::Author's Note::
So we're not quite at the conclusion yet. But we are getting steadily closer to the end of this Arc. (Finally) Now with that said, I have already been pondering ideas for the next Arc. Some of you have already given me some good suggestions, but I have a question I wish to pose to all of you.
What the heck am I gonna do with Gasper?
I already have some ideas as to what I want to do with his character but...I can't make up my mind. So I'm asking you guys to help pitch in. Send me some ideas of what you'd like to see come out of his character. I can't promise I'll use all of them, but if I find any that are similar to ideas that I had, it'll give me a better idea of what I inevitably want to do with him.
So start thinking of some ideas you'd like to see for Gasper. In the meantime, I give you Chapter 32.
::End Note::
They were everywhere. Those damned creatures. Blocking his way at every turn, constantly forcing him to find a different route. Not just the ones with no arms. There were other abominations in this nightmare. Lumbering beasts with guillotines instead of heads, faceless nurses with machetes and perky breasts. Each creature Kiba encountered looked like something concocted from a fever dream.
But of all the nightmares he found, the one thing he couldn't seem to locate was any of these damn spirits he needed to find. He was beginning to suspect heavily that that bastard shade had been lying to him. Yet his sole companion Mouse continued to push him forward. Ever eager to move on. And so he did. Despite the danger, despite the horror, he pushed on. Crawling through the darkness while feeling as tiny and insignificant as the creature riding on his shoulder.
Until finally, off in the distance, he spotted it. A small glimmer of light in the darkness. Kiba crawled through a hole in the fence blocking him from the shimmering glow in the distance, having just narrowly avoided another harrowing encounter with a monster he had dubbed a Pendulum. Upon crossing over to the other side of the fence, he found himself in some sort of warehouse. Or what was left of it anyway.
Kiba stealthily approached a large shipping container before poking his head around the side to get a better look at what was making that light. A figure wearing a jumpsuit similar to his with the number 1 emblazoned on the back and with a heavy looking metal cone on his head, busied himself stacking boxes into a pile. As soon as he was done stacking the boxes into one pile, he'd start breaking the pile down and stacking the boxes somewhere else. All while moaning woefully, as if he'd been at this for hours, or even days.
"What's he doing?" Kiba whispered to Mouse.
"I have no idea." He whispered back. "Why's he stacking boxes like that? What's the point?"
"Should we talk to him?"
Mouse scratched at his ear nervously. "I don't know...maybe? Whatever you do, just be careful doing it."
Kiba cautiously approached the phantom, ever wary of its intentions. Every other shade in this damned place had tried to kill him. He had no reason to suspect this would be any different.
"I'm so tired…" The figure moaned as he proceeded to carry another box from his current stack to the new one he was building.
"Excuse me." Kiba nervously spoke to the figure. "Can I talk to you?"
"I hate this job." The figure complained wearily. "I want to go home."
"So then why don't you?" Mouse asked.
"They said I could go home today once I was done." The figure explained. "They said that yesterday too…"
"Listen, we're trying to find a way out." Kiba explained a little more insistently now. "Can you help us?"
"Help? No one can help us here. We are all prisoners in this place. All of us." He struggled with another heavy box before panting in exhaustion. "The warden will never let us leave...never."
"What if we helped you?" Kiba offered. "What if we worked together and helped each other escape?"
At last the figure designated as Prisoner 1 stopped stacking boxes and turned around. It was impossible to tell what he looked like considering his face was completely obscured by the metal cone, but the look in his eyes told the story of one who was tired beyond belief.
"If you really think we can navigate the darkness...I will help you. I don't have much hope that we will succeed...but at least this gives me a chance to rest."
Prisoner 1 became enveloped in light as his body vanished, leaving behind a small light filled wisp. The wisp merged with Kiba's chest and he absorbed its power.
A familiar looking steel sword appeared in his right hand.
"You...you did it!" Mouse marveled in complete disbelief. "You actually regained some of your lost power!"
"But...how exactly?" Kiba inspected the sword in his hand. "Who was that guy?"
"I don't know...but I have to admit I'm a little jealous." Mouse spoke glumly. "I've been wandering this place for so long, and I've never found anything like what you just did."
After inspecting the sword, an idea came to him. "I think I can use this to find more spirits like that one."
"Really? How?"
"My swords are all created by magic." Kiba explained while pointing the blade out in front of him. "Thus, they resonate with magic produced from the same person. If these spirits represent something I've lost, then I should be able to use this to guide us to them."
"Brilliant!" Mouse cheered. "My friend, I truly am happy I found you."
The sound of heels clacking against the concrete ground interrupted them. Kiba turned to see another one of those Bubble Head Nurses as Mouse called them, lumbering towards him with a machete in her hand.
A wicked grin crossed his features.
"That's not all we can use this thing for."
The creature lunged for him and...with one fell strike, Kiba cut the thing down and it slowly crumbled into ash. Finally, he was back in control.
"Alright, no sense wasting time here." Mouse insisted. "Let's find those other spirits."
Kiba held the tip of his sword out in front of him and channeled his magic. Or what little he could produce anyway. Though it was still weak, he was able to conjure forth enough will to produce a beam of light that resonated with another nearby spirit.
They found it hiding behind a stack of shipping containers, gasping for breath and huddled up in the corner. It looked terrified, as if it had been running from something. On its jumpsuit was the number 2, and on its head was a burlap sack.
"I...I think I'm finally alone." Prisoner 2 gasped. "They've stopped chasing me. They won't find me back here. No one will ever find me again." She began to cry pitifully. "So why can I still hear them?"
Kiba knelt down and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If you come with me, I'll protect you from the creatures in the dark."
The spirit didn't speak, instead, it merely vanished into a wisp same as the one before. More memories and more power returned to Kiba and the journey continued. The next one he found was Prisoner 3. This one was located in a massive trench where bodies were most likely meant to be discarded. In other words, a mass grave.
"Aren't you scared?" The mangled soul in front of him asked. His arms and legs had been hacked off and his face was covered in bloody bandages. "Your life is meaningless, empty. You've forsaken your friends, your peerage, and your mind. And soon, it will be your turn. Aren't you scared?"
The more Kiba remembered the more anxious he got. Prisoner 3 brought back memories to the surface he wished it hadn't. One of a fight that ended with him abandoning the ones who took him in.
"Wh...what did they mean by that?" Mouse asked nervously.
"Forget it." Kiba insisted. "Let's just move on."
Next was Prisoner 4. Whom they found resting against the trunk of a dead tree. His face was obscured by thick leather belts that covered all save for his left eye.
"I've counted the grass blades in this field." It calmly explained as they approached. "Every single one. There is a specific quantity for everything. An ideal." Prisoner 4 then turned up towards the tree he was resting under. "This tree for example has ten leaves on it. No more than ten leaves only. Absolutely no more than ten. That is all it has is ten. Ten. Ten. Ten. Ten. Ten. Ten."
As the spirit began to repeat itself over and over again, Kiba reached out with his hand and absorbed it. Returning more memories and more power. With more power at his disposal, fighting against the nightmares in the dark slowly became easier and easier. So he pressed forward until arriving at Prisoner 5. This one was wearing a white sheet over its head similar to the sort of thing worn by those who were about to be executed.
The small melancholy figure sighed before gazing up at the water tower it stood next to. "Nothing matters anymore. Getting up is a chore. I have nothing to look forward to. They've already given up on me. And I gave up on myself a long time ago." After a moment of gazing at the water tower she then spoke again. "This one looks tall enough."
