Hey again guys, sorry for the abrupt ending last time, since I really enjoy telling you all goodbye ^^ Now I hope you're ready for the end of this adventure, as here we have it – the last few pages of a nearly 350.000-word story, and the first novel-sized story for me to ever fully finalize! A truly historical moment, it is.
Warnings: See first chapter
Disclaimer: See first chapter
… at the beginning
Every breath cause pain. Every step took effort. In spite of it all, Kai kept going, striding along at the highest speed he dared in his utter exhaustion. The phoenix kept him aware of the proper direction, putting the image in his mind every time he veered off the path, and every input cut into his brain, efficiently stopping any trains of thought.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been a curse. Kai liked his thoughts clear and aligned, undisturbed by other forces, but the image of his dead father and Tyson getting shot kept coming to the foreground. The dark spirit helped his thoughts away from the horrible subjects, keeping him focused on the goal when his own mindset couldn't.
Clutched in his hand laid Wolborg, a silent and lonely reminder of why he had to pressure his already pressured body.
Black explosions covered his vision and he nearly tumbled. Clambering to a tree he kept upright, closing his eyes to fight the dizziness spinning in his shivering body.
Speed up! the two-gendered voice demanded, too anxious about the situation to cover it up its fears. Falborg has wanted Boris dead for years. If our fears are correct, we won't reach them in time to get the information!
If you had treated my body right, I wouldn't be so slow! Kai argued back vehemently, not covering his frustration between his panting. He knew they were in a hurry, he'd felt the anger from the falcon bitbeast through Black Dranzer's vision too. But fainting would slow them down even further.
His vision cleared up and he straightened fully, moving the stiff and cold muscles again. Forcing them to cooperate in their frozen, shivering state. He strode forward once again, straining as much as he dared for full speed.
He reached a small creek, stopping at the edge it had carved into the ground. Not much water flowed through it, but the edges were muddy and clean of snow. Shifting his gaze to the other side, he determined the distance and knew he could pass it. A running start, a perfect leap, and then he'd reach the opposite side. An easy feat.
Any more hesitation would surely have consequences, so he backed up and ran forward, trying to keep aware of his footing on the muddy shore. This awareness got tainted, though, as his vision once more blackened, and he jumped too early, smacking his body against the opposite side. His knees dug into the mud as he slid downwards, feeling the icy waters seep into his shredded boots.
Cold crept up his body again, the earth beneath his hands and resting against his pants, soaking in with the cakes of mud that clung to him. Mentally he cursed through the fog of exhaustion and the black phoenix felt too desperate to even laugh at him. The two-gendered beast's panic infected his mind as well, calling for him to hurry back unto his feet. To not waste more time. To keep running.
And so he did. On pained feet and dirty hands he climbed up, not even waiting for his vision to fully clear before he once more strode through the undergrowth of the forest. It's right here! the bitbeast announced just few meters later, and correctly Kai felt the trees split in place of a clearing.
The feeling of dread hit him before he could even look the place over. Black Dranzer's dread. He knew then they were too late, and his emotions mixed in relief and frustration to know Boris had perished. His eyes scanned the area, catching sight of a body sprawled in a pool of muddy blood and melting snow, then Bryan's form sitting on his knees twenty feet further on the opposite side.
She doesn't understand what she's done!
Maybe not, but he thinks he did the right thing. Boris killed his captain.
Not the foolish robot. Falborg. She's destroyed our escape, that foolish chicken!
Kai's knees nearly collapsed beneath him as his swimming vision finally noticed what rested in Bryan's hand. A gun, which the emerald turned in his grasp, looking it over in clear wonder. He sat with a look on his face Kai didn't recall seeing in him before, nor anyone else in general. Kai himself hadn't taken destroying his own tormentor, his grandfather, very well, but…
But the emotions on Bryan's face didn't have any relation to regret or sadness. Much rather, he nearly shone with an unearthly relief, a small but earnest smile resting on his lips.
He glowed a peacefulness that didn't fit his character.
Maybe that's why Kai didn't expect what happened next. And maybe, just maybe, that unfamiliarity is exactly why he shouldn't have been surprised by it.
Bryan closed his eyes, turned the gun on himself, and Kai barely got to open his mouth before the weapon fired.
"Nyet!" a voice screamed from the trees to the right, filled with grief and fear.
The blood splattered on the ground behind Bryan, and like a ragdoll his body became limp, falling backwards without any resistance. A form jotted out from the trees, skirting over Boris' body with ease, and falling in front of Bryan's unmoving form with an infuriated hiss.
Everything happened so fast Kai hadn't even thought to move. Now he once more forced his stiff body into motion, eyes set on the small form by the dead teen. No! Leave the little one, we have to get to Boris! I might be able to read a last sliver of his life!
Shut up, I decide right now.
No reaction came from the small form as Kai neared, needing a better overview of the shocking situation for the sake of his own sanity. The purple hair gave it away, and he recognized Ian slouched over his friend, searching for any sign of life and desperately trying to recover it.
And Kai recognized denial when he saw it. The red pool grew rapidly as the heart beat its last few beats, and gray particles littered the blood splattered ground. A single bullet had shattered his head, probably due to Bryan's accurate calculations. No matter how good Ian was at medical treatment, there no longer was anything to treat.
"I-t's done," Kai said. The desperation in the younger's movement wretched his heart, and he wanted it stopped immediately.
