotionless, lifeless practically, same cloak and cracked armor as before, just....walking.
As he kept walking.
A large pillar of light shot from the sky, covering Omalley.
The pillar din't seem to hurt him or anything, it was just there, engulfing Omalley.
Omalley just stopped, he looked around, seemingly unfazed by whatever the pillar was doing.
The pillar did not seem to do anything to Omalley.
Then something could be seen descending down from the pillar.
It appeared to be a iron maiden vessel that landed right in front of Omalley
The pillar of light vanished
Omalley just stared at it.
"...I can sense that your heart is in tremendous pain...but even so...you cannot give up just yet." Raina said.
Omalley just stood there and pulled his hood back. His old helmet covered is cracks and scars.
"Everything I've...tried to do, everything has failed, I spent most of my life trying to be with Lynch, to become...her guardian, and in the end she rejected me, I couldn't even be her friend! and when I tried to save the city of Highton View Terrace, I created the future I tried to prevent! Tremendous pain? that's putting it mildly, you cannot comprehend what's been going on in my head since..that day..It's not a matter of...giving up, it's a matter of.. knowing when you can do no more, of knowing when it's time to stop and just accept whatever fate has instore." Omalley said, his voice cracking, any semblance of hope was lost.
"...You're right, I can't comprehend what's going on in your mind, but I din't have a lucky life either. It's hard to look at the world around me without seeing the image of my town being burned to ashes and the dead people in front of me...no matter how hard I try, I just cannot forget..and the pain increases ten times bigger...but I still have to carry on, regardless of the pain. The woman and the guardians who took care of me are gone, all I have left of them is their evolution spirits and my fond memories of them. I can't fall asleep without remembering that dreadful day when I lost them all. I couldn't save them, but I can try to make a difference in someone's else life and try to ease their suffering, even if it may seem hopeless." Raina said.
"I'm sorry for your losses, but you can't save me, I can't even save myself. Imagine if you went to the afterlife to meet all those you lost, imagine if they rejected you and even in the afterlife want nothing to do with you, then you start blaming yourself for why they suddenly want nothing to do with you because you deserve it, and then you spend each and every day unable to stop thinking about them and wishing you would die because your life means nothing. A death where I become as if I never existed, is the only freedom there is from the curse, no afterlife, just plain and simple nothingness. Every day I walk this endless desert, waiting for this constant pain to just be over with....i just want it to end!" Omalley said, his face couldn't be seen, but it was clear he was crying. The pain Omalley was feeling was so intense, so strong, that Raian could feel it.
Raina could feel it and could relate to it but despite that, she isn't gonna give up on him that easily.
"...Your life is not meaningless. You did your best, Lynch made her own choice in the end and you are not guilty of that. I can only imagine how painful it must be...but giving up is not an option, I won't let you fall like the guardians I tried to ally myself with did." Raina said.
The Iron Maiden vessel opened, revealing Raina.
The veins wrapped around her body release Raina as she opened her calm pink eyes and stepped out of the chamber, looking up at Omalley. Despite the calmness, her eyes were trembling.
"If you really were beyond saving, I wouldn't even be here...when I was trying to look for guardians who would accept my proposal of making an alliance to ensure the unity of all Universes, I used Asriel's power to see your story...and the despair that is eating your body is the worst...when I tried to see your future...I saw your end...I just could not turn a blind eye at your misery and let you slowly die. Hope itself is stronger than any sword made by man...but you have to reach it first before you can fight off despair...the hope that you can have a new purpose...and find something else to protect...someone who will accept you as you are." Raina said.
Omalley looked at her for a few moments as he thought about what she said
"I admire your determination, but I'm afraid you might be too late. Every moment, every second of every day, I replay that moment in my head, The reminder of my failures will haunt me for all eternity, a wound that will never heal, she's gone, and never coming back, i didn't just fail, I was rejected. The Omalley you want to save is long gone, he died the day he was rejected, all I am is the ashes of his Fall." Omalley said as he started to walk away, but then time froze for everything, Fall included, except for Raina, she could move.
The gateway appeared infront of Raina, beside Omalley.
"Hello Raina. Im sorry you have to see this, what's become of him, it is tragic to say the least." Gateway said
Raina just looked at Gateway
"...The Guardian's curse took it's toll on him, but even so, I'm not gonna give up. If I can't manage to save one guardian from their despair, then how can I be of help to everyone else in the future?" Raina asked.
"You cannot save everyone Raina. even with the power you contain. Omalley Fall's fate was set in stone the moment Lynch Rejected him, im afraid the only thing you will be able to do is delay it." Gateway said
"...Why aren't you trying to help him? Aren't you two friends? Why are you letting him go on like this?" Raina asked.
"Because there is nothing i can do, besides ending his life, and I can't bring myself to do that. His mind is as fragile as glass, it's already cracked and the lightest touch can shatter it at any moment, if I try to use my devine abilitys to help him, I could make a mistake which drives him insane. My powers are too much for his mind to handle. All I can do is watch as one of my greatest friends losses his mind, and begs for an end. But. Even though i cannot help him, you might be able to, atleast in a small way." Gateway said
Raina looked down at the ground, not looking at Gateway.
"...As small as it may be, it may be worth it. I can't make him forget about Lynch, but I can remind him of his own accomplishments and the people he helped in the long run. It could help him see a light out of the darkness he is in." Raina said.
"Perhaps, or perhaps not. Lynch is his past, and any time he thinks on his past, his mind will go right back to her. It could work, but only for a short time, if you truly want to help him, then give him something he's not had in a long time, a happy moment. Even if it's a day or two, help him be happy, show him historical places, meet nice people, anything to take his mind off of his past, let him see the beauty of life. It may not free him, but you will help him immensely, if even for a moment, the curse won't effect him." Gateway said
"...I'll do what I can." Raina said.
"Thank you. Take care Raina, im certain we will meet again." Gateway said as he vanished and time resumed.
Raina looked at Omalley who was about to walk away.
"Wait...perhaps all you need is just to think things over and decide what should be best...doing it in the desert may not be the best option...I could take you to my Universe where you can think more clearly. You can stay in the sanctuary of guardians, the holy place where a guardian from Universe 11 is born...if you are willing to that is." Raina said.
Omalley stopped, he took a few moments to think, then he turned around and faced her once again.
"I..I said that...you.." Omalley started, he had to take a moment and compose himself.
"You are..wasting your time, but I dont..I..I dont have the strength to...I.." Omalley started again, he couldn't even find the words to say what he wanted to say.
Raina walked up to Omalley and held him by his hand.
"...Please, just trust me." Raina said.
Omalleys hand was shaking very slightly, he was silent for a moment or two.
"Al..alright." Omalley said, slowly nodding his head
Raina smiled as a portal made out of light opened.
She let go off Omalley's hand and went back into the vessel and it went through the portal.
Omalley took a second to look at the desert before putting his hood back over his helmet, then he walked through the portal
They arrived in a church room, filled with many empty seats.
The portal closed as Raina's vessel landed on the center of the room.
"There is a room upstairs. It used to be mine when Cadence was still around. You can use it to rest." Raina said.
"That sounds..nice but, I..think I will pass. Closeing my eyes or sleeping usually leads to me dealing with...memories." Omalley said as he looked around at the church
The church itself appeared to be an ordinary church.
Though, behind Raina's vessel, there was a statue of a man wearing a large set of white armor, including a helmet with two feathers sticking out of the helmet and two wings coming out of the man's back.
The statue immediately caught Omalleys attention as he walked up to it, it reminded him of his mega form, Slyfer.
"Umm..Ra.raina...this..statue right...here. It looks..like my mega form, Slyfer." Omalley said as he looked at the statue, he wasn't sure how to feel if it was him or not, all he know for certain was there was a similarity.
"The statue that you are looking at represents Xan, the first original guardian of Universe 11. He was the one who built this place. The holy sanctuary in which new guardians rise to defend Universe 11 like he did. That is his mega form that you see, no one actually has seen him outside his form." Raina said.
Omalley thought on it for a moment.
"That's...interesting. What kind of guardian is he?" Omalley asked
"He is the Guardian of the Ancient. Before Universe 0 fell and one of Xuko's undead soldiers, Thanatos, arrived in Universe 11 with the goal of making sure that no Omnipotents will arise, a war occurred on Earth. It happened before I was born. Xan descended from the sky and put an end to the war by himself before he vanished and no one saw him ever since. It's unknown wether he is still alive or not. Those who were born later or weren't in the war thought that he was just a made up legend, but it wasn't the case, because Cadence saw him with her own eyes and joined his church as his follower." Raina said.
"I see...but my question remains..Do you..know what kind of guardian he is? or are you unfamiliar with what it is I'm asking?" Omalley asked
"...I never met Xan myself or know where he is. I wouldn't know what kind of guardian he is." Raina said.
"I..I see. If he...was strong enough to...save the world and end a war all by himself...then he must be a guardian who choose to protect someone...that is the strongest...type of... guardian there is.." Omalley said
"...I imagine so." Raina said, while it couldn't be seen through the Iron Maiden vessel, she sounded thoughtful about the subject.
Raina was remembering something Cadence told her when she was a child.
Raina, when she was ten years old, was looking at the Statue of Xan.
"...Cadence, who is that big man with wings?" Raina asked.
Cadence walked up to Raina and crouched down.
"Why, that's the founder of the church, Raina. His name is Xan." Cadence said.
"Xan?" Raina asked.
"He is the first guardian who ever appeared and is the most powerful one yet. Xan gained his ultimate form thanks to his wife, who helped him unlock his power with her love. Xan put an end to the war that would of destroyed our planet." Cadence said.
"Where is Xan right now?" Raina asked.
"That, I don't know. After the war ended, he vanished but he built this church as a holy place for people who would become new guardians by making a vow that can't be breaken. And it will carry on even after a guardian dies." Cadence said.
"...Did you make a vow, Cadence?" Raina asked.
"Yes. I made one when you were a baby. I made a vow to always protect you from danger. And if you ever died...then I would gladly accept death." Cadence said.
"...You...shouldn't say that." Raina frowned.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry. But anyways, not many people believe that Xan exists. Some say he is simply a legend made up to make children fall asleep. But I can confirm that he is not a legend. He is real. I saw him with my own eyes." Cadence said.
"Oh, okay...do you think you'll ever see Xan again?" Raina asked.
"I'm not sure. Right now, I'm focusing on something else." Cadence said.
"On me?" Raina asked.
"You...and a dream of mine. A dream that I want to come true." Cadence said.
"What dream?" Raina asked.
"A dream where everyone unites as one. Once they unite, everyone will be able to understand each other and be able to become friends and work together. You see, Raina, this Universe isn't the only Universe out there. There are eleven others. And right now, they are not united." Cadence said.
"What will take to unite them? With so many Universes...it seems kinda impossible." Raina said.
"True...but there is a being out there who can make that possible." Cadence said.
"Is it Xan?" Raina asked.
"No. There is a Being out there who appeared many ages ago." Cadence said.
"What's it's name?" Raina asked.
"...It doesn't have a official name...but I believe most of the people call it...Epilogue." Cadence said.
Raina looked interested, feeling something inside her the moment she heard the name 'Epilogue'.
At that moment, Raina stopped reminiscing and looked back at Omalley through the Vessel's eyes.
"Anyway, do you wish to do something now?" Raina asked.
"Umm, I suppose...so but..I..I don't know what I..would do." Omalley said
"I see. Perhaps I can show you the town a bit perhaps." Raina suggested.
"I..suppose." Omalley said
The chamber opened and Raina stepped out, wearing her shoulderless pink dress.
The church's door opened and Raina walked to the entrance
She gestured at Omalley to follow.
And Omalley did so.
Both of them went into the city.
It was currently night so there weren't any people walking on the streets. It was probably very late. The city itself looked more organized and the buildings were structured differently than Newrum State City was.
"...I don't usually go out without the Iron Maiden Chamber. I'm not used to going out in the outside world that much, ever since the incident." Raina said
"I can...understand closeing yourself off from the world..But..you arent in nearly...as bad a shape as...I am..How can you...help people..if you spend your time in that...chamber?" Omalley asked, it was tough to talk about guardians, but thus far he was okay, despite the pauses between a few words.
“Being a Guardian for an entire Universe 11 is too much for a person to handle. That's why I decided to recreate Cadence's group, the group being the Society of Goodness. They are the pillars of light who have the job of destroying any type of evil that threatens Universe 11. When all Universes will eventually ally, they might perhaps help fight off the evil's from the other Universes aswell." Raina said.
"Oh, I see. I hope it works out..for you." Omalley said
Raina nodded as they stopped in front of a old looking tower.
"...This is their tower. Cerci and June are there at the moment, the others are currently on other planets as we speak, with the assistance of workers from the Intergalatic Space Police. It's a organization made out of people who will prevent major multiversal incidents like Hastur from happening ever again aswell as be men of law who will help the Universes. Sort of like police officers, except officers with advanced technology who can jump in any other worlds." Raina said.
"I'm..very familiar with those guys..our interactions were..not too pleasant im afraid." Omalley said
“...Oh, right. Would you want to go inside and meet the two?” Raina asked.
"I'll..leave that up..to you." Omalley said
“...I’m sure they are not busy right now. You could learn a thing or two about our Universe from them.” Raina suggested.
"Okay." Omalley said
Raina was about to enter in the building till she sensed something and turned her head around.
“...Go inside. I’ll come in shortly.” Raina told Omalley
"Is something..wrong?" Omalley asked
“A guardian from another universe is coming by, I need to talk to him in private.” Raina said.
Omalley nodded and then walked into the building
Raina remained there and waited.
“He is gonna die, you know. This is how it was meant to be." A unfamiliar voice said.
A sigil of a clock appeared on the ground and shot a pillar out of it.
The pillar and the sigil vanished, revealing a blue-skinned man with short white hair, cyan eyes, wearing a long-sleeved blue robe with a hourglass sigil on the center of his robe, wielding a staff with a clock on top of it. If someone had to guess, it was someone from Universe 4.
Raina din't turn to the individual.
"...Hello, Daemon." Raina said to the person.
"Hm, greetings, Raina. You may think that you are saving him, but you merely delayed his death. Not to mention, he is not the guardian from the main timeline. He is from another one. His appearance here could cause some severe repercussions. I know this, since well, I am a Guardian of Time after all." Daemon said.
"...Even if he is from another timeline...doesn't mean that he is not worth my time." Raina said.
"You know what happens when a guardian fails. He knew what he was getting into when he decided to become a guardian. Once you fail, there is no going back. You can't change destiny that easily." Daemon said.
"...If I can't help him...then that means Despair is stronger Hope. And I refuse to believe that. I was angry with my mother for giving up so easily because of my father's death, if I let Omalley die...then I won't forgive myself." Raina said.
"Hope can be nice...but it can't physically stop a person from putting the noose around their neck. Just let me send him back to his actual timeline and let events play their course." Daemon said.
"...No. I'm sorry, but I can't." Raina said.
Daemon sighed.
"Very well. But, remember, if he dies...you brought it upon yourself. Personally, I'm confused about his presence in the main timeline." Daemon said.
"How do you think he was able to get there in the first place?" Raina asked.
"If I had to be a betting man, it was probably Gateway's doing. Honestly, that 'Divine' little bugger should know his place than tampering with the timestream. Speaking of which, there is something odd going on. Someone's been jumping timeline from timeline and isn't stopping. This could be catastrophic on many proportions if I don't do something about it." Daemon said.
"I see...I wish you good luck then." Raina said.
"Right. I'll see you in...August, on a Tuesday, to be exact." Daemon smiled, as he looked at the clock on his staff.
He tapped the ground with the staff and vanished through a time pillar.
Raina turned her eyes to the door of the building as she opened it and went inside.
“It’s done.” Raina said.
"Oh..okay, welcome back" Omalley said as he continued looking around
The inside of the clock tower looked pretty old, as if no one’s been here for years. The sound of gear rotating could be heard.
Raina walked to a elevator and pressed the button.
The elevator door opened and went inside, gesturing at Fall to do the same.
After looking around for a few more seconds, Omalley went into the elevator.
"This place...looks abandoned.." Omalley said
"This clock tower has been built ever since the war, this place is historical to the residents of this city. I chose this clock tower as the headquarters for the Society, everything down here was left untouched all except for the top floor where the group is staying at." Raina said, as the elevator went up.
Omalley just nodded as he looked at the floor, waiting for the elevator to reach whatever room it was going to
The elevator reached the top floor and the door opened.
Inside, Cerci and June were sitting behind a large table with the Justice symbol on it, both reading a Cosmic Saviors comic book issue that was being held in June's hands and monitors were displaying other members of the group on other planets of Universe 11, along with agents from the Intergalatic Space Police, helping some Neonytes with some problems they were having.
Raina entered in the room.
Cerci and June looked up from the comic book and were surprised to see Raina.
"Iron Maiden? What brings you here? Why aren't you in your vessel?" Cerci asked.
"...And who the heck is that?" June asked, pointing at Omalley.
"He is Omalley. I...figured he could use some fresh air and some new people to talk to." Raina said.
"...I...see..." Cerci said, not really certain how to react to that as she looked at Omalley.
Omalley himself wasn't sure how to respond.
"Hello..there" Omalley said, despite the pauses in his voice, he wasn't nervous, but in his mind the guardians curse continued to not allow him to be free of his guilt and pain, it's was as if it was physically holding him back from being his normal self, and he was fighting it.
The pain his mind was putting him through was best seen in his eyes as he looked at Cerci and June, the curse was holding him back, and yet despite that pain, he was continueing on . "It's...nice to meet you..two." Omalley said
Cerci could be able to tell just by looking into his eyes that something was hurting him.
"...Are you alright?" Cerci asked.
June's eyes flashed for one second, as she was scanning Omalley's form and copied all his data. A sound that indicated a finished download was heard.
"...Hm, you're a Guardian of Light. As of now, you're low on energy, nutritions, liquid, wow, pretty much low on everything. If you were a normal person, you'd be dead by now." June said, blinking.
Omalley just nodded, he didn't really know what to say, he didn't want to say anything that would lead him to a conversation about why he is this way and what happened to him.
"...So, you're the one who dealt with Hastur before we could of intervened. It must of been a difficult battle, I wager." Cerci guessed.
"Hastur..it's been ages since i heard...that name. He was challenging, he was as difficult as Grant was who i helped defeat..not long before." Omalley said
"...I don't know who Grant is." June said.
"From what i can...recall, he basically got some beads which let him grant any wish, and he wished to be immortal. I can't remember all the details but, he had bad intentions and so I and another person whose name escapes me....I think it was....Axel. Yeah, Axel, or was it?...I'm..not sure. Either way, Grant was immortal but I found a way to defeat him, thanks to some help from Gateway atleast." Omalley said, his voice was very, very slowly improving, trying to focus on these different things was actually working.
Though seeing as these are things in his past, it likely won't work for long.
"...Huh, beads that can grant wishes. Sounds like something one of the Omnipotents from 10 would pull off." June said, placing her thumb on her chin
"Well, anyway, thanks for stopping him before he would of subjugated every planet. I'm sure Raina already told you about us, the Society of Goodness. We are a special force group who dedicate their time and effort to protect our Universe from threats that we've been fighting for years now, our age isn't an issue thanks to the guardian blessing." Cerci said.
"We fought quite a lot of diverse threats, ranging from normal bank robbers to intergalactic overlords, a group of scientists known as Void Technologies, the Techno Mafia, Space Pirates, a team of space gorilla's who were sent here on a scouting mission by a rogue ape from 12, a unstable A.I that took over a factory once, the Moon people, a cult that attempted to unleash the zombie apocalypse on a multiversal scale, some guy who worshipped the Grinch and tried to ruin Christmas for everyone, we destroyed the ancient Tome of the Damned to prevent a massive beast from being unleashed on the world, a reanimated statue of a former leader brought to life by a rogue government agent working for some baddie, a Lovecraftian Demon who had the power to create nightmares in the minds of men and was responsible for the people of the city not going to sleep and all sorts of bad guys, we have quite a long list of enemies that we triumphed over." June smiled, as she lifted off their enemies from her memory bank.
"I see, well congratulations on your efforts, I'm glad it's been going well for yall so far. My list is...quite a bit shorter, I helped Haraguroi see the error of his ways, turning him back into Akarusa, i helped defeat Fuzen and he became good aswell. I was there when Roy's own men accidently shot him, and i think the Spy sadly took his own life, then there was....Erebus.." Omalley said, quickly beginning to remember what happened dureing that fight, he was quickly decending into those memories which haunt him.
Raina frowned, having a feeling that this conversation is not doing any good for him.
"Hm, well, short as it may be, you managed to save people from those guys so I'd say that's something to be proud about." June smiled.
"...Since this is your first time in 11, do you have any questions regarding anything in general?" Cerci asked.
"We..well…I'm not even sure..if I've ever been here before...so I wouldn't..really know where to..begin." Omalley said
"Hm, well, to start off with, our Earth's Technology has been developed to a superior level in comparison to the Earth's of the other Universes. I, myself, am a android. I was designed after a real life person...but despite that, Raina told me that I can evolve into something beyond metal one day." June smiled.
"Our Omnipotents's elements are based on Techno, released from a crest that belonged to the Omnipotent founder from 0, Tron. One of our members who deflected, Kelou, had the element of Electricity while Mibyll has the element of Steel." Cerci said.
"A science and tech centric universe...interesting...I wonder, is the whole universe super advanced with tech? or is it just earth? As for you.." Omalley said as he looked at June. "If you can hate, or love, or better yet both, then you are already beyond just metal." Omalley said
"...Well, I never truly hated anyone, there are some things I happen to dislike..and I do like the people I am with in general so...maybe. I'm still not familiar with those emotional concepts, let alone comprehend them. But, with time, I'm sure I'll understand." June nodded.
"There are planets in this Universe that were created out of metal and steel, a few of them are occupied by Neonytes and one is the home planet of Nexus's kind, the Metalmen, a robotic species. However, some planets while not affected that much by technology can still be creative. The residents of Koephus, a planet that's made out of stone were able to make weapons that shoot projectiles with the few resources they have." Cerci explained.
"I see..in a universe so dependent and focused on technology..i can..only assume a huge weakness of this universe..is any kind of..E.M.P." Omalley said
"We have geniuses who are aware of that main flaw design and came up with ways to counteract E.M.P attacks." June said.
"Fair enough." Omalley said, not really having anything else to add to the conversation
"As for me, the best way to describe my ability is...magic. I got this power when I was a child...but not through any normal means that I don't wish to discuss. Before we united as this team, each of us hit a few bumps in the road in our lives and dedicated our lives so people can feel safe around here. I suppose I could say the existence of the Society is our second chance to make things right, atleast that's how I view it." Cerci sighed, running her hand through her hair.
"I....see. In this world...second chances are...few and far between..few of us get them, and even less are able.. to capitalize on them...Take...the time to...cherish, this second chance you...all have..because another chance..is never a certainty." Omalley said, as he was deep in thought, in what way was unclear.
Raina looked over at Omalley, curious about what he was thinking.
"Right." Cerci nodded.
"Soooo...do you have any places to go after you leave? Or, anything important to do?" June asked.
"My fate was sealed a long...time ago..I have the guardians curse, and with...every passing moment, im huanted by my failiure. And i will be until the day I die...and that day is approaching. A death where I am as if I never existed, is the only freedom from this curse I'm afraid." Omalley said, he said this, despite directly talking about the thing that's been causing him pain, he talked about it calmly, as if he's made peace with it, or perhaps had a realization.
"...That...doesn't sound pleasant at all." June said.
"...I...you shouldn't really say that." Raina sighed.
"Perhaps I shouldn't, but you don't know, and hopefully will never know the mental battles I endure every moment. And hopefully you won't ever have to. But even if my end is approaching, that doesn't mean i can't do one last good thing in this world." Omalley said
"...What does that mean?" Cerci asked.
"...Let's...go outside and talk about this." Raina said as she walked out of room, expecting Omalley to follow.
Omalley followed Raina
June and Cerci just stared at each other, unsure how to react to that.
Raina lead Omalley out of the tower.
"...What did you mean by that? Doing one last good thing?" Raina asked.
"Every guardian, yourself included, even Xan has a very special ability, it is called the Failsafe ability, are you familiar with it?" Omalley asked
"...I know. Cadence, Jacob, Asriel, Rafael and Haley sacrificed their spirits to me after they died." Raina said under her breath, knowing where this is going.
"Are you aware that the failsafe ability as a second form?" Omalley asked
Raina din't say anything to that. She was just waiting for Omalley to go on.
"Rather then sacrificing ones mega evolution, you can simply let go of it, it can inhabit a body or armor, and it can live on without the guardian themselves, but they wont be able to evolve into that form ever again. When talking to Cerci and June, and when they spoke of second chances, I realised that I can still do one more good thing, something that won't fail like the city for people with powers program...and won't fail like my...other goals. I know you don't think you did much, but you did enough, just enough so that I will go peacefully, and for that Raina, i thank you." Omalley said.
Despite what he said, Raina din't seem happy with that resolution.
"...I suppose...that may be true...but...it's still hard nonetheless." Raina said, not facing Omalley as tears were escaping out of her eyes.
Omalley put his hand on Raina's shoulder
"I know your sad and upset, but understand you did everything you could, this doesn't mean you failed, far from it. Hope doesn't mean you won, hope is the strength that comes from the belief that victory is possible, despite the challenges ahead and your hope led to me realiseing what I could do. If it were not for you, Slyfer would not exist...i mean granted he still doesn't, but he will. So long as a part of my light exists in this world, so too will I." Omalley said
It was clear he has accepted his fate, rather then fight this curse, he accepts it for what it is, and know what his fate will be. He isnt afraid, not anymore atleast.
Raina wiped away her tears upon hearing that.
“...I guess that is for the best. This...is probably where we depart ways.” Raina said.
"It is, but perhaps one day we will meet eachother again. Goodbye Raina, and thank you." Omalley said as he walked away, the gateway opened a portal for him, and then it closed behind him.
"You did all you could" The Gateway said as he appeared beside Raina
“...I am happy that he found his hope, but I’m also sad that this had to happen.” Raina sighed.
"It is sad, but in truth, if there were no sad moments, we wouldn't be able to truly appreciate the happy moments life gives us. Everything is a balance. Omalley Fall, while he may pass away, he will do so peacefully, thanks to you. You have granted him a kindness you cannot comprehend." Gateway said
“...I believe I can comprehend it.” Raina said.
With that she turned around and started walking away.
"Raina...one more thing before you go. If i know Omalley like i think i do, i have a feeling you will see him again one day. Let us hope that on that day, things are better for him. And better for us all." Gateway said as he vanished.
Raina looked up at the sky.
"...I hope so too." Raina said, before she continued walking, heading towards her church.
"...What would you have done if you were in my place...Cadence?" Raina asked herself in her mind.
Raina arrived back in the church and stopped in front of her vessel and stared at the floor.
"...I suppose I shouldn't be sad but...I just wish he could of went about this a different way and not...he said that I and Slyfer will meet again one day...but when?" Raina asked.
She used the Gaze of Asriel to find out when she and Slyfer will reunite.
Approximatelly...10 years. Atleast in Universe 11's time.
And after 10 years, two large threats that the Multiverse has ever faced will appear aswell. A group of Neonytes, lead by the high-ranked Neonytian family, the Cromwells, who will collect the crests that belonged to the Omnipotents from Universes 0 to destroy all humans and a large group that existed for many years known as 'F'. Daemon will vanish during those 10 years and will return after F gets dealt with. A thirteenth Universe will rise, and after the major events are over...'It' will appear after so many years.
Raina smiled.
"...After 10 years...it will happen...finally...it appears my efforts won't be futile after all." Raina said.
The vessel opened and Raina went inside.
It closed but Raina looked somewhat hopeful.
"...Just 10 more years of staying in this chamber...and everyone will unite...well, atleast the waiting will be worthwhile this time. So many things are gonna happen, me and Slyfer reuniting, all the worlds working together...It will be splendid...I hope Slyfer will remember me when we meet again." Raina said.
10 years pass in Universe 11.
The Royal Guard managed to collect all the crests except the Evolution Crest that is in Athena Vixerello's possession, the daughter of Marick Vixerello. Slyfer appeared and became the guardian of a person called Kita from Universe 0. As for F, the entire group was defeated and the main founder, F, who was the one responsible for the time anomalies that Daemon was investigating, was erased after Fawn destroyed the real paradox machine, which caused most of the timelines involving F to be erased, and creating a wave that will erase and replace the worlds that were affected by the machine. Those that weren't will only suffer a few minimal changes. The ISP and Unigard had started to put everyone from every universe in the Unigard's ship 'The Eternal Journey' while a girl from Universe 0 will need the help of the Omnipotents to make 'It' appear.
The Society of Goodness were in front of Raina, who was in her vessel, reporting to her the situation.
"We are currently moving everyone from our Universe into the ships but we'll need some backup from the Unigard." Gustavo said.
"I managed to get in contact with the rest of the Omnis and convinced them to help out with Minami's ritual." Mibyll said.
"I see." Raina said.
"Iron Maiden, what are we gonna do about the Royal Guard? They are still out there. We should do something." Vadon said.
"Don't worry. A group from Universe 3 will arrive here to seek for my help. I will help them as best as I can." Raina said.
"I don't know. Universe 3 failed with keeping the remaining crests safe from the Cromwells. Can they really help us defeat Cedric and his group?" Cerci asked.
"If Athena will learn how to unlock her crest's potential, then there is still hope. Besides, Jaden is putting up a plan on how to deal with the Royal Guard." Raina said.
"Let's hope it will work." June sighed.
"Agreed. Is there anything else?" Nexus asked.
"...No. That would be all." Raina said.
"Okay. I'll go and help escort the Neonytian folk to the Eternal Journey. I'll see you guys there." Minerva said, as she teleported out.
Nexus and Gustavo nodded to each other before the Society left the church.
"...Since everyone will be on the ship...perhaps now would be the best time for a second guardian meeting...and this time...it won't fail." Raina said, looking determined
Raina got visited by Athena, Amell, Trixie, Donald and Eric and helped Athena learn how to unlock her crest's power by helping her talk with Terra, by using Rafael's ability so they can talk to her. After that, she and the rest moved into the Eternal Journey. Once they were done with Universe 13, Raina sent notes to all the active guardians to meet up in Eamon's temple to discuss.
The meeting was successful and the guardians agreed to the alliance. Raina was happy with the result.
Once the meeting was over, Raina went back to her church and simply waited.
Raina had her eyes closed as she was currently reflecting her own thoughts
"...All we have to do is wait for Jaden to finish his plan, then we can finally end this painful war...and fight as one against the Erasure Wave...then finally...I won't have to be trapped in this Vessel...though, I have to wonder, now that he is here...does he remember?" Raina asked.
"Well, maybe you should ask him yourself." A familar voice said.
It was Slyfer, who was now standing in front of the Vessel.
Raina's eyes opened, looking a bit surprised. Though, she had a feeling this might happen.
"...It's you." Raina smiled.
"Well Omalley always said he doesnt make a promise he cant keep. So i figured i would fufill that promise, even if i am at this point, my own person." Slyfer said.
"...I see...it's been a few years since we last met...but I'm glad that you are here now." Raina said, as the vessel opened as she stepped out.
"Indeed." Slyfer said
"...I din't think you would show up here since you were with Kita and the others...but when did you manage to remember me?" Raina asked.
"'Ive had my memories with me for quite some time, ever since i first woke up, ive had to deal with the realization im the spirit of an evolution of a man who ultimate failed." Slyfer said.
"I see...I'm sorry you had to go through that...but, if I din't save him, you wouldn't be here...I tried to prevent Omalley Fall from his fate but, it was inevitable." Raina said.
"It was.
But i dont plan on failing as he did, he was always destined to die unfortunately." Slyfer confirmed
"Yes. Like your old self, you found someone to protect. Someone who will be worth your time." Raina said.
Slyfer nodded.
"...You and Kita will be put through a lot of trials after this war will be over...they will be difficult, but I'm sure you two can handle it." Raina said.
"Im sure you will also go through your own new challenges and adventures" Slyfer said.
"Not that i would know that, just a guess." Slyfer said
"Once all the Universes will finally unite, I won't have to stay in the Iron Maiden Vessel from now on and enjoy the sight of the world once again. Thanks to the alliance me and the guardians established, we can finally make things right for everyone." Raina said.
"Well... almost everyone." Slyfer noted.
"...Right. Athena, Amell and the others were in Universe 11 and I helped Athena learn how to unlock her crest's potential and showed them Salazar's past. Both Athena and Amell will play role in how Salazar's fate will turn out in the end." Raina said.
"I wasnt talking about him." Slyfer confirmed
"I know. Who you were referring to?" Raina asked.
"Kullos has been telling Me and Kita about a very harsh, cruel world known as Black Ice." Slyfer said "You could probably find a file on it in the archive."
"I never heard about it...then again, I never heard of Universe 13 till now. It's best I have no involvement in what happens in that world...aswell as for my sake." Raina said.
"indeed." Slyfer said
"After all of this is over...there is a chance that you, Kita and Kullos won't be the only ones to face those trials. Three more will join aswell." Raina said.
"Im sure there will be." Slyfer said.
"Well, im sure Kita is wondering where ive gone to, or she doesnt care, cant tell with her." Slyfer said
“Alright....it was nice seeing you again, Slyfer.” Raina said
"It was nice meeting you too again Raina.
And until we meet again, and again." Slyfer said as a portal opened and he walked through it closed behind him.
"He really has been through alot." A familer voice said.
It was the gateway, who appeared beside her.
“I can tell...not sure what would of happened if I din’t do what you recommended.” Raina said
"Omalley Fall would have still died, but he would have died without createing Slyfer.
Slyfers got a long road ahead, and you do aswell. We all do." Gateway said.
Raina nodded
“...I know what Minami is gonna do...I won’t be around when Epilogue will arrive...and you will sacrifice most of your being to protect everyone.” Raina said
"indeed, but it will be worth it." Gateway said. as he floated and was infront of her.
"A cruel world of Black ice awaits Kullos Slyfer Kita, and others.
I will sacrifice my power and change atleast in the personality sense.
But now i wonder.
What awaits you?" Gateway asked
"...Since I've accomplished my task of helping the worlds unite and the Iron Maiden Vessell won't be a factor anymore...I suppose I could explore more of Universe 11 and try to find Xan, the first guardian of Universe 11. It's been rumored that he is the strongest guardian of Universe 11, possibly on the same level as Slyfer." Raina said.
"I see. Slyfer, be it Omalleys Mega form or the individual known as Slyfer. To be on that level, he is extremely powerful indeed." Gateway said
"Yes. When Universe 11 will be in danger or will need me, then I'll be there. With the Society of Goodness, led by Nexus and Gustavo, I doubt it will come to that." Raina said.
"Very true
By the way, even when i become a fragment i can still assist you in finding Xan."Gateway said
"Perhaps. But I figured you and the Unigard will be busy with other Universe's matters, aswell as 13." Raina said.
"True but i could literately open a portal to Xan right now." Gateway said
"I'm sure it can wait another time. Right now, I'm more focused at what's going on right now." Raina said.
"Fair enough.
If you need me, i'll be listening.
Not in the creepy kind of way." Gateway said and then he vanished.
Raina simply looked up, staring at the ceiling.
"...I won't participate in the final battle...but I can atleast make sure that everyone else in the ship stays safe and won't get attacked by Cedric's army." Raina said
Raina's eyes started glowing.
"...The day...is finally upon us." Raina said.
After a few hours pass, the final battle with the Royal Guard started on Ragnarok.
Raina and Zeno, who were wearing space helmets, were currently flying in space, fighting off against an army of Others of the Omnipotents that were given form by the crest of Providence while the combined universal forces from the Eternal Journey fought the non-Other army of the Royal Guard.
Raina, wearing her guardian outfit, impaled Other Dilon and Other Cirak in their chests with ice sickles before they vanished.
Zeno just blasted many reflections and duplicates of Other Naan and Other Fuuka before he blasted those two others aswell.
Ragnarok then exploded in the distance, sending Zeno and Raina flying.
Zeno was about to hit a asteroid till Raina stopped herself and grabbed Zeno before he could hit his head.
"Are you alright?" Raina asked.
"...I...I'm dizzy." Zeno said, looking a bit out of it.
Raina looked ahead and saw the pieces of Ragnarok flying in many directions.
"...It's over now. They won." Raina smiled.
Raina flew back to the ship while holding Zeno.
Once back in the ship, they took their space helmets off.
"That was fun! Can we do it again?" Zeno asked.
"I'm afraid not." Raina said.
"I'm gonna go and check on the Omnipotents from my Universe." Zeno said.
"...I'm sure Minami is starting the ritual now. Wait once they are finished." Raina said.
"Oh...okay...what are they doing?" Zeno asked.
"...They are saving us." Raina smiled.
"...How?" Zeno asked.
"...It's so hard to explain." Raina said.
Raina looked at her palms and saw two symbols on them.
The symbols then appeared on Zeno aswell, who din't notice them.
Raina smiled in response.
"...It's happening." Raina said.
"Huh, what's happening?" Zeno asked.
Raina crouched down, looking at Zeno.
"...Zeno...just close your eyes, alright?" Raina asked.
"Why, what's going on?" Zeno asked.
"Something good. Now, just close your eyes...and think about something good." Raina said.
Zeno was confused but he closed his eyes.
Raina got up and closed her eyes.
Then everything turned white.
Raina opened her eyes again and found herself on the floor, slowly regaining consciousness.
she saw Zeno who was laying next to her and appeared to be sleeping
She turned her head and spotted the other guardians who were also on the floor and were unconscious but were slowly waking up.
"Ugh, what in Sam freaking Hill just happened!?" Ray asked.
"I...don't know." Eamon said
He looked around.
"...If we're still here...then the ritual must of worked." Eamon said.
Chetyra was currently laying on Bhupati's belly before she slowly woke up and got of his stomach.
Raina slowly got up aswell, looking at the crowds of people who were slowly getting up and looking at each other in confusion.
"...It worked." Raina smiled.
Raina then turned Zeno and shook him a bit to wake up.
"...R-Raina?" Zeno asked, opening his eyes.
"Don't worry, it's over now. Everyone is now safe." Raina said.
"...G-Garmath and everyone else?" Zeno asked.
"They're right there." Raina said, pointing at the Omnipotent crowd.
Zeno immediately ran towards the crowd as he jumped in Garmath's arms and hugged her.
Raina turned to a window, showing the ship and could see the stars shining bright, even more brighter than before.
"...Thank you Minami and Fawn...we couldn't of done it without you." Raina smiled.
Raina turned around and saw Slyfer and Kita being teleported back into the ship, as they were in Universe 13 after Epilogue did it's job.
She looked at them a bit before she looked at the ground and saw the Crest of Techno that was laying on the ground
Raina picked it up, looking at it.
"...It will be much safer if I keep it with me." Raina said.
Raina looked at everyone else. Now that everyone became a part of Epilogue, they'll be able to understand each other and work together for a better beginning. Atleast that's what Raina hoped.
But she knew that one thing was for certain: The Universes will finally work as one now after all of this.
A few days after the final battle.
In Universe 11, on Earth
Raina was at a field of flowers, sitting on top of a metallic pillar, with the Crest of Techno placed around her neck as she was watching many video images of the other Universes.
She happily smiled at them before the image videos vanished.
"Everything is now happening as you envisioned it, Cadence...it's a shame you aren't here to see it...perhaps now I could try to find Xan." Raina said.
"Dang right you can amigo!" a somewhat familar voice said as the fragmented gateway appeared infront of her
"Its been awhile amigo! but im here amigo! at your service!
And man oh man i tell you WHAT dude! stuff has happened amigo! and i tell you what it is some kidn of SOMETHIN!" Fragmented gateway said
"...Hello Gateway. Good to see you are okay...after...the destruction of the Erasure Wave." Raina said, sounding somewhat uncomfortable by Gateway's new attitude.
"Dont be fooled amigo! i am still the same me that i always was is and shall be amigo! sure i talk a little funny, its true, very true. but i am still the devine and wise being ive always been dude!" Gateway confirmed
"...I see." Raina said.
She got up.
"I suppose now you can help me find Xan." Raina said.
"Indeed i can amigo.
You speak the place and the place you shall go amigo!" gateway said.
Raina's eyes began glowing pink, she was using the eyes of Asriel to find Xan.
"...Bring me...to planet Oeria. That's where Xan is. It's it's in another galaxy of Universe 11, far from the galaxy we are in right now." Raina said.
Right as she said that the gateway opened a portal.
"Lets go amigo!" Gateway said as he darted right into the portal.
He was certainly more...energetic. now that hes a fragment of his former self
Raina din't seem to mind as she went into the portal.
They arrived at the place where Xan is supposed to be.
They were standing on top of a mountain it seemed.
The sky was covered by blue clouds and there was a large pillar of light shining on a large Neon Castle that was floating above a field filled with white flowers. The entire area was filled with flowers.
At the edge of the mountain, there was a pretty tall person, more taller than Raina and the Gateway Fragment who had his back turned and was looking at the castle with his arms folded. He has two white wings popped out of his back and was wearing a large set of white armor and a helmet with two feathers sticking out of the helmet.
Raina looked at the person.
"...That's him...it's Xan." Raina said.
"..So he is." Gateway said.
He suddenly sounded exactly like his old self again despite being a fragment.
Weither this just happened on instinct, its part of his fragmentation, or he just felt like it, remains to be seen.
"Let us go and speak with him." Gateway said
Raina, looked a bit nervous, but she walked up to the large Guardian.
"...Hello...Xan...I'm not sure you know me, but-"
"I knoweth who thee art, Raina Holymoon of Universe 11." Xan spoke, his voice echoing when he said that sentence, using the old English language
Xan turned to face Raina and Gateway, with a red 'X' marked on his chestplate, most of his face was covered by the helmet but had two visible blank eyes glowing with light, looking at the two.
"...So you know me...It's...an honor to finally meet you." Raina said, bowing to him.
"thee doth not needeth to bow." Xan said
He turned his head to Gateway
"And thee must beest Gateway." Xan said.
"Indeed. I served another guardian you may have heard of." Gateway said.
"The guardian thee art talking about is Omalley Vixerello, who gained the same form as me known as Slyfer." Xan said.
"...Cadence told me about you. You are the first guardian of Universe 11." Raina said.
"Forsooth I am." Xan said.
Xan turned to the floating castle.
"Long ago, ere the Omnipotents of this Universe awakened, war raged on Earth. Me and mine wife got involved in the war. the lady gaveth me the strength to evolve into ultimate form that thee art seeing right now. I hath used mine power to putteth an end to the motley-minded war, creating temporary peace for the people. Ere me and mine wife hath decided to leaveth, I hath made the sanctuary for those who witnessed mine power and taketh ov'r mine position as guardian by making an unbreakable vow that wilt carryeth on coequal after their deaths." Xan said.
"I see.
You still seem like you are in your prime, so where will you go next?" Gateway asked
"This is whither me and mine wife hath decided to stayeth, liveth in peace and gaze ov'r Universe 11 and see the protectors who madeth the vow and becameth the guardians of Earth." Xan said.
"...Cadence, Rafael, Asriel, Haley and Jacob...they were the Hearts of Justice....but they perished." Raina said.
"Against Thanatos, the monster of the dreaded Xuko. But those gents din't kicketh the bucket for nothing. Cadence and her friends sacrificed their powers so thee can becometh the new protector of Universe 11 and holp unite the other worlds." Xan said.
Raina looked at the ground, looking sad.
"...If only I din't get in the way...Cadence...wouldn't of...she would still be." Raina said.
Xan turned to Raina, lifting his large hand and placing it on her head.
"Thee aren't to censure for the death of thy caretaker, Raina. Cadence willingly gaveth up her life so thee could liveth. thou has't hath continued her worketh and hath brought unity to all the Universes. beest proud about that." Xan said
Raina looked up and smiled.
"...Y-Yes...that's true." Raina said.
"I see." Gateway said.
"As do i." Another familiar voice said. As a bell tolled.
A small wall of fog appeared and quickly vanished. Inside this fog was infact Omalley Vixerello himself. Though he was not in his mega evolution.
He walked and stood beside Raina infront of Xan.
It was already quite the moment, it could literately be felt.
"You are definitely as impressive as ive heard, even more so i dare say.
I gotta say i wish my voice echoed, but i would have way too much fun with that." Omalley said.
Xan turned to Omalley.
"So, thee art the legendary Omalley Vixerello of Universe 3. I hath heard about thy stories, thou has't vanquished the Dark King, Erebus. thou has't mine gratitude." Xan said
Omalley nodded "Well im glad i could help. And ive heard rumors of your legendary stories aswell. So you have mine aswell." Omalley said.
Omalley took a step back and did his signature bow, the same bow he once gave to Zen, a bow of ultimate respect. Thunder roared in the background as he did this bow to Xan.
Suddenly, a large hammer with wings attached to it appeared in Xan's hand.
Xan did the same bow as Omalley as he kneeled down with his right leg, aiming his hammer at the sky.
Light from the sky hits Xan's hammer instead of lighting. The hammer was shining with light. This was Xan's own way of showing respect to Omalley aswell.
Raina's eyes widened, feeling Xan's power. It was pretty incredible.
Omalley just smiled.
"Sometimes you just gotta go for style points." Omalley said.
The hammer vanished as Xan nodded.
"Every guardian knoweth the bow. It's hath used to showeth respect to the guardians thee meeteth." Xan said.
"...I...actually din't know...I lived for quite a long time...and yet...I din't know that." Raina said, feeling somewhat embarrassed not to know anything about that.
"Eh, it happens, not every guardian even has a bow. Mostly only guardians who have been around a long time in special moments like these.
Afteral when all the guardians met in The Eternal Journey we werent all bowing to each other, though in truth that was of a more important matter.
Speaking of which you should come visit The Eternal Journey! im sure there are plenty of people who would love to meet you." Omalley said.
The gateway kinda twitched a little bit.
"Indeed indeed amigo! and WOW may i say you are one shiny amigo!" Fragmented gateway said as he frantic floated all around Xan
"You look like a devine being amigo! a angel decended from the very heavens above amigo!
And man oh man i tell you what you are some kind of somethin and that somethin is special." Fragmented gateway said.
Xan turned to the floating castle.
"Mine wife is sleeping right now. the lady would beest worried if I hath left without a word." Xan said
"Then it would seem you need to go." Omalley said.
"Indeed amigo! and if need i can open a portal if ya need one dude!" Gateway said
"No needeth. I can fly." Xan said.
Xan turned to Raina.
"Raina. It's time for thee to alloweth wend of the past and beest free of thy pain. do't while thee still has't the chance." Xan said.
"...I will. Besides me, there are seven others who are the protectors of Universe 11. As long as they're alive, this Universe will be safe from evil. And your legacy will continue to shine to the end." Raina said.
Despite the fact that his face was covered by the helmet, Xan's emotion of happiness could be felt.
"Lest I proud...I grant you...Farewell." Xan said.
Xan jumped high in the air before he opened his wings and floated towards the Neon Castle.
Raina watched as Xan went towards his castle.
"...He really is the Legendary Guardian." Raina said.
"Indeed he is.
Ya know i dont think i have had any fans, but it is to be expected, ive made plenty fo mistakes afteral." Omalley said
"...Well, I wouldn't exactly call any Neonyte fans of your's after what happened with that Neonyte girl...no offence." Raina said.
"None taken.
That was ages ago anyway. They will forget about me in time. Besides i did bring her back." Omalley said.
"...Cedric din't seem to care that much about that. He despited humans anyways." Raina said.
Raina turned around, looking at the area around.
"...You know, for the longest time...I felt only pain...pain that always remained in my heart, like a scar to a person's chest...but now, for the first time in my life...I feel...relief...I feel...like I finally succeeded...everything I've ever done...was not for nothing...I...feel...happy." Raina smiled, tears flowing out of her eyes. Not tears of sadness, tears of joy.
"Yeah i kinda know that feel.
Being put through countless challenges, challengers, all while trying to earn someones affection, and in the end finally succeding, knowing everything i went through wasnt for nothing.
Its quite a feeling, isnt it?" Omalley asked
"...Yes. I managed to achieve Cadence's dream. Now all the Guardians, Universes...except 1 but the Society and Jasmine will take care of that. Everyone else will now understand each other thanks to being a part of Epilogue, me saving Omalley Fall helped give Slyfer a better purpose in life...and I met the legendary Guardian of Universe 11...Happiness doesn't describe what I'm feeling right now." Raina said.
Omalley just looked at Raina. And then he nodded.
"Its not much but considering everything you have done, im pretty sure you deserve this." Omalley said as he did his bow to her aswell. The thunder roaring in the background, you couldnt really feel the power like you could with Xan, but Omalleys was more mental then it was physical. You could feel he meant it if anything.
He then got back up to his feet. "Twice in one day, thats a new record." Omalley noted.
Raina simply smiled.
"Thank you...I suppose we should be off now...but before we go...I have to send a message to a certain friend. Even if he might be busy right now." Raina said.
Omalley nodded
Raina closed her eyes before she reopened them, they were glowing pink.
Somewhere, wherever Slyfer was, he heard Raina's voice in his head.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting whatever you are doing. Even if you are now the guardian of a person who will get close to you eventually...I will always watch over you when you will be facing the challenges that are yet to come. I'm sure you might be wondering why. It's because you are my friend. And that's what friends do. I hope we get to see each other again one day...Slyfer."
Raina ended the message.
Suddenly, a bell tolled. it was clear slyfer got the message.
But for some reason. A video image appeared infront of Raina, it seemed like it was from Slyfer, but also the archive.
It was blank, with the word *PLAY* on its center
Omalley went besides her to see it. He then raised an eyebrow.
"I think he wants to show you something." Omalley said
Raina simply clicked the play button.
It was static for a few seconds but afterwards a dark room could be seen, a single light shineing down through a grey fog, and a familiar figure would be seen standing in the center. The fog went away and the figure was revealed.
It was Omalley Fall.
"Dear Raina, aswell as Slyfer.
Here soon, i will meet my end, it is a fate i have come to accept. But i wanted to leave you with a final message, a message that Slyfer will have inside his mind, it will one day unlock for you to see.
I wanted to say thank you, for giving me a chance to do one good thing in this world before my end, i wanted to thank you for giving my mega form a purpose. And thank you for just being who you are.
I started the C.F.P.W.P propject in order to help those with powers, but i never could have known the future that would end up happening. Universe 13 is a large unknown in its origin, its planets and life, and i will never know its wonders. But what i do know is in the end my sacrifices will be worth it, and i have you to thank for it all. I may never visit Universe 13, but Slyfer will, thats enough for me.
And to Slyfer. You will become a far better man then i ever could have, your destiny is to write your own legacy into this world, to become more then just another Omalley, to become something more, someone more.... No offence Omalley" Omalley Fall said
"None taken." Omalley Vixerello said.
"So for everything you have done, and everything you will become, both of you, i thank you.
Sincerely yours.
The former Director of Project C.F.P.W.P.
Omalley Fall."
The image video ended.
Raina simply smiled.
"...Thank you...my dear friend...I won't forget you." Raina said
She turned to Gateway
"Well, we should go now." Raina said.
"Alrighty amigos! here are your respective portals!" Gateway said as a portal opened beside Omalley and oen beside Raina.
"Well Raina, it was nice meeting you." Omalley said as he went through his portal and it closed behind him.
"Well amigo i guess i better go too!" Gateway said.
Raina nodded as she went into the portal.
Back on Earth.
Raina was in the church, as she was looking at her Iron Maiden Vessel, now wrapped in chains.
"...Hopefully, I won't have to use this ever again." Raina said
Raina turned around and sat on the floor, closing her eyes.
She was now in her Realm of Evolution, her eyes were glowing white.
"...Cadence...I need to talk to you...one more time." Raina said, using Rafael's power.
Cadence's spirit appeared in front of Raina.
Raina's eyes stopped glowing as she looked at her deceased caretaker.
"...Hello." Raina said.
"...It's been awhile...Raina." Cadence smiled.
Raina nodded.
"...I...wanted to summon you sooner...but I got busy." Raina said.
"That's alright. What did you want to talk to me about?" Cadence asked.
"...I did it. I managed to fulfill your dreams. I helped the worlds to unite by doing my part. Epilogue appeared." Raina said.
Cadence smiled.
"...I see...thank you, Raina. For continuing my work." Cadence said.
"It's been a long painful journey...but I never gave up. I even saved someone from their own pain...and now, he found a new person to protect." Raina said.
"I'm proud of you, Raina. Your parents would be happy about the mark you left on this world." Cadence said.
"...I know...One day, I'll use Rafael's ability to talk to them...for the first time." Raina said.
Cadence nodded.
"...You know, back when Thanatos attacked...I...din't regret sacrificing my life to save you. Asriel, Rafael, Jacob and Haley were honored that you used their powers and continued our work for a better world." Cadence said.
"...I met Xan...he...was amazing. He is exactly as you described him to me." Raina said.
"Xan is a great man...though, he is quite shy when it comes to crowds. The moment when we first saw him after the war, he flew away." Cadence said.
"...Huh...I suppose that's why he din't want to go into the Eternal Journey." Raina said
Raina looked at the floor.
"...Cadence." Raina started.
"What is it?" Cadence asked.
Raina looked at Cadence, with a large smile on her face before she hugged her.
"...Thank you...for everything." Raina said.
Cadence smiled as she hugged Raina back.
"...And thank you...for making my dream come true." Cadence said.
Cadence's spirit vanished.
Once she left, Raina's Evolution Realm changed.
The Twelve Earths were no longer visible and the entire Realm looked exactly like the flower field Raina was at before she went with Gateway to find Xan.
Raina looked around, smiling.
She sat down and laid against the ground.
After such a long journey, she managed to achieve her goal and now she can rest for a little while.
Before she goes to sleep, Raina decided to use the Gaze of Asriel to look into the future of the Society of Goodness.
It showed Nexus, Gustavo, June, Cerci, Mibyll, Vadon and Minerva meeting up with Jasmine, them being in Jasmine's city, in Universe 1, before the vision showed her 1's army, the Grand Council of 1 aswell as two people who din't appear before.
A old woman in a red wheelchair, along with a blonde girl in a black and white dress.
Raina's eyes stopped glowing pink and simply smiled in response.
Whatever challenge was waiting for the group in Universe 1, she knew they will be able to handle it and help Jasmine with redeeming Universe 1.
Raina closed her eyes before she slowly fell asleep.
The End
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Post by Master Psychic on Apr 9, 2018 15:48:16 GMT
Universe 3: Haru and Shina, Guardians of Kodama
Part 1
Somewhere,
In the realm of Erebus.
Which was now a wasteland as a result of the climatic fight between him, his forces against the heroes from Universe 3.
Remains of shadow minions were laying all over the battlefield.
The sky itself was just as dark as his own domain.
There were two kids who were sitting around a campfire.
One kid had short black hair with blue eyes, wearing some dirty white clothes while the other had short orange hair with black eyes, wearing red dirty clothes as he was glaring at the fire.
The black haired kid's stomach was growling and puts his hand on it.
"...We have to find some food before we starve to death." The black haired kid said.
"What we need is to get out of this dump. There should be some soldiers left who din't die." The orange haired kid said.
"...I doubt they will show up anytime soon." The black haired kid sighed.
"Eretapia din't die. Once she turns back into herself, she will come back to pick us up." The orange haired kid said.
"Probably...assuming she actually turns back into herself." The black haired kid said.
"Tch. This is all Omega's fault. He is responsible for this. If he din't kill Erebus, we wouldn't be here right now." The orange haired kid said.
"...Isn't that a good thing though? We are now our own selves." The black haired kid said.
"We are incomplete, you idiot. This isn't a good thing at all. And it won't matter anyways if we starve to death or Omega, Slyfer or whatever his name is shows up to kill us off. After all, he wouldn't risk destroying any chance of Erebus being revived again." The orange haired kid said.
"Personally, I see this as a chance for us to redeem ourselves for what Erebus did. Maybe we should take the opportunity to fight for mankind or-" The black haired kid said.
"Mankind would see us as threats that need to be disposed, like they did with the Omnipotents. Do you want them to lock us up in a prison dimension for eternity, or use us as test subjects?" The orange haired kid asked.
"Why would they do that, though? We technically haven't done anything to them." The black haired kid said.
"Humans aren't that simple, you know. They will hate us and want to destroy us for what Erebus did. And that's what Omega will do once he finds us, he will destroy us without a second thought." The orange haired kid said.
"...I don't think he is that heartless to kill off two kids who were just born." The black haired kid said.
"Two kids who were born from his worst enemy. And he would do it in a heartbeat if it meant that his little Lynch will stay safe. That's all he cares about." The orange haired kid said.
"...But still..." The black haired kid said.
"Look, just shut up and let's get some sleep." The orange haired kid said, as he laid on his back.
The black haired kid sighed in response.
The kid turned his head around...and spotted someone in the distance.
The black haired kid looked surprised before he turned to the kid next to him.
"Hey, there is a person there in the distance." The black haired kid said.
The other kid immediately got up.
"What? Who? Is it one of Erebus's guys?" The orange haired kid asked.
"...I don't think so. It doesn't look like one of Erebus's minions. And he is coming towards us." The black haired kid said.
"...It's probably Omega. He is here to kill us." The orange haired kid frowned.
The black haired kid din't look sure about that as he continued looking at the mystery person who was coming towards them.
As he was getting closer, the kids were able to see his appearance more clearer now.
He was a man, with short purple hair, black eyes, wearing blue glasses, a blue buttoned up shirt with a red bowtie, wearing a lab coat with blue pants.
He clearly did not look familiar to the two kids.
"...I don't recognize this guy." The black haired kid said.
"Whoever he is, we can't trust him. He could be an assassin, sent here by someone who knows what we exist." The orange haired kid said.
"...We should try to hear him out before we do anything else." The black haired kid said.
The orange haired kid was still on his guard as the person now approached them.
"...Um, hello." The man said.
"...Hello." The black haired kid responded.
"Who the hell are you? And what do you want?" The orange haired kid asked, starting right off with questions.
"...Oh...I'm...Jason Lithium...I'm not from around here...and...I'm here to help." Jason said.
"...Help?" The black haired kid asked.
"Yeah. We found out about you two and know of your situation...and we decided that it would be best to get you two somewhere safe where you won't starve to death or get killed by someone with a grudge." Jason said.
"Who's this 'We'?" The orange haired kid asked.
"...That's...me and my colleague. We are part of this large group, you see...and....our job is to help unfortunate people out...people like you and your brother here, you see." Jason said.
"...Suuure, you want to help us, riiiight...you think we are that stupid? You were obviously sent here by Omega, the Omnipotents, Unigard or whoever to finish us off. We ain't buying this crap." The orange haired kid said.
"..If he wanted to kill us, he would of done it already." The black haired kid sighed to the other kid.
"Don't tell me you actually believe him? This could be a trap, for fuck sake!" The orange haired kid said.
Jason just stared at the orange haired kid before he looked at his own hand which was shaking uncontrollably for some reason.
"...Look. I know you just met me and you have no reason to trust me...but what's the alternative? Stay here in this wasteland and die? And right after you were born?" Jason asked.
"...He has a point. Plus, it's not like anyone else is gonna come by to pick us up. We are probably gonna die if we keep this up. His offer could help us survive." The black haired kid said.
The orange haired kid began thinking about that before he looked at Jason.
"...You are not pulling our legs here, are you? Cause if you do...you will regret the day you met us." The orange haired kid threatened.
"I-I can assure you that I'm not. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Just come with me and I will take you to a better place. You just have to trust me on this." Jason said.
"...He doesn't really seem that bad. We should probably do this." The black haired kid said.
"....Fiiine." The orange haired kid sighed.
Jason smiled in response.
"Good. You two won't regret this at all...Oh, by the way...I don't know you're names exactly." Jason said.
The two kids looked at each other, both of them were silent.
The two turned back to Jason.
"....We...don't actually have names." Black haired kid said.
"...You...don't have names?" Jason asked.
"No, we don't." The orange haired kid said.
Jason put his hand on his chin, looking at the two.
"....Hm...okay how about this." Jason said.
Jason looked at the black haired kid.
"Ryo." Jason said.
He looked at the orange haired kid.
"And Zen. These will be your names." Jason said.
"...Ryo sounds nice. I like it." Ryo said.
"...Better than being called mud, I guess. Fine. Now let's go already before I change my mind." Zen said.
Jason nodded before he pulled out a device from his pocket and pressed a button.
The device activated a portal.
Jason gestured at Ryo and Zen to follow him as he went through the portal.
Ryo and Zen looked at each other before they followed Jason.
The three appeared in Newrum State City. Right in the middle of the night.
"...I remember this city." Ryo said.
"...You live here?" Zen asked Jason.
"No. I live in a Universe far away from this one, actually. I figured it would be better if you two stay here." Jason said.
Jason pulled out two stacks of money, handing them to Ryo and Zen.
"You can use the money to buy yourselves a house or an apartment in some building, get yourselves some clothes, food and water." Jason said.
"...Um, thanks." Ryo said, putting the money in his pocket.
Zen begrudgingly accepted the money and simply kept in his hand.
"...Oh, I almost forgot." Jason said.
Jason pulled out a phone and a note, handing the two to Zen.
"...What are these for?" Zen asked.
"In case you two will need help from us again, you'll have a way to contact us." Jason said.
"Okay...thanks for helping us, Jason." Ryo said.
"Anytime." Jason nodded.
Jason looked at Ryo and Zen.
"...Well...I'm not sure if we'll meet again but...take care of yourselves." Jason said.
Jason went through the portal he opened and it closed.
"See, I told you we could trust him." Ryo smiled.
"Hmph." Zen simply said.
He read the note Jason gave him.
'I know who you are are. And I'm certain about what you are gonna do next. If you are looking for powerful genetically made soldiers, we have what you need. But you need to do a few tasks for us first before you can claim your prize. My phone number is listed in your phone's contacts. Call me and we can discuss.'
-LVK11
"...I guess so." Zen said.
He puts the note and phone in his pocket before he looked at Ryo.
"Let's find ourselves a place to stay, then find some clean clothes and food. And stay out of Omega's radar for now." Zen said.