"If you're going to quit that easily…" Mouse spoke up. "...then at least make yourself useful to us."
Kiba absorbed the spirit, gaining enough power to cut through just about anything in his way. As his confidence surged, he continued his journey. Though in the back of his mind, something about these shades was making him nervous. Specifically, it was their voices. They sounded so familiar to him, and that disturbed him greatly.
But with encouragement from Mouse, he pressed on. Eventually, they stumbled upon Prisoner 6. They found him desperately shaking the door handle to the inside of one of the bunkers, refusing to turn around.
"Doorslockeddoorslockeddoorslockeddoorslocked! No no no no no no no! I didn't mean to go! I didn't mean to leave! It was only for a second! Forgivemeforgivemeforgivemeforgivemeforgiveme!"
This spirit refused to acknowledge Kiba's presence or even talk to him. He just kept banging on the door, shaking and jerking at the handle, and even clawing at the metal, trying desperately to get back inside. Not knowing what else to do, the Knight absorbed the spirit just as he did the others before moving on.
Prisoner 7 proved easier to find than the others. As it had inadvertently found them while they were in the midst of fighting off a small group of nightmares. He ran past Kiba and Mouse, shrieking hysterically as a trail of blood leaked out from his feet.
"Oh God! No no! They'll see the blood!" He cried hysterically while running to nowhere. "They'll know it was me! I can't hide! The trail follows me everywhere! Their blood follows me everywhere!"
Kiba managed to grab the quickly fleeing spirit and absorb him before he could alert any more nightmares to their presence. More memories came flooding back and a thought occurred to him.
"I think I know you…" He spoke to Mouse.
"You...you do?" Excitement etched into Mouse's voice. "What do you remember?"
"You were a part of my Peerage once. In fact I believe you still are." He explained. "But...something happened. I can't remember what but you...died. No...no that's not it. You didn't die. But you were gravely wounded."
"Do you remember anything else?" Mouse asked hopefully.
He shook his head apologetically. "No. Beyond that I can't recall. I'm sorry."
"Then we just have to keep moving. The more spirits we find, the more you should be able to remember."
They moved on. Continuing to search the compound for any sign of more spirits. At last they stumbled upon Prisoner 8 as he came out of one of the ruined bunkhouses. He was wearing a surgical mask and his eyes were bloodshot.
"I haven't slept in three days." The muffled voice spoke to them while wheezing through the mask. "I've checked the back door three times." He pointed sharply at nothing. "There! Did you see that? Quickly...close your eyes. He can't see you if you can't see him."
"Close your eyes." Kiba commanded. "We will hide you from him."
The spirit did as instructed and Kiba absorbed him like the others. After finding their eighth spirit, the sound of coughing and retching caught their ears. Kiba ran behind the bunk house to find Prisoner 9 hunched over a metal barrel, vomiting blood. The top half of her head was covered in a white cloth that had been tightly bound to her face, leaving only her mouth visible which was covered in blood and bile.
"I wretched up my insides…" She explained in a sickly voice. "...in place of all the things I never said." Again she vomited into the barrel. "All I can taste is blood...all I ever taste is blood...blood isn't so bad."
As Kiba absorbed this spirit, more dark, horrifying memories returned to him. Memories he refused to say aloud. What was happening to him? Why did these voices disturb him so? Where the hell was he?
He just had to keep pressing forward. Kiba's sword eventually guided him to a hole in the wrought iron gate that lead to the woods outside of the compound. It was no safer there than it was inside, as many nightmares of various shapes and sizes awaited them both in the forest. But at last, he came upon Prisoner 10. She was curled up in a ball next to a small creek bank, quietly sobbing to herself. Her long messy hair obstructed her face as tears leaked into the water freely.
"I'm so tired." She wept. "I've never been this tired." Her tears dripped into the stream and floated away. "I'm so empty...I've never been this empty. Maybe this river can carry me far away."
Pain stabbed at Kiba's heart. Why? What was the reason? Who were these people to him? If they even were people. The more spirits he absorbed, the more lost he felt. The memories coming back to him didn't hold answers, only more pain. Faces of loved ones now deceased, an ever building rage in his gut. He absorbed her quickly and moved on, returning back to the compound where he encountered Prisoner 11.
"Disgusting. What an insignificant creature." The spirit whose head was locked in a metal box spoke with snide contempt in his voice. "Do you realize your own disgusting insignificance? Disgusting creatures deserve the mud, so keep squirming in the mud, little insect."
"Shut up…" Kiba growled angrily before absorbing the spirit the same as the others.
He was running now. Following the sword blindly to his next target like a man possessed. These memories...these spirits...they weren't answering any questions, only bringing more pain. What was this? What the hell was going on?
Prisoner 12 had no head. They found him leaned up against the fence and mistook him for a corpse. But he was still very much alive. And even more bafflingly, able to speak.
"I want to live inside of you…" The headless stump spurted yellow chunky blood as it spoke. "...like a tapeworm. You could pull, I'd never leave you."
He didn't even have a choice this time. Prisoner 12 merged with him almost immediately after making his speech.
"What the hell are you?"
He kept going. Mouse remained eerily quiet throughout this entire ordeal. Leaving Kiba's racing heart as the only source of companionship he possessed. Prisoner 13 was not far behind Prisoner 12. She was laying in a pit of dirt and mud, laughing maniacally as maggots crawled through her rotten flesh.
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! The woooorms! So warm in my belly!" She cackled like a maniac. "The only comfort I have left...when I am empty." Her eyeless sockets turned warily towards Kiba. "Problem?! What problem?! They need me more than I need them!"
"Get away!" He cried as another spirit was forcefully absorbed into his body. "Leave me alone!"
He didn't want to do this anymore. Kiba was running away now. Where were the nightmares from before? Why had they all suddenly disappeared? As he ran from these terrifying memories, he rounded a corner only to bump into Prisoner 14.
Or rather, the two separate halves of Prisoner 14.
"We remember them." The first half spoke.
"The guilt split us in two." The second half spoke.
"It's your fault!" The first half pointed at the second.
"No, it's YOUR fault!" The second half pointed at the first.
"You were the one who ran!" The first argued.
"It was your job to protect them!" The second argued.
"Now they're gone."
"Now they're gone."
"Because of you."
"Because of YOU!"
Both halves turned to Kiba and spoke.
"Because of HIM!"
"STOP THIS!" He shouted hysterically before drawing his sword and swinging. The spirit entered his body and he collapsed to his knees, clutching at his screaming head.
"NO! NO MORE!" He cried desperately. "MAKE THEM STOP! PLEASE JUST MAKE THEM STOP!"
And then all went silent. Kiba was alone. The nightmares, the spirits, they were all gone. Without a word, Kiba grabbed his sword and ran for the lab where this whole nightmare began. He busted down the metal doors and dashed down the long black hallway, returning to the lab with the fan. His breathing was wild, the look in his eyes that of a mad man. With his hand shakily gripping his blade he spoke towards the ceiling.
"I know where this is!" He shouted half in fear and half in anger. "I know where I am! Take me back! Take me away from this place! Answer me, damn you!"
"Christ, you really are clueless aren't you, Fynn?"