Ian froze, clearly too distracted by emotion to keep aware of his surroundings. He slowly turned, and wet streaks made his freezing, red cheeks glisten. "Kai." He was clearly shocked, thinking he was alone with his grief, and he stared wide-eyed at his to-and-fro teammate.
"He's done," the slate repeated again with his faulty speech, nodding down at the body in front of them. "N-no more."
A spark of anger flashed over Ian's face and he bared his teeth at the older, fury in his eyes. The gun still hung at his over his back, loaded and ready, so it took all Kai's effort to hold his ground and cover up any possible weakness.
After staring at one another for a short moment where Black Dranzer balked and growled for Kai to move on to Boris, Ian turned to Bryan again, sending a fist into his chest. "How dare you?" the smaller one growled lowly, his voice shivering just slightly. Gunshots could still be heard from the battle, making the death toll of the day surpass their knowledge, but Ian only focused on the body by his knees. "How dare you kill yourself after Tala died, too?" Ian's form shook, and not from the cold. Another fist pounded into Bryan's dead flesh, then another, until they rained down.
"How dare you!"
Kai knew Ian was crying now. The rapid movements, the way his words pushed through his throat, how he made sure to turn his face away from the slate. It was all done to cover up the sobs between his heaving breaths.
It felt wrong, but Kai turned away. Letting someone beat up a newly made corpse felt sour, but otherwise Ian might turn on him instead, needing some vent for his emotions. Not to mention that Bryan would feel none of it, so what did it matter? Get to Boris! Besides, he had other things to handle.
I'm getting there, be patient.
He strode over, his wet feet barely listening to him anymore. He hadn't really noticed Boris' state yet. Now it made him nauseated, and he didn't usually become so at the sight of death. The new, frustrated howl from the phoenix told him it, too, hadn't realized how bad the adult had been maimed, and it screamed its grief to Kai's inner ears.
If he crouched by the corpse, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to come up easily. There were no trees with low-hanging branches his robotic arm could use to raise him up again, and even standing made his knees shake with exhaustion. But with the blood on the ground and the gaping hole in the man's skull, Kai didn't feel crouching was needed. That sliver of life Black Dranzer hoped to find had left this body long ago.
"H-he… did a g-g-good number…" Kai started and looked back at Ian, not willing to be embarrassed by his speech impediment at this moment. Neither of them was in a state to be proud of, so they might as well share this moment of weakness.
Ian sat up, his eyes red from tears and hands bruising from the hits, and glowered in his direction. Then he looked over at Boris, and seeking the destruction of the man, his eyes widened in new shock. Hesitantly a smile crept over his face, broadening slowly at the sight of their long-time tormentor mangled and maimed by the young man he currently grieved so violently. One could call his emotion glee, even if many wouldn't think death should be met with such.
The smaller teen dried his eyes aggressively and stood again, staggering over to the body and kicking him in the side tryingly. Just to make sure he truly was dead, not just hiding under an act. "Well…" His face became empty once more as he looked over at Bryan, the pale face peaceful and unharmed in his death. He only looked grizzly from the back which rested nicely against the ground. "He really… He did that really good. Glad I followed his track to see this wonder."
The younger's crimson eyes moved up to meet Kai's violets, and when he noticed the shadow of a smile twitch in the edges of the slate's mouth, he couldn't stop a full grin. "Got revenge. Our revenge." He looked back at his teammate again, then sniffled and dried his nose. "I'm not… I'm not sure what to do without them. But I… I don't know what I would have done with only Bryan, either."
His voice was small, so little Kai could only hear it because they stood side by side. It occurred to the older this might be his first lone moment with the small teen. They hadn't spent much time together during the incident with Black Dranzer, and Ian had opted out on the World Championship Tag Team when Kai asked to join. And he had kept away during the BEGA incident as well, at least until Tala had been hurt and the impoverished Mr. Dickenson had gathered enough money to pay his plane ticket.
Tala had explained Ian was much more of a soldier than a blader, and they preferred to have someone guard their home. Kai hadn't thought anything of it, uncaring about the smaller kid and nearly happy the average age of the team had been raised. He'd gone from being the oldest and most mature on the Bladebreakers to be the youngest with the Blitzkrieg, and it had suited him damn well.
But all of that also meant he had never really tried to understand or deal with Ian. He'd gotten used to being in the same room as Bryan, but even that hadn't happened between these two. To see the small one act so calm, with such a clear mind, despite all the grief weighing him down… Kai understood he'd always underestimated him.
Ian gave another kick at Boris, this time to turn him over so they didn't have to look at the damage to his face. He looked thoughtful, generally calculative, something Kai hadn't experienced much either. "He must have figured that out. That big brute was always ahead of me, it was so annoying…" He licked his lips, trying to moisten them against the dry, cold air. "Yeah. He took care of Boris to get our revenge, then… then he killed himself to relieve me, cause he's just that stupid… But he did it for me."
Ian swallowed something as Kai listened in silence, looking back up at Kai. Deep agony writhed in those crimson orbs, but Kai couldn't understand it. It made him shift uncertainly on his numb and frozen feet. He didn't know the kid well enough. "Stupid idiot. Didn't realize… I would need something to do…" Then Ian hugged himself. He looked vulnerable, finally, having seemed so strong even with dried tears lining his cheeks.