"Sounds good. Let's go." Ryo smiled.
Zen nodded as he and Ryo walked away.
However, what they din't know was that a silhouette with blonde hair was watching them from a rooftop, his blue cold eyes directed right at the two.
"...The guardian failed to finish the job...Oh well, atleast our opportunity to exact our revenge isn't lost yet atleast. Once we have all the pieces...The siege on their world can begin." The silhouette said.
The silhouette then vanished from sight.
As he left, the moon itself was now red for some odd reason.
Many years later.
August 10th, 2053
It was night, with the moon in the sky.
Outside the city of Strathmore.
There were two strangers who were on top of a hill, with a unconscious old person on the ground who was severely injured.
One person was wearing a black cloak that covered his body, with a hood that was hiding his face. He was wearing a black glove that was covering his left hand.
And the other was a 17 year old, with purple eyes, shoulder length silver hair, wearing a white tanktop with a black fur lined jacket, black pants and was holding a bloody scythe. He was sitting on the ground.
"Phew! This old bastard was more tougher than he looks. Here I thought he was gonna be a easy target." The 17 year old said, wipping the sweat off his forehead.
"He has the power to manipulate anything that's related to Nature. While not exactly a Omnipotent, his power is remarkable. His capture will make your God happy." The cloaked person said.
"Yup. Lord Jashin will be grateful with our success." The 17 year old grinned.
"The symbol should appear any time now, correct?" The cloaked man asked.
When he said that, a red symbol appeared on the tree. It glew blue and it turned to a portal.
"Right on schedule." The 17 year old said, picking up the old man as he walked through the portal.
The cloaked man entered through the portal next.
They appeared inside a church.
There were three people in the church room.
A brown-skinned man with brown hair and red eyes, wearing a black coat with a green army uniform beneath it.
A man dressed as a priest, short spiky hair, wearing glasses and a Five O'clock shadow.
And a woman with long black hair, wearing glasses, black vest with a black shirt underneath the vest and black pants.
"Well, did you do it?" The brown-skinned man asked.
"We retrieved our target." The cloaked man said.
The 17 year old dropped the old man on the floor.
At that moment, a door opened and the same silhouette from before was standing there, holding a green gun.
"Good work, Kumori and Joseph. We now have the soul to complete the fourth weapon." The silhouette said, as he was holding the green gun.
The cloaked man, Kumori, stepped forward.
"I have done what you have asked. When are you gonna give me my reward?" Kumori asked.
"All in due time. We still need three more before the revival can begin." The silhouette said.
The old man was levitated off the ground and flew towards the silhouette.
"Though, chances are, with our next target...we might not even need the last two." The silhouette said.
"Huh? What do you mean, Jebediah?" Joseph asked.
"According to Jehovah, there is a person who lives in that village that's near Newrum State City, who has the powers of the 12 Omnipotents." Jebediah said.
"The guy has the powers of those heathens? Well, I'll be looking forward to this." Joseph said.
"And also, the man with the Omnipotents powers...he is also the son of the one who was responsible for your village's destruction...Kumori." Jebediah said.
Kumori looked upwards when he heard that and his smile was visible.
"I see...Then I'll handle this mission...personally." Kumori said.
A red eye was visible from his hood.
"Once I'll get him, you will give me what I deserve." Kumori said.
"Of course. However, Joseph will assist you as always. I want you to bring him back here alive, not dead. If he is dead, we won't be able to extract his soul. Got it?" Jebediah asked.
"...Very well." Kumori said.
"Heh, don't worry Jebediah. Kumori won't kill this guy and destroy his only hope that keeps him alive, right?" Joseph asked, looking at Kumori.
Kumori turned to Joseph.
"Keep talking...and you will die in his place." Kumori said.
"Ah, there you go again with your death threats. Honestly, you're getting predictable." Joseph said.
"Enough bickering. Your next place will be Kodama. Once you capture our next target, bring him back here. When that's done, the revival can begin." Jebediah said.
Kumori nodded as he turned around.
"Let's go." Kumori said.
Joseph rolled his eyes as he followed Kumori, walking out of the church.
"...Are we sure we can rely on Kumori? His hunger for revenge may ruin our chance at reviving Lord Jashin. We can't lose this one." The brown-skinned man, Jehovah, said.
"Aye. Kumori is powerful, but if he values vengeance over the mission, then keeping him around is not worth it." The man dressed as a priest said.
"Do not worry, Christopher. Kumori is stubborn, but not foolish. The reason he is with us is because he needs us to bring back what he lost. He wouldn't risk it. We can trust him to do the right thing." Jebediah said.
"And once we get the soul of the person who has those 12 powers, Lord Jashin will be more powerful than he was before he died." The woman smiled.
"Then, our crusade can begin." Jehovah said.
"And those who will dare to stand in our way and protect those horned bastards, may Lord Jashin have mercy on their damned souls. Amen." Christopher grinned.
In the next day.
In the Kodama village.
It was just as quiet and peaceful as it was a few years ago.
Akarusa stepped down from leadership and let Ryo become the leader of the village while Angel was busy raising their two children, Haru and Shina. Hikari left the village, wanting to find out more about the Omnipotents.
In Ryo and Angel's house.
Angel was currently cooking some eggs with bacon. Her hair now braided and wrapped in a ponytail and wearing a sleeveless red dress.
She finished the food and placed the food on two empty plates on the table.
"Kids, your breakfast is ready! Don't forget to wash your hands!" Angel announced.
"Sweet!" A young voice said.
A 11 year old boy with slick black hair, black eyes, wearing a red hoodie with black shorts and sandals marched downstairs, almost tripping but din't fall off the stairs.
He jumped and landed on his chair, grabbing his fork and began eating.
Angel turned around, looking at Haru.
"Where is your sister, Haru?" Angel asked
"Dweeb is in her room, trying to put on her kimono." Haru said, while eating.
"Haru, stop calling your sister that." Angel said.
"But she is a dweeb, mom. It takes her literally 30 minutes to put on a stupid kimono." Haru said.
"It takes time to put on a Kimono, Haru. It's not that easy. Now, stop teasing your sister or you'll get grounded and you won't get to play soccer with your friends today." Angel said.
"...Fine." Haru sighed, before he continued eating his bacon.
Eventually, Shina walked downstairs aswell. She had black hair wrapped in two pigtails, black eyes and was wearing a blue kimono with sandals...with her sash placed backwards.
"Sorry for being late, mommy." Shina smiled.
Angel looked at Shina's Kimono.
"...Shina, your sash is backwards." Angel sighed.
Shina looked at her sash, frowning.
"Ah." Shina sighed.
Haru just snickered in response.
Angel gave her son a stern look before she walked up to Shina.
"Here, let me." Angel said, as she adjusted Shina's sash
Her sash was now placed in the front.
"There you go, honey." Angel smiled.
Shina still looked embarrassed with herself.
"Don't worry, you'll get it right, one day. Now, eat your breakfast." Angel said.
"Okay." Shina frowned.
Shina sat on her chair and grabbed her fork, eating her bacon a bit slowly.
She looked at a chair that no one was sitting at.
"...Daddy's at work?" Shina asked.
"Yes, he is. As we speak, he is probably buried under a lot of paperwork." Angel said.
"Sounds pretty boring." Haru said.
"It is, but it's a lot better than getting attacked by demons or aliens atleast." Angel shrugged.
"Fighting demons and aliens is a lot more cooler than writing some stupid papers." Haru said.
"...When is Daddy gonna get a break?" Shina asked.
"I don't know. Usually, during the holidays. And the next holiday is in October." Angel said.
"...That's two months away. I wish he could spend more time with us." Shina frowned.
"I'm sure your father wants the same thing, Shina. But he can't neglect his own duty as a leader either. When he has free time, we can spend it together. As a family." Angel smiled.
"Can we go to Water Park? I want to ride on those cool water slides!" Haru grinned.
"Maybe. We'll have to decide when your comes back home, tonight." Angel said.
"Sweet!" Shina smiled.
When she looked at her plate, she noticed that three slices of bacon were missing and she din't eat them yet.
She looked at Haru who burped.
"...That was my bacon." Shina said, glaring at him.
"Not my fault you talk too much instead of eating." Haru shrugged.
"I wish I never had a twin brother." Shina sighed.
"And I wish I had a sister who wasn't such a klutz who can't even tie her own sash without's mom help." Haru said.
Angel put her hand on her forehead.
"I wish you kids would actually get along for once and not fight." Angel said.
Someone then knocked on the door.
Angel got up and walked up to the door, opening it.
It was Akarusa and Nozomi. The two have aged a bit since the last time they were seen.
"Ah, mom, dad. Welcome." Angel smiled.
"Hi, Angel." Nozomi said.
"So, where are our little grandchildren?" Akarusa asked.
"Literally right here, granddad." Haru smiled, walking up to him.
"Hi grandpa, grandma! Do you like my kimono?" Shina asked.
"It looks wonderful on you, Shina. I brought you a present." Nozomi smiled.
"A present? What is it?" Shina asked.
Nozomi gave her a little princess doll.
"It's a Princess Kaguya doll. I hope you like it." Nozomi said.
"Hey, what about me? I want a present too." Haru frowned.
"Heh, I got that covered." Akarusa said.
Akarusa pulled out a little wooden sword and handed it to Haru.
"...A wooden sword?" Haru asked.
"You always did tell me that you like swords, because of how cool and sharp they are." Akarusa said.
"Yeah, but I would of preferred a real one, though." Haru frowned.
"Once you're older, I'll give you my own sword. And I'll teach you how to use it." Akarusa said.
Haru grinned with enthuasism at that.
"Cool! Hey, can tell you us more about that war story? You know, the one with you two and Nikko fighting those jerks from the Amaya village?" Haru asked.
Akarusa and Nozomi looked at each other, a bit reluctant.
"...Well...not much to say really. Besides, you are too young to hear a story that involves a gruesome war...and it's painful to think about that again." Nozomi said.
"Yeah, what your grandmother said." Akarusa said.
"...Really? But you guys surely did some cool stuff during the war, right?" Haru asked.
"Well, I did defeat Amaya's leader single-handedly. I'd say that counts." Akarusa said.
"I took out atleast 50 soldiers on my own by using my chains. They din't call me the 'Silver Chain' for nothing, you know." Nozomi smiled.
"...Mm, I guess." Haru said, crossing his arms, looking disappointed.
"I'll make some tea while you two are here. Kids, you can go outside and play. But be back before 10 O'clock." Angel said.
"Okay." Haru and Shina nodded.
Haru and Shina ran outside while Angel closed the door.
"Those twins grew up so fast. Hard to believe they were just babies a few years ago." Nozomi said.
"Me and Ryo are very proud of them...I just wish they would be able to get along with each other." Angel said.
"Siblings always fight with each other. These two are no different. When they become adults, they will learn to respect each other." Akarusa said.
"I hope so." Angel said.
Outside.
Haru and Shina were walking in the middle.
Haru was fiddling with his wooden sword while Shina was looking at her own feet while she was walking.
"...So..." Shina started.
"Is it me or are our grandparents hiding something from us?" Haru asked.
"What makes you think that?" Shina asked.
"They din't really tell us that much about their own life. They don't even tell us about the war against the other village." Haru said.
"Well, who would want to remember a war, dummy? Our grandparents went through a lot." Shina said.
"Maybe, but don't you think if they would tell us what happened, it would help cope with their past or something like that?" Haru asked.
"...I guess..." Shina said.
Haru was waving his sword around, smirking.
"Ha, when I grow older, I'm gonna own a real sword and kick a lot of villain butts." Haru said.
"It's more likely they'll kick your butt than you kicking their's." Shina giggled.
"Who asked you?" Haru asked, glaring at Shina.
"I'm just teasing you, dummy. Besides, nothing has happened here ever since we were born." Shina said.
"That's the problem. Nothing exciting ever happens here. I wish I could be able to do all the cool stuff dad, grandpa, uncle Hikari and that Omalley guy did when they were superheroes. Like fighting weird enemies like that masked Spy guy, or evil powerful dudes like Erebus, or even fight against those aliens who blew up our Earth! Our parents and our uncle fought against a Space Hitler with a nightmare face! I on the other hand...I just have a wooden sword and din't get to fight any cool enemies at all." Haru sighed.
"I'm not a fan of danger period so, count me out of this superhero stuff." Shina said.
"That's because you are a wuss." Haru said.
"No, I'm no-" Shina said.
Shina then bumped into a woman with long black hair, green eyes and wearing a pink robe carrying a basket full of apples and was knocked on the floor.
"Oof!" Shina said.
"Ah, excuse me. Shina, was it?" The female adult asked, holding her hand out for Shina.
Shina rubbed her head but nodded as she grabbed the woman's hand and got pulled up.
"Man, you are clumsy, Shin." Haru laughed.
"S-Shut up!" Shina said.
She turned back to the woman, recognizing her.
"...Ah, good morning, Miss Kuro." Shina said.
"Please, call me Hana. You are not hurt, are you?" Hana asked.
"No. But thank you for asking." Shina said.
"What are you doing with so many apples?" Haru asked Hana, looking at her basket.
"Oh, these are for all the homeless people who are staying inside the church." Hana answered.
"You are running a homeless people protection program?" Haru asked.
"Hm, something like that. My husband was against it but these people are just like us and deserve our attention." Hana said.
"That's very nice of you, miss Hana." Shina smiled.
"I guess." Haru shrugged.
"Would you two like to come with me?" Hana asked.
"Sure." Shina said.
"We don't have anything to do so...yeah." Haru shrugged.
Hana nodded as she began walking, with the twins following her.
"How are you parents doing?" Hana asked.
"Dad's at work and mom's talking with our grandparents. They bought us some cool gifts." Haru said.
"Do you have a son or daughter, miss Hana?" Shina asked.
"No, I don't. Well, not yet. I'm trying to convince my husband but he is as stubborn as a mule. Having a child is a blessing for every family out there. I would be happy to have a child." Hana said.
"A boy or a girl?" Haru asked.
"I honestly don't mind. Either one is okay with me." Hana said.
Eventually, they arrived at the church.
Hana opened the door and entered inside.
There were about 10 or 11 homeless people in the building, some were sleeping on the floor while others were praying.
Haru and Shina peered their heads inside the church.
"...Huh." Haru said.
Hana walked up to each person, handing them a apple. She walked up to a homeless person who looked familiar. He was bald, had a white beard, wearing a dirty blue robe and was holding a piece of bread.
"Here you go." Hana said, handing the apple to the person.
"T-Thank you. You're too kind." The old man said.
"I'm just glad to help." Hana smiled.
"...Hey, isn't that the rich guy who kept hitting on our grandma? The one dad told us about?" Haru asked.
"...Yoku? What's he doing here?" Shina asked.
"Yoku lost most of his money at a casino. I found him sitting next to our house, drinking his sorrows away. I decided to bring him here and help him get back on his feet." Hana said.
"...Yeah, but, he was kind of a jerk to dad and grandpa. If you ask me, he deserves it." Haru said.
"Everyone deserves a second chance in life, Haru. Even if they are rude jerks. Forgiviness and mercy are what separate us from the brutal savages, by being merciful to them and giving them a new chance, they'll learn from their mistakes and turn a new leaf on their lives. Not all people will be able to do that mind you, but it's better than exacting vendetta's on those who we hate. That's what the Good Lord taught us to do." Hana said.
"...I din't know you were a religious person, miss Hana." Shina said.
"Hah, well, I used to be a nun, before I met the Kuro clan and married Ryu...of course, his village got attacked by another group of assassins and we fled. With Amaya village gone, we came here to Kodama and your father welcomed us with open arms, even if we were complete strangers." Hana said.
"Well, dad does have a soft spot for random strangers who mean well I guess. He told us that some stranger saved him and his brother from starving to death and brought them to Newrum." Haru said.
"Hm, I see. You know, Ryu's village was close to a shrine dedicated to the founder of this village. Kodama himself." Hana said.
"Why would Kodama's shrine be in a place that's far away from his own village?" Shina asked.
"From what I remember, Kaguya's old castle was placed there before she moved to this land. The castle is nothing but a old ruin but the shrine is still intact even after today. There is a plaque that reveals some stuff about Kodama that not even the people of this village know about." Hana said.
"...Hm, that sounds...cool." Haru said, looking interesting all of the sudden.
"It does. But shrine is too far from where we are right now. It took me and Ryu weeks to reach Kodama." Hana said.
'Huh. That's a shame. Would of been nice to see it." Shina said.
"I'm sure you'll get your chances once you grow older. Well, I have more people to attend to. I don't want to take more of your day, little ones." Hana smiled.
"That's okay." Haru said.
"Bye, miss Hana!" Shina waved.
"Be good to your parents and listen to them well." Hana said.
Haru and Shina walked out of the church.
"Miss Hana is really a nice person. I hope she will have a child." Shina said.
"...Hm, yeah..." Haru said, he was thinking.
"...What's wrong?" Shina asked.
"...I'm thinking about that Kodama shrine...it sounds pretty neat if you ask me...all we know about this Kodama guy is that he was Kaguya's bodyguard, then died and the princess renamed this land after him. And that's it, nothing else." Haru said.
"That's what the teachers told us. But from what miss Hana said, the shrine is very far away from here. And dad is too busy to take us to a field trip." Shina said.
Haru then smirked, having a idea.
"...Yeah...but we have ways to get there without walking or a car." Haru said.
"Huh?" Shina asked, tilting her head.
"Din't our uncle tell us that he is friends with some girl who has a powerful computer that can transport crap from the past and the future here? And even send people to areas that no one can reach?" Haru asked.
"....Um yeah, I think it was called...Para...Paradax computer, I think." Shina said.
"It's Paradox, dumb-dumb. We can ask Fawn to take us to Kodama's shrine!" Haru said.
"...I...don't know. Mom would freak out if she doesn't find us here and will ground us big time if she finds out that we left the village without her permission." Shina said.
"Eh, what mom doesn't know won't hurt her. Come on, this is our opportunity to do something not boring for once! We can learn something cool about this Kodama guy!" Haru said.
"...But what if there are bears near that place? Or wolves?" Shina asked.
"...Sister, we have our mom and dad's genes in us, I'm sure we inherited their fighting skills and we could take down those animals by ourselves. Heck, we have freaking Omalley as our godfather. We'll be fine." Haru said.
"...I don't know..." Shina said.
"If you want to be a coward and stay here, fine. But I'm checking that place out, one way or another." Haru said.
"...Alright, I'm going with you. Because I'm not a coward, okay?...And I'm a bit curious about the place too." Shina said.
Haru smiled.
"I knew you couldn't resist." Haru said.
He grabbed onto Shina's sleeve.
"Now let's go!" Haru said.
He ran off, dragging Shina with him, going to Fawn's house.
As they were running in the woods, Kumori and Joseph were sitting on top of a tree, looking at the two.
"Where the hell are those demon shits going to?" Joseph asked.
"Who knows...would be interesting to see what they are up to." Kumori said.
"We're here for the guy with multiple Omnipotent powers, not demon brats." Joseph said.
"If those two are related to him, then it's likely he will be there aswell." Kumori said.
"Hm, since when were you psychic, Kumori?" Joseph asked.
"I'm not...but I have a special sense that no one else has. And it never guided me wrong." Kumori said.
"Ah, fine magic sense man, we'll do it your way. For now." Joseph said.
Eventually, Haru and Shina were in front of Fawn's house.
Haru rapidly knocked on the door and wasn't stopping till someone opened it.
The door opened on it's own.
And Nogra was standing there, looking at the two.
"Oh, you two. Haru and Shina, was it?" Nogra asked.
"Yup, that's us." Haru said.
"We are here to see Fawn." Shina said.
"...Hm, I'm afraid that's not possible right now." Nogra said.
"Why not?" Haru asked.
"...Follow me." Nogra sighed, as he ran upstairs.
Haru and Shina looked at each other before they follow Nogra.
They entered in Fawn's room...and she was laying on her bed, sleeping. Of course.
"...Ah, man, she is sleeping." Haru frowned.
"Yup. And you won't be able to wake her up anytime soon. She's likely talking to someone right now." Nogra said.
"Who?" Shina asked.
"A friend of her's." Nogra said.
Suddenly, Fawn raised her head up, opening her eyes.
"TOWNSVILLE'S IN TROUBLE AGAIN!" Fawn yelled out.
....And she fell asleep again.
"....That was weird." Shina said.
"You'll get used to it." Nogra sighed.
"...Kay, but we need her computer thingy to get to a special place." Haru said.
"Can't you ask your parents to do that? Or, ask Omalley's friend, Gateway?" Nogra asked.
"Our parents are too busy to take us to Kodama's shrine." Haru said.
"...And Gateway...I unno, he kinda weirds me out to be honest. With him being a talking orb that says stuff that doesn't make any sense...how can he even talk when he is just a orb?" Shina asked.
"...I can use the computer myself, but I can also turn into a portal so...I send you to where the Shrine is. Plus, I have nothing else to do anyways." Nogra said.
"Thanks Doggy-Doo. Now let's go!" Haru smiled.
"...Call me that again and you are not going anywhere, young man." Nogra said.
Nogra turned into a portal.
Haru ran through it while Shina simply walked through it.
The twins arrived in a barren forest, that had no signs of anyone being here for quite awhile.
The two looked around.
"Hey, do you see any shrine in here?" Haru asked.
"We just got here. We din't get sent right in front of the shrine." Shina said.
"Then let's look for it." Haru said, walking ahead of Shina.
Shina looked a bit nervous as she began walking, looking around for any wolves, bears or other dangerous animals.
The two continued walking for awhile till Haru was able to see something from the distance.
"...Hm, I think I can see something from here. Come on sis!" Haru said, running towards it.
Shina sighed as she followed Haru.
They arrived in front of the shrine.
There were plenty of plants surrounding the Shrine, it was colored green and it looked untouched for quite awhile.
"...We found the shrine." Haru grinned.
"...What's with these plants?" Shina asked.
"Hana did say that this place was built like during Kaguya's time. It makes sense that there would be a crap ton of plants surrounding this place." Haru said.
"I guess..." Shina said.
Shina looked behind the shrine and saw the old castle in the distance. Like Hana said, it was now a pile of ruin.
"...There's the old castle." Shina said.
Haru din't seem to care for that as he entered inside the Shrine.
Shina sighed as she entered in the Shrine inside.
As they were now inside, they found themselves in a green hallway.
Haru just continued walking forward and Shina followed.
As they were walking in the hallway, they walked past two portraits on left and right.
One portrait featured a man with shoulder length black hair that covered his left eye, wearing a armor and black cape. It was Kodama.
And the other portrait featured a woman wearing a green Hakana, a robe that is a lighter shade over it. Her green hair pulled back to the very back of the head, where it plumes out in a giant ponytail with flowers coming out of it.
Shina looked at the two portraits.
"...That man is Kodama...but who is that woman?" Shina asked.
"I unno...maybe it was Kaguya?" Haru guessed.
"...Kaguya's hair is not green." Shina corrected.
"Then she was his girlfriend or something, who cares? Let's go." Haru said, continuing his walk.
Shina continued looking at the portraits before she followed Haru once again.
They arrived at the end of the hallway and entered in a massive room.
The room itself was colored black instead of green.
There was a altar in the middle of the room, surrounded by many candles, with a statue of Kodama placed on the altar itself, with vines attached to the statue. Kodama statue had it's hands out, with what appeared to be fire on his left hand and a ball of water on his right hand.
There was a plaque on the altar with words on it, but it was hard to read since it was covered in vines.
"...Wow." Haru said, looking at the altar.
"...Huh." Shina said.
Haru immediately rushed over to the altar and Shina just walked towards it.
Haru was looking at Kodama's statue, looking at the fire and water he was holding.
"...He is holding fire and water. Sis, Kodama had powers too!" Haru said.
"...Our grandpa can control fire and water too. And those Omnipotents can control fire and water...atleast two of them." Shina said.
Shina then looked at the plaque.
"...There's something written on that plaque." Shina said, pointing at it.
Haru looked at the plaque and ripped the vines off so they could be able to read it.
Once the vines were off, it was now clear to read it.
The two crouched down and began reading the plaque.
'Hizashi Kodama, a man came from a well respected family who were officers of the law from one of the 100 forgotten Kingdoms. When the Kingdoms fell and 12 unique cities were born, the Kodama family stayed in the City of Evolution and were chosen by the Goddess of Evolution, Terra, to be the City's Special Police force, protecting it like they were the guardians of that city. Hizashi was blessed by the Goddess with the elements of Fire, Water and Earth while he inherited the Metal element from the God of Balance and the Wood element from the 6th child of the Goddess of Fortune. When the 12 majestic cities fell, Kodama fled in this Universe and became aquinted with Princess Kaguya, and became her main bodyguard. During a long battle against Kaguya's enemies, Hizashi destroyed them all but at the cost of his own life. Before he died, he transferred his five elements into the Princess so they wouldn't die along with him. The Princess, in honor of his sacrifice, built this shrine and then named the land she was in charge after his family name, which would eventually turn into a village. Kaguya spread Kodama's elements before she died and majority only obtained three of his elements, those being Fire, Water and Earth while only a few had all five elements or a few inherited the Metal and Wood elements. That, is the story of Hizashi Kodama.'
"...That...kinda explains how Nikko and grandpa got those five elements. It was from Kaguya, she inherited Kodama's elements." Shina said.
"...Wow." Haru said, looking surprised.
"...The Goddess of Evolution...Terra...it must be that woman from that portrait we saw...was she a Omnipotent?" Shina asked.
"Gods of Balance and Fortune are mentioned here too. I guess there were some old Omnipotents before these ones." Haru said.
"...But, what about these 100 Forgotten Kingdoms and those 12 cities? I never heard of these places before." Shina said.
"Who honestly cares? All that matters is that we know how these elements are a thing. Kodama protected his own city aswell as the Princess. Our village exists as a result of his sacrifice...The guy was a hero." Haru said, looking a bit sad.
"...You think he was a guardian? Like Omalley is?" Shina asked.
"...Maybe. If he is, he is way lot cooler. Man, I knew coming here was worth it!" Haru grinned.
"...Well, now we know about Kodama...and why our village was named after him." Shina said.
"I can't wait to tell this to mom, dad and grandpa about this! Come on, sis!" Haru said, running out of the room.
Shina got up.
"Hey, wait up!" Shina yelled, running after Haru.
Shina accidently stepped on her kimono and she fell, hitting the floor.
Haru immediately stopped running and turned to Shina.
"Sis!" Haru said.
He ran up to Shina.
"Hey, are you alright?" Haru asked.
Shina slowly got up. Her left knee was bruised up from the fall and it was bleeding slightly.
Shina was now holding onto her knee and was visibly crying, feeling pain from the fall.
"It-It hurts!" Shina cried.
"...Ah, man...mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me." Haru muttered.
Haru looked around, as if to see if someone was nearby before he looked at Shina.
"...Uh, hey, stop crying, okay? And...just get on my back. I'll give you a piggyback." Haru said.
Shina, while crying, looked surprised.
"...R-really?" Shina asked.
"Sure. Now, get on my back." Haru said.
Shina slowly walked up to Haru and got on his back.
"...Thanks, Haru." Shina said.
"Don't mention it." Haru said.
Haru looked at the Kodama statue one last time before he walked out of the room while carrying Shina on his back.
The two walked out of the Shrine and.
"Din't expect to see you two here of all places. Your mom is gonna be worried if she doesn't find you two back in the village." A familiar voice said.
Haru and Shina looked surprised as they saw a man wearing a white cloak, standing in front of them. He had shoulder length black hair and looked quite similar to Akarusa.
It was Hikari.
"Uncle Hikari!" Haru said.
"Hey, you two. Haven't seen you two in awhile. The last time I saw you, it was when you were three years old. Years go pretty fast, don't they?" Hikari asked.
"...It's...cool to see you too, uncle." Haru smiled.
Shina got off Haru and ran to Hikari, hugging him.
"Aw, hey Shina...what happened to your knee?" Hikari asked.
"...I fell on the floor...I'm such a clumsy idiot." Shina muttered.
Hikari puts his hand on her hand.
"When I was your age, I tripped over a lot of stuff. So, trust me, between you and me, you are a lot more careful than I was. Don't worry about it." Hikari said.
"What are you doing here, uncle? Mom told us that you left the village when we were five years old." Haru said.
"Well, After exploring the world for quite a few years, I decided to revisit my family and some old friends. I went to Fawn's house and Nogra told me that you two were here. So, why are you two here of all places?" Hikari asked.
"After being bored to death in the village, we wanted to have a adventure and find out more about Kodama and where those elements came from. He was a awesome guy, uncle! Did you know that he inherited the five elements that grandpa has from some Terra chick?" Haru asked.
"...Actually, I din't." Hikari said, looking at the Shrine.
"There is a plaque on his altar that told us about all of this." Shina said.
"Huh, I see...we should probably go back home, your parents will be worried if they won't see you there." Hikari said.
"Aw, but we want to explore this place a bit more! Can we please stay here for a bit longer, pretty please?" Haru asked.
Hikari looked at Haru before he looked at Shina.
"...We should patch up her knee though." Hikari said.
"...I...I can handle the pain...don't worry about me, uncle." Shina said.
"Heh, alright. Well, I'm kinda interested in this place too now that I think about it. Alright, we'll stay here a bit longer, but we'll come back home before sunset, okay?" Hikari asked.
"YAY!" Haru cheered.
Shina smiled in response.
"So, where is this altar at?" Hikari asked.
"It's inside! Follow me." Haru said, running in the shrine.
Shina held Hikari's hand as the two walked in the shrine.
While they were inside, they were being spied on by Kumori and Joseph, who were hiding behind a tree.
"Huh, looks like you were right, Kumori. He did show up." Joseph said.
"...So, that's his son, huh? Hm...how ironic, that he would have the elements of the Omnipotent of Evolution. I wonder if it was Fate...or it was just blind luck." Kumori said.
"...You know something about this Kodama nonsense?" Joseph asked.
"Perhaps, I might." Kumori said.
Kumori looked at the ground and spotted a white flower.
He picked up the flower, holding it in his hand gloved hand.
"...Kodama, a man who believed in Justice, he protected his city, like how a sheppard would protect his herd of sheep. He gave up his own life, so the princess could live and built a village and name it after him, to honor him..." Kumori said.
Kumori then crushed the flower he was holding, clenching it in a fist.
"Hm, it's a shame they abused his elements for their own selfish purposes. It's almost sad...and infuriating." Kumori said, with a hint of anger in his voice.
He dropped the flower's remains on the ground.
He turned his cloaked head to Joseph.
"Your Lord Jashin should surely know all of this, correct? The Omnipotent of Evolution, the Kingdoms and the cities?" Kumori asked.
Joseph just spat on the ground.
"Even if he did, who honestly cares? Omnipotents are a bunch of posers who are getting high off their own powers and think they are tough shit. These fools are nothing to Lord Jashin, all that matters is their elements anyways. Now, let's attack them while we have the chance." Joseph said.
"No, not right now." Kumori said.
"Huh, why not?" Joseph asked.
"Because I say so, that's why. We'll deal with them tomorrow. Have patience. Your Lord will get what he wants, as long as I get what I want too." Kumori said.
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, man, all of us will get what we want once we capture this Omnipotent wannabe and let Lord Jashin use his powers more wisely, like putting an end to the demon scourge, once and for all." Joseph said.
"...I could really care less about your God's wishes and what he plans to do, honestly. Once I get what I need, your organization won't serve my purposes anymore." Kumori said.
He began walking away.
"Heh, you say that now. But remember, if it wasn't for us, you wouldn't even be alive right now, Kum. Try to remember that." Joseph smiled, as he followed Kumori.
Sometime later, it was getting dark.
Hikari, Haru and Shina were now back in Kodama, walking down the street, going towards Ryo and Angel's house.
"Well, that was quite a trip." Hikari said.
"So, are you gonna leave, uncle?" Haru asked.
"Hm, I think I'm gonna stay here for a few days to catch up with everyone and hit the road again." Hikari said.
"Dad should be back home by now. We should ask him if he can spend some time with us. And you can join us too, uncle Hikari." Shina smiled.
"Maybe. It depends if your father has the time." Hikari said.
"He probably won't." Haru shrugged.
They arrived in front of the twin's house.
Hikari knocked on the door.
Angel opened it and looked surprised.
"Hikari?" Angel asked.
"Hey, sis. I just came back to town and reunited with my favorite nephew and niece." Hikari said, gesturing at Haru and Shina.
"Oh, I see. Well, it's good to see you again. It's been far too long." Angel said, moving out of the way so Hikari, Haru and Shina can enter in the house.
Ryo was inside the house, sitting on the chair, with longer black hair, now wearing a white robe but still wearing his old yellow scarf and looked at the three.
"Huh, this is a surprise. Din't expect to see you back in town. Where have you been?" Ryo asked Hikari.
"Eh, been here and there, discovering some new stuff about the world, the usual stuff. Good to see you've been doing well with your kids, brother-in-law." Hikari said.
"Well, my wife has been taking care of them for the most part. I've been kinda busy as of late." Ryo said.
"I can tell. Good thing I din't stick around to be the leader. Must be pretty damn exhausting." Hikari said.
"It is, but it's better than the old job back at that restaurant in Newrum at least." Ryo said.
"Eh, true that." Hikari shrugged.
"Hi, daddy!" Shina grinned, running up to Ryo and hugging him.
"Hi, Shina." Ryo smiled.
He then noticed the bruise on her knee.
"...What happened to your knee?" Ryo asked.
"I tripped on the ground and bruised it." Shina frowned.
"...Hm, well, let's take care of it right now." Ryo said.
He lifted Shina, putting her on his arm.
"Let's go." Ryo said, as he went upstairs with Shina.
Angel just smiled at the two before she turned to Hikari and Haru.
"I guess the reason why you and your sister din't come back home early is because you had some long catching up to do with your uncle, right?" Angel asked.
"Yeah, something like that." Haru smiled.
"I imagine you are pretty tired from your long journey. I just made dinner." Angel said.
"Nah, no thanks. I'm gonna stay in this village for a few days and I'm gonna resume my journey." Hikari said.
"Hm, if you say so. Though, you should visit mom and dad. They haven't seen you for years." Angel said.
"Don't worry, I will." Hikari nodded, before turning to Haru.
"Plus, I want spend most of my time with Haru and Shina, isn't that right?" Hikari asked Haru.
"Sure!" Haru smiled.
"That's good to hear. Well, the chicken should be done by now." Angel said, as she walked back into the kitchen.
Haru looked at Hikari.
"Hey, uncle, can we go back to the Shrine and check it out one last time tomorrow? Just one more time, that's all I'm asking." Haru whispered.
"Sure. In fact, I'll bring Aqua with me. I'm sure she wants to know about the discovery you two made. But we should tell your parents first." Hikari said.
"Sweet." Haru smiled.
Meanwhile, upstairs.
Ryo and Shina were in Shina's room.
Ryo was bandanging Shina's knee while she was sitting on her bed.
"Alright, that should take care of that. Be careful next time, okay?" Ryo asked.
"I will...hey...daddy." Shina said.
"What is it?" Ryo asked.
"....Uncle Zen...why is he not with us?" Shina asked.
Ryo visibly frowned when he heard that question.
"...Zen...well...when Venus went on a rampage, in order to take him down, he...sacrificed himself. In a way, he saved the humans that he hated the most." Ryo said.
"Why did he hate humans?" Shina asked.
"...For a lot of reasons, but the main reason being that he found humans despicable. He even despised the humans he worked for to get the genetic materials he needed." Ryo said.
"Did he actually like any humans?" Shina asked.
"...Well, there was this girl who lived in the same building as us. He and she used to be together for awhile...but everything went sour when another guy got involved and well...that just helped motivate Zen into going forward with his plans, you see." Ryo sighed.
"What was her name?" Shina asked.
"...I think her name was Lisa. And the guy she fell in love with was Peter. But, it doesn't matter now. In a way, I was more luckier than Zen when I met Angel. If only he met someone who was like Angel too...maybe he would reconsidered what he was doing." Ryo sighed.
"...I'm sorry for asking that." Shina frowned.
"Don't worry, it was right of you to ask that question. You needed to know after all. There's no harm in asking questions that you want a answer to. If you need to know anything, you can always ask me and your mother." Ryo smiled said.
"...Okay, I will do that." Shina smiled.
"That's my girl. Now, let's go downstairs." Ryo said.
"...Before that...dad...do you think you could get a break from work and...spend some time with us, together as a family?" Shina asked.
"...What would you want us to do as a family?" Ryo asked.
"Maybe go to a amusement park? We could go there to have a good time. All four of us, me, you, mom, Haru and maybe uncle Hikari if he wants to join us. Come on, dad, please." Shina said.
Ryo sighed, closing his eyes before he opened them, looking at Shina with sadness.
"...I really want that, Shina...but I can't. I'm just too busy right now. I don't think we can do it now." Ryo said.
"...Oh...okay." Shina sighed, looking disappointed.
"...But, atleast you can spend some time with your uncle before he leaves again. That's good too, right?" Ryo asked.
"....I guess." Shina shrugged.
"I'm sorry, Shina. But once October comes, I will have free time. And we can spend our time as a family then. What do you say?" Ryo asked
"...Sure." Shina said.
Ryo smiled as he ruffled her hair a bit before he walked out of the room.
Shina frowned to herself before she laid on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.
"...I don't want to wait two months...I want you here, daddy...I want to spend time with you, mommy and Haru together as a family..." Shina said, crying in her pillow.
Eventually, after dinner was done, Hikari walked out of the house while Ryo and Angel waved him at him and he waved back at them.
Haru was looking at Hikari from the window before he moved away from it and sat on his bed, placing his hands around the back of his head.
"...All this time I thought Kodama was just some random guy...but he was a protector till the end...Hm." Haru said.
He looked at the wooden sword that was placed on the table.
Haru got off the bed and picked up his wooden sword.
"...Maybe...when I'll grow up, I can be like Kodama, and protect this place and everyone else like he did. Heh, I can just imagine it, Haru, the guardian of Kodama. Ha, Shina would be jealous." Haru smirked.
Haru placed the wooden sword back on the table.
"...I should ask uncle Hikari about all this Omnipotent stuff. It sounds pretty interesting. Wonder how much he knows about this Omnipotent of Evolution and those kingdoms." Haru said.
In the next day, at morning.
Hikari walked up to the house and knocked on the door.
"Morning, Hikari." Angel said.
"Morning. So, are the kids ready?" Hikari asked.
"Yeah. Be sure to keep them safe while you guys are going to Kodama's shrine again. And also, don't let Shina get herself injured again." Angel said.
"Don't worry, she won't be." Hikari said.
Angel smiled before she turned to the twins.
"Kids, your uncle is here!" Angel said.
Haru and Shina ran up to Hikari.
"We're ready, uncle!" Haru said.
"Cool. Let's go." Hikari said.
Haru and Shina walked out of the house.
"Remember, listen to what your uncle says and do not go far from him!" Angel said.
"Yes, mom." Haru sighed.
"Bye, mom!" Shina waved.
Angel waved back at Shina before she closed the door.
"...So, how will we get to the Shrine without a portal? It's pretty far from here." Haru said.
"Well, we can use this." Hikari smirked.
He held out his hand and suddenly, he, Haru and Shina were lifted off the ground and were floating above the village.
"Wow, you can fly, uncle?" Shina asked.
"Nah, this is a simple matter of manipulating wind. That's all." Hikari said.
"Cool. Let's go." Haru said.
Hikari and the twins were sent flying by the wind's blow.
It cuts to the barren forest.
Aqua, now wearing a short-sleeved blue buttoned up shirt with black pants, a longer ponytail and was fiddling with a leaf as she was sitting on a big rock.
She turned her head to the sky as she saw Hikari and the twins flying in the air.
"Took him long enough." Aqua said, getting up.
Hikari, Haru and Shina landed in front of Aqua.
"That was so cool! Let's do it again!" Haru cheered.
"No." Shina said.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Aqua." Hikari said.
"It's fine. So, they are the twins, right?" Aqua asked.
"Yup. This is Haru and that's Shina." Hikari said.
Aqua crouched down, smiling at the two.
"Hi there. I'm Aqua." Aqua said.
"...Um, hi." Shina said, looking nervous.
"Sup." Haru waved.
"Aqua and I were friends since childhood. She is the daughter of the Omnipotents of wind and water." Hikari said.
"...Huh. So...this means you two are a couple?" Haru asked.
"Haru!" Shina said.
"What?" Haru asked.
"Ha, Hikari wishes. But we're just friends. Hikari told me some interesting stuff about the Shrine and thought it would be worthwhile to check it out while getting to know you two a lot better." Aqua said.
"That's fair." Shina said.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Haru said, running ahead.
"The boy sure has a lot of energy in him." Hikari smiled as he walked right after Haru.
Aqua and Shina walked after them.
Aqua looked at Shina as they were walking.
"You and your brother must be pretty close, no?" Aqua asked.
"...He annoys me sometimes...but when he is not a jerk, he actually takes care of me. Like when I hit my knee and he carried me." Shina said.
"That's nice to hear. I never actually had a sibling. Technically, my dad had a daughter before I was born...but she died by the time I came around." Aqua said.
"...Oh...that's sad." Shina frowned.
"Yeah. But, on the plus time, my parents are more happier now than they were before." Aqua said.
"...So, what is your life as a Omnipotent like?" Shina asked.
"Hm, I'm not doing anything unique at the moment. I'm currently at College. I'm planning on becoming a Aquatic Veterinarian, I have a soft spot for the creatures of the Sea, you see." Aqua said.
"That's pretty sweet. What are your parents doing?" Shina asked.
"My parents are 'retired' to put it at best. Garflec is with Ethan now, Putgerr is still making songs, Ceygas is back in England...haven't heard word of Raluag and Glexlam though." Aqua said.
Shina just nodded, accepting that.
Hikari and Haru were walking next to each other.
"...Hey, uncle...why did you leave the village in the first place?" Haru asked.
"....I want to learn more about Omnipotents and their elements. Fuzen was responsible for me having the elements, but I don't know how he managed to accomplish that. He is not a Omnipotent. And with the existence of other Omnipotents from other worlds like Hastur, Gekez and Gafust, there must be plenty of them in other worlds aswell. I want to find out where the elements came from and why Omnipotents actually exist." Hikari said.
"Hm, sounds like a complicated journey. Did you find out anything useful?" Haru asked.
"Well, during these years, I learned that there might be 12 worlds out there, each with their own set of Omnis. Which would explain that random Earth covered in snow that we discovered when our Earth blew up and Hastur arrived." Hikari said.
"Yeah, mom and dad told me about that Earth. The one with the freaky ghosts on it and that psycho kid." Haru said.
"Yup, that's the one. Never actually fought the psycho, Omalley, Lynch and Axel did." Hikari said.
"Having Omnipotent powers must be pretty awesome, right uncle?" Haru asked.
"...They can be awesome...but at the same time, they are a burden. These powers do end up attracting some people who would do anything to get their hands on it, even hurting those who I care about. I always have to keep an eye for guys who want these elements for themselves. Also part of the reason why I decided to leave the village, so my parents, my sister, Ryo and you guys wouldn't have to be put in danger because of my powers." Hikari said.
"Oh, I see...that must suck." Haru sighed.
"Yeah...but, on one hand, if I din't have these powers...I wouldn't be here right now. It's kind of a mixed bag, to put it at best." Hikari said.
"...I wish I had powers like your's." Haru said.
"Maybe you will. You will probably unlock your dad's power of light, or maybe have your mom's beast form. One day, we could fight alongside each other, side by side. Wouldn't that sound fun?" Hikari asked.
"...Yeah, it would." Haru smiled.
Hikari nodded...before he suddenly stopped walking.
"...Uncle?" Haru asked, as he stopped walking aswell.
Hikari looked forward.
"...I feel something funny...it's sort of a dark feeling...Someone is here." Hikari said.
"...Are you sure?" Haru said, as he looked ahead.
"...Yeah, definitely sure. Haru, stay close to me." Hikari said.
Haru looked confused but he did so.
Aqua and Shina stopped walking aswell as they looked at Hikari and Haru, with Shina holding Aqua's hand very tightly, looking nervous.
At that moment.
A scythe flew right towards Hikari.
Hikari stood still as the wind blew the scythe backwards, going towards the direction it came from. The scythe hit a tree and remained stuck in it.
"Okay, I know you are here. Show yourselves." Hikari said.
Kumori and Joseph jumped from a tree and landed on their feet.
Joseph pulled the scythe out of the tree as he turned to Hikari.
"Guess you aren't as dumb as we figured you are. That's good, cause I've been looking for a good fight." Joseph grinned.
Shina hid behind Aqua who looked confused.
Hikari glared at the two while Haru raised an eyebrow.
"...Who are you clowns?" Haru asked.
"I'm Joseph. And this is my partner, Kumori. And we are here for you, Hikari Kouki." Joseph said.
Kumori was looking at Hikari. Despite his face hidden by his hood, he was staring at him intently.
"...That man...he scares me." Shina said, shivering behind Aqua.
"...You want my elements, don't you? And I guess you two aren't alone. You are working together for someone else?" Hikari asked.
"You're asking too many questions that won't need any answers to, since you are gonna die anyways. All you need to know is that we are a organization that hides under the shade of the sun and come out when the moon is full. The only ones who know about our existence is our victims who are destined to be sacrificed for a great cause." Joseph said.
He aimed the scythe at Hikari.
"And your sacrifice will satisfy our powerful true God, Lord Jashin!" Joseph said.
"...Jashin?" Aqua asked.
"...He sounds like a typical cartoon villain God from that Anime I was watching a few days ago." Haru said, looking quite indifferent to Joseph's taunts.
Shina, however, was pale as a sheet, breathing heavily.
Aqua turned to Shina.
"...Stay close. Don't get near those guys." Aqua said.
"I don't know who this Jashin is, but it's gonna take more than a scythe to take me down. Those with Omnipotents powers don't go down that easily without a fight. And if you guys dare to touch these kids or my friend, then you'll answer to me." Hikari said.
The sword of fire appeared in Hikari's hands, as he aimed it at the two.
"So, bring it!" Hikari said.
"Hm, you have a death wish, don't you?" Joseph asked.
"Let me handle this." Kumori said.
"Nah, I got this, Kumori. This guy is all bark, no bite." Joseph said.
Joseph swinged his scythe at Hikari.
"Let's dance!" Joseph yelled, as he charged towards Hikari.
"Aqua, get the kids far away from the battle!" Hikari said.
Aqua nodded, pulling Haru and Shina away from the fight that just began.
Joseph launched his scythe at Hikari's neck, which was easily blocked by his fire sword.
Joseph moved the scythe away and attempted to stab his leg.
Hikari blocked that aswell before he kicked Joseph in the face and attempted to stab Joseph in the chest.
Joseph avoided the stab before he quickly stabbed Hikari's shoulder.
Hikari felt that before he aimed his hand at Joseph and sent him flying off. He pulled the scythe out of his shoulder and launched at it Joseph.
Joseph grabbed hold of the scythe before he landed back on the ground and jumped right behind Hikari.
Hikari quickly turned around and the branches of a tree next to Joseph came to life and grabbed his scythe, pulling it from his hands.
"What the shit!?" Joseph asked.
Hikari then hit him with a beam of fire, knocking Joseph on the ground.
The fire ended up burning Joseph's fur on his jacket and had a burn mark on his chest but despite that, he was able to get up.
He ran towards the tree and pulled the scythe out of it's branches.
Hikari clicked his fingers and many tree branches were flying right towards Joseph, intending to stab him.
Joseph launched some red slash waves at the branches, cutting through them.
The waves kept going and were flying towards Hikari.
Two of the slashes hit Hikari's arms, injuring him slightly.
He used the wind to sent the slashes flying right back at Joseph.
Joseph easily redirected the waves back at Hikari by aiming his scythe at him.
Hikari launched some lightning bolts that pierce through the slash waves and were going right towards Joseph.
Three lightning bolts struck Joseph's chest before he used the scythe to deflect the next lightning bolts, sending them flying.
One lightning bolt hits a tree that Kumori was standing next to.
Lighting struck from the sky, going towards Joseph.
Joseph deflected the lightning right back at Hikari.
Hikari dodged the lightning before he used the wind to send Joseph flying and he ended up smashing through many trees.
"Ha, look at that sis, our uncle is kicking this jerk's butt!" Haru grinned.
Shina looked too scared to even cheer for Hikari.
Aqua just looked at Kumori.
"...I'm more worried about that guy, to be honest." Aqua said.
Joseph smashed his back against a tree, which looked pretty painful but despite that, he jumped off the tree and smashed his boot against Hikari's face, knocking him on the ground.
Joseph then launched some bigger slash waves at Hikari, each of them sending Hikari flying off the ground and he hits a tree.
His cloak had tears all and has slash marks on his body.
Hikari slowly got up and looked at Joseph who charged right towards him once more.
He then quickly got an idea and used a different element this time.
Joseph kicked Hikari against a tree, putting his foot next to his chest to keep him there as he aimed his scythe at the sky.
"Any last words to say before I hit your skull with this scythe?" Joseph asked.
Hikari smirked at Joseph.
"What scythe? You don't have a scythe." Hikari said.
Joseph raised an eyebrow.
"The fuck are you talking about, I'm literally holding a scythe in my..." Joseph said.
What he was holding was...nothing.
In reality, Hikari used his illusion element to make it look like Joseph wasn't holding his scythe, but he was still holding it, he just couldn't see it.
"What the? Where did my scythe go?" Joseph asked, accidently dropping the Scythe as he was looking around for it.
Hikari then yelled out a pretty loud scream that sent Joseph flying from him.
A pillar made out of stone bursted out of the ground, hitting Joseph and sent him flying in the sky.
Hikari clenched his fists and a large beam of lightning and fire engulfed Joseph while he was in the air.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Joseph yelled out.
Joseph crashed on the ground, making a small crater in it, as he was now covered in fire and his clothes and hair charged with electricity.
"Yeeeah! Take that you stupid cult freak! No one messes with our family! Uncle Hikari is the best!" Haru cheered.
"...His partner hasn't fought him yet, though." Shina said, hiding behind Aqua.
"...Yeah." Aqua said, with her eyes on Kumori.
"So? I bet he is just as weak as that scythe guy." Haru shrugged.
Hikari looked at the presumably dead Joseph before he turned to Kumori.
Joseph opened his eyes and got out of the crater, putting out the fire, still having that sick smile of his.
"I can see why Lord Jashin picked you. Your elements will make him more mightier than before." Joseph said.
"...How are you even alive after that?" Hikari asked.
"Simple:I have high tolerance to pain." Joseph said, cracking his neck.
Joseph picked up the scythe.
"That was just a warmup. It's time for round 2-" Joseph said.
Kumori suddenly appeared in front of Joseph, just like that.
Hikari looked surprised, With just a blink of an eye, Kumori was now in front of Joseph.
"Huh, what's the problem?" Joseph asked.
"You had your fun." Kumori said.
He turned to Hikari.
"Now it's my turn." Kumori said.
"Hold on, I'm not even finished with him yet. I haven't used the-GAH!"
Kumori's gloved hand was now attached to Joseph's neck, lifting him off the ground.
"I said you're done. Now we'll do this my way." Kumori said.
Kumori then smashed Joseph against the ground, making another crater in it.
Hikari and Aqua's eyes widened, taken back by his strength, even Haru looked surprised.
"...Dude just smashed his own partner against the ground, just like that..." Haru said, looking a bit intimidated.
Shina looked pretty scared now.
Joseph was laying in the crater, with a annoyed expression on his face.
"...You could of just asked politely, you know. Fine, you can have your fucking turn." Joseph said.
Kumori then turned his attention to Hikari.
Hikari was on his guard, holding his fire sword.
"...Hikari...you are Haraguroi's son, aren't you?" Kumori asked.
Hikari looked confused.
"...Wait, what? You know my dad?" Hikari asked.
"...Who the hell is Haraguroi?" Haru asked.
"...I think he is talking about grandpa..." Shina mutterd.
"...Of course I know him. He destroyed my own village, din't he?" Kumori asked.
"...Your village?...You are from the Amaya village?" Hikari asked.
Kumori placed his ungloved hand on his cloak's hood.
"...I am the former protector of that village...the one who failed everyone...who survived the bloodshed...I am Kumori." Kumori said.
Kumori removed the hood, exposing his face.
He had pale skin, he was bald, with scars all over his face and head, his left eye was purple while the other eye was pitch black with a red pupil.
"The Guardian of Darkness, who now lives with only one purpose in life. To reclaim what I lost. And also..." Kumori said.
He pointed at Hikari.
"To get revenge on the son of the murderer who killed the people I protected and cared for." Kumori said.
"...A guardian? So you're like Omalley and Nogra...but why me?" Hikari asked.
"...Your father destroyed what I cared about...and now I'll return the favor...by destroying the one that he loves the most...his son." Kumori said.
Kumori pulled his glove off, his left hand was black pitch, like it was made out of darkness.
Kumori clenched his fist as he punched the ground, making a shockwave that knocked Hikari back, knocking him on the ground.
The shockwave knocked Aqua, Haru and Shina on their knees.
"...I...actually felt that...his power is...wow." Aqua said, sweating.
"...I'm...I'm sure he can still win this. He is a guardian with a single power. That's nothing compared to 12 elements." Haru said.
"...Uncle Hikari...is gonna get hurt..." Shina said.
Joseph got out of the crater.
"Finish this quick, Kumori. We can't risk this guy to run off and get his other friends involved." Joseph said.
When Hikari attempted to get up, Kumori appeared right in front of him and punched him in the chest, sending him flying through a tree, ripping it in half.
Hikari was knocked on the ground, with his hand on his chest, coughing up blood.
"...It's like his hand is made out of concrete...what is this guy?" Hikari asked.
Kumori jumped from the air and was descending right towards Hikari.
Hikari quickly got out of the way and Kumori landed on the ground, making a crater in it before he quickly turned to Hikari.
He stretched out his black left arm and it grabbed Hikari by his throat, pulling him right towards Kumori.
Hikari shot a beam of fire at Kumori.
Kumori quickly dodged the beam as Hikari was getting closer to him.
Hikari used the fire sword to cut the arm off, releasing him.
He pulled the arm off his neck and threw it on the ground.
The hand dispersed into a black goop that flew back into Kumori's socket, forming back into his left hand.
His left hand morphed into a black axe as he charged very fast at Hikari.
Hikari shot lightning bolts at Kumori.
Kumori's right eye was glowing as he quickly dodged every lightning bolt and slashed Hikari's chest with the axe.
Hikari's eyes widened as he used the wind to pull the axe out of his chest and sent Kumori away from him.
"H-How were you able to dodge those!?" Hikari asked.
"I'm following my own senses. None of your Omnipotent element can do that, now can they, Hikari?" Kumori asked.
Kumori smashed the ground with his left fist. While it was still in the ground, his arm split off in ten smaller arms that were spreading in the ground till they were beneath Hikari's feet.
The arms bursted out of the ground. One hand grabbed Hikari's neck while the other hands began stabbing Hikari's body with their claws, drawing blood.
"UNCLE HIKARI!" Shina yelled out.
Haru's eyes widened.
Aqua pulled out her trident and ran, only to be blocked off by Joseph, who aimed his scythe at her neck.
"Hey, two against one ain't a fair fight. If you get involved, then I will have no choice but to get involved aswell. Don't worry, if your friend is that powerful, surely he could beat Kumori, right?" Joseph asked, while smiling.
"Tch. You bastard." Aqua said, glaring at him.
Hikari used a sound blast to cause the arms to disperse as he was bleeding and put his hand on his own neck.
"...From what I know about guardians...if they lose someone they care about, they get weaker as a result...but this guy is strong as shit...how is he that strong?" Hikari asked.
Kumori was now in front of Hikari.
"I think the question you should be asking yourself." Kumori said.
He grabbed Hikari by his hair, lifting him off the ground and right to Kumori's face.
"If you're gonna live after today. And the answer is:you won't." Kumori said.
Kumori smashed Hikari against the ground once more before pulling him out and throwing him against a tree.
Hikari quickly launched a massive beam of fire, wind and lightning at Kumori.
Kumori held out his left hand and his palm opened up, revealing a small block hole that absorbed the large beam.
He clenched his fist and reopened his hand, Hikari's beam flying out of the black hole and hitting Hikari, destroying the tree he was pinned against aswell.
Hikari collapsed on the ground, looking injured but he slowly got up and looked at Kumori.
"...If this won't work...then nothing else will." Hikari said.
Hikari puts his hands together and a small ball appeared in his hands.
The ball turned larger and it was the size of a large sphere, powered up by the 12 elements.
Hikari launched the ball at Kumori.
Kumori used his hands to block the elemental sphere.
Hikari aimed his hands at the sphere, using the wind to push the sphere right into Kumori.
Kumori was still blocking the sphere with his hands as the ground he was standing on was cracking till his feet bursted through the ground while the sphere kept getting pushed.
"...Hey, that guy is struggling...that's good, right? Hikari might still have a chance here!" Haru said.
"Haha! You think that puny orb will be enough to take out Kumori? That ball is child's play for him." Joseph said.
"I think someone is being a bit of a sore loser." Haru said.
"...No...he is right...that guy is too strong..." Shina said.
Kumori's right eye flashed red as he shoved his hands on the sphere and began to push it back.
Hikari's eyes widened.
"No...no, freaking way!" Hikari yelled.
Kumori looked at Hikari and smiled.
"Hm. I will snuff your light out, Haraguroi's son. RIGHT NOW!" Kumori yelled out.
Kumori shot a dark beam from his hands that sent the orb flying.
Hikari quickly clicked his fingers and the elemental vanished before he could of gotten killed by that attack.
That said, that did not stop Kumori's beam that hits Hikari and knocked him on the ground. That was enough to finish off Hikari, as he wasn't able to get up now.
"It's over." Kumori said.
"..No...NO!" Haru yelled.
"Uncle Hikari!" Shina yelled.
Aqua tried to throw her trident at Kumori, then she got slashed in the knee by Joseph.
"What the hell did I just say about interfering! Your friend lost fair and square, now sit down!" Joseph said, kicking Aqua on the ground.
Kumori approached Hikari, looking down on him.
Hikari slowly got up, glaring at Kumori.
Joseph walked up to them, standing right next to Kumori.
"You put on a cool show, Omni. But as you see, my pal Kumori is one strong son of a bitch." Joseph smirked.
"You should be thankful that I'm not gonna kill you here. You will need to be alive in order to extract your soul, along with the elements." Kumori said.
"...Heh, well in that case." Hikari smiled.
The fire sword appeared in Hikari's hand and aimed it right at his own throat.
"How can you extract my elements if I take myself out, huh?" Hikari asked.
Aqua's eyes widened.
"H-Hikari!" Aqua said.
"...What does he mean by that?" Haru asked, looking a bit scared.
"...You're kidding right?" Joseph asked.
"Does it look like I'm kidding, asshole? You guys aren't the first ones who tried to attack me constantly for my elements. If this is the only way to prevent you jerkoffs from using these powers to harm many people, then so be it. You can't get any Omnipotent elements if I kill myself." Hikari said.
"...He is right. If he kills himself, then his duplicate elements will be gone. And we will have to hunt down the individual Omnipotents who are still around. Even then, there are only 7 elements left in this world." Kumori said.
"Tch. You don't have the guts!" Joseph said, calling out his bluff.
"...You think so?" Hikari said, putting the sword closer to his neck while looking at Aqua, giving her the look that tells her to run with the kids while she still can.
Aqua looked unsure but she nodded as she got up and turned to the kids.
"Kids, we have to go, now." Aqua said.
"What? No! If we do, then uncle Hikari will..." Haru said.
Kumori turned his head to the three. He looked at Aqua, Haru and Shina. He has an idea.
He turned to Joseph.
"Joseph. Get the little girl. Now." Kumori said.
Hikari's eyes widened.
"SHINA, RUN!" Aqua yelled out.
Shina immediately ran.
"Shina!" Haru yelled, going after her.
"Oh, no you won't!" Joseph said, running after them.
Aqua quickly got in front of Joseph, aiming her trident at his eye.
"You are dealing with me now!" Aqua said.
Kumori jumped over Joseph and Aqua and landed right in front of Shina and Haru, blocking their path.
Shina gasped, stumbling backwards
Haru, even if he was scared, put on a brave face and clenched his teeth, glaring at Kumori.
Kumori looked at the two, looking a bit hesitant.
"...I don't want to hurt any of you...but you will be necessary to prevent him from killing himself." Kumori said.
Kumori grabbed Shina by her hand.
"AH!" Shina screamed out.
"LET GO OFF HER YOU MONSTER!" Haru yelled, grabbing hold of Kumori's leg.
Kumori smacked Haru in the face, knocking him on the ground.
Shina was crying, struggling to break free from Kumori's grip
Kumori was staring at Shina with his right eye that was glowing black.
As Shina looked him in the eyes, she suddenly felt weird, like she couldn't see any light at all. It was getting darker...darker...and darker...
Shina closed her eyes and she hits the ground.
Kumori picked up Shina before showing her to Hikari.
"So? Still willing to take out your own life? Cause if you do, then this girl will join you." Kumori said.
"...No...Shina..." Hikari said, looking angry with himself for failing to keep her away from Kumori.
Hikari dropped the sword of fire on the ground and it vanished.
"...Alright. I'm coming with you guys...just...please don't hurt her, Haru and Aqua. Or anyone else. Please." Hikari said.
"...Hmph, I don't listen to sons of murderers...but I'll make this an exception." Kumori said, dropping Shina on the ground.
Kumori grabbed Hikari by his neck before he turned to Joseph.
"We got what we came for. Let's go." Kumori said.
Joseph looked at the unconscious Shina before grabbing her by her hair and pulling her up.
"...Hm, I think we should take this little demon shit with us too." Joseph said.
"She is not our target." Kumori said.
"No, but what's gonna stop this guy from trying to escape? If he causes a ruckus in our hideout, things will get messy. We should keep her as a bargaining chip, so he won't do anything that will result in the death of his little niece." Joseph smiled.
"...You...sons of bitches!" Hikari yelled out.
Kumori's hand tightened on Hikari's neck.