Kiba turned white as a sheet and his breathing stopped. The voice of the Shade they met in the courtyard spoke to him, only this time, it was coming from his shoulder. He slowly turned his head to where Mouse was sitting…
...and saw two glowing red eyes staring back up at him.
"To think you still haven't figured it out. Honestly, how thick can you be?"
"Get away!" Kiba swatted Mouse off his shoulder who vanished in a puff of smoke. Only to reappear a moment later on a nearby surgical table.
"My, but it never ceases to amuse me just how horrified you look whenever I do that." Mouse snickered to himself. "Your memories may be coming back faster but your wits sure aren't. Not that that matters. Those aren't what are keeping you trapped here. I am."
"Who are you?" Kiba asked in terrified anger. "Just who in the hell ARE YOU?!"
Mouse sighed in disappointment. "Very well then. If you're not going to make it interesting for me, I suppose I'll pull back the curtain at last."
His body began to glow and Mouse grew to the size of a man. As the light disappeared and Kiba beheld what lay in front of him, his blood ran cold.
He was looking at an identical version of himself. Only dressed in his ORC uniform and bearing two black orbs with blood red irises instead of eyes.
"I...I don't understand." He trembled at the figure before him and backed away slowly.
Mouse rolled his black eyes at him and sighed in weary resignation. "And of course you STILL haven't figured it out. I'm not sure why any of us expected anything different from you, Fynn. I keep telling them it's always going to be the same. Yet still they cling to hope that maybe, just MAYBE this time you'll figure it out and release them. But it's as I keep saying. You're not wallowing in the dark because you're lost…" He narrowed his eyes at him hatefully.
"...you do it because you're afraid of what we are."
Kiba felt something burning in his belly. He clutched at his aching gut as what felt like bile began to rise to the back of his throat. He opened his mouth to vomit only for a bright light to burst forth from his open jaw. This spectre flew off to the side and landed, revealing himself to be Prisoner 1.
"I am Burden." The spirit declared. "Each day I work tirelessly. Pretending my worthless existence means something. I carry your world on my shoulders. I'm so tired. Don't make me carry it all, Fynn."
His mouth opened up and another spirit was painfully expelled. Prisoner 2 landed next to Prisoner 1 and spoke.
"I...I am Reclusion." She gasped painfully. "I am everything you ran from. Every unpleasant thing shoved back inside. They can't climb my walls. They can't find what I've stored in this shell. But YOU can, Fynn."
Another spirit leapt from his mouth. Prisoner 3 landed next to Prisoner 2, slowly forming a semicircle around him.
"I am Self Loathing." The mangled body in front of him declared both bitterly and painfully. "I am your years of hateful blame. That have left me a mangled wretch. You do not deserve to leave this place after what you did to me, Fynn!"
Next came Prisoner 4, who calmly stared down at Kiba with his one good eye in disappointment. "I am Neuroticism. I am everything you tried to control that you had no control over. Everything had to be perfect but it never was. All I see around me is chaos." The spirit shook its head and tsked. "Chaos, chaos, chaos. So many flames. Too many flames. Only you can put out the flames, Fynn."
As Five emerged the pain from his belly only grew. Kiba collapsed to the ground, clutching at his aching stomach as the shades of his past all continued to introduce themselves.
"I am Hopelessness…." Prisoner 5 declared pitifully. "...I am everything you gave up on. I am the lovers you left behind. I am the people you could have been." The spirit reached out to him pleadingly. "But now there's nothing left. Nothing left but you. You must have hope left for me somewhere right? Please, Fynn!"
Prisoner 6 emerged next, his hands covering his face as he immediately crumbled into a ball. "I am Regret. Please! Let me back in! I never meant to go!" The Spirit shook its head over and over again as it begged. "Please open the door, Fynn!"
Prisoner 7 was next, and Kiba's belly and throat continued to burn. As he landed next to Prisoner 6, the blood seeping from its feet began to pool on the floor.
"I am Panic!" It shouted hysterically. "Oh God! No no no! I failed them! You failed me! And now we both must pay, Fynn!"
Upon Prisoner 8's arrival, his bloodshot eyes immediately began darting about the room fearfully. "I am Paranoia." He pointed at nothing. "There! Do you see them? Every fabricated lie. Every story you concocted to hide your past from those who didn't know. They swarm around my head ceaselessly." His bloodshot eyes turned to Kiba desperately. "Why won't they leave me be? Make them leave, Fynn! Please!"
Prisoner 9 appeared beside Prisoner 8 and immediately wretched up her insides onto the floor. "I am Suppression. I taste every feeling you've swallowed. I feel them clotting my throat. I can feel them burning my belly. All so you can pretend to be normal." She clutched at her aching stomach as she coughed painfully. "I think I am dying. You are killing me, Fynn. Why?"
Kiba convulsed painfully as Prisoner 10 emerged, she especially felt horrible coming up.
"I am Resignation." She declared before curling into a ball and weeping. "I am every time you almost gave up on EVERYTHING. Every sadness you couldn't bare. Every time you almost ended it all. I am being swept away. This can't be the end!"
Prisoner 11 immediately followed Prisoner 10. He cast two hateful eyes at Kiba and spoke with a sharp biting tongue. "I am Self Denial. I am every feeling you blocked out. Every joy you denied yourself. I am more alive than you will EVER be!"
Kiba needed this to stop. He could barely take it anymore. Yet still they came. Prisoner 12 appeared from his throat and spoke through the bloody stump where its head used to be.
"I am Decay. I am waiting for you, Fynn."
Prisoner 13 felt absolutely disgusting coming up. More so than the others he wanted to puke immediately after vomiting her up.
"I am Addiction." The rotted corpse declared. "I am everything you used to forget." She laughed maniacally. "I am the alcohol, those alchemic drugs you concocted for yourself, I am even your RAGE. Everything you used to pretend you were alive. What have you brought for me today, Fynn?"
And finally, mercifully, Prisoner 14 appeared. Both halves, split straight down the middle, introduced themselves.
"I am Guilt." The first half declared.
"As am I." The second half added.
"I watch the people you love most suffer over and over."
"And then I watch them die over and over."
"And I watch you do nothing."
"And I watch you do nothing."
"Over…"
"And over…"
They then spoke in unison.
"Only YOU can decide to be whole again, Fynn."
Kiba slowly looked around at the circle of spirits, at the pained looks on their faces. The guilt, the fear, the overwhelming raw negative emotion bore down on him like a thousand pound weight.
"Do you finally get it now?" Mouse asked, peering down at him as if boring through his very being with his eyes. "You've been crawling through your own filthy mind this entire time. Only to come face to face with YOURSELF."
The Knight tried to find the strength to stand.
"That's right. I'm YOU. The real you. The one that you've kept locked away in here with the rest of this drudge." He motioned to the other spirits. "You're so pathetic. Don't you realize what's going on here? What these things you've been so feverishly collecting truly are?"
He gripped his sword and raised it in front of him.
"Are you really too stupid to figure it out?" Mouse grinned sardonically. "Or perhaps you simply don't WANT to figure it out."
His hold on the weapon faltered and it began to tremble in his hands.
"These spirits around us?" Mouse explained. "They're your THOUGHTS. Each one is a manifestation of your guilts and your obsessions." His eyes bore a grave intensity with his next words. "And they all HATE you! They hate you for what you've done to them! They hate you for keeping them trapped in this wretched place! You've kept them chained here all this time. And now it's your turn. So long as you're trapped in this dream with us, we will NEVER let you return to the world of the living."