After a second's silence, Kai once more dared a glance at Boris. We have no other chance to find the answers we need? Kai asked the bitbeast in his mind, hoping for the impossible. He already knew how the black phoenix would respond. The most guarded man in the facility was Boris, the leader. Everyone else would have been an easier target, and with Black Dranzer's desperate longing for freedom, it hadn't chosen the hardest path for a simple challenge.
No. It was short, mirroring the frustration and pain within the black creature. Hopelessness seeped from its mind into every crevice and crook it still could reach within Kai, but he withstood the pressure. It wasn't his hopelessness, nor his pain. Not this time. There were a lot of exchange in scientists from old to new. Authorities were especially keen to get rid of those who could create us – supposed weapons of mass destruction. No spirit experts were under Boris' protection when the death machine killed humanity.
Kai sighed and gave a small nod. The old files from the Abbey might contain answers, but they'd been taken as well. Finding their location, especially when all those who knew had to be dead, would be a nightmare. So he settled his focus on Ian again, the younger using the tiny moment to pick up his barricades again.
The slate could only figure out one thing to do. Drawing another deep breath, he moved over and crouched by Bryan's body. Looking at the corpse filled him with many contradicting emotions. Bryan looked so soft, a word one would never have used to describe him in life, as he laid with eyes closed on the cold and muddy ground. Kai moved his hands, the normal and robotic one both, into his pockets, searching for Bryan's beyblade.
Only then did he realize Bryan's rested still in the pockets of his pants, and when Kai lifted his still warm hand out of the clothes, Falborg rested in a protective cage of closed, pale fingers. In his dying moments, he'd held her close, and in the corner of his vision Kai saw Ian move suddenly.
He shifted his eyes, finding the smaller one staring. "But… They had no bond," the Russian mumbled, crimson eyes wide in confusion and wonder. When Kai used his live hand to unfold Bryan's fingers, and the blade connected with his skin, he felt vibrations from the blue blade. Through Black Dranzer he heard the falcon's high-pitched cry of sadness. "Why hold her, when… when they didn't…"
"It came," Kai choked out, knowing he was true. He pushed the words out of his mouth, a wave of satisfaction rising in him when he spoke without problems. Ian just stared at him, not comprehending. "I-in th-the… last…" When his voice finally failed him, he motioned for Boris' corpse. "He-he fin… finally… opened u-up." Ian turned his face away to cover his emotional response, but Kai saw his mouth quiver. Whether this came from anger or sadness he couldn't determine, so he settled for both.
Standing up again proved a struggle, and when he got up straight again his vision blurred. He didn't plan on letting Ian know, and instead just reached out his hand towards the younger while his vision cleared. Forced by the knowledge of Kai's approach Ian finally turned back, tears waiting in the corners of his eyes, and when he saw what Kai offered him, the emotions on the young face deepened.
Wolborg and Falborg rested in Kai's metal palm, waiting for Ian to take them. The young Russian looked first at the blades, then at Kai, as though he couldn't believe it. His hand shook when he reached out and retrieved them, and he stared at them in wonder. They might not be his friends – his family – but instead of that they symbolized them.
He looked like he was about to speak, but Kai cut in first. "T-they-. Trapped." The longer, more descriptive sentence failed him, so he simply tapped the bits in Ian's hand to show what he meant. "C-can't l-le-leave. BIO- VOLT."
Understanding dawned on Ian's face like a lightbulb turning on, spreading along with a pinch of anger. The hand not holding his dead friends' beyblade slipped into his pocket, probably to clench his own. "Oh… So… Wyborg, too?" he asked, and Kai nodded his answer, expecting the hurt that spread on the smaller's face. "Great," the Russian muttered, bitterness in his voice.
"Find… new p-people," Kai said, once more motioning for the blades. They deserved others to love, others to care for, now that everything had finished and all chances were lost.
Ian gave a nod, showing he understood in spite of Kai's limited speech. He looked thoughtful, clearly thinking deeply about something. Then he looked at Kai again, crimson eyes sharp again. Finally he looked like his normal self. "Why aren't you the one to do this?" he wanted to know. No. He demanded to know.
This took Kai aback, as he hadn't expected this sudden distrust. He looked back in the direction they came from, where Tala's body must lay in the midst of dozens new corpses and many more wounded. Echoes of bullets still reached them, revealing to them that death hadn't finished sweeping over the forest yet, but they were fewer and further apart.
The slate bit his lower lip, a stab of grief once more crushing his heart. Then he looked back, knowing what to answer. The truth, even if it wasn't the only reason. "You kn-kne-'em better." New emotions shot through those crimson orbs, and Ian once more sniffled with his giant nose. This time due to cold rather than tears. He had finished crying.
The smaller nodded, more to himself than Kai. "Yeah. Makes sense." He pocketed the blades, determination filling his face, and looked back the way he came. "That's north," he muttered to himself. "That way, then northeast once I'm safe… yeah. I'll find better clothes in the northern cities…" His eyes glazed over as he apparently planned, and when he came back to earth Kai stood frowning at him. He gave a grin, characteristic for his person. "I'll find Seaborg, too. He's probs still with the big brute in our home in Moscow. Then I'll take care of them till someone worthy comes alone, if that ever happens."
From the way he said it, Kai concluded it would be unlikely, but he just smiled an invisible smile. The younger looked him over, raising his eyebrows questioningly. "What's your plan?"