"...Very well. I know a place where we can stay at before we take him to the hideout. Let's go." Kumori said.
"Hm, sure." Joseph said, walking towards Kumori while holding Shina.
"STOP!" Aqua yelled, charging at Kumori and Joseph
Kumori kicked Aqua and she crashed into a tree, knocking it and her on the ground.
He looked at Hikari.
"Your friends will live. But you and your niece are coming with us." Kumori said.
Kumori and Joseph walked away with the captive Hikari and Shina.
Haru opened his eyes after being knocked out by Kumori and quickly looked around.
"...Uncle Hikari?...Shina?" Haru asked.
The only person he could see was Aqua, who was currently laying on the ground.
His eyes widened.
"...NO!" Haru yelled.
He angrily punched the ground.
"THOSE DAMN ASSHOLES! IF THEY DO SOMETHING TO THEM I'LL...I'LL!" Haru yelled out.
Tears were leaking out of Haru's eyes as he scratched the ground with his nails.
"...I'm sorry...Uncle...sis...I let you both down...mom and dad...they are gonna be...I'm gonna get you back..." Haru said.
Haru got up. He was still crying but both his eyes were filled with determination.
"...I don't care how powerful those guys...whoever touches my sister is dead...I will save you and uncle Hikari...and no one is gonna stop me...not even Death." Haru said.
To Be Continued
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Post by Master Psychic on Apr 10, 2018 17:52:22 GMT
Universe 3: Haru and Shina, Guardians of Kodama
Part 2
It cuts to Kodama.
Aqua and Haru arrived there and were walking towards the building Ryo was in, to tell him about Hikari and Shina.
The two of them looked pretty upset with themselves.
"...I just...can't believe how strong that Kumori guy was...the fact that he was able to take us all by himself is just...how are we gonna take out a guy like that?" Aqua asked.
Haru did not respond, as he just kept walking.
Aqua turned to Haru.
"...Are you okay?" Aqua asked.
"No, I'm not. My uncle and sister got taken...and I couldn't do anything about it." Haru said, clenching his fists.
Aqua put her hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's not your fault. I'm the daughter of two Omnipotents and not even I was able to stop that." Aqua said.
"But those two are part of my family! I easily got knocked out by that asswipe! I should of...I should of did more instead of being weak. If I was stronger...Hikari and Shina wouldn't of been taken." Haru sighed.
"...Don't worry, once we'll alert your dad, he'll know what to do. We'll figure out where those assholes escaped to and we will save them. Don't worry, I've known your uncle for years. And let me tell you, he won't let those cultists do anything to him or his niece. Hikari is strong, he will figure out a way to escape. And we will defeat those guys." Aqua said.
"...Yeah, you're right...I was such a jerk to Shina...and now with everything that happened...I should of been more nicer to her...if we manage to save them...I'll tell her I'm sorry...for being an asshole to her." Haru sighed.
Aqua just smiled at Haru.
"Siblings always forgive each other, Haru. I'm sure she'll accept your apology. But right now, we need to focus on saving them first. Next time we fight them, we will win." Aqua said.
Haru nodded at Aqua, still determined.
Both of them arrived in front of the building.
"...Dad's not gonna like the news at all." Haru sighed.
Meanwhile.
Kumori and Joseph were walking on a pathway, while the unconscious Shina was placed on Joseph's shoulder and Kumori was walking right behind a restrained Hikari who was glaring at the two.
"...If you try to do anything risky, your niece will pay the price." Kumori told Hikari.
"...And if you do anything to her, you and your partner will die by my hands." Hikari said.
"Oooh, aren't we being a little defiant, huh? Well, guess what, jackass. You are not in a position to do anything. If you want your niece to be alive, you'll do what we say, comprendre?" Joseph asked.
"...I have friends. And when they come here, you will regret it." Hikari said.
"We are already regretting talking to you right now. Oi, Kumori, how long till we get to this place?" Joseph asked.
"It won't be long now." Kumori said.
Joseph just looked at Kumori as he was staring at the back of Hikari's head.
"...You know, maybe you should let me watch over the Omni." Joseph said.
Kumori then stopped walking.
"...Why exactly?" Kumori asked.
"Well, you see pal-" Joseph said.
Kumori turned to Joseph, with a intimidating expression on his face.
"You dare take away my revenge...and I will take your head." Kumori said.
A sweat appeared on Joseph's forehead.
"...N-Nah, you got the wrong message, Kumo. I wasn't gonna kill him or anything. All I'm saying is that your emotions are running high now and...we don't want to piss off Lord Jashin if you get trigger happy...and well, kill the bastard and-" Joseph said.
"My emotions are perfectly calm right now. I suggest you keep your damn mouth shut. Or I will shut it for you." Kumori said.
Kumori then turned to Hikari.
"Keep walking." Kumori said.
Hikari glared but he continued walking and so did Kumori.
Joseph just looked annoyed.
"Tch, perfectly calm my ass." Joseph spat.
"I don't see you walking." Kumori said.
"Alright, alright! Geez!" Joseph yelled as he followed Kumori.
Hikari looked at the two before he looked forward, they appeared to have arrived at their destination.
They arrived at a village that looked abandoned for ages it seems.
It was heavily ruined and there were skeletons on the ground.
Judging by their clothes, they were villagers.
Hikari looked creeped out as he looked around.
"...This...this is." Hikari said.
"Amaya. My second home. A home that your father destroyed during the war." Kumori said.
"Wow, this place is a dump." Joseph said.
The moment Joseph felt Kumori's rage directed at him, Joseph did the gesture of zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key.
"...Jesus, dad..." Hikari sighed.
Kumori turned his head to a large black building that looked like a prison.
"You and your niece will stay there. Till the others show up to pick you up." Kumori said.
"...And what about Shina?" Hikari asked.
"That isn't your concern anymore. You will be dead anyways." Kumori said.
"It's my concern, asshole! She is my niece! You can't-" Hikari said.
Kumori grabbed Hikari by his throat.
"I could give two craps about her being your niece. Your father killed the people I cared about and he din't care. Why should I care about someone you care about?" Kumori asked.
"...If you do something to her...then you will be just as worst as my dad was when he was crazy like you are right now." Hikari said.
"...I am nothing like your father. Once I'm done with you, he will know the true definition of pain, the pain that I am suffering right now. Now, keep walking." Kumori said.
Hikari simply stared at Kumori before he kept walking towards the prison building.
Kumori looked at his right hand which appeared to be shaking.
He clenched his teeth before he continued walking.
Shina was slowly regaining consciousness as she opened her eyes, looking around.
"...Where...where am I?" Shina asked.
"Shut your mouth. I don't want to put up with you too, demon." Joseph said.
"...You are not being very nice, mister. And why are you calling me a demon?" Shina asked.
"Because you are a demon. You have that bastard Erebus's genes in you. That makes you a threat to Lord Jashin, aswell as to humanity aswell." Joseph said.
"...Erebus? But...I don't even know you...or this Jashin man...and where's my uncle, where is Haru? What did you do to them?" Shina asked.
"Your uncle won't be here on this planet for much longer. He will become a sacrifice, like the other four that we slayed." Joseph said.
"...That's...messed up! I won't let you do that!" Shina said.
"Ha! And what are you gonna do, kid? Your powerful uncle couldn't do anything to stop us. What makes you think you would have a chance?" Joseph asked.
Shina looked at the ground, frowning. He was right, even if she was able to do anything right now, she couldn't stop them at all. She wasn't a Omni or had all the 12 powers like Hikari did.
"...Mom, dad, Haru...please...save us." Shina said.
Back to Kodama.
Aqua and Haru told Ryo, Angel, Akarusa and Nozomi the news.
All of them gathered in Ryo and Angel's house.
Akarusa had a troubled look on his face, Nozomi looked shocked while Ryo and Angel looked very scared.
"...Shina...Hikari...God, why is this happening!?" Angel asked.
"...Shina...damnit, I should of been there!" Ryo said.
"I don't think you being there would of made much difference. That Kumori guy was very powerful. He took Hikari out like he was nothing." Aqua muttered.
"...Kumori...I din't expect him to be alive." Akarusa said.
"...You know that guy, grandpa?" Haru asked.
"....Yeah...he was the son of the leader of Amaya...I...actually I thought I killed back then...but now...he is back." Akarusa sighed.
"...Akarusa..." Nozomi said.
"...He called you Haraguroi...grandpa...what did you do to him?" Haru asked.
"...Long story short, the Amaya village declared war on us, mostly cause they were afraid of our elements and what we were capable of, especially when Fuzen was still running around. Don't know who actually told them about us but regardless, the war started and...your grandma died during the war which made me snap. I killed the leader, the soldiers, and then I made my way to Amaya...and I din't spare anyone...not even Kumori, who was supposedly the guardian of that village. Taking him down was easy since I destroyed the people he cared about..." Akarusa said.
"...So, are you saying that all of this is happening...is your fault? You are the reason why that asshole was after uncle Hikari and kidnapped him and Shina? Is that it!?" Haru asked, looking mad.
"...It's more complicated than that, Haru." Akarusa said.
"...Haru, your grandpa was in a dark place at that time. He just...stopped thinking straight entirely when I died...it's not his fault for Kumori's actions right now." Nozomi said.
"...Kumori is in the same darkness as I was...and he won't get out of it once he gets back what he lost...that's probably why he is working for this organization that wants Hikari." Akarusa said.
Haru still looked pissed.
"But still, thanks to what you did, we are in this crap right now. And if that Kumori bastard does something to my uncle and sister..." Haru said.
Akarusa puts his hand on his face, sighing.
"...It will be my fault...God." Akarusa said.
"...Kumori will be the one with blood on his hands, not you Akarusa. You can't blame yourself for his own doing." Nozomi said.
"But if I din't do what I did before...Hikari and Shina wouldn't of gotten taken." Akarusa sighed.
"...Thinking about the past is pointless. Instead of passing on the blame, we should be taking action. It doesn't matter who or what is responsible, Hikari and Shina still got taken regardless, and we have to save them while we still have the chance. We can't waste our time arguing like this." Ryo said.
"...We should get Omalley to help us. He is a guardian. He could be able to fight Kumori." Angel said.
"...This is our fight. It became our fight the moment they took Hikari and Shina away from us. We can't waste more time to get Omalley to help us. We are on our own right now." Ryo said.
He looked at Akarusa.
"You are not capable of fighting Kumori, but if there is anything that you know about him that could help us find Haru and Shina, please tell us. It could prove useful." Ryo said.
"...Knowing Kumori...he is probably at the ruins of Amaya. That's where he would take Hikari and Shina." Akarusa said.
"Do you know where Amaya is?" Aqua asked.
"I have a map. You can use it to take you there. It isn't that far off from Kodama." Akarusa said.
"Alright. I'll go to Amaya. I'll save Shina." Ryo said.
"I'm going with you." Aqua said.
"And I'm going too." Haru decided.
"No, you're not." Angel said.
"But mom, Shina is my sister and Hikari is uncle! I can't let them die!" Haru said.
"And you are 11 years old, you don't have any powers right now. I already fear about what's gonna happen to Shina if we don't make it there in time, and if you go there...and you both die...I...I don't want to see you two buried in one hole. Do you understand?" Angel asked.
"...When you were my age, when grandpa was in trouble and you were told not to do anything...would you have done that?" Haru asked.
Angel looked at Haru.
"...No...but still." Angel said.
"...I don't have any Omnipotent elements or I'm powerful as Omalley...but what good am I to Hikari and Shina if I stay here and don't do anything? I'm not planning on dying today. Me, dad and Aqua will save them and we will come back home together. You just have to trust me. That's all I'm asking." Haru said.
Angel sighed.
"...You are just as stubborn as me, I see...okay, you can go. But stay close to your father, okay?" Angel asked.
Haru nodded.
"I will. I'm gonna grab my weapon and we're off." Haru grinned, as he ran upstairs.
Ryo turned to Angel.
"...He is determined, I'll give him that." Ryo smiled.
"...I guess going with you is out of the question? We could both use the Fusion Evolution if things get complicated." Angel said.
"We could...but from what we know about these guys, using people to get what they want isn't below them, and I don't want to them to use you as a bargaining chip. And if there is a chance of any of us dying there, I don't want our kids to grow up without us, even if Omalley will take care of them in case something does happen to us." Ryo said.
"...Fair enough...but please...just...come back here alive, along with Hikari, Haru and Shina." Angel said.
"I will." Ryo nodded.
Haru came back downstairs, holding his wooden sword.
"Okay, I got the cool sword grandpa gave me. Now let's kick their asses and teach them what happens when they mess with us!" Haru said.
"I'll grab the map from my house. Wait for me outside." Akarusa said.
"Alright, but please hurry." Ryo said.
Akarusa got up and nodded as he walked out of the house.
"...They will need all the help they can get if these people are that powerful, especially with Kumori on their side...and I know two people who can help them now." Akarusa said.
Akarusa walked off, he wasn't going towards his house.
Back in Amaya.
In the prison building.
Hikari was currently in a prison block, in one of the cells.
His entire body was wrapped in chains and couldn't move a muscle in his cell.
"...This is just great." Hikari sighed.
Hikari heard some footsteps. When the footsteps stopped, he raised his head and saw Joseph.
"...Where is Shina?" Hikari asked.
"Your annoying niece just kept crying and crying when we tried to put her into her cell. I gave her a good smacking to get her to stop. Now she is sitting in her cell, behaving like a good little girl." Joseph smiled.
Hikari glared right into Joseph's soul.
"...What's gonna happen to Kumori is gonna be nothing compared to what's gonna happen to you." Hikari said.
"Talking shit is not gonna get you out of this cell. Besides, the others are gonna show up any time now and they will bring you to the hideout, so you can be sacrificed." Joseph said.
The sound of a portal being opened was heard from downstairs.
"See, what did I tell you? I suggest you pray to whatever God you worship while you are still alive. As for your demon niece, don't worry, we'll take good care of her." Joseph smirked.
Joseph then walked away, leaving the cell block.
"...Yeah, that ain't happening. I'm getting out of this shithole. And I'm gonna make those assholes pay." Hikari said.
The first thing Hikari did was make another Hikari appear right beside him.
It cuts to the second floor.
Shina was currently in her own cell, with a red bruise on her cheek.
She was wiping her own tears as she looked at Kumori, who was sitting on a chair not too far from her.
Kumori was looking at his own palms, sweating and shaking rapidly.
He clenched his fists, when he did so, he could feel the pain.
"...It-It won't be much longer now...once Hikari is dead...Jashin will bring them back...he will bring them back..." Kumori said.
Shina looked at Kumori.
"...Why...are you doing this? You said you are a guardian, right?...Guardians are supposed to protect people, not hurt them." Shina said.
"....The way you talk...is like you already know my story...when in fact, you don't know anything." Kumori said.
"...I don't, but...I can tell you don't want to hurt anyone...and you are in a lot of pain." Shina said.
"...You...you are just trying to make me feel better, but my pain is not for you to understand. It's a pain that only guardians experience, when they lose something they care about...and it drives them to insanity." Kumori said.
"...But you are not insane. You seem perfectly rational, you are talking like a normal person." Shina said.
"...That's because...there is something that keeps me going on right now...something that prevents me from going completely insane." Kumori said.
"...And what's that?" Shina asked.
"...Hope. Hope of reviving the people that I lost." Kumori said.
"...What did you lose? And why do you hate my grandpa and my uncle for it?" Shina asked.
Kumori sighed as he looked at Shina.
"...You really want to know? Very well, I'll tell you about my pain. To start off, I'm not from this world. I came from the first original Universe. Me and my family were residents of the City of Evolution." Kumori said.
"...The City of Evolution...that's the place Kodama came from." Shina said.
"Correct. My pain started from there, when my city got attacked by a monstrous demon who killed the Omnipotent of Evolution and destroyed the entire city, killing everyone...me and a couple of survivors escaped...except my family...those who survived used dimension pods and landed in different Universes. I landed in this Universe. I was now alone and I was weak from a lack of food and water...I collapsed outside the Amaya village. They saw me and took me into their village. I woke up in their hospital and the leader took me in and raised me like I was his son. Me, a complete stranger. I saw that as a second chance, to make things right. I became the Guardian of this once proud village and dedicated my life to protect the people of this village, including my surrogate father." Kumori said.
"...Your village went at war with Kodama...why?" Shina asked.
"...A showed up in this village...and told us about Kodama." Kumori said.
Many years ago.
Kumori was standing next to the leader, who has shoulder length brown hair, black eyes, small scars on his lips, wearing heavy black armor around his body and wearing a blue cape. Back then, he had both his right eye and left arm as they were looking at Jehovah, who was standing in front of them and was wearing his army uniform.
"So, the village is full of people who have the elements of Kodama is what you are saying?" The Leader asked.
"Correct. One of them, Fuzen, has deflected from Kodama and is a threat on his own. If more people turn out like him, your village may not be able to survive. Unless you do something first." Jehovah said.
The leader sighed as he turned to Kumori.
"...If what he is saying is true...then we have to attack Kodama before they attack us. I don't want to ask this of you Kumori, but we'll need all the strength we need to win this battle." The leader said.
Kumori nodded.
"After what you and your people did for me, I will not let you down. It's my duty as a Guardian to protect you and everyone from Amaya." Kumori said.
"...Thank you. That means a lot to me." The Leader said.
Jehovah turned and left. His message was sent.
"...I fought the Kodama soldiers and defeated them...but in the end, we lost...and I lost my surrogate father...I found him burned...he was killed by that man...Akarusa...I rushed back to the village and when I got there...it was already destroyed and the people of the village were killed by Akarusa...who called himself Haraguroi...by losing the people that I was supposed to protect...I lost my power as a guardian aswell. And lost my home for a second time." Kumori said.
A wrathful Kumori was standing in front of Haraguroi, before he got his mask and clothes, standing in the ruins of the village.
"...You...bastard! I'll make you pay for this!" Kumori yelled.
"Hmph. Your village attacked mine because you were all afraid of those with powers. You took away the person I loved, and in exchange, I took everything that you held dear to yourself and crushed it. Now we're even." Haraguroi said.
"...I...I will kill you...I WILL KILL YOU!" Kumori yelled, jumping towards Haraguroi.
Haraguroi easily dodged his attacks. Since Kumori lost the people he was supposed to protect, he wasn't as strong as he was before.
He grabbed Kumori's left arm and used his sword to slash it off.
Despite getting his arm cut off, Kumori kept attacking Haraguroi, even if he was in immense pain.
The wooden tentacles bursted out of the ground and grabbed hold of Kumori.
Haraguroi aimed his hand at Kumori's face.
"As I said, now we're even." Haraguroi said.
He sets Kumori's face on fire, burning his right eye.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kumori yelled.
"...At that moment, I thought I was dead for sure...atleast I thought I was gonna be reunited with my family...but someone was watching over me that day...when Haraguroi left, I lost consciousness and I woke up somewhere else." Kumori said.
Kumori slowly opened his eye, laying on a bed, looking at the ceiling.
"...Where...where am I?" Kumori asked.
A door opened.
"Ah, you are awake." A voice said.
Kumori turned his head to the voice, while the rest of his body was in immense pain.
A man with long blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing glasses and a white suit entered in the room, approaching Kumori.
"We managed to save you right on time. If we din't, you probably would of died...or would of been destroyed by the Guardian's curse." The man said.
"...Alive...so...I'm not...dead?" Kumori asked.
"No you're not. But don't worry, you are in a safe place. Haraguroi believes that you are dead." The man said.
Kumori looked at his own hand, it was shaking, it felt like his hand was burning.
"...Haraguroi...he...killed my father...he destroyed my village...he killed everyone..." Kumori said.
Kumori put his hand on his face, as he started to cry.
"...I was their guardian...and I couldn't even save them!...I...I'm a failure...I..." Kumori said.
The man put his hand on his shoulder.
"...I can assure you that I understand your pain. I lost people aswell." The man said.
"....I...deserve to die...please...just kill me...put an end to my misery now...while I still have some sanity left." Kumori said.
"....I'm afraid I can't do that. There is one way you can bring the people that you wished to protect." The man said.
Kumori looked at the man.
"...You...you better not be lying." Kumori said.
"I'm not lying. A deity known as Jashin can do that...but we'll need your help to bring him back to his full power." The man said.
"...Who...who are you?" Kumori asked.
"My name is Jebediah. I am the leader of the organization Red Moon. I'm a fallen angel, like you are. And we could use your ability as a guardian to collect 7 souls to bring Jashin back. Once he is back, we will reward you dearly by resurrecting your family and anyone else you lost." Jebediah said.
"...This Jashin...he can really do that?" Kumori asked.
"Yes, he can. And, this will be the perfect opportunity for you to get your revenge on Haraguroi. What do you say?" Jebediah asked.
Kumori looked at his hand as it stopped shaking. Instead, he began glowing with a dark aura and began smiling.
"...I accept...I will do it...I will help you bring this Jashin back..." Kumori said.
Kumori opened his right eye, now replaced by a glowing black pitch eye with a red pupil.
"And I will destroy Haraguroi and anything else that he loves!" Kumori declared.
The darkness inside Kumori was spreading, as a black essence peered out of his arm socket, forming into a black pitch arm.
Kumori then looked at Jebediah.
"...And you better keep your promise." Kumori said.
"...Of course." Jebediah smiled.
"...And here we are now." Kumori said.
Shina looked at the ground, looking sad.
"...So, Jebediah's promise is what kept you from going insane?" Shina asked.
"...If this Jashin can bring my people back...then I'll do whatever he asks...I don't care about what's gonna happen to this world as a result, as long as my family is back...that's all that matters." Kumori said.
"But what if he doesn't keep his word?" Shina asked.
"...Then I'll kill Hikari...and I'll destroy his organization along with Kodama...I'll make everyone suffer." Kumori said.
"Why...Why does everyone have to suffer from your pain!? My parents never did anything to you, and neither did my uncle! If you are gonna kill everyone just like that, then you're worse than Haraguroi! You being with these psychos already makes you worse by comparison!" Shina yelled out at Kumori.
Kumori simply got up.
"...I'm too close to give up now...your words mean nothing to me...anything you say won't make me change my mind." Kumori said.
"...If that's so...then I will stop you...I won't let you hurt my family." Shina growled.
"...Then you'll end up on the same path as me." Kumori said.
Kumori then walked out of the cell area, going downstairs.
Shina still looked angry, as she clenched her teeth turned sharp.
"...That...stupid..." Shina said.
"Shina." Hikari's voice in her head said.
Shina looked surprised.
"...Uncle Hikari?" Shina asked.
"Yeah, it's me. I broke out. I'm using the sound element so you can only be able to hear me. But it won't be too long till they'll realize that the me inside my cell is a illusion. Once they do, they will try to kill you." Hikari said.
"...What...what should I do?" Shina asked.
"The moment they open your cell, just run. Run from this place. And if they catch you, just fight back. I'll get everyone else and we'll stop these guys together and save you, okay?" Hikari asked.
Shina nodded.
"...Okay. I'll do what you say." Shina said.
"Good. Just stay there and wait for the right opportunity." Hikari said.
Back in Kodama.
Ryo, Hikari and Aqua were waiting outside Akarusa's house.
Akarusa walked out, holding the map to Amaya.
"I marked the spot on the map where Amaya is. Use this to get there." Akarusa said, handing the map over to Ryo.
Ryo nodded.
"Okay. We'll do our best." Ryo said.
"...Just save my son and my granddaughter. And come back here, safe and sound." Akarusa said.
"We will, as always." Ryo said.
"Come on, let's go! I have a score to settle with Dumbori!" Haru said, swinging his wooden sword.
Ryo, Aqua and Haru walked away from Akarusa's house and went out of Kodama.
Akarusa watched them leave before he turned around and two people dressed as samurai's were standing there.
One samurai had black armor, wearing a wolf mask while his black hair with ponytail was exposed while the other was female, was wearing white armor, a fox mask and had long black hair.
"...Follow the group and help them when they are in trouble. And make sure that nothing happens to them." Akarusa said.
The two samurai's nodded as they threw smoke bombs on the ground. When the smoke cleared out, they were gone.
Akarusa looked at the sky.
"...We can't easily get away from the past, huh, Nikko? It just keeps coming back to bite us every time." Akarusa sighed.
Back in the prison building.
Kumori and Joseph arrived in the entrance hall and three members of the Red Moon were there:The woman with black hair, Jehovah and Christopher.
"Bout time you guys showed up. The Omni and the demon were giving us a headache." Joseph said.
"Jebediah is pleased with you two. Now we're one step closer to achieving our goal." Jevohah said.
"Where is Hikari?" The woman asked.
"In a cell, in the first floor. We restrained him so he wouldn't be able to escape." Kumori said.
"Bring him here. Then the next ceremony can begin." Jehovah said.
Kumori nodded as he walked upstairs.
He arrived in the first cell block and walked up to the cell Hikari was in, who was staring at the floor.
Kumori looked at Hikari and his right eye was glowing dark.
"...Something is not right here...you feel...different..." Kumori said.
His other eye widened.
"...You...you are a illusion." Kumori said.
'Hikari' looked up at Kumori, smirking.
"Got ya."
The illusion vanished...also revealing a massive hole in the wall that wasn't there before.
Kumori clenched his teeth.
"....That...bastard!" Kumori said.
Outside, Ryo, Aqua and Haru arrived, standing at the entrance of the village.
"...So...this is Amaya....Hikari told me about this place, but I never saw it." Aqua said.
"...There are no people in here...I hope Akarusa's hunch was right." Akarusa said.
Haru looked at the skeletons and gulped.
"...This place is freaky." Haru said.
"...I just hope Hikari and Shina are okay." Aqua sighed.
"Not exactly okay, but close."
The three turned around and Hikari was right behind them.
"H-Hikari!?" Aqua asked.
"Hey." Hikari waved.
Haru ran up to Hikari and hugged him.
"You escaped! But how?" Haru asked.
"It took me awhile but I burned the restraints and blasted a large hole in the cell. I landed safely outside by using the wind and created a illusion to make it look like I haven't escaped." Hikari said.
"...Uncle...you're so cool." Haru smiled.
"Thanks, but it won't be long till they figure out that I busted out." Hikari said.
"And Shina?" Ryo asked.
"Shina is still there, but I used Sound to talk to her and told her to run when those Jashinists will show up to kill her. By the time we go in there, she would be running from them." Hikari said.
"Okay, that's good." Ryo said, looking relieved.
Aqua walked up to Hikari.
"...For a moment there, you had me worried." Aqua sighed.
"Yeah, sorry about that. But it was the only way to prevent those guys from harming Shina." Hikari said.
"So...what do we do?" Haru asked.
"More of Kumori and Joseph's friends showed up. We can't fight them all at once. We might have to split up. I'll take Kumori, for obvious reasons." Hikari said.
"Last time you fought him, you lost." Aqua said.
"Yeah, but I din't know he was a guardian. This time, it will be different. Besides, he has a grudge against me for what my dad did. He will be after me. That way, you guys won't have to fight him and will take on Joseph and his pals." Hikari said.
"...I'm gonna make sure that Shina is safe...then I'll go with you to beat Kumori. I won't let him get away with hurting my family." Haru said.
Hikari looked at Haru.
"...I won't let him get away aswell...but we can't let anger get the best of us. We have to be smart and strong in order to defeat a guardian. This won't be easy, but I'm sure we can do it, right?" Hikari asked.
Haru nodded.
"Yeah." Haru said.
"So, where are they right now?" Ryo asked.
Hikari pointed at the prison building which wasn't far away.
"They're there. I'm sure they'll expecting us." Hikari said.
"And we're ready for them." Aqua said.
Back in the building.
"You let him escape!?" Jehovah asked.
"I thought that someone would keep a eye on him." Kumori said, looking right at Joseph.
"Hey, give me a break, I was upstairs dealing with the demon brat on the second floor! You can't expect me to be in two places at the same time!" Joseph said.
"Enough, you two! He can't be too far from here, we just need to chase after him and make sure he doesn't escape again." The woman said.
Christopher walked up to the window, looking outside.
"That will not be necessary, lass. He is coming back, and he brought his group of friends with him." Christopher said.
The others looked out the window aswell.
"...The daughter of the two Omnipotents are with them...aswell as Erebus." Jehovah said.
"...I will take care of Hikari. He is mine to deal with." Kumori said.
"Remember, we want him alive, not dead. If he dies, all of this would of been for nothing." Jehovah said.
"I know what I'm doing. And if anyone of you tries to get involved in my fight and get in my way, you will regret it." Kumori said.
Jehovah just glared at Kumori.
"...Fine." Jehovah said.
"Tell him I'll be waiting for him on the rooftop." Kumori said, as he vanished.
"Well, he is gone. What about the rest of us?" Joseph asked.
"The other kid is not a threat. The other two are however. Me and Christopher will take care of the Omnipotent daughter." Jehovah said.
He looked at Joseph and the woman.
"You and Mary will handle Erebus. Before do that, execute his demon spawn from the second floor. Make a example out of her." Jehovah said.
"With pleasure." Joseph smiled.
Mary nodded as the two ran upstairs.
Christopher looked at Jehovah.
"Are you sure about this, lad?" Christopher asked.
"Yeah...I've been waiting this for a long time." Jehovah said.
In the second floor, Joseph and Mary walked up to Shina's cell.
"Sorry kid, but your uncle signed your death warrant." Joseph said.
Shina simply looked up at Joseph and Mary, glaring at them.
Mary opened the cell and Shina immediately ran out, pushing Mary on the ground.
"Hey!" Joseph yelled.
He ran after her and grabbed her by her sleeve.
"Where do you think you are going, huh?" Joseph asked.
Shina opened her mouth and bites Joseph's hand with her sharp teeth.
"AAH! SHIT! YOU FUCKING MONSTER!" Joseph yelled, smacking Shina on the ground.
Shina got up, with blood on her teeth and her eyes were red, growling intently at Joseph.
"...You should of been more nicer to me." Shina said.
Joseph looked at his bite mark before he looked at Shina.
"You are fucking dead!" Joseph yelled.
Ryo, Hikari, Haru and Aqua were standing in front of the prison's door.
"...Are you guys ready?" Hikari asked.
The three nodded.
"...Okay. Let's go." Hikari said.
Aqua kicked the door open.
A bullet flew right towards them till it was sent flying into a wall.
Jehovah and Christopher were standing there in the main entrance, with Jehovah holding a gun towards them.
"That's far enough." Jehovah said.
"Let me guess, you two are friends with Kumori and Joseph, right?" Aqua asked.
"I suppose we can say that, but yes, we are part of the organization. And you won't get any further from here, Omnipotent." Jehovah asked.
"Where is Kumori?" Hikari asked.
"On the roof. He is waiting for you." Jehovah said.
"Then let's not keep him waiting then." Hikari said.
He used the wind to blow Jehovah and Christopher away from the group as Hikari, Haru and Ryo ran upstairs.
Aqua looked at the two and sighed, pulling out her trident.
"Guess I'm fighting you two then." Aqua said.
Jehovah pulled out another gun, aiming them at Aqua.
"The government may be okay with you Omnipotents running around, but this doesn't mean I am." Jehovah said.
"...You are a wearing a military uniform, which means you are a part of the army. Why would you work with these psychos?" Aqua asked.
"My alliance with the Red Moon is temporary. I'm working with them to continue from where my bosses left off. Protecting humanity from your kind, aswell as the Otherworldly threats that don't belong here." Jehovah said.
"...So, you're just a egotistical zealot who thinks himself the protector of mankind. And what's your story?" Aqua asked.
"I am the head priest of the church from Skaebe. It is my duty to destroy the demons that dare to corrupt our beautiful world and damn us all to Hell. Evil cannot be allowed to spread." Christopher said.
He pulled out two bayonets that were set on fire.
"And if you try defend those devils, then you will suffer the wrath of the Faith aswell, young lady." Christopher grinned.
"...Okay, so a soldier with delusion of grandure and a religious nut. This is gonna suck." Aqua said.
Aqua aimed her hands at the two and wind gusts bursted through the window, knocking Jehovah and Christopher into the wall.
The two jumped off the wall as Jehovah started shooting at Aqua from his two guns.
Aqua used her trident to block off the bullets before using her wind to have the bullets to fly right back at Jehovah, hitting his legs.
Despite getting hit, Jehovah kept shooting at Aqua.
Christopher charged at Aqua, attempting to stab her with his flaming bayonets.
Aqua quickly jumped and Christopher stabbed the floor. The floor was set ablaze by the bayonets.
Christopher pulled the bayonets out and charged at Aqua again, who was also dodging bullets.
Hikari, Ryo and Haru arrived in the first floor but din't stop as they continued running on the stairs, to get to the second floor.
They eventually arrived at the second cell block.
"Shina!" Ryo yelled out.
Haru looked around and looked at the back of the area.
"Look!" Haru yelled.
He pointed at Shina who was being chased off by Joseph and Mary.
"SHINA!" Haru yelled.
Shina looked happy when she saw the three.
"Daddy, Haru, uncle! I knew you would-" Shina said.
Shina tripped on her dress again and fell on the floor.
"Shina!" Ryo said, running towards her.
Joseph stopped in front of the fallen Shina and aimed his scythe above her.
She turned her head to Joseph and her eyes widened, looking scared.
"Say your prayers, you demon fuck!" Joseph said, bringing down the scythe while Shina closed her eyes.
Ryo blocked the scythe with his sword of light, glaring at Joseph.
"...No one...gets away with hurting my daughter." Ryo said.
Joseph just grinned, cackling at Ryo.
"Look who it is, the big demon bastard himself. Erebus!" Joseph said.
"My name is Ryo. Shina, get behind me!" Ryo said.
Shina got up and hid behind Ryo.
Ryo turned his head to Hikari and Haru.
"You go ahead and confront Kumori! But keep Haru safe!" Ryo said.
"You got it! Same goes for you, keep Shina safe!" Hikari said.
Hikari ran upstairs.
Haru looked at Ryo and Shina.
"...Me and uncle will take out that jerk before he hurts anyone else. I promise." Haru said.
Haru then ran after Hikari.
Shina just nervously looked at Ryo as she was hiding behind him.
"Oh, how adorable. Sorry to break the heartwarming family scene, but your pal doesn't stand a chance against Kumori! Kumori made him his bitch the last they fought!" Joseph said.
"We defeated enemies more powerful than Kumori was. You should worry about yourself for now." Ryo said.
Ryo kicked Joseph away before shooting a light ball at him.
The light ball got repeled by a blue fireball, shot from Mary's bazooka.
"You're fighting the two of us!" Mary said.
Shina stood back, watching the fight for now, she had no idea how to help her dad right now.
"Fine with me." Ryo said.
He charged at the two Jashinists.
Joseph launched slash waves at Ryo while Mary shot fireballs at him.
Ryo dodged the slash waves and the fireballs as he aimed his sword at the two, launching a beam of light at them.
Joseph and Mary avoided the beam and ran towards Ryo while firing their projectiles at him.
Some slash waves hit his shoulders before he deflected the other waves.
Joseph was approaching Ryo with his scythe while Mary jumped to Ryo's left and shot a fireball at him, Shina quickly ducked, avoiding the fireball.
Ryo saw Joseph and the fireball and got an idea.
He ducked and the fireball hits Joseph instead, setting him on fire.
"Ah, you were supposed to shoot him, not me!" Joseph yelled.
"Tch!" Mary said, as she aimed her bazooka at Ryo, shooting multiple fireballs at him.
Ryo kept avoiding the fireballs till he jumped on Mary's bazooka and kicked her in the face, knocking her back.
Mary, in response, punched Ryo off her bazooka.
Shina was watching the fight.
Hikari and Haru arrived in the third floor and saw a ladder at the end of the hall that leads to a roof door.
"...You think Kumori is there?" Haru asked.
"I think so...are you ready for this?" Hikari asked.
Haru took a deep breath.
"...Yeah...I'll help you as best as I can." Haru said.
"Okay. Just stay close." Hikari said.
Hikari and Haru climbed on the ladder and reached the door. They opened and got out.
They were standing on the roof and they were able to get a good view of the ruined village.
Kumori was standing at the end of the roof, looking at the village.
"...You came." Kumori said, not facing Hikari.
"Yeah....this place was your home, wasn't it?" Hikari asked.
"...It was...till your father ruined everything." Kumori said.
"...I don't think he even knew you were still alive." Hikari said.
"...Look at this." Kumori said.
Kumori turned around, enraged.
"JUST LOOK AT THIS! THIS IS WHAT YOUR FATHER DID!" Kumori yelled, gesturing at the village.
"I am not my dad. I wasn't even before when he did this. And he did this because he lost mom." Hikari said.
"And that's a good excuse? Did the people of this village deserve to lose their lives because of a dead woman!?" Kumori asked.
"I'm not justifying his actions. No one from this village deserved to die. Dad shouldn't of went after the villagers after he killed your dad, the one who actually killed mom." Hikari said.
"...Do you see these scars? These scars are from years and years of mental and physical torture, that's the price of being a Guardian. No one understands the pain I'm going through...the pain your father inflected on me." Kumori said.
"...I was pissed with grandpa for what he did. He shouldn't of killed those people...but he is not Haraguroi anymore. He regrets what he did back then." Haru said.
"...Oh, so he regrets it now? How nice. It's a shame that it won't bring back my village, now, will it?" Kumori asked, clenching his fists, taking Haru's words more as a insult.
"It won't, but neither is killing each other for what dad did. It will not bring your family back." Hikari said.
"...Jebediah's promise is what kept me going for so many years, to the point where it feels like a eternity...I'm too close now...I'm so close to getting back...and you...you are just a tool to get me closer to get them back, and the perfect opportunity to make Haraguroi feel the same pain that I'm going through! And no God, Devil or the Grim Reaper himself won't be able to stop me from what I'm gonna do to you, Hikari!" Kumori said.
"...I see...I kinda thought that we would be able to discuss this and solve this out somehow...but I guess we can't." Hikari sighed.
"There's nothing to discuss. The only way I can put an end to this pain is with your death." Kumori said.
Kumori charged at Hikari with his black fist.
Hikari's hand turned to stone while Haru got out his wooden sword.
Hikari blocked Kumori's fist with his own.
Their fists were clashing against each other, to the point where Hikari's sleeve exploded from the overwhelming force coming from Kumori's fist.
"You already know how this song and dance turned out last time, Hikari. Fighting me is pointless." Kumori said.
"We won't know unless we try, won't we?" Hikari asked.
Haru then smacked Kumori's leg with his wooden sword.
That seemed to distract Kumori before Hikari punched him with his stone fist, knocking him back slightly.
"Besides, back then, I fought alone which was a mistake. But this time, I'm fighting with Haru on my side. And together, we can beat you." Hikari said.
"Yeah! So come and get us, Baldie!" Haru said, aiming his wood sword at him.
Kumori din't look phased as he glared at the two.
"Hm, enjoy this moment with your nephew, cause it will be the last before I send you to Oblivion." Kumori said.
He stretched out his left arm at Hikari.
Hikari quickly blocked the grab with his fire sword.
The hand grabbed the fire sword and attempted to slash at Hikari.
Hikari clicked his fingers and the fire from the sword extended towards the rest of Kumori's hand, setting it on fire.
Kumori's right eye flashed and the black essence that created Kumori's left arm absorbed the fire before he smacked Hikari in the face with his fist. His arm stretched back to where it was.
Haru noticed that and looked at Kumori's eye.
"...If only we could be able to hit his eye somehow." Haru wondered.
"Haru!" Hikari yelled.
Haru looked up and saw Kumori in front of him.
"Yikes!" Haru said, rolling out of the way before Kumori slammed his fists on the spot Haru was standing on, making a hole.
Meanwhile.
Aqua was still dodging the attacks from Jehovah and Christopher.
"You powered up freaks had been running the show for too long, it's time someone teached you all a lesson!" Jehovah said.
"You have powers too, dumbshit!" Aqua said.
"It's temporary. Besides, I'm not using my power to exact my authority over others like you and your Omnipotents. And once we are done, I won't need this power anymore." Jehovah said.
"Still doesn't change the fact that you have a power. By your logic, you should kill yourself right now!" Aqua said, before she launched her trident at Jehovah.
The trident pierced through one of his guns and stabbed the palm of his hand.
Jehovah's eyes widened before Christopher pulled the trident.
"You alright, laddy?" Christopher asked.
"I'm fine, just stab that bitch!" Jehovah said.
Christopher nodded as he attempted to stab Aqua with it.
Aqua extended her arm out and the wind pulled the trident out of Christopher's grasp before she stabbed Christopher in the gut with it.
She pulled the trident out and threw it at Jehovah's other gun, cutting it in half but Jehovah grabbed the trident with his hand instead of getting stabbed.
Christopher got right behind Aqua and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in a bear hug that was currently crushing her bones.
"AH!" Aqua yelled.
"Stay still, lassy. You are just making this more harder for yourself. Just lay back and think of...I unno, the Loch-Ness monster or something." Christopher shrugged.
Jehovah ran up to Aqua, while holding her trident.
Aqua headbutted Christopher in the face and got out of his grasp before she ducked and Jehovah stabbed Christopher instead with her trident.
"GAH!" Christopher said.
"Shit, din't mean to stab you, man!" Jehovah said.
The trident flew back into Aqua's hand.
Christopher was holding onto his stab wound, glaring at Aqua.
"You little whore!" Christopher said.
He pulled out his fire bayonets again, putting them together and launching out some rings made out of fire at Aqua.
Aqua's hands turned into water and slashed through the fire rings, causing them to disperse. She extended her arms out and grabbed the bayonets, putting out the fire.
She then grabbed both Jehovah and Christopher by their necks, attempting to extract the water from their body out of them and leave them completely dry.
Christopher's arms catch fire and grabbed Aqua's arms, burning the water.
"AH!" Aqua yelled, pulling her arms off the two. Her arms turned back to normal and they were fried.
"Shit." Aqua said.
"Let's finish this quickly. It's time we use the full power of Jashin." Jehovah said.
"Aye!" Christopher smiled.
Jehovah took off his black coat and shirt, revealing a Jashin symbol on his chest. Christopher did the same and he also had a symbol on his chest.
The symbols began glowing and the two began changing into something else.
Christopher's skin turned black, his eyes turned red and his entire body was set on fire. The fire was coming out of his mouth aswell.
Jehovah's skin turned black while horns grew out of his head and his legs morphed into the legs of a horse while his upper body remained human, now looking like a Centaur.
Aqua stood back, looking at the two.
"...What the hell are you two?" Aqua asked.
"We are the ones chosen by the Wrathful God himself, the ones who will put an end to the Demon Scourge!" Christopher said.
"Plus the super powered freaks." Jehovah said.
A red sphere appeared right between his horns and it was launched right at Aqua very fast.
Aqua got hit and was knocked into the wall, with smoke coming out of her.
Christopher stomped the floor and the entire area was set ablaze, the fire was spreading quickly towards Aqua.
Aqua used the wind to block the flames away from her so she wouldn't get burned to a crisp.
Christopher launched a fire ball at Aqua who quickly counteracted it with a water ball.
Jehovah launched yet another red ball that hits Aqua once more, knocking her on the ground.
Christopher jumped at Aqua and grabbed her by her leg, throwing her against the floor.
Jehovah charged right at Aqua, aiming his horns at her.
Before Aqua could move, she got stabbed in the stomach by Jehovah's horns.
"GAH!" Aqua said, spitting out blood.
Back with Ryo.
He was still blocking Joseph and Mary's onslaught of attacks.
Shina was looking at the fight, thinking that she could try to bite either Joseph or Mary, but she would need to get close.
"Just stay down and die already!" Joseph yelled, slashing at Ryo multiple times.
"Not a chance!" Ryo said, blocking the slashes with his sword.
He got struck in the back by Mary's fireball, distracting him.
Joseph managed to slash him in the leg.
Ryo, in return, stabbed Joseph in the gut before jumping away from him.
Both Joseph and Mary charged at Ryo from left and right.
Ryo looked at the two and got an idea.
When the two got close to Ryo, Mary shot a fire ball while Joseph launched a slash wave.
Ryo ducked and the fireball hits Joseph and the slash wave struck Mary in the chest.
Ryo grabbed Mary and smacked her into Joseph, knocking the two on the floor.
He aimed his sword at the ceiling and a large light sphere appeared on the tip of his sword.
Joseph got up and was standing in front of Mary, aiming his scythe.
"You ain't shit!" Joseph yelled.
"Actually, I think you are." Ryo said.
He blasted a light beam from his sword that sent the light sphere at Joseph.
As the sphere was getting closer, the symbol on Joseph's back began to glow.
Joseph got hit and a explosion occurred, knocking Mary back, leaving nothing but smoke.
"...Did that kill him?" Shina asked.
"....I don't know." Ryo said.
Eventually, the smoke cleared out.
...And Joseph was still standing. Except his skin now had black and white bone markings and half of his jacket and tanktop were now torn in half from the blast. And he looked very pissed off to boot.
Ryo's eyes widened.
"It can't be!" Ryo said.
"...You...you ruined my favorite jacket, you ASSHOLE!" Joseph yelled.
"What is this guy? Is he immortal?" Ryo asked.
Shina just backed away from Joseph.
"...He...is crazy." Shina said.
Joseph glared at Ryo.
"You know, I've been trying to be a nice guy, trying to be a team player. But now you've done it. YOU FUCKING PISSED ME OFF!" Joseph yelled, his scythe glowing red.
Joseph ran towards Ryo with his glowing scythe.
Ryo used the sword to block the scythe and a crack appeared on his sword.
Joseph knocked the sword out of Ryo's grasp and slashed at his chest, tearing through his robe and leaving a mark on his chest.
"AH!" Ryo yelled.
"DAD!" Shina yelled.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Not so smart now, are you asshole!?" Joseph laughed.
"Let's change the scenery, just a bit." Mary said.
She slapped her hand against the floor and the entire cell block suddenly changed. It now looked like a blue cave.
Mary herself went invisible.
Ryo and Shina looked confused by this.
"...Okay, this is weird..." Ryo said, before he grabbed his sword and aimed at Joseph.
Joseph smirked.
"Hah, you ain't getting out of this alive now, fucker! NOW COME AT ME!" Joseph yelled.
Ryo shot a beam of light at Joseph who deflected it with his scythe and it hits the wall.
A blue fireball that was shot out of nowhere hits Ryo, knocking him backwards.
Joseph struck the ground with his scythe and Ryo got struck by red lightning, injuring him more.
Ryo looked around for Mary, he wasn't able to see her anywhere.
"...Where did she go?" Ryo asked.
Suddenly, spiky pillars bursted out of the ceiling, flying towards Ryo.
Ryo jumped out of the way before he threw his sword at Joseph, striking him in the chest.
The stab din't seem to wound him that much before he pulled the sword out and attacked Ryo with his scythe and Ryo's sword.
Hikari was shooting fire, lightning and soundwaves at Kumori.
Kumori was dodging every attack with incredible speed before he zapped right in front of Hikari and headbutted him in the face, knocking him off the roof.
"UNCLE!" Haru yelled, as he ran to the end of the roof and grabbed onto Hikari's hand before he could fall.
Haru had a bit of a hard time pulling Hikari back on the roof but Hikari then put his hand on the roof and climbed back on the rooftop.
"Thanks, Haru." Hikari said, who immediately got up and turned to Kumori.
Kumori's black arm spread into 10 more arms that went towards Hikari.
Hikari ended up burning some of those arms while he used his elemental sword to cut through the arms.
One of the burning arms grabbed Hikari's elemental sword, pulling it away from him, thus leaving him weaponless and open for the arms to attacks, who began stabbing him.
Haru jumped and grabbed onto the elemental sword, pulling it from the shadow arm's grasp and fell on the ground.
Haru rubbed his butt slightly, hurting a bit from the fall before he charged towards Kumori.
Kumori lifted his foot, about to stomp Haru before he turned right, going right behind Kumori.
Haru jumped and stabbed Kumori in the back, making a tear through the back of his cloak.
"GAH!" Kumori yelled, coughing up...black blood it seemed.
Haru pulled the sword out of Kumori's back who looked pissed.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Kumori yelled.
The arms stopped attacking Hikari and they went towards Haru instead.
Haru, out of panic, was waving Hikari's sword around, hitting some of the arms.
"Haru, give me the sword!" Hikari yelled.
"Ugh, okay!" Haru yelped, throwing the sword at Hikari.
Hikari grabbed his sword and launched a beam of water and fire, hitting Kumori, knocking him backwards.
The arms formed back into his left arm and Kumori looked enraged.
Kumori appeared right in front of Hikari and punched him in the face hard, knocking a tooth out of his mouth.
Before Hikari could counterattack, Kumori punched him again. Kumori kept punching and punching, and wasn't stopping.
Haru looked horrified before he looked at his wood sword, trying to find a way to get to Kumori's eye.
Aqua's form turned to water and slipped out of Jehovah's horns.
Aqua turned back to her human form and was bleeding from her stomach, putting her hands on her wound.
"...T-There's no way I'm gonna take these monsters out on my own." Aqua said, panting for breath, while the fire was spreading around the entire area.
Distracted by the pain, Christopher jumped right behind Aqua and smashed her with his fists, knocking her on the ground.
He grabbed her by her ponytail, pulling her up.
Jehovah approached Aqua, charging up yet another red ball from his horns.
"One more blast should do. Then your friends are next." Jehovah said.
Suddenly, two figured jumped from the window, smacking their boots right in Jehovah and Christopher's faces, knocking them back.
Christopher let's go off Aqua before one of the figures grabbed Aqua, holding her in their arms.
The two figures were the samurai's who were sent by Akarusa.
"What the hell do you two want, you crazy masked heathens!?" Christopher asked.
"These are two Kodama drones. They were hiding all this time to take us by surprise." Jehovah said.
The male samurai with the wolf mask pulled out his sword and charged right at the two while the female samurai with the fox mask was holding Aqua.
Christopher shot balls made out of fire at the samurai.
He dodged the fire and slashed Christopher in the chest, making a rather nasty scar on his chest.
The samurai lunged at Jehovah, slashing one of his horns off.
Jehovah grabbed the male samurai by his leg before throwing him on the floor.
"I don't know who you are pal, but you just made a big mistake!" Jehovah said.
Christopher was about to burn the samurai till the female one kicked him in the chin.
He attempted to punch the female samurai and she blocked most of his with her hands before she grabbed his hands and smacked his body right into Jehovah, setting him on fire.
"GET OFF ME, YOU ASSCLOWN!" Jehovah yelled, pushing Christopher aside.
Aqua slowly got up, with her hand on her wound.
"...I know how to take these guys out now. Just, restrain them or something." Aqua said.
The female samurai nodded as she jumped away from the two Jashinists.
The male samurai pulled out some strings that wrapped around Jehovah and Christopher's bodies.
"The hell!?" Christopher asked.
They attempted to break free but the strings were unbreakable.
Aqua took a deep breath before she floated near the ceiling and stretched her arms out.
A tornado appeared around Aqua, with her in the center. It was a Tornado mixed with wind and water.
The two samurai's held onto the floor while the restrained Jashinists flew right into the Tornado and were being spun around.
The water of the Tornado put out the flames coming out of Christopher's body and was being drowned while Jehovah's remaining horn flew out of his head and was getting shredded by the Tornado's speed.
Eventually, Jehovah and Christopher flew out of the tornado and landed on the floor.
Jehovah's skin had many cuts and was bleeding heavily, not moving at all while Christopher was wet and had water coming out of his mouth and ears.
Regardless, both of them were now dead.
From somewhere, Jebediah's eyes widened, putting his hand to his heart. He clearly felt Jehovah and Christopher's Jashin essence vanishing.
"...Ugh...you have to be kidding me." Jebediah scowled.
The tornado vanished and Aqua landed on her knees, panting for breath.
"...Wow...never doing that again." Aqua said.
The two samurai's walked up to her as the female one crouched down.
"Are you okay? Your wound hasn't healed yet." The female samurai said.
"...It stings, but I'll be fine." Aqua said.
She looked at the two Jashinists who weren't moving.
"...Atleast those guys are out...but where did you two come from?" Aqua asked.
"We were sent by Akarusa Kouki. In case you and the others were in trouble, we would be here to help." The male samurai said.
"Oh, I see...good thing he did then. Cause I probably would be dead if you two din't show up...so much for me being the daughter of two powerful Omnipotents." Aqua sighed.
"I'll tend to your wound. You should rest before the next battle." The female samurai said, as she pulled out a bandage.
Aqua simply nodded.
Back in the cave illusion that Mary created.
Ryo was avoiding Joseph's scythe and his own sword before the light sword flew back right in Ryo's hand and blocked Joseph's scythe.
He kicked Joseph's stomach before stabbing him in the shoulder.
Ryo got hit by two blue fireballs from the invisible Mary.
He then got stabbed by Joseph's scythe.
Shina gasped in response.
Ryo jumped away form Joseph, looking around for Mary, not being able to see her at all.
"What's wrong, Mr.Tough.Guy, can't handle a few fireballs!?" Joseph asked.
"I would if I knew where they were coming from!" Ryo said, before he waited for Joseph's next attack.
Ryo got hit by multiple fireballs.
Joseph smacked the ground again and Ryo got struck by red lightning, knocking him on the ground.
Ryo got on one knee before he used his sword to deflect Joseph's slash waves while getting hit by Mary's fireballs.
"C-Crap! She is using her power to somehow hide her presence! I just have to find her!" Ryo said.
The ground beneath Ryo turned into quicksand and he was slowly sinking while getting bomboared with the constant attacks.
"Dad!" Shina said.
"Shina, find that woman and stop her from doing all of this!" Ryo said.
"But how can I do that!?" Shina asked.
"I don't know, but you have to hurry!" Ryo said.
Shina just looked around for Mary, try to see her but she was invisible to her eyes.
"...I can't see her at all...wait...I was able to smell dad's scent when he was coming home, I inherited that from mom...maybe..I could track down her scent and find her easily that way!" Shina said.
Shina began sniffing around, following her own senses and walked to where Mary possibly was.
She arrived...in front of a large pillar and saw fireballs being shot from the top. Mary was there.
Shina climbed on the pillar. She reached the top...and sunk her teeth right into the invisible Mary's leg.
"GAH! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Mary screeched.
Shina kept bitting Mary's leg with her sharp teeth.
This caused Mary to be visible and both she and Mary fell from the pillar, landing on a puddle.
Breaking Mary's concentration caused the spell to break and the cave turned back into the prison block.
Ryo pulled his feet out of the floor and stabbed Joseph in the stomach.
Shina slowly got up, with stars flying all over her head before she spotted Mary's bazooka and had an idea.
She slowly lifted it up and placed it right towards Joseph's direction, putting her finger on the trigger.
"Dad, move!" Shina yelled.
Shina blasted a fireball.
Ryo ducked and Joseph got hit by the fireball, covering him in flames.
"AH, SHIT!" Joseph yelled.
Ryo got right behind Joseph and charged yet another beam of light.
He shot the beam at Joseph's back, sending him flying towards Mary.
"SHINA, MOVE!" Ryo yelled.
Shina moved out of the way and as Mary got up, Joseph smacked right into her and they both crashed into the wall, knocking the two on the floor.
Ryo moved his sword aside, looking at the two before Shina ran up to him.
"Are you okay, daddy? You are hurt." Shina said.
"...I'll be fine...thanks Shina. Couldn't of done it without you." Ryo smiled, putting his hand on her head.
"...I was kinda scared back there...I thought...that you were gonna die." Shina said.
"But I din't, and that's what important. You were brave there, Shina. Your mother would be proud of you if she was here." Ryo said.
"...I guess." Shina said, smiling to herself, feeling about doing something, besides screwing up.
Some groaning from Joseph and Mary was heard before Ryo turned his attention back to them as they slowly got up.
Ryo aimed his sword at them.
"...I'm giving you two a chance to leave my family alone and never come back...take it...and if you don't, then I'm finishing this now." Ryo said.
"You...are so full of shit! Who do you take us for, cowards!?" Joseph asked.
"Besides, Kumori is still around. Once Hikari is finished, Jebediah will-" Mary said.
"Enough."
Joseph and Mary froze.
"We already lost Jehovah and Christopher. I'm not gonna lose the entire group in one day. I will handle the rest from here."
The Jashin symbol appeared on the ceiling and a red pillar was shot out of the symbol.
Jebediah descended from the pillar, with his hands placed around his back, looking down on the fighters.
"Jebediah!" Joseph and Mary exclaimed.
"...Who...who is that?" Shina asked.
"...He must be their leader." Ryo frowned.
Jebediah landed in front of Joseph and Mary and the pillar vanished.
"Me and Ryo have some talking to do. You two should spectate on Kumori's match, to see if he needs help." Jebediah said.
Joseph and Mary looked reluctant but the two nodded as the Jashin portal appeared behind them and they went through it before it vanished.
Ryo was on his guard while Shina stood close to him.
"...So, we meet again...Erebus." Jebediah smiled.
Back on the rooftop.
Hikari was getting his face punched in by Kumori, who wasn't letting up.
Hikari's face was very bloody from all of Kumori's fists, while getting knocked back by his fists.
Haru was quickly approaching the two, holding his wood sword, as he looked at Kumori's back, getting an idea.
Kumori kept punching Hikari till they were at the edge of the roof.
He grabbed Hikari by his throat, lifting him up.
Haru jumped on his leg and began climbing, till he reached his back.
Komuri din't seem to notice as he aimed his fist as Hikari.
"This battle was decided before it even started. Now I'll take you to your sacrifice unconscious. You won't be able to pull a fast one right under our noses again." Kumori said.
Haru reached Kumori's neck.
Hikari smiled at that.
"...I wouldn't count on it." Hikari said.
"...What?" Kumori asked.
Haru shoved the wood sword in Kumori's right eye, plunging right through it.
"AAAAAH!" Kumori yelled.
"Yeah, you don't like that, do you, you dick!?" Haru asked, as he kept squishing Kumori's black eye with his fake sword.
Kumori punched Haru off him, knocking him on the ground while putting his hand on his stabbed eye, black goop dripping out of it.
Some of the goop remained on Haru's sword.
"...Eugh, gross." Haru said, before he tried to get rid of the goop.
"Now's my turn." Hikari said.
Hikari screamed very loudly, sending Kumori flying.
Kumori landed at the edge of the roof and resisted from being flown off. His cloak separated into shreds from Hikari's loud yell, revealing his torso covered entirely in scars.
While yelling, Hikari shot lighting from the sky, striking Kumori and knocking him on the ground.
Hikari then lifted him off the ground by using the wind and smacked him against the ground before throwing him towards Hikari.
Hikari's fist turned into stone while the other was charged with electricity and punched Kumori in the stomach with the stone fist and his chest with the electro fist.
Kumori's body got shocked, putting his body through massive pain.
"GAAAAAAH!" Kumori yelled.
Hikari snapped his fingers and sets Kumori on fire, just to add more damage.
Kumori landed on his knee, his body feeling too much pain for him to even stand.
"...No...I can't...lose yet." Kumori said.
Hikari stood in front of Kumori.
"Let's finish this." Hikari said, his fist glowing black, with the element of Death.
He launched his fist, piercing through Kumori's chest, hitting his heart.
Kumori's eye turned white, with black blood dripping out of his mouth.
Kumori remained there, in a fatal pose, not moving a muscle at all. That hit was enough to make his heart stop.
Haru stood there, looking pale.
"...Is...he dead?" Haru asked.
"...I...think so. When someone gets hit by the Death element...they stay dead." Hikari said.
"...I...hope so." Haru said, still looking pale.
Hikari turned to Haru.
"...You okay?" Hikari asked.
"...I...never did see a person die right in front of my eyes...before.." Haru said, looking a bit traumatized from that.
Hikari sighed.
"...Sorry you had to see that...when I was your age, I saw another guy stab another in the chest with a sword...and he died in front of me...it turned out that he wasn't dead...but it was still horrible to me, even today...no kids should ever see that...I'm sorry, Haru...I wish I was able to prevent all of this from happening in the first place." Hikari said.
"...You have that time element thing right...you can use that." Haru suggested.
"...That element is pretty tough to use, honestly...now, come on, let's see if the others...if the others..." Hikari said.
He felt something weird...his insides felt cold...
"...Haru...can you feel...that?" Hikari asked, he felt a heavy dark presence.
"...Yeah...I can feel that too...but where is it coming from?" Haru asked, looking scared.
Hikari just slowly turned to Kumori.
"....He is not dead." Hikari said.
"...But...but how!?" Haru asked, already panicking inside.
"...I...am not...dead...not...when I'm...so close!" Kumori said, gritting his teeth.
Kumori slowly got up and turned to the two, his chest hole exposed, revealing his dark essence flowing through his body, some of it getting in his heart, making it beat again.
"...No way..." Haru said, his eyes white.
"I knew it. I knew you weren't gonna die that easily." Hikari frowned.
"..You can't...kill a guardian...when they still have something to keep them going...Jebediah's promise...is what keeps me motivated...my only hope...that prevents me from dying...as long as I have that...I...CAN'T DIE!" Kumori yelled.
"...How...how are we gonna stop him!?" Haru asked.
"...I...don't know." Hikari admitted.
Kumori's lips twisted into a pretty freaky smirk, as he began laughing to himself, with black blood dripping out of his scars, it looked painful even for him but he was still laughing.
"...Hm...heee...hehehe.heheheheheheheheheheHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SO, YOU WANT TO SEE A GUARDIAN PUSHED OVER THE EDGE!? THEN LET ME FULLFILL YOUR WISH! CAUSE WHAT YOU WILL SEE, IS WHAT YOU GET!"
Kumori's blood launched right to the sky, forming into a dark cloud that spread across the entire sky, blocking the Sun entirely. The entire sky was filled with darkness.
Haru's eyes were shaking, he couldn't be able to breathe, frightened by Kumori's sudden change and what he was doing to the sky.
Hikari clenched his teeth at Kumori.
"What are you doing!?" Hikari asked.
Kumori turned to Hikari, still smirking, with black fog peering out of his right eye socket, as he gained a dark aura.