"You're wrong." Kiba growled, using anger to replace the fear. "Valper is to blame. He's the one who-"
"HE IS NOT THE ONE WHO HAS LEFT US DOWN HERE!" Mouse bellowed in unbridled rage. "Valper may have put the thoughts in your mind but YOU are the one who continues to obsess over them! Even after all these years you still refuse to let go. You can NEVER let go, can you?"
He remained silent, unable to answer.
"That's what I thought." Mouse's grin returned. "You've obsessed over your petty vengeance for so long even your own MIND has turned against you. Because your thoughts can longer rely on you they now cling to ME."
All fourteen spirits turned into whisps and entered Mouse's body. He now bore the full brunt of Kiba's power while the Knights sword turned into a rusted piece of scrap.
"You really intend to challenge me?" Mouse chuckled sinisterly while holding the Holy Eraser to his side. "I'm the one in control here, not you."
He vanished without a trace, moving at speeds Kiba couldn't possibly hope to track. Only to moments later get sliced completely in half. Or at least, that's what it felt like as he was knocked to the ground. Yet after getting over the initial pain he looked down to realize his lower half was still attached to his body.
Mouse sighed in disappointment. "Because we are still technically in your mind, I can't actually kill you." That same cruel grin spread over his lips again. "But I CAN cause enough pain and suffering that your subconscious resets itself again." He pointed with his sword over at the operating table. "You'll wake up strapped to that table, forced to endure all these nightmares again and again and again. Each time as if it were the first."
Kiba struggled to stand up, it still felt like his lower half had been separated from his top half, causing pain to surge through his body with every step he took.
"Until you get it through that thick skull of yours that you will never leave this place, I'm going to keep torturing you just like this."
Mouse raised his sword to strike him again.
"Welcome to the hell that you've created."
For the city of Kuoh, the illusion of peace had been well and effectively shattered. Two opposing forces now clashed for control of the cities very soul in a massive all out battle in its streets. Brutish warriors wielding massive chainsaw rifles that breathed hellfire with every pull of the trigger clashed with cold steel and white hot plasma in the form of cybernetic infantry. Undead of all shapes, sizes, and mutations fought against elite commandos. Tanks, helicopters, and armored vehicles dotted the landscape as lines were drawn and boundaries established. As one side unleashed the full brunt of its wrath, the other dug its heels in deep and stood its ground. Slowly, methodically, absolutely, the city was torn completely apart.
Needless to say, Matsuda and Motohama barely slept that night. They'd never had to rest under the constant blare of heavy gunfire and loud sirens before. Rei and Saya were both out like a light and they didn't even wake up the next day to see them off. The boys were worried for them at first, but after seeing the glowing green veins pulsing along their skin, they understood well enough what was going on, and decided that rest and recovery would be what was best for them.
If the girls really wanted to hear their true feelings, then that just meant they had to come back from this no matter what.
Motohama dawned the custom Scout Armor he had been gifted by his Uncle before loading himself down with nearly all the weapons from his locker. The Shotgun, the Sniper, the SMG, and finally a .357 Magnum as his sidearm to complete the arsenal. After gearing up and loading himself down with enough ammunition for a small platoon, he waited patiently in the Scout Officer's tent for the rest of his party to join him.
"I gotta say, Kevlar suits you."
Motohama turned around to see Aika leaning against the doorway, a smarmy grin on her face. She was wearing a purple trench coat decaled with stones and crystals often associated with enhancing magical properties, and on her head was a towering witch's hat. The crossbow and bolts were still strapped to her back as well as a personal wand on her belt.
"And you're looking like something straight out of Soul Eater." Motohama replied.
She snickered at him. "Pretty sweet huh? Wait till the zombies get a load of THIS." She twirled for him in dramatic fashion.
At that moment two heavy metal boots came clanking into the tent. Aika and Motohama both turned and went wide eyed at the figure standing in front of them.
"Sup guys." Matsuda waved at them in a friendly manner.
"Dude…" Motohama gawked at his buddy in disbelief.
Matsuda was wearing the same battle armor the massive Orcs were sporting, albeit slightly smaller to accommodate his size. The armor he was wearing was actually a modified version of the female armor with a custom breastplate in place of the standard one. Though the design was originally intended for female warriors, it still looked imposing on Matsuda. The blood red plates that composed the armor were forged from Palladium. A metal found only in the Lower Pits of Hell, and boasted engravings that depicted battles of the past that the Orcai Clans fought in.
"Jesus Christ you look like a fucking Space Marine in that thing." Aika commented bluntly.
He chuckled awkwardly. "It's a bit much, isn't it."
She smiled and shook her head. "Actually, I think it suits you pretty well. Don't you agree Motohama?"
Motohama wasn't paying attention. As imposing as the armor was, he was far more interested in what was strapped to Matsuda's back.
"Bro…" He pointed at the weapons on Matsuda's back. "...what...the fuck...are those?"
Matsuda looked back at the handle of his rifle before turning and grinning wickedly at Motohama. "Wanna see?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
He reached up and unhooked his rifle from the magnetic clamp it was attached to before shouldering the weapon. Motohama, meanwhile, had hearts in his eyes and was already drooling.
"This is the Mark II Lancer Rifle." Matsuda boasted pridefully. "This bad boy weighs in at thirty seven kilograms and can fire six hundred rounds a minute."
His buddy was staring at his rifle the way he used to stare at a girl in her underwear. "W...what kind of ammunition does this thing fire?" He asked while still drooling.
Matsuda hit the button for the catch release and pulled out the magazine. "Depleted uranium shells with a sulphur charged core. The magazine holds sixty rounds in total." He then popped the magazine back in place.
"Is that a friggin chainsaw on the end of that thing?" Aika asked, slightly wary of the terrifying looking weapon.
He nodded. "This is a standard Chainsaw Bayonet. It consists of razor sharp carbide tipped blades powered by a variable torque motor. No armor can hold up to it. This thing could cut through reinforced steel if need be."
She quirked a brow at him. "Man, you sure know a lot about this thing considering you've only had it for a day."
Motohama turned and shot her a fiery look. "Every good gun owner knows his weapons inside and out! That's fundamental to carrying a firearm!"
She snickered at him and rolled her eyes. "If you say so."
Matsuda put his Lancer Rifle away and pulled out a short barrel stockless lever action shotgun next.
"Ooooo, gimme gimme gimme!" Motohama begged.
He chuckled before throwing it to Motohama. "Suit yourself."
Motohama eagerly caught it before nearly losing his balance as the ungodly heavy weapon hit him in the chest. The thing had to weigh at least sixty pounds.
"That's the Gnasher Tactical Shotgun." Matsuda explained. "It's considered the light option for advanced forces in the Assault Tribes."
"THIS is light?!" He asked incredulously.
Matsuda nodded before taking the weapon back. "This thing fires eight 12 Guage 'Inferno Rounds' in addition to armor piercing slugs. I don't know much about the ammunition it fires, it's some sort of crazy alchemy shit. But I do know this gun has a unique nickname." He grinned at them. "Dragon's Breath."
"Man…" Motohama whined indignantly. "...if I tried to shoot that thing it would probably dislocate my arm."
"Probably."
"And you're seriously taking those things into battle?" Aika gave him a worried look. "You aren't exactly a weapons expert. Yesterday was the first time you had ever even fired a gun."