Honest and resigned, Kai simply shrugged. He'd figure it out, though. Might be Ian needed a goal to live, but Kai had never truly had one. He clung on to life for the sake of living, wanting only to be stronger than those who hurt him, to persevere and flourish in their fall. So he'd… yeah, he'd figure it out in time.
An understanding look passed over the younger's face, knowing Kai enough to know he couldn't figure anything out. Instead, Ian sent a last look at Bryan, grief pushing through his mask for just a second, before he turned around, giving Boris a well-placed kick on his way to leave. "I'll see how many of my crew is still alive," he yelled out over his shoulder, lifting he's arm in a final goodbye. "We'll meet if we're meant to!"
Kai nodded, once more having to suppress a smile at the young one. If faith wanted it, maybe he should put effort into getting to know that little toddler. This time he actually snorted at the thought.
Do you have any plans? he asked the black bitbeast, even if he already knew his first cause of action. Food.
No. Why would I? The two-gendered voice still sounded resigned and bitter, causing Kai to shake his head. That outlook would bring them death, but he figured the phoenix would outlast him if they gave in to stillness.
If that's what you want, the human responded, turning on his feet… and finding all his energy draining again. He needed food. Now. Soon. No longer having Ian to hide his weakness from, it slammed into him like a boulder.
Next moment his mind was clear, he laid on the ground, collapsed against the exhaustion. This wouldn't do. No food nor water was to find on the ground – at least nothing clean enough for a human. He tried to get up, the metal hand easily carrying him, but the human arm groaned. Getting his feet up under him made new explosions jump in front of his eyes, and he realized he couldn't go any further. He'd already stretched himself beyond fairness.
Instead he sought for the trees. Some of the soldiers had to know where Boris was, and they'd seek this place out if they came out of the scuffle victorious. In the undergrowth he wasn't as visible… he could take a moment's rest… Maybe a little nap… then surely he'd recover enough to find food…
You pitiful human…
He crawled over the muddy ground, his robotic hand his only true hope for movement. Consciousness shifted, and a part of him knew he'd likely die in the cold or become even weaker if he actually lost conscious. A part of him knew death would come unless miracles saved him.
But sometimes you can't decide for your own, and his body ended outstretched and face down, unmoving. Soon after, no more guns were fired in the battlefield. Yet no one moved in to the clearing for Boris' body, for no one would ever dare meet waited within it.
Heat hit him. Not a dangerous heat, like a forest fire or a burning building, but its strength also surpassed that of a campfire. Lights danced as he came back to consciousness, a flowing motion of reds, oranges and yellows, but his eyes had trouble focusing on the source. His head ached from dehydration, but some energy still felt restored from his rest, however long it had been.
Go away! We don't need you! Neither of you! Black Dranzer's voice growled.
For a second, he wondered if death had finally reached him. Had he starved too long, missed water for too long? Had he gotten so cold his body had given up? If so, why did his feet still feel like block of ice, and why could his mind barely focus? Shouldn't death be clarity, or was that just some naïve hope?
I am no child, you soft chicken. I am no child!
His vision finally settled, focusing on the dancing fire in front of him, and immediately his heart wept. There she was, staring at him with piercing green eyes full of love. He sat, strained his body to respond to her, and reach out his living hand towards her flames. She moved her beak to him, letting it rest against his hand and fill the whole of his palm, and her heat sent a shiver through his frozen body.
Traitor! Traitor! You're mine now, not hers!
Shut up.
"I agree with the human," another voice boomed against Kai's head, positioned further away. The voice felt strangely familiar, as though he'd heard it many times, yet it still felt foreign and strange. Kai didn't turn, too focused on the giant bird in front of him who slowly nuzzled closer, making his hand move up between her eyes to rest on her feathers just below the golden crown. Though looking like living fire, they were simply a pleasant warmth, soft as silk against his rough hands. "We don't need tantrums from a child."
He felt Black Dranzer hiss in fury, and Dranzer recoiled, turning her head towards the speaker and sending him a demanding look. The foreign form snorted in response, and when Kai finally looked his insides froze in shock and mild fear.
Standing on four of his six limbs, an unholy combination of predators and prey, the torso of a humanoid feline settled on the body of a goat while wing spouted out from its back. Zeus, chin raised as he looked down on the rest of his company, potentially half a size bigger than the red phoenix as the two showed their forms physically. His green eyes pierced at them, but he especially focused on Kai, his glare threatening to make the human collapse all over again.
Another movement of Dranzer's head, and Zeus turned to focus on her, his snout crinkling in disgust. "I can look how I wish, phoenix," the great beast voiced without moving his mouth, his wings rustling furiously. The voice still felt familiar, and he spoke with a disregard very similar to Black Dranzer's patronism. "But now that the human is awake and alone, we can finally begin. But remember, our cooperation is merely temporary."
Dranzer snorted, whirring her head at him like she thought him silly. Cooperation? Black Dranzer interjected, seeping with sarcastic disbelief. Between you two? The world must be coming to an end! Hearing the black phoenix speak directly after Zeus, the pieces fit together in Kai's brain. The chimera and the male tone in the dark phoenix's voices were not only similar – they were the same. And their way of communicating with those around them mirrored as well, though Zeus felt more purely malevolent while Black Dranzer also used sarcasm.
On more time Dranzer lifted her head, and there was a moment of silence before Zeus spoke once more. "She's right, Child. The world of humanity is at an end. Though not even that would put me into action to make things right." Kai blinked. Dranzer had spoken, clearly, but he hadn't heard what she said. Yet the other two he heard, Zeus' voice even with such power it boomed against his ears.
