Chapter 19
All For Naught
My heart thudded with the intensity of a high school drumline. The adrenaline from the stunt I had just pulled still flooded through my vein like lava and I was sure that it would remain indefinitely. I'm not sure if I fully realized what I was walking into. I mean, sure, I knew that I was about to join in a fight between two level 9 players and a third unknown enemy, but I didn't feel panicked or worried. Maybe I was just numb to it all, but the only thing I could really think about was helping Ashton and returning the favor of saving me.
Bursting through the barricaded doors, I found myself in a large, rundown atrium of some sorts with a high ceiling and several cracked and damaged pillars lining the long hall. There were also what looked like booths of some type along the far walls. Under normal circumstances, I might have taken more stock in my surroundings, but my mind was understandably elsewhere. Especially when I noticed several brightly colored figures standing around.
"H-Hey!" one of them stuttered, caught off guard by my entrance.
"S-Stop them!" another shouted.
Hardly paying them any mind, I rushed forward. The only way I could go was forward, and I wasn't about to be stopped by a few burst linkers. As I ran, I saw one of them coming towards me from the corner of my eye, leading me to duck in order to avoid their attack. With a flick of my tail, I sent them crashing to the ground.
Still running forward doing my best to avoid the attacks of my pursuers, I heard something. Above the shouts from my attackers and the chaos outside, I heard it. A soft, slightly muffled yell. A yell I recognized.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I changed direction towards the sound of the shout. I ended up barreling into a burst linker who was trying to flank me, but I hardly even stumbled. The shouting seemed to be coming from a door behind the row of booths. Without hesitation, I leapt over one of the booths, clearing the glass that separated the atrium from what was behind the counters. Rising to my feet, I immediately zeroed in on the heavy metal door before me. Unlike the rest of the building, the door seemed almost pristine in comparison.
"Stop right there!" A bright beam of light flew past my head, missing me by millimeters, and struck the wall, leaving a scorch mark.
Cursing myself for my inattentiveness, I spun around and shot a Platinum Roar at the ceiling, causing several large chunks of concrete to rain down behind me. I heard a few short cries of alarm before they were drowned out by the cacophonous crash of the ceiling collapsing. With my pursuers dealt with, I turned back to the door. I didn't even give myself time to contemplate what I was about to walk into before I grabbed the turnstile door knob and twisted it open. With no shortage of strength, I pulled the door open and stepped inside.
-Rise of the Dragon-
The moment I stepped into the room, I was nearly cut in half by a rogue blade of dark energy. I just barely ducked in time, the blade gouging a deep scar into the metal door I had just opened. Turning back to the room, I noted that it was quite spacious. It wasn't as large as the hall I had just come through, but it was large enough for several burst linkers to move around with room to spare. The ceiling was rounded, leading me to believe that I was directly under the domed rood that I had seen from the outside. However, what grabbed my attention was the burst linker flying in the air.
Obsidian Seraph looked just as terrifying as the last time I had seen him. His thin, practically skeletal body was held off the ground by his wiry and withered 'wings' somehow allowing him to defy gravity. Despite his face bearing no expression, I could still feel his malicious intent as he bared down on his opponent. In his hands, to my ever-growing horror, lay a scythe. The weapon was longer than Obsidian Seraph was tall, the blade itself being nearly four feet in length. The entire weapon appeared to be made up of rough obsidian, the blade in particular appearing jagged and rugged. A dark purple energy wafted off of it, curling and twisting into the air like a mass of writhing snakes, biting at unseen prey. An energy I know recognized as a sign of Incarnate.
Below him, standing firm and unflinching against his aerial foe, was Ivory Paladin. The white knight seemed to have forgone his shield, instead using both of his hands to grip his, which, instead of being the normal longsword he usually carried, was essentially a large lightsaber. It possessed the same gold hilt as before, but the blade was a sing beam of white light, the same length and width of his normal weapon. It could only be Ashton's Incarnate ability.