"That's the best part, I don't have to be terribly accurate with these things." Matsuda explained cheerfully. "They're designed for aggressive, up close and personal combat."
"Raw firepower is all fine and well." Motohama suddenly spoke up a little more seriously. "But accuracy and precision are a must for any seasoned marksman."
Matsuda nodded in agreement. "And that is where you have me soundly beat, Bro." A thought occurred to him as he shouldered his shotgun. "Oh yeah! I do have one more thing." He pulled out a familiar looking vintage slugger now wrapped in razor sharp barbed wire. Shamanic runes had been carved into its surface and the bat pulsed with dark magic.
"That's...interesting." Aika adjusted her glasses and peered at the weapon more carefully. "The reinforcements I made to that thing are nothing compared to this."
"Yeah, the Orc who was responsible for crafting my weapons also juiced up the bat as well. He said my club was a little skinny for his taste but he did what he could." Matsuda chuckled gleefully and gripped the bat firmly in his hands. "I think I'll call her...Lucille."
Aika quirked a disbelieving brow at him and placed her hands on her hips. "Really? Was calling it the Negan Special not obvious enough?"
"Hey, we're going up against actual zombies here. What else am I gonna call it?" He protested.
She laughed at him. "God you are such a freaking NERD."
"This coming from the Harry Potter Otaku herself." Motohama responded with a chiding grin.
She stuck her tongue out at him while flipping the bird in response.
"Good to see you three haven't changed too much in the last twelve hours."
They all turned to see Xenovia standing in the doorway. As always, she was dressed in her battlesuit, ready to go at a moment's notice. However, in addition to her SMG, she had added one new thing to her arsenal.
Motohama smirked at her. "One gun wasn't enough, huh?"
She pulled the Armsel Striker from her back and shouldered it. "Speak for yourself, Motohama."
He snickered in delight. "Armsel, huh? Very nice indeed."
"If the rest of you are here, then I guess that means we're just waiting on our Team Leader." Xenovia deduced.
"Any idea who this mystery guy is?" Matsuda asked curiously. "All we got told was that it was a Devil with experience in modern war zones."
She grinned at him. "I know exactly who it is."
"You do?" Aika asked curiously.
Xenovia nodded. "We've worked together before. Trust me, this guy knows what he's doing."
As if on cue, the tent curtain opened up behind them and a tall man with large biceps and dirty blonde hair made his presence known.
"So...you four are my squad, eh?" Sammy spoke in his thick Boston accent. "Well alright then. Grab ya shit, gear up, and move out. We leave in five."
The city of Kuoh was in ruins. That much was obvious. It was one thing to hear the battle raging on from the safety of the Academy's fortified military base. But seeing it with their own eyes from the seat of a helicopter? That was something that Matsuda, Motohama, and Aika simply weren't prepared for.
"It's horrible." Aika turned her head away at the grisly sight. "Everything's pretty much gone."
"Hey Matsuda...look…" Motohama pointed somberly towards a large crater where a building once stood. "...that's where we went for Karaoke with Jon and Asia that one time."
"Shit…"
"Alright! Eyes up front, ladies!" Sammy barked at them, having stood up in the middle row of the passengers cabin.
All four of them turned towards their Team Leader, giving him their undivided attention.
"For those who may not know me personally, I am your Team Leader Master Sergeant Sammy Genshirou. Now I don't wanna here none of that SIR crap outta any of you on account of I actually work for a living. So from this point forward you may call me Sergeant, or Sarge. Take ya pick but remember it good."
They all nodded in understanding.
"I hereby welcome the four of you to Delta Squad." He declared, his voice full of authority. "As of this moment, we are a part of an advanced taskforce that is currently trying to retake Joynton Square from the Fallen. Once we make touchdown, we will cut our way through any opposing forces and begin making our way towards the objective marker. I shouldn't need to remind yous four why ya here. But just in case you suffered brain damage in the last twelve hours, our primary objective is the retrieval of the Holy Swords still located within the old Church on the outskirts of town."
"Jyonton District is as close as we can get?" Xenovia asked nervously.
"Afraid so. The enemy has set up mounted AA Guns in strategic positions around their areas of influence, which right now unfortunately encompasses most of the city. These guns are armed with plasma based weaponry of an unknown design and have proven to be INCREDIBLY lethal to our birds. Until the Assault Tribes can take em out, I'm afraid we're walkin fellas."
"Hey, at least that's something we're really good at." Aika joked in a blithe manner.
"Will we have any kind of ground support, Sarge?" Motohama asked hopefully.
He laughed at that. "What, are ya kiddin me? You ARE the support for this OP, Rookie."
Matsuda and Motohama both gulped instinctively. Suddenly, their stomachs didn't feel so great.
"Once we make contact with the ground, my President will be providing us with intel on the current objective." Sammy continued.
"Sona Sitri is out in the field?" Aika quirked her ear up in intrigue.
He nodded. "She sure will be. So you best put on a good show. Word has it she's considering you for our Peerage should you do well on this assignment."
Her jaw damn near hit the floor. Matsuda and Motohama meanwhile, were staring at her in absolute disbelief. If this went well, Aika was going to have the chance to be turned into a Devil.
"Now don't go making assumptions just yet." Sammy cuationed. "That's just what I overheard."
"What about us, Sarge?" Matsuda couldn't help but ask. "Did she say anything about Motohama or me?"
He shook his head. "You two are already promised to the Gremory Clan. We've got no say over what happens to ya after this assignment is over with. You'd have to ask the President of the ORC."
"Sergeant, we'll be making touchdown in thirty seconds!" The pilot declared.
"Alright, you heard the man. No more bullshit questions. Fall in and smile for the cameras." He then added with a weary groan. "Oh and...try not to piss off, Sona. She's a Pureblood from a very prestigious family even by Devil standards. If she doesn't like what you have to say, it'll be my ass that gets tanned for it. Capice?"
"Understood, Sergeant!" Matsuda declared boisterously.
The Chopper's landing gear unfurled and it landed in the middle of the square. As Delta Squad exited the helicopter they were greeted to the sight of Sona Sitri standing in the middle of the road surrounded by Scouts and with two members of her Peerage at her side. Her Knight, Tomoe Meguri. And her Rook, Tsubasa Yura. They were dressed in their Honor's Committee Uniforms as usual and stood with perfect poise amidst the absolute chaos that surrounded them.
"Hell of a party you're throwing here, Boss." Sammy joked blithely.
Sona adjusted her glasses and nodded curtly. Her demeanor unflappable as always. "They're getting bolder. We've received reports of Cyber Infantry as close as Pomey Street."
"Damn...that's just down the road." Motohama commented nervously to Matsuda.
"Well then I guess it's a good thing the cavalry has arrived." Her Pawn boasted before shooting Tsubasa a playful wink. The Sitri Rook turned her head away and blushed, while Tomoe simply rolled her eyes and chortled.
"I take it your squad has been properly equipped?" She turned her attention to the four standing behind them, each of whom, save for Xenovia, dropped their guns and stood at attention like complete idiots.
He groaned in exasperation. "They have, but those three are still barely even Trainees."
"And green as grass by the looks of things." Tomoe couldn't help but comment. Her eyes narrowed upon seeing the blue haired girl in the grey battlesuit. "Wait a minute...isn't that Xenovia Quarta, Ms. President? What is she doing here?"
Xenovia glared at the Sitri Knight. "You know my name?"