Then what is happening? Archenemies, embarrassed Sires, that's what you're called. Are your memories faltering in your old ages? Black Dranzer spewed venom with its words, clearly wanting the two other beasts dead as much as it wanted freedom. The golden phoenix moved again, seemingly taking a deep breath, but Kai had had enough of all of this. He wanted to know what was happening.
"Wh-why… A-a-are y-" he started, but Zeus spread his wings in annoyance, again pressuring Kai with his presence.
"Speak with your mind, human. Your body is too damaged to do otherwise, which you should already have realized by now." Not only annoyance, but also direct anger, overpowered the weak teen, causing his vision to blur again. He blinked, turning his head away from the dark beast, until suddenly he felt Dranzer's feathers moving to his body.
When he could see again, he was enveloped by Dranzer's wings, the phoenix holding him against her protectively. The bright, green eyes met Zeus' malicious ones, daring him to near. From her presence Kai felt lifeforce seep into his bones, fighting off both the headache and the hunger. He felt invigorated, straightening from his slouched position to meet the chimera's stare head on. He'd be no coward, not even in the presence of the beast that literally still haunted his nightmares. I want to know why you are here, he demanded, no longer cowering.
The chimera snorted, but determined from the tone he used speaking, it came from amusement rather than anger. He apparently liked Kai's new approach. "To make things right," Zeus told with his unmoving mouth.
In his mind's ear, Kai heard the black phoenix snort in anger. Make things right? They've already been set right, and not thanks to your kind. Humanity will die, and worldly suffering will finally be at an end.
Hearing that Zeus threw his head back and he laughed a physical laugh, opening his mouth for the first time since Kai noticed him. The sound was haunting, more animal than human but still vaguely civilized. "It is already set right? That is what you say, Child? I lost my beloved Carrier – or rather, sacrificed him, for lost he would be no matter what happened. Dranzer lost humanity, who she holds such high regard for and lives for." As Zeus said this, Dranzer's wing held Kai closer to her body, and when he looked up at her face he noted tears sliding down the illuminated feathers. "And you, foolish child, lost your last chance of freedom when that horrid human drew his last breath." A look of triumph glittered in Zeus' eyes as he nodded towards Boris' mutilated corpse, and Kai felt the black phoenix recoil in anger.
The chimera had the other black bit beast caught, and Black Dranzer didn't like it one bit.
But Kai still felt confused, not understanding what exactly happened. How could he see them now? What did they intend to do? How could things be 'made right' according to all these various definition of the wrong of the world?
Dranzer shifted to look at him, her sadness cutting in to him. Her wing still shielded him, embracing him as though he was a hatchling in her nest, but for once he didn't mind feeling cared for. Then Dranzer shifted to Zeus again, seemingly communicating with him.
The chimera gave a snort, raising his torso back in seeming disdain. "If you wish things explained, I suggest you use your own voice, phoenix," the male beast spoke, clearly patronizing.
Dranzer rustled her feathers, her eyes flaring with warning at her opposition. Zeus gave another snort of amusement, apparently at whatever she spoke to them, and within Kai's mind Black Dranzer growled with contempt. You agree to connive with rulebreaker, but you still fear to break the rules yourself? it asked, and Kai could nearly see the hateful, green eyes roll within its sockets.
This time Dranzer sent a dark look at Kai, but only seconds later it softened as she found his violet eyes, apparently incapable of showing him any harshness. But just thinking of her voice, of how it would sound… it seemed a dream come true, if she truly had one to give him.
Zeus shifted, the goat hoof at the front of his lower body pawing impatiently at the ground. "We only need the human to give power to the child. The human needs to know nothing for all I care." Dranzer once more turned to him, her eyes shooting lightening. "The rules were made by you and your brethren. They have none to do with me." Once more Dranzer moved, her eyes shining again. "Madness is in the eye of the beholder, phoenix. Many would consider your Carrier mad even without you having influenced him." This time the golden phoenix snapped her beak, and the chimera answered by rolling his eyes. "If we manage to convince the child, no harm will have happened to your charge," the chimera finished, eyes glistening with impatience.
I would like to hear your voice, too, Kai came in before Dranzer could answer again, and her eyes moved to him, softening at the sight. I always tried to imagine.
He heard Black Dranzer snort, but he didn't care. He just stared into her caring eyes, seeing the same longing in her as he felt himself. He knew he still held her blade, and he couldn't help wonder if she would join him again. Then, after an eternity seemed to pass, a voice sounded, mild and friendly compared to the harshness presented by both the black creatures. "I simply fear to hurt you, Kai."
The voice made him tremble, but not from pain. It sang within him, a deep, melodic tone, an ancient power vibrating within it, like a rising sun lighting up his mind. Beautiful and soft, the only voice here that held any form of warmth or kindness. Like the humming of a mother cat coddling her kittens.
Hypocrit. Kai's gaze fell back towards the pocket hiding his black blade, giving a frown. My voice is no worse than hers, Black Dranzer complained, somehow seeming hurt, and once more Kai recognized one of the tones in the black bird's voice. And while the feminine might be the same as the golden phoenix', its coldness made it near unrecognizable. Where Zeus and Black Dranzer had similar tones and moods with their cold personalities, Dranzer's very being changed her voice to a song of beauty.