"...I'm gonna destroy you, Hikari...I'm gonna snuff your light out...like I said I would...and once you are dead...I will destroy Kodama...yes, I will burn it to the ground and kill every person I see...I won't leave anything behind...I will crush anything that reminds me of the village that destroyed the people I loved TILL THERE WON'T BE A TRACE LEFT! NOT EVEN A PIECE OF RUBBLE WILL REMAIN!" Kumori yelled.
"...He...fucking lost it." Haru said.
"...Haru...don't get near him...I'll handle this." Hikari said.
"But he is!" Haru said.
"I hope you two are ready...CAUSE HERE I COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!" Kumori roared.
To Be Concluded.
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Post by Master Psychic on Apr 11, 2018 15:33:40 GMT
Universe 3: Haru and Shina, Guardians of Kodama
Part 3
Hikari and Haru were currently on the rooftop, staring at Kumori, who now unleashed his darker power that covered the entire sky and was glowing with darkness.
"...How are we gonna defeat him?" Haru asked.
"No idea." Hikari said.
Kumori just grinned as he lifted his black left arm and looked at his other hand.
"It's time for the real battle to begin." Kumori said.
Kumori then used his right fist to punch through his black hand's palm, going right through it. Kumori just grinned as he was currently in pain but he din't seem to care.
Haru's eyes widened.
"...He...punched his own hand!" Haru yelled.
Hikari simply watched.
Kumori was pulling out a weapon out of his palm while black goop was dripping from his palm. The weapon was a Lancer, created by his dark essence.
He pulled out the Lancer and aimed it at the two.
"Who's ready to die first?" Kumori asked.
Hikari got in front of Haru, aiming his elemental sword at Kumori.
"Bring it." Hikari said.
Kumori instantly appeared in front of Hikari, stabbing him in the gut with the Lancer. He was more faster than he was before.
"GAH!" Hikari yelled.
"No!" Haru yelled, going right towards Kumori with his wooden sword.
Kumori quickly turned around and kicked Haru in the face, while shoving the Lancer deeply in Hikari's insides.
Hikari, while bleeding from his mouth, put his hand on the Lancer and used the other one to punch Kumori, knocking him away.
Hikari clicked his fingers and multiple lightning blasts struck Kumori, electrifying him.
Kumori was still standing and smoke was coming out of him and he looked ecstatic, like he was welcoming the pain.
"Hahahahaha! You'll have to do better than that to beat me!" Kumori said.
Kumori aimed his black hand at the Lancer and it began moving in Hikari's insides.
"AH!" Hikari yelled.
He used the wind to pull the Lancer out of himself, which was now covered in his own blood before he launched it at Kumori.
Kumori easily stopped the Lancer and it was now flying in midair.
He turned to Haru and sent the Lancer flying right at him.
"Crap!" Haru yelled.
He attempted to run away from the Lancer but it kept going after him.
"Haru!" Hikari said.
Hikari jumped in front of Haru and aimed his sword at the Lancer, using it to slash the Lancer in half.
The Lancer halves were still flying as they both flew right into Hikari, stabbing him again.
Hikari spat out blood.
Haru looked scared for his uncle and right now, he had no idea what to do. How could he contribute any way against the now crazed Kumori if his uncle can't?
The two Lancer halves flew out of Hikari and they turned into dark essence that flew back into Kumori.
Kumori charged at Hikari, punching him in the neck.
Hikari used the elemental sword to stab Kumori in the chest, burning and electrifying his insides at the same time.
Kumori just spat black blood in Hikari's face in response.
"Sure, go on, give me more pain, the longer I resist, the stronger I become!" Kumori laughed.
Kumori grabbed him by his head and smashed him against the ground.
Haru ran up to his uncle.
"Are you okay!?" Haru asked.
"To be honest...no." Hikari said, slowly getting up.
Kumori jumped back, looking at the two.
"Your concern for each other is almost touching...not to mention, revolting." Kumori said.
The fog coming from Kumori's right eye began spreading in the entire area.
Hikari and Haru weren't able to see anything in the fog, at all. It was too dark to see Kumori.
"Haru, can you see him?" Hikari asked.
"I can't see shit in here!" Haru declared.
At that moment, Kumori ran from the fog, kicking both Hikari and Haru, knocking them on the ground before going back into the fog.
"Of course, he is using this fog as cover so he can attack us blind." Hikari said.
"You know, for a guardian, he sure likes playing dirty instead of fighting fair and square." Haru said.
"I'm not here to play fair. I'm here to win!" Kumori yelled.
Kumori charged once more, punching both Hikari and Haru, leaving marks on their cheeks.
When they got up, he did it again and ran into the fog.
He ran out of the fog again, his left arm morphed into a blade and used it to slash Hikari's arms before running back into the fog.
"KH! Okay, I had enough!" Hikari said.
Hikari then used the wind to blow the fog away.
Kumori charged at Hikari again and Hikari greeted him with a headbutt.
Haru just used his wooden sword to smack Kumori's leg.
Kumori used his leg to kick Haru right into Hikari, knocking them both on the ground.
"Hm, a second ago, you two were punching and kicking me around. What happened to that confidence of your's? Don't tell me you two are afraid now or anything. Come on, atleast make this a challenge." Kumori said.
"...It's hard to make it a challenge, when you are overpowering us left and right. And even now, we are not giving up." Haru said, getting up.
He pointed his sword at Kumori.
"And guess what? You being a guardian doesn't make you invincible. My family faught guys more powerful than you and they lived to tell the tale! You aren't a God, you are just a freak who keeps blaming others for his own pain!" Haru said.
That statement seemed to piss off Kumori.
"...How would you know about pain? Maybe if you lost something that was precious, then you would understand. Ignorance like this...is what makes me hate you all so much...AND YOUR IGNORANCE WILL COST YOU YOUR OWN LIFE!" Kumori yelled.
His left arm split into dark spikes that were flying right towards Haru, very fast.
Haru's eyes widened as he had nowhere to run to. He was about to get impaled by spikes.
Hikari immediately got up.
"HARU!" Hikari yelled.
"Ah, AH!" Haru yelled, closing his eyes and using his arms to shield himself.
STAB! STAB! STAB!
Haru slowly opened his eyes and gasped.
Hikari was standing in front of him, with many spikes shoved in his back and was coughing up a lot of blood.
"Tch, there you go again, taking the bullet for the brat." Kumori said.
"...U-Uncle." Haru said.
"...Don't worry...this ain't nothing...Had to take the hit...you don't deserve to get stabbed." Hikari said.
The spikes shoved in his back turned into stone and shattered.
While bleeding heavily from his back, he turned to Kumori.
"If you want to take out your anger on someone, Kumori, then take it on me! You know I can handle it. Leave Haru out of this." Hikari said.
"...Hehe, you really care about this brat, don't you? And it's likely Haraguroi cares for him aswell...hehehe, I can just imagine the reaction on his face when he will find out that it was me who killed the people that he treasured the most...yes, I changed my mind now. Both of you will suffer will Haraguroi's sins!" Kumori yelled.
The dark aura on Kumori increased, and so did his hatred at the same time, causing the entire building to shake.
Back in the main entrance, Aqua's wound was bandaged and the room was shaking.
"...What's that shaking?" Aqua asked.
"It's coming from the rooftop." The male samurai said.
"...It must be Kumori." Aqua guessed.
Aqua slowly got up and looked outside, seeing the dark sky.
She walked outside, followed by the two Samurai's, looking at the sky before looking at the roof, being able to see Hikari and Haru from there.
"...Hikari...Haru...Kumori is going all out." Aqua frowned.
Aqua looked at one building, seeing Joseph and Mary on the roof, spectating the fight.
"...Those two are still alive." Aqua grimaced.
Joseph looked down and spotted Aqua and the Samurai's.
"Tch, that water bitch again. Let's go down there and take care of that bitch." Joseph said.
"Forget her. She is not even a threat. With Kumori going all out, we have nothing to worry about, now do we?" Mary asked.
"Heh, I guess you are right. Not to mention, Jebediah is facing Erebus." Joseph said.
"Erebus and his children will pay dearly. Jebediah will make sure of that." Mary smiled.
Back with Ryo, Shina and Jebediah.
The entire prison block was shaking from Kumori's power.
"...Dad, what's going on?" Shina asked.
"...I don't know...but I don't think it's from this guy." Ryo said, looking at Jebediah.
"Hm, it appears Kumori has let loose. This could be a mess. Better make this quick then." Jebediah said.
"...You must be the leader of the Red Moon, aren't you? You are the one who sent your goons after Hikari." Ryo asked.
"That would be correct. You see, Jashin needs powerful souls to bring him back to life and Hikari's essence might be what we need to bring him back to his full power." Jebediah said.
"So, you steal the souls of others to bring back a false god, without even caring about them as people?" Ryo asked.
"Some sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. We'll need all the power we can get if we can ever hope to get rid of your kind." Jebediah said.
"My kind?" Ryo asked.
"Don't you remember, Erebus? You and the demons. In fact, don't you remember me?" Jebediah asked.
"...Frankly, I don't. And even then, I'm not Erebus. I'm nothing like him. I don't know what he did to you, but me and my family never done anything to you. And not all demons are evil. Besides, Erebus is dead." Ryo said.
"Perhaps, but it doesn't change the fact that you and your children carry his evil essence and need to be expunged before innocent lives will be lost again." Jebediah said.
"...Expunged? What does that mean?" Shina asked.
"My children are not monsters. And they will never be. And the only you can get through Shina is through my dead body." Ryo said, aiming his sword at him.
"...I was hoping you would say that. I planned to take care of you right after Jashin would of been revived but oh well. Killing you early won't change our plans." Jebediah said.
He pulled out a dagger, looking at Ryo.
"Shall we begin?" Jebediah asked.
"...Shina, stay near me." Ryo said.
Shina simply nodded.
Jebediah teleported and reappeared in front of Ryo, bringing his dagger down on his neck.
Ryo immediately blocked it with his sword and attempted to smack the dagger aside.
Jebediah's hand moved out of the way and attempted to stab Ryo in the chest.
Ryo blocked it again before he stabbed Jebediah in the chest.
Jebediah moved his hand and Ryo and Shina were sent flying.
Ryo grabbed Shina and landed on the ground.
Jebediah's chest wound was no longer there.
Jebediah lifted his hands and two Jashin symbols appeared on the walls, glowing blue.
The two symbols shot two beams at Ryo.
Ryo shot a beam of light at one of the beams, deflecting it before he jumped out of the way and the beam hits the wall instead.
Jebediah teleported behind Ryo.
"Dad, he is behind you!" Shina yelled out.
Ryo immediately turned out and blocked Jebediah's dagger.
The two began clashing their weapons against each other, trying to land a hit on the other.
While they were clashing, Ryo looked at Jebediah's leg and stabbed his leg.
And in exchange, Jebediah stabbed him in the shoulder with his dagger.
At the same time, one of the Jashin symbol shot another blue beam, hitting Ryo and knocking him in the wall.
Shina was hiding behind some rubble and was watching the fight, looking scared.
"...Daddy." Shina said.
Ryo pried himself out of the wall and landed on the ground, stumbling a bit.
Jebediah teleported in front of him.
"Since you are incomplete, you have a hard time keeping up with me. Quite sad, I was expecting a better challenge from the former Lord of Darkness." Jebediah said.
"...Trust me...I haven't even started yet." Ryo said.
Ryo charged right at Jebediah, attempting to stab him.
Jebediah was about to block it till Ryo jumped right behind him and stabbed him in the back, the sword bursted through his torso.
"GH!" Jebediah grunted.
Ryo then jumped in front of Jebediah and stabbed him in the same wound again before slashing him in the neck.
Jebediah telekinetically lifted Ryo off the ground and smashed him into the wall.
Jebediah looked at his wounds and started to glow blue. His wounds then slowly vanished.
"...He can heal himself just like that...how powerful is he?" Shina wondered.
Ryo looked a bit injured after being smashed into the wall before he looked at Jebediah, noticing that his wounds vanished.
"You have to be kidding me." Ryo said.
"Not half bad. But not enough." Jebediah smiled.
Jebediah then waved his arms and every bar in each cell flew off and were flying around him.
He aimed at Ryo and the cell bars flew towards him.
The cell bars wrapped around Ryo's body, restraining him.
Jebediah clenched his fist, using the bars to crush Ryo's body.
"AH!" Ryo yelled.
"Daddy!" Shina yelled, running out of her hiding spot, going towards Jebediah.
The two Jashin symbols were charging up again.
"Trust me, this will hurt a lot." Jebediah smiled.
Shina jumped on Jebediah and bit him in the shoulder.
Jebediah's eyes widened before he turned to Shina, with a pissed off expression.
"...You little witch." Jebediah said.
Ryo used his sword to break out of the metal bars and lunged at Jebediah.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Ryo yelled.
He shot a beam of light that hits Jebediah, knocking him into the wall.
Ryo then aimed his sword at the ceiling and shot another beam.
Rubble from the ceiling collapsed, descending towards Jebediah.
As Jebediah got himself out of the wall, the rubble landed on him.
Ryo turned to Shina.
"Shina, just stay out of the fight!" Ryo said.
"I'm just trying to help!" Shina said.
"I know, but this guy is dangerous. He won't hesitate to hurt you. Please, just hide and let me handle this." Ryo said.
Shina din't seem to accept that but nodded.
"...Okay." Shina said, as she ran to hide behind some rubble again.
Ryo turned to the rubble Jebediah was currently in, waiting for him to come out.
The rubble levitated off the ground and flew towards Ryo.
Ryo simply slashed the rubble in half.
Jebediah was standing, his hair and clothes covered in dust and his glasses were cracked, but regardless, he looked fine.
"...*Cough*, Fighting me is a waste time. I know you are simply doing this just to buy your friend Hikari some time, but it will prove useless. Kumori is unbeatable. As long as I keep my end of the bargain, Kumori will never give up." Jebediah said.
"Hikari will find a way to defeat Kumori, and once he is done, you are next. You and your Red Moon won't hurt anyone else." Ryo said.
"Heheheh, those are some bold words. Do you actually think you can beat us? My organization existed since the Dawn of Society, Our existence wasn't even a fact to you till now. And our influence is spreading. Soon, the world will understand the threat of your kind, and together, we will unite as one to Purge the bane of humanity." Jebediah said.
"Humanity would never follow your group's twisted ways." Ryo said.
"Perhaps not now. But in the future, they will. Too bad you won't even be there to see it." Jebediah said.
He teleported in front of Ryo and their weapons clashed once more.
"...Get him, dad." Shina said.
Back on the rooftop.
Hikari and Haru were standing close to each other as Kumori's aura was flaring up.
"His power is getting stronger by the minute. Anything we throw at him, it just makes him stronger." Hikari said.
"But we can't give up just yet, right? He must have some weakness!" Haru said.
"He must, but we just don't know yet." Hikari said.
Kumori smiled.
"I doubt you will." Kumori said.
The fog from Kumori's eye split up into five beings made out of smoke.
The smoke formed into five Kumori's.
"...Fuck me." Hikari sighed.
The five Kumori's charged at Hikari.
Hikari quickly doged the Kumori's.
Two of the Kumori's charged at Haru who simply dodged them. He was dodging them as quickly as possible.
One Kumori extended his hand out and so did the other Kumori.
The two hands grabbed Hikari's arms and attempted to rip them out of his sockets.
"Gah!" Hikari yelled.
The hands that were grabbing onto Hikari's arms turned into stone and shattered.
Hikari shot two lightning bolts that struck the two Kumori clones in the chest and they dispersed into fog.
One Kumori was behind Hikari and pulled his arm around his throat, choking him.
There was a loud noise happening in the Kumori's head that exploded.
Hikari pulled the Kumori clone's arm off him as the clone turned into fog.
Hikari turned to the two Kumori's who were attacking Haru and shot two beams of fire and lightning at them
The Kumori's dodged and turned to Hikari.
One Kumori's hand split into multiple arms while the other's arm split into spikes.
The arms grabbed Hikari and the spikes stabbed him.
Haru used his wooden sword to hit the arms, to have them let go of Hikari.
Some of the arms deattached themselves from Hikari and grabbed Haru instead.
Hikari then let out another scream, causing the arms and spikes to disperse into fog.
He lunged at the Kumori's, grabbing their heads, turning them into stone before smashing them against each other, shattering the heads.
The two Kumori's dropped on the ground and turned into fog once more.
All the fog went back into Kumori's eye socket.
Hikari dropped on his knee, looking exhausted.
Haru ran up to him.
"Are you alright?" Haru asked.
"...I wasted too much energy...I don't think I have much energy left in me to keep this up." Hikari said.
"That was precisely the point. The clones weren't supposed to kill you, they were simply a distraction so you could waste your powers on them. With you vulnerable, victory is guaranteed." Kumori said.
Two pitch black wings made out of dark essence bursted out of Kumori's back and flew towards Hikari.
He grabbed Hikari by his neck and flew towards the sky.
Kumori was now in the sky, holding Hikari's neck and looking at him.
"...I could drop you to your demise from here...or I can do this." Kumori said.
Kumori then flew towards the rooftop with Hikari, going very fast.
Haru sat Kumori coming right towards him and he ran out of the way.
Kumori crashed Hikari's body against the roof, making a crater in it that knocked Haru back.
"AAAH!" Hikari yelled.
Haru got up and looked horrified.
"Get away from him!" Haru said, running towards Kumori.
Kumori flew back in the sky and avoided Haru's wood stabs. He remained there in the sky, looking at the two.
Haru checked on Hikari. He was bleeding heavily from the fall and most of Kumori's attacks.
"...Uncle Hikari?" Haru asked.
"...I...don't think I can do this anymore...I'm at my limits here, Haru...this guy...is too strong." Hikari said.
"...No, you can't do this!...We...we can still beat him for sure!" Haru said.
Kumori clenched both of his fists.
"It's time I take you both out." Kumori said.
The dark cloud above Kumori started swirling around, to the point where it resembled a black hole.
"...What is he doing now?" Aqua asked.
Haru and Hikari looked at Kumori.
"...You bastard." Haru growled.
Kumori smiled, lifting his left arm at the sky.
Hikari turned to Haru.
"...Haru...I need to keep you safe..." Hikari said.
"...What are you saying?" Hikari asked.
"...Sorry...for not being able to beat him." Hikari smiled.
"...Uncle?" Haru asked.
Hikari clicked his fingers and a large stone dome appeared around Haru. It was Hikari's own way of protecting Haru from Kumori's next attack.
"UNCLE!" Haru yelled, bashing his fists against the dome.
"...Night Rain." Kumori said.
At that moment, multiple dark beams were blasted out of the dark cloud, each going towards the rooftop.
One beam was going straight towards Aqua and the Samurai's.
"Ah!" Aqua said.
The Samurai's grabbed Aqua and jumped out the way, the beam hitting the ground, making a hole.
"...Holy...that was close...oh no!" Aqua said, realizing what he is doing.
She looked at the roof.
"Hikari!" Aqua screamed.
Hikari attempted to get up only to be knocked down by a black beam.
He then got hit by other beams, each of them more powerful than the last.
"NO!!!!!" Haru yelled from inside the dome.
Back in the cell block.
Ryo and Jebediah were still clashing against each other.
Shina continued to watch.
Ryo managed to stab Jebediah a few times, but the wounds still healed.
Jebediah, while clashing with Ryo, had yet another Jashin symbol blast at Ryo.
Ryo dodged the blast and began charging his light sword.
The large ball of light appeared once again and launched at it Jebediah.
Jebediah saw the ball and it was coming fast.
He teleported out of the way and the ball hits the wall.
"...Where did he go now?" Shina asked.
Jebediah teleported right behind Shina, pulling his arm around her neck.
"AH, DADDY!" Shina yelled out.
Ryo quickly turned around and his eyes widened.
"NO!" Ryo said.
Jebediah pulled his dagger right towards her neck.
"...One move and this demon brat dies. Did I make myself clear?" Jebediah asked.
Ryo looked very pissed off, his sword was glowing with light.
"...You...really shouldn't of done that...now you made me mad!" Ryo yelled.
Ryo aimed his sword at Jebediah and shot multiple light beams at Jebediah, each going very fast.
The beams hit Jebediah, knocking him away from Shina.
Jebediah had several wounds on his body made by the beams and before he could do anything, Ryo charged at him and stabbed him in the chest.
Ryo pulled his sword out and stabbed Jebediah again, stabbing him in each part of his torso, making more holes.
"AH!" Jebediah yelled.
Ryo's sword was glowing with light and stabbed Jebediah in the chest one last time, while it was still glowing.
"...You and your group can get away with many things...but the one thing you can't get away with is hurting my own family that I love and want to protect! This battle is over, Jebediah!" Ryo yelled.
Ryo shot a beam of light inside Jebediah, the beam bursted through his back.
Jebediah's eyes widened as he now had a big hole in his stomach and a hole in his back.
Ryo pulled the sword out and looked at Jebediah.
Jebediah looked at the ground and collapsed on his back. That apparently seemed to finish him off.
Ryo took a deep breath before he turned to Shina, who looked pale.
Ryo walked up to Shina, putting his hands on her shoulder.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Ryo asked
"...N-no...I'm okay..is the bad man dead?" Shina asked, shaking.
"...I think so...I'm sorry you had to see that...but if I din't...he would of hurt you...And I wouldn't forgive myself for that." Ryo said.
"...O-Okay...but what about Haru and uncle Hikari?" Shina asked.
"...I don't know. We're gonna check on them right now." Ryo said.
The area's ceiling was shaking, cracks appearing on it.
Ryo and Shina looked up.
"...Something is going down up there. We have to hurry." Ryo said.
"...Family? Love? What rubbish."
Ryo looked shocked.
"...Dad?" Shina asked.
Ryo turned to Jebediah's corpse. The voice clearly came from him. But it din't sound like his voice at all.
"...Who...who are you?" Ryo asked.
"...Who am I?...So you forgot about me aswell...Hm, what else to expect from a demon wretch." 'Jebediah' spoke.
Jebediah then slowly got up, despite having many stab wounds and two large gaping holes. He was glowing blue as he was staring at the two with blank eyes.
"...He...he is alive!" Shina gasped.
"...No way." Ryo said.
The two holes closed off and the wounds on Jebediah slowly healed till he had zero injury on him.
"...Even after all that..." Ryo said, his eyes shaking.
Jebediah, with his eyes closed, stepped forward.
"...It seems I highly underestimated you...Ryo. But our game must end." Jebediah said.
He opened his eyes, with the Jashin symbols in them.
"Starting now!" Jebediah said.
Suddenly, Ryo's hand that was holding his sword moved on it's own.
"...M-My hand...I can't control it!" Ryo said.
"You are still part demon. Which allows me to control your body." Jebediah said.
Jebediah clicked his finger.
Ryo then stabbed himself in the stomach.
"Ah!" Ryo yelled.
Shina's eyes widened.
"Daddy!" Shina said.
Ryo then pulled the sword out of his stomach and started stabbing himself repeteadly, drawing blood.
"Dad, stop! You're hurting yourself!" Shina said.
"...It's...Jebediah...he is-GAH!" Ryo said, as he stabbed himself again.
Shina looked at Jebediah, looking angry.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU MONSTER!" Shina yelled, running towards Jebediah.
Jebediah turned his head to Shina and with just a glance, she fell on the ground.
"Where were we? Oh yes." Jebediah said.
Ryo then stabbed himself in his knees.
"AH!" Ryo yelled.
He landed on his knees, he couldn't be able to move at all.
Shina, while still on the ground, moved her head, looking at Ryo.
"...No...daddy." Shina said.
Jebediah approached Ryo, smiling at him.
"...You don't know how long we've been waiting for this." Jebediah said.
"...Please...do whatever you want with me...but let her go...she din't do anything to you." Ryo pleaded.
"You did not show mercy back then. Why should we give her mercy when you din't. She will share your grave." 'Jebediah' said.
At that moment, multiple Jashin symbols appeared on the ceiling, each of them charging up, aimed at Ryo.
"Do you feel that? That's what you put us through. The suffering, the pain, the humiliation...And now the tables have turned, Demon. It's time for you to pay the price!" Jebediah said.
Ryo weakly looked at Jebediah while he was on his knees, unable to move.
"This is what you deserve, monster. This is what you deserve, demon. This is what you deserve, EREBUS!"
The Jashin symbols shot their beams, heading towards Ryo.
"DAAAAAADY!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shina screamed.
Suddenly.
Shina found herself in a area that was completely dark, sitting on the ground, crying.
"...I'm...so weak...I can't save him...daddy is gonna die...and...it will be my fault!...I...can't let him die...I have...I have to be brave!" Shina cried.
The area Shina was in then changed into something else.
Shina was sitting on a log, under a waterfall. On her left, there was the Kodama village and on the right, there was a forest with animals in it.
Shina was looking at the water floating around her, looking at her own reflection.
"...Can I...become stronger?...Strong to protect my family?..." Shina asked.
Her reflection on the water changed to what appeared to be a Beast, with a crest hanging from it's neck.
Shina looked to the right and saw the Beast, standing there on the forest area, looking at Shina.
She jumped from the log and approached the beast. Shina began petting the beast.
The beast then gestured at the crest around it's neck.
"...You want me to take it?" Shina asked.
The beast nodded.
Shina looked at the crest and carefully took it from the beast, looking at it.
It was the Crest of Courage.
"...Is this...my strength...my will...to protect the people I love...and guard them from harm?...my courage?" Shina asked.
Her crest began glowing as it floated in front of Shina and united with her.
Shina looked at her hands as she began glowing and everything turned white.
Suddenly, the Jashin beams flew in separate directions.
One beam hits Jebediah, knocking him on the ground.
"What!?" Jebediah asked, clearly he din't expect that.
Ryo opened his eyes and looked shocked.
Shina was standing in front of him, glowing with a blue aura and her back was turned.
"...S-Shina?" Ryo asked.
Shina turned her head to Ryo, her eyes were glowing with aura, smiling at him.
"...I will keep you safe, daddy...I won't let him hurt you anymore." Shina said.
"...Shina...you.." Ryo said, looking surprised.
Shina turned her head to Jebediah, glaring at him.
Jebediah got up, looking at Shina.
"...What...is this power? Where did it come from?" Jebediah asked.
The aura surrounding Shina changed into what appeared to be a wolf.
Shina charged at Jebediah, with the speed of a wolf.
She lunged at his chest, stabbing him with the aura claws.
"GAH!" Jebediah yelled.
Shina then kicked Jebediah, knocking him backwards.
Jebediah stumbled a bit, putting his hand on the stab wound. He glared at Shina as his wound began healing.
"...You little..." Jebediah growled.
Shina's aura changed again, into a bear.
Shina charged at Jebediah again, stabbing him with her claws, shredding his chest before she stabbed him in the face aswell.
Jebediah teleported and appeared behind Shina, about to stab her in the back of her head with his dagger.
Shina jumped and stabbed him in the head.
Her aura changed into a lion and bites Jebediah in the stomach.
Jebediah teleported away from Shina and appeared far away from her, holding his stomach.
"YOU STUPID DEMON!" Jebediah yelled.
The Jashin symbols on the ceiling shot at Shina.
Shina's aura turned into a butterfly and she flew towards Jebediah, kicking him in the chin, sending him flying upwards.
She flew in front of him and aimed her hands towards him.
"STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY, YOU STUPID MONSTER!" Shina yelled.
Shina shot some aura at Jebediah that turned into a sphere, trapping him in it.
She kicked the aura sphere, sending it crashing out of the building, along with Jebediah.
Jebediah was launched right into the sky.
Shina looked at hole, waiting to see if Jebediah was gonna teleport back in.
A few seconds passed and it seems he din't come back.
"...Serves you right." Shina said.
She turned to Ryo.
Ryo pulled the sword out of his body as he slowly got up.
Due to the pain, he fell on his knees.
"...Ah...crap." Ryo said.
Shina stood in front of him and he looked at her.
"...Shina...you saved me." Ryo said.
Shina just hugged him.
"...I'm glad you are alive." Shina smiled.
"...I'm glad too." Ryo smiled, hugging her back.
Shina then stopped smiling as she sensed something, looking up.
"...Haru and Hikari are in danger. We have to get there, now." Shina said.
"...Wait...you can sense them being in danger?" Ryo said.
"...I think so. Will you need help moving?" Shina asked.
"...I...I can do it." Ryo said.
Ryo slowly got up and was able to walk atleast.
"...Let's save your brother and uncle." Ryo said.
Kumori's Night Rain attack was still going on.
One of the beams struck Hikar's dome that was protecting Haru, making a crack on it.
Haru was knocked on the ground.
"...Uncle Hikari..." Haru said.
Eventually, the beams stopped firing, the roof filled with many craters.
The dome that was protecting Haru shattered.
Haru immediately looked around and saw Hikari, laying in one of the craters, not moving.
"UNCLE!" Haru yelled.
Haru ran up to Hikari, putting his hand on his chest.
"Say something!" Haru said.
Hikari's eyes were closed and din't say anything. Haru could feel his pulse but he was unconscious.
"...No..." Haru said.
Kumori was looking at the two from the sky.
"...Hm, he used what energy he had left to protect you from the blasts. He was defeated, because you were too weak to defend yourself." Kumori said.
Haru turned his head to Kumori, gritting his teeth, his hands shaking.
"...You're...right...he got defeated because he was worried about me...if I wasn't here...he would of beaten you!" Haru said.
Haru looked at his wood sword.
"...I'm not a Omnipotent...a demon, or even a guardian...all I have is this stupid sword! It's my fault uncle Hikari is gonna die and Kodama is gonna get destroyed!" Haru yelled, throwing the wood sword on the ground.
Haru began crying, clenching his fists.
Aqua was flying in the air and looked shocked as she was staring at the roof.
"...Hikari..." Aqua said.
"Hahahaha! We finally got him! Lord Jashin's revival is at hand." Joseph said.
"And it's all thanks to you, Haru." Mary said.
Aqua turned to the two Jashinists who were sitting on the roof of a different building, glaring at them.
"...Shut up." Aqua said.
"...It hurts, doesn't it? Not being able to save the people you love and feeling like you haven't done enough? That's how I felt. And I feel that every time I go to bed and wake up in the morning, with the same nightmare...every day...fortunately for you...you won't feel that pain much longer." Kumori said.
Kumori aimed his hand at Haru, charging a black beam.
"...Your uncle fought bravely, I'll give him that...if only you were as strong as him...maybe you would of been able to make a difference." Kumori said.
Haru simply looked at the ground, with tears coming out of his eyes.
"...I can't...really do anything...because of me...everyone in Kodama is gonna die...his legacy...would of been for nothing...my dad, mom, sister and uncle...they are gonna die...and I can't do anything about-" Haru said.
Suddenly, a familiar sword landed right in front of him.
Haru looked down, looking at the sword.
It looked like Omalley's sword.
"...This is..." Haru said.
He picked up Omalley's sword, looking at it.
"...It's Omalley's sword...but...what's it doing here...does that mean Omalley is here?" Haru asked, looking around.
Omalley wasn't nearby but his sword being here was for a different reason. It was here to motivate Haru in some way, to not have him not give up hope and continue fighting.
Haru kept holding the sword, feeling something inside him.
"...Is this...a sign not to give up...to continue fighting...?" Haru asked.
"Sleep well." Kumori said.
He shot the beam right at Haru.
"HARU!" Aqua said, floating right towards him.
"Huh?" Haru asked.
Haru...was now somewhere else.
He found himself in front of Kodama's shrine, except his statue was now outside and a sword handle was stuck in his hand, with something glowing underneath.
Haru looked around, a bit confused before he turned to the statue, looking at the sword handle. He felt drawn to it, like it was calling out to him.
"...The sword...I have to pull it out." Haru said.
Haru ran towards the statue and got on it's leg, beginning to climb.
He reached the chest and climbed on the arm, crawling on it, going towards the hand with the sword handle stuck in it.
Haru puts his hands on the sword handle and attempted to pull it out.
"Mm...Mmmmm!" Haru said, attempting to pull it out.
It din't seem to work.
"...Come on...if I pull it out...I know I can do this...I'll be able to win!" Haru yelled.
Haru put his hands on the sword handle again, this time, using all of his strength and will to pull it out.
"Gh...Gh...GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Haru yelled out loud.
He pulled out a sword that was glowing silver out of the hand.
Haru looked at the sword, seeing something engraved on the handle.
'Instinct'
"...The power...I can feel it...with this...I can be able...to make a difference..." Haru said.
He then smiled.
"...Yeah...I can do it...I won't give up...I will save my family and Kodama...I won't let Jashin destroy it...Kumori...you're going down!" Haru yelled.
A bright light covered the entire area.
The black beam hits the spot where Haru was standing at.
"NO!" Aqua yelled.
Kumori looked down, seeing smoke coming out of the hole.
He then looked at the unconscious Hikari.
"...Now it's time I get what I deserve...huh?" Kumori asked.
He sensed something...a energy that felt familiar....
"...This feeling...it can't be." Kumori said.
Kumori turned his head...and saw Haru standing at the end of the roof, glowing silver, with his back turned.
"...You're alive? But I saw you there, you were supposed to..." Kumori said.
Haru simply turned, looking at Kumori with silver eyes, and a calm expression on his face. He looked and felt different.
"...Is that...Haru?" Aqua asked, looking shocked.
"...He is glowing silver...so what?" Joseph asked.
"...His energy...it feels...different from before...it's similar to Kumori's" Mary said, sweating a bit.
Kumori looked closer and looked surprised before regaining his calm expression.
"...So, you unlocked your hidden power...and became a guardian...interesting...but, will your new power will be able to stop me, however?" Kumori asked.
Haru said nothing, he still stared at Kumori, waiting for him to do something.
Kumori clenched his teeth as he flew towards Haru, extending his left arm out to grab him.
Haru suddenly vanished before the arm could grab him.
"What?" Kumori asked.
Haru appeared right behind Kumori.
Before Kumori could turn his head, Haru punched him in the face, sending him crashing on the roof, making a crater.
Aqua, Joseph and Mary looked shocked.
Kumori slowly got out of the crater, putting his hand on his face, feeling the pain from his punch.
"...That punch...it felt heavy...that's...impossible!" Kumori said.
Haru jumped in front of Kumori, staring intently at him.
Kumori glared at Haru.
"...You...can't win!" Kumori said.
Kumori appeared right in front of Haru and attempted to punch him with his left hand
Haru grabbed his wrist and was holding it, before he proceeded to crush it, causing goop to drip out of his arm.
Kumori's eye widened.
Haru then punched him in the chest.
"GAAAAH!" Kumori yelled, coughing out black blood.
Joseph and Mary's eyes widened.
"...He...actually hurt him!" Mary said.
"...K-Kumori, you better not lose! NOT WHEN WE ARE SO CLOSE!" Joseph yelled.
Kumori pulled his hand away and put his other hand on his stomach, feeling pain from Haru's attacks as he was coughing a big amount of black blood on the ground.
Hikari slowly opened his eyes and looked at Haru.
"...H-Haru?" Hikari asked.
Aqua landed right next to Hikari.
"Hikari, are you okay!?" Aqua asked.
"...Haru...what's up with him?...He is...glowing." Hikari said.
"I think...Haru became a guardian...somehow." Aqua said.
"...I...see..." Hikari smiled, looking proud.
Kumori glared at Haru.
"...Your power...means nothing to me!...What I have to lose...IS TOO IMPORTANT!" Kumori yelled.
The ground beneath Kumori cracked, waiting for Haru's next move.
Haru looked at Kumori and opened his mouth.
"...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Haru roared.
Haru appeared in front of Kumori, kicking him in the neck, sending him flying off the roof.
Kumori used his wings to prevent his fall and charged towards Haru very fast.
Haru jumped right behind Kumori before he could deliver his punch, he was just floating right above him.
Kumori quickly turned and shot a black beam at Haru.
Haru easily dodged the beam.
Kumori began shooting multiple beams at Haru.
Haru was just dodging every beam without effort.
He then flew towards Kumori and landed a series of kicks and hits all over his torso, with critical damage, sending him flying in the sky.
Black blood was dripping out of Kumori's body as his eye was twitching at Haru.
"...His...His body is moving it's own...he is using his own instinct to dodge my hits and then counterattacks." Kumori said.
Haru then jumped high, roaring again as he was getting close to Kumori.
Kumori's left hand split into black spikes and they were flying towards Haru very fast.
Haru dodged the spikes and jumped onto one, running very fast towards Kumori before headbutting him in the face.
Haru began to hit him again till Kumori began blocking his hits by using his forearms.
Ryo and Shina, still glowing with aura, got on the rooftop, walking up to Hikari and Shina.
"Hikari, where is Haru!?" Ryo asked.
Hikari simply pointed to the sky and Ryo looked, his eyes widened.
"Haru!...He is...fighting Kumori! and actually hurting him!?" Ryo asked.
"Yup. Din't see that one coming. I think he is a guardian." Hikari said.
"...Huh...well, what do you know." Ryo smiled.
Shina was watching Haru and Kumori.
Aqua looked at Shina.
"...Is Shina...glowing?" Aqua asked.
Kumori was still blocking his attacks.
Haru stopped attacking and attempted to kick Kumori.
Kumori saw that and grabbed his leg immediately.
"Now you're mine!" Kumori said.
Shina's aura changed to a eagle and flew towards the two.
Shina began stabbing Kumori many times, causing him to bleed even more.
Haru got out of his grasp and was punching him again.
Kumori was getting hit from left and right by the twins, unable to fight back.
"I never saw anyone being able to keep up with Kumori, let alone two of them!" Mary said.
"...This...this ain't fucking possible!" Joseph yelled.
Kumori flew away from the Twins and was now above them, gritting his teeth at them.
He lifted his left hand at the sky.
"NIGHT RAIN!" Kumori yelled.
The dark sky began shooting dark beams at the Twins.
Haru and Shina began flying, moving out of the way of the beams, not getting hit by a single of them.
Shina used her aura to deflect the blasts back to Kumori, hitting him instead.
Haru flew very quickly towards Kumori, punching him in the face with both of his fists.
Kumori was sent flying again, to the point where he was right under the dark cloud, looking at the Twins in disbelief.
"...I...I refuse to give up...I won't submit! DO YOU HEAR ME!? I.REFUSE.TO.GIVE.UP!" Kumori yelled.
A large black sphere appeared around Kumori, acting like a shield to protect him from any attacks.
Kumori puts his hands together, charging another beam.
"...Let's see how you will be able to dodge this!" Kumori smiled.
He blasted a large black beam that went through the shield and was approaching Haru and Shina.
The twins looked at each other and held their hands before turning to the beams.
Haru and Shina aimed their hands and shot their own beams.
The Silver and the Aura beams merged together, fusing into a larger beam that hits Kumori's beam.
Kumori's eye twitched as he began pushing the beam back at the two.
"YOU WON'T WIN!" Kumori yelled.
The twins, with determination in their eyes, put all their power through the beam, continuing to clash against Kumori's beam.
The two beams then erupted and everything turned white for Haru, Shina and Kumori.
Kumori was seen, sitting on a pile of corpses, surrounded by a ocean filled with black blood, staring at the images of him fleeing from a burning Universe 0, him holding his dead surrogate father in his hands and a image of him having a mental breakdown.
Some footsteps were heard and Kumori looked up.
He saw Haru and Shina standing on the other side, with the village, the waterfall, forest and Kodama's shrine right behind them. The areas of the three were now joined together, as the water from the waterfall was merging with the black blood from Kumori's ocean.
Haru and Shina were now able to feel Kumori's pain and trauma, his desire to see the people that he once protected once again.
"...Now...do you understand?" Kumori asked.
"...Yeah...I think we can...we can feel your pain..." Haru said.
"...I can't...keep this any longer...it hurts...I endured this for too long...just lose...and let me get my family back...so the pain can stop..." Kumori said.
"...I'm sorry about what you lost but...we are not give you your victory just so you won't feel any more pain." Haru said.
"...If I lose...then it's all over...and the curse...will break me completely...I will never be able to rest." Kumori said.
"...We can help you get rid of the pain...I don't know how, but we can try...just tell us what to do." Shina said.
"...The only way to break the curse...is to put me down...which means...you have to beat me in order to do it...but you have to go all out..." Kumori said.
"...Is that really the only way?" Haru asked.
"...Yes...once a guardian loses the person they protect...they lose everything...their powers, their minds, their sanity...all gone...there will only be darkness...you two...will know what that darkness is...when you will lose what's precious to you." Kumori said.
"...That will never happen. The Curse will not get us." Haru said.
"How are you so sure about that?" Kumori asked.
"Because we have each other. And together, we'll do our best to protect our family and village from harm." Haru said.
"We won't let anyone harm the people we love. That's why we have to do this. Is Jebediah's promise worth the suffering of many people when Jashin will be unleashed?" Shina asked.
Kumori simply looked at the ocean.
"...Then you know what you have to do." Kumori said.
Haru and Shina looked at each other, a bit sad before they jumped in the water, going towards Kumori's ocean.
When they were going through the black blood, the blood changed into the water of the waterfall.
Kumori looked at the twins as they extended their hands out.
He looked confused as he looked at his own hands.
"...Come on, let's end this." Haru said.
"...We'll help you as best as we can." Shina said.
Kumori looked at them as he slowly nodded.
He slowly reached out to Haru and Shina, grabbing their hands.
The merged realm then vanished, along with the three.
Haru and Shina were knocked back when the two beams exploded.
Kumori was knocked into the wall of his own sphere.
Haru and Shina immediately opened their eyes and flew right into the dark cloud.
They were now out of the cloud, in front of the Sun and above Kumori.
They extended their hands out and shot their mega beam once more, going right towards Kumori.
Kumori simply looked up, seeing the beam approaching closer and closer as every second passes.
Kumori looked at the beam, not doing anything.
"...So...this...is the power of Kodama...hm.." Kumori said.
He smiled slightly.
"...Well done." Kumori said.
The large beam pierced through Kumori's shield, engulfing Kumori.
Kumori was descending down, right towards Ryo, Hikari and Aqua.
Aqua immediately used the wind to fly herself and the other two off the roof as the beam crashed Kumori through the roof and was crashing through many floors.
"KUMORI!" Joseph yelled out.
The beam itself caused the entire prison to collapse, shattering into pieces and rubble, covering the area in smoke.
The dark cloud went away and the sky was clear once more.
Haru and Shina were floating in front of the sun before they stopped glowing and were descending down.
Aqua quickly floated to the sky and grabbed them before they could fall.
The two kids were unconscious, exhausted from the fight.
Aqua sighed in relief before she landed on the ground as Ryo and Hikari ran up to her.
"Haru! Shina!" Ryo yelled.
Haru and Shina slowly opened their eyes.
"...Dad?" Haru asked.
"Oh, thank God...you really had me worried for a minute there, geez." Ryo said.
"...Where's...Kumori?" Shina asked.
"...That's what we are trying to find out." Hikari said, turning back to the ruined building.
The smoke cleared out and Kumori was seen, his legs were gone, leaving nothing but his torso, the right half of his head, face and arm are gone, leaving the left half intact.
Despite, he was still alive somehow as he was coughing blood.
He was finished.
Joseph and Mary looked pale.
"...K...Kumori...those...bastards will pay!" Joseph yelled.
At that moment, Jebediah crashed right behind the two, he managed to get out of the aura sphere and the two immediately turned around.
"Jebediah!" Mary said, running up to him.
Jebediah was laying there, with a angered expression as he pulled Mary's hand off him and slowly got up, looking right at Kumori.
"...Damn it." Jebediah said, gritting his teeth.
"...Let's destroy those fuckers for Kumori!" Joseph said.
"No. We will retreat for now. All of this was a bad idea. We're going back to sacrificing those with high potential, going after Omnipotents costed us three valuable members." Jebediah said.
"...R-Right." Mary said.
Joseph spat, looking pissed.
Jebediah turned to the group.
"...They may have won the battle, but the war has just begun. Once we find new recruits, we will strike again and find the last three souls that we need. And may Jashin have mercy upon those who try to stand in our way." Jebediah said.
The Jashin symbol appeared beneath Jebediah, Joseph and Mary as it turned into a portal and they fell through it before it vanished.
Aqua turned her head to where the Jashinists were once.
"...They are gone." Aqua frowned.
"...I doubt this will be the last time we'll see them. They will come back again one day. Hopefully, someone else will defeat them for us." Ryo said.
"Hopefully." Aqua sighed.
Haru and Shina landed on the ground and approached Kumori.
Kumori was just laying there, looking at the Sun, like it's the first time he actually saw the Sun in years.
"...I think I might know why my abilities relate to Darkness...I hate the Sun...it's too bright for my own eyes..." Kumori said, not actually acknowledging the fact that he lost most of his body and is slowly dying.
"...Kumori." Shina said, looking sad.
Kumori turned his head to the group.
"...You look pretty calm. Are you not even in pain?" Haru asked.
"...Actually, I am. I'm just thinking of something to distract myself from the unbearable pain..." Kumori said.
Hikari walked up to him.
"Kumori." Hikari said.
Kumori looked at Hikari.
"...When I first saw you, I only saw your father...I hate him with my heart...and I hated you for being his son...by killing you...Haraguroi would of understood what it means to lose someone he cares about." Kumori said.
"...I think he knows what suffering is...This could of been prevented, Kumori...why din't you come to us, we could of helped you get your family back...all you had to do was ask." Hikari said.
"...Asking the family of the man who killed my people to help me was out of the question...that...and I wasn't thinking straight...I stopped thinking at all when I lost everything...I lost my home back in Universe 0...then my surrogate father, Amaya...The Red Moon's promise is what kept alive till today...and now...I just want it all to end." Kumori said.
"...I'm sorry. If dad was here, I'm sure he would apologize." Hikari said.
"You're not that far off actually."
The group turned around, looking at Akarusa, with the Samurai's standing right behind him.
"Dad." Hikari said, looking surprised.
"Grandpa?" Haru and Shina asked.
"Looks like I arrived right on time." Akarusa said.
He walked up to Kumori and crouched down.
Kumori looked at him.
"...Hm, never thought that the last face I would see on this planet...is the face that I hate the most. Look at you, you look like crap." Kumori said.
"Well, age can do that to a person who is not a guardian. Heh, even without half a face, you still look better than I am." Akarusa said.
"...Just..get to the point." Kumori sighed.
"...You and I are more similar than you might want to admit it. Both of us lost our families and found new hope in others. I found my hope in Nikko and Nozomi, and you found hope in Amaya. Even after we tried, we both lost what was precious to us and fell into the darkness, and remained there till people reached out and pulled us out of the abyss. When I lost Nozomi, all I saw was red and wanted everyone around me dead..I'm sorry about what I did to you, Kumori...I really am." Akarusa said.
Kumori looked at the ground, looking sad.
"...I still hate you...but hearing you apologizing to me...it makes the pain...more tolerable atleast." Kumori said.
"...Is there anything I can do...to make you feel better?" Akarusa asked.
Kumori looked at his black left arm before looking at Akarusa.
"...If you really mean your words...then do this one favor I ask of you." Kumori said.
Kumori's left arm changed into a black sharp blade, which was stuck in his socket.
"Put an end to my pain. Right here and right now. That's all I ask." Kumori said.
Akarusa looked at the blade before he looked at Kumori.
"...Is that really what you want?" Akarusa asked.
"..Y-Yes...finish what you once started...and kill the last survivor of Amaya." Kumori said.
"...Do it, grandpa...it will help him find peace." Shina said.
Akarusa looked at Shina before he looked at Kumori.
"...Okay." Akarusa nodded.
Akarusa pulled the blade out of Kumori's arm and aimed his at his chest.
He stabbed Kumori right in the heart.
Kumori smiled.
"...Thanks...Akarusa." Kumori said.
His body started glowing black, his torso beginning to slowly vanish into darkness.
Kumori looked at himself before he looked at Haru and Shina.
Haru and Shina looked sad before they walked up to Kumori.
"...I do hate you for what you did to me and Shina...but...at the same time...if it wasn't for you...I wouldn't of been able to discover my own path...and you taught me what a guardian is and what they have to endure when they lose someone...and because of what you showed me...I...promise I won't let the same thing happen to me and my sister...Kodama will always be safe as long as me and my sister are around." Haru smiled.
"...I...won't forget you...Kumori." Shina said, putting her hand on her eyes, wiping her tears away.
Kumori smiled in response.
"...Good luck...Guardians of Kodama." Kumori said, closing his eye.
Kumori's body faded away. The blade that was used to stab him vanished aswell.
No single trace of him was left behind.
Ryo looked sad before he turned to Akarusa.
"...Are you alright?" Ryo asked.
"...Atleast I was able to make peace with him before he died...I'll be able to sleep well at night, now that I got this out of my system." Akarusa sighed to himself.
Ryo nodded as he turned to his kids.
Haru and Shina turned to Ryo and both of them hugged him immediately, both of them were crying.
"...It's over now...finally." Ryo sighed.
"...Dad..." Haru said.
"What is it?" Ryo asked.
"...I...think I had enough adventures for one day. I'd rather stay in the village for awhile." Haru said.
"...Ha, I'm sure your mom will be happy to hear that." Ryo smiled.
Shina was quiet as she kept hugging her dad.
Hikari and Aqua looked at each other, they looked relieved.
Aqua turned to the Samurai's.
"...Thanks for saving me...but who are you guys?" Aqua asked.
The Samurai's took their masks off.
The male had a black moustache with a scar on his cheek and the female Samurai was Hana.
"My name is Ryu Kuro." Ryu said.
"And I'm Hana Kuro. Nice to meet you." Hana said.
The kids stopped hugging Ryo and they looked surprised.
"Miss Hana? What are you doing here?" Shina asked.
"Well, after you and Hikari got kidnapped, I contacted the Kuro couple to have them help you guys against the Red Moon. Both of them are the Village's top elite fighters." Akarusa smiled.
"...Wow, you are a Samurai? I thought you were busy with the church." Haru asked.
"The church is more of a hobby than a actual job. I'm more experienced in combat than using actual weapons, you see. I'm glad that you two are safe." Hana said.
"...I bet you two would have one awesome kid." Haru said.
"...Um, perhaps." Hana said, blushing a bit.
Ryu rolled his eye before he looked at Akarusa.
"Our mission is complete, yes?" Ryu asked.
"Yeah. We can all go home now." Akarusa said.
Ryu nodded as he and Hana walked away.
Akarusa turned to Ryo, Hikari, Haru, Shina and Aqua and nodded at them.
Haru and Shina held Ryo's hands as they walked out of Amaya, heading back home.
In the demon World, Nyx's castle.
Fuzen watched the entire event from his mirror, with Nyx standing alongside him.
"...Atleast they are still alive." Fuzen said.
"...Those two children, Haru and Shina...are they guardians now?" Nyx asked.
"It appears so. Being a guardian is both a honor and a burden. The twins will have a long road ahead of them. Their journey just started. And the Red Moon is still around." Fuzen said.
"...From what we saw, they might be the ones behind with what happens with the moon during August." Nyx said.
"Perhaps. With them losing a guardian and two other members, the Red Moon will delay their plans but will come back stronger than before and sacrifice more victims. They won't go after Omnipotents again." Fuzen said.
"Will Omalley do something about this?" Nyx asked.
"He is retired now. But, chances are, his son will continue the fight against the Red Moon and hopefully succeed." Fuzen said.
"...Speaking of children." Nyx said, looking down.
She put her hand on her belly, a small baby bump.
Back in Kodama, at night.
Everyone gathered in Ryo and Angel's house.
Haru and Shina were currently in Angel's arms as she was hugging them.
"I swear, I won't leave you two out of my sight again!" Angel said, looking happy to have her kids.
"...We're okay, mommy..." Shina said.
"...We can't breathe." Haru said, his face was blue.
Angel eventually placed them both down and sighed.
"I'm just relieved that I din't lose the two of you...I...don't know what I would of done if..." Angel said.
Ryo put his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, they are alive, that's what matters, right?" Ryo asked.
"...You're right. But still, I almost had a heart attack there." Angel said.
Nozomi looked at Hikari, who was bandaged.
"Are you feeling well? How is your back?" Nozomi asked.
"...It still hurts, but, better than being dead, I guess." Hikari sighed.
Nozomi looked at Akarusa.
"...And you? I mean, I'm sure you are happy now that you got some resolution with Kumori." Nozomi said.
"....I am happy, but also sad...I just wish things turned out differently for me and Kumori." Akarusa said.
"...Kumori is back with his family. He is happy now. That's what matters." Shina said.
"...Yeah...I'll never forget Kumori..." Haru said, looking at the floor.
For awhile it was silent.
"...Those Red Moon guys...they won't come back for us, will they?" Angel asked.
"...Since they lost some of their members, I doubt they'll go after me again. But it won't stop them from hurting other people though." Hikari said.
"Me and Omalley will discuss about this right after a good deserved break." Ryo said.
Angel and the kids turned to Ryo.
"A break?" Angel asked.
"...I haven't spend much time with you guys because of work...and after today...all I want is to be with you guys...and that's why, for the rest of week, I'll leave someone else to deal with the paperwork while we go camping in the Black Forest. Do you like the sound of that, Shina?" Ryo asked, smiling.
Angel, Haru and Shina looked surprised.
"...Ryo...that's...wonderful to hear." Angel said.
Shina smiled as she hugged Ryo.
"...That's all I ever wanted, dad." Shina said.
Ryo smiled before he looked at Haru.
"Well, Haru?" Ryo asked.
Haru folded his arms.
"...Hm, think I'm gonna stay in Kodama, actually...now that I'm a guardian, I have to make sure that nothing terrible happens. Without guardians, something bad might happen. And I'll be here to make sure no one gets hurt. You guys can have fun though." Haru said.
The three looked surprised to hear that.
"...I guess you learned something valuable from this whole experience then." Angel said.
"Heh, well, guardians can't slack off from duty now can they?" Haru asked, smiling.
Akarusa looked at Hikari.
"...Are you gonna stick around atleast?" Akarusa asked.
"...I think It's best I leave and resume my journey tomorrow. I put you all in danger by just being here and today proves it." Hikari said.
"...You could atleast stay here with Haru while we are gone. You don't need to leave just yet, Hikari." Angel said.
"...I unno." Hikari said, looking unsure.
"Come on, uncle, what's the rush? If those Jashin guys come back, we'll just beat them and make them crawl back under their rock again! Just stay here for a little longer, pretty please?" Haru asked.
Hikari folded his arms, sighing.
"Just one week. Then I'll hit the Road again." Hikari smiled.
"Sweet." Haru smiled.
"Well, I can tell we all had a long day. We should get some rest." Nozomi said.
"Yeah...good night, mom, dad, Hikari." Angel said.
Akarusa, Nozomi and Hikari walked out of the house.
"...*Yawn*...I'm going to bed too." Shina said, going upstairs.
Haru looked at Shina and went upstairs after her.
"Hey, Shina." Haru said.
"What?" Shina asked, turning to him.
Haru awkwardly looked at her.
"...I...um...I'm sorry." Haru said.
"...For what?" Shina asked.
"...For being a jerk to you all the time...when you got taken by Kumori...I thought I would never see you again...and I decided that when I would save you...I would apologise...for what I did...so..." Haru said.
Shina looked surprised.
"...Well...thanks, Haru...It means a lot to me, to hear you say that..." Shina said.
"...But, you are still kind of a clumsy dweeb though." Haru smiled.
Shina looked at him with a annoyed expression.
"...So much for changing, huh?" Shina asked.
"Hey, I was just teasing, geez." Haru said.
"...Thanks for the apology anyways. Good night." Shina said.
Shina entered in her room and closed the door.
Haru just looked relieved.
"...Good night, sis." Haru said.
Haru then walked into his room.
At morning,
Ryo and Angel were at the village gate, with camping bags, waiting for Shina.
Shina, carrying her backpack, was running towards her.
Just as she was about to trip over a rock, Shina immediately stopped herself from falling and walked over to Ryo and Angel.
She held their hands as they walked out of the village.
Hikari and Haru were at Kodama's shrine, sitting on the roof, looking at the sky.
"...Well, Haru?" Hikari asked.
"...At first, I din't think much of Kodama and the village...but after all of this...I realize now that Kodama left us with his elements for a reason...and we can't let his sacrifice go to waste...me and my sister will always be there for Kodama. And no one can beat us, as long we are together." Haru said.
Hikari smiled before looking at the Sun.
"...I don't know much about this Guardian stuff, but I doubt it will be a easy path for you and Shina. Once you are a guardian, there is no turning back." Hikari said.
"I know that much. But we'll come out of this okay. I know it. The Chronicle of Haru and Shina, Guardians of Kodama, just started. And I'm excited to see where all of this is going." Haru smiled.
Inside the Shrine.
There two flowers that looked new, right in front of Kodama's altar.
A silver flower and a blue flower.
The End
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Post by Master Psychic on Dec 25, 2020 22:35:46 GMT
(Had to split this up in two parts because the length of the story is too much for the character limit)
The TV screen turned on, featuring a dark room.
"To learn more about the civil war that took place on Universe 7's Earth, we have invited a couple of guests who were participants in the events of the war who can tell us the details of what happened in that. For our first guess, please welcome, Alexander Gomez!" A anonymous voice said.
A spotlight turned on, illuminating a old man sitting on the chair, he had short white hair, a eyepatch covering his left eye while his right eye was black with a cat like pupil, a white beard and wearing a unbuttoned black suit with a velvet shirt underneath the coat with black pants, belt around the waist and brown moccasins, he had his hands placed on his knees and staring at the camera as details appeared at the bottom of the screen.
Alexander Gomez, age 67 Born in Metroville Former state senator Former Intergalatic Space Police leader Currently retired
Alexander let out a deep cough as he began speaking.
"Thank you for inviting me to this interview." Alexander said.
"So, Mister Gomez, while you weren't a participant in the war, you know the origins of how this event transpired, care to share with us the details?" The voice asked.
"Certainly. The audience deserves to know what happened back then and I'm willing to tell you every important detail if it helps." Alexander nodded.
Alexander let out another cough before he continued.
"In the year 1987, we were facing a economical crisis, the crime rate was high and the entire country was in a large mess before the elements of the crest of Wager were discovered and we had guardians to deal with these criminals, you see. A election was necessary, as a senator I felt it was time for me to act and gain enough votes to become the new prime minister and sort this mess out but unfortunately, my candidate happened to be Garren Knight, the Guardian of Suppression, who had a lot of charisma and his arguments were a lot more convincing than mine were, in the end, he won by a landslide." Alexander frowned.
"And after the election and Garren became prime minister, was that the beginning of the civil war?" The voice asked.
"Not at first. Garren, like his title suggests, did his best to suppress crime as soon as possible and started implementing laws all sorts of deplorable laws in order to limit our urges to sin, first starting with security cameras on every place, including in our houses, drones, wearing the same uniform, guards patrolling the streets, banning all impure factors and vices that gives us these urges including materials that weren't consider very 'family friendly' that could corrupt the younger generation including the adults like alcohol, drugs, violent movies and songs with bad language, anyone who tried to break the law would be punished and sent to jail. While he did give people who couldn't feed their families some decent jobs and strenghtened the economy a bit, his ways were too extreme and barbaric, it was no surprise that the seeds of rebellion were being planted as a result of his actions, a guardian convinced the rest of the guardians to form a secret group, hiding themselves somewhere in Metroville and influenced others to join their cause to overthrow Garren and restore balance to the country, then the civil war between Garren and the rebel group began as a result." Alexander said.
"And what did you do when the war began?" The voice asked.
"While I found the actions of the other side supportable, if the innocent who weren't involved in neither side of the conflict, there was a chance they would get caught in this mess if everything ended too badly and so I took action and came up with a project to find somewhere else where we can live normally again, away from all this of nonsense. The project was called 'Plan B', a young scientist from the Arkginia city, Stewart Jonathan, before he became a Omnipotent of Intelligence, was designing a space ship big enough to fit everyone who wished to get off the planet and find a new place to call home somewhere in space. Our astronauts discovered a gigantic abandoned space station that probably belonged to some Metalmen or a group of Neonytes and figured we could turn that place into a new Earth. We had till 28th December to gather enough people in Arkginia and fly off to space while Garren was focusing on the rebel group. Since I stayed away from Metroville at that time, I have no idea about how the war itself turned out besides what people have told me so someone else will have to tell you the rest." Alexander said.
"I see. Thank you, Mister Gomez, we will now switch to our next guest who was a unwilling participant of the rebellion and tell us about he got involved in this conflict." The voice said.
The camera switched to another similar interview room, another old man with blue cat eyes, white hair with a long ponytail and wearing a black hat that looked like it's been worn for years now and wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with black pants was sitting there, scratching at his arms with a wedding ring on one of his fingers as details appeared on the screen.
Axel Monroe, age 62 Born in Isonfield Former musician Former member of the rebellion Currently retired
"Hi, my name is Axel. It's nice to be here, I guess." Axel shrugged.
"Mister Axel, from what we understand, you weren't only involved in the rebellion against Hastur, before that, you were also involved in the civil war from the original Earth, weren't you?" The voice asked.
"I wasn't actually planning on joining that group, I wanted to jump ship and get away from all that noise. Me and my pals were in a music band and ever since that short sighted butthole decided to ban anything that wasn't 'family friendly' which included our songs, our only way of expressing ourselves was taken away from us, not to mention family problems at home and running out of cash, I figured that maybe running away was the best option and it was better to get off the planet before it could burst into flames, I was ready to head to Arkginia and try to get my life back on track without being censored by the government." Axel explained.
"And things din't go according to plan, I assume." The voice said.
Axel let out a long sigh.
"Nope, not even close. Once I entered in the wrong bus, what followed next were 5 days of bullshit. 5 long days that I would never forget..." Axel said, as he stared down at the floor, not looking excited about this tale he was about to share with the rest of the world.
"Tell us." The voice said.
-------
Universe 7: The Civil War
Part 1
December 21st, 1987
Isonfield was a rural city, located North and everything was covered in snow, it was in the middle of a slow Winter and a lot of people wearing the same orange coloured uniforms were on their way to work with guards wearing bulletproof vests, protection helmets with stun guns placed on their waists, also holding shields that were made out of glass, looking more like mirrors, drones were surveying the rural area, there were posters on the wall featuring a bald man with orange cat like eyes, wearing glasses, a white buttoned up shirt with a red tie and a traditional black business jacket with black pants with a belt strapped around the waist, his fist was raised towards the sky with a single motivational quote on those posters:
'Suppress your vices, no matter how strong your urges are, you are much more stronger than them!'
