Author's Note:
Hello again. It turns out I'm leaving for New York next week, so there'll only be this update today. I hope this chapter interests you.
Onto the reviews:
Sargent Crash: Character interactions are important—I'm taking my time with this. No sense in rushing and making it all a huge mess. I'm glad too.
guest: My "fangic"? Heh. I'm glad you find it that interesting, and I'm impressed that you read all of it in one go. It isn't easy.
Onto the story (if you want some context, read the end of the chapter titled "Grudging Gratitude"):
Shadow-Jacker
Accelerator stared at the singular foe before them. "What?"
Their enemy was a young woman, maybe two or three years older than Accelerator himself. The woman raised her head and smiled at them—and an inexplicable chill ran through Accelerator. Something beyond his comprehension—no, rather it was something that openly defied his immense knowledge.
This wasn't simply something he wasn't aware of—but something that continued to shift and change, as if wriggling out of his understanding grasp.
The girl stepped forward and Accelerator retreated.
He retreated.
It was a mere half-step, but he stared down at his legs in disbelief. What? Why did he retreat?
"Do you feel that too, Accel?" He turned and found Rain, who'd also retreated somewhat. His gruff words hid a look of apprehension, and Accelerator wondered if his own face appeared the same way. "What the hell is that thing, do you think?"
"Does it look like I have any idea?"
The girl stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you, Accelerator." She licked her lips as she continued, her gait slow and unbalanced. "I've been wanting to meet you for so—so—so long." She smiled, exposing her rotting teeth and blackened tongue.
The group recoiled.
Benjamin: "Do you know her, Accel?"
Rain: "What's going on, Accelerator?"
Lacy: "Explain yourself!"
Accelerator bit his lip, swallowing this newfound nervousness. "Who are you?" he asked, clenching his fists. "I've never seen you before."
"But I've seen you." The girl came to a stop halfway towards them, standing in the middle of the field. "I've been wanting to meet you—to get inside you—you seem like you'd be so—so—so tasty. I can gnaw on you for a long—long—long time, I think." She reached a hand towards the group. "So please—just—for a moment—for a second—let me—" Her words stopped short for a moment as black teeth began falling out of her mouth.
All the while, her cracked, gray lips moved. She continued towards them—him, he realized. "I'll crush you like the rest," said Accelerator, squashing his fears and lunging forward.
No matter what this infernal creature was, if it could make contact with his Reflection, he could analyze the incoming data and have a general idea of what he was facing, just as what he'd done with Kakine's Dark Matter.
As he approached, however, he felt doubts bubble up. The woman's smile never vanished, and he came to stop several meters away, confused. As an experiment of sorts, he kicked sand in her eyes.
She didn't blink. She didn't seem to even notice. She continued to walk like an indomitable creature—like something…a strange feeling caught Accelerator once more and he looked down at his feet. There, a few meters away, was a black worm-like thing. He pulled back, warning signals flashing off in his head at the sight.
He couldn't let that touch him.
"So close—but no matter." The girl continued with that ever-present grin on her face. "You'll come to me, Accelerator. It's only a matter of time."
Accelerator retreated back to the members of his group. "Don't get close to that thing," he warned them, and they shot him incredulous looks.
"That's a girl," said Rain. "A pretty hideous girl, grant you, but still a girl."
Accelerator cast their opponent another glare. "That's no girl." From this distance he couldn't see the black worm, but he nevertheless made it top priority to avoid the object at all costs. He told them the same and turned back to the girl.
The wind ruffled his hair and he realized a potential plan.
The wind currents.
If he could control them and keep his body off the ground, he could approach. However, if he went in immediately like that, he'd run the risk of that black worm grabbing him. He didn't even know how long or fast it was. A single second off and his Reflection wouldn't work on it.
Not for the last time did he curse the loss of his subconscious reflection—if he'd had that, he could approach, let that thing grab him and watch it get destroyed from the force of its own attack, and then finish off the girl before she could do anything further.
But he couldn't complain about the past—he had to make use of what he had.
Nodding to the group, he walked towards the girl, gaze never leaving her feet.
Within arm's reach, he backed away, applied vectors to his feet and hovered several inches above the floor. He glared down at the exposed black worm and before it could retreat back into the sand, he brought his arm down upon it.
An immense plume of sand burst up, obscuring the sun for all present for a brief moment.
When the sand cleared, Accelerator stood alone, overlooking the fallen girl and glaring at the wriggling worm in his hand. "What are you?"
The worm continued to wriggle as the girl said, even as her mouth filled with sand. "I'm Zabini—pleased to meet your acquaintance, Accelerator."
"How do you know me?"
"I don't rat out my friends," said Zabini and the girl flipped over so Accelerator could see her smiling face. "And thank you."
"For what?"
"For the food."
The worm bit into Accelerator's hand but the Level 5 reflected the attack, sending it sprawling to the dirt. Before it could recover, he crushed beneath his foot with a victorious snarl. "Go to hell, freak."
Then he saw the woman's shadows.
Shadows. One was normal, but the other was an inhuman twisting thing that danced about on the sands. Before he could evade, it darted towards him.
He collapsed to the ground, seizing up. His eyes dilated and shrunk over and over as something—someone—pushed into his mind. Unused to such an attack, he was powerless against it.