"We have no time for this," Zeus complained, efficiently halting Kai's train of thought. "If you wish the human to understand, explain, but be quick about it." Then Zeus did a thing Kai hadn't thought to see in his life. The goat part of his body pawed the ground once more, but this time he didn't seem annoyed – he just lowered himself to the ground, laying down with the torso twisting at the hip to stay upright, cold green eyes watching them intently.
Once the black amalgamation of creatures laid comfortable Dranzer once more took her gaze from him to the human under her wing. Her caring green eyes closed a moment later and she leaned in, resting their foreheads together. "I have been near, watching you all the while," she promised, sending calm into his mind. Her feathers warmed his face, like he rested in the shade a hot summer's day. "They took me from you, and for that I am sorry. Boris attempted to trap me as well, attempting to convince me to shift to a beyblade with an imprisoning bit, so I left him."
"Get to the point," Zeus demanded from his spot, the humanoid, feline arms crossing across his furred chest.
Dranzer opened her eyes to send an annoyed glance at the black creature. "Zeus believes we can mend what has been broken. When he left his Carrier, he went to me to explain his plans. As a phoenix, I am a master of life and death, and I can project this on to others. Zeus controls time and space. As such, he hopes to combine our powers to take the world back a year, making me resurrect the dead and giving humanity a chance to protect themselves before the death machine can be recharged."
"But it requires both healing and rendering of time, and our powers are incompatible on their own," Zeus continued, seemingly too impatient for Dranzer's motherly pace. "And our power cores might be too limited to shift time far enough, or to replenish enough life. So we need both one who tampers with both the light and dark to compromise our abilities, and who has a power reserve great enough to allow both of us to finish our jobs." The beast turned to Kai, looking specifically at the pocket holding his blade. "That's were you come in, Child."
I am no child, the two-toned voice answered in an angry hiss. And I will not help you. I'll never help you two.
"Then you will forever be trapped in your prison," Zeus coldly answered, his tail swishing.
"We are all hurt by this turn of the world," Dranzer spoke, trying to create a compromise between the two. Kai's gaze shifted between all of them, trying to take in the information. He could barely grasp what all of it meant, skeptic of Zeus' intentions. The dark creature had planned this, and he worried what scheme might lay behind.
Feeling his doubt, Zeus shifted, hard eyes looking straight into his. Shivers crept over his body again despite Dranzer's heat against his back. "I had to sacrifice my Carrier, human, to ensure this plan could work. Of Carriers I only find one worthy in thousands of years, so I won't give them likely. And I promised him it would be a temporary death. I keep my promises."
This noble approach shocked Kai, especially due to the honesty the voice also carried. Talking of keeping promises as though the creature didn't live on cruelty just like the black phoenix did. So you really cared for Brooklyn? he questioned, thinking of how the redheaded youth had behaved during after his loss against Kai. So many supernatural things occurred that Zeus had to be behind, and Kai believed most of that had been at the human's expense.
Once more the goat tail swished. "Cruelty and evil are a matter of perception. Immortal and mortal minds function in different ways, and as such hold different beliefs. I give no promises but those I intend to keep. I would not sacrifice my Carrier unless it was needed. Brooklyn's life holds higher value than billions of your kind."
He spoke as though Brooklyn had never been human in the first place, but Kai noted another thing. Sacrificed? Had Brooklyn been sacrificed by his bit beast?
Before he could say more, Dranzer spoke up. "I know Zeus has caused all of us trouble, Kai, but I would not trust him unless I believed his intentions. I am the one in charge of reviving the world, so he won't be able to select some to live and some to die." Her voice was heartfelt, fighting to make him believe in her. "While our goals might not align, all three of us spirits here can't achieve them as the world looks now." She also looked towards his pocket, finding Black Dranzer's position. "We need you, Child."
After those words, Kai couldn't hesitate any longer. He might not trust Zeus, and he might know Black Dranzer was manipulative and hateful, but he trusted Dranzer with his life. Black Dranzer once more writhed in disagreement, but their connection still had strength enough for him to feel its hidden emotions. The black bird knew they were right, and it knew Zeus had outplayed it even if Kai didn't know how, yet its deep-rooted hatred to these two beasts specifically kept it from helping.
All this meant Kai had a lot to work with to change its stance. I'd suggest you help, he spoke to it in his mind, using their new knowledge of one another to play the beast into position. In the end it's your only road to freedom.
Why would I care of your opinion? the bird asked in a growl, conflicting emotions clouding its mind. In the end, all Kai attempted to do was talking sense to the creature, even if the beast might feel used later. Zeus' eyes watched Kai again, but this time he didn't feel constricted by the harsh gaze. Instead Zeus looked at him curiously, head slightly tilted in what one might call a thoughtful posture if the creature had been human.
The actual human looked away, though, not willing to be distracted. Leaning in to the feeling of Dranzer's feathers he kept his focus on his target. I've promised to help you already, he answered the black phoenix, keeping tabs on his thoughts. Even if I might not remember once your deed is done and time has shifted, you've convinced me once before.
Kai could feel the bird contemplating, trying to shield its thoughts from him and only partly managing. He paused to let it think, turning his offer on all sides in search of cracks. The moment he felt doubt grow, he made another jab, pushing once more with new logic.
I will always be interested in helping the Blitzkrieg Boys with their beasts, so even if you get betrayed by someone, you'll have the knowledge you need, he promised. The moment you get in contact with a weaker mind you'll simply be able to free yourself.