The duo stared at the other in dead silence. Neither burst linker so much as twitched, as if waiting for a silent signal to resume combat. I made to take a step forward, to join Ashton in his fight against his Parent, but my body wouldn't cooperate. I was frozen where I stood. A primal, borderline bestial, part of me that had been awakened the moment Platinum Dragon came into being roared at me to run. To turn around and run back to the war outside and leave the two monsters in front of me alone. I even took a step back to do so before my mind came back, but by that point, whatever signal they were waiting for seemed to have been given, was received and both burst linkers suddenly blurred into motion.
Obsidian Seraph shot down towards Ashton like a meteor, his scythe glowing sinisterly as he bared down upon his opponent. The rather terrifying action did not make Ashton so much as flinch as he simply tilted his sword. Just as it looked like Obsidian Seraph would bisect him, Ashton, in a flash of light, deflected the scythe's blade, causing Obsidian Seraph to veer off course in order to avoid slamming into Ashton's sword.
The black angel spun in the air before rushing at Ashton again. Ashton spun around, bringing his sword to his hip, the blade facing behind him. With a swift flick of Ashton's wrist and a jerk of his arm, he swung his blade at the encroaching angel. There was a flash of light then Obsidian Seraph was suddenly sent flying into the opposite wall.
I blinked, shocked by what I had just witnessed. Obsidian Seraph hadn't been close enough for either of their weapons to make contact with the other, yet the angel had clearly been hit. Before I could think on it any more, Obsidian Seraph pulled himself from the wall and shot straight up. Once he had reached about twelve feet, he suddenly plummeted towards Ashton, mirroring his previous attack.
Ashton, lowered his sword back to his hilt like before and swung his blade. This time, I paid extra attention, trying to catch on to whatever attack Ashton was doing. I was stunned to see the ivory colored knight's blade suddenly extend, stretching to nearly 5 yards in length in less than a moment as he swung at Obsidian Seraph. Unfortunately for him, Obsidian Seraph seemed to catch on as I did.
The flying burst linker shifted their weapon into an overhead strike before swinging downwards, using the entirety of his body's momentum. He caught Ashton's blade with his own at the end of his scythe's blade, right where the curve met the staff, but instead of locking Ashton's blade in place, Obsidian Seraph pulled back upon his own while keeping his momentum moving forward. The result was the black angel flipping over Ashton's blade and shooting towards the knight at accelerated speeds.
Appearing to be caught off guard, Ashton jumped back a second too slow, causing Obsidian Seraph's scythe to gouge his chest. Ivory Paladin stumbled, his free hand coming to clutch at his wounded chest, but kept his sword raised and pointed at his enemy. However, the black colored did not attack. He simply stood there calm and collected, head tilted to the side as if he were observing a small animal rather than an enemy.
Seeing this, Ashton's stance changed. He spread his legs out more, bending his knees so that he was lower to the ground. Both of his hands were placed back upon the hilt of his sword, which he now held parallel to his shoulder. His body leaned forward slightly, his entire body tensed like a coiled spring, just waiting to shoot forward at a moment's notice.
Ashton wasn't messing around anymore.
Obsidian Seraph had to have noticed this too, but instead of appearing wary, he still appeared lax and open. The only indication of any change in the dark colored angel was that he straightened his head. In a casual, yet graceful manner, his twirled his scythe between his spindly fingers, his gaze firmly fixed on Ashton. Despite not having a face, I was sure that Obsidian Seraph was giving a challenging smirk, daring Ashton to attack him.
Ashton clearly realized this and was more than happy to oblige. In an explosion of movement, Ashton was upon Obsidian Seraph, his sword baring down on the angel's neck. However, Obsidian was faster. With a twirl of his weapon, Obsidian Seraph forced the shaft of his scythe between Ashton's sword and his neck, stopping the attack dead. He then pushed against the blade, spinning as he did so, and swinging the deep violet scythe towards Ashton who just barely managed to bring up his sword in time.
Their weapons clanged against the other, a visible shockwave rushing out from duo as they swung at the other with insane force. Their weapons ground against the other in a symphony of metal grinding against metal as they locked blades, neither of them appearing to be able to overpower the other. They then leapt apart only to rush back towards the other.