An amused smile appeared on Sona's face. "My Knight was once a Holy Sword User same as you. In fact, she was once the wielder of your Ex Partners blade, Excalibur Mimic."
Her eyes went wide as she suddenly realized who this Knight was. "Wait a minute...you wouldn't happen to be Tomoe Meguri, would you?"
She grinned and spoke up proudly. "The one and only. I was Excalibur Mimics previous wielder."
"The Order thinks you're dead." Xenovia commented warily.
"And they can go on thinking that." She spoke disinterestedly. "Now I don't know much about this Irina chick, but I've heard she can only use two weapon types. Is that true?"
She nodded. "Yes. Irina is still relatively new to the Excalibur Five."
"In that case, if you see her again, tell her she's got a LONG way to go if she hopes to catch up to me."
Xenovia bit her tongue and turned her head away. "I'll...keep that in mind."
Sona turned her eyes back to the three still standing at attention. "And these must be the three lab rats we caught sniffing at our equipment. My but how you have changed in the past few days."
"Thank you, Ma'am!" Motohama's voice cracked as he tried hard not to start sweating.
"Oh for fucks sake, at ease ya dolts! We ain't that polite out here!" Sammy shouted at them.
All three of them visibly relaxed. Sona calmly approached Aika and inspected her thoroughly. "It's...Aika Kiryu, correct?"
"Y...yes, Ma'am." She stuttered nervously.
Sona smiled at her. "You know, it was my Mother your parents formed a pact with so that they may have you. Her Arcane Spellcraft is almost unrivaled among the remaining Pillars of Hell. That same magic now courses through your veins."
Aika blanched at the thought.
"I'll cut to the chase." She spoke professionally. "Perform to my standards on this assignment and I have three open Pawn Pieces with your name on them. Are we clear?"
Sammy gawked at his President. "Ya gonna use all three on her?"
She nodded. "Do not disappoint me, Ms. Kiryu. I'll be keeping a close eye on your progress even if I am not immediately present."
Aika was too stunned to respond. This was a lot for her to take in. By the looks on Matsuda and Motohama's faces, it was clear they were just as bewildered as she was.
"Sammy I want you to take these three with Xenovia and train them in the field." Sona commanded, her eyes still cast sharply on Aika. "Whatever crash course practice they received yesterday will hardly be sufficient."
"We cleared out one of the sidestreets away from the brunt of the enemy forces. Mostly just zombies and mutants remain." Tsubasa explained, she then bit her lower lip in worry. "But...there could be Cyber Infantry as well. Just be careful, okay?"
Sammy sighed wearily. "Lucky me…"
"I'm expecting one hundred and ten percent from you, Aika." Sona spoke severely. "Do not disappoint me."
Delta Squad made their way down the deserted street they were ordered to use. During this time, Sammy instructed them on how to properly move as a Squad. His instructions were incredibly bare bones given what little time he had to actually train them, but he was hoping their powers would make up for their lack of experience.
"Man...must be nice to know you're gonna be all set up with a cushy position in Sona's Peerage after this huh?" Matsuda marveled at Aika.
"I guess once this is done we'll be referring to you as Lady Kiryu or something pretentious like that." Motohama jibed at her playfully.
She shoved him and chuckled in exasperation. "I'll always just be Aika to you two bozos."
"Rookies! We can talk about the future after we save it!" Sammy called back to them. "Right now I need you focused on ya training. I don't need you three turning into Priests on us out there."
Motohama gave him a weird look. "Uhh, pardon Sarge?"
Xenovia quirked a brow at him. "Hole-y?"
"Oh! Right!" He laughed awkwardly. "Full of holes. I get it."
"Now listen up!" Sammy called to all of them while having the group march at half pace. "First things first, you should stay focused on your environment at all times and remember the Golden Rule."
"Oh! I know this one!" Matsuda spoke up eagerly. "The Golden Rule is...it ain't always about-"
"Not out here it isn't, Rookie." Sammy quickly cut him off. "Golden rule of a war zone is...take cover or die."
Sammy helped the group work through some basic cover drills, moving from wrecked cars and cinder blocks while explaining the ins and outs of cover based combat.
"Head down...eyes open...check your surroundings." Motohama chanted to himself as he moved in and out of cover. Remembering everything Sergei taught him.
Up ahead, a group of zombies lumbered aimlessly on the streets. Sammy ordered for the Squad to stop.
"No way we can go around them, so we'll have to go through." He spoke quietly from behind cover.
Aika nudged Motohama who was in cover next to her and motioned towards the group of zombies. "Hey, check out this shot."
She aimed her crossbow and fired, sending an arrow silently through the head of one of the zombies without alerting the others.
"Nice." Motohama complimented. "I'll see that and raise you five." He switched to burst rounds on his SMG and aimed. The silencer on his weapon dispersed the noise and made it so the horde could not get a fix on their position. Five zombies fell before his clip was spent.
"Alright then, my turn." Sammy pulled out the chrome rifle he had on his back and took aim from behind cover. He let loose a sharp whistle and the zombies all turned towards him. They charged, some of them brandishing pipes and two by fours much to the Rookie's confusion.
Regardless, Sammy opened fire on them with his weapon, letting loose a stream of green precision plasma bolts on the remaining horde. The plasma rounds melted through their ranks like wax, completely decimating the remaining zombies.
"That was sweet!" Motohama exclaimed. "Where do you get a weapon like that?"
He smirked somewhat arrogantly. "Like it? I had this beauty made after bringing back one of the Cyber freaks guns to Tsubaki. It's basically the same as their weapons...only better."
"Those zombies were carrying weapons." Aika commented worriedly. "I didn't think they could do that."
"They can if they're being instructed to." Xenovia spoke up. "Now that the invasion has begun, these zombies are under direct control of their Master's Necromantic power." She turned her attention back to the downed horde. "But that's not all we have to be wary of."
One of the zombies stood back up, despite the fact its head was blasted clean off by plasma. A fleshly tentacle burst from its neck stump with a bone scythe on the end of it.
Xenovia immediately blasted it with her Striker, downing the creature for good this time. "Now that the virus has had time to gestate. We're going to see a lot more of these specialized zombies wandering about. So be careful."
They continued to make their way down the street before dipping into a side alley. The sound of something snarling caught their ears and they looked above them to see several figures jumping from roof to roof.
"What was that?" Matsuda aimed his rifle at the skyline. "It looked like one of those weird...monkey dog things we saw in the sewers."
Xenovia quietly chuckled. "You mean the mutants?"
"Those things tend to travel in packs." Sammy warned. "Be on your guard."
They vaulted over a concrete barrier that had been erected in the alley, with Motohama going as far as to roll over it like how Sergei showed him.
"Nice mantle, Rookie." Their Team Leader complimented. "That ain't an easy maneuver to pull off with all those guns strapped to ya."
"There's nothing in the alley." Xenovia pointed out. "They must have gone back out to the street."
Delta Squad moved through the side alley and appeared next to a large abandoned parking complex.
"Sarge, look." Motohama pointed towards the third floor of the structure. "Two O'clock high. A mutant."
The snarling mutant lowered its head from cover and disappeared. Sammy grinned before nodding in approval. "Good eye." He then turned to Matsuda. "What did ya call that thing? A monkey dog?" He then produced a black grenade from his belt. "Well...I got a special ball for it to chew on."