Once more they were left in silence as Black Dranzer went over the arguments. Moments passed, longer than before, where the black phoenix searched within itself, trying to think without Kai glimpsing its thoughts. The chimera moved to speak, seemingly losing patience again, but the golden phoenix sent him a warning glare, demanding quiet. There were sometimes where you needed to add pressure – this wasn't one of them.
Yes… Kai felt a stab of cruel satisfaction from the black bird, but he couldn't localize where it came from. At the sound of agreement, Zeus got to his feet again, finally closing in with his giant form. I'll help. Tell me what to do.
The male beast settled in front of them with his head raised, and in the same movement Dranzer withdrew, bolstering herself for action. Her disappearance immediately tired Kai out, though he still felt healthier that before she touched him. "You have to function as a bridge between us, which you already do by nature," Zeus informed. "Your vessel must be fired, and you must position yourself between us. If my theory is correct, it will work – if not, nothing should happen."
Saying this Zeus shifted his attention to Kai's person once more, looking into his eyes. Was it respect he glimpsed? He wasn't sure, but a new emotion had come in there. "You've proven more capable than I thought, human. Now do your last part. You will be the last we change – we need you to keep Black Dranzer with us through it all, and so we need you conscious throughout the process." Kai said nothing – he simply responded by grabbing his launcher and Black Dranzer's blade, taking a step back to get some distance between himself and the already present beasts and firing the blade between them.
It landed perfectly, and the black phoenix rose as he called it, still only a projection of its physical form. It looked at the two, and he could glimpse its eyes in the midst of the shadowy black mist of its form. Three pairs of green, all holding such different emotions. "A bridge, you say?" the black phoenix asked with the shared voices of the other two, clearer now as its powers got unleashed from its prison.
Dranzer gave a nod, a red and golden glow spreading around her as she called upon her own powers. A black aura moved around Zeus, the world around his edges shivering and contorting like the rim of a black hole. The black phoenix spread its wings, black fires touching both of the other creatures. Threads of red fires started seeping from the red phoenix, and though his powers were a lot more subtle amidst Black Dranzer's energy, black spots ended in the ring surrounding Dranzer's fires.
Exhaustion started overwhelming Kai once more as Dranzer's influence faded, and his knees quivered in exertion. "Hurry!" Dranzer's lone voice called out, a hint of fear in her green eyes. He noted a chuckle which had to come from Black Dranzer, the creature amused by his weakness. "He can't last much longer!"
"We're getting there, simply focus," Zeus responded, his aura spreading even more, enveloping Bryan's corpse. The image of the pale body twisted against the all-eating aura Kai had felt on both his body and his mind.
A flash of red fires overwhelmed the fused energies, giving a near even glow across the two ancient beasts. Then a shockwave threw Kai back, slamming him into a young tree and bending its branches. Black Dranzer's blade wavered amidst the flowing colors, affected by Kai's pain. "Curses!" the black phoenix growled from within, making Kai understand just how dire the situation were. Gritting his teeth he bent forward, using his hands to push him from the ground, harnessing all his remaining energy to keep the blade spinning.
Then another shockwave hit, and he floated in a black space he knew a bit too well.
Zeus' lands.
Hovering in the air, no longer in a physical world, he scouted at the position the immortal creatures had just been. Out the corner of his eye, in this dark world, he thought he might see Boris' floating form, pieces of flesh reconnecting with the ripped muscles and skin from an invisible source. At the other side, he could vaguely make out splinters of skull settling into position at the back of Bryan's head.
He blinked, trying to hold his panic back. Somewhere in front of him, he still felt the connection to Black Dranzer's blade, so he knew he had to keep focus. Slowly becoming present within the dark space, he saw three pairs of green eyes watching him intently. One pair was cold and calculating. Another pair was angry and bitter. The last kind and caring.
Three human shapes came within his vision, unfelt winds whirling their clothes and hair. A man with golden brown skin, broad and muscular. A woman, fiery red, the skin pale but glowing with life. Both had long hair of creamy color, and both wore each their golden crown. And between them, as though created by half of each, was the third human, split in the middle by copies of the two other's forms. Its arms were spread out, its female hand on the male's shoulder as its male hand rested on the female's, energy sparking through it.
And despite the unnatural being among them, they carried an alien beauty which shook Kai in his core.
He tried to breathe once he realized he hadn't done so since darkness surrounded him. The world seemed to have no air. He panicked, and the image of the middle form shivered for a moment.
"Focus, human!" the male demanded, his mouth opening to reveal Zeus' voice. "We've gone too far to falter now!"
"Come on, Kai," the female encouraged, her eyes shining with trust in him. "Just a little more!"
Focus. He had to focus. Pushing away earthly needs he mentally grabbed on to the blade again, putting all his remaining power into it. Maybe he could make it go fast enough for him not to choke to death? He grit his teeth, trying to keep focus.
The female smiled at him again. "You're doing well. We're nearly there. Just another moment." As she spoke, their aura moved towards him. He realized Boris and Bryan had disappeared from the world. He was alone with them now, and their energy moved towards him. He still fought to dampen the panic, keeping a tight hold on himself.