What preceded was a whirlwind of movement that I was just barely able to follow. Their weapons were blurs of light as they constantly crashed into the other, mirroring each other's movements yet so different in their style. Where Ashton's blade was a tidal wave, a constant stream of jabs and slashes that took up every conceivable angle, Obsidian Seraph's was like a protective ring, twirling and spinning around him at astonishing speeds, deflecting all attacks while keeping his opponent at bay.
Wind billowed across the room as the two of them clashed, their own personal typhoon. Each impact of blades caused thunderous bursts to echo, jarring my senses and seemingly causing the room to shake. What I was witnessing…it was two titans fighting. It was terrifying, yet beautiful, like watching a master craftsman at work. Both of them were masters in their own right, masters of the intricate combat system of Brain Burst, and neither was willing to submit to the other.
Yet still, the fight wasn't balanced.
I knew very little about sword play, and even less about fighting with a scythe, but I could see the difference between the two combatants. More often than naught, Ashton was on the receiving end of their exchanges. Obsidian Seraph's weapon's superior length allowed him to land more hits on his opponent than Ashton's did. Even if they were simply glancing blows, they were adding up. Already, Ashton's cape was in tatters, numerous cuts and gashes littered his armored body, and, what was worse, I could see Ashton starting to slow down. Whether it was from pain or fatigue, the speed of Ashton's attacks and blocks had greatly diminished. If things continued as they were…
My hands curled into fists, and I was sure that my real body was grinding its teeth. I had come here to help Ashton. I knew ahead of time that I would be outclassed, but I still resolved to come here and help. I couldn't let fear keep me standing on the sidelines!
With my resolve set, I made to take a step forward, but stopped when I heard a slightly muffled curse off to the side. I blinked, my gaze shifting to the far-left side of the room where I saw a figure crouched down before a partially ruined wall. I immediately recognized them from Knights of Dawn and Dollhoon's siege to rescue Slate Forge. Neon Circuit.
They were currently crouched down in front of the wall, their plug-like pigtails seemingly plugged into the wall. Said wall appeared to be, for lack of a better world, glitching. The section they were plugged into, about a five-foot radius around where their plugs were attached, shimmered and warped as if it had been turned to a liquid. Neon Circuit's singular green eye was narrowed in concentration and their body language just screamed frustration.
My thoughts immediately turned to what Pink Princess had told us after we had rescued her subordinate; how Neon Circuit could affect the real world with their ability. My mind raced with dozens of possibilities of why they were here and what they were currently trying to hack. I still had no idea what this building was in relation to the real world, but whatever it was Neon Circuit was trying to hack, it couldn't be anything good.
Whatever Obsidian Seraph's plan was, it hinged on Neon Circuit. If I were to defeat them here and now…Obsidian Seraph's plans would be ruined! With that in mind, I charged the brightly colored burst linker.
Neon Circuit was left unaware as I charged them, the monumental battle happening just off to the side muffling my footsteps. By the time they sensed that something was off, I was already on top of them.
It was almost comical how wide their eye got when they saw me. They attempted to jump away, but was stopped by their 'hair', which was still plugged into the wall. Unable to move out of the way, they were helpless as my fist smashed into their face.
With a sharp, almost feminine, cry, Neon Circuit fell to the ground, their plugs being ripped from the wall in a brutal fashion. For a moment, I felt bad, punching them in the face like I did made me feel like a bully standing over their victim. This sentiment quickly vanished as one of Neon Circuit's pigtails shot towards me, forcing me to lean out of the way.
With a growl, I jabbed at them with my tail, wincing as I instead was met with stone as the burst linker managed to roll out of the way. The bright yellow burst linker rolled to their feet, glaring at me with their singular eye. Before I could react, they jammed one of their plugs into the ground and a series of stone spikes burst forth, charging me at alarming speeds. I jumped to the side on sheer instinct, just barely avoiding being skewered. Unfortunately, as I moved, they struck the ground with their other plug, sending another wave of spikes towards me. Unable to dodge, I had no choice but to release a point-blank Platinum Roar at the incoming attack.
The ensuing explosion stopped the attack in its tracks and continued forward, screaming towards Neon Circuit. With a strangled yelp, they lunged to the side, avoiding the worst of my attack, but her rightmost plug was essentially incinerated.