Sammy pulled the pin with his teeth and tossed it. The grenade flew up to the third floor before detonating in a massive blast twice as strong as any normal fragmentation grenade.
"Nice!" Matsuda exclaimed.
"Oh shit! Two more of them!" Motohama pointed out.
Two more Mutants appeared on the wall several yards away from the blast radius. Matsuda aimed his weapon and smiled.
"My turn."
He unloaded on the creatures with rounds of pure hellfire. The rifle sprayed depleted uranium shells at the creatures, shredding both of them to bits as they harmlessly fell to the ground. While not the most accurate weapon by any stretch of the imagination, the level of damage it did more than compensated for the rounds that missed.
With the mutants dealt with, the team made their way into the parking structure and up to the third floor. From there, they had a pretty good view of the surrounding area. Including the Church nestled up on the hilltop that they needed to reach.
"Man...from here it almost looks peaceful." Matsuda commented.
"Almost being the operative word." Aika added.
A siren began blaring off in the distance, alerting them to the presence of explosions and machine gun fire that appeared to only be getting louder and louder as they progressed. On the road in front of them, several armored vehicles carrying Assault Tribe warriors raced towards the sound of battle.
"Well that can't be good." Motohama spoke glumly.
Sammy slung his weapon over his shoulder. "Looks like vacation's over boys and girls. We are officially about to enter the suck."
The sirens could be heard for miles. Whatever omens they carried with them, it had the survivors of the Church scared. She could see it in their eyes. Irina had been doing her damndest to keep this group together. She, along with Aldin, had given it their all for these brave souls. They'd fortified the church with makeshift barricades. They'd placed razor wire on the ramparts and mounted machine guns at designated positions. She'd used up the last of her C4 placing traps for whatever elected to attack them, and had armed every able bodied man and woman with rifles and shotguns while all those too young, sick, or feeble took shelter in the massive sub-basement below the altar.
But still, she knew it wouldn't be enough. Not with what was awaiting them.
"They're not gonna survive this." Aldin spoke bluntly as he looked at the sea of worried faces in the Church as they readied the last of their meager defenses. "Not with this moral."
Some were crying, already saying goodbye to loved ones and praying for their souls.
"Noah's Ark held for forty days and forty nights amidst the flood that God had sent upon mankind." She responded.
He chuckled. "That was just water. We're up against an army."
"The Ark was just wood." She immediately retorted. "Not a Gallion or a Frigate, just a humble vessel made by a wood carver who had no clue what he was doing. And yet it held against the mighty tsunamis that God sent."
"Your point being?"
She clutched at her Mother's cross. "My point being, humankind has stood in the face of overwhelming odds before and lived. This is just another one of those times."
Irina felt a gentle tug on her arm, she turned to see Alice staring up at her with curious brave little eyes.
"What are you doing here, Sweetie? All the other children are downstairs." She smiled gently at her.
"Ms. Irina…" Alice gulped back her fears and gazed up at her with fierce determination. "...I want to fight!"
She gasped slightly in surprise, not sure how to respond to this.
"Everyone else is being so brave and trying to protect us." Alice continued, her mind resolute. "Daddy gave his life trying to protect me. I...I want to protect everyone too."
Aldin couldn't help but crack a grin at the child. "She's got guts, I'll give her that much."
Irina knelt down and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Alice. But this time, you'll have to let me protect everyone."
She frowned at her dejectedly. "But...but I'm strong! I promise I am! I'm not a crybaby like those other kids. I'll fight real hard and protect everyone too!"
The Holy Sword User kissed the small child on the forehead, much to her surprise before smiling down at her lovingly.
"I have no doubt that you could fight harder than most of the adults here with that kind of bravery." She assured in as gentle a voice as she could muster. "But you're still too young for this, my Dear."
She folded her arms and pouted in rejection. "Being weak sucks…"
Irina gave her a surprised look.
"I couldn't do anything to help Daddy...I can't do anything to help you." Tears began to form in her eyes. "I wish I was like you. I wish I wasn't so weak."
She didn't know it, but young Alice had just given her an idea. Irina turned and looked once more at the beleaguered, hopeless faces of the men and women who would be defending their only bastion of safety.
They needed to hear the truth. It was the only way that any of them were going to come out of this alive.
"Stay with the child." She commanded Aldin before making her way up to the altar.
"Ms. Irina? Where are you going?" Alice asked curiously.
Irina climbed the stairs up to the altar and turned to face the crowd. With a sharp whistle she got their attention. Each of them turned and looked up at her with curious eyes, much the same way Alice was currently doing.
It was time for the Shepherd to lead her flock. Irina took a deep breath and addressed them.
"My fellow survivors." She declared, her voice resonating throughout the church. "Many of you don't know who I am, or why I have fought so feverishly to defend us. I wish I could say it was purely out of the goodness of my own heart but…" Her expression darkened and she sighed guiltily. "...the truth is...I've been lying to you. The enemy that threatens us. The one that has engulfed this city, and all its people, it cares little for any of you." She pointed to the basement. "The only thing that it's after, is what I have hidden away in that cellar down there. Weapons with the power to slay biblical monsters. That is my true objective. To safeguard them from wicked forces." With a steely look she continued. "But that ends here. I swear to each and every one of you, not as a woman of God, but as a fellow survivor, I will hide nothing from you anymore."
They all perked up their heads and gave her their full attention now, dropping whatever it is they were doing in the process.
"The world we live in is not as it seems." She continued. "For eons, Planet Earth has been the theatre of a massive war between cosmic forces beyond our comprehension. A war fought for the very fate of our souls and indeed the soul of this great planet itself. My Order, and Orders very much like it, have fought for centuries to keep these dark forces at bay." Her head lowered at her next words. "But times have changed, and we can no longer safeguard humanity the way we once did. Many have lost their faith in us, and have allowed evil and corruption to seed its way into every facet of our society." She raised her head up again. "So I ask you now. Is it because humans were always destined to go extinct? Is it our leaders who failed us? Is it because, in the grand scheme of things, we are the lowest form of life on the totem pole compared to those who would claim our spirits? Are we destined to die like cattle before the might of our Dark Lords?"
They all looked around at each other as if not quite understanding where she was going with this.
Anger formed in her features as she clenched her fists tight. "Not a chance! No way! In the ancient times, Angels, Devils, and Fallen fought amongst each other in a never ending cycle of war! And we not only fought amongst them, we lived to survive to this day!" She raised her hands up to them. "Have you never once asked yourselves, how is it that this whole planet has come to be ruled by humans? Why is it that the three races seek to claim ownership over our souls, over our planet? Is it because of our violent nature? The Devils and the Fallen are just as violent and far more powerful. We do not possess a shred of their strength, their magic, or their longevity. So then...what made us able to conquer this planet? We must have been warriors right? Nay, my friends. We were able to survive and conquer this planet because...
The Survivors looked up to her expectantly. Waiting for her answer.
"...we are weak." She finished.
Their expressions glowered and they all hung their heads. That was not the answer they were hoping for, yet still she continued.
"In every era of human history, the strong have sharpened their fangs and gnashed their teeth at us. Meanwhile, WE have sharpened our intellect. We forged an Empire on this small desolate rock. A HUMAN empire, from the sacrifices of our forebears. So why then are we in such dire straits now?" She spoke to them with strength. "It's because our rise to prominence has broken the fangs of the strong, and forced them to sharpen their minds out of necessity. Just as we once did."
They remained silent, their heads bowed in mournful resignation.