Moving of its own accord, his mouth twisted into a downright orgasmic grin. "This body—this body—this beautiful body is the strongest!" He stood up, but it wasn't him standing up. His arms and legs moved of their own accord, and his eyes locked on the rest of the group, who were coming over to him.
What were they doing? Hadn't they seen this whole scene play out before their own eyes? There was something wrong with him—couldn't they see that?
[Your mind's still in here?] An echoing voice boomed in his ears, nearly bringing him to his knees. [Most just die away—just go away like the rest! I've stolen your beautiful body—you've already served your purpose, you worthless bag of flesh.]
He would kill this creature—no matter what, he would kill it.
[I think I'll take this body out for a spin.]
Blood splattered the sand and flew through the air as he tore Lacy apart with Vector Change. [The strongest! This is what it means to be a god, right? Power beyond imagining, at my fingertips! So—so—so beautiful!]
"What're you doing Accel? Stop!"
He couldn't. It felt strange to unconsciously attempt to move his arms and legs, only to have them not obey at all, but instead continue their bloody assault against the people who'd only helped him get this far. [Brilliant!] Zabini's cries of ecstasy slammed in his ears. He watched as Rain attempted to punch him. Reflection took effect, tearing off the man's arm and sending it flying. [Defensive power as well—truly godlike—truly amazing beyond a shadow of a doubt!] Accelerator's finger probed the bloody hole and reversed the blood-flow.
More blood splattered the sand, some landing on Accelerator's face. All the while, his mouth remained that orgasmic, delighted grin. "Stop!" Accelerator cried, a prisoner in the confines of his own mind. He pressed his hands to his head, attempting to dig the infestation out with his fingers. "Stop killing!"
[One more left—let's make some plasma, shall we?]
Accelerator felt his hands reach for the heavens and his face pointed towards the sky—just like it had been long ago when he'd first faced off against the Hero.
When the first dregs of plasma had begun to form in his hands, he gave a resigned sigh. There was no helping it. His efforts at regaining control were futile—nothing would stop this monster from wreaking havoc with his own body.
The clicking sounds of his own tongue against his lips resounded. Had he always sounded that deranged? The ball of plasma expanded, the cluster of superheated molecules adopting a white-blue glow.
She wouldn't forgive him.
Last Order.
He shifted. Had he forgotten, for the briefest moment, why he'd even come here? Why he was in this hell hole to begin with? Had he actually forgotten the purpose of this whole nightmare?
[Settle down, Accelerator. You're getting a bit agitated.]
He wanted to see her. He had to see her. He would tear this world asunder and rebuild it if that's what it took to see her again.
[Really, Accelerator. Why're you even trying at this point?]
It wasn't just her. Yomikawa—hell, even Worst—he wanted to see them again.
They were his…
He could feel that power—a glowing, incomprehensible force that had taken root inside him during world war three. The power that had allowed him to save the world from that golden blast. The power that had given him wings—the power that had made him feel as though even someone like him could be saved.
[Stop, Accelerator! What is this? This power—it's too much! Can't handle it!]
Wings. He could feel them. He could feel his entire body, as a matter of fact. His body had returned to his control. He flexed them experimentally, and began to rise. With this power, it seemed like anything was feasible—even carving a path through the fabric of space-time and reaching Academy City.
Guided by his feelings, he made to do just that.
Objectively speaking, he must've looked like quite a sight—a shining light slowly ascending from the earth to the heavens like a lost soul returning to God's hearth. When all that remained before him was the cloudless blue sky, he clenched his fist.
Calculations. Emotions. Divine power beyond his imagination flowed beneath his fingertips. He was so powerful, the immense strength flowing through his veins nearly muted Zabini's voice. [I'm out of here—this isn't what I wanted at all.] He felt Zabini leave his skin and fall away. Ignoring the creature, he aimed that clenched fist at the sky.
He would do it. He would return to Academy City. He would see them again—his family.
Splat.
What had happened? Before he'd even been aware of what had happened, he found himself once more in the stadium. He coughed up blood and felt pain stab into his chest. Looking down, he found a bloodstained hand jutting out of his chest.
He turned around to find Fraust's familiar gaze. "You," he gurgled, before collapsing to the ground as a result of his collapsed lung and several severed major arteries.
Fraust loomed over him, the boy's intriguing grin the last thing Accelerator saw before falling unconscious. "You're just like me, after all."
Even with the power that he'd obtained in world war three—despite all that strength—he hadn't even seen Fraust coming, let alone guarded against the boy's attack. Thinking back on it, what had the boy even used against him? He couldn't recall even the smallest details.
Then he clenched his teeth at the reality he'd killed. His arms and legs had killed innocent lives.
Author's Note:
There it is. Yeah. Here's where Accelerator's story picks up, in case you couldn't tell. It just sucks that it has to be now, when we're so close to the end of the first arc. But hey, I don't plan this stuff (I mean, I technically do, but I just know the major points throughout the general story. I'm the "gardener", not the "architect")
Anyway, see you all. You know the drill. Leave reviews if you want. Especially the people who're fans of Accelerator's story, I look forward to your thoughts on this in particular. Also, there was a callback to a previous novel. Let's see if you can find it ;)