Panting slightly, Neon Circuit glared at me, hatred clear in their eye. I stared back, undeterred by their glare. I had seen far scarier things than this lanky cyclops, I would not back down here! I took a step forward, intent on resuming my attack, when a shout echoed across the battlefield.
"Move!"
The shout hadn't even registered fully in my mind when the ground erupted around me. With a cry, I slammed into the wall, coughing violently as the air was ejected from my lungs. I slumped to the ground, my entire body reeling. I cracked my eyes open and was forced to fight down the desire to vomit as the world around me spun continuously.
"Now Circuit!"
I cried out in pain as I felt something stab me in the shoulder. My body immediately seized up, the feeling of every part of me twisting in every possible direction at once crippling me. My mouth opened in a silent scream as the pain arced through me. I fell to my side, unable to do anything but twitch haplessly. My vision cleared up enough for me to look up and see Neon Circuit advance towards me, their one remaining plug floating ominously.
"Cadmus!"
In a blur of white, Ashton was in front of me, sword brandished to defend me against and attack. However, no attack came. Instead, Neon Circuit froze, eye wide in surprise.
"C-Cadmus?" I felt a chill shoot through me at the soft utterance of my name. Not so much that they knew my name, but it was how they spoke it. Neon Circuit sounded surprised and…horrified at learning my name. Why was that?
"Well, isn't this a pleasant turn of events," Obsidian Seraph mused as he casually walked towards us, scythe held loosely in his needle-like fingers. His faceless mask peered down at me, appearing amused, if that was possible.
Ashton shifted, moving his sword so that it was angled between both Neon Circuit and Obsidian Seraph. "Dammit, why did you come here, Cadmus?" Ashton hissed out.
I grit my teeth, fighting to gain control of my body. "I…was trying…to help," I managed to grunt.
"Now, now Ashton, you can't fault your guildmate for wanting to help out, can you?" Obsidian Seraph mocked, his sickly-sweet voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard.
Ashton growled in response, his hands clenching around his sword. "Leave him out of this, Adam, he has nothing to do with this! Your fight is with me!"
Obsidian Seraph chuckled, a dark and condescending sound. "Oh, Ashton, how self-absorbed you are. My fight is with anyone that seeks to get in my way. You are just another obstacle, nothing more and nothing less. Our past is meaningless. You made that perfectly clear when you left."
Ashton violently flinched at that, his stance wavering. "I didn't…" Ashton cut himself off, his glare returning. "I couldn't stand idly by as you abused Brain Burst in that way!"
"Abuse Brain Burst?" Obsidian Seraph laughed incredulously. "Brain Burst is a tool made to advance the human race to levels we only dreamed of. It is meant to be used in such a manner! You simply lacked the vision to realize the power that we hold at our fingers! All hidden behind the guise of a simple fighting game."
"No, Brain Burst is not just a tool!" Ashton shouted defiantly. "It's a second chance! A chance to change your life for the better! To give even the smallest of people to become something larger than they ever thought possible."
"But is it not a tool in that regard?" Obsidian Seraph questioned mockingly. "Are you not abusing Brain Burst by changing yourself?"
"No, I am using it as it is intended," Ashton replied determinedly. "I believe that the maker of Brain Burst intended for the app to be used to better oneself and help them to become the person they want to be! It's not meant for such selfish desires as yours."
"Oh, that's right!" Obsidian Seraph said, as if making a sudden realization. "You believe that, once you reach level 10, you'll be presented the opportunity to meet the app maker. Ironic, you say that Brain Burst allows one to become 'best self' yet you are willing to take that from others just to receive a possibility of meeting this person. Now who's being selfish?"
Ashton glared in response, his mouth stubbornly remaining shut. Obsidian Seraph snorted, content with his apparent win. He then addressed to Neon Circuit, who was still frozen in place. "Have you finished with your task?"
Neon Circuit didn't respond. They hardly even twitched; their bright green eye firmly locked onto me. When he didn't get a response, Obsidian Seraph turned to his ally. In that moment, Ashton lunged forward.