There was quite a large crowd of people gathering in a building which was a central bus station, rumours about a space ship being built to take everyone who din't want to be caught up in the crossfire began to spread and quite a few people from Isonfield were willing to escape and gathered at the bus station to head to Arkginia before the space ships leaves in a few days.
Inside the bus station, there was a huge line of people who had tickets, going up to a security guard who was sitting behind the desk and accepting tickets to allow them to go into a bus, there were security guards and cameras keeping on the people there, with TV screens placed on the walls, currently on the news channel showing Garren standing at a podium and shouting into a microphone in front of a crowd of reporters.
"As of now, the hideout of this rebel group that is trying to disturb our peace and stability hasn't been located yet but once we will find out, I will personally right their wrongs and make them accept their punishments for what they have done, I am not speaking to you as a prime minister but as a servant to the people, I will not tolerate this outrage no longer, I will do my best to end this war with my own two hands if I have to! You don't have to fear these troublemakers ladies and gentlemen, because as long as I am here, you have nothing to be worried about! I will put this country back on it's own two feet, more better than it was before and I will need your help to do so! Lend me your strength so we can put a stop to this madness and resume our everyday lives once again!" Garren declared.
Standing behind two people in the crowd, Axel, who was 18 years old back then, he had shoulder length pale blonde hair with his fringe swept to the left nearly covering his eye, wearing a sleeveless open blue vest, a red flannel shirt with long sleeves, blue jeans with green shoes, carrying a bag over his shoulder with one hand in his pocket, he was staring up at one of the TV screens and rolled his eyes in response.
"That guy sures loves to hear himself talk all day." Axel muttered.
"Next!" The security guard shouted.
Axel quickly paid attention as there was only one person left before it was his turn to hand out his ticket.
-----
"I din't have that much money back then for this long trip and I had a pal of mine from the band give me a counterfeit bus ticket, I din't think they would be able to tell the difference." Axel said.
-----
The person in front of Axel showed the security guard his ticket and the guard nodded, allowing the person to walk through the gate which was at the far left.
"Next!" The security guard shouted.
Axel, trying to maintain his calm, walked up to the security guard.
"Show me your ticket please." The guard said.
"Of course." Axel nodded, giving him the ticket.
The security guard looked at the ticket in full detail before looking up at Axel.
"Alright, you can go." The guard said.
"Cool, thanks man." Axel smirked.
Axel walked away from the security guard and began heading towards the gate, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he looked very relieved.
"That actually worked better than I expected." Axel said to himself, quietly.
The security guard, however, gave his bus ticket a secondary glance and picked up his detector, scanning the bus ticket and let out a beeping noise, indicating that the ticket was a fake.
"Hey, wait a second. This ticket is not genuine." The security guard said, turning his head to stare intently at Axel who's back was turned.
Axel was frozen, sweating bullets and his eyes shrunk in size.
"Shit, I'm busted..." Axel muttered to himself.
"Hey, you! What's your name, son?" The security guard asked, standing up.
Axel slowly turned around and looked at the guard, he din't know what to say.
"I...uh...see ya!" Axel said, waving at the guard as he began running towards the gate.
The guard pulled out a walkie-talkie.
"Code red, we've got a code red, a kid tried to bamboozle me with a counterfeit bus ticket, don't let him leave the building!" The security guard shouted.
The guards who were in the area heard his announcement on their walkie-talkies and began heading towards Axel who was pushing a lot of people out of his way, he even got on the floor and slid past a guard who was standing in front of the gate right between his legs before he stood up and continued running.
"After him!" A security guard shouted.
A lot of guards ran after Axel in the hallway.
Axel was running for his life, panting heavily as he looked over his shoulder and tensed as soon as he saw a lot of guards going after him and they were getting closer.
He bumped into a few people who swore him off, pushing a random civilian into a guard and knocked the two of them on the floor.
Another guard grabbed his stun gun and launched a taser dart at Axel who shoved him against the wall to avoid the taser before he continued running, he grabbed a big potted plant in a vase and threw it on the floor to block their path, allowing him to run further into the hallway and reached the escalator which was going down.
Axel continued to run on the escalator, pushing more people out of the way.
"Hey!" A woman shouted.
"Watch where you are going!" A man shouted.
"Dumbass!" A teenager said.
"Sorry, sorry!" Axel apologized, accidently stepping on another person's foot before he reached the end of the escalator and got off.
Axel looked above to see the guards on the escalator who were also running down and then looked around to see many people that have gathered in the lower floor before he saw a sliding door that leads to the back where all the buses were.
Not looking back, he ran towards the sliding door as the guards resumed their chase but he was out of the building by the time they were catching up to him.
Outside, Axel looked around and saw two buses standing right beside each other and the first one was ready to leave.
Not having enough time to look at their displays and see which bus was going where and with the guards on his tail, Axel began heading towards the first bus.
"Hey, open the door, I'm going in!" Axel shouted at the driver.
The bus's door opened and Axel ran inside and the door closed.
When the guards reached the bus, it took off in a hurry, going right.
"Wait, stop!" One of the guards shouted, reaching out to the bus in vain.
As the bus got on the road, Axel opened the window and shouted at the guards.
"Ha ha, yeah, take that you uniformed stooges! To hell with ya and your oppressive system, I'm getting off this place while you dorks can stay here and rot for all I care, try to catch up with me now, bitches!" Axel said, giving them the middle finger before he closed his window.
Axel sat on his chair, placing his bag on the floor as he leaned into his chair and let out a long sigh.
"Damn, that was close." Axel said.
He then looked around...and saw a few people wearing civilian clothes who were staring at the young man bewildered, a girl who was one year younger than him, brown hair with a cat hair clip on her head and a short ponytail coming out, blue eyes covered by a pair of square glasses, wearing a green unzipped jacket with a blue sweater featuring three cartoon girls with wings on the center that looked like they were from a magical girl cartoon show, yellow pants with red shoes was sitting right next to him, blinking twice.
Sitting at the back, a tall man wearing a black cowboy hat covering his face, a bright orange turtleneck shirt with a belt strapped around his chest along with a dark orange unbuttoned coat, brown jeans and boots with spurs who raised his head slightly when the young man started shouting.
Axel looked awkward as he stared at every face that was looking at him now.
"Uh, hey there...sorry for shouting." Axel said, looking nervous.
------
The next guest who was being interviewed at the same time was the young girl from the story who was now a old woman with long grey brown hair with two long strands escaping from the back of her hair, wearing a short sleeved brown dress with a wedding ring on her finger.
Molly Monroe, age 61 Born in Metroville Former IT specialist former member of the rebellion Currently retired
"Missus Molly, what were you doing in Isonville?" The voice asked.
"Me and the rest of the rebellion went to Isonville to find more people willing to join the fight but we couldn't find that many recruits, most of them wanted to head to Arkginia to fly into space and after seeing that we weren't getting anywhere, we got in the bus and were heading back to Metroville before we were noticed and to our surprise, Axel got in the bus and got out of there before the guards could of stopped us. That was the first time I met Axel." Molly said.
"What was your first impression when you met him?" The voice asked.
"At first, he was quite...how should I put this? Provocative, yeah, he was provocative. He was acting tough just to impress us and it worked in his favour." Molly smiled.
------
Axel looked back at the young girl, scratching the back of his neck.
"Uh, I'm sorry about my language, it's just...I get so upset at all this injustice, I mean, can you believe it?" Axel asked.
"Oh, it's okay, I know how you feel. But why did those guards chase after you?" The girl asked.
"Ah, that's a funny story actually. I gave one of those asshole guards a fake bus ticket so I can get out of crazytown, then they figured it out and they chased after me. I couldn't afford a actual bus ticket so I had a friend help me out so I can get away from all this crap, you know?" Axel asked.
"I understand, you don't need to explain to me. It must of been scary, huh?" The girl asked.
Axel, trying to look cool and impress the girl, just smirked.
"Eh, a couple of uniformed grunts aren't enough to scare me. A lot of people underestimate me because I'm not a adult but I wasn't gonna take that and so I took a stand, I told those guys 'your boss doesn't scare me and I can do whatever you want, if you don't like that, then hit the road, Jack.' I had more to tell them but more guards came up and left as quickly as possible." Axel said.
The girl smiled.
"Wow, that's quite brave of you." She said, seeming to believe his story.
"Yup, I'm a hardcore rebel. My name is Axel." Axel introduced himself.
"I'm Molly Bailey, it's nice to meet you." Molly said, shaking his hand.
"It's nice to meet you too, Molly." Axel smiled back.
Molly turned her head to the man sitting at the back.
"Hey, Angelo, did you hear what he said?" Molly asked.
The man stood up and began walking forward, jingling noises coming from his boots were heard as he stopped and turned to face Axel and Molly.
As Axel took a better look at him, he noticed he had brown skin, a boomerang that was marked with a W letter tucked into his pants and when he lifted his ridiculous cowboy hat with his finger, he could see his face. He had blue eyes with long wavy black hair with his curtained fringe swept to the right, smiling at the young man.
"Yup, sure did. Your boldness is a inspiration, pahrtner." Angelo said, with a cowboy like accent.
------
Angelo was also being interviewed, he din't look that old but had a 5 o'clock shadow beard, his hat had a few holes and wearing a dark yellow poncho around his body with his arms hidden in his poncho.
Angelo Fuego, Age unknown Born in the West Guardian of the West(retired) Former co-leader of the rebellion(retired)
"When Garren started makin' a ruckus an' his actions were affectin' the West aswell, got into contact with mah girlfriend who was in Metroville an' decided to lend them a hand...wow, that sounds very awful when ah say it like that, given thuh circumstances. Anywho, when it comes fightin', ah ‘ave a determination stronger than iron an' steel, even when ah get damaged by knives an' bullets, ah don't feel thuh pain an' keep fightin' awn." Angelo explained.
He pulled out his right arm out of his poncho, holding the marked boomerang.
"An' also, with mah little friend here marked with mah symbol, anything it touches, ah can appear right in front of the feller or building it touches like magic, ya know?" Angelo said, kissing the boomerang.
--
"Honestly, when I looked at him, I thought he was a really enthusiastic cowboy cosplayer or something, all this guardian nonsense din't make a lick of sense to me at first." Axel shrugged.
------ Angelo held his hand out.
"Angelo Fuego, nice to meet ya." Angelo smiled.
Axel looked at Angelo with a weird look.
"Uh, sure." Axel shrugged as he grabbed his hand and shook it.
"So, where ya headin', hombre?" Angelo asked.
"Oh, I'm heading to Arkginia." Axel said.
Angelo raised a eyebrow as he enchanged a confused look with Molly who turned her head to Axel.
"Uh, Axel, this bus is going south." Molly said.
Axel looked confused.
"Huh? No, this bus is supposed to go north." Axel said.
"Oh, no, I think you got on the wrong bus." Molly told him.
Axel's eyes widened.
"What!?" Axel asked.
He looked out the window and saw that the bus wasn't heading north.
"W-where, where are we going then?" Axel asked, looking back at Molly.
"To Metroville." Molly said.
Hearing that caused Axel's heart to nearly burst out of his chest.
"METROVILLE!? That's where the civil war is happening at!" Axel said.
He stood up and looked at the driver.
"Yo, driver, stop! I'm getting off this bus!" Axel said.
"Woah, woah, chill out, ya're gonna blow a gasket or sumthin, jus' relax." Angelo suggested, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"No, man, I need to get off this bus and maybe sneak into one of those buses when those guys aren't looking or something!" Axel said, looking desperate.
"I think it's best you stay here with us, ya already gawt in enough trouble with thuh fake ticket and thuh guards, din't ya? Besides, ya'll be safe with us than out thair and ya seem like a courageous fella, maybe ya can help us out." Angelo smiled.
"Help you with what?" Axel asked, not sure what he meant by that.
"Axel, ‘ave ya heard of thuh group that's opposin’ thuh big man himself?" Angelo asked.
Axel stared at him as the wheels began to turn in his head and realized who he was speaking to.
"Oh no...oh, no, no, no, no! Oh man, not you guys! I was trying to leave this place early to avoid you guys! Damn it, you need to turn this bus around and head north cause that's where I'm going!" Axel said, placing his thumb against his chest.
"We can't do that, bub. If we turn this bus around, we will likely be intercepted by a crowd awf angry guards and a fleet awf drones thanks to your little show back thair at thuh bus station and risk getting’ all awf us arrested. Look, jus’ sit on your chair and relax as ah'm gonna tell you thuh entire story." Angelo said.
"Well, if you're not gonna stop this bus, I will, just watch!" Axel said.
He turned around and walked up to the driver.
"Hey, are you with them?" Axel asked.
"Nope." The driver said.
"Then why are you driving this bus to Metroville?" Axel asked.
"They have cash." The driver said.
"Can I pay you double with what I have left to this turn this bus around?" Axel asked.
"No sir." The driver declined.
Axel lowered his head, groaning as he walked back to his seat and pulled his bag off his seat.
"Alright then, if you guys won't stop this bus, I will walk out of here and there is nothing you can do stop me." Axel said.
When he tried to walk towards the door, Angelo got in his way and Axel looked up at him with a annoyed expression.
"Sorry, pal, but ya ain't goin’ anywhere. Even if ya get out awf this bus, where will ya go? We're far away from thus bus station and ya will likely freeze by nightfall. By then, your face will be all over thuh news and ya will end up Garren's black list." Angelo said.
"Then I'll camp out in the woods and wait to hitch a ride, no move out of the way or I'll kick your ass." Axel said.
"...Ya will, huh?" Angelo asked, still smiling.
------
"You know that's kidnapping right? If it wasn't for the trouble I have gotten myself into at that damn bus station, I would of called the police on those guys, if that guy wasn't gonna move, I was gonna make him move, guardian or not. I'm a grown ass man, I can do whatever I want." Axel said, folding his arms.
--
Angelo raised his hat with his thumb, he had the same smirk as he did in that bus.
"Now, ah'll give Axel that much credit for ‘aving thuh guts to stand up to a man who was stronger than ‘im but if he was expectin’ to git out awf that bus and git past me that easily, oh booooy...he had another thing comin’." Angelo said, his pitch turning deeper.
-----
Axel and Angelo stared at each other with intent, both of them remained frozen, it was unknown which one of them was gonna make the first move.
Everyone else in the bus stared at the two men with worried and concerned expressions except the driver who kept driving and not paying attention to what was going on.
Axel...simply turned to the window and had a shocked expression on his face.
"Holy shit, what is that!?" Axel asked, pointing at the window.
Angelo and everyone else looked out the window to see at what he was pointing at but they din't see anything.
When Angelo turned around to look at Axel, the young man managed to get past the guardian by crawling right between his legs, he then stood up and ran towards the door.
"See ya!" Axel waved, not looking back.
Angelo quickly pulled out his boomerang and threw it towards Axel but instead of hitting him, it hits the door instead and Angelo suddenly appeared right in front of Axel who bumped into his chest and stepped back.
"Huh!? What the!?" Axel asked, reasonably confused as Angelo was suddenly in front of him when he was standing on the other side just a few seconds ago.
"Ya gawt lucky with that little trick but this time, ya ain't gonna outsmart me." Angelo smirked, grabbing his boomerang and placed it back in his pocket.
Axel simply glared at him and ran towards Molly, climbing on his seat and opened the window, trying to escape that way.
"Axel, wait, that's dangerous!" Molly said.
"I'm getting out of this bus and that's final! You guys have fun with your freedom fighting!" Axel said, preparing to leap out of the bus through the window.
Angelo reached up to Axel and grabbed him by his foot.
"Hold your horses, hombre, do ya wana become roadkill?" Angelo asked.
"Let go, man!" Axel said, kicking Angelo in the chest with his other foot, trying to pull his foot out of his grasp and jump out the window.
That kick barely made Angelo wince as he easily pulled Axel out of there.
"Ya know, ya are hella tenacious, we could use someone with a wild spirit like your's in our group, ya'd fit right in." Angelo smiled.
"Let go of me, man!" Axel said, punching at Angelo but he barely paid any mind to his punches, it was like a kid throwing stones and had no effect.
The cowboy man placed Axel back on his seat, grabbing the seatbelt and strapped it over his torso.
"Now, if ya're out awf gas, jus’ relax and enjoy thuh ride, we ‘ave a couple awf hours till we reach Metroville, we'll arrive thair when it git's dark. Molly, make sure our guest gets comfortable." Angelo suggested, as he went back to his seat.
Axel continued to glare at Angelo but saw that he was out of options, seeing as how there was no way he could actually get out of this bus through the door or the window and there was no chance of taking him on in a one on one match and sighed in defeat.
"I can't believe this is happening..." Axel muttered, placing his hand on his forehead.
Molly looked sympathetic towards Axel, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, it will be alright. Once you get to meet the leader, you will see that it's not as bad as you might think it is." Molly said.
"...Isn't he your leader?" Axel asked, gesturing at Angelo who was sitting at the back.
"He is technically a third in command, the one in charge is Havard, he will help you see the whole picture." Molly suggested.
"...Cool. Then maybe he will understand my point of view and see why I want to get off this dump of a planet, if he is not as insane as that guy over there." Axel said, folding his arms as he looked out the window instead of looking at Molly.
Molly frowned in response, she could clearly see that he wasn't in the mood and looked the other way.
"...Try to get some sleep, we still have a bit till we get to the city. Or I could give a book to read if you want." Molly offered.
"No thanks, I'm good." Axel rejected her offer.
"...Okay. You don't want to be bothered, I understand." Molly said, ending this conversation as she pulled out her phone and began typing to someone.
Axel was looking out the window, staring at the trees covered in the snow as the bus was now far away from the countryside at this moment.
"Way to get yourself into this mess, Axel." Axel sighed.
------
"Now that I think about it, if I actually got into the right bus and got to Arkginia, I could of avoided this nonsense and things would of turned out a lot more differently without me being with those guys. Still, I had every right to be pissed off, I was being held hostage by a crazy cowboy and his gang against my free will, wouldn't you feel the same?" Axel asked.
--
"I could hardly blame Axel for feeling that way, honestly. He was scared and admittedly, Angelo was a little rough on him but once we were back in the city and introduced him to the rest of the group, he would change his mind. That's what I was hoping, really." Molly sighed, holding a strand of her long hair between her fingers.
------ It was now night and the bus was driving on the empty road, right towards a giant city.
Everyone in the bus except Angelo, Axel and the driver were asleep, the former could see the city from the distance.
"Alright, ya'll, we're here at last." Angelo smiled.
Everyone in the bus woke up, including Molly who rubbed her eyes and yawned as she looked at Axel who had his fist placed against his chin.
"Hey, did you get any sleep?" Molly asked.
Axel shook his head.
"...Do you feel any better now?" Molly asked.
Axel shook his head again.
"...You're still mad?" Molly asked.
Axel nodded to that.
"...Oh, I see." Molly said, disappointed.
She looked forward.
"Don't worry, once we get there, we will help you feel safe." Molly said, adjusting her glasses.
Axel said nothing, instead her stared out the window as the bus drove into the city and could see dozens of drones hovering in the sky, guards patrolling the streets, security cameras and civilians wearing bright orange uniforms were walking around, heading to their homes after working so late.
He caught a glimpse of a group of people wearing normal clothes protesting in front of a shop, surrounded by a blockade of police cars and the officers pointed their guns at them, ordering them to stop protesting or they will get arrested.
"Are those guys from your group?" Axel asked Molly.
"They are. But as you see, we are low on manpower and we are being overwhelmed by Garren's forces, we can't confront him as long as these guards and drones are still around, we need more recruits...you don't need to help us but we would appreciate it if you consider helping us make a difference." Molly said.
Axel sighed.
"If you guys are on a losing battle, why not jump the ship like everyone else?" Axel asked.
"We are not cowards. If we just turn around and leave, he will drive this country into the ground and we can't let that happen, plus many people here have homes and families, they can't leave them behind." Molly said.
"...Is that why you are working with these guys?" Axel asked, looking at Molly.
Molly was silent for a moment, looking at her feet.
"...I-" Molly started.
"Alright, this is our stop." Angelo said, gesturing at the driver to stop.
The driver parked the bus in front of a subway and there were no guards or any people nearby.
Angelo stood up and walked to the center, turning to everyone.
"Okie dokie, ladies and germs, we're back home. Git your stuff and move quickly before we git spotted." Angelo smiled.
Everyone stood up, grabbing their bags and began walking out of the bus.
Molly looked at Axel for a little longer before she stood up and followed after everyone.
Axel remained on his seat, staring out the window as Angelo walked up to him.
"Ya movin'?" Angelo asked.
"What if I don't want to?" Axel asked, not looking at him.
"Then ah'll pull ya awf your duff an’ carry ya inside if ah ‘ave to. What's your call?" Angelo asked, placing his hands on his hips.
Axel rolled his eyes as he unbuckled his seat belt and stood up, grabbing his bag.
"Asshole." Axel muttered, going out the door.
Angelo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"This one's gonna be tricky ta cope with." Angelo mumbled, as he followed after everyone else.
Everyone was out of the bus and the driver took off in a hurry
"Okay, before we go in, Molly, can ya use your phone thingy ta turn off ‘em cameras before we git noticed and let Bridget know we're here and ‘ave a potential newbie with us?" Angelo asked.
Molly had her phone out, typing continuously and nodded, before putting her phone back in her phone.
"I already texted Bridget a message back in the bus and turned off the cameras for a few seconds." Molly said.
"Good. Now follow me." Angelo smiled, going inside the subway.
Everyone follow him like ducklings following their mother.
Axel stood at the back of the crowd with his arms folded as he followed them in, seeing as he din't have any other choice in the matter.
After walking down the stairs, they arrived in the train station and it was very empty, the cameras were shut off.
"...How come there aren't any people in here?" Axel asked.
"Right now, it's curfew. At 10 PM, everyone has to be at home and not wandering on the streets so late at night, except the guards of course." Molly said.
"An’ that curfew is givin’ us quite a huge advantage, it's easier to sneak into this place at night than in thuh daylight where many people who are going to work can see us." Angelo said.
"Huh. So, where is your secret base? Here?" Axel asked, sounding skeptical.
Angelo walked in front of a wall and crouched down, grabbing a loose floor panel and moved it aside, revealing a manhole with a ladder that goes down.
"It's down thair. Now climb down carefully, don't want ya ta break your back on your first day awf bein' here." Angelo requested, as he was the first one to climb down.
"I wish I was that lucky." Axel deadpanned.
Molly gave him a look.
"Come on now, there's no need to be this negative." Molly said.
"I had nothing but negativity since I turned 14, why should I stop now?" Axel asked.
Molly sighed in defeat as she gestured at Axel to climb down next.
Axel walked up to the manhole, bending down and climbed down slowly, looking up to see Molly and the rest of the group climbing down, one of them covered the manhole with the floor panel.
Everyone arrived in a long grey corridor as far as Axel could tell and there was some light coming at the end of this corridor.
"Our base is right ahead awf us. Jus’ try not to ruin thuh mood, okay?" Angelo asked Axel.
Axel just shrugged in response.
"If you say so." Axel said.
Angelo took that comment in strike as he looked forward and walked to the end of the corridor, the rest of the gang walked after him.
Axel covered his eyes from the glare of the light as they walked inside and looked around.
He found himself in a very large grey area, there were atleast 40 people in here as far as he could tell and with the people he was with, there are 50 people or so in total. There were sleeping tents set up around the place, supply crates lying around that probably contain food, clothes, water and everything else you need to survive in a place like this and burning barrels to keep everyone warm.
"Hey, everyone, we're back! An’ we brought someone new for dinner!" Angelo declared, getting their attention.
Everyone looked at Axel who did his best not to look nervous but was failing quite easily at that task.
"...Uh, hey, I'm Axel, I kind of got dragged into this place by your crazy cowboy leader against my choice but...hi." Axel said, waving awkwardly at everyone.
The civilians looked at each other, whispering to themselves about the new person.
"What's up this guy? Where did Angelo pick him up from?" One of them asked.
"I don't know. He looks kinda tense." Another civilian said.
"He looks hot." A young teenager said.
Axel stared at them at all, he din't know what to say.
"I..." Axel tried to speak.
He stopped when he felt something sharp pressing against the back of his head and he could suddenly feel his blood turning cold
"Drop your bad, stay still and don't move a muscle." A male voice said.
Axel's face was white, dropping his bag and gulped to himself as he side-eyed the person who was pointing whatever he was holding at the back of his head.
He could see a very sharp purple shard of a crystal peering out of a gun barrel, the gun itself looked very long and had the shape of a crossbow, it was being held by a middle aged man who had purple hair with two sides of his head shaved off, most of his long hair was pulled into a really long ponytail that went down and wrapped around his waist, purple cat eyes, a scar across his face, three earrings on each ear, wearing a dark green military coat with long sleeves that covered whatever he was wearing underneat the coat but his blue trousers with many pockets, a belt around his waist and purple boots weren't covered by the coat however, also wearing purple gloves as he was holding two similar weapons in his hands with one pressed against Axel's head and had a grim look on his face.
"Answer me a few questions and maybe I will consider letting you live for another day but if you give me the wrong answers, wellll...let's just someone will be unfortunate to be given the task of removing your brains from the floor and clean up the blood, ya dig?" The man asked.
"Y-yeah, sure, whatever you say just don't press the trigger, that's all I ask!" Axel said, nodding rapidly.
"I'm glad you are being cooperative. Now, what's your name?" The man asked.
"Axel Monroe." Axel said without hesitation.
"Where you from?" The man asked next.
"I'm from Isonfield." Axel said.
"Do you have a weapon?" The man asked.
"No, I don't have anything on me except my stuff that's in the bag, my phone and my wallet, that's all!" Axel exclaimed.
The man looked at Angelo.
"Is he telling the truth?" The man asked.
"Ah din't check his bag but if he had a weapon, he would awf used it against me if he had thuh chance." Angelo said, not exactly looking happy with how the man was handling this.
"He is not working for Garren, he got in the wrong bus and was supposed to go to Arkginia, I don't think he is a threat to us, why do you got to be like this every time someone new shows up?" Molly asked, folding her arms.
"We can't trust everything this guy is saying just because he is new, Garren could of hired this grunt to dress up like a civilian and tell you a pretty tale of how he got in the wrong bus, I have a good bullshit detector, you know. Nowadays, you have to be careful with who you trust." The man said, looking at her.
He turned his attention back to Axel.
"So, Axe, you don't mind if I take a good look into your bag just to make sure you are not planning on blowing us up to Kingdom Come, right?" The man asked.
Axel nodded, not daring to piss this guy off at all, his life was at stake here.
The man crouched down and opened the bag, looking at it's contents while his gun was still placed against Axel's head.
"...Hm, you don't appear to have any explosives or weapons." The man said.
The man then stood up, looking at Axel again.
"But are we sure you are telling us the entire story, Axe?" The man asked, nearly squeezing the trigger.
"Yes, yes, I'm telling you the truth, man, what else do you want!? Just don't blow my brains out, I'll do anything to prove to you that you can trust me, okay!?" Axel asked, looking frustrated.
"...Anything? Really?" The man asked, narrowing his eyes.
Angelo walked up to the plan, placing his hand on his gun.
"Hey, ah think thuh kid gets it. Cut it out, Griff, ya're scarin’ everyone." Angelo said, intently.
The man stared at Angelo before staring at Axel, deciding what to do next.
"...Eh. Alright, your good." The man shrugged, changing his attitude all of the sudden, removing his gun from Axel's head and stashed both of his weapons into his coat.
Molly sighed in relief.
Axel on the other hand, his face was still as white as a sheet.
The man walked in front of Axel, looking at his face and burst with laughter, placing his hands on his knees.
"Oh, dude, look at your face right now, it's priceless! Ha ha ha ha! Sorry about that, din't mean to scare you like that but your reaction was worth it!" The man continued laughing.
"...You okay, Axel?" Molly asked.
"I think I pissed myself." Axel simply said.
------
"Well, I din't piss myself but Jesus that scared the shit out of me! How fucked up do you have to be to point a gun at someone's head just to get a good laugh? Guys like that shouldn't be allowed to have a gun or be near guns at all! And that's just one of the few things that were wrong with that guy!" Axel said, sounding quite bitter as he was describing to the reporter about this character.
------
The military man held his hand out towards Axel.
"I'm Griffith Hotshot. Sorry for the scare, kid. Water under the bridge?" Griffith asked.
Axel stared at his hand with a untrustworthy glance but decided to shake his head, he din't want to get into conflict with him at all.
"Sorry about how Griff handled your welcome, this is his way awf greetin' new people, he has a weird sense awf humor. Ah think this is how military people greet each other." Angelo said, placing his hand on Axel's shoulder.
"...He is from the military?" Axel asked, looking at Griffith.
"Well, I used to be, but then the new prime minister started to go crazy with all these new rules that din't sit well with me and decided to ditch the coop. And a civil war sounds exactly like the perfect job application for a guy like myself who is a Guardian of War, ya dig?" Griffith asked, with a grin on his face.
"And you are a guardian too? Is everyone in this place a guardian and what are guardians anyway?" Axel asked, looking dumbfounded.
"Guardians are special people who gain powers by protecting someone they care about or are chosen to protect others." Molly explained.
"Yup. Besides me and Griff, thair is also Havard and Bridget. That guy is our leader. Thuh four of us are leadin' this opposition against Big Bub but he is with someone else in thuh meeting room right now." Angelo added.
"...Great. So where is this Bridget person at?" Axel asked.
"Follow me." Angelo said, walking forward.
Axel stared back at Griffith before he followed Angelo.
"Oh, this guy is gonna be fun to have around, I can tell." Griffith said, still smirking as he placed his fist against his hip.
Molly just stared at him and walked after the two.
They walked to a tanned woman who's eyes were closed with long black curly hair wearing a brown jacket and pants, socks with sandals, who was sitting on a long Yoga mat in a meditative pose and sitting next to her was a young girl with blue cat eyes, black hair with a ponytail, wearing a fancy white hat on her head, flowery dress and a pearl necklace around her neck, she was in the same pose as the woman but looked uncomfortable.
"Bridget, can we stop? My legs are starting to feel rooted." The little girl whined, she had a very thick australian accent.
"...Sure, we can stop now. Hm, I can tell we have a new presence in this area and has a lot of negative chi. Did you bring a new recruit, Angelo?" Bridget asked, not opening her eyes as she said that.
"Yup. Axel, meet Bridget, she is thuh Guardian of Nobility and mah soulmate, she is thuh reason ah'm a guardian too." Angelo smiled with pride.
Bridget and the girl stood up, the little girl appeared to be pain from sitting too much in that pose while Bridget opened her black eyes, to get a good look at Axel.
"Ah, I see. It's nice to meet you, Axel....wow, too much negative chi can be pretty unhealthy, especially to a young man such as yourself." Bridget said, placing her hands together.
"...My chi?" Axel asked, raising his eyebrow.
"It's your life energy that courses through your body, don't you know that?" Bridget asked.
"...Huh?" Axel asked, looking even more confused.
"He is not a very bright mate, is he now?" The little girl whispered to Molly.
"...He had a rough day. Just go easy on him, Amy." Molly said.
------
Bridget was in a separate interview room, she looked the same except she lost her tan and her hair was now styled into a afro.
Bridget Kent, age unknown Born in Metroville Guardian of Nobility(retired) Former co-leader of the rebellion(retired)
"Just to add, my power was oriented around chakra, the vortex of energy that controls the chi and with it, I can cover parts of my body with my own chi or use it to heal myself and others, even grow plants and can feel the good and bad chi energy coming from the other people, have a spiritual connection with them and converse with them in a telepathic discussion, I can even gather energy from my surroundings like from the trees as example through intense meditation, I chose to be Metroville’s guardian." Bridget said.
She then sighed.
"Being a guardian was quite a fun experience back then, sometimes I wish I would re-experience the old days but what's done is done. We can't change the past no matter how much we wish I'm afraid. But I don't feel too bad, I have found the right person to take my place, after all." Bridget said, with a bright smile on her face.
"You are from the Kent family, correct? What are your thoughts about the fate of your relative who was killed by the unknown red-haired assassin in the company his boss was once in charge of?" The voice asked.
Bridget's smile faltered when she heard that question.
"...I have my right to not answer that question." Bridget muttered.
--
The little girl from the flashback was now a adult, with long black hair and a spiky fringe coming hanging from the left side of her hair, wearing a sleeveless and shoulderless white cocktail dress with a hairspray levitating around her hair, spraying it constantly.
Amy Christian(Her Omnipotent alias: Yama), age 40 Omnipotent of Telekinesis Born in Metroville Former member of the rebellion Queen of the casino Owner of her cosmetics store
"Crikey, it's been a long time since I was a young girl, it almost feels like it was yesterday and I wasn't even a Omnipotent back then, it was quite a crazy experience let me tell you, darling!" Yama cheered, swinging her fist.
"Did your parents allow you to join the rebellion?" The voice asked.
"Oh, Heavens now, my parents would of grounded me forever if I ever told them I wanted to be with the rebellion, I snuck out of the house and left a note telling them that I was going to stay at my friend's house for a week or two so everything worked out well in the end." Yama smiled.
She pulled out her mirror and looked at her face.
"Hey, my hair looks good, right?" Yama asked.
------
Bridget shook Axel's hand.
"Welcome to the opposition group, Axel. Why did you decide to join our cause?" Bridget asked.
"Ask your boyfriend, he knows." Axel said, pointing at Angelo.
Bridget raised a eyebrow, staring at Angelo who shrugged sheepishly.
She sighed loudly before turning back to Axel, her smile returning very quickly.
"Well, Molly already gave me the details so all that's left is to introduce you to our leader, Havard." Bridget said.
"I heard he is in the meeting room. Where is that exactly?" Axel asked.
Bridget pointed at the elevator, it was on the right wall.
"It's upstairs, I can take you to him. Angelo, are you coming with us?" Bridget asked.
"Naw, it's mah turn to ‘and out rations ta our friends, ya can go without me." Angelo smiled.
Bridget nodded and looked at Amy.
"Today's exercise is over, Amy. You can eat your dinner and get some sleep." Bridget said.
"Okay!" Amy nodded, shoving Axel aside as she ran towards her tent, she had quite a lot of energy despite her legs hurting earlier.
"Geez." Axel muttered.
"Hey, you don't mind if I come with you to introduce Axe to Hav and Jillie, right?" Griffith asked, walking up to Bridget.
"I don't see any problem with that. What do you say, Axel?" Bridget asked.
"Sure, more the merrier, can we go now?" Axel asked, looking impatient.
"...Boy, we'll need dozens of meditation hours for you, mister, that's for sure." Bridge frowned.
She turned around and walked towards the elevator.
Griffith wrapped his arm around Axel, grinning at him.
"Let's not keep Bridge waiting, Axe." Griffith said, practically dragging him towards the elevator.
"My name is Axel, not Axe." Axel said.
Molly looked at everyone else who were giving Axel and followed after the three.
Bridget pressed the button and the elevator doors opened, stepping inside.
Griffith, Axel and Molly went inside and the doors closed, the elevator began going up.
"So, this Havard dude, what should I expect from him?" Axel asked.
"Before this...conflict, me, Angelo and Garren used to be a trio and protected the world from threats but ever since Garren's brother passed away and decided to suppress everything, we could no longer trust him and saw Havard on the news, expressing his displeasure with Garren's rules, a few people started to follow him and he became the guardian of Opposition, the people of this group are the people he protects, they are the ones giving him power. He is someone you can definitely trust." Bridget confirmed.
"The only downside is that he is a little too trusting of others if you ask me." Griffith coughed.
"If he would think that every person could be a potential eneny, we wouldn't have that many supporters, Griff." Molly said.
"It isn't a sin to be cautious of some people, Mol. I'm just saying is that if Havard puts his faith in the wrong person and lets his guard down, it's game over for all us, right?" Griffith asked.
"With my power, I can use it to tell if someone is trustworthy or not by sensing their chi. So far, no one from this group is filled with malicious intent so we're doing good at the moment." Bridget said.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened, the four inside the elevator stepped out. Axel looked around and the room he was in was definitely designed to be a meeting room, he could see a TV placed on a separate table while the main table was placed at the center and it was very large with chairs placed around it.
He saw two people at the meeting table.
There was a man with short white hair with hair spikes coming from the back of his head, wearing a long sleeved robe that covered his feet, it looked like a typical robe a priest from a church would wear, he was sitting at the left side of the table at the far end, there was a strange gold gun with a multi-coloured indent on it with wing designs sitting on the table
Axel couldn't see his face as he was looking at a young girl who looked like she was 13-14 years old, long wavy black hair that reached the ground with two long strands of hair going down past her cheeks, wearing a crown of roses on her head, she had green glowy cat eyes, wearing a shoulderless long sleeved white dress with black lock patterns on her dress along with a silver key attached to her necklace and glass shoes. She appeared to be focusing intensely with sweat dripping down her forehead as her hands that were glowing green were placed on the back of the man's pale hands, she was doing something to him.
"...What are they doing?" Axel asked, turning to the three.
Griffith shrugged in response while Molly shook her head in response, signaling that she doesn't know either.
"Whatever it is, let's not interrupt them." Bridget whispered.
The girl's lips started to tremble, showing signs of exhaustion before she removed her hands and stopped. Her hands and eyed stopped glowing, her pupils were now black instead of green and was panting heavily.
"That's enough for now, you look tired." The man suggested, he had a very, very calm low voice as he tried to assure the girl.
"No, I can do this, it's important I continue this so your potential-" The girl insisted.
The man placed his hand on her head.
"It's not important at the moment, what is important is that you get some rest and we can continue this later, okay?" The man asked.
The girl sighed, looking disappointed in herself.
"...Okay." The girl said.
The man stood up.
"It seems you have brought a new person in here, Bridget. Molly said your name is Axel, right?" The man asked.
"Yeah, it's my name, don't wear it out." Axel said.
The man turned around to face Axel and when Axel took a good look at him, he looked perplexed by something.
The man's face was pale like the rest of his body, white cat eyes, a small smile on his face, a small white goatee on his chin with a wide forehead...and a third white eye coming out of his forehead that blinked in sync with his two main eyes, that's the main thing Axel was baffled at.
"Pleased to meet you, my name is Havard, I am the Guardian of Opposition and the leader of this group." Havard introduced himself.
"...And you have three eyes." Axel pointed out, looking freaked out.
Havard's smile din't flinch at all as he looked at his own forehead, almost touching his third eye.
"Oh, you mean this? Don't be nervous, this is a gift I received when I became a guardian, from what I heard, every guardian have special eyes like mine and the ability to evolve into a new form, it might be a gift from the Litorius, God of Evolution." Havard explained this fact very casually.
Axel tilted his head, staring at Havard like he was on drugs.
"...Ooookaaay, so imaginary friends aside, what can that special eye of your's do exactly?" Axel asked.
"It's the Eye of Empathy. I have the power to be able to feel other people's emotions and connect myself to them, I empathize with them and reach a common understanding so we can work together and put an end to Garren's tyranny. To make it simple, I am a empath and by looking at you right now, I feel all sorts of mixed feelings, the main one being frustration." Havard said.
"Well, if you ended up on the wrong bus and got dragged into a underground subway by a crowd of weirdo's, wouldn't you feel the same?" Axel asked, folding his arms.
"...True. But you don't need to be afraid, Axel, you are safe here than you would be out there. You would have no chance out there against Garren's forces but together, with us, we can overcome them and get the opportunity to confront the man himself and help him realize the error of his ways." Havard said, sounding optimistic.
Axel did not look very convinced by his words before he noticed the teenage girl staring at him, looking up and down as if she was examining him or something.
"....Can I help you?" Axel asked.
The girl folded her arms, not looking impressed.
"Hm, this guy is not that impressive. He is probably not gonna be that useful to us, I mean, just look at him." The girl said.
Axel looked confused by her statement.
"The hell is wrong with how I look? And I don't think I got your name." Axel said.
The girl walked up to Axel, pointing her finger up at Axel's face.
"You shouldn't talk to me that way in that manner, mister! I am Jill Lockheart, I am a maiden and I deserve your respect and admiration!" Jill declared.
"Well, no freaking duh you're a maiden, you're too young to be married anyways, kid." Axel replied sarcastically.
"That's not what being a maiden is all about, you jerk! But why would I expect a average person like you to understand, no girl in their right mind would choose you to be their knight in shining armor." Jill said, actually poking his nose a few times.
Axel ignored Jill's comment and looked at Havard.
"So, is this kid your's or something. If not, where are her parents so they can take her to bed, it's probably past her nap time." Axel snarked.
"I'm not 5 years old anymore, you dunce." Jill snorted.
"Actually, that's the weird part...we don't know where Jill is from. We found her in some weird travelling space pod that crashed in Metroville just a week ago, she was unconscious and took her here for her safety and stayed with us since then. And she is not willing to tell any of us where she came from." Bridget said to Axel.
"...But she has the same eyes like us." Axel commented.
"Hey, why are you telling him that? He is new, you shouldn't tell him stuff he doesn't even understand. When he was 7, he never left his mother's side and stopped peeing in his bed when he turned 13, that's just embarrassing." Jill said, pointing at Axel.
Axel stared at her with wide eyes.
"Wait, how would you know?" Axel asked, not denying what she just said.
Jill smiled, pointing her thumb at her lips.
"That's my secret. And I'm not gonna share with it you." Jill said, sticking her tongue out.
-----
"I was never the type of guy to hit a girl or a kid, it's probably a good thing Havard got her to shut up cause my temptation was high..." Axel said.
-----
Havard stepped forward, placing his hand on Jill's shoulder.
"Now, now, we don't need this type of aggression, Jill. We are all in the same boat together so we need to look past our differences and cooperate as a collective, let's give a Axel a chance to prove himself before we reach a early conclusion." Havard suggested.
Jill looked up at Havard, actually listening to what he said and dropped the attitude.
"...Okay, fine. I don't actually know where I am but from what I heard, this Garren person is a embarrassment to the guardian name and reminds me of those stupid kings who would cause wars for no reason which had to be stopped by the intervention of a maiden and a guardian, so I decided to remain here and play a vital role in this civil war, I will remain by Havard's side because is the perfect example of a guardian and I ask of you is to show me some decency and respect, I am a second-in-command you know." Jill said, crossing her arms.
"Technically, Bridget is the second-in-command. She is not really in charge of anything but Havard is letting her hang around for some reason that he won't tell us about." Griffith whispered to Axel.
"I can hear you, you know." Jill said, glaring at Griffith.
"Oops, my mistake." Griffith smirked as his raised his arms defensively and backed away from Axel.
Molly sighed, brushing her ponytail aside.
"...This isn't going well at all." Molly muttered to herself.
"I know the feeling." Bridget agreed with Molly quietly.
"Okay, so, what do you know about Garren exactly?" Axel asked Havard.
"I haven't met the man myself but I heard a bit about him from Angelo and Bridget, it seems his brother was killed during a robbery and the trauma had a huge impact on Garren from his guilt of not being able to save his brother and one day, he decided to become a politician and get elected as prime minister and put a end to this country's crime and poverty. His intention is noble but his methods are too extreme." Havard said.
"We tried to convince him to stop dozens of times but he is shutting us out no matter how many times we try. It's possible the Guardian's curse is having a tremendous effect on his sanity." Bridget sighed.
"So, what's your plan? I hope there is more to it than just trying to have a therapy session with the guy, right?" Axel asked.
"At the moment, we are trying to gain more supporters and spread our message to get people to listen to us and join our cause, there are many people out there who follow Garren because they are afraid of what will happen to him if they oppose him, we need to give them courage to stand up for themselves and their freedom, with the public on our side, Garren will have no choice but to listen to us." Havard said, still had that smile on his face.
"Some of us get out of this place to go to work, pretending to be ignorant of our existence so Garren won't suspect a thing but they help spread our message to the rest of the world while working undercover while the rest of us go on missions to gather more intel about Garren, his forces and collect supplies for the group." Molly said.
"Right, but if the guy doesn't want to submit to your ways, what happens then? Are you gonna fight him?" Axel asked.
"Fight him? Oh no, that's not we handle things, we use non-violent direct action, we don't answer violence with violence or otherwise, we would defeat our own point and make the oppressor look right." Havard explained.
"...What's the point of that?" Axel asked.
"To prove that violence and submission is not the answer to everything, by using compassion and understanding as our main power, we can win this war without the loss of innocent lives. Garren is a human being, surely he is not a heartless monster who can't feel anything." Havard smiled.
Axel stood there, staring at the man like he just heard the dumbest thing ever.
"....And what if none of those tactics work? What if the guy will insist using violence to win? Are you gonna stand there and let him beat you to a bloody pulp till he gets tired?" Axel asked.
"That is one solution. But if that doesn't work, we can defend ourselves from our attackers but without attacking back." Havard replied.
"...Do you even hear yourself, man? Cause this sounds dumb, just absolutely dumb, it's so dumb that I don't even know the right words to describe just how dumb your strategy is, man!" Axel said.
"I know it sounds far-stretched but it's not entirely impossible, we still have yet to confront Garren so we have wait till the opportunity comes. We're ready for anything, they can arrest us, beat us-" Bridget said.
"Beat us?" Axel asked, sounding even more dumbfounded.
"Or stab us, shock us, sic feral dogs on us, set us on fire..." Griffith said, counting with his fingers.
"SET US ON FIRE!?" Axel asked loudly.
"Not that we are expecting that to happen!" Molly quickly intervened.
"But we are prepared for that to happen." Havard added.
"...I...I just...ugh! This is so dumb!" Axel said, slapping his forehead as he turned around, not looking at anyone right now.
Havard walked up to Axel, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"You have to trust us, Axel. With the Gods on our side, there is nothing to be afraid of." Havard said.
"No. No way, there is no fucking away I'm gonna stay with you guys, I mean it. You're all out of your fucking gourd!" Axel said.
"We're gonna end Garren's rule over the country and with your help, we can make it happen." Havard said.
"You want to end Garren's rule? GET OFF THE FUCKING PLANET, it's not like he will bother to chase after you in space, will he!?" Axel asked.
"...Running away from the problem is not a solution. And by searching your feelings, it seems that is your only way of dealing with your problems, Axel. And that's not okay." Havard frowned.
In response, Axel slapped his hand from his shoulder.
"You don't know shit about me, man." Axel said.
He started walking towards the elevator.
"Wait, Axel, where are you going?" Molly asked.
"I'm getting out of this madhouse, I'm gonna find myself a hotel or somewhere far away from this place, cause I'm out of here!" Axel said.
"...Uh, yeah, you might want to get a second opinion on that, Axe?" Griffith asked, pointing at the TV in the background.
Axel turned around and followed his direction towards the TV and saw a footage of the bus station and a picture of his face appearing on the screen.
"...Oh no." Axel mumbled, slapping himself in the face.
"Well, look who is out of options. I guess you are stuck with us, just like how we are stuck with you, unfortnuately." Jill said, leaning forward.
"...Awesome. Just awesome." Axel sighed, coming to terms with his new predicament.
Molly looked up at him, she din't know what to tell him really.
"...How about I take him to his tent and help him settle in?" Molly suggested, looking at the others.
"That sounds like a good idea. If you need anything, you can talk to us." Bridget said, looking at Axel.
"...Sure." Axel muttered, sounding defeated.
He turned around and began walking towards the elevator and Molly followed after him.
When they got in the elevator, Molly pressed the button and glanced at Axel as the doors closed and the elevator went down.
Jill was staring at the elevator before looking up at Havard.
"...I still don't think he will be any help to us." Jill said.
"Still, he wasn't entirely wrong about a few things." Griffith pointed out, leaning against the wall with his arms folded.
Bridget frowned as she looked at Havard, who was still smiling.
"It's alright. Axel just needs some time to get used to his situation, that's all, he is not gonna cause us trouble. He is just confused and scared, everyone feels the same way aswell." Havard said.
"Perhaps but what about tomorrow? Should we still head to the warehouse to collect supplies?" Bridget asked.
Havard turned around and picked up the golden gun from the table, looking at it.
"Our objective remains the same, one more person in the mix shouldn't affect things too much. If Axel wants to come or not, it's his choice." Havard said.
"I understand that, but..." Bridget said.
"Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about it either, Bridge. Like Hav said, it's the kid's choice and he is old enough to make his own decisions." Griffith said, walking towards the elevator, getting ready to leave aswell.
Jill was looking at Griffith till she turned her attention to Havard who was still looking at the golden gun before he placed it in his robe and looked at Jill with his smiling face.
"I will take you to your bed, your very exhausted right now, Jill." Havard said.
Jill frowned but nodded.
"Okay." Jill muttered.
------
Molly pulled the red tent's zipper down, it had a pillow and a bed sheet and looked at Axel who has his hands in his pockets.
"This is your tent, you can sleep in here as much as you want, we don't have a schedule." Molly smiled.
"Cool." Axel responded.
"...Do you need something else? I have a bag of chips if you're hungry." Molly offered.
"I'm not really that hungry." Axel muttered.
Molly's smile vanished.
"...I see. Well, see you tomorrow then." Molly said, turning on her heels and began walking towards her own tent.
Axel looked at a Molly for a moment as he felt this was the right time to ask her.
"Hey, Molly...why are you still here?" Axel asked.
Molly stopped and turned around, looking reasonably confused.
"What do you mean by that?" Molly asked.
"I mean, why are you with these guys? Why aren't you getting off the planet like everyone else? Do you want to take down Garren because it's the right thing to do here?" Axel asked.
Molly frowned as she stared at the floor.
"...It's not just that, it's...complicated. You see, my brother has...a unhealthy obsession with alcohol and no matter how many times me and my mom tried to get him to stop, he couldn't control his addiction despite him knowing that alcohol was illegal...about two weeks ago, he somehow to smuggle alcohol into our house, the police caught him in the end and now he is behind bars at the moment." Molly said.
"...Oh. That must suck." Axel said, clearly not expecting that.
"It sucks. Really bad." Molly muttered.
She looked at the rest of the rebellion, seeing Angelo teaching Amy some new tricks with his boomerang.
"The reason I'm not with them is not because I think it's morally right to overthrow Garren, with him out of the way, I can save my brother from jail before something bad can happen to him, you know. I'm doing this for my family, not because it's the right thing to do...it sounds very selfish when I say it like that, huh?" Molly asked, not looking at that.
"...No, not really, it's not selfish to save a person you care about and taking advantage of a group's agenda to do so. Trust me, you are from being on the totem pole of selfish assholes to walk the Earth in my book." Axel said.
Molly smiled at that as she turned to Axel.
"Thank you. That's sweet coming from you. Is there someone you care about? Like someone from your family?" Molly asked.
Axel looked awkward for a moment as he looked the other way.
"...Well, uh...there is-" Axel said.
"Hey, Molly, check out what Angelo is doing with his boomerang, it's defo gnarly!" Amy said, running up to the girl and grabbed her by her hand, pulling her away from Axel.
"Oh, uh, I'm sure we can talk more tomorrow! Good night, Axel!" Molly waved at him as she was being dragged away by the little girl.
Axel waved back.
"See ya." Axel said, he kept staring at Molly for a moment, how he felt about the others was clear but he wasn't certain about how he should feel about her at the moment. He din't even know what time it was but it was clearly late and felt really tired after a long shitty day so it was best to get some rest and see what he is gonna do tomorrow.
"...At the very least, sleeping is tent is not as bad as sleeping on the streets or in a prison cell." Axel considered.
He got into his tent and pulled the zipper up, laying himself on his back and folded his arms around his neck, staring at the tent ceiling till he would fall asleep.
------
"Out of all the crazies I had to put up in that place, Molly was the most normal person who I felt I could have a conversation with and understood what she was doing. If there was someone I could confide in, it was definitely her." Axel said.
--
"I'm glad I had that conversation with Axel, he made me feel a bit better about my reason for being here...thinking about it, perhaps my chat with him was when I..." Molly said, placing her hand on her lips.
--
"While all of us were getting some sleep, Garren was most likely planning his next move, he wasn't ignore us forever, I was certain about that." Bridget said with absolute certainty.
-----
Meanwhile, at the far end of Metroville.
A group of civilians were protesting in front of a office building where the prime minister was working, holding up signs and shouting 'GIVE US OUR FREEDOM!' 'REMOVE THE CAMERAS' 'DOWN WITH THE TYRANT!' 'YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR' 'GET RID OF THESE LAWS, THEY STINK!'
From the top floor, Garren was watching them from the window, holding a glass of water with one hand in his pocket, looking unmoved by their shouting.
"...It's like I'm looking at a ant farm with how much they squeal down there." Garren commented, taking a sip.
A knocking sound was heard from his door.
"Enter." Garren said, not turning around.
His office was not very big, it was small and completely white including the desk, with only a couch and a desk with a chair behind it, there was a sheet of paper with a law that had yet to be finished, a pen and a photo frame.
The door opened and a man in a black suit walked in.
"Good evening, prime minister. I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, but-" The man started.
"Have you made any progress with finding out identity of their leader yet?" Garren asked, not looking at the man.
"...I was about to say that the police arrested the ones who were making all that noise in front of the clothing store but we din't get any important information out of them regarding the man who is leading the opposition group, sir." The man said.
"I see. So, our mole has nothing new to offer at the moment?" Garren asked.
"They din't contact us yet, sir." The man confirmed.
"Very well. Sooner or later, they will come out of hiding eventually, rats can't hide in the darkness forever." Garren said.
The man frowned for a moment.
"...Sir, I understand the logic behind your decisions but...the reason these people are rebelling against you is because of those laws? Maybe..." The man said.
"Maybe?" Garren asked, prompting him to go.
"....Maybe you should remove them? If you do that then the ones who are trying to oppose will have no reason to go after you anymore." The man admitted, after finding the strength to tell him.
Garren in response, drank from his glass till it was empty.
"...I see. May I ask you a few questions?" Garren asked.
"...Sure, of course." The man nodded.
"How big was the crime rate before I became prime minister?" Garren asked.
"....Very high." The man said.
"And how deep in the toilet was the country before I began handing them good jobs that pay the our honest citizens well, might I ask?" Garren asked.
"...Very deep." The man frowned, already knowing where this is going.
"And final question: on a scale of 1 to 10, if I remove these laws, how high are the chances of crime and corruption returning to our country?" Garren asked.
"...50%, maybe?" The man asked.
Garren finally turned and slammed his glass on his desk upside down without breaking it.
"I'd say 100% is a accurate number! If I remove these laws because none of these addicts will accept these changes, then they will relapse once again, poison their minds with alcohol and filthy drugs that they promote on TV to young children by telling them that it's cool to smoke dope because the other kids are doing it and ruin their futures, if someone could of been able to prevent those crack addicted mongrels from going too far when they tried to rob a grocery store to get more money for drugs, my brother would still alive, if the ones who were in charge put more effort into their work, this city wouldn't of fallen into chaos in the first place! Do you understand?" Garren asked, glaring into the poor man's eyes.
"Y-Yes, sir! You're absolutely right, I just thought..." The man said.
Garren sat on his chair, placing his knuckles underneath his chin.
"When you give too much person freedom, they will go wild and do whatever they want without thinking about the consequences of their actions and the innocent are the ones to pay for their actions. Your precious city was in a state of chaos before I took the lead and it was about time for a reformation, without me, this place would turn back into a money pool for all these corrupted sharks who feed themselves on dirty money they receive from lives destroyed by their temptations." Garren said.
"...Yes, sir." The man sighed.
"I will not be intimidated by the cries of the ungrateful, if whoever possesses the power of Igaluk's sister attempts to challenge me, then I will crush this opposition with everything I have, no matter what it takes." Garren stated, his orange eyes glowing red behind his glasses.
The sounds of police sirens were heard and the shouting of the protesters stopped at that moment.
"Hm, how ironic the timing is. Now, onto the next subject, was the investigation team successful in finding Mammon's accursed crest yet?" Garren asked, his eyes stopped glowing.
"Not yet, sir. We looked everywhere in the core but it wasn't there." The man shook his head.
Garren sighed.
"If we don't find that relic soon, someone will release the elements and we will have the unpleasure of dealing with 12 Omnipotents of if I'm not mistaken and if they unite against me, that will become a serious issue that has to be avoided at all costs for the sake of this country's future, these elements need to be suppressed to the maximum, got it?" Garren asked.
"You're right, sir, you're right." The man nodded.
"Good. Now, if you're done wasting my time, I will kindly ask you to leave my office and let me finish writing this new law so I can go back home and get some rest." Garren said.
The man said nothing, he made his point clear and walked out, closing the door.
Garren picked up his pen and for a moment, he looked at the photo frame, featuring as a teenager, he din't wear glasses and had a red mullet, wearing motorcycle rider clothes and next to him was a younger boy with short orange hair, smiling at the camera.
He looked away from the photo and looked at own hand which was twitching uncontrollably, he felt a slight pain.
Garren frowned and focused as his twitching hand was covered by a red aura, focusing intensely.
The pain subsided and it went away as soon as it came.
"...Ah, so it can be combatted. Good." Garren said, clenching his fist.
With that out of the way, he continued writing in peace without disturbance.
-------
December 22nd, 1987
Axel slowly woke up in his tent and looked up at the tent ceiling, what was hoping to be a bad dream and that he would wake up in his own bed din’t turn out to be true, he was still stuck in here with everyone else.
"...Great." Axel sighed.
Axel slowly got off his own back, opening his tent and crawled out of there, slowly standing up to stretch his sore limbs a bit and let out a long yawn before he looked around to see any familiar faces around.
He was able to see Griffith leaning against the wall with his arms folded, he had yet to notice Axel and Amy was sitting on the ground, playing some game with some teenager but as for the rest, he couldn't see Molly, Jill or the other three guardians nearby.
"...Wonder where Molly and the other guys are at." Axel pondered.
He decided not to ask Griffith questions, wanting to avoid him as best as possible and walked up to Amy.
"Hey, little girl." Axel said.
Amy looked up at Axel.
"Oh, G'day blondie!" Amy smiled.
"...Right. Do you know where Molly or the other guardians are right now?" Axel asked.
"They're in the meeting room, they are probably gonna go on a mission together. I wanted to go with them but they told me I'm too young to go on a mission but they allow Jill to be there and hear everything they have to say. That's bullocks." Amy frowned.
"Yeah, that must be very terrible." Axel said, sounding disinterested.
"Say, want to play cheese and crackers with us?" Amy suggested.
"Nah, no thanks. I'm busy with other stuff too myself." Axel said.
"Oh. Okay." Amy shrugged, before going back to her thing.
Axel walked away, marching towards the elevator.
"Had a good night sleep, princess?" Griffith asked.
Axel rolled his eyes as he turned around to see Griffith walking up to him with that smirk of his.
"Well, my back feels a little bit stiff but yeah, had plenty of rest but I doubt you care really." Axel said.
Griffith placed his hand on his chest with a hurt expression.
"Ouch, way to kick a dude who was concerned about your health right in the balls, Axe. Come on, there is no need to be this hostile, as Hav said, we are all in the same boat together so instead of being mean to each other, I'd rather we be friends, ya dig." Griffith offered.
"Sure. Just don't put a gun against my head and we're square." Axel said.
"Deal." Griffith shrugged.
"Cool. So, everyone else is in the meeting room right now?" Axel asked.
"Yup. Today, we're going on a mission and Molly is coming with us." Griffith said.
"She is? Why does she have to everywhere with you guys?" Axel asked.
"She is a computer wiz who knows how to hack cameras and other things, we need to avoid detection as best possible, the girl is like a Jack of all Trades if you know what I mean." Griffith smiled.
He walked to the elevator and pressed the button.
"I mean, you could go with us but I don't know, I think this mission might be too much of a chore for a newbie like you." Griffith said, the way he said it was almost like he was testing Axel.
Axel folded his arms.
"Dude, I'm not a toddler...and besides which, I don't really have anything else to do in this place or anywhere to go so I'm sure I can handle whatever you guys are doing." Axel said, deciding to prove him wrong.
"Glad to hear that." Griffith smirked.
The elevator's doors opened.
"After you." Griffith suggested.
Axel walked into the elevator immediately and the Guardian of War walked in afterwards and the elevator began going up.
"You know, ever since your little temper tantrum last night, the others are a little bit worried that you might not make the cut, atleast that's what Bridget and Jill think." Griffith said.
"They don't know me well enough. I can prove to them that they were wrong about me." Axel said.
"That's the spirit." Griffith said.
The elevator reached the meeting room and the two walked out.
Axel could see the familiar faces sitting around the meeting table: Havard, Angelo, Bridget, Molly, Jill...and another person he has never seen before. This one had dark brown skin, orange eyes, black hair wrapped in a ponytail and wearing a security guard uniform, he was talking to Angelo while a map was placed on the table.
"Hey, look who decided to join us." Griffith called out, gesturing at Axel.
Everyone looked at the two.
"Oh, good morning, Axel. How do you feel?" Molly asked.
"Still a bit stingy but otherwise, I'm cool." Axel shrugged.
"Ah, that's good to hear. It looks like all you needed was some rest to get the negativity out of you." Havard smiled, looking happy about that.
"Whatever. So, who's our guest of honor? I don't think I've seen him before." Axel said, pointing at the man in the security outfit.
"This fella right here is mah older brother, Horace. He is thuh chief awf security, he worked hard ta git his promotion an' give us important details about thuh numbers in Garren's forces, their night shif' schedule so we can avoid em an' knows this city like thuh back awf his hand. In other words, he is our undercovher mole." Angelo said, placing his hand on Horace's shoulder.
Horace nodded as he looked at Axel.
"Si. I don't approve of what Garren has been doing so I did everything I could to get my promotion so I can be in a better position to help out my brother and give his group a advantage over Garren, including the locations where all the supplies you people will need are delivered at." Horace said.
------
Angelo looked sad for a moment as he clutched his poncho.
"Me and Horace were inseparable as kids, always helpin' out our daddy when he needed it an' after thuh war was over, he had two kids awf his own, John an' Ed. But, mah brother tangled himself with thuh wrong people ta get out awf debt an' those bastards killed 'im an' ah wasn't thair to help him, all ah could do is raise his only son lef', John, who is now a Omnipotent awf Invisibility or whatever, Ed vanished in thuh same day Horace died when he an' John were separated, ah hope he is alive but..." Angelo said, before he stopped talking at all, lowering his head.