"Now the strategies, the wisdom, the intellect that we once monopolized, the power to beat all the odds, the strong has gained them all! That is what has brought us to this state!" With another deep breath, she looked upon their forlorn faces, a radiant grin forming on her features. "Now answer me this...what makes you bow your heads like that?"
The survivors all raised their heads up at her curiously again.
"I'll ask again. Why do you bow your heads?!" She placed her fist against her heart. "You should be PROUD to be weak! We are the weak! Just as we have always been! Don't you see?! Nothing has changed at all!"
Energy and fervor slowly returned to the room.
"True the strong may imitate our weapons, our strategies, our technology, but they will NEVER Master them as we have! Why?! Because at the heart of our strength lies a fearful anxiety of our most humiliating weaknesses! This fear has not only given us the insight to escape from the strong but to learn their secrets! It has given us the wisdom of experience, because we must predict the future to survive! I say it once more, be proud to be weak! We are the noble weak who have, throughout history, torn out the throats of those fools who sit idly by and boast of their strength!"
She summoned her Katana and raised it into the air.
"As God as my witness, this Church will not fall to the strong who pray upon our doorstep! Together we shall do as humanity as always done and survive as the weak! Protect our weak brethren! And use our wisdom to make the strong bow before us! You are, each of you, a part of a proud legacy! The wisest of the races! The ones who can become anything…"
Power surged through her being.
"...because they were born with NOTHING!"
A thunderous cry punctuated the Church as humanity raised their weapons into the air and cheered. Let the flood come, for they would weather this storm.
He was in agony. Sheer, unbridled agony. How many cuts had Kiba received? Too many to count. And though he couldn't die, that somehow only made it worse. His whole body was racked with pain to the point he couldn't even move. Meanwhile, Mouse continued to taunt him while pacing around like a feral animal.
"Do you finally understand?" Mouse sneered at him with derision. "There is no going back for you. You've lost everything, Fynn. Everything in your life that once had meaning. Your family is DEAD because of you. Because of your cowardice. And soon, the only ones who took you in will turn against you as well."
He slowly approached the wounded Kiba and aimed his sword down at him. "Which is why you should just give up and let ME take control. This mind no longer obeys you. What once was your strength now belongs solely to me."
Kiba found it in him to slowly reach for his sword.
"You flounder in your guilt and anger." Mouse continued. "And have let yourself rot beyond the point of return. Every chance at a life worth living has passed you by, Fynn."
He gripped the handle of his rusted weapon.
"You're afraid to be alone with your thoughts. So you tried to drown them. What you don't realize though…" He picked Kiba up by the scruff of his hair and glared into his half dead eyes. "...those voices that you've tried so hard to block out...will scream more and more loudly. Scream until your ears bleed."
Mouse prepared for the coup de grace.
"So just keep covering your ears, Fynn. Because soon you'll sink so deep that you'll never hear anything agai-"
"No…"
Mouse stopped upon hearing the quiet whisper speak back to him.
"I...I won't live this way…" Slowly, Kiba willed his sword hand to move.
Mouse's eyes went wide in disbelief. "You...you actually intend to resist? Even after all you've endured? You cannot possibly hope to-"
"JUST SHUT UP!"
He was completely floored. Where was this sudden energy coming from? What was this strength in his opponents eyes?
"I don't want to hear it anymore!" Kiba grabbed hold of Mouse's arm and with his free hand and held fast. "You don't rule me! I don't have to live like this! I don't…"
Kiba's sword began to glow.
"...have to live like YOU!"
He plunged his blade deep into Mouse's heart. The expression on his doppleganger's face was less dismay and more just sheer shock. Slowly, his body began to crack as if composed from glass.
"You...you actually did it." He spoke in complete disbelief even as his whole body cracked apart at the seams. "But I was...so...very...close…"
Mouse shattered into a million pieces and Kiba fell to the ground, gasping for air as the pain ebbed from his body. Though the wounds of his ordeal had vanished, the weariness of his spirit had not. It took every last ounce of strength he had to stand up.
At that moment, the facade of the compound he was standing in began to break away and float off into the wind. Kiba was left standing in a great black void, with only a single ray of light off in the distance as a landmark.
Slowly, painfully, he walked towards the light. The closer he got, the more he could hear what sounded like a child singing.
And then he saw it, a little girl with brunette hair playing in a small patch of grass and flowers. The small ray of light in the darkness providing her only source of illumination. As Kiba approached, the little girl turned and peered at him with two curious eyes before smiling brightly.
"Well well well, can it really be?" She giggled sweetly at him. "It certainly has been some time, Fynn."
He knew her. Not as a spirit, or some faceless spectre, Kiba knew this girl, as he did all the faces of his friends, his family.
The ones he left behind.
"Emile." He whispered breathlessly before collapsing to his knees in the grass.
She walked up to him and placed her tiny hands on his cheeks. "You seem to be tired, Fynn. You must have had a long journey trying to find me."
His voice trembled at her touch.
"There's no need to be scared, Fynn." Emile assured sweetly. "This place is safe. Nothing can hurt you hear." She then hugged him tightly before looking up into his eyes. "It's so good to see you again. How does it feel to be back amongst your old memories?" Her expression glowered somewhat as she looked around the black empty void. "This place has changed much since you left us here, Fynn. As you can see it's...gone to the dogs." She laughed slightly, though it had no real depth or meaning behind it.
He couldn't speak. The words wouldn't form.
"Do you remember how it was before the darkness?" She asked like a curious toddler. "Do you remember how it used to be? Before our family was broken apart?" Emile's bright smile returned. "You were almost as little as me, back then. And you used to visit us all the time. We were your best friends."
His lower lip began to quiver ever so slightly.
"Don't you see, Fynn? We are you. And you are us. That's how it was when we were alive, and that's how it still is now. You were our family." She cast her gaze away. "We loved you once...and we still do. But some of us are terribly confused and frightened. That phantom who's been wandering the darkness...calling himself you. He's been keeping you from the truth with his vicious lies." She cast her gaze back up at him resolutely. "Without you this darkness...this darkness suffocates us. It has warped us all into something you can hardly recognize. Something...monstrous."
And yet again, that bright ray of sunshine in her eyes returned.
"But we are still yours, Dear Fynn. And we long for the light. That warm light that once shone on us every day. Back when you used to love us…"
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged Kiba yet again.
"...back when you used to love YOU."
His voice caught as the tears slowly built up. As each one rolled down his cheek, it hit the soft grass beneath him, creating another flower in the tiny meadow.
She peered up at him curiously. "Why are you crying, Fynn? You should be happy." Emile pressed her cheek tightly to his chest again and sighed. "You know what you have to do now. You have to forgive yourself. You have to forgive yourself for what those bad people did to us. Only then can you live your life fully."
She shut her eyes tight.
"Until then...we will all remain here. Crying out for the warmth of the light."
Kiba wrapped his arms around her and hugged the small girl tightly to him, silently sobbing out decades worth of pent up anger and pain. Watering the small meadow and causing it to grow in size.
"I've missed you." He whispered in between shaky breaths. "I've missed you all so much. Don't worry. I will try harder...and I won't give up."
He finally let her go and stood, turning his eyes up to the beam in the sky.
"You will all see the light again."
Kiba's wings unfurled and he sored up towards the bright orb above. The light enveloped him like a shroud…
...and his eyes opened once more.