Just as it looked like Ashton was going to cleave through the black colored burst linker, the angel moved. In a blur, his scythe was arcing through the air, knocking Ashton's blade aside before the butt of the scythe was jabbed into Ashton's stomach. The paladin coughed violently, stumbling back from the impact. Before he could recover, Obsidian Seraph spun around, and smashed the flat of his scythe against Ashton's head, sending him flying. Ashton smashed into the wall with a sharp cry of pain, before crumbling to the ground next to me.
All this transpired in less than five seconds.
Seeing Ashton collapse, I tried to get to my feet, but the twisting sensation across my body made it near impossible. With a lot of effort, I was able to move my head enough to look at my shoulder. To my surprise there was a mark on my shoulder that looked reminiscent of an electrical outlet. Every once in a while, the area around the mark seemed to glitch like the ground had when Neon Circuit had stabbed it with their plug. Their antenna must have a similar manipulation ability when in contact with burst linkers.
I lifted my head to glare at the source of my paralysis, only to be met with the same horrified stare.
I didn't have time to contemplate the burst linker's odd behavior when Obsidian Seraph stepped over me and stared down at Ashton's struggling form. "Now, Ashton… Did you really think that that would work?"
"Damn you," Ashton growled, valiantly struggling to push himself back to his feet.
With a laugh, Obsidian Seraph kicked Ashton harshly in his chest, knocking the other level 9 onto his back. "Stay out of my way Ashton. On even terms, you may have been able to match me in battle, but this isn't a simple duel. While I don't care what happens to you in the end, I'm not heartless enough to strip a burst linker of Brain Burst. Unlike you."
Ashton cursed under his breath, still attempting to get to his feet but failing. As he shifted, I noticed a familiar outlet-like mark on his left side. This entire time, Ashton had been fighting with this status effect weighing him down.
This entire time, Ashton had been fighting Obsidian Seraph, matching him in terms of power and speed more than once, yet he had been under the same effect as I am. I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening enough to cause my armor to creak. I knew the gap between Ashton and me was great, but this…it felt crushing. I had come to help him, but I could do nothing but watch while Ashton fought.
"C-Cadmus?"
My eyes shot towards Neon Circuit. That voice. It…struck something inside me, a feeling of guilt oddly enough. Something about it, something about them, seemed odd. No, not odd. Familiar.
"Wh-Who?" I struggled to speak.
"Oh, that's right!" Obsidian Seraph suddenly exclaimed, looking between the two of us. "You didn't know!"
I frowned in confusion. What didn't I know?
"Wh-What's going on, Seraph?" Neon Circuit asked weakly. "Why's Cadmus hear?!"
"Oh, did I forget to mention that our dead Cadmus allied himself with Ivory Paladin over here," Obsidian Seraph said nonchalantly. "I hope this doesn't change anything." His voice was light, but there was an undeniable threat in his words.
"I-I didn't…I don't…" Neon Circuit spluttered, unable to speak. "I can't fight Caddy!"
My heart stopped. "Cecil?"
Neon Circuit turned to me; their single green eye going wide with surprise and horror, confirming my fears.
"Wh-Why?" My throat suddenly felt dry, causing my voice crack. "H-How…?"
Neon Circuit -Cecil- turned away from me, shielding her face from me. "I-I said that I needed to t-talk to you," she whimpered.
Everything seemed to stop around me. The pain I had been feeling became nothing more than static in the back of my mind. An odd weightless feeling overcame my senses. It would have been soothing had it not felt like I was drowning at the same time. Cecil, why was…why was she here? Why did she have Brain Burst?!
"Well isn't this an unexpected turn of events," Obsidian Seraph exclaimed sounding far too smug. "I honestly had not anticipated such a meeting. I was sure that Gold Valkyrie and Topaz Warlock would be able to deal with you."
My snapped to the angel and red colored my vision. "Why the hell is she here?!" I demanded.
"Hm? I thought it was obvious," Obsidian Seraph said. "As I'm sure you've realized by now, Cecil's duel avatar has the unique skill to manipulate the duel environment to the point—"
"I already know that!" I roared, managing to push my arms underneath my and lift my upper body up out of sheer anger. "I want to know why she has Brain Burst! What did you do to her?!"