-----
"Huh, that sounds very useful. So, what are you guys planning to do with all this information?" Axel asked.
"We're running low on supplies and we need more for our people. Today, we're going on a scavenger hunt type of mission and Horace knows where the delivery truck will drop by. Right?" Bridget asked, looking at Horace.
Horace nodded as he pointed at the map to the bottom.
"The delivery truck will come from the east and then go south, it will enter in a warehouse near the docks, there are three warehouses but it's the second one in between the first and third warehouse." Horace said.
"At which hour will the delivery truck arrive?" Griffith asked.
"According to the schedule, 8 PM, there is a chance the truck will arrive there a few minutes late at best." Horace said.
"An' we need ta be thair before that truck arrives an' intercept thuh man drivin' it. We can't carry all stuff with us, we would git spotted faster than a cooked turkey." Angelo said.
"But how are you gonna bring the truck into this place? If you drive this into the subway, won't anyone notice that?" Axel asked.
"We don't need to drive the truck into this place, my power can sort that out." Griffith said.
"Really? What can you do besides blowing people's heads off?" Axel asked.
"Oh you know, teleportation, gravitational control, have a cool scope reticle eye, all that sweet stuff that comes with being a guardian, you know." Griffith smirked.
"Well, I wouldn't know, I'm not a guardian like the rest of you." Axel said.
"The other obstacles you will potentially encounter are the drones and security cameras. Molly can use her phone to hack them and shut them down before anyone can notice us." Havard said.
"It also depends on the range. Hacking a camera is easy but drones fly way above us so the reception will be too weak to actually hack them." Molly sighed, folding her arms.
"In that case, me an' Griff will 'andle them drones if your fancy phone can't." Angelo offered.
"Alright, we have that issue sorted out then." Havard smiled.
Jill nodded, not agreeing or disagreeing before she pulled off her necklace and handed it to Bridget.
"If the warehouse's door is locked, you can use my key to unlock it, it's a universal one, you can unlock anything with it." Jill said.
"Where did you get a key like that?" Axel asked.
"It's my secret." Jill pointed at her lips with that same smug look on her face.
"Wow, this is getting old quick." Axel sighed.
Havard looked at Axel.
"I can feel that you are quite eager to join this mission aswell, Axel. Are you certain about this decision? You don't have to go with them if you don't want to." Havard said.
"Well, I don't have anything else to do in this place really besides talking to strangers so I might aswell prove myself useful while I'm still here and ease whatever doubts you guys have about me. Do any of you have any problems with that?" Axel asked, looking at everyone else.
"Nope." Griffith shook his head.
"Sure thing, bucko." Angelo smiled, giving him a thumbs up.
"If this is your decision, I don't see any problem with you coming with us." Bridget said.
Molly nodded.
"You're welcome to come with us." Molly said, looking glad.
Axel looked at Molly, looking slightly awkward as he placed his hands in his pockets.
"I think he is gonna blow it. There's no way he will be able to handle the pressure, besides he has the strength of a one legged mule." Jill rejected the idea.
"Hey, when it comes to getting things done, I'm your man, alright? I'm tough as nails." Axel said, glaring at the girl.
Jill snorted in response.
"Tough as nails? Yeah, right and I'm a lawyer, buddy." Jill said, crossing her arms, looking smug.
"...How is defending people in court the same as being tough?" Axel asked, as he placed his hands on his hips.
Jill looked confused.
"...Wait, isn't a lawyer the person you pay to mow your lawn or something like that?" Jill asked.
"That would probably be the case if it was lawnyer not lawyer. Lawyer are attorneys who defend people who get accused of crimes they probably din't commit and are nightmares to every business stooge who want to avoid lawsuits and lose money. Did you even go to school?" Axel asked.
Jill stood there, frozen for a moment as she began sweating.
"...W-well, no, someone like me doesn't need school anyways, I got all the education I needed from my parents so it's not like a maiden like me even needs gross teachers to tell her stuff she already knows about, like lawyers being people who don't mow lawns and...ugh." Jill stammered, clutching her rose crown tightly as she looked extremely embarrassed.
"...Geez, I din't know you were that insecure, kid. Sorry." Axel said, not expecting that.
"Mmmm! Look, just do your job right, I won't make fun of you again and we will pretend that I actually knew what a lawyer is, okay!?" Jill asked, folding her arms and turned her back to everyone.
"Okay, okay, it's not that big of a deal anyways, Jesus." Axel sighed, he din't understand this kid at all.
Havard let out a cough.
"Anyways, we still have a long day ahead of us before it gets dark so at the moment, eat breakfast and prepare yourselves for today's mission." Havard recommended.
Bridget picked up the map off the table, folding it while Angel and Horace stood up, shaking each other's hands.
"Thanks for your help, Horace. Take care awf yourself." Angelo said.
"Don't I always?" Horace asked with a smile.
They both gave each other a hug before Horace walked towards the elevator.
Molly walked up to Axel.
"Thanks for choosing to come with us." Molly said.
"Heh, don't mention it." Axel said, scratching the back of his head, smiling slightly.
"Save the kissing for the final act, you two." Griffith called out as he walked past them.
"...Kissing? What did he mean by that?" Molly asked, looking confused.
"Don't listen to him, he is just trying to rile us up." Axel sighed, annoyed that Griffith ruined the moment and made it awkward.
"...I wonder where he got that idea though." Molly muttered, walking towards the elevator aswell.
Axel sighed in disappointment.
"Thanks, Griff." Axel muttered as he left the room aswell.
Havard watched them all leave with a smile on his face before he looked down, seeing Jill grabbing him by his robe.
"What's the matter?" Havard asked.
"Do you have a dictionary somewhere in here?" Jill asked.
"...We should, but why?" Havard asked.
Jill looked at the floor, her cheeks were bright red.
"I don't want to embarrass myself again in front of them, the last thing I want is lose credibility." Jill frowned.
Havard looked at her sympathetically as he placed his hand on her head.
"Of course." Havard said.
Bridget watched the two with a small smile on her face, letting them have their moment as she walked out aswell.
------
"Today was my first mission, it was time for me to prove to those guys that I have what it takes, atleast I hope it would of been enough to get them to shut up about me." Axel said.
--
"...Where did Griff get the idea that we were a couple at that time? We just met." Molly said, still apparently harping on that.
------
It was night and the group had one hour before the truck would arrive at the warehouse.
People were going home while guards were patrolling the streets as usual and the drones were patrolling the skies.
Angelo peered his head out of the subway, looking around before looking over his shoulder and nodded.
He walked out, followed up by Bridget, Griffith, Axel and Molly.
"Accordin' to Horace, we 'ave 50 minutes till that truck arrives so let's git thair quickly." Angelo said.
"But won't the guards notice us if we run on the streets like maniacs?" Axel asked.
"Who said anything about running?" Bridget asked.
She walked up to a building wall and placed her hand, glowing with a lot of chi.
Grass started to gross from the wall, starting to spread around the wall and upwards, turning the entire wall into a wall of grass that they could easily grab on and climb.
"...Did she just make grass grow out of that building?" Axel asked, looking extremely confused.
"Yup, sure did. Ain't she a wonder?" Angelo asked, with a proud smile on his face.
"...If you're into that sort of thing, sure, I don't judge." Axel shrugged.
Bridget turned to everyone.
"We'll climb to the building and jump from roof to roof to reach the warehouse much faster this way rather than walking." Bridget said.
She was the first one to climb and gestured at everyone to follow her.
Molly was using her phone to hack the cameras and shut them off for a few minutes so they wouldn't spot the giant grass wall Bridget just made before she began climbing too, followed by Axel and Angelo.
"Eh, I can teleport so..." Griffith started.
He vanished instantly before he could finish his sentence.
Everyone climbed up to the top and Griffith was already there on the roof, waving at them with a grin on his face.
"Well, that's just cheating." Bridget frowned.
"Hey, if I can teleport, I might aswell use it instead of letting it go to waste, ya dig?" Griffith shrugged.
"Well, we still have a lot of rooftops to leap to let's not waste any time." Axel suggested.
Griffith nodded in agreement as they looked at the next building.
Bridget walked to the end of the building and pointed her glowing hand at the next building, a vine flew out of her sleeve and grabbed onto the roof, pulling her towards that rooftop.
Angelo simply leaped towards the building without any problems.
Griffith turned to Axel and Molly.
"You two aren't scared of heights, right?" Griffith asked.
Axel shook his head while Molly looked reasonably scared by the gap between this building and the next one.
"...Actually, I've never made jumps like that before, I'd rather not break my legs so perhaps I'll have to abuse your teleportation power till we get to the warehouse." Molly sighed.
"Sure, no skin off my nose." Griffith smiled, letting her grab his hand.
Molly grabbed him by his wrist instead as the two teleported to the other side.
Axel looked at the others before he looked down and took a deep breath.
"Okay, you got this man, you got this..." Axel said to himself.
He took a few steps back and began running, leaping off the roof and managed to make it to the other side.
"Phew, it wasn't that scary." Axel said, trying to look brave as he removed the sweat from his forehead.
"Even if you fell, I would of used my teleportation power to save you but that landing was 'almost' perfect, good job, kiddo." Griffith smirked.
"Gee, thanks." Axel replied sarcastically.
"Come on, we have more building right ahead of us." Bridget said, using her vine to get herself to the next building.
Everyone continued the same routine for atleast 6 buildings till they stopped in their tracks when they looked up at the sky.
"Oh, dang, it's a drone! Stay out awf it's sight!" Angelo suggested, hiding under the roof's shadow and stood there crouched down.
Everyone hid aswell as the drone was hovering above the building.
"Molly, can you hack it?" Bridget asked her quietly.
Molly shook her head.
"Sorry, but it's too far away for me to hack it." Molly said.
Griffith pulled out his crossbow gun and pointed it at the drone before he got a idea and looked at Axel.
"...Hey, Axe, what musical instruments do you use?" Griffith asked.
Axel stared at Griffith with a confused look.
"...Uh, I play the guitar quite good and I can also play drums." Axel shrugged.
"Alright then, Axe the Drummer, let's see if you can hit that drone in one shot with this." Griffith said, pulling a actual gun out of his pocket and handed it to Axel.
Axel stared at the gun before staring at Griffith.
"...You're actually giving me a gun? Seriously?" Axel asked.
"What, you have never used one?" Griffith asked.
"...Well, this will be my first time I actually used one, yeah, but why are you giving me this?" Axel asked.
"You said you wanted to prove yourself useful to us, right? I'm giving you the perfect opportunity here, ya dig? Now, focus on that drone, focus on it's eye and shoot it, it shouldn't be that hard for you, right?" Griffith asked.
Axel shook his head, he looked nervous as he never shot at someone or something before with a actual gun but he couldn't pussy out now and embarrass himself in front of the group and did what Griffith instructed him to do.
He raised the gun slowly to the sky, closing one eye and waited for the drone to get near for him to shoot it.
He pressed the trigger, the went flying and...it completely missed the drone.
"He swings and he misses, ladies and gentlemen." Griffith sighed.
"This is my first time using a gun, what do you expect!?" Axel asked, staring at him.
"Ah gawt this." Angelo said, deciding to take care of this himself.
He pulled his boomerang and threw it towards the drone, when the boomerang came in contact with it, Angelo appeared above the drone and smashed his fists against it.
Pieces fell out of the drone as it descended down to it's demise, they could hear the sound of it crashing down on the sidewalk.
"Let's hope it din't land on someone's head." Molly said.
"Let's hope it din't have the chance to call the police. Let's go." Bridget said, going to the next building.
Axel leaped after with a annoyed stare, keeping the gun in his pocket.
When they came across the next drone, Griffith pulled out his crossbow gun, a rifle scope reticle appearing in his left pupil as he targeted the drone, shooting a arrow with a crystal shard tip that was glowing with electricity struck the drone, shocking it and it crashed on the roof instead.
"Bullseye, see, that's how you do it, Axe." Griffith said, looking over his shoulder.
"Where did you find guns like that? I've never seen any military guys having guns like that before." Axel said, more curious about that than responding to Griffith's comment.
"Where's the fun in telling you that when I could let you guess instead?" Griffith asked, before he teleported to the next building.
Axel gave him a blank stare but he decided to let that question slide at the momet as he jumped to the next building, Angelo picked up Molly as he leaped to the building before placing her on her feet, looking a bit dizzy.
"...Let's not do that again." Molly suggested.
"We're getting close so let's make it count." Bridget said.
The group continued their jumps till they were able to reach the docks and the warehouses were in their sight but there were surveillance cameras nearby.
"We're here. We just need to take out those cameras, get inside the warehouse and wait for that truck to arrive?" Axel guessed.
"Thankfully, we won't need muscle to take out the cameras as I can use my phone for that one." Molly said, already typing on her phone, pointing it at the cameras.
"...How do you know about all this hacking stuff?" Axel asked, looking at Molly.
"I work in the IT department as a summer side job, mostly maintenance junk like repairing computers, broken hardware, coding and all that stuff. A friend from high school taught me how to hack stuff with my phone, there was this one time I hacked the TV in my classroom when the teacher was giving us a boring presentation about the wildlife so it could play my favorite TV show instead. He he, it was funny." Molly snickered to herself.
"Huh...I was never good with computers, I filled up my mom's laptop with so many viruses she needed to buy herself a new one instead, I even sacrificed my allowance so she can buy it." Axel said, rubbing his neck.
"It sounds like you care a lot about your mom." Molly guessed.
Axel looked at the ground for a moment.
"...Yeah." Axel simply said.
Molly raised a eyebrow at that but focused on deactivating the cameras first and succeeded in doing that.
"Okay, the cameras are off." Molly announced.
Everyone leaped off the roof while Molly used the ladder to get down as everyone approached the second warehouse.
Bridget pulled out the necklace with Jill's key and used it to unlock the warehouse door instead of the garage door. It worked.
"Jill's key works like a charm, let's get in." Bridget smiled.
Axel still had no idea how that worked but that din't seem important as everyone walked in the warehouse. At first it was too dark.
"Ah can't see a darn thin' in here." Angelo said, quietly.
"There should be a light switch somewhere..." Bridget said, trying to find by placing her hand on the walls till she was able to find it and turned on the lights.
Axel looked around when the lights turned on and the entire warehouse was filled to the brim with crates.
"Now, we need to wait till the delivery truck comes in here." Griffith said, closing the door just to be safe.
Axel looked at everyone before turning to Molly.
"How much longer till that truck arrives?" Axel asked.
Molly looked at the watch on her phone.
"...Just 10 minutes. But Horace said the truck could be late so." Molly said.
"When we hear it come, we hide behind these crates, knock out the guards and get out of here quickly." Bridget said.
Everyone nodded.
After 10 minutes passed, they could hear the sound of a car and the garage door was slowly opening up.
"HIDE!" Bridget said, jumping behind a crate, Angelo hid right next to her.
Axel and Molly ran behind a very huge crate that was big enough to hide them both while Griffith had his guns out, with his back against a crate and peered behind the crate to see who they were dealing with.
The delivery truck drove into the center of the warehouse and two men dressed as guards, working protective helmets that shielded their faces walked out and closed the doors.
Bridget placed her hand on her head, connecting herself spiritually with the others to have a telepathic communication.
"It's just two of them. Me and Angelo will take the guy from the right, Griffith, you handle the guy from the left." Bridget suggested.
Griffith nodded, adjusting his aim on the guard from the left.
"Hey, how about I take this one out? He shouldn't be that hard to deal with?" Axel offered.
Griffith looked at him.
"You sure? I mean, last time, you couldn't get a straight shot at that drone so, you think you got this?" Griffith asked.
Axel looked at the guard and then looked back at Griffith, nodding with absolute confidence.
"Yeah, I got this." Axel replied.
"Okay then." Griffith said.
Molly looked at Axel, looking uncertain but she figured that maybe he had a plan or something.
When the two guards were about to reach the back of the truck to open it.
Axel got on top of the crate and jumped towards the guy, wrapping his neck from behind and tried to put him in a chokehold, alerting the other guard.
"What the!?" The guard asked.
Bridget walked up to him and placed one finger glowing with chi on his temple and the guy collapsed on the floor.
Axel seemed to have a bit of a difficulty to choke the guy out as he stood there, confused.
"Ugh, why doesn't this guy pass out already!?" Axel asked.
"Dude, what are you doing?" The guard asked, having a surfer accent.
"I-I don't know, but I hope it's working so stand still and!" Axel said, trying and trying but his best wasn't good enough as the guard din't pass out.
"Uh, is this like some prank or something? I'm confused, man." The guard said, he was able to breathe just fine.
The four just stood there, staring at Axel as he was failing to properly choke the guy out.
"You need any assistance, Axe?" Griffith asked.
"No, no, I got this, I got this man!" Axel insisted however.
"...I beg the differ." Molly muttered, bitting her lip.
Angelo lowered his hat to hide expression.
"This is downright shameful." Angelo sighed.
"I can't help but agree." Bridget frowned.
------
"Watchin' Axel tryin' to choke that guy was like watchin' mah lil' pup showin' off to a bigger dog, it was embarrassin' to watch." Angelo sighed.
--
"Very embarrassing to watch." Bridget said.
--
"I don't know what he actually did, but I bet it was defo embarrassing!" Yama laughed
--
"...Atleast he tried." Molly shrugged.
--
Axel stood there with his arms folded, staring at the camera with a annoyed expression.
"....Okay, I get it, I was as strong as a one legged mule, let's move past it already, Jesus!" Axel said.
------
"Dudes, seriously, what is this? Are you guys like the ones who are supposed to receive the package or-" The guard asked.
Molly walked up to him, holding a crate with a label that said 'porcelain dolls' and smashed the crate on top of his head, which was enough to knock him out and the sound of breaking glass was heard inside the crate.
Axel landed on his butt, staring at the guard with a annoyed expression as Molly helped him get up.
"Sorry, I knew you got this but there is always a second time." Molly suggested.
"...Forget it." Axel sighed.
"Well, on the other hand, it was pretty funny to watch." Griffith brought that up as if it a positive comment.
"You're not helping." Axel replied.
Bridget and Angelo walked up to the truck as Angelo opened it's back and looked inside.
It was filled with boxes and each had a label.
Angelo whistled.
"Woo-hoo, would ya look at that." Angelo said.
"There's enough stuff here for everyone, I imagine." Molly said, looking at the stuff in awe
Griffith checked the labels.
"Food, water, clothes, yup, there's enough stuff in here that could last for a decade during the apocalypse." Griffith commented.
"Alright, we have everything we need. Now let's put these guys somewhere and drive out of here." Bridget said, closing the back of the truck.
Axel stood there with his arms folded and watched as Angelo and Griffith dragged the guards away from the truck, Molly placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't feel too bad. I probably wouldn't of been able to choke the guy out myself, I am not as strong as you are." Molly said.
"Look, let's just pretend this din't happen." Axel said, walking away from Molly.
Molly frowned in response.
Angelo got in the driver seat and Bridget got in the truck, sitting next to him.
"It's now or never, amigos!" Angelo called out.
Griffith got in the back and so did Axel and Molly, closing the door
The truck drove out of the warehouse, arriving on the street.
"Griff, do your thing!" Bridget said.
"On it!" Griffith replied back as he concentrated.
The truck suddenly disappeared.
------
Back in the base.
Everyone was sitting around, talking with each other while waiting for the others to come back.
Havard was sitting on a chair next to Jill, who was reading the dictionary, the former was holding his golden gun, thinking deeply about something.
"We're back, ya'll!" Angelo shouted.
Everyone saw Angelo, Griffith, Axel, Bridget and Molly entering the base, carrying boxes with them.
"Ah, you're back. Are those?" Havard asked.
"Yup, we've got our supplies." Bridget nodded.
"Plus a delivery truck that can we use as our getaway car in case of a emergency." Griffith smiled, putting a few boxes down.
"Wheee! I want to see the clothes first!" Amy shouted, running up to the boxes.
Axel still looked unhappy though.
Jill lowered the dictionary to look at him.
"Let me guess, you screwed up, right?" Jill asked.
"Yeah." Axel admitted, sounding bitter about it.
"I figured as much." Jill snorted, then she went back to her book.
Havard walked up to Axel, smiling at him.
"It's alright. It's a good thing you din't choke that man, no one died and we have what we need, that's what is important, Axel. You'll get your chance some other time." Havard assured him.
Axel crossed his arms.
"If only." Axel said.
Jill walked up to Havard.
"Hey, Havard, some words apparently aren't allowed to be said to other people who have different skin tones. Why is that?" Jill asked.
Havard's eyes, including his third eye, shrunk and his smile looked rather awkward.
"...And what words would those be?" Havard asked.
"Well, there is this one in the N section. Why is it bad to say n-" Jill said.
"Uh, I will tell you why in private, so no one else has to hear this, okay?" Havard asked, immediately stopping from saying that word.
Jill raised an eyebrow, still not getting it.
Havard laughed awkwardly.
"Enjoy your dinner, everyone." Havard smiled.
He took Jill's hand and dragged her towards the elevator.
Axel rolled his eyes in response.
A black haired man wearing a aircraft pilot uniform walked up to Bridget.
"Hey, Bridget, do you have a moment?" He asked.
"Of, sure, Franklin, what's up?" Bridget asked.
"Remember about what we talked about, about sneaking into that TV station to send our message? Well, I did my homework and I think it's possible we can pull it off." Franklin said.
"Really? That's great. You can tell me more about it after dinner." Bridget smiled.
Franklin nodded and walked away.
After a few minutes, everyone was sitting around a burning barrel and were eating, except Axel who was sitting away from the crowd and his back was turned.
Molly looked over her shoulder and looked at him.
"Aren't you eating with us, Axel?" Molly asked.
"No thanks, I'm not really hungry." Axel said.
"Oh...alright. If you need anything, just ask." Molly said, before she turned her attention away from him.
Axel simply sighed.
Griffith, holding a bottle of beer, walked away from the crowd and walked up to Axel.
"Not having a fun time, eh, aimless choker?" Griffith asked, taking a drink from his bottle.
"Dude, I'm not in the mood for witty banter, alright? It's not like I ever used a gun before in my life." Axel said, glaring at him.
"Your dad never took you hunting before?" Griffith asked, placing his hand on his hip.
"Don't want to talk about it." Axel muttered, staring down.
"...Ah, daddy issues, eh? Bummer." Griffith said.
Axel din't respond, instead he was staring at nothing.
Griffith scratched his neck before he got an idea as he slapped his hand against Axel's shoulder, startling him.
"Tell you what, how about I teach how to wield a gun properly for free and in exchange, you stop acting like a depressed mope, ya dig?" Griffith asked.
Axel looked at him, looking unsure.
"You will? What's the catch?" Axel asked.
"No catch man, I'm just trying to be helpful that's all. So, you're in or out?" Griffith asked.
Axel took a moment to think and nodded.
"Sure, what do I have to lose." Axel shrugged.
Griffith smiled in response.
"Good." Griffith said.
He pulled out the gun he gave Axel earlier, placing it in his hands, going up to a empty crate and placed the beer bottle on top of it.
"We don't have any practice dummies so the beer bottles will have to do for now. Now, try to focus only on that bottle and shoot it right in the center." Griffith suggested, walking away from the crate.
Axel nodded, raising his gun slightly, aiming it at the bottle but his hand was sweaty and shaking.
He pressed the trigger and shot, the bullet missed the bottle.
"Shit, I missed." Axel cursed.
"That's because your hand is shaking like a leaf, if you can't control that, you won't be able to hit anything except your teammates or some random animal on the street. You need to gain control of your feelings before you shoot again." Griffith said, folding his arms.
"And how do I do that?" Axel asked.
"Just take a deep breath, a biiig deep breath and let it out, don't think about anything except the target and shoot it right in the eye. Are you with me so far?" Griffith asked.
Axel nodded.
"Okay, just do what I said and you will be fine." Griffith said.
Axel closed his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled, he stopped thinking about anything except the bottle and his hand stopped shaking.
He opened his eyes and shot at the bottle. The bullet smashed right through it.
"Yes!" Axel said.
"See, it wasn't that hard. Now let's try this again." Griffith said.
He picked up another bottle and puts it on the same crate.
"Now do it again, exactly like I told you." Griffith said.
Axel remained in the same position and shot at the bottle, it hits the crate.
"Damn." Axel said.
"Your aim is to low. Try to aim higher." Griffith suggested.
Axel did as he requested and shot again. He hit the bottle.
"I got it!" Axel said.
"Nice. Now try to shoot five bottles this time." Griffith said.
He pulled out five beer bottles from the box, placing them on the crate.
"Let it rip, Axe!" Griffith announced.
Axel focused on each bottle, squinting as he did so.
He shot five times at each bottle, every one of them got hit without fail.
"Fuck yeah, now we're talking!" Axel cheered.
"Nice shooting. With a little more practice, you will be almost as good as me." Griffith said, walking up to him.
"When was the first time you had to use a gun, Griff?" Axel asked.
"Eh, when I was 9 years old, I think." Griffith shrugged.
Axel raised his eyebrows.
"You used a gun when you were 9 years old?" Axel asked.
"Well, some kid challenged me to steal my father's gun, shoot at some trees and I did just that. I wasn't gonna back away from a challenge. People call me the Daredevil because there is no bet or gamble I can't handle, even if it means endangering my own life. If you would tell me to wrestle against some angry dogs? Sure, I'll do it. Jump off the roof of a castle? You got it. Insult my mom and get my ass beat? No problem. You see, I'm the type of guy who isn't afraid of danger, ya dig?" Griffith asked, doing some stretches.
"...So is that why you are a Guardian of War? You fight in wars beecause you are not afraid of dying or being hurt?" Axel asked.
"Ho ho, you are not too far off, Axe, I fought in so many wars that I lost count, this conflict between us and Big Brother isn't the starting point of my career, you know. I got this scar from a very huge war I fought a long time, I can barely remember the details." Griffith said, scratching at the said scar on his face.
Axel looked at him oddly.
"...Just old are you, Griff?" Axel asked.
Griffith chuckled at that.
"Well, I could tell ya, but if I do..." Griffith said.
He turned around, he had a chilling glare on his face.
"I will have to kill you." Griffith said, with the same tone he used when he first met Axel.
Axel's eyes widened, backing away from him.
"Okay, forget I asked!" Axel said.
Griffith's grin returned on his face.
"Ha, I'm just messing with you, you dope! Damn, you're easy to mess around with, man." Griffith laughed.
Axel stared at him blankly.
"...I don't know if I should laugh or punch you." Axel said.
"Eh, whatever you feel like." Griffith said.
But then, his expression turned serious for a moment.
"I'm gonna be real with you for a moment, Axel. You see, Garren ain't the only bad guy out there. I've been all over the world and there are a lot of messed up people out there and some of them are even worse than that guy. Take it from the words of a man who was witnessed a lot of crazy shit you probably wouldn't even believe, the world is a terrifying place to be in and it's best to avoid getting swept up by it, you have to do what it takes to survive even if it means doing bad things you ain't proud of, like running away from a fight you can't win, there's no shame in trying to stay alive, ya dig?" Griffith asked.
Axel listened to what he said and understood perfectly what he meant.
"Yeah, I know where you're coming from. I won't judge you for it." Axel said.
Griffith placed his hand on Axel's head, he had a warm smile on his face.
"You're too kind, kiddo. If you need any more lessons, talk to me but next time, I will charge you." Griffith said.
Axel nodded.
"Sure." Axel smiled.
Griffith nodded and walked away, leaving Axel to think about what Griffith just said before he looked at Molly who was talking to Amy about something.
"...There's no shame in running, huh? That's the reason why I..." Axel said.
------
"Honestly, most of what Griff said made sense to me and he was actually a cool guy for a psychopathic soldier...I mean, he was still a psychopath but he was cool...back then." Axel paused for a moment.
--
"I don't know what they talked about but it seems whatever Griff told him helped lift Axel's spirits but..." Molly said, pausing aswell.
--
"What followed next was the most important mission, this one was gonna get everyone's attention for sure." Bridget said.
------
At the suburban area, in a white house.
Garren was sitting on his couch, talking on the phone in a really white shiny living room, the walls and the floor were completely white but there were no pictures or any other objects to speak of. Not even a Christmas tree or any decorations.
There was a large statue of some armored warrior wearing a cape, the symbol of the moon on his chest, with spiky shoulder pads and a spiky helmet, standing right behind Garren.
"So they stole a delivery truck and knocked out two of my guards?" Garren asked.
Sighing, he rubbed his eyes.
"I hope this plan of your's will work cause if you're gonna continue making a mockery of my workers, expect to face the harsh consequences of your actions. You better not fail me, understand?" Garren asked.
He hang up on whoever he was talking to and stood up, placing his phone in his pocket.
"They're starting to evolve from being just a nuisance to a painful headache. It's best I take care of this problem soon before they plant more seeds of rebellion in the citizens and corrupt their minds with their foolish ideals." Garren said.
As he said this, he remembered that conversation he once had with those guardians from the other universes, they were summoned by that Holymoon woman, her mindset was exactly the same as these rebels who are going against everything he stood for.
He scoffed.
"Like I would of ever accepted her proposal, there is no guarantee this alliance would work out by looking at the rest of those guardians and how they acted, they could barely stand each other. Besides, adding them into the mix would just complicate matters and the last thing I need is making their problems my problems, they would never agree with my methods anyways and side with these rebels instead." Garren said.
He walked out of the living room.
"Perhaps a little quiet stroll should help ease my nerves a little bit." Garren suggested.
He was about to reach the door till he stopped and saw that the door to a bedroom was wide open and looked inside.
This bedroom seemed to have belonged to a young boy once, by looking at the race car bed and race posters on the walls, the walls of the room were blue and red, a old TV set, a old computer and the window was open, letting in some air.
The entire room was dusty, it looks like it hasn't been cleaned for a long time and was left untouched.
Garren frowned at the sight and looked the other way.
"...Sometimes I wonder why I haven't locked this room yet, it brings me bad memories. I should do that next week." Garren sighed.
He din't close the door as he walked out of the house, away from this room as best as possible.
------
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST
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Post by Master Psychic on Dec 25, 2020 22:45:46 GMT
PART 2
December 23rd ,1987
In the meeting room, Havard, Angelo, Griffith, Axel, Bridget, Molly and Jill were watching a news conference, Garren was commenting of the robbery from last night.
"Not only do they corrupt the minds of the innocent with their foolish ideas and endanger their safety with their actions, but they are also thieves that attack workers who are doing their best to provide for their families! I ask you this, general public, just how long can this charade go on till we finally put our foot down and say that enough is enough? These people need to be stopped before they can be allowed to go further with their agenda of chaos, if any of you have any ideas about where these culprits could be or if you have friends or relatives who are influenced by these miscreants, do not be afraid to speak the truth, those who are on the side of justice have nothing to be afraid of! For the future of Metroville and the rest of the country, let us put a end to their reign of terror once and for all!" Garren declared.
"Looks like he took notice awf our activity last night. Wonder if this means he is getting desperate or he is plannin' somethin'." Angelo said.
"Why are people willing to follow this tool anyways?" Jill asked.
"Because people are afraid that if they step out of line, they will get imprisoned, they would rather play it safe than try to go up against Garren and fail in the process." Bridget said.
"If I were a average joe, I would likely never think about going against him either." Griffith commented, leaning against the wall.
"Hm. His actions are very similar to those tyrant kings alright." Jill said, looking up at Havard.
Havard looked at the news with a sad expression on his face.
"...It's sad, really. To think he is doing all of this because the death of his brother made a hole in his heart that can't be mended. If only there was someone he could talk to, who could understand what he is going through, maybe he wouldn't be doing this...what a pity." Havard sighed, shaking his head.
"So, what's your next move?" Axel asked with folded arms.
"Today's mission will be a big one. If we pull this off, we will be able to give courage to every citizen in this city and help us turn the tides against Garren." Bridget said.
"Cool. How do we do that?" Axel asked.
Havard nodded to Molly who placed a picture on the table, featuring a huge TV station.
"The TV situation. Franklin Curtis has a friend inside that place and gave him enough details about the layout and what dangers we would face if we go there. We need to reach the broadcast room which is in the top floor and spread our message to the rest city." Molly said.
"What are we up against exactly?" Griffith asked.
"Security cameras are all over the place, both outside and inside so the chances of us going all together inside are out of the question and climbing on the building itself will not possible with those cameras around, I won't be able to hack all of them, we need to shut off the entire building's power to get inside. There should be a circuit breaker in the second floor but one of us will need to go infiltrate in the TV station undercover and find the circuit breaker." Molly said.
"Garren already showed our faces to thuh people on TV so thair ain't no way that me, Bridget or Griff can go in that place without being caught an' arrested." Angelo said.
"Which is why a person that Garren doesn't know about or one that many people wouldn't be able to recognize should infiltrate in that place while the rest of us wait outside till the power shuts off." Bridget said.
"And who is gonna be the person who will do just that?" Axel asked.
They slowly turned their heads to Axel, much to his confusion.
"...Wait, you're talking about me?" Axel asked, pointing at himself.
"Who do you think we were talking about? Waldo? You're not as easily recognizable as the rest of us so you should have a easier time going in that TV station and do your job right this time without screw ups." Griffith said.
"I don't really trust us but Havard says that this is what we should do so I trust him to make the right decision." Jill said.
Havard nodded.
"I want to give you another chance to prove yourself which is why I have chosen you, Axel. I'm certain you can handle this." Havard smiled.
"But I already appeared on the news with that stunt I pulled at the bus station, remember? How do you expect me to step one foot in that place looking like this?" Axel asked, looking at everyone in disbelief.
"Don't worry, I have a plan. I know how you are gonna get in that TV station without getting caught." Molly said.
"Oh, you do? Well, shoot, tell me." Axel said, sounding slightly elated that they atleast thought this through.
Molly reached into her pocked and pulled out a fake ID, placing it on Axel's hand.
"Here is what you need to do." Molly started.
------
"Molly gave me the details about what I should do, it sounded like it could work but I was pretty nervous about doing this. I already made a big laughing stock out of myself so this time, I was determined to not make the same mistake again." Axel said.
-----
Outside the TV station.
Axel, now wearing a black trench coat and a black cat covering his face, walked into the TV station and quickly spotted a lady sitting behind the reception desk, talking on the phone with some friend of her's about a one week left before the baby is born.
"It's showtime." Axel said, adjusting his hat.
"You need to walk up to the reception desk and show your fake ID to the receptionist, tell them that you are the new janitor. If they ask you any questions, make up a believable excuse."
Axel walked up to the desk, getting the lady's attention.
"Hello, I'm the new janitor. Can I head up to the first floor?" Axel asked.
The lady looked at Axel up and down with a raised eyebrow.
"Show me your ID please." The lady asked.
"Of course." Axel nodded, handing her the fake ID.
The lady looked at the ID carefully before looking at Axel.
"Jake Bruner, is it? I don't recall the boss mentioning anything about a new janitor." The lady said.
"Well, maybe he forgot to mention it, the boss has a bad memory and can't keep track of all his workers." Axel said.
"...Hm, I suppose that's true. Alright, you can go." The lady accepted, handing him his ID back.
"Thanks." Axel smiled.
Axel walked away, going forward in the hallway and went left, placing a hand on a earpiece.
"I'm in." Axel whispered.
"Use the elevator to go to the first floor, find the bathroom and get your stuff."
Axel found the elevator, pressing the button and went inside, he pressed the button again and the elevator began going up, he waited as calming music was playing in the elevator.
The elevator reached the first floor and Axel walked out, finding himself in another hallway with doors on both sides and labels to be able to tell which room is which and a few people were walking around.
Axel placed his hands in his pockets, not making any eye contact with anyone, going past them and looked at every door till he found two doors that lead to the bathroom. One for men, one for women.
"Inside, you will find a bag Griffith placed in front of the third toilet, it has the janitor uniform, a device that will help you distract everyone so you can approach the circuit breaker without suspicion, a laser pen to cut through the window and signal us."
Axel walked into the men's bathroom and there was only one person occupying the first toilet and walked to the third one, opening the door and looked down, seeing a blue duffle bag sitting on the floor.
He crouched down, opening the bag and checked through it, finding what he needed: the uniform, a small chip and a laser pen. Axel took off his coat and hat so he can put on his uniform.
The bathroom door opened and Axel walked out, now dressed as a janitor, lowering his janitor hat to cover his eyes as he continued his path.
"Now find the next elevator and get the second floor. The circuit breaker should be in the maintenance room."
Axel found the elevator next to a set of stairs that will take him to the next floor anyways but this would be much faster as he pressed the button and went inside.
The elevator went up and just in a few seconds, he reached the second floor and stepped out.
He found himself in a large lobby with two large glass windows on both sides with a view of the city, there were a lot of Christmas decorations and there were plenty of workers who were on break and talking with each other about their plans for the holidays.
Axel looked nervous as he tried to locate the maintenance room and found the door at the far left.
"Put the device on something, distract enough people so you can head inside and turn off the power."
Axel walked around and found a drink vending machine sitting in front of the wall and immediately went towards it. He grabbed the chip from his pocket, looking left and right to make sure no one was looking at him and slapped the chip against the machine and walked away from it.
A man dressed as a news reporter walked up to the vending machine, inserting a money dollar in it and pressed a button to get himself a bottle of soda. It din't work and he pressed the button again a few times.
The vending machine started shaking like crazy, causing the reporter to step away.
"What?" He asked, confused.
The soda bottle flew out, hitting the man in the stomach and more drinks flew out of the vending machine, getting everyone's attention.
"Oh my goodness!" A woman cried out.
"Someone call the maintenance man!" A person said.
Axel had his back turned and spotted a man with a beard who was most likely the maintenace worker going towards the vending machine to see what was wrong with it which gave him the opportunity to walk right into the maintenance room, placing a chair in front of the door so no one will get in.
He looked around the room and found the circuit breaker on the wall, walking up to it, he grabbed the switch and pulled it down.
The lights in every section of the building turned off, he heard a woman screaming.
"What's going on!?" Someone asked.
"The power must of turned off!" Another person said.
Axel could hear the door rattling as someone tried to get inside.
"The door is locked! I can't get in!" The maintenance worker said.
"We have to tell the manager!" Someone yelled.
Axel then heard the sound of running and walked up to the door, placing the chair aside and slowly opened the door to take a peek, he saw that no one was in the lobby anymore.
He sighed in relief as he walked out of the room and walked up to the huge window on the right, grabbing the laser pen.
Once he found the button, he aimed the pen against the window and a small blue laser shot out, waving it around on one large part of the window, cutting through it, making a perfect circle shaped hole and the glass fell out.
Axel poked his head through the hole, waving down at the others from down below, giving them the signal.
A large wall of vines began to spread, going past the window hole and reaching the higher floor, Axel could see Havard, Griffith, Angelo, Bridget and Molly climbing on the vines and grabbed onto the vines, climbing with them at the same time.
"Nice job, Axel, I knew you could do it." Molly said.
"Really? Thanks. You deserve most of the credit, it was your plan after all." Axel said.
"Still, ya did much better than ah expected. Way ta go, Axel." Angelo smiled.
"Guess you ain't a big screw up like you originally though, eh, Axe?" Griffith asked.
"Uh...thanks." Axel shrugged, he was weirded out by all these praises, it was not very often he would get compliments from other people but he appreciated it nonetheless.
"Let's not celebrate just yet, we still have yet to get to the most important part of the mission." Bridget said.
They continued to climb till they reached the high floor, right in front of a large glass window.
"Axel. If you will." Havard suggested.
Axel used the laser pen to cut through the window and kicked the cut glass out, making another circle shaped hole and everyone leaped into the hole. At this moment, the power turned back on.
They found themselves in a small room with no one inside. Bridget walked up to the door, slowly opening it and looked outside.
There was a hallway outside the room and to the left were two security guards, one was sitting behind the desk and the other was standing in front of it, they were near a door with a large sign saying 'Broadcast/control room' both of them were talking and din't notice Bridget who closed the door.
"The broadcast room is in this floor to the left but there are two guards we need to deal with." Bridget said.
"And I doubt trying to choke one of them till they faint is the smartest strategy here." Griffith said, turning to Axel as he said that.
"Wow, you are not gonna let me live this down, will you?" Axel asked, looking annoyed.
"Nope." Griffith shook his head, smiling.
"I'll handle this." Havard suggested.
"Wait, ya sure? Ah mean-" Angelo tried to say.
"It will be fine. Just watch." Havard smiled.
He walked out of the room and approached the guards, they quickly noticed him and pulled their weapons out.
"Hey, where do you think you are going? State your business!" The security guard said.
Havard looked at the two guards, he could sense that they were afraid and none of them actually agreed with what Garren was doing and so Havard knew what he had to do next.
He smiled as he took one more step towards them.
"Stop right there or we will shoot!" The second guard said.
"Don't worry, I am not here to hurt you, far from it. I can tell you two don't support Garren's ways and I want to send a message to him, make him understand what he is doing is wrong." Havard said.
Axel peered out of the room, watching as he saw the confused expressions on those guards who looked at each other before looking at Havard.
"W-what? W-who are you?" The guard asked, sounding mostly confused than scared.
"I am Havard, if you simply look the other way and let me in, perhaps my message will help you two in the long run if I will be able to get him to listen. No one has to get hurt as I have no intention of harming you two so please, step aside." Havard requested.
The guards still confused but they slowly put their guns away and nodded.
"Okay, you may pass." The guard said, still looking confused.
"Thank you. I won't forget this." Havard smiled.
"...That worked?" Axel asked, looking dumbfounded.
Havard turned around, looking at Axel and nodded.
"Let's go." Havard said.
Axel looked confused but nodded as he walked out, followed up by the rest.
The guards stood there watching as Havard opened the door to the broadcast room and walked in and then looked at the others who followed him, Axel gave them a confused glance as he was walking behind Bridget.
They walked in a smaller hallway and another door at the end of the hallway. Griffith walked up to the door, pressing his ear against it and could hear voices inside the room before looking at the others.
"Yup, I think this is the room." Griffith confirmed.
"Excellent. Let's do this without injuring the people inside, Griffith." Havard requested.
"Sure thing." Griffith said.
He kicked the door open, getting the attention of three workers who were inside the control room, two of them were sitting in front of a control panel with a lot of monitors, a few cameras and the third person who was wearing a white buttoned up shirt, short blue hair with glasses who was standing behind the desk, turned around looking panicked.
"W-who are you!?" The man asked.
Griffith pulled out his crossbow guns, aiming them at the workers who raised their arms.
"Alright, listen, no one has to get hurt. Just step away from the controls and let us do our thing, once that's done, we will leave you guys be, ya dig?" Griffith asked, still aiming the guns at them.
The workers stood up and nodded, stepping away from the control panel as Griffith gestured at them to stand next to the wall, pointing one gun at them and the other was pointed at the man in the white shirt who stood there trembling.
Havard stood in the center as Molly walked over to the control panel.
"I'm redirecting every channel so everyone from home and on the streets will only see Havard." Molly said.
Axel stood next to her as he saw Angelo walking behind the desk and Bridget stood behind the camera, pointing it towards Havard who was preparing himself while Griffith still had his eyes on the workers.
"Okay, Havard, ya ready?" Angelo asked.
Havard took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yes." Havard said.
"We're going live. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, go!" Bridget said, turning on the camera.
Havard turned around, facing the camera, opening his eyes and stared at it with a calm expression.
"Hello, citizens of Metroville. My name is Havard, the leader of the group that is opposing the prime minister at this very moment." Havard started.
In every house, every family could see Havard on the screen, no matter how many times they tried to change the channel, he was still there.
And in the city, his face was on every TV screen in every store and even on the big screen as a lot of people gathered to watch this.
"I know my group's actions caused a lot of disturbance, some of you are worried and concerned, but you don't have to be, because our intentions are just and we aren't here to cause chaos. The purpose behind this message is to get the attention of the prime minister, Garren Knight, who needs to hear what I have to say.
Garren, I have nothing but sympathy towards you, the pain of what you lost, if I lost a person precious to me, I would probably feel the same way as you are right now. But that will not excuse your actions, you cannot force your laws on everyone, taking control of their lives and keeping them in line with a iron fist, using intimidation tactics to get your way is not the right answer here. You need to understand that this was meant to happen, if it wasn't me, someone else would of opposed you eventually because this isn't right. By restricting our freedom, you are doing more harm than good.
You may be the prime minister, but you can't decide the fate of the people you are supposed to serve and protect, by threatening to imprison them and risk ruining their lives and their families just because they don't agree with you, you won't be any better than the men who took your brother's life. All of us have the right to choose our path in life, we have the right to express ourselves and you can't suppress the freedom of speech no matter how much you desire to. It is about time you take us seriously and listen to what I have to say: step down from your position as prime minister, let someone else take this job or we will be forced to take action. Tomorrow, me and every person who doesn't agree with your barbaric ways will arrive in front of your building and engage you in a civil discussion to discuss our options so we can reach a common agreement. You don't have to respond to me now but know that we will not back down. Even if you decide to retaliate, even if I go down, someone else will take my place and continue the fight. Please, listen to my message and think carefully about what I just said cause this might be your only chance of redeeming yourself for your actions. The two of us are guardians, surely we can able to understand each other if you are willing to talk to me." Havard continued.
Inside his house, Garren was watching the broadcast and heard Havard's speech, a smile appearing on his face.
"So, he is the one, I can sense it even without having to be there in person. This will make things a lot more easier." Garren said.
"People of Metroville, you don't have to be afraid anymore. Expressing yourselves is not a crime, if we want everything to change for the better, you must stand up for your beliefs and not run away, together we can unite to confront the oppressor. One person can't win against the voices of the people if we work together as one.
Please, lend me your strength, one man or woman can't fight against a giant on their own but together, we can make a difference! Because today is the beginning of the end, the future of Metroville and our free country lies on your shoulders!" Havard shouted.
Everyone who was listening looked at each other, whispering and mumbling to each other, taking Havard's words to heart.
Back in the TV station, the man in the white shirt, decided to make a run for it, going past Griffith and slammed his hand against the emergency button on the desk, the alarm went off.
"Hey!" Griffith said, shooting a crystal arrow at the man.
The man ran away, running out of the room along with the other two workers.
"Damn, thuh cavalry is comin'!" Angelo cursed.
Havard sighed loudly.
"Oh dear..." Havard said.
Bridget backed away from the camera.
"We need to get out of here now!" Bridget said.
Axel looked left and right and saw a staircase to the left of the room.
"That should take us to the roof!" Axel said.
At that moment, a lot of armed security guards burst in the room, pointing their guns at the group.
"It's go time!" Griffith said, already running towards the staircase along with everyone else.
The guards opened fire and Molly got shot in her leg.
"AAH!" Molly screamed in pain as she collapsed on the floor, getting the group's attention.
"MOLLY!" Axel said, with wide eyes.
He ran towards her, helping her stand up, not noticing the guards shooting at the two of them.
Angelo quickly jumped in front of them, shielding them from the bullets as they struck him in the chest but despite the bullet holes and a lot of blood dripping out of his chest, he could barely acknowledge the pain as he turned his head to Axel and Molly.
"Go, now!" Angelo shouted.
"Hey, can you move?" Axel asked Molly.
"N-No, I don't think so!" Molly said, her glasses were slightly cracked from the fall and she looked to be out of it as she stared at her bleeding leg.
"Don't worry, I got you, I won't leave you behind!" Axel assured her.
With one arm wrapped around her torso, Axel dragged Molly towards the stairs as Angelo shielded the group by taking all the hits by using himself as a bullet sponge, allowing everyone to run up to the stairs, he ran to the desk, picking it up with his bare hands and went towards the stairs, putting it in front of the stairs to block the guards before he ran out of there, trying to catch up to everyone.
They reached the end of the stairs and Griffith kicked the door open, they were now on the rooftop covered in snow.
"Holy shit, you're covered in blood and bullets!" Axel said, looking at Angelo.
"Ah'll be fine, jus' a couple awf bruises but that desk won't keep 'em occupied forever!" Angelo said.
"Do we just jump off the roof?" Axel asked.
"It's okay, we got this. Everyone, just hold my hands, we will jump and I will teleport us out of here." Griffith said, walking to the edge of the building.
The group stood alongside him, holding each other's hands with only Havard and Axel holding Griffith's hands.
The guards burst in, they managed to get the desk out of the way quite fast than expected.
"Stay where you are!" One of them ordered.
The 6 leaped off the roof and were descending down quickly, the guards ran up to the edge of the roof and looked down.
They din't see them fall and there was no trace of them left. They were gone.
"W-where are they?" One of the guards asked.
"I don't know, I can't see them. Let's search outside just to be sure!" The other guard said.
The guards ran back into the building.
Down below, the group were seen walking into a alleyway, no one has spotted them.
------
"I actually din't think we were gonna get out of there alive. When I saw Molly getting shot, I was scared and thought that she was gonna die, good thing I was there or God knows what would happened next. If she died, I..." Axel sighed.
--
"I lost a bit of blood when I got shot but Bridget used her chi to heal me up, if it wasn't for her, I probably would of needed to go to the hospital and that wasn't a option. I'm glad to be alive and it's all thanks to Axel." Molly said.
--
"We managed to survive and we delivered our message. The mission was hard but we did it without fail. Now we just needed to wait to see if everyone was on our side or not." Bridget said.
------
Everyone made it to the underground base safe and sound.
Molly was resting on a bed as Bridget was healing the wound on her leg after getting the bullets out, Axel was standing behind them, looking worried.
Bridget's hands stopped glowing and looked at Molly.
"You lost some blood but thanks to my chi, you will make it. All you need right now is some rest and you will be back on your feet tomorrow morning." Bridget said.
"Oh, that's good. Thank you, Bridget." Molly said.
"Don't mention it, it's thanks to you we managed to get our message out, we can't thank you enough." Bridget smiled.
"Can I talk to her?" Axel asked.
Bridget turned to Axel.
"Of course." Bridget nodded, leaving him and Molly alone as she went to check on Angelo and deal with his wounds next.
Axel crouched down, looking at her leg.
"How do you feel? Does it still hurt?" Axel asked.
"It doesn't hurt as badly as before but I'll live. Thanks for saving me back there, I owe you big time." Molly smiled.
"You don't owe me anything. I'm just glad you are alright, honestly, you're probably one of the only reasons I decided to remain here with you guys." Axel admitted.
Molly glanced at Axel with a surprised expression.
"Oh, really? That's...sweet, I guess." Molly said, not being able to find the right words.
"Just get some sleep, you deserve it. If you need anything, I'll get you something." Axel said.
Molly nodded.
"Thanks." Molly said.
Axel nodded and walked away from Molly who looked the other way, blushing to herself and had a happy smile on her face.
Havard walked up to Axel.
"Is Molly fine?" Havard asked.
"She is exhausted but she is still alive." Axel said.
"You saved her life. You were very brave back there, Axel, I can't thank you enough for your efforts." Havard smiled.
Axel shrugged.
"I'm just glad no one died. But how do you think Garren will react to the news?" Axel asked.
"I'm not sure but atleast he knows about our intentions and hopefully, he will be willing to talk to us." Havard said.
One person was checking their phone, reading some articles about the broadcast hijack and turned to Havard.
"A lot of people are commenting about today's broadcast, they are getting deleted but a lot of them are agreeing with your speech, they support us!" The person said.
Havard looked happy to hear that.
"Good. Our message din't fall on deaf ears." Havard said.
He turned to face everyone.
"Tomorrow, we will set forth to the prime minister's building and confront him in person, it will be a very important day that will go down in history! But as for today, we will celebrate our victory!" Havard said.
The entire group cheered.
Axel stood there, watching as he couldn't help but think that everything was going perfectly for them at the moment. A little too perfectly.
Before he could think more about this, Amy walked up to him.
"Hey, Axel, want to look at the Christmas tree we set up while you guys were away?" Amy asked.
"Uh, sure." Axel shrugged.
Amy grabbed his hand and dragged him to the corner where the tree was. The tree was decorated with cheap decorations.
"We decorated it with stuff we grabbed from a local grocery store." Amy admitted.
"Well, given the circumstances, it's probably the best Christmas tree I've seen thus far." Axel said.
"Really? Thanks! I put a lot of work into it, I appreciate it!" Amy said, looking happy.
Axel nodded and noticed Jill standing in front the Christmas tree, staring at it with a puzzled look.
"What's up? You look confused." Axel noted.
"...I don't know anything about Christmas. Why do people cut off trees and dress them up with these ridiculous things?" Jill asked.
"It's part of the tradition. People put Christmas trees in their houses so they can put presents under them when it's Christmas Eve. On 25th December, when the kids wake up, they find a lot of presents under the tree and are grateful to Santa Claus for bringing them the presents." Axel explained.
"...That's weird. From where I'm from, we don't have Christmas, we had special days dedicated to each founder of the 12 cities. On Pax day, there would be a huge festival with fun games, on Ceres day, people would participate in a huge masquerade party and earn rewards if they correctly pick the masked founders who used their powers to change their appearances, stuff like that, no nonsense like putting some boxes with stuff in them under a tree." Jill explained.
Axel looked at Jill weirdly.
"...Where are you from really? Clearly, you weren't born here, were you?" Axel asked.
"I told you before, it's-" Jill said.
"It's your secret, I know. But, how different is your town from Metroville?" Axel asked.
"...Very different and it doesn't exist anymore." Jill sighed.
"...Oh. That's...I don't know." Axel muttered, regretting saying that.
Jill shrugged.
"I wouldn't expect you to know...this entire world is just weird and chaotic, honestly, I thought many other people from my world would of made it here too but I couldn't find any of them here, I was hoping this group would find them but I don't think that's even possible right now." Jill frowned, looking at the floor.
Axel stood beside her, crouching down to get to her level.
"Are you homesick?" Axel asked.
Jill nodded.
"Yeah." Jill said.
"...I know the feeling. I'm not from Metroville either, I left my old town behind and now I'm here with all of you guys. I understand what it's like to be far away from the place you call home and the people you care about." Axel said.
Jill looked at Axel, with a surprised expression.
"...I never figured you would be that type of person. And I can see a lot of things about people, it seems you and I aren't that different in that regard." Jill guessed.
"I guess so. Once we put this nonsense behind us, what are you gonna do next?" Axel asked.
"...I don't know. I guess I will remain with Havard and decide where I'm gonna from here. He is the only person I can trust at the moment." Jill said.
"Is that because he is a guardian?" Axel asked.
"That and...he is the only person who understands me and I feel like I can trust him with my life." Jill nodded.
"If that's what you want, then that's okay." Axel accepted that.
Jill nodded.
"...I'm sorry about how I treated you. You aren't useless like I figured you to be." Jill said.
"Thanks, kid. If you need any answers about this world, you're free to ask me about anything." Axel said.
Jill smiled at that.
"Okay." Jill said.
Havard was watching them, looking glad that they were getting along as Griffith was behind him, holding a deck of poker cards.
"Hey, Hav." Griffith greeted.
"Oh, hi Griff." Havard greeted back, turning to face.
"Say, I was thinking about a little game that could help get us to know more about each other if you're interested. I already told Angie and Bridge and they're okay with it, do ya want to join?" Griffith asked.
Havard nodded.
"Of course. You mind if I ask Axel and Jill to play with us?" Havard asked.
"Nope, I won't mind at all." Griffith answered.
Havard walked up to Axel and Jill.
"Griffith is inviting us to a game, it could be fun for all of us." Havard said.
"Uh, okay." Axel shrugged.
Jill nodded.
"What's the game?" Jill asked.
"I'm sure he will explain to us the rules." Havard said.
"Well, let's not keep the man waiting." Axel said.
The three walked to a table with six chairs placed around it. Griffith, Angelo and Bridget were sitting on three chairs.
"Come on, sit down, don't be shy." Griffith said, gesturing at the three.
Axel looked curious as he sat down, so did Havard and Jill.
"So, what's this game about, Griff? Cause ah don't git it." Angelo asked.
"It's simple. Me and my little brother used this play this game when we were kids, each of us pick up a poker card and the one with the highest card gets to answer a person a question that they need to answer. Whether they answer or refuse, we shuffle the cards and pick them up again and repeat the process, you with me so far?" Griffith asked.
"That sounds doable." Bridget nodded.
"Uh, okay, whatever ya say." Angelo shrugged.
"This sounds like it could be fun, right?" Havard asked, looking at Axel and Jill.
"I guess." Axel shrugged.
"...We have the right not to answer a question, correct?" Jill asked.
"If you don't want to answer a question, we'll simply start the game over and have someone else pull a high card out, I just said that." Griffith said.
"Okay, cause I don't want to say things I don't want to discuss about." Jill said.
Griffith placed the deck on the table.
"Okay, now pick a card and place them on the table so all of us can see." Griffith said.
They each picked a card. Havard had 7 clubs, Griffith had a Queen, Angelo had 4 hearts, Jill had 3 clubs, Bridget had 6 diamonds, Axel had the King.
Once they looked at their cards, they placed them on the table.
"...Oh, I guess I win?" Axel guessed.
"Yup. So, who are you gonna ask a question, Axe?" Griffith asked.
Axel thought about this carefully and looked at Bridget.
"When did you and Angelo meet the first time? How did you two become a couple?" Axel asked.
Bridget and Angelo looked at each other, not expecting that and looked back at Axel.
"...Well, a long ago, I was the owner of my family's flower shop and Angelo arrived in my store, wanting to look for flowers to put on his mother's grave and gave him the best ones I had. We talked a bit, eventually became friends and now, here we are." Bridget smiled.
Angelo looked shy as he scratched his face.
"Me an' Horace decided ta see Metroville for ourselves after hearin' a lot of things about thuh town an' while we were 'ere, we decided ta buy some flowers for our mom an' walked into thuh flower shop Bridget was in charge awf. Ah grew fond awf her an' remained in contact with her since, she is thuh most beautiful an' kindest lady awf the world, no woman alive can compete with her." Angelo said, with a lot of pride for his girlfriend.
"Aw, shucks, you're embarrassing me." Bridget said, her face was red but she appreciated his words.
"We formed a team with Garren ta protect thuh world but after his brother's demise, he hasn't been thuh same since then an' everythin' fell apart." Angelo added.
"...Yeah. He was a good and noble person before he turned into a ruthless dictator, now...I don't know what to think of him." Bridget frowned.
"Trauma can screw up a person for the worse, I think." Axel guessed.
"Still doesn't excuse his actions though." Jill pointed out.
"...We should probably shuffle the cards before we get off track." Havard suggested.
Griffith nodded, he shuffled the cards and allowed everyone to pick a card again.
They each picked a card and Havard had a Queen, it was the highest card.
"Oh, it's my turn." Havard smiled.
He looked at Griffith.
"If you don't mind me asking, Griffith, can you tell me how you became a Guardian? Who are you fighting for?" Havard asked.
Griffith frowned for a moment, rubbing his neck.
"It's a long story. When I was with the military, me and the guys were sent to a village in the desert that was being run by a terrorist group and we had to assassinate them. We invaded the village and had to find the head of the group, when I looked into a tent, I found a kid in there who was scared out of his wits, he had yellow eyes and a scar over his left eye, he was being held captive by those asswipes, at first he thought I was one of them." Griffith sighed.
"That's awful." Bridget frowned.
"No kid should go through somethin' like that." Angelo agreed.
Havard frowned in response.
"What did you do with the kid?" Axel asked.
"I calmed him down, promising him that I will take him somewhere safe. We took out the head of the group and instead of sending him to a orphanage, the kid remained stuck on me like glue, after spending some time with him, I decided to take care of the kid myself and unlocked my guardian potential if that's how you call it. Once this civil war started, I joined Havard's little club and the rest is history." Griffith said, folding his hands around his neck.
"Where is the kid now?" Jill asked.
"Somewhere far away from here, din't want him to get mixed up in all this crap. End of story." Griffith decided.
"I understand. No child should be a witness to this mayhem." Havard agreed, empathizing with him.
Griffith nodded as he picked up the cards and shuffled them again.
They picked up a card again and placed them on the table. Jill had the highest card.
"Oh, sweet, now I'm gonna ask one of you a question." Jill smiled.
"Who do you have in mind?" Bridget asked.
Jill tapped her fingers against her chin.
"...How about Axel?" Jill asked, looking at him.
"Me? Uh, sure, but don't ask me something shameful or anything like that." Axel said, silently hoping that she won't ask him a ridiculous question.
"...Why do you want to leave the planet?" Jill asked.
Axel din't expect that question as he slowly stared at the floor, letting out a long sigh.
"I have my reasons. You see, I din't exactly had a happy childhood. Parents were always fighting, my dad started drinking and becoming more violent, my mom divorced him and I remained with her since. I started causing trouble at school and began to have fights with my mom, our relationship is pretty strained at the moment, she told me I remind her too much of my dad and that hurt me deeply inside. Then Garren started forcing his stupid rules and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I packed my stuff, left the house and was gonna take off to Arkginia to leave everything behind me and by a twist of fate, I'm here now with you guys." Axel explained.
"...Did your mother agree with your decision?" Havard asked, looking sympathetic.
"I wouldn't know. Haven't talked to her for a long time." Axel sighed.
"That's rough, hombre. If we win thuh war, are ya gonna leave your family behind?" Angelo asked.
"I don't know. Everything is so confusion that I don't know what to do anymore." Axel admitted.
"...It's your decision. You should do what you feel is right, don't have someone else tell you what to do." Jill said.
"Yeah. I'll think about it once this thing is over." Axel said.
"Okay, time for round 4." Griffith said, shuffling the cards again.
Everyone grabbed their cards and placed them on the table. Griffith had the highest card, a Ace.
"Ha, look at that, I win. Hav, you're next, buddy." Griffith grinned.
"Ask away." Havard smiled.
"Okay. Out of all of us, I don't know that much about you, like your surname and where you came from. Mind satisfying my curiosity?" Griffith asked.
Havard looked at his hands, he had a sad smile on his face.
"...I suppose I might aswell come clean about my identity. I am a Vanderhook, I come from a wealthy family." Havard revealed.
"You're a Vanderhook?" Bridget asked, sounding surprised.