Then the two-faced form moved. It let go of the two of them, snatching the air in Dranzer's direction and seemingly capturing her energy. "No!" she screamed, shocked as the red energy left their fused powers and got dragged in towards the unnatural human. Her cry became even more desperate as she twisted against Black Dranzer, throwing her hand out towards him. "Kai!"
It happened so fast and so late neither he nor Zeus got a change to react. The wave of black energy hit him just as Zeus turned towards his two compatriots, a cold frown on his face. Kai felt the memories of the last year falter away along with his consciousness as the two beasts struggled, black fire from the dark phoenix seemingly surrounding Dranzer's human form.
The last thing he saw was Black Dranzer's form flickering and changing shape, the adult form of two connected human forms warping into something smaller before settling on a split eight-year-old child of the same color scheme.
And the last thing he heard before the darkness shielded him away from them and his mind was reset was Zeus' cold voice saying, "well played, Child," in a vaguely impressed tone.
He felt miserable. He had a pounding headache, and his stomach felt as if he hadn't eaten in days. While he knew he should have a hangover, and the hangover had haunted him all morning. That didn't explain his now screaming stomach. Not to mention he felt freezing cold. He couldn't feel his feet, and something had happened to his left arm. It felt odd, like a distant itch…
Memories of the past he had never known struck him as well, making everything in his mind a confusing mess. He knew he would open his eyes in a classroom, but memories he'd never know of the abbey, of Moscow, of his family and his grandfather, of big dogs in a hidden wilderness, it all became a jumbled mess.
"Holy…" he heard a familiar voice say. Kenny. But… Kenny… He'd been dead…? Like Saki… He'd been in the hall… Blood from his nose… The violet eyes opened, staring up at the ceiling of the classroom, his vision slightly blurry. His body shivered, but he didn't know if hunger or cold was the cause. But…
Wait! Tyson! Tyson and fallen! His rival, his teammate, he'd seen it!
The panic cut through the confusion of recollected memories and he sat up, finding himself surrounded by other confused students on the floor. Tyson was sitting again, blinking disoriented, but he looked okay. Trying to keep his mind clear, to keep his head away from those new memories he had no idea what to do with, he turned, knowing Kenny had to be towards the door. He had been dead, but it had been his voice…?
And there he was. Standing with hands in front of his mouth, the glasses covering his shocked eyes as he stared directly at Kai. "Kai… You're… what happened…?" the smart youngster asked, and Kai huffed in annoyance while covering up his confusion.
He put his left hand on his knee for support when he stood, creating a mechanical sound of screeching metal. "I-I d-don-" I don't know what you're talking about. He tried to say it, but as he stood, the words were in shambles in his throat and a wave of dizziness washed over him, putting him back on the ground. Shit, he couldn't show weakness like this, he had to pull himself together!
Then, through a haze of blurred vision and dancing black stars, he looked down on himself… and he was shocked.
From head to toe he was covered in mud, his clothes tattered and covered in frost. His hair was longer, getting in the way of his vision in a manner he hadn't experienced before. And his arm… holy shit, his arm wasn't his. It wasn't his! He grabbed the metal with his right hand, trying to it rip off his shoulder to reveal his actual arm, and a crippling wave of pain shot down his spine.
"What the hell, Kai?" he heard Tyson say in a groggy void, the younger on his feet and staring at him with disbelieving confusion. Other people moved, the teacher getting up from the floor but too overwhelmed to determine what to do. Breathing became harder as Kai's chest constrained, and the more he tried to breath, the more pain shot out from the left side of his ribcage.
What had happened?!
Now you won't back down from your promise, a voice in a mix of two told him, sounding triumphant within his mind. Instinctively he shoved his right hand in his pocket, somehow knowing it had to do with his Beyblade – but he just didn't understand how.
The blade in his hand was black, not blue. Shivers rolled over his body, and they didn't come from cold or starvation. But the oddest thing to him, surpassing even the loss of his arm, was the picture on the beyblade's bit. Circling each other like a mockery of Yin and Yang were not one, but two phoenixes, one red, one black.
He threw the blade, a hoarse scream escaping his throat as that voice barked out a menacing laugh. No. Not Black Dranzer. He didn't want to go back to that. He didn't know what was happening. Why was the two Dranzers together? He scrambled to his feet, violently pushing Tyson away when he tried to help. His mind was wild in panic, unable to comprehend the loss of his arm, the new memories in his mind, the horrid state of his body or the reappearance of his life's biggest temptation. "Kai, calm down!" Max's voice begged, but his tired, freezing body couldn't respond sensibly.
"Black Dranzer?!" Tyson gasped, making Kenny yelp in panic. Kai didn't have time for them. Didn't have time for this. Escape. Air. Freedom. He needed to get away.
He got to his feet, staggering towards the door through a haze of panic and black explosions in within his eyesight. "No, wait, Kai!" Hilary's voice begged. He glimpsed her in front of him. He lifted his hand to push her away, and responsive like lightening the robotic hand jumped in front of him, making him recoil backwards in shock.
He lost his balance. He heard his friends, his fans, a lot of people he didn't even know, gasp and yell and worry about him. The back of his head slammed against the corner of a classroom desk.
His panicked body grasped unconsciousness eagerly, wanting nothing other than rest.
And so the official story is finished. I have plans in my mind for the sequel, but I'm not sure if it will ever be sent out, as I have an original story I plan on working on from now on. But if you stick around, there'll surely be a little Easter Egg for you within the next month or so ^^
Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this in joy ^^ Let you minds imagine what happened next.