"What I did?" Obsidian Seraph exclaimed in mock indignation. "You mean, what did you do to her."
His words caught me off guard, my anger momentarily abating. "What?"
I could practically feel the twisted angel's sinister smirk. "Well, that's not completely fair to you. After all, both you and Barnaby share the blame."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" I demanded.
"Brain Burst changes a person, that much is true. It is designed to allow the average human to break their limits and the set rules of the world, but what happens to those left behind?" Obsidian Seraph questioned. "Those like Cecil here whose friends left her for greener pastures?"
"We didn't leave her!" I denied.
"Didn't you?" Obsidian Seraph asked. "Then what do you call abandoning her in favor of strengthening your avatar? Devoting yourself to Ashton's cause regardless of what was asked of you. Both you and Barnaby abandoned. All I did was pick up pieces and give her the opportunity to enter the world her only friends left her for. Never could I have imagined she'd have such an incredible ability."
"I…We…" I tried argue. To say that he was wrong, that neither Barnaby nor I abandoned her, but I couldn't. I had been so caught up in Brain Burst, in becoming stronger so that I could help Ashton and his cause, that I hardly gave any time for anything else. The only people I hung out with were members of the guild, and that was almost always in the UNF. The only time I actually went out in the real world was when I was practicing karate with Barnaby. I hardly ever even saw Cecil anymore, just in passing at school. Obsidian Seraph was right. We had abandoned her.
"Don't feel too bad. After all, Brain Burst is meant to change people. That means casting aside your past life and everyone you knew," Obsidian Seraph said, sending what I could only guess was a smug expression. "Regardless, Neon Circuit, if you would continue with your task." He glanced at me and Ashton. "These two won't bother you any longer. Especially not with your ability effecting them."
"I…I…" Cecil made a distressed noise in the back of her throat; clutching her arms. "I don't think I want to do this anymore!"
Obsidian Seraph froze. The air seemed to grow chiller as he slowly turned to Cecil. "What was that?"
"I…I…"
"Because, I thought I heard you say that you didn't want to do this anymore," Obsidian Seraph continued, his voice eerily calm. He took a step towards Cecil to which she mirrored.
"I…It's just…I agreed to all this so that I would be able to get Cadmus and Barnaby back," she said, shivering as she stared down at the floor. "I never wanted to do all this."
Obsidian Seraph stepped right up to Cecil, the neon colored burst linker having backed into the wall and unable to move away. Obsidian Seraph towered over Neon Circuit; his skeletal wings flared out, adding to the terrifying visage he made. In a flash, his hand shot out, grabbing Cecil under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"I don't think you understand your position here," Obsidian Seraph said. "I gave you wanted. I gave you Brain Burst so that you could reconnect with your little friends. Now it's time for you to return the favor."
Cecil whimpered, whether it was out of fear or actual pain, I wasn't sure, but it sent fury shooting through me. "Let her go!"
"You owe me, Cecil," Obsidian Seraph said, ignoring me completely. He leaned in close to her, his faceplate inches away from hers. "You told me that, if I helped you, you would do anything I asked, did I not? You're not a liar, are you?"
"N-No, I just…" Cecil whimpered.
"I would hate to have to get rid of your Brain Burst app," Obsidian Seraph continued. "It can be very painful, especially in the Unlimited Neutral Field. Though, you won't remember it, or any of your memories from Brain Burst. Including the knowledge that Cadmus and Barnaby have it. You'll just be left wondering why they abandoned you and why you're all alone. You wouldn't want that, now would you."
"I said, let her go!" I roared. Anger like nausea settled in my stomach, building and threatening to come out. I hurt Cecil. I left her and didn't look back, but I wouldn't let her be hurt like this!
Obsidian Seraph glanced at me, seemingly disinterested. Just as I was about to shout at him again, a searing pain erupted across the right side of my face. Screaming, the limited control I had of my body failed, causing me to collapse.
"Cadmus!" Ashton shouted. He tried to get up, but he could hardly move. His various injuries and Cecil's ability were hampering his progress.