"Wait, ya mean that family full awf fancy snobs? Ya're from that family?" Angelo asked.
Havard nodded slowly.
"The very same. A long time ago, the Vanderhooks were a noble family serving under king Constantine Rouge the I, we have a high reputation because of that and my family is too obsessed with that reputation more than anything else in the world." Havard muttered.
"Huh, you don't say." Griffith said, with a odd curious tone that Axel took notice of.
"Money did not make me happy at all, I used it to donate to people who needed the money the most, a decision that my father din't agree with, like Axel, I din't want to stay under my family's shadow and became a priest, I'm currently the owner of the local church. When Garren's rise to power happened, I decided to take a stand and defend my rights as a person and fight for all the good people of this city, at that moment, I became the Guardian of Opposition." Havard continued.
Jill din't look surprised, it seems she knew about this and saw Havard pulling out the golden gun with wings from his robe, showing it to them.
"This gun is a token that belonged to my ancestor who was a princess, I took it from my family's vault after I became a guardian and started to recruit many people to help me take our city back from Garren. It's powered by belief, depending on whoever wields this gun, they can shoot constructs created by their own beliefs. Every person who joined used this gun to test their believes...well, except for one person." Havard said, looking at Axel.
"...What?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.
Havard looked at Axel and the gun, he had an idea.
"Come with me." Havard said, sitting up.
"Hey, wait, aren't you gonna continue playing with us?" Griffith asked.
"You guys can continue playing without us, I just need to have a short chat with Axel, that's all." Havard said, turning to Axel to see if he approves.
"...Okay then." Axel said, standing up.
Havard gestured at the elevator and the two went inside.
"...So, anyone up for a fifth round?" Griffith asked.
"Go ahead." Angelo shrugged.
They picked up different cards and Bridget had the highest card.
"Oh, okay. Jill, are up to this?" Bridget asked.
"...Depends on the question." Jill said, folding her arms with a glare on her face.
"...Hm. Do you have a crush on Havard by any chance?" Bridget asked, smiling.
Jill's eyes turned wide when she heard that question, her face turned bright red.
"W-what? No, of course not! Don't be a moron!" Jill protested, looking the other way around.
"Geez, look at your face, it's priceless! You do have a crush on the guy!" Griffith laughed.
"Wow, kinda lil' too young ta find yourself a partner, ain't ya, lil' miss?" Angelo asked.
"Pffffff!" Jill fumed, shoving her face into her rose crown.
In the meeting room.
"So, what's this about?" Axel asked.
Havard handed him the golden gun.
"Use the gun. I want to see what comes out of it." Havard said.
Axel stared at the gun and then at Havard.
"...Sure. Where do you want me to point this thing at?" Axel asked.
"Anywhere, nothing bad will happen." Havard said.
Axel looked around and pointed the gun at the ceiling, when he pressed the trigger.
A bombastic sound wave was unleashed, knocking both Havard and Axel backwards, the table and the chairs collapsed on the floor.
"WOAH!" Axel said, out of surprise when that happened.
"...Ah, I see. Your belief must be oriented around your fascination with music. I've seen many different things come out of that gun. I shoot rainbows, Molly shot binary codes that morph into 8-bit items, Angelo shot cows, Bridget shot flowers, Griffith shot regular bullets...and you have sound waves, very interesting." Havard nodded.
"...Huh, that's weird. So, is that why you called me here?" Axel asked.
"...Actually, I was curious about something." Havard said.
"About what?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I couldn't but feel that you are developing a positive feeling towards Molly if I'm not mistaken. It was small at first when you arrived here but it's been growing bigger with every passing moment you interact with her." Havard said.
Axel's eyes widened, looking awkward.
"...Dude, can you like mind your own business and not use your freaky third eye to look into my feelings? Ever heard of personal space?" Axel asked, sounding bothered.
"Tell me, Axel, do you like Molly as a friend or more than a friend?" Havard asked.
Axel crossed his arms and looked the other way.
"...I wasn't sure at first. She was okay, she is probably the most normal person out of...everyone really, she is chill and..." Axel said, pausing for a moment.
"...Go on." Havard obliged.
Axel sighed.
"...I feel like she understand me as a person and unlike me, she isn't the type to run away from problems like me and is looking out for her family, as we continued to talk, I couldn't help but feel something for her. Like I care for her and I don't want her to get hurt, I was scared when she got shot, I felt like I...wanted to protect her from danger...I guess I like her but I don't if she would like a bastard like me." Axel muttered.
Havard smiled, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. I'm certain Molly likes you too as a friend and as a person, I can feel you two creating a genuine connection and it's still growing." Havard said.
He removed his hand and walked to the table, placing it back to the way it was while Axel stared at him.
"It's love and compassion that triumphs against the darkness of war, not fists, guns and swords. You know, if people were more empathetic towards each other and showed more understanding towards each other instead of hating and fighting one another, the world would probably be a better place to live in." Havard said.
"...What about you and your family? Do you know what's going on with them?" Axel asked.
Havard was silent for a moment as he picked up the chairs one by one.
"It's been some time since I've last seen them but I hope they're okay. I was thinking that maybe on Christmas, I can visit them and see my little brother Mark, but I don't know how he would react, I left them on bitter terms." Havard said.
"...There's no harm in trying, right? You should go see them if you want." Axel suggested.
"Yes, I should." Havard nodded at that, after putting everything back to the way they were.
He turned around, looking at Axel with that smile of his.
"It seems like you and I have a common connection, Axel. We both thought that running away from our problems was the best solution but clearly it isn't. I hope you and your mother will fix your relationship, just as I hope I will be able to fix my relationship with my family once this will end tomorrow." Havard said.
Axel was quiet, he din't have anything to add or say as Havard took the gun and placed it in his robe.
"Let's join the others while we still have time to celebrate." Havard said.
Havard walked towards the elevator while Axel remained there, folding his arms and thinking deeply about their conversation.
------
Axel wasn't staring at the camera, sighing to himself.
"...He was right. I had to do something about my situation at home before I could leave the planet for good." Axel said.
--
"Axel has changed slightly after his conversation with Havard, he never told me what they talked about." Molly said.
--
"Axel and Molly were very adorable together. I gave Molly a mistletoe so they can kiss under it but the opportunity never came. Ah, what a darn shame." Yama sighed, placing her hand on her cheek.
--
"Tomorrow was a day we would never forget. Ah thought that everythin' was goin' well for us...but what came next wasn't a victory, it was a total failure." Angelo frowned, with a ominous tone.
-----
December 24th, 1987
It was day and everyone wearing the same uniforms were currently doing Christmas shopping since tomorrow it was gonna be Christmas and the entire city was filled with decorations.
And at this time, the rebellion marched out of the subway holding up signs, Havard was leading them and looked at everyone else.
"Alright, it's time we gather people on our way to the prime minister's building. Today is the day we will end this, together we can do this." Havard smiled.
The group cheered, Amy was cheering the loudest.
Axel was standing next to Molly who was now able to walk, Jill was standing right next to Havard, Angelo and Bridget were standing right alongside each other, Griffith was scratching his ear and everyone else was just cheering.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Axel asked Molly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, my leg is healed up to 100%." Molly confirmed.
"Oh, okay...but if something goes wrong, just keep your distance, okay?" Axel asked.
"Don't worry, I will. I can take care of myself." Molly nodded.
Axel nodded but remained beside her just in case.
Havard turned around and walked forward, the rest of the group began marching.
Every person in the city looked at them marching on the street like it was a parade day.
Havard looked at every person, using his power he shared his feelings with them, they felt the need to join their attempt at convincing Garren to step down.
One woman walked up to the group, blending in with the crowd and slowly, one by one, every citizen began joining their march, increasing their numbers as they were walking down on the street and went left, when Havard made eye contact with more people, he shared his experiences with them and reached a common understanding, convincing them to join him and the crowd got bigger.
"Holy shit, this is insane!" Axel said, looking amazed by how many people were appearing, he barely had any space.
As they kept marching and more people walked over to the giant crowd, three police cars stopped by, blocking their path as three police officers stepped out, one of them was holding a megaphone and shouted at them.
"All of you! Disperse right now or we will be forced to take action!" The officer said.
In response, Havard raised his fist, a gesture that every person in the crowd followed, showing them that they weren't afraid to fight for their freedom.
"...Jesus." The police officer muttered, he saw that three police officers had no chance against all of them and so they stepped aside.
The crowd continued to match, walking past the police as one of them grabbed a walkie-talkie.
"We need more backup!" The officer said.
As they walked through every part of the city and more people joined them, Havard began chanting.
"Freedom!" Havard shouted.
"Freedom!" "Freedom!" "Freedom!" Freedom!" "Freedom!" The entire crowd chanted.
Axel looked at what was going on, almost in disbelief as he looked at Molly who smiled at him.
"We are making history, Axel, isn't this great?" Molly asked.
"...Yeah. A little too great." Axel said, finding all of this weird and kinda creepy, it was like something you would see in a movie.
The giant peaceful crowd continued to shout as the prime minister's building was in their sight, at this point they had enough people to overwhelm a army.
Axel could barely see anything thanks to this crowd but he could hear police sirens and cars gathering around.
"Is that the police?" Axel asked.
As they were getting closer, they could see a blockade of police cars parked in front of the building and there were a lot of officers wearing bulletproof vests and protective helmets, armed with guns, tasers and mirror shields, the officer in the lead had a megaphone, shouting at the crowd.
"Hold it right there!" The officer shouted.
The crowd stopped shouting as Havard stepped forward.
"We want to see Garren and discuss our options. He needs to listen to us." Havard started.
"The prime minister gave us a clear order: to stop whoever tries to get inside the building and arrest them for attempted treason! This will be our first and last warning, turn around and leave or we will take action!" The officer said.
Havard looked at the officers, trying to connect himself with them...but saw that he couldn't, something was preventing his feelings from reaching out to them.
"...Wait, I can't find a way to share my feelings with them." Havard said, sounding confused.
"Is that a bad thing?" Axel asked, sounding worried.
Bridget focused, Yin and Yang symbols appeared in her eyes as she could see red energy flowing around the cops.
"...Wait, these men are covered in Garren's suppression power, it's stopping you from empathizing with them!" Bridget said.
"If he can't connect himself with 'em, these fellas won't let us in thuh buildin' without a fight." Angelo frowned.
"What do we do?" Jill asked.
"You have 1 minute to disperse and go home or you will be arrested! This is your final warning!" The lead officer shouted.
Both Axel and Molly looked worried as Havard was trying to figure out what to do next.
Griffith looked over his shoulders and his eyes widened.
"Oh, shit, it's the military boys!" Griffith called out.
Everyone turned around and saw military cars arriving on the scene, along with a tank, creating another barricade from the left and with the police barricade from the right, the crowd was surrounded.
Many soldiers got out of their cars, holding weapons and aiming at them at the group.
"We're trapped!" Molly cried out.
"This can't be a coincidence, this was planned out...it's-" Bridget started.
"It's a trap!" Axel yelled out.
Havard stood there, his three white eyes were wide like dinner plates and looked up at the building to see Garren watching from the window, staring at him with no compassion as he raised his phone, muttering a single line.
"Do it."
The police officers and the military threw something in the air and landed in the middle of the crowd. smoke grenades.
"LOOK OUT!" Angelo shouted, pushing many people out of the way.
The entire area was being filled up with smoke, what followed next was the sound of shooting, stomping feet and screaming that rang in everyone's ears.
-----
"If you would look up in the dictionary for the words 'shit hit the fan' you would probably find a picture of that." Axel said.
------
Axel placed his hand to his mouth, trying not to exhale the smoke as he tried to look around for the people he was familiar with.
"Molly! Angelo! Havard! Griff! Bridget! Jill! Where are you guys!?" Axel asked, as he walked through the smoke.
The sound of gunfire was heard and could see a person from the rebellion collapsing on the ground in front of him as he dropped his crowbar, holding his shot arm and crying in pain and was pushed aside by many civilians who decided to flee from the scene, some of them were getting dragged into police cars while officers and military people were looking around for more people.
Axel looked at this horrifying scene and heard her voice.
"Help!" Molly shouted, she wasn't too far from where Axel was.
"Molly, where are you!?" Axel asked, picking up the crowbar and ran to where her voice was coming from.
Molly was surrounded by two military members and a police officer, the police officer was about to cuff her till they heard the sound of a gun being shot in the air and turned around, seeing Axel standing there with a smoking gun aimed at the air and holding a crowbar in his other hand, glaring at them.
"Back away from her, punks." Axel said.
They aimed their guns at Axel who dodged out of the way and shot at their kneecaps, they fell on their backs and grabbed their knees, screaming pain.
"Axel! Oh my God! I can't see where the others are!" Molly said, running towards him.
"Then let's try to find them!" Axel said, grabbing her hand and ran further in the area, using his crowbar to smack anyone who came in their path.
They could see Angelo and Bridget standing side by side, being cornered by a group of soldiers who were holding guns and mirror shields.
The Yin ang Yang symbols in Bridget's eyes were spinning as she began rotating around, grabbing every bullet with her hands covered in her chi and dropped them on the ground.
She ran towards the soldiers and slapped her hands against their shields, knocking them backwards like they were hit by a invisible force but their shields helped lower the impact of that hit and din't fall on the ground.
Angelo was zig-zagging, too fast for the military to keep up with before he launched his boomerang, hitting one of them in the face and he appeared in front of them, grabbing their weapons and tossed them in the air.
He jumped out of the way as Bridget charged towards them, letting out a 'HIYA' scream as he lifted her glowing leg towards them, her foot just touched one of their chests and the force of her kick sent them flying away.
"Guys!" Axel shouted, running up to them.
"Axel, Molly, where are the others!?" Bridget asked, turning to them.
"I don't know, we can't see anything in all this smoke, what do we do!?" Molly asked.
"Jus' stay out awf their reach till we find a openin' and git our people outta 'ere!" Angelo requested, picking up his boomerang and threw it at a police car and vanished.
Axel nodded as he and Molly left them be, seeing that they can take care of themselves and tried to find someone familiar.
Crystal arrows were raining from above and landed on the ground, right in the middle of a crew of police officers and military members, the crystals were blinking red and exploded, sending them flying in the air.
Griffith was sitting on top of a rooftop, with two rifle scope reticles in his eyes as he was rotating his bullet chambers, switching to different types of crystals and tried to make sure that no one of the explosive arrows landed too close to the people from his group before firing a flaming crystal arrow that landed in front of a group of cops, creating a circle of fire around them.
Havard was holding his golden gun, his hands were trembling as he was surrounded by two military men, aiming their guns at his head.
The Guardian of Opposition looked unhappy as he stared at the men with a sad expression, it seems these two weren't surrounded by Garren's energy as he tried to amplify their guilt over their actions to a new level.
The two military men collapsed on their knees and started to cry for what they have tried to do but one military man was right behind Havard, pointing his gun at this head, he had a clear shot.
Suddenly, that man got struck by a green blast and Havard turned around, seeing the man on the ground and Jill's holding out her arm, looking upset by all of this as she was being approached by a police man.
"Alright, girl, playtime is over, you're coming with us." The police man said.
Amy jumped on his back.
"Hey, leave her alone, copper!" Amy shouted.
Another police officer grabbed her by her hair and pulled her off his back.
"You're gonna be in serious trouble when you're gonna tell us where your parents are at!" The officer said, holding her by her hair.
Amy...suddenly had a very furious expression on her face as she stared into the cop's soul.
"...Don't, touch, my, hair, YOU SNAG!" Amy roared.
She kicked the officer in the nuts and leaped towards his chest, knocking him on the ground and proceeded to bash her fists against his face as the cop from earlier tried to help out his currently attacked partner.
Jill stared at this in confusion before Havard ran up to her, grabbing her hand and both of them ran off.
-----
"No one messes with my hair, whoever dares to lay a single dirty finger on my beautiful styled hair will have their balls shoved down into their throats, do I make myself clear!?" A pissed off Yama asked, pointing at the camera as the levitated hairspray was slowly crushed by her power.
-----
More people were getting wounded and some were thrown into police cars and more officers and military men were arriving on the scene, easily overwhelming Havard's group.
"There is so many of them..." Molly muttered, squeezing Axel's hand as she looked at what was happening.
Axel gritted his teeth, swinging his crowbar and bashing the faces of 5 police officers in one move, knocking them on the ground.
And then one military man ran up to him from the right side and grabbed his crowbar, pulling it out of his grasp and smacked his mirror shield against Axel's chest, causing him to let go of Molly's hand as he was being driven into a building wall, with the military man practically forcing his shield against his chest, leaving him little air to breathe.
"AXEL!" Molly screamed, looking horrified.
"M-MOLLY, H-HELP!" Axel screamed, his face was turning blue from the lack of oxygen, dropping his gun on the ground.
Molly looked down at the dropped crowbar, slowly picking it off the ground and stared at the military man, she was breathing heavily as she remembered what Havard told her: not to fight violence with violence but in this case...
-----
"As I was watching him being crushed by that man, I had to make a decision to save his life, even though it wasn't a decision Havard would agree with..." Molly sighed, holding her hands together.
-----
"H-HIT T-THIS M-MOTHERFUCKER A-ALREADY!" Axel screamed out.
Molly's muscles were twitching, her hands were sweaty and the crowbar shaking as she was trying to deal with this moral dilemma in her head.
"B-But what about the non-lethal violence approach!?" Molly asked.
"FUCK-THAT-BULLSHIT!" Axel answered, slowly losing consciousness.
Molly clenched her teeth closing as her eyes as she charged towards the man, screaming as she bashed the crowbar against his head, it was pretty efective.
The man stumbled backwards as he collapsed on his back and Axel placed his hands on his throat, regaining oxygen.
Molly walked up to the man, raising the crowbar and started hitting him quite a few times, she wasn't stopping at all as her eyes were burning with fire.
"H-holy shit, Molly!" Axel said, looking shocked as he has never seen this side of her before.
He turned around and saw that Havard and Jill were watching, the former looked shocked.
"Molly! Stop! This isn't the way!" Havard said, running up to her before she could make a major mistake.
Jill stared in shock while a military man hiding behind a car aimed his weapon at them.
A crystal arrow covered in electricity flew down, hitting the man in the neck and gave him a good shocking!
"AAAAH!" The man screamed as he collapsed on the ground, with smoke coming out of it.
Griffith leaped from the roof, landing on his feet as he walked up to the man, pointing his gun at the back of his head while having a gleeful smile on his face.
Angelo grabbed him by his hand holding the gun.
"What are ya doin'!?" Angelo asked.
Griffith's smirk vanished as he gave Angelo a blank stare, pulling his hand out of Angelo's grasp.
"I was just gonna tell him to stand down and not do anything stupid, that's all." Griffith said.
"Ta me, it looked like ya were about ta put a arrow between 'is eyes!" Angelo said.
"Even if I was gonna do that, so what? They're the ones trying to kill us, aren't they? We have the right to defend ourselves." Griffith pointed out, crossing his arms.
Before Angelo was about to say another word, Bridget approached them.
"Guys, enough! We have more things to worry about!" Bridget said.
"He started it." Griffith said.
"I don't care! We have to help the others!" Bridget said before she ran off.
Griffith followed after her while Angelo had a sore stare on his face as he went after them.
Molly continued hitting the man while Axel stared in shock.
She stopped when Havard grabbed the crowbar, looking upset.
"Molly, this isn't self-defense! Look what you were doing to this man!" Havard said, taking the crowbar from her.
Molly snapped back to her senses and looked shocked by what she did, placing her hands on her mouth as she looked at the man, he wasn't conscious but he was still breathing.
"I, I, I'm sorry, Axel was in danger and he, he!" Molly stuttered, looking disgusted by what she has done.
"Hey, it's okay, it was either me or him." Axel assured her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
Havard placed his hand on his forehead, looking frustrated by this turn of events.
"This isn't okay, none of this okay." Havard muttered to himself, trying his best not to lose his composure.
Molly still looked shocked despite Axel's words.
"LOOK!" Amy yelled as she was standing on top of the two officers she beat up, pointing to the military cars.
The stolen delivery truck appeared, smashing through the barricade of military cars and flipped around.
"It's our gateway car!" Bridget said.
Franklin was the driver, lowering down the window to look at the group.
"Get in!" Franklin said.
Axel grabbed his gun and the still shocked Molly, dragging her towards the truck as he opened the back and got in, immediately followed up by Griffith, Angelo, Bridget, Amy and the remaining rebels who din't get caught.
"Wait, where is Havard?" Bridget asked, looking around as he wasn't in the car.
Havard was still outside, staring at the scene as several of his people got arrested and the other half were injured.
"...T-This wasn't supposed to happen." Havard said, placing his hands on his head.
Jill grabbed his by his sleeve, dragging towards the car.
"Come on, we need to go!" Jill said.
She managed to get him to the car and they got in aswell.
"That's everyone, right?" Franklin asked.
"Yeah, I think so!" Axel nodded.
"Step on the gas and get us out of here, now!" Griffith declared.
Franklin nodded as he drove off, fleeing from the remaining cops and military men, driving far away from the prime minister building.
"After them!" One of the soldiers said, as every cop and soldier got in their cars and the tank and drove after the truck, catching up to them.
The trunk's back door opened as Griffith pointed his finger gun at the cars, using the force of gravity to send the cars and the tank flying in the air and landed upside down on the road, which allowed the truck to make a clean escape.
Garren watched as the car left the sight and many of his men were critically injured but he looked satisfied with the results.
"Hm, I wonder what the general public is gonna think about their hero now? I managed to hit the leader where it hurts the most and their forces are crippled. And this was just the first phase of my plan." Garren said.
He placed his phone against his ear.
"Retreat back to your stations, we won this battle." Garren said.
As the truck was driving far away from what happened.
Inside, everyone was quiet and tense.
Havard was covering his face with his hands and Jill was looking at him before she looked at the others.
Bridget looked concerned as she was thinking about something, Angelo was staring at Griffith who shrugged at him, Amy was fixing her hair and Axel was looking at Molly who was staring at nothing.
"...You okay?" Axel asked, looking worried.
"...How could I do that? I din't even know that man and yet I still beat him to a bulp...oh, God." Molly said, placing her hands on her face.
Axel frowned, he was able to see that she wasn't comfortable with what she has done as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Axel said, that was all he could say.
With her face buried in her hands, Molly leaned against his shoulder as she was softly crying in her hands while Axel looked the other way, seeing that the group has shrunk down to size as a few of the revolution members that he din't know much about were taken.
------
"I felt sorry for what Molly had to do to save me, but if I was in her place, that guy wouldn't be alive at all. But what really pissed me off is that we walked blindly into that trap, how did Havard not see that coming?" Axel asked.
--
Molly was sitting in there in silence.
"...Even after these years, I'm still not happy with what I have done, even if it meant saving Axel's life. I just wish I din't go that far." Molly said.
--
"Ah saw that look in Griff's eyes, he definitely wanted ta kill that man. Ah'm sure awf that." Angelo said.
--
"...Something about that attack really bothered me, there was no way Garren would of known about Havard's empathy powers, only we knew about it and found a way to counteract it. There was only one possible he could of known: someone from our group sold us out." Bridget said, with absolute certainty.
------
Everyone was back in the base.
The ones who weren't captured were heavily injured and sitting around, mumbling to each other, the group morale was low after taking a huge hit from that surprise attack.
Amy was sitting next to the Christmas mood, she wasn't in a cheery mood either.
Havard, Angelo, Griffith, Axel, Bridget, Molly and Jill were in the meeting room, watching the news about the attack on the revolution group.
"...How many awf us did they take?" Angelo asked.
"About 20 or so." Bridget sighed.
Havard was staring at the screen, not saying anything while Jill looked at him, expecting a response but nothing.
Molly was sitting on the chair, avoiding anyone's gaze.
Axel stared at everyone, not knowing what to say either.
"Well, that was a mess. So, what's plan B, eh?" Griffith asked, leaning against the wall, looking at Havard.
"...I don't know." Havard muttered.
"Really? I thought we had some sort of strategy in case something like this would happen-" Griffith said.
"I said I don't know, okay? I din't know this was gonna happen, just give me some time to think." Havard said, looking frustrated, barely raising his voice volume.
"...Havard." Jill sighed.
"Did you actually expect him to let us inside the building and invite us to a cup of tea? You played right into his hands man." Axel said.
Havard placed his fingers on his temples, letting out a deep breath filled with pain and frustration.
"...I din't know he was gonna go that far, okay? I thought I could reason with him, I figured he would be a lot better than that...I thought some of us were better than that." Havard said, looking at Molly.
"...I'm sorry. I lost control back there. Axel was in danger and I wasn't thinking straight." Molly sighed.
"...Molly, you nearly beat that man to death, what were you thinking? Did you just forget about everything we stood for in those couple of seconds?" Havard asked, not letting go of this.
"Havard." Bridget frowned.
"We are trying to set a example for everyone who has hope for us and beating someone with a crowbar will not help matters at all, that will just make things worse. Think about what would of happened if she went too far, if I din't stop her right there, his blood would of been on her hands, Bridget." Havard said sternly.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! What else do you want from me!?" Molly asked, placing her hands on her face.
That definitely bothered Axel who marched up to Havard.
"Hey, leave her alone, man, she said she is sorry, okay!? She is not happy with what she has done and you're not making this easy for her so lay off and let's move past this already!" Axel said.
"Yeah, you should probably go easy on Mol, Hav, she is still a kid after all. I probably would of done the same thing if I was in her shoes." Griffith said, also siding with Axel.
"Of course ya would." Angelo said, crossing his arms as he stared at the soldier.
Griffith let out a annoyed sigh.
"Geez, how many times do I have to bring this up, dude? I wasn't gonna kill that guy, you're giving me a headache. What do you want me to do? Kill myself?" Griffith asked.
"Jus' don't do that ever again an' ah won't 'ave to hurt ya." Angelo said with absolute intent.
"Hey, will you all stop fighting already! Let's not forget who our actual enemy is, people!" Jill said, glaring at everyone.
Havard stared at everyone with a look of disbelief as he rubbed his two eyes, holding one hand up to signal everyone to stop.
"...Okay, we suffered a major setback, that's all. All we need to do is find a way to get back on our feet like we always do and find a way to overcome this somehow. I just need to time to think this through and we will decide what we have to do next." Havard said.
Axel just folded his hands, staring at Havard with a unimpressed look on his face.
"...The weird thing about all of this is that Garren's strategy worked flawlessly, to flawlessly in fact." Bridget said.
"Well, we did kind of announce to the world that we were going to march to that building? It's obvious that he was gonna set up a trap and take us out." Griffith shrugged.
"No, not that. He covered his men with his power to prevent Havard from reaching out to them, only we and the rest of the group know about his empathy abilities." Bridget pointed out.
"But how did he find out?" Angelo asked, scratching his head in confusion.
Bridget frowned, not looking happy with what she was about to say.
"...I'm not entirely confident in my prediction but, the only way he would know is if...someone from our group told him about it." Bridget said.
Everyone looked at Bridget with a look of confusion and shock.
"O-one of us?" Molly asked, looking up at Bridget.
"W-who would be such a coward to do something like that!?" Jill asked, looking infuriated by this revelation.
"I don't know, but it's the only explanation that makes sense at the moment. I think someone double-crossed us." Bridget sighed.
Havard stood there shocked.
"...No, that can't be. There is no reason anyone would want to cooperate with Garren, what would they gain from allying themselves with him?" Havard asked.
"Maybe they figured that if they side with him, they will be safe and avoid getting punished by him? That seems plausible." Griffith guessed.
"No, I refuse to believe that, I can't think of anyone who would betray us like this, there has to be another explanation. Maybe he figured it out on his own or..." Havard said, he absolutely din't want Bridget's suggestion to be actually true.
"If he has a spy and it's one of us, it's gonna be a matter of time till he finds out where we are hiding and attack us again. I say we repay him with the same coin and we fight back." Axel suggested.
"No, that's not gonna work. That's just gonna encourage him, solving violence with more violence will not get us anywhere." Havard frowned.
"Yeah, because trying to negotiate with Big Brother worked out so well for you and your guys just a couple of hours ago, right?" Axel asked, staring at Havard.
Havard narrowed his eyes, starting to lose his patience.
"Okay, so what do you want me to do? Do you want me to walk up to Garren, snap his neck and call it a day and teach everyone that murder is the best solution if talking won't work?" Havard asked.
"When you're out of options, you will have no choice but to fight whether you like it or not man. Goddamn, it's like you live in your own world, it's time you wake up and smell the coffee, Havard cause what you are doing is not working at all." Axel continued.
Jill placed her hands on her head, closing her eyes as she walked away from them and marched towards the elevator.
"I had enough of this." Jill muttered to herself, getting in the elevator.
Griffith sighed to himself, rubbing his neck.
"I'm gonna get some fresh air before something explodes. This is getting annoying." Griffith said, deciding to leave aswell.
"I'm not gonna take a page out of Garren's book, go against my code and make myself look like a hypocrite." Havard said.
"Is that what you care about? Who gives a shit about how other people see you, you should care about finding a solution to get everyone out of this mess before something worse happens!" Axel said.
"Axel. Stop." Havard said, his low was tone, clenching his fist.
"I mean, what are you gonna do if he is not gonna listen? Are you gonna get on your knees, cry and beg him to stop?" Axel asked.
"Axel, you're going too far." Hazard said.
"No, I'm not going too far, I'm simply telling you the truth. If you refuse to look for any other options and die like a martyr for the sake of your stupid belief, then leave the rest of us out of it if you don't have what it takes to lead these guys to victory!" Axel declared.
"Axel!" Bridget erupted.
Molly looked up at Axel with a worried look while Angelo looked at Havard who was staring at the floor, his expression was invisible.
"...Is that what you really believe? Do you really think I'm like that? You...you have no damn idea...about who I am..." Havard muttered.
Angelo decided to get involved, standing right between Axel and Havard before something bad can happen.
"Ah think we need ta put a pin on this conversation before it turns into a brawl that we don't need right now." Angelo suggested.
"He is right. All of us tired, angry and confused, we should rest and decide what we are gonna do tomorrow. Okay?" Bridget asked, looking at Havard and Axel.
Axel still looked pissed and had more to say but decided to leave it at that and simply looked at Havard.
Havard did not raise his head as he turned around and sat down in front of his table, with his back turned to everyone.
"...I will ask you all to leave me be, I need to think. Now." Havard said, with tone was cold and angry.
Axel glared at him as Molly grabbed him by his hand.
"Leave him alone, Axel. He's had a rough day." Molly said.
"...Fine." Axel muttered.
"Come on, firecracker, let's go." Angelo insisted, dragging Axel towards the elevator, followed up by Bridget and Molly.
Havard did not turn to look at them as he placed his hands on his face and placed his head against the table.
The four were back in the base and walked out of the elevator.
"...I'll treat their injuries. We'll continue this tomorrow." Bridget said, walking towards the injured rebels.
Angelo placed his hand on his hat, lowering it down to cover his eyes as he walked off to, leaving only Axel and Molly who were staring at nothing.
"...You shouldn't of said that to him. You just made him more upset." Molly said.
"He needed to hear that, if that guy won't listen to a damn reason and is willing to go down with the ship so he can remain true to his belief, then that's his problem, not mine. Besides, he was going off on you, I couldn't let him get away with that." Axel said.
"...Still." Molly said.
She sighed loudly as she placed her hand on her arm.
"...What do you think it's gonna happen next?" Molly asked.
"...I don't know. I truly don't know." Axel admitted.
"...Me neither." Molly said.
She then walked away from Axel, going to talk to Amy.
"...Hey, Molly, thanks for saving me back there. And don't let what Havard told you get to you, I think you did the right thing." Axel said.
Molly stopped for a moment and stared at the ground.
"...Thanks. Good night, Axel." Molly said before resuming her walk.
Axel stared at her for a few more moments and noticed Jill sitting right to the elevator, fiddling with her necklace key.
"...Hey." Axel said, waving at her.
"...Are you guys done fighting yet?" Jill asked.
"...Yeah. We're done for the day. But I think this will continue tomorrow though." Axel guessed.
Jill frowned.
"...I hate this stupid war, I hate fighting and I hate all of this." Jill said.
Axel sat right next to her.
"...Me too, kid. Me too." Axel said.
"If only Sephira was here, she could make all of this stop by making a wish." Jill stated.
"...Who's Sephira?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She was one of the founders from the world I came from, she had magnificent powers, including the power to make any wish you ask of her into a possibility. I witnessed her power a couple of times when I visited her city, I even asked her to grant my wish of making a boy that I had a crush on like me and it worked." Jill said.
"...Huh. That sounds like a neat power to have, it would be very useful to have something like that." Axel said.
"Yeah. Maybe I should of asked her to share with me her power of granting wishes, then I could simply make this war stop by snapping my finger and all of this would be over instantly." Jill sighed.
"Maybe, but it's too late for that now." Axel said.
"...Maybe if I were able to summon that thing like those girls, maybe I could..." Jill considered.
"Huh?" Axel asked.
"Nothing, I was just thinking out loud. Is Havard going to be okay?" Jill asked.
"...I don't know. He is pretty upset, what with him getting his ass kicked by Garren...and the possibility of someone from the group working against us, it's probably doing a number on him." Axel said.
"...If we find that traitor, I'm gonna make him pay for what they have done." Jill said with absolute intent, staring at the ground with anger.
"I don't think that's your call to make, it's up to Havard to decide what to do with the traitor." Axel said.
"I just hope I will get the chance to punch them, that will make me happy." Jill snorted.
"Me too." Axel agreed.
The two of them remained quiet for a moment.
"...I'm tired." Jill said.
Jill stood up and walked towards her tent.
"...Just so you know, I don't think you are the traitor. I don't think you would betray us like this, you are not that much of a coward." Jill said.
"...How would be able to tell?" Axel asked.
Jill simply turned to him, placing her finger on her lips.
"It's a secret." Jill smiled, repeating her trademark catchprase before heading to bed.
Axel shook his head, he still din't know what that meant as he looked at the rest of the camp for a bit more longer before he would go to sleep before whatever happens next.
-----
Back in the prime minister's building.
A few photos landed on the table, one picture featured the hidden base, the subway and the rest of the photos were the members of the group.
Garren picked up one of the photographs, it was Havard's picture.
"...Hm, so they were hiding in the subway all this time like rats?" Garren asked the one who gave him the photos.
"Yup."
"And this Havard, he is a Vanderhook. Heh, that's quite interesting, never knew that elite family have a black sheep. Still, what you said before about his empathy power proved to be accurate so I suppose I din't make the wrong choice by putting my faith in you." Garren said.
"Eh, it's no biggie. It's pretty obvious that Havard was gonna lose one way or another, I made the right choice by siding with you, prime minister."
"Indeed. And now that I know where they are hiding, it's time to proceed with the next phase of my plan that will utterly crush the rebellion's trust in that man, without their support, he won't have the strength to combat me. Once he is out of the picture permamently, I can get back on track with my more important plans, you will be rewarded handsomely once this infernal circus is over with." Garren said, placing his hands together.
"Sounds cool. I hope I won't disappoint you."
"You better not. Though, I do have to ask, did you really have to attack my men so carelessly?" Garren asked.
"Hey, I had to make it look convincing. An actor wouldn't be that good at their job if they can't get into character, ya dig?"
"I suppose not." Garren said.
He stood up and turned around, putting his hands around his back.
"You're dismissed." Garren said.
The person who was in the office vanished instantly.
Garren din't even turn to look to see if they were gone as he focused on the city.
"Now that I know I can control the curse, there's nothing to stop me from leading this country to a brighter and secure future. If only you were here to witness it with me..." Garren said, placing his hand on the window, slowly dragging it down.
------
December 25th, 1987
Axel din't even know if it was morning or it was still night as he din't get any sleep, all he was doing was staring at the tent ceiling with his arms folded behind his neck, thinking deeply about yesterday.
"...Man, I can't sleep at all, why am I even still staying in this tent anyways?" Axel asked himself.
All of the sudden, he could hear noisy feet which got his attention and peered out of the tent so what the fuss was all about.
Molly and Amy were awake, walking around the base looking for something it seemed, notably Amy wasn't wearing her pearl necklace.
"...What are you two doing?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.
Molly looked at Axel.
"Oh, sorry Axel, we din't mean to wake you up." Molly said.
"No, it's okay, I couldn't sleep anyways. What are you doing?" Axel asked.
"I was trying to help Amy find her necklace, it's missing." Molly said.
"Missing?" Axel asked, confused.
"Yeah, I put it right alongside in my tent before I fell asleep and when I woke up, I felt the need to pee and saw that the necklace wasn't there anymore. My aunt gave me that necklace, I need to find it." Amy frowned.
"Huh...that's weird." Axel said.
"Do you think someone from here took it?" Molly asked.
"I don't see any reason why they would want the necklace at all but I can help you guys try to find it if that helps." Axel suggested.
"Sure." Molly nodded.
"Yay! Thanks." Amy grinned.
Axel nodded before he looked at Molly.
"...Hey, so about yesterday, I-" Axel started.
He got cut off when they heard a loud bumping noise hitting against the large floor window panel which caught the attention of the three.
"...Was that my imagination or did you hear that too?" Axel asked.
"I definitely heard that." Molly confirmed.
"Maybe it's Santa?" Amy guessed.
That bumping noise was heard again, a small dent appeared on the panel, causing Axel and Molly's eyes to widen.
Those noises managed to wake up the entire camp who got out of their tents, including Angelo, Bridget and Jill.
"What in tarnation?" Angelo asked, turning to the floor panel.
Something struck the panel, denting it again.
"...We've got company." Bridget gasped.
Jill held onto her necklace with wide eyes.
"W-where's Havard?" Jill asked.
"Git ready for a fight, ya'll!" Angelo said, getting out his boomerang.
And with one more strike, the window panel crashed down and a lot of soldiers rushed in, one of them put their hand on their earpiece.
"We've located the hidden base, sir, we'll apprehend the rebels and bring them to justice!" The soldier said.
Axel, with a shocked expression, turned to look at everyone, he could see that the rest of the rebellion were scared about what was gonna happen next as Angelo approached the soldiers.
"Not today!" Angelo said, throwing his boomerang towards the soldiers.
They ducked before the boomerang could hit one of them and it struck the wall, Angelo appeared in front of it before he charged towards the soldiers, smacking them aside with his palms, sending them backwards but they used their mirror shields so they wouldn't fall and charged back at Angelo, smacking their shields against his body.
The soldiers began opening fire and the civilians leaped to the floor and tried to hide away from the soldiers while Molly took Amy and ran into a nearby tent for safety.
Bridget, with clenched teeth, ran towards the first soldier, launching a powerful karate chop on their shield, powerful enough to shatter the shield and send him flying into the ceiling, the impact destroyed two more shields and sent two soldiers flying aswell.
"We have to get out of this place!" Franklin called out, who was hiding behind the tent.
Axel, who was watching this chaos unfold, was looking around for another guardian who din't happen to be here.
"Where's Griff?" Axel asked, receiving no answer to his question.
Jill ran up to him and grabbed him by his sleeve.
"We need to get Havard! He is probably still in the meeting room!" Jill said.
Axel nodded and looked at the tent she and Amy were hiding in, gesturing at them to sit there for a little longer as he and Jill ran towards the elevator, Axel punched the button and the two ran inside as soon as the doors opened and the elevator went upwards.
In the meeting room, Havard lifted his head from the table, looking confused by the commotion going inside as he approached the elevator.
The elevator opened and Axel and Jill ran out.
"Havard!" Jill said.
"W-what's going on?" Havard asked.
"We're under attack, that's what the fuck is going on! Garren's guys found the base!" Axel said.
"Griffith is nowhere to be found, we don't know where he is!" Jill said.
Havard froze up as his already pale face turned paler.
"...Oh no. This can't be happening." Havard mumbled to himself, grabbing his head.
"Havard, we need to get out of here. This ship is gonna sink to hell, are you gonna sink along with it?" Axel asked.
Havard looked at Axel before he stared at the ground with a unhappy expression.
"...There is a tunnel that can lead us to my church just in case something like this would ever happen and it's blocked off by a metal plate. We can use that to take everyone out of here but we will block the entrance to the tunnel before we leave." Havard started.
"Good, now let's go back there and save everyone from those uniformed turds!" Axel said, already heading back into the elevator.
Havard looked down at Jill with a sad expression as they went into the elevator with Axel and it went down.
More soldiers began flooding the place and members of the rebellion were easily overmatched by their forces as a few of them were tackled to the ground by the soldiers and were handcuffed.
Angelo and Bridget were fighting off the soldiers but the ones they took out were replaced by more soldiers coming in.
Havard, Axel and Jill appeared on the scene.
The Guardian of Opposition pulled his golden gun and aimed at the soldiers, releasing several rainbow coloured beams into the shields of the soldiers, sending them flying into the walls.
"Everyone, we're heading into the tunnel! Evacuate the base immediately!" Havard called out.
Axel saw the tent Molly and Amy were in surrounded by soldiers and quickly pulled out his gun, shooting them in their legs and ran up to them, punching them in their heads and knocked them on the ground.
"Molly, Amy, we're getting the hell out of here!" Axel said, looking into the tent.
Molly and Amy ran out of the tent and Axel followed them.
Angelo, while punching soldiers out of his way, ran up to a metallic panel on the wall from the right, grabbing it and ripped it off the wall, revealing the underground exit.
"Vamoose!" Angelo shouted.
The remaining members who din't get caught quickly fled into the tunnel.
Axel decided to let Molly and Amy run in there first before he, Havard, Bridget and Jill began running towards the tunnel.
A electric charged crystal arrow struck Bridget in her back, covering her body in electricity.
"AAAAAAAH!" Bridget screamed before she collapsed on the floor, grabbing their attention.
"BRIDGET!" Angelo yelled, looking horrified as he tried to run up to her.
Another crystal arrow hits the floor, landing right next to Angelo's foot, causing him to stop as Axel looked forward to see the one who shot those arrows, clenching his fists as he did so, his expression turned cold and distant.
"...You." Axel said.
Griffith was standing there, aiming his crossbow weapon at them, smirking as he lowered his gun slightly.
"I warned you before to be careful with who you trust." Griffith said, without any hint of regret for his actions.
------
Axel bashed his fist against his chair's armest.
"That lousy, dirty, no good son-" Axel said.
--
"-of a gun," Angelo seethed.
--
"Child touching, heartless, mindless, self-centered, big nosed, bastard screwing, ball licking, douchebag, sewer sipping, two-faced, dirt eating, leaving the toilet seat up, bilge-sucking, heinous, unrepentant, egomaniacal-!" Yama ranted.
--
"Asshole." Molly finished, sounding bitter.
--
"...I thought we could trust him." Bridget sighed in disappointment.
------
Angelo looked really pissed off, it seemed he like he was ready to rip Griffith's head from his shoulders, Jill's pupils were small as her hair actually started flow, her face darkened while Havard simply stood there with a disappointed look on his face.
"...Why, Griffith? Why did you decide to go against us?" Havard asked.
"Simple, I have a job to do and I will finish it, this was always the plan, did you really think I joined you guys because you inspired with your little nobel prize speeches. Please, like I give a damn about your bullshit." Griffith chuckled, shaking his head off.
"...You fucking tricked us, you son of a bitch." Axel said, he looked ready to explode.
Griffith turned to Axel, his words did not affect him at all.
"Sorry, Axe, but what you see is what you get. I hate to be the one to give you the bad news but not all guardians are selfless paragons of virtue, you will find that there are quite a few who care about nothing except themselves and the ones they want to protect, even if it means using others to get what they want and I’m one of them." Griffith said, his voice sounded emotionless with barely any trace of sympathy towards his comrades.
Axel clenched his teeth, his featured hardened as he was ready to fight Griffith right now.
"I'm gonna kill you. I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!" Axel said.
Before he could approach him, Angelo got in front of Axel, blocking him as he was staring at Griffith with a cold stare.
"...He is mine. I will be the one to kill him." Angelo said, dropping his cowboy accent as he meant every word he said.
"Sure you will. If you feel that confident about fighting me, then go ahead, Angie. I'm ready to dance if you are." Griffith grinned, as a few soldiers behind him aimed at the rebels who were still in the base.
Axel continued to glare before he felt something weird and turned around, much to his surprise, he could see Jill floating above them, some weird green energy cloak thing surrounded her body, her hair was floating, her back was exposed, there was a black lock symbol burned on the skin of her back.
"What the hell?" Axel asked, not sure what was happening with Jill.
"J-Jill!" Havard said, reaching out to her to get her to stop.
Six green energy harpy wings sprouted of her cloak and Jill opened her eyes, her pupils were green as she stared at Griffith and the soldiers with hatred and anger.
Suddenly, elongating chains launched out of her wings, piercing through the tents, swerving around the place and a few soldiers were wrapped tightly in those chains that were crushing their bodies and collapsed on the floor, locks formed on those chains to prevent them from breaking out.
Griffith, with wide eyes, grabbed Bridget and teleported out of the way before one of those chains could touch him.
"HEY!" Angelo yelled.
More chains sprouted out from her wings, knocking over the Christmas tree but notably missing Axel, Angelo and Havard as they continued to wrap around more soldiers who were coming into the base.
"Holy shit, is that what she was capable of all this time!?" Axel asked, looking at Havard.
Havard was staring at Jill before he saw Griffith teleporting in front of the entrance, with Bridget placed on his shoulder, actually looking surprised himself.
"Damn, din't know Jillie had it in her. Anyway, you and the remaining rebels have till tonight to show up at the prime minister's building to surrender yourselves to the authorities or else Bridge will suffer in your place, ya dig?" Griffith asked.
Angelo's eyes flashed brown when he saw Bridget on his shoulder.
"GIVE HER BACK!" Angelo yelled, throwing his boomerang at Griffith.
Jill looked at Griffith and launched flaming spears from her wings to stab him.
Griffith simply teleported along with Bridget as the boomerang hits the wall and the spears hit the floor, bursting into green flames that began to spread around the base.
Angelo appeared in front of the wall and looked around for Griffith.
"GET BACK HERE WITH HER, YOU COWARD!" Angelo yelled, punching a hole in the wall.
"Angelo, we have to get out of here! We will save Bridget later, but we need to get everyone out of here!" Havard said.
Angelo looked angry but listened as he ran into the tunnel, followed up by Axel.
Jill landed on her feet, the energy cloak around her body vanished, her pupils were black again and her hair fell on her back as she looked at Havard who was staring at his base, overrun by soldiers and green energy flames consuming the floors, staring at the broken Christmas tree before he went into the tunnel and Jill followed him.
Havard aimed his golden gun and shot a rainbow beam that struck the tunnel entrance and it collapsed to prevent the soldiers from going after them.
Inside the tunnel, Molly, Amy and the rest of the rebels were waiting for the others to get here.
"Are you alright? Where are Griffith and Bridget?" Molly asked.
"Griffith turned on us, he was never on our side to begin with, he took Bridget and offered us a ultimatum? Either we surrender to Garren or something bad will happen to Bridget." Axel explained.
"...Wow, what a bitch!" Amy said, looking absolutely furious with Griffith.
Molly and the rest of the rebels looked shocked.
"...I can't believe this is happening." Molly muttered.
"...We're fucked. We're absolutely fucked!" One of the rebels yelled.
Angelo was too angry to even speak as Axel looked at Havard who wasn't looking at anyone, he was in a state of shock himself.
"Havard?" Axel asked.
"...The church is right this way." Havard sighed, going ahead of the group.
Molly looked worried as she looked at Axel who followed after him and so did everyone else.
They went through a hole in the tunnel to the left and walked to a ladder, Havard was the first one to climb it, followed by everyone else.
There was a trapdoor that was easily opened and Havard got inside.
Axel was next and he was in a large empty church room with pews and behind him was a statue of a black skinned lady wearing a open cloak with long sleeves that revealed her body and her head was covered by the cloak with the symbol of the sun on her forehead standing on top of a altar.
He stared at the weird statue and saw everyone climbing into the church.
When Molly got in, she ran up to Axel and wrapped her arms around his torso, taking him by surprise.
"Woah, Molly." Axel said, blushing slightly.
"I thought we were nearly done for back there." Molly said, not letting go of Axel just yet.
"...But we aren't and that's what counts...also, you're..." Axel said.
Molly raised her eyebrows, realizing what she just did and backed away from Axel.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I-I-I." Molly stuttered, furiously blushing.
"Hey, it's cool, I'm not mad about it. I'm just glad you got that out of your system." Axel said, but deep down, he wished that moment lasted a bit more longer but realized they had more important things to worry about.
He looked around and saw that besides himself, there were 15 people left. The rest were already captured and probably heading to prison at this moment.
Axel looked at Havard and Jill who stood in front of the statue of the lady, the former had his back turned and staring at the statue like it was his mother or something while Jill din't make any eye contact with anyone.
He looked at Angelo who was pacing around back and forth with his fists clenched at his sides.
"You okay, dude?" Axel asked.
Angelo turned around, that death glare on his face remained ever since Bridget was taken.
"Am I okay? Hell no, man! That bastard kidnapped my girlfriend and we're sitting here on our asses, do you think I'm okay!? I'm pissed!" Angelo exclaimed.
"...Yeah, I don't blame you. I trusted that guy too, to think that he would betray us like this...geez, how could I be so stupid." Axel muttered.
"We all trusted him, Axel. All of us feel the same." Molly frowned.
"When I'm gonna find him, that guy will regret the day he was born when I will get my hands on him!" Angelo said, punching both his fists together.
He walked up to Havard.
"So, are we going after them or not?" Angelo asked.
Havard was silent.
"Havard, did you hear what I just said?" Angelo asked.
"...I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." Havard sighed, placing his hands on the statue.
"...Havard." Jill sighed.
One of the rebels turned to Havard, he looked angry.
"Why did you let that guy in our group to begin with? Don't you have the power to tell when someone is a piece of shit or not, why did you let him join us and ruin everything!?" The guy asked.
Havard turned around, he looked very emotional as his eyes were trembling while his third eye was crying.
"I din't know, okay!? I searched his feelings and his intentions appeared genuine, I always used my empathy to make sure that no foul person would be allowed in the group. Even Bridget checked his chi and he was clean...I guess he was clever enough to mask his true emotions and hide his true character from us." Havard muttered.
"Tch! Excuses! It's thanks to your dumbass decisions we're in this mess to begin with!" The guy said.
He turned around, not facing Havard.
"Some leader you turned out to be." The guy said.
Havard closed his eyes, frowning deeply as he din't even bother to justify himself. Deep down, what the man said was absolutely true.
Jill glared at the man while she was staring at the floor.
"...Every time I looked at Griffith, I had a funny feeling about him. He kept a lot of stuff about his life to himself." Jill said.
Hearing that, Axel turned to Jill.
"Back there, you started floating and covered yourself in some green thing, what was that about?" Axel asked.
Jill looked at Axel and sighed deeply as she turned around, lifting her hair to reveal the lock symbol on her back.
"I'm the Maiden of Secrets. This is the destiny I have chosen. In order to become a maiden and serve Mammon with the other 6 maidens, I had to make a deal with a demon to gain this power and give her something in return, this mark is evidence of that deal." Jill revealed.
"...A demon? Like the ones in the bible?" Amy asked.
"No, not like those ones. As a Maiden of Secrets, I keep things about myself a secret along with where I came from as such knowledge can't be easily shared with people who don't understand, as a result, I can also see the secrets buried inside other people, which is how I knew the details about your childhood, Axel. Only Havard knew about who I truly am." Jill said.
Axel looked at Havard who was staring at the floor and din't respond.
"...Okay, that makes sense. So, did you take a look at Griffith's secrets?" Axel asked.
"He had a lot of secrets around himself, I din't pay too much mind to them because I figured he was being very protective about his identity like I was but some stuff about him caught my attention. For starters, his real surname isn't Hotshot, his true surname is Cardio, another family that served the Rouge king and those crossbow guns with the crystal arrows, I've seen those guns before, those guns were owned by enforcers from the City of Structure, I don't know how Griffith has those guns, either he stole them or he was a enforcer too a long time ago." Jill guessed.
"...Griffith is quite secretive about his identity it seems. But what will he get out of this deal? What does he expect to receive by working with Garren?" Molly asked.
"That I don't know. And I don't care, I want that guy to pay with his life." Jill said, with clenched fists.
"...And that green energy thing?" Axel asked.
"Besides seeing secrets, I can also unlock the secret potential locked away in a person, hidden abilities that they are probably not aware of, that energy cloak was my unlocked potential. When you first arrived, I was trying to remove the restraints on Havard to make him a lot more powerful and unlocking one's potential is not a easy thing to do. I can't unlock everyone's potential, that would consume a lot of my energy." Jill said.
"Hm..." Axel said, before turning back to Havard.
"...What was I thinking when I placed my trust in him? How could I have been such a idiot?" Havard asked, placing his hand on his face.
"...I trusted him too." Axel muttered to himself, he too felt like kicking himself in the balls for actually thinking that Griffith was a decent human being.
------
Bridget slowly opened her eyes after being out of it for what felt like half an hour or so and the first thing she saw was Griffith's disgusting smirk as he was looking down on her.
"Hey, rise and shine, Bridge! Did you have any nice dreams?" Griffith asked.
Bridget's expression turned cold as she slapped Griffith across the face.
"Ouch, guess not." Griffith frowned, rubbing his hand against his face, her slapped hurt quite a lot actually.
Bridget then noticed that she was placed on a chair and right in front of her was a desk and Garren was sitting behind it, staring intently at the woman with his elbows placed on the table, she had no idea what he was thinking right now.
"...Garren." Bridget said.
"It's been some time since we last saw each other after the election, Bridget. It's been a week or weeks? I lost track of time." Garren admitted.
"Welp, I don't want to interrupt your reunion or whatever you guys are doing so I'll leave you guys be, call me if you need anything." Griffith shrugged, as he turned around and began walking to the door with his hands put in his pockets.
"...We trusted you, Griff. We treated you like a friend and this is how you repay us?" Bridget asked, not looking at Griffith, she din't want to see his face at all.
Griffith din't turn around to look at Bridget.
"I'm sorry if you feel that way but I never considered you guys my friends at all. I mean come on, deep down you must of known that you guys were bound to lose sooner or later anyways." Griffith said.
"On who's side are you on?" Bridget asked.
"I'm on the winning side." Griffith said, vaguely.
With that, he walked out of the office, leaving them alone.
"Now then, with him out of the way, I believe we need to have a serious conversation." Garren said.
"...Garren. You need to stop this, we were friends once. Are you really gonna imprison your allies, are you truly that far gone?" Bridget asked, looking sad for a moment.
"I have to set a example, Bridget, I can't make any exceptions, even for friends." Garren said.
"So I suppose Joey wouldn't get any special treatment either if he was still alive?" Bridget asked.
Garren slapped his palm against the table, staring at Bridget with coldness in his eyes.
"You sure know how to kick a man where it hurts the most, huh, Bridget? I expected better from you." Garren said calmly as he tried to restrain himself.
He let out a long sigh as he stood up.
"But because I still have a soft spot for you and Angelo, I'm gonna offer you a deal and I hope you will be cooperative. You won't go to jail but you will have to do a lot of community service to redeem yourselves, all you have to do is convince Angelo and the others to surrender themselves and end this foolishness for once and for all. And perhaps we can be comrades again and make a fresh start. Doesn't that sound fair to you?" Garren asked.
Bridget stared at Garren and shook her head.
"...I can't do that, Garren. I can't turn my back on them, I'm not like Griffith, I won't betray them. You will have to do this the hard way." Bridget said.
Garren sighed, looking disappointed.
"...What a pity. I was hoping you of all people would understand where I'm coming from, I thought we could have a chance at being allies again but...I suppose it's too late now for the both of us." Garren muttered, sounding actually sad.
He raised his hand, pointing it at Bridget as it started to glow with bright red energy.
"Garren, stop this!" Bridget said, who immediately got up, looking ready to defend herself.
When she tried to summon her chi, she realized she couldn't. Garren was suppressing her power at this very moment.
"I would have to be a fool to let you use your power against me. No matter who it is, a friend, a family member or even a beloved animal companion, no one will stand in my way." Garren said, his eyes glowing red behind his glasses.
A red aura appeared around Bridget as she collapsed on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself as Garren was suppressing her ability to breathe.
"An-Ge-Lo!" Bridget screamed.
-----
Angelo's eyes widened as he grabbed hold of his chest and collapsed on his knees.
"Gah!" Angelo screamed in pain.
Axel and Molly ran up to him.
"Dude, what's wrong?" Axel asked.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Molly asked, checking for wounds.
"That bastard Garren, he's done something to Bridget. I can feel her pain, he suppressed her power, that's why she can't fight back." Angelo said, coughing heavily.
He slowly stood up and looked at Havard.
"She passed out but she is still alive. We need to save her now before those guys do something worse to her." Angelo said.
Havard frowned as he looked at the remaining rebels.
"...I agree. Bridget needs our help...I know I made a lot of mistakes and I'm sorry I couldn't protect you all from Garren, I will do whatever it takes so I can regain your trust, even if it will take years till all of you can trust me again but please, lend me your strength one last time, perhaps this time we can win against Garren and save our friend." Havard pleaded.
The rebels looked at each other and looked back at Havard as Franklin took a step forward.
"...We all care about Bridget but...I don't think this is a fight we can win, Havard. Garren is too powerful, he has us outmatched and thanks to Griffith, he knows our strengths and weaknesses. What chance do we have against him?" Franklin asked.
"Don't throw in the towel just yet, we haven't lost yet." Molly said.
"But look how many of us are left, let's face it, our revolution is over. Maybe if we surrender ourselves to the authorities, Garren will go easy on us and give us a lighter punishment, it's better than trying to fight against someone who is practically unbeatable." A rebel woman sighed, crossing her arms.
"So, you're gonna give up, just like that? You're gonna let him win that easily!? What's wrong with you cowards!? Don't you care about your freedom!?" Jill asked.
"And what worth will freedom have if all of us end up in jail or worse? There's no use in provoking him anymore, that will just make him more dangerous. We are not gonna throw our lives away for someone who doesn't know how to be a leader." The same guy from before said, pointing at Havard.
Franklin frowned as he turned to Havard.
"The reason we joined you is because we thought you were right and figured that maybe we had a chance, we put our faith in you but...this revolution was a bad idea from the start. It's best we end this now and go on our separate ways." Franklin said.
Havard looked devastated, his hands and eyes were trembling as tears were falling from his eyes as he landed on his knees in front of the rebels.
"Please, I beg you, without all of you I won't have the strength to do this, I will do whatever it takes to redeem myself for my foolishness just give me another chance, if we work together, we can achieve anything, we can win this, just hear what I have to say!" Havard pleaded.
"We heard what you said before and it caused us nothing but trouble. Why should we continue to listen to you?" Another woman asked, folding her arms.
"...Let's go." Another rebel said.
The remaining rebels turned around and walked out of the church one by one except Amy who remained behind for some reason.
Havard placed his head against the floor, crying softly as Jill ran up to rebels who were leaving.
"COWARDS! ALL OF YOU ARE COWARDS! IF YOU THINK LICKING THE TYRANT'S BOOTS IS SO MUCH BETTER THEN MAYBE YOU DESERVE HIM! GO, WE DON'T NEED YOU, WE CAN BEAT HIM BY OURSELVES WITHOUT YOUR HELP, YOU'RE USELESS!" Jill cried out.
Franklin turned around to look at her with a grimace on his face before he resumed his walk and left the church, closing the door.
Axel watched them leave through the front door as the only ones left were him, Havard, Molly, Angelo, Jill and Amy.
He turned to Molly.
"You're not going with them?" Axel asked.
Molly stared at Axel, shaking her head.
"...My brother is still in prison. Till he is free, I won't leave Havard." Molly said.
"...Then I guess I will stay here too. I want to get some payback when I will see that bastard again." Axel said, clearly referring to Griffith.
Angelo placed his hand on Havard's shoulder as he was still on the floor, crying.
"...Havard." Angelo frowned.
Havard slowly stood up, his expression was empty as he slowly walked towards the door, not looking at anyone as he opened the door.
"H-Havard, where are you-!?" Jill asked, trying to follow him.
Molly placed her hand on her wrist as they heard the sound of the door closing.
"I think he needs some time alone. We should give him some space." Molly suggested.
Jill pulled her hand out of her grasp, she din't look happy as she folded her hands.
"...Those stupid cowards." Jill mumbled to herself.
Axel stared at the door as Angelo stood behind him.
"...We can't waste time pitying ourselves when Bridget is still in danger, you go talk to Havard. If there is a person in this room he will listen to, it's you." Angelo said.
Axel glanced at Angelo before looking at the door and marched towards it.
Molly placed her hands together, hoping to herself that Axel will be able to get through Havard while Jill was still mumbling to herself.
Amy stared at everyone in confusion before she noticed something under a pew. Curious, she crouched down and saw something familiar, she reached out to the object and grabbed it before pulling it out.
"Hey, I found my necklace! It was here the whole time, weird huh?" Amy asked, looking happy as she placed her necklace around her neck.
"...How did it end up here of all places?" Molly asked, raising an eyebrow.
Amy shrugged at that.
"I don't know. Maybe Santa took it?" Amy guessed, for some reason, her pearl necklace was glowing slightly.
Outside, Axel looked up to see that it was snowing all over the place and Havard was sitting in front of the church with his back turned, holding a cell phone and tried to call Mark as his finger was against the call button but ultimately, he placed his phone back in his robe and placed his hands on his knees.
"...Were you gonna call your family?" Axel asked.
"...It's been some time since the last time I spoke to them. I don't even know what I would tell them or if they would recognize. Before I left, I din't exactly have white hair, it was red." Havard said, looking at Axel.
Axel frowned as he sat next to him, looking at his expression. He had the expression of a man who was defeated.
"...You can check up on them now if you want." Axel offered.
Havard shook his head.
"Today is Christmas, I don't want to spoil it for them." Havard sighed.
Axel sighed back, he din't know what to say at this moment.
"....What's the next plan? What do we do now?" Axel asked.
"There is no we anymore, Axel. Without the group's support, I can't do this, a guardian's main pillar of strength is the person or people they protect and without them, I won't have a chance against Garren, when you get rejected by the people who once trusted you...it hurts more than being stabbed or shot." Havard sighed, his voice lacked the optimism he would usually have every time he talked to Axel.