Obsidian Seraph lowered his scythe, gazing at me in disdain. "I would recommend staying out of this. I told your sister that I would leave you to her, but if you continue…" The threat was left unsaid, but the message was clear. Even so…
"Just let her go!" I growled through the pain. "What the hell do you want her for?!"
Obsidian Seraph sighed, releasing his hold on Cecil who slid to the ground and curled in on herself. "You just don't get it. You don't realize where you are, do you?"
"Where I am?" I asked.
"Cecil's ability has the adverse effect of effecting the real-world technology that has been skinned in order to make the dueling stages. Normally, it just causes glitches or temporary loss of power within the devices scanned. However, through experimentation, I was able to teach her to control the outcome of her power," Obsidian Seraph explained. "Now, imagine, using that ability, while being able to control what happens in the real world, on say, an ATM. It would be child's play to force it to eject multiple dollar bills."
Ashton gasped, horror coloring the sound. The angel turned to him, clearly amused. "Ah, so you get it now. You always were a smart one, Ashton."
"This is Russet Bank." Ashton exclaimed. "You're trying to steal from here!"
My eyes widened as I too began to recognize the building. We may be in the apocalyptic stage, but that domed roof, I knew I had seen it before. Ashton was right, we were in Russet Bank, the largest and most commonly used bank in our district. Hundreds of people used it on a daily basis. If Obsidian Seraph stole from them…
"Steal from them? Oh, Ashton. Your vision is far too short-sided." Obsidian Seraph chuckled as if speaking to a particularly foolish child. "Why simply stop at taking a few dollar bills? Everyone that uses Russet Bank has an account. An account that holds all their information. Credit card numbers, social security numbers, addresses, everything."
Obsidian Seraph began to laugh. A cold, cruel sound that sent genuine fear through me. "With the information from so many people, and with no way to track me, I can hold them all hostage. After all, what would people do to keep themselves from losing everything?" He laughed again, allowing the implication to his threat left open. "And why stop there? If this is successful, I can go on to other banks and businesses, stealing information from everyone."
"This is madness, Adam!" Ashton shouted, once again trying to get up. "Brain Burst isn't meant to be used like this!"
"I will use it as I please!" Obsidian Seraph shouted, kicking Ashton in the stomach. "No one, especially not a traitor like you, can tell me otherwise!" As he spoke, every word was enunciated by a sharp kick to Ashton's side, eliciting groans of pain from the sophomore.
"Stop it!" I shouted. "Leave him alone, you bastard!"
Fortunately, Obsidian Seraph stopped his assault. Unfortunately, however, he turned to me instead. "You know, I had promised that I would let Gold Valkyrie deal with you. While your ability could be useful in assisting me maintaining my control within Brain Burst, she is a valued member of Advent's Fall and she wishes for you not to be a part of all this."
Obsidian Seraph stepped towards me, his scythe dragging across the ground. Slowly, he brought up his scythe, holding the underside of the blade underneath my chin. My heart stilled. A cold trickle of sweat seemed to run down my spine.
"Adam, stop this!" Ashton protested weakly.
Cecil made a strangled noise, her eye wide with horror. She reached her hand out as if to stop what was about to happen, but she froze, most likely out of fear.
My attention traveled back to my executioner, his invisible smile grinning down at me like a demon from hell. "Don't worry," he said in a mock comforting way, "he won't remember the pain."
He brought back his arms, almost as if he was about to take a golf swing. I once again tried to move, but the mark on my shoulder made it near impossible. I was stuck. Obsidian Seraph was about to kill me. I was going to lose Brain Burst.
The possibility of losing everything and returning to the way I was, the weak, awkward, and unconfident loser that I had been, cut me more than any blade ever could. It scared me. Scared me more than anything, and I could do nothing to stop it.
I closed my eyes, unwilling to watch my imminent demise. I could hear Ashton and Cecil shouting my name, but it was drowned out by the whistling wind as Obsidian Seraph swung his scythe. I tensed, waiting for the blade to cut through my neck.
But it never came.
Instead, there was a loud crash followed by the sound of metal clashing against metal. Confused, I opened my eyes and gasped at my savior. Their glowing spear holding Obsidian Seraph's scythe at bay, their golden armor glinting in the dim light.
"Phoebe?"