"...I don't need to be a guardian to understand how you feel. I know what it's like to have people walk out of your life and never come back, I never saw my dad ever again after he left." Axel said.
"...Maybe I was wrong about everything, Axel. About the world, about how we should do things, pretty much everything I said was me being too idealistic, perhaps you were right when you said that I only care about being right because I foolishly hoped that Garren is not the monster everyone made him out to be, that he had a reason for what he does and I could try to talk to him and make him see reason, that everyone could be able to get along and end this peacefully without violence...but I guess this is how the world naturally is and no one can change that fact." Havard muttered.
"So, what are you gonna do now?" Axel asked.
"...Is there anything else left for me to do? The revolution is over, Garren has won, all this time I've been trying to deny it but all I've done is delay the outcome. I'm gonna pay the price for my mistakes as punishment for my arrogance." Havard said.
Axel frowned at that.
"So, you're just gonna quit and leave, just like that? I thought you said that we can't run away from our problems anymore, what happened to that, huh?" Axel asked.
"I'm not running away, punishing myself will be my way of dealing with my problems, there is no coming for a guardian when they fail. I'm sorry for dragging you into my war, Axel, but now you can go and pursue your own path in life, you don't need to suffer for my mistakes. Please, just leave this place and go to Arkginia, perhaps you will find a better world in space, somewhere much better than the Earth." Havard said.
Axel narrowed his eyes.
"...I'm not leaving. Not till this is over." Axel said.
Havard turned to Axel, not understanding what he meant as he stood up, staring down at the Guardian of Opposition.
"....You don't know how much I want to punch you right now but I think that would make things much worse so I'm just gonna say it: you dragged me into your war and I won't leave it unfinished like that, as long as Garren is still out there, no one on this planet will be able to live in peace as long as he is still in charge. Your entire group has disbanded and they don't trust you anymore but I still have faith in you and so do Angelo, Molly, Jill and maybe Amy I guess who are still here to fight alongside you and Bridget needs our help, are you simply gonna leave her hanging by a thread? Will you be satisfied by simply walking away while this shit continues to fly south?" Axel asked.
Havard stared at Axel for a moment, it was unknown what he was thinking.
Axel turned around, not looking at Havard.
"If you want to finish this or leave, that's your problem. The rest of us will fight Garren and Griffith on our own if we have to, I don't know if we will be able to win but it's better than leaving with your tails between our legs like you." Axel said, before walking back into the church.
Havard looked away for a moment, clenching his knees as he thought hard about what to do next.
Angelo, Molly, Jill and Amy looked at Axel as he walked in.
"How did it go?" Molly asked.
"...The guy seems to have given up completely after his followers left him behind. I think we have to do this by ourselves." Axel sighed, scratching his head.
"What? No, we can't do this without Havard, maybe you should let me try to convince him." Jill suggested.
"Look, whatever he does next is his choice, not our's, we can't force him to change his mind. If he wants to leave him, let him leave." Axel said.
"But still, if it's just the four of us versus those two bastards, the odds don't look too good for us." Angelo said, crossing his arms.
"What do you mean the four of us? There's five of us here." Amy pointed out.
"Amy..." Molly frowned, she definitely did not want Amy to get involved in the fight at all.
They heard the door opening and saw Havard walking in, holding his golden gun and had a determined look on his face.
"...Amy, you should probably go home and reunite with your parents." Havard suggested.
"What? But I want to fight those bad people with you guys and save Bridget." Amy said, clutching her necklace.
Havard walked up to her and placed his hand on her head.
"You have helped us a lot since you joined the group, Amy, but this is a battle we may not come back from and you are still a child, you have a whole life ahead of you. Your parents are probably worried about you and you should celebrate this holiday with them back at your house safe and sound, you can't waste a opportunity like this." Havard said.
"But-" Amy said.
"I've put you through enough danger, you should have a normal childhood, not risk your life to fight for a man who failed his people. You may not fight with us, but you can pray for your victory, that's what you can do at the moment. Okay?" Havard asked.
Amy frowned at this and sighed to herself.
"...Okay. But before I go." Amy said.
She walked away from Havard and walked to Jill, pulling something out of her dress's pocket, holding a small red box with a red ribbon on it.
"Merry Christmas, Jill!" Amy smiled.
Jill raised an eyebrow, picking up the box.
"...Is this for me? But I din't ask for any presents." Jill asked.
"People always give each other something on Christmas, I wanted to give it you this morning but then Griffith kind of screwed us over so, you can take it, it's yours!" Amy nodded.
Jill looked at the box before looking at Amy, she looked...touched by her generosity.
"...Thank you. I will open this box later." Jill smiled, as she placed the box in her dress.
Amy nodded.
"Sure, you can do that too. Tell me if you will like it when all of you are done with the big fight." Amy said.
"...I don't know where your house is." Jill said.
"Oh, you don't, huh? Eh, I'm sure our paths will cross again one day." Amy said.
"...I hope so." Jill nodded.
Amy began walking towards the door before she turned around and waved at everyone.
"Merry Christmas, everyone! Beat up Griffith for me!" Amy waved, before she ran out of the church.
"We will." Angelo waved back.
Axel turned to Havard.
"So, you suddenly found the will to fight again?" Axel asked.
Havard turned to Axel and nodded.
"Yes and it's all thanks to you, Axel. You have my gratitude." Havard said, putting his hand on his shoulder.
"...You're welcome." Axel said, looking awkward as he removed Havard's hand from his shoulder but felt glad that he got back to his senses.
Havard turned to Angelo, Jill and Molly.
"This will be our last stand. We will save Bridget, punish Griffith for his actions and bring Garren's kingdom to it's knees." Havard declared.
"I like the sound of that." Angelo smiled.
Molly nodded, putting her hands to her chest.
"I won't disappoint you again." Molly said.
Jill clenched her fists and nodded, putting on a brave face.
The 5 walked out of the church and marched on the street, they were ready for the final battle.
Axel's fists were clenched as all he could think about is Griffith.
"...You're gonna get what's coming to you, Griff." Axel said.
------
"This was it, our final confrontation. I din't know what was gonna happen next but I was prepared for anything at that point. I got dragged into this mess, I wasn't gonna leave it unfinished." Axel said.
-----
It was now night and it was still snowing.
Garren was standing in front of the prime minister's building with a lot of armed soldiers standing around, one of them was holding a barely conscious Bridget in their hands and Griffith was standing to Garren's right with his arms folded, waiting for something to happen.
Garren could see 5 figures in the distances approaching the building.
"...It must be them." Garren said, sounding sure of himself.
"Should we open fire, sir?" One of the soldiers asked.
"Negative. Lower your weapons, men." Garren said.
The soldiers obeyed his request while Griffith looked at the group as they arrived in front of the building.
"Well, look who it is. The man who has been giving me nothing but trouble for nearly two months now." Garren said, crossing his arms as he looked down on Havard.
Havard was silent as he looked at the man, Angelo and Molly looked at Bridget with concern in his eyes while Alex and Jill were glaring at Griffith who din't give them the satisfaction of reaction to them.
"Hm, not too many people. Strange, I thought you had more supporters than this. Where are the rest of them?" Garren asked, with a smug smile on his face.
"...You planned for this, din't you? The moment you had Griffith join our ranks, you instructed him to cause enough turmoil so the group would lose faith in me and leave me, then I would lose my power and the will to continue opposing, is that right?" Havard asked.
"My, my, it seems you have figured it out. Good on you, Havard, take this moment to relish my praise while you still have the opportunity." Garren said.
"You can take your praises and shove them somewhere else. Give us Bridget back." Angelo threatened.
"I will, once you surrender yourselves and I will give you a fair trial, perhaps I will even hire some good attorneys who will represent you in court because I am not the monster you people are making me out to be." Garren said.
"And what about him? Is he gonna answer for his actions?" Molly asked, pointing at Griffith.
"He is not your concern, young lady. Now, Mister Vanderhook, what do you have to say for yourself?" Garren asked.
Havard took a deep breath, staring at the ground.
"...Since we now have the chance to talk to each other face to face, this might be our only chance for us talk before the next thing happens but not here." Havard said.
He looked up at Garren.
"Let's discuss this in our realms." Havard said.
Axel looked at him, confused by that statement.
"Realms? The hell you mean by that?" Axel asked.
Garren crossed his arms, squinting at Havard.
"...Very well. Because you proved to be a interesting opponent, I will give you this courteousy and humor you." Garren said.
Both of them closed their eyes at the same time and when they opened them...
Havard was standing in the middle of a peaceful field and the church building was behind him, in front of him was a gigantic hill, he looked up to see Garren standing on top of the hill, behind him was a grave and a tombstone, dedicated to his brother, Joey Knight.
The sky was partially clear on Havard's side while Garren's side was cloudy and dark as their realms were merged together but in the center, there was a eclipse.
"Thank you for accepting my request." Havard said.
"What is it that you wish to know? This is your final chance, guardian." Garren said, looking down on Havard from where he was standing.
"...Why do you refuse to cooperate with me? Why do you have to force such harsh laws on the people you want to protect? The two of us are guardians, perhaps I will be able to understand better than any person could if you simply tell me your motives." Havard said.
"...Because it needs to be done. Before my brother was taken away from me, this country was ruled by foolish old men who allowed so much greed and callousness run amok and they simply stood back and let it all happen. If the people from before were more active in their duties, perhaps I would still have a brother and I wouldn't of needed to resort to such extreme actions." Garren said.
Garren let out a sigh as he removed his glasses, looking at Havard with tired eyes.
"You and I aren't that different from each other. When I look into your eyes, you remind me of my past self, I too looked at the world once with foolish optimism and hoped that there would be a way for the world to change for the better if we simply understood each other but when Joey was killed and this country slowly deteriorated, I realized just how harsh reality truly is and gave up any hope that humanity will change, I saw that people are too selfish, easily manipulated by their addictions and lust for wealth and domination over others, if I din't take a stand against the older system, then more people would of lost their children, brothers and sisters. The laws I imposed are extreme but necessary, when was the last time someone robbed a store and got away with the money? How many car accidents have happened in this month compared to the previous months, there were atleast 10 accidents a day from under the influence of alcohol? Do you see where I'm getting at? If something were to happen to me, then everything would go back to the way it was and more people would lose their lives as a result. Metroville has been in a state of chaos for too long, it was time to bring back order to this forsaken city." Garren said.
"...Some of what you say is true. But, people have the freedom to choose how their lives turn out in the end, you can't force them to choose the roads you want them to walk on, by stripping them of their freedom to choose, they might aswell be machines that are designed to do whatever their master tells them to do. People are flawed creatures, even me. I am guilty of many mistakes I have made, I would of given up if Axel din't talk to me, he and the others still have faith in me which is why I decided to confront you one last time. And you are just flawed as the rest of us, you are not a god, you are human like everyone else." Havard said.
Garren placed his glasses back and stared back at Havard with a unchanged expression.
"If people have too many roads to choose from, why not just limit them and make it easier for them to choose? Because of freedom, people choose a random direction carelessly without giving it a second thought, if every person would be a lot more responsible with their actions then we could of avoided this mess all together. You may have your reasons for opposing me and I have my reasons aswell, no matter what you tell me, I will not forsake my path, I will follow it to the very end." Garren said.
"...I wasn't expecting you to, really. But I must ask...what motivated you to go on after your brother's death? When a person a guardian cares about perishes or is rejected, they get hit by the guardian's curse but you don't seem to be affected by it. Why is that?" Havard asked.
Garren closed his eyes as he raised his head towards the eclipse.
"...I was affected by it actually, ever since Joey died, I felt the curse coursing through my flesh and bones like a virus, I lost the strength to eat and sleep, for a moment, I thought I deserved my punishment for failing my brother and decided it was best to let the curse finish me off..." Garren continued.
He clenched his fists tightly.
"But at that moment, it hit me, the main reason, the thing that motivated me not to give up in my fight against the curse and continue living...it was the future." Garren said.
Havard looked confused for a brief moment.
"The future?" Havard asked.
"I realized that without me, what will happen to the rest of the world? Will it get better within time or continue to grow worse, with the power I have, I could be able to prevent many families from losing their loved ones and put a definite end to crime and corruption, if I could use my power against the curse and win against it, then I wouldn't have to be afraid of anything standing in my way, if the curse can't stop me, then nothing can." Garren said.
Havard could hear him laughing silently as Garren's grin grew wide and raised his fist towards the sky.
"And I did it! I suppressed the curse and I realized that I could suppress anything. Unruly behavior, mindless violence, the urge to drink poisonous drinks and smoke dangerous substances, all it would take is one snap of my finger and it's done! That is the reason why I continue on living instead of giving up, and since guardians aren't affected by time, the possibility of my death is now a impossibility, with my ability, no one can challenge me, not even you! I am this world's eternal guardian and I will continue to be till the end of the universe itself! I will shape this planet's future with my bare hands, I don't need help from guardians who do not understand my decisions nor do I want them to. And anyone who will oppose my world's future will be crushed by it's grandure!" Garren exclaimed.
He pointed his finger down at Havard.
"Including you, mister Vanderhook." Garren finished.
Havard remained silent as he closed his eyes and sighed...and then he smiled.
"...I see. I understand you now. I don't agree with what you said but I understand. Since I can't convince you, then I only have one choice left." Havard said.
He opened his eyes, all three of them were glowing as his third eye had the image of the Sun in it's pupil, staring back at Garren, filled with determination.
"To defeat you combat and undo this future before it's allowed to continue unchecked!" Havard declared.
Garren just stared at him and then he smiled aswell.
"Hmph. Fine with me." Garren said, adjusting his glasses.
Both realms vanished and the two guardians were back to where they were.
"...So, are you guys finished with your talk yet or are you just gonna continue standing there, staring at each other?" Axel asked.
Havard nodded, his third eye still had that Sun symbol in it's eye.
"Yes, the time for negotiations is over." Havard stated.
Garren looked at his men and pointed at Havard.
"Men, you know what to do." Garren said.
The soldiers aimed their weapons at Havard, ready to shoot.
Angelo closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he opened his eyes, they were flashing brown as he stared at all the soldiers.
He raised his foot and kicked it against the ground, a powerful shockwave destroyed their weapons and shields, sending all these men into the building by smashing through the windows, Griffith had to duck to avoid a flying man coming towards him and looked back at Angelo with a annoyed expression.
Bridget released herself from the soldier's grasp, kicking him in the neck and ran towards the group.
"Bridget, are you okay?" Molly asked, checking up on her.
"I am, but Garren suppressed my chakra, I can't use it at the moment." Bridget panted, she looked quite tired and wasn't in any condition for a fight.
After seeing that she was safe, Angelo set his sights on Griffith, his determination to defeat Griffith continued to power him up and left a crater behind as he charged at him like a speeding bullet.
Griffith grinned as he teleported out of the way and Angelo smashed through the building's entrance and stopped himself.
Axel looked up at the top of building and saw a familiar figure there.
"He is on the roof!" Axel told Angelo, pointing at Griffith.
"Man, you're so slow, Angie! You can't even catch up to me!" Griffith called out.
"We'll see about that!" Angelo shouted as he ran out of the building and leaped upwards, leaving another crater as he was about to land on the roof.
Griffith jumped out of the way, landing on the opposite side as Angelo crash landed on the roof, slowly standing up as his glowing eyes focused on Griffith.
"Was it worth it, Griff? Stabbing us in the back so you can appease your boss? I hope it was worth it." Angelo said.
"Like I have to justify my actions to you. Even if I would tell you, you're too thick headed to listen, honestly, thinking was never your strongest point." Griffith said, shaking his head as he was wielding his two weapons.
"You're right, thinking isn't my strongest point. Which is I prefer to solve my problems with fists and I'm gonna solve this little traitor problem by beating your face in." Angelo said, as he began walking towards Griffith.
"Oh, so you're gonna get closer to me, man?" Griffith asked, grinning.
"I can't stomp you if I don't get closer." Angelo said, as he continued walking.
"Then by all means, come closer." Griffith said.
Angelo threw himself towards Griffith who teleported out of the way, smashing his fist into the roof to his frustration.
"This teleportation schtick is starting to get old, Griff!" Angelo said.
Griffith appeared back on the building in the distance, staring at Angelo's back as the rifle scope reticles appeared in his eyes and aimed his hand, the gravitational force pushing Angelo off the building and sent him falling.
"If it's annoying to you, then that works me!" Griffith said.
Angelo while falling, charged right into the building, making a huge hole as he landed in the hallway and jumped upwards, breaking through the ceiling.
The spot on the roof Griffith was standing on was quaking, raising a confused eyebrow at that.
Angelo's first burst out of the roof, uppercutting Griffith in the chin and sent him flying high in the air, probably strong enough to send him flying to space.
Griffith managed to stop himself as he was literally standing on the air itself, crossing his arms as he gazed down at Angelo who was standing on the roof, waiting for Griffith's next move. He placed his hand on his chin, it was pretty bruised up by his hit, which made him even more annoyed.
"Lucky shot." Griffith shrugged it off, with a grimace on his face as he teleported again.
Axel look at the fight that was going on from above, looking at Havard and then at the others.
"I want a piece of him too. I'm sure you guys can handle this guy, I'm gonna help Angelo!" Axel said, running into the building.
"Axel, no!" Molly said, trying to go after him.
"Leave him be." Bridget suggested, stopping her from chasing after Axel.
Molly din't seem to agree with her decision before she looked at Havard and Garren who din't stop staring at each other as the latter took off his glasses, putting them in his pocket.
"I suppose there is no use in going easy on you. I'm gonna use my full power to crush you." Garren said.
Havard pulled out his golden gun with his right hand as his third eye started glowing brighter.
"...I hate violence but if you want to insist, then so be it." Havard accepted.
Havard raised his gun into the air.
"COME, MALINA!" Havard shouted.
A rainbow coloured sphere surrounded Havard as his form started changing, Molly stared oddly at the sphere as this was her first time seeing something like this.
"What's happening to Havard?" Molly asked.
"He is changing to evolution form. His evolution spirit's name is Malina." Bridget explained to her.
"...Evolution spirit?" Molly asked.
Jill stared at the sphere with high expectations.
When the sphere shattered, Havard was now wearing slender black armour that covered his entire body, two massive armor wings peering out of his back, his golden gun was now fused with his ring hand, peering out of his palm and wearing a helmet resembling the face of the statue from his church that covered his head except his mouth and the back of his spiky hair, his two eyes were shielded by blue glass windows and the glowing third eye was seen through a hole in his helmet where his forehead should be, the sun symbol's was still in the eye.
Garren just smiled at this.
"Ah, The Sun Goddess from the Inuit Mythology, how ironic. So, the brother and the sister have reunited once more. Very well, then I shall call forth the Moon God, Igaluk!" Garren announced.
Unlike Havard, his body was consumed by red energy that took the shape of a sphere as his body was changing like Havard's.
The sphere simply went back into his body and Garren's new form was seen, he looked exactly like the statue from his house. White armor, spiky helmet with his two yellow pupils that were as shiny as the moon itself, spiky shoulder pads, a cape made from red energy with the moon's image on his chest.
Garren's hands were now charged with suppressing energy as he reached into his chest and pulled out a long red energy sword and aimed it at Havard.
"Have at thee!" Garren declared.
With a swing of his sword, he spread a wave of suppression at Havard who aimed his left hand and cut through the wave with a sun beam and aimed his right hand, shooting multiple rainbow beams from his golden gun, heading towards Garren from every direction.
Garren got struck from behind while he used his suppression sword to block the beams which caused them to vanish.
He slashed his sword at the air, releasing more suppressing energy that took the forms of bullets heading towards Havard.
Bridget grabbed Molly and Jill, dragging them away from the fight as Havard took flight towards the sky to avoid the bullets and his wings started to glow bright like the sun, the light shining down on the bullets caused them to melt and dispersed the energy into the air, the light was probably strong enough to melt someone's eyes if they got to close to the light.
Garren placed his hands on the ground, the snow started to melt as the ground cracked in half, unleashing a burst of suppression energy that launched itself into the air, it was about to strike Havard very quickly.
Havard used his wings to shield himself from the impact as the wave of energy passed him but his wings were glowing with suppression energy which made it harder for him to stay up in the air and began to slowly descend down.
The Guardian of Suppression continued to suppress his ability to fly as he launched himself in the air, ready to bring his sword down upon Havard's head.
Havard grabbed Garren by his wrist and held him up in the air as the two remained frozen in the sky, with Garren trying to stab Havard while he tried to push Garren off himself.
Jill looked nervous, Bridget was bitting her lips, wishing that she was able to help Havard at the moment while Molly was more focused on the fight that was going on on the roof, worried about Axel's safety if he gets in between Angelo and Griffith.
Griffith leaped down towards Angelo, launching a kick from his boot and Angelo counteracted it with his foot.
The clash separated them from each other, landing on opposite sides of the roof with a giant hole in the center.
Griffith, holding his crossbow guns, starting running around the roof, shooting crystal arrows at Angelo from the front and then teleported to the other side just right behind Angelo, shooting more crystal arrows at his back before he teleported again.
Angelo was hit by those arrows, stabbing through his body but he din't feel the pain as his determination to win the battle prevented the pain from affecting him.
He began to zig-zag all over the roof to make it harder for Griffith to predict his movements.
Griffith teleported on the edge of the roof and used his eye reticles, having a harder time to keep up with Angelo's speed and decided to try something new as he raised his finger gun at the sky.
Angelo was suddenly raised towards the sky by the force of gravity, he was flying so high he was probably gonna reach the stars in no time.
Griffith landed on the roof, pointing the guns upwards and started shooting explosive crystal arrows that were going very fast thanks to the force of gravity and pelted Angelo from behind as they exploded on him.
The Guardian of War teleported again and appeared above Angelo, shooting more explosive arrows on his head, the explosions send him flying down and used the force of gravity so make his landing as painful as possible.
Angelo crashed on his back but immediately got up, the back of his jacket has a hole and had bloody marks all over his body but that din't stop him as he waited for Griffith to come down and hit him again.
Griffith appeared right in front of Angelo and shot him in the face with a burning crystal arrow and teleported.
He teleported to his right and shot him with a electro crystal arrow in his side.
He teleported to his left and shot him in his left leg with a poisonous crystal arrow.
Griffith began teleporting all over the place, every time he would teleport, he would strike Angelo with a crystal arrow of a different kind.
At this point, Angelo was being burned, electrocuted and poison slowly spreading on his face, his body was taking a lot of hints but his determination wasn't broken as he raised his fists and bashed them against the roof, unleashing another shockwave.
As Griffith kept teleporting around, the shockwave knocked him off his feet as he landed near the edge of the roof and was about to fall.
Angelo stomped the ground and the cracks reached Griffith as the part of the roof he was standing on collapsed but he teleported again.
The Guardian of the West let out a irritated noise after seeing that.
"Isn't he getting tired yet? Don't these constant teleportations cost him a lot of energy?" Angelo asked.
Suddenly, explosive crystal arrows started to rain down upon Angelo from above, some of them stabbed them and the other half landed around the roof and what followed next was a series of explosions that engulfed the roof and Angelo got caught in the blast but Griffith din't hear any screams.
Griffith landed on the roof as soon as the explosion cleared off and waved the smoke away, looking around for Angelo as tatters of his coat landed on the ground.
Then, his boomerang was launched from the smoke, going towards Griffith's face.
Griffith pointed his weapon and shot a crystal arrow that split the boomerang in half, causing them to split up in two different directions.
He sighed loudly as he used his reticles to detect Angelo in the smoke.
"Man, won't you just die already? Cause this is starting to get annoying for me." Griffith said.
As he was ranting, he din't notice the two halves of the boomerang flying towards him from behind and the two halves hit him from sides, taking him by surprise.
When he was touched by the boomerang, Angelo appeared behind Griffith and bashed both of his fists into his cheeks.
"What part of I can shrug off anything someone throws at my body you don't understand!?" Angelo asked.
Angelo then jumped in front of Griffith who was stunned by that hit and kicked him in the stomach with his kneecap.
"AND YOU OWE ME A NEW COAT!" Angelo added.
Griffith coughed spit out of his mouth before he grabbed Angelo by his face and pushed him backwards by using gravity to force him on the roof floor.
Axel, who was running on the stairs and holding his normal gun, grabbed onto the stairs as the entire building was shaking from the impact of their battle.
"Damn, these two are gonna tear this place to pieces by the time I catch up to them!" Axel said, before he continued to run upstairs, it was a matter of time till he would reach the roof.
Garren kept slamming his suppression sword on Havard who used his forearm to block it while his wings were slowly cracking from the suppression energy that was consuming them.
With a flutter of his wings, they glew with sun energy and shot sun beams into Garren and his sword, the beams were so strong that his sword shattered.
As Garren was falling backwards, Havard flew towards him, unleashing sun and rainbow beams from his palms, hitting Garren who was just letting Havard hit him as much as he wanted.
Garren placed both his arms right behind him, blasting two red beams that launched him towards Havard and grabbed him by his left hand, starting to crush it and at the same time, he was using his power to suppress his left arm completely, Havard could no longer feel any feeling in his arm at all.
"As you can see, it only takes a bit on focus and concentration to suppress that arm of your's and you will no longer be able to shoot sun beams at me. In fact, If I have a deliver a single punch to where all of your internal organs are at, this will battle will be over in seconds." Garren said all of this like it was a fact as he was successful in suppressing Havard's arm.
"NO!" Jill screamed, the green cloak around her body returned and launched two chains into the sky, wrapping them around Garren's ankles.
"What!?" Garren asked.
Jill threw her hands down, dragging Garren downwards, letting go of Havard in the process.
Havard had a pained expression on his face as he tried to move his left arm but it was limp and useless and his wings were reaching their limits as he focused on Garren and closed his eyes while his third eye remained open, he was searching Garren's feelings and trying to find a weak point.
Garren grabbed the chains, letting his suppression energy spread till they shattered, causing Jill to stumble backwards but was grabbed by Molly before she could fall.
He remained in the air as he placed his attention on Havard and felt odd all of the sudden. His regret over not saving his brother, his guilt over his actions that he tried to suppress so hard was suddenly eating him up inside like a bad stomach ache.
"Urk, what kind of trickery is this?" Garren asked, placing his hands on his head.
"Ah, I see, so you do feel guilt, but you used your power to suppress so you won't be plagued by your own doubts. I honestly feel bad for you, Garren." Havard said, his eyes were still closed while his third eye was doing all his work.
"Keep your pity to yourself! I don't need it!" Garren exclaimed.
As he tried to suppress all those doubts once again, Havard was using his empathy to amplify Garren's guilt to break his focus on him so he can be busy with suppressing his guilt again.
"ARGH! DAMN YOU!" Garren screeched, his entire body was being engulfed by suppression energy to get rid of the guilt.
Which gave Havard the opportunity to fly down towards Garren, blasting him with rainbow beams and when he reached him, his armor's nails were now covered in sun energy and started slashing his glowing nails all over his body, tearing through his armor while also blasting him with more rainbow and sun beams from his right hand and his wings.
"He is doing it! He is beating him!" Jill said, looking amazed.
"...But will that be enough?" Bridget asked, not certain about the fight ending so soon.
Molly looked very worried, placing both of her hands together, silently praying.
Angelo was being held against the floor by the gravitational force but managed to force himself to stand up but his knees were shaking and couldn't move because of the gravity forcing him to stay still.
Griffith was standing on the roof, while using his power to keep Angelon in his place, aimed both his guns left and right.
"Lock and Load!" Griffith called out like it was a name for a attack.
Griffith began spinning around, shooting many crystal arrows into the air before manipulating gravity to have them land around Angelo, forming a circle of crystal arrows that were engulfed in electricity.
The electricity from the crystals struck Angelo, with the gravity and the shock combined into a single attack, Angelo couldn't move at all and his flesh was being fried by the electricity.
Now, time for the piece de resistance." Griffith said, as he stopped spinning around, aiming both crossbow guns at each other.
Both his guns fused together into a larger weapon, a giant cannon that was charging up with purple energy as Griffith remained distant, aiming the charging cannon at Angelo who was unable to move.
"I'm gonna put all of my power into this giant attack, your determination won't be able to save your body when I will blast it into chunks of fried meat!" Griffith declared as his finger was close to the trigger.
Angelo was panting as he watched the purple beam from the cannon slowly rising, his entire body was now glowing with the brown energy that he had in his eyes.
"Sorry, hombre, but you're not gonna win this fight, not a chance." Angelo said, smirking.
"The hell is he doing now?" Griffith asked, grimacing as he pressed the trigger.
He launched the massive purple beam at Angelo, it was flying at fast and it was gonna hit him in one second.
Angelo, who was glowing with so much determination, broke free from the electricity and the gravity force, leaping across the purple beam, going towards the cannon's user with ultra speed.
"...Seriously?" Griffith asked, sounding more dumbfounded than shocked, angry or surprised.
He din't even retaliate as Angelo punched through his cannon, shattering it apart and punched Griffith so hard in the chest that he knocked the oxygen out of his body.
"Urk!" Griffith gasped, as the ground beneath him shattered while Angelo looked on the roof and watched him fall.
He saw Griffith falling down, hearing him screen as he supposedly plunged down to his potential doom.
Angelo was panting heavily as his aura surrounding his body vanished, looking at the bruises and burns on his body, he looked very messed up and felt like he was about to pass out, having to use all of his energy to take down Griffith.
"...And now, you're next, Garren." Angelo said, as he turned around, walking towards the roof door.
Griffith, who is not dead, teleported behind Angelo and stabbed him with a crystal arrow in his left arm, he shoved it deeply into his flesh and dragged it down.
"GAH! BASTARD!" Angelo yelled.
He was about to punch Griffith but he teleported away and landed at the edge of the roof, smiling as he looked at the arrow now stuck in Angelo's arm.
For some reason, Angelo's arm felt funny even after ripping the arrow and dropping it on the room, tearing off his sleeve and looked at his arm as something weird was happening.
His skin was slowly turning purple, when he touched his skin it was tough as a crystal. The purple crystal texture began spreading all over his arm and was unable to clench his fist.
"W-WHAT IS THIS!?" Angelo asked.
"Simple, I shoved the crystal into your arm so deeply, it's gonna freeze your arm and you won't be able to use it anymore, which is good cause all of that punching has been getting on my nerves, my skull is still ringing like a fucker." Griffith said, knocking on his temple.
Angelo collapsed on his knees as his arm was completely purple and couldn't move his fingers at all as Griffith approached him.
He turned around, swinging his other fist towards Griffith but he easily grabbed his fist. He used his other hand to punch his frozen arm so hard the force of the gravity shattered his arm to pieces, a geyser of blood burst out of Angelo's socket.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Angelo screamed bloody murder as he buried his head on the ground from the pain of losing his arm.
"Yeah, that must really suck, huh?" Griffith asked, smirking, rubbing his wrist after using that hand to punch him.
Angelo was gritting his teeth, losing a lot of blood and couldn't get up, he couldn't even think of something witty to say to his opponent.
"Atleast you can't be able to regrow your arm cause that would of been bullshit. You did break my two favorite guns so now we're even." Griffith said, as he used the gravity to levitate the pieces of his weapons, grabbing them and shoved them in his pockets.
He picked up the arrow from earlier as he approched Angelo.
"You know what the sad part is? I was going easy on you this entire time. What I said about putting all of my power into that last attack, yeah, that was a lie." Griffith smiled.
"W-what!?" Angelo asked, in disbelief.
"Yup, you heard me right, cowboy, I have been using only a small percent of my energy in this fight, I made you think I was going all out so you can use all of your power against me and tire out which will make it easier for me to take you out now. It's like poker, you don't show your best cards at the beginning of the game, only a rookie would make that mistake." Griffith said.
He grabbed Angelo by his throat.
"And you, pal. You're out of cards." Griffith said, in a dark tone as he held the crystal arrow against his neck.
BANG!
Griffith's head flung backwards as a bullet struck his right eye, letting go of the arrow and backed away from Angelo as he stumbled backwards.
"RRGH! What now!?" Griffith asked, grabbing his face as he looked at where the shot came from.
Smoke was coming from Axel's gun, who was glaring at Griffith with a cold expression.
"I shot the target right in the eye, like you taught me." Axel grimaced.
Griffith chuckled to himself as he looked at Axel with one eye open.
"Using my own teachings against me? You cheeky sneak." Griffith scowled, pointing at the ground.
Axel was about to open fire on Griffith till the force of gravity lifted one of the arrows off the ground and stabbed through the gun Axel was holding, managing to pierce through his palm aswell.
"Fuck!" Axel cursed, ripping the arrow out of his hand and threw it to the ground as he glared back at Griffith who was stumbling backwards, going towards the edge of the roof.
Griffith clenched his teeth as he ripped the bullet out of his eye, it was completely covered in blood and more blood was pouring out of his eye, landing on his hand.
"...Damn, I think you split my eye in half, kid. Maybe I should of never taught you how to use a gun, that's my b." Griffith admitted.
Axel walked up to him, grabbing him by his collar and pulled him closer to his face.
"Shut up! Tell me, was everything you told me about a lie! All your stories, what you said about that kid, they were just fiction!?" Axel asked, panting heavily as he was looking at Griffith, expecting an answer.
Griffith stared at Axel, unmoved by his words.
"...It's no fun in telling you what's real and what isn't, I'll let you figure that out on your own." Griffith said.
He punched Axel in the face, knocking him on the ground.
"If there is one thing I was being honest about is this: the world is full of assholes who use others for their own benefits, Axe and some of them are worse than even me. It's a terrifying place to be in and to avoid getting swept up by it, you have to do what it takes to survive even if it means doing bad things you ain't proud of. And in order to survive, you have to care about yourself and not get attached to anything, people will only you drag you down, the rest of the world can go screw itself in Hell as you don't owe loyalty to anyone but yourself, ya dig?" Griffith asked.
Axel stood up, his face was red, his chest was heaving and he was actually crying.
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT! You think you can lecture me after you betrayed us! I thought you were a decent guy, someone that I could actually trust and look up to like a mentor but you threw all of that in the garbage and for what!? What is your reason for doing all of this!?" Axel asked, lashing out at him.
"...That sounds like it's your problem, not mine. I wasn't the one who made you like me, that was your choice. If you're angry because I din't turn out to be your ideal father figure, then that's your damn fault." Griffith grimaced.
Axel, clenching his fists, continued to approach Griffith who reached the end of the roof, placing his hand on his wounded eye.
"You want to a good reason? I'll give you a reason: I'm the Guardian of War! I get involved in other people's wars and caused mayhem wherever I go and I don't care which side loses or wins, I am a weapon of my own choice and I do it because it's fun! I don't care about endangering my life or endangering others, because there is no challenge or bet I can't handle! There, how is that for a good reason?" Griffith asked.
"...I don't believe you, that has to be another lie. There's more to it than that." Axel said, he stopped in his tracks as he stared at Griffith.
"...Ah, you're finally wising up." Griffith said, smiling, removing his hand from his closed eye.
He raised his arms, leaning backwards slowly.
"Be careful with who you trust next time, Axel." Griffith said.
"Hey, wait!" Axel said, reaching out to Griffith.
The Guardian of War threw himself off the building.
Axel's eyes widened as he ran up to the end of the roof and looked down.
He din't hear the sound of him landing and couldn't see where he was at all.
Axel frowned as he stared down.
"...Asshole." Axel said, wiping his tears from his eyes.
He turned to Angelo who was standing up, glaring at the spot Griffith was standing on once.
"...If he isn't gonna teleport behind us again, he probably ran off. I doubt we would be that lucky to get rid of him that easily." Angelo said.
Axel nodded as he looked at his empty arm socket.
"...What about you? Your arm..." Axel said.
Angelo frowned as he din't even want to look.
"It's gonna be a bitch trying to steak with one arm from now on but I will live. But our battle isn't over yet, amigo, we still have one bad man to take care of." Angelo said.
Then they heard the sound of screaming as a flying figure descended past the roof and crashed on the ground.
"...Yeah, you're probably right." Axel said, as he ran out of there while Angelo leaped off the roof.
Havard landed on his feet as his wings finally crumbled to pieces on the ground and waited for Garren to stand up.
As the smoke cleared out, Garren stood up, panting and glaring at Havard as his armor was cracked and pieces from it fell on the ground, he was shrouded by a aura of suppression.
"I'm not finished. Yet." Garren said.
"Jill, now!" Havard said.
Jill aimed her hands, launching chains from her green cloak and wrapped them around Garren's limbs, holding him still.
"I got him!" Jill said.
Angelo landed right behind Bridget and Molly.
"Hey, what did I miss?" Angelo asked.
When they turned around to look at him, both of them were horrified when they looked at him.
"Sweet Jesus, what happened to your arm!?" Bridget asked.
"Griffith happened and I don't know where he teleported to but we'll worry about that later." Angelo said, as he turned to Garren.
Axel ran out of the building, running past the chained Garren as he reached the group.
"Axel, are you okay?" Molly asked.
"...I'm not." Axel answered honestly.
Havard's left arm was still suppressed as he aimed his right arm at Garren, ready to hit him with multiple rainbow beams, with a frown on his face.
"I'm sorry, but this is the only way this world can have a future." Havard said.
Garren grinned, his golden pupils glaring at the man.
"Is that what you think?" Garren asked.
Despite the chains holding him, Garren used his strength to raise his fist in the air as all that energy was building up in his body, preparing a attack.
"Wait, something is wrong, I don't like where this is going!" Bridget said, backing away from this.
Garren roared with a voice full of rage as he bashed his fist against the ground, all the suppression energy erupted out of his body into a massive shockwave that knocked everyone on the ground and continued to spread.
Havard's evolution form shattered and Havard was back to his regular form while his golden gun landed on the ground, his robe was torn, had a bloody cut on his forehead, including dozens of bruises and injuries on his body, he was in a pretty rough shape while Jill's chains were destroyed and her energy cloak faded away, the suppression shockwave suppressed anything that got in it's way.
The shockwave spread throughout Metroville: lights, cars and anything else electronic stopped working and the city was cast into a total blackout by the time the shockwave was over.
Axel slowly stood up, looking to be out of it as he grabbed his hand, confused by what happened.
"Shit, that smarts, what happened?" Axel asked.
Bridget helped Angelo stand up, Jill checked on Havard while Molly slowly stood up and looked at Garren.
Garren was still standing, smoke and sparks coming out of his body as he was slowly panting from exhaustion, removing his saliva from his mouth but looked at Havard with a triumphant smile.
"Ha ha ha ha. Now, none of you can't use your powers against me, by the time the power comes back on, I will...ugh!" Garren said.
He was stumbling around before he collapsed on his knees, putting his hands on the ground.
"You have to be kidding me!" Garren yelled.
"...What's going on?" Axel asked, looking confused.
"He poured all of his energy into that massive attack, because of that, his body suffered, it can only heal if the person he guarded was still alive. He is no shape to fight all of us as a result." Bridget said.
"Then let's finally put an end to this already and put this son of a dog out of his misery." Angelo said.
Jill looked at Garren with no sympathy as she looked up Havard who was staring at the man with a expression that could mean anything.
He din't pick up the golden gun as he walked up to Garren.
"Hey, get away from him, just because he can't move, doesn't mean he is not dangerous anymore!" Axel called out to Havard.
Havard stood in front of Garren who looked up at Havard with a frown on his face.
"It appears I'm in no condition to move anymore. Now, this is your chance to strike me down while you still can." Garren suggested.
"Wait, is he actually gonna do it?" Angelo asked.
"...Havard?" Jill asked, looking worried.
Molly looked at them and spotted the golden gun on the ground, slowly reaching towards it.
Havard...instead held his hand towards Garren who looked at it in confusion.
"...What are you doing?" Garren asked.
"I'm gonna help you stand up." Havard said.
What he said confused the group, even Garren.
"Huh?" Bridget asked.
"What!? Havard, think with your head, man, that guy doesn't need help, he needs to be put down before he has the chance to fight back!" Angelo said.
Havard turned to look at everyone.
"I'm not gonna strike down a man who can't defend himself." Havard said.
He then looked back at Garren.
"Besides, I believe there is a better way to settle this than ending his life. We can hand him to the police, find a way to prevent him from using his power and let the court handle his fate. We can still end this without anyone dying." Havard said.
"But, still! You should atleast back away from him till we are sure he can't hurt anyone right now!" Jill said, she was against the idea.
Axel just crossed his arms, watching the scene for now.
"...Why would you do this? Even after I tried to kill you, you..." Garren asked, baffled by his motive.
"Because I believe in fair trials. And I believe that there may be a chance for you to turn your life around, even after everything you did. You are not beyond redemption yourself, Garren." Havard smiled.
Garren stared at Havard and then stared at his hand.
"...I suppose...I had the wrong idea about you. You are not a idealistic fool..." Garren said, actually reaching out to Havard...
And plunged his glowing fingernails from both of his hands into his stomach to everyone's shock and horror.
"YOU ARE A NAIVE FOOL!" Garren declared, his hands were glowing with suppressing energy.
Havard coughed blood out of his mouth, his pupils shrunk as he could feel his internal organs, his heart, his brain, his throat, his limbs being slowly compressed.
"NOO!" Jill screamed, trying to use her power but it was still suppressed.
"Damn it, Havard, why!?" Angelo asked.
"GARREN, STOP!" Bridget yelled, trying to reach them.
"BRIDGET, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Molly requested, aiming the golden gun at Garren.
"DID YOU REALLY THINK I WILL CHANGE MY WAYS BECAUSE YOU SHOWED ME MERCY!? YOU IDIOT! I WILL NEVER RELENT, I WILL NOT GIVE UP MY POSITION AS PRIME MINISTER, I WILL NOT ACCEPT DEFEAT FROM THE LIKES OF YOU!" Garren continued to shout.
Molly's hands were shaking, sweat falling on the gun as she was trying to make sure her aim was accurate and not accidently hit Havard, her finger being close to the trigger.
Axel ran up to Molly.
"We'll do this together!" Axel announced, placing his hand on the gun.
Molly looked at him for a moment and nodded.
Garren cackled to himself as he continued to suppress Havard's body and shut it down while glaring at Havard's face.
"You damn idiot, a smarter guardian would of put me down if they had the chance and now your misguided choice costed you your victory! I am this world's main guardian, I will always protect it from you and anyone else who will try to get rid of the man who can save it from it's own destruction! I AM GARREN KNIGHT, THE GUARDIAN OF SUPPRESSION, THERE'S NOTHING I CAN'T SUPPRESS!" Garren continued.
Axel and Molly pressed the trigger together, a loud sound wave and binary codes erupted from the gun, the sound wave knocked Garren against the buillding's wall, pulling his hands out of Havard's body as he collapsed on his back. Angelo, Bridget and Jill ran up to him.
"W-What was that!?" Garren asked, prying himself off the wall as he tried to process what happened.
The binary codes took the shape of a long 8-bit arrow that flew towards Garren.
STAB!
Garren's eyes shrunk, blood coming out of his mouth as he slowly looked down to see a pixelated arrow shoved into his chest, piercing through his heart and was peering out of his back with blood covering the arrow's tip. He din't look pained or angry, he looked confused.
"W-What is the meaning of this? What is the deal with that weapon? I thought I suppressed everything..." Garren said.
Havard, who was bleeding out of his stab wounds and his hands placed on his stomach, slowly raised his head to look at Garren with half-closed his eyes.
"...Because that gun isn't powered by anything except belief." Havard stated.
"...B-Belief? What nonsense are you talking about?" Garren asked, a puddle of his own blood from his mouth and chest was forming on the ground.
"Axel and Molly combined their beliefs together to defeat you while you were distracted by trying to suppress me completely...and now, you paid the price for your misguided choice that costed you your victory...and the two of us will die together." Havard said.
Axel, Molly, Angelo, Bridget and Jill's eyes widened upon hearing that.
"...Die, together?" Axel asked.
"D-die!?" Jill asked.
"...I was taken out by a ordinary arrow? Ha, ha ha...what a lousy cheap shot." Garren laughed, he found this amusing for some reason.
His armored form shattered to pieces, reverting back to his normal form while the arrow was still in his body and collapsed on his knees in his puddle of blood, staring into his own bloody reflection with grey eyes. He could see his skin slowy turning grey and looked at his fingers, cracks appeared on them.
"...I guess I am not as indestructable as I made myself to be, huh?" Garren asked, staring at the others.
"...I actually wanted to help you know. If you simply accepted my help, then no one would of had to die. We both could of figured a better way to end this...as you said, the two of us aren't that different from each other, we could...worked together as a team." Havard frowned.
"...Perhaps...or perhaps not." Garren said.
Axel stared at both Havard and Garren, noticing more cracks appeared on Garren's skin, it's like he was falling apart which was weird.
"But just because I am dying, it doesn't mean that everything I said is now wrong. In the long run, you will see that I was right, you will see that you needed the likes of me to protect you from the worst of the worst. Now that you robbed this planet of it's protector, people terrible than me will take over this city and corrupt it beyond salvation. My body will die but my legacy will live on." Garren declared.
He reached into his body and pulled out his evolution spirit out of his body.
"You have served me well, Igaluk, but now it's time for you to find a person with a identical goal. Take care, old friend." Garren said, with a sad smile on his face.
The spirit flew off into the air and reached the sky, it looked like a red shooting star.
Axel stared at the spirit and saw Garren's skin was like a statue's, his fingers crumbled and his head was heavily cracked as he stared at the sky like he was watching fireworks.
"I've kept you waiting long enough...Joey." Garren lamented.
His body shattered into pieces of stone while his clothes remained behind and the arrow dispersed into codes when it landed on the ground.
"...Garren." Bridget frowned.
Axel said nothing in response to his death as he paid more attention to Havard who appeared to be in the same predicament.
"Hey, are ya gonna be okay, pal?" Angelo asked, looking worried.
Havard, who looked very weak and was laid on his back against the snowy ground, shook his head.
"...I don't think so. Garren suppressed most of my internal organs and combined with the injuries...I think this is it for me. What a shame, it looks like I won't have the opportunity to surprise my family at Christmas dinner at the end of this battle." Havard smiled.
Jill's eyes were trembling as she held Havard's hand.
"No, no, you're not dying! You're not gonna die, you hear me!? You will be okay, Bridget can save you, she can heal you!" Jill said.
"My chakra is still suppressed, I can't do anything to save Havard...if the entire revolution group was still here, all of us together, we could of had the power to save him..." Bridget frowned, looking the other way.
Angelo covered his face with his hat.
"Damn it." Angelo muttered.
"But we can still save him, right!?" Jill asked loudy, her eyes were filled with tears.
Molly crouched down, placing her hand on Jill's shoulder.
"...I'm sorry, Jill, but we can't. This is the end of his road. Death is a natural part of life." Molly said.
Jill stared at Molly as she buried her face into Havard's chest, her quiet sobbing was heard.
"...Please, don't cry. In the end, we won and that's all that matters. Our goal has been fulfilled, Metroville got it's freedom back after all." Havard smiled.
"...How can you smile at a time like this? You are dying, aren't you scared?" Axel asked.
"...I am. But there is no point in being sad about it, all of you should be happy. Without you five, I would of given up and Garren would of won." Havard said.
He looked at Bridget.
"Bridget, you were my second-in-command, you helped me a lot when we were leading the group together, without you and Angelo, I wouldn't of been able to stand against Garren on my own. Thank you for your help." Havard said.
"...Of course." Bridget smiled sadly, removing a tear from her eye.
Havard looked at Angelo next.
"Angelo, you think with your heart instead of your head and that's okay. I'm sorry about your arm, I hope you, Bridget and your family will live peacefully after I'm gone. Take good care of my weapon, I can only trust you to look after it." Havard said.
Angelo nodded.
"It's been a pleasure workin' with ya, Havard." Angelo smiled.
Havard looked at Jill who was still crying into his chest.
"Jill, it's okay." Havard said.
Jill removed her head from his chest, looking at him with flowing tears.
"This isn't okay, you're dying! You are the only person I trust in this world! Everyone I know about is gone! I can't do this own my own, I'm afraid of being alone...please, Havard, please don't go. Don't leave me." Jill pleaded.
Havard placed his hand on her head.
"I'm sorry, Jill. I'm sorry for breaking my promise, I promised I would help you with your goal but I'm afraid I can't do that anymore. But you won't be alone, you will find people you grow attached to, people you can trust with your secrets. You are a strong girl, Jill, you will be a wonderful Maiden of Secrets, one day, you will change this world for the better. You have the potential for good and I believe you can do it." Havard smiled.
Jill still looked sad as she wiped her tears away.
"...T-thank you." Jill said, before she looked the other way.
Havard then looked at Molly.
"Molly, I'm sorry for shouting at you yesterday. I just thought that we could solve this without violence, I hope you are not mad at me..." Havard said.
"...I'm not mad at you. Far from it. I thank you for everything you have done for me. Everyone will miss you." Molly smiled but she looked sad.
Havard nodded.
"You and Axel, you two have a strong bond and I have a feeling that this is the just the beginning for the two of you and whatever will happen next, you two will have each other. Don't forget that." Havard said.
Molly was silent, looking at Axel and nodded at Havard.
Havard then finally looked at Axel.
"...Thank you, Axel, for everything. Because you believed in me even after everyone lost their faith, I will be forever grateful to you. I hope you will fix your relationship with your family, something that I wasn't able to do..." Havard said.
Axel nodded.
"...Thanks. You are a weird guy, Hav but even after everything I've said...you are a okay guy in my book. Still weird but you're okay. Atleast you got your wish and now everyone is free." Axel said.
Havard nodded.
"Indeed...and before I go, I have something to give you, to repay you for your help." Havard said.
"...What gift?" Axel asked.
"My evolution spirit, Malina, since I'm gonna die, she won't have anywhere else to go to and I can't think of a better person for her to accompany." Havard said.
Axel, Molly, Angelo and Bridget looked shocked.
"Your evolution spirit?" Bridget asked.
"Are ya sure about that?" Angelo asked.
"I'm absolutely sure. Well, Axel, what do you say?" Havard asked.
Axel looked surprised but he saw no reason to refuse a dying man's request and nodded.
"S-sure. This won't hurt, right?" Axel asked.
"Not at all." Havard shook his head.
Havard reached out to Axel.
"Grab my hand and accept Malina's spirit into your body." Havard said.
Axel stared at his hand as he slowly grabbed it.
Havard's evolution spirit left his body and flew into Axel's body instead, his eyes turned white when that hapened and nearly collapsed.
"Axel?" Molly asked, looking worried.
"...W-what a rush...this feels weird...and yet at the same time...pleasant?" Axel guessed.
He could suddenly feel something in his pocket and pulled it out to see what it was. It was a white gun.
"...Where did this come from?" Axel asked.
"It's a gift from Malina, it's powered by your bond with Molly, use it...well...." Havard smiled.
He looked at everyone one last time as his vision was getting darker, he felt sinking into the snow.
"....Fare...well...everyone...Merry...Christmas." Havard smiled, finally closing his eyes and laid his head against the snow.
It stopped snowing at the same time as everyone looked at his corpse.
Molly placed her head on Axel's shoulder, removing her glasses as she began to cry while Axel stared sadly at Havard's body.
Bridget closed her eyes and looked the other way while Angelo removed his hat, placing it against his chest as he closed his eyes.
Above them, standing on the air itself, Griffith was staring down at everyone with a expressionless face.
He was holding two objects in his hands, a green crest with a dollar sign on it and a phone in his other hand, a message that was about to sent to someone called 'F0'
Griffith looked at his message.
'Havard and Garren are dead as you predicted, now they can't interfere with your plans. All I need to do is put the rest of the elements from this crest into objects, then you can use your weird computer to send me to that place to put that note into that Kent kid's pocket so you can get him involved in your schemes. Once I complete my job, I want you send me and that kid far away from this place so no one can track us down.'
He clicked the send button and looked back at everyone.
"...I always choose the winning side." Griffith said.
He turned around, walking on the air before he teleported, leaving the area.
Once Molly calmed down, she noticed that someone was missing.
"...Where's Jill?" Molly asked.
The four looked around and saw Jill's rose crown on the ground along with the gift box given to her by Amy and saw her footprints in the snow, by following the trail, she ran far away from this place.
"...She ran off." Axel said, putting the gun back in his pocket.
Molly picked up the gift box. and opened it. There was a doll of a princess with black hair inside the box.
"...This is Amy's gift." Molly sighed.
"I will try to find her and talk to her." Bridget said, picking up Havard's body from the ground.
"...But what are you guys gonna do, now that both Havard and Garren are gone?" Axel asked.
"...With Garren gone, the country will need a new prime minister....and we can only hope for everything to get back to normal but..." Bridget said.
Angelo looked at Axel.
"Ah guess ya're gonna go ta Arkginia like ya originally planned?" Angelo asked.
Axel sighed as he looked at the sky.
"...There's still three days left till that ship leaves so what I'm gonna do is head back to Isonfield, talk to my mom...and take her with me to Arkginia. I don't know if whatever is out there in space will be better than Earth, but I can tell things are still gonna be chaotic around her and it's better if the two of us get away from all this madness instead of leaving her behind on her Earth." Axel said.
"I see. I wish you good luck, Axel. You will need it." Bridget said.
Angelo shook Axel's hand.
"Don't be a stranger, pal." Angelo smiled, taking the golden gun from Axel.
Axel nodded as he turned to Molly.
"...What are you gonna do, Molly? With Garren dead, your brother will be released from jail." Axel said.
Molly was staring at the ground.
"...Yeah. After I will take care of a few things...I want to go with you to Arkginia." Molly decided.
Axel looked surprised.
"...With me?" Axel asked.
Molly nodded.
"Yes. I'm going with you...despite your...attitude problems, you are a good person, you saved my life before and...Havard did say the two of us share a bond together and I've been never been to space before so this should be interesting, don't you think?" Molly asked, putting her glasses back.
Axel smiled at that.
"Yeah, it should." Axel said.
The four turned around and saw the police cars arriving on the scene.
"...Let's go." Axel said.
Axel and Molly held each other's hands as they walked away from the building, the sky was clear and the sun was rising. It was now December 26th.
"And that was the end of the civil war. The rest was history."
------
The older Axel sighed as he looked at the camera.
"After me and Molly got in contact with our families, we reached Arkginia, got in the space ship and took off. We landed on Earth B, me and Molly started dating and we got married. I thought we were gonna live peaceful lives but then a couple of Neonytes appeared asking for trouble, then fucking Hastur happened and everything was a mess again, that was the second time I was involved in a rebellion against a tyrant and I managed to take him out with the help of some guardian dude who's name I have forgotten and finally, we got some peace. We had kids and now we are grandparents. Havard's evolution spirit is still in me but if my time comes considering I'm old as shit and will have a lot to tell Havard when I will meet him up there...I'm probably gonna choose one of my grandkids to carry his spirit." Axel decided.
--
"Helping the rebellion and meeting Axel was probably the best part of my life, honestly. Earth B is a lot more interesting than the original Earth, shame it got ruined by Hastur but we managed to solve that issue with help from a couple of new friends we met from another Universe and ever since then, we've been living peacefully. I love my kids and my grandkids, I'm so proud of them, I always make time for them, teaching them how to code and I get a free seat at my daughter's concerts. Life has been great after Hastur." Molly smiled.
--
"People no longer trusted guardians after the civil war and with Omnipotents appearing left and right, I decide to retire early and find someone else to take my place. And what's worse, our old hidden base was used a illegal boxing area/drug factory and Havard's church was torn and replaced by a phamarcy, can you believe that? I tried to find Jill but I couldn't find her anywhere, she must of used her power to obscure her presence somehow. I hope she is okay, wherever she is." Bridget frowned.
--
"Tried ta track down that bastard Griffith but all awf my leads were dead ends, he must awf jumped into another dimension or somethin'. After losin' mah arm, ah decided ta settle down with Bridget at my house an' kept Havard's gun in mah box but one day, it was gawn an' it somehow found it's way into some kid's hands who 'ad some similar ideas Havard 'ad. After doin' some backgroun' check, ah decided that thuh gun was in better hands...Man, what's with me and these unintentional bad puns, it's gettin' on mah nerves." Angelo sighed.
--
"Yeah, my parents grounded when I got back home, I'm honestly disappointed I couldn't join the final battle, sucks about what happened to Havard. I noticed my necklace was glowy after I found it in that church, every time I put it somewhere, things started levitating and when it shattered to pieces, the power inside the necklace jumped into my body and boom! All of the sudden, I'm the Omnipotent of Telekinesis! I wonder how that element got into my necklace to begin with...eh, it's probably not that important. I was hoping to meet Jill again but after so many years, she never even came to my house for a visit, I wanted to know if she liked her gift or not, she and Trisha would get along I think. I wonder where she is right now..." Yama wondered, putting her finger on her chin.
--
And we finally cut to Alexander Gomez, who cleared his throat.
"Now that we are at the end of this story, after two situations involving two tyrants, I decided that it was time for a change and with Raina's help, the Intergalatic Space Police was born. After leading that organization for years, I was gonna choose my son King to be my successor but I changed my mind, he wasn't ready yet and I picked Jaden Seigi from Universe 11 instead. I heard the group is now working with those Unigard boys, I hope they are getting along. Everything is now different from how things used to be back then, now all the universes are allied with each other and I couldn't be more happier. I don't know what the future will be bring but I'm absolutely sure we are on the right path, ladies and gentlemen." Alexander said.
"And there you have it, folks, the complete story behind the Civil War from Universe 7. Come back next time for-"
The TV screen turned off.
"...What a fascinating story this has been."
Oiwa Akuma, who was in her expensive and luxurious apartment, sitting on the couch, petting a black cat sitting on her lap with red eyes with a green collar, it's name was 'Lucifer', there was a glass table placed between her and the TV, with three similar pictures of a kid and a dog: there was a white haired girl and her dog, a black haired girl and her dog and a boy with a lot of dogs.
The living room had a organ piano with a violin sitting on top of it, a chandelier, a coat rack with her lab coat placed on it, three pictures on the wall: one picture featured a younger Oiwa with longer hair and wearing normal glasses in a school uniform, standing in the middle with two other girls in uniforms, a blue eyed girl with orange hair in a big ponytail to her left and a taller girl with long blonde hair with golden eyes, the left side of her face was blocked by more hair with her hand placed on her hip, the school behind them was called 'Tron Elementary school', a secondary photo showed her and a tall boy in a house, he had a blank face, sharp red eyes with black hair wrapped in a ponytail with a wide forehead wearing a black buttoned up shirt and the third photo featured Oiwa as a adult, she was at the beach, sitting on a deck chair in beach clothes along with a man with short white hair and glasses, looking happy together.
There was a cabinet with glass doors next to a window covered by curtains, but inside the cabinet were different types of crests.
"The contrast between how things were back then and how things are in the present are a interesting contrast, I would say, it's like looking at two different worlds." Oiwa commented, putting the cat on the couch as she stood up.
As she was walking towards the window, she noticed the beach photo and turned it around so it would face the wall as she walked to the window while she continued.
"Both of those men, Havard and Garren, both of their methods had pros and cons. Garren eliminated crime but as the same time he killed freedom of speech and Havard's intentions of trying to find a solution without ending someone's life was noble but was too trusting and his choice of getting close to Garren was a poor choice. I wonder, if one of those two survived or both of them lived..how would the current present turn out? Would things still be the same or they would be totally different." Oiwa said.
She removed the curtain, she had a good view of Metroville and looked at the dark sky, watching a shooting star.
"In truth, every universe had a rough past but a lot has changed and improved for the better now." Oiwa said.
A smile grew on her face.
"Well, the world could be even more better if I succeed with my project, I am absolutely sure that what I am doing will prove beneficial to everyone and the future will be brighter than it was before...speaking of." Oiwa said.
She picked up her phone from the glass table and called someone, putting the phone next to her ear.
"...Hello, Kitsune? It's me, Oiwa, I hope I'm not disturbing you from your project, how is the Chagarian girl getting adjusted to the environment? I see, I see. Anyways, about the festival that will take place on Earth-9, I was wondering if you could bring someone along with you..." Oiwa said, walking into the kitchen and continuing her conversation inside.
At the back of the living room, there was a hightly detailed portrait of Jill Lockheart, pointing at her lips and smiling.
THE END.
For now.
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(End credits, song and music)
Why hello, hello! Did you come to watch the shooting star too? Sit down and enjoy the show Let's make a wish, maybe it will come true What is my name? Hmm, okay, I'll tell you, But this will be our secret, okay?
Oh, what a strange and cruel world, Surrounded by strangers who act cold, With no sympathy to give Wandering around in the lonely streets, far away from home, Sometimes I wonder: was this meant to be? I look up at the stars with tired eyes and sigh How much longer do I have to endure?
Here is what you need to know To gain, you need to give, you can't have both ways, my lovely mother once said A dirty deal and a handshake to seal the deal Sacrifice is necessary to get what you want, nothing is free in life To reach the same height as the women before me, I chose this destiny A lovely demon once said: "The path to glory is a long staircase to climb from Tartarus" Isn't that right, Lady Juno?
I love masquerades, don't you? It's been forever since I last went to a party It's funny to see the yellow jester prancing around thinking he is a king What a lovely bunch of secretive and despicable friends, fake smiles and fake friendships(like him) It makes you wish to see them all die one by one But now all their stories have been told, Except for one...
When the time is right, I need you to handle the preparations Her remains are the key to our paradise, We will achieve great things together, wait and see! At the end of this spectacle, I shall appear on the grand stage and take a bow Cherished by the roaring applause and cheers of my followers I will wave as I ascend to the skies, go to the higher plane of existence Reach the same height as the women before me, But this time, it will be permanent!
A blast from the past, swerving towards the future Destined to collide with one another, creating a beautiful clash The time of the Gods shall be over, it's time for a new being to handle things from here Fantasy shall become reality! With a snap of my fingers, all pain shall vanish and make all of you happy! I will honor his dream and undo every wrongdoing! Because this is my destiny! Everything will be great once again!
Why hello, hello! What a lovely and wounded soul you are Sit down and tell me your story Make a wish, I will make it come true What is your name? If you desire love, I will give it to you Don't worry, this will be our secret, okay?
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