To the Darkest of Nights We Go

~Dystopian AU ~

Chapter 82

Written By: RinoaDestiny

King of Fighters, Chizuru Kagura, Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Mai Shiranui, Blue Mary, Rock Howard, and Joe Higashi all belong to SNK


"What was that?"

The sudden swell of sound, like the roar of many beasts, had risen and then stopped, ending with unnerving silence. It stretched, itself a presence in the classroom; Rock stepped away from the black square of window, uneasy. Dad had awoken first and then was gone, dashing out the room. Kyo wasn't here, either and Rock had no idea when he'd left. The others were wary, wearing expressions similar to his, all illuminated by the Shiranui flames wreathing Mai's hand.

No one answered Joe.

The voices – that frightening boom in the night – had come from the direction of the garrison. Why?

Footsteps outside and the classroom door slid open, nearly jolted off its track. "Grab what you can! We have to leave now."

"Why?"

"Kyo said it's urgent. No time to explain. We just have to leave."

Behind Terry stood Kyo, himself illuminated by fire. His face was tense and agitated, while his body seemed ready to spring into action. Jittery. That was what Kyo was, and that alone determined Rock's next course of action. He grabbed his much lighter bag off his desk.

Mai retrieved the sealed container, shoving her desk aside.

Joe and Mary slung their bags over their shoulders, turning towards the door.

Behind Terry, Kyo stepped away. He angled his body in the direction of the rest of the dark hallway, foot twitching. He's anxious. He wants out. It was a contagious thought, because now the classroom confined and who knew what lay beyond the window in the night?

"Let's go."

With Kyo leading the front and Mai covering the back, giving them sufficient light, they thundered down the stairs and burst out the front door. The eerie silence continued – Rock swore he heard something beneath it – and the tension in Kyo's body didn't ease. The man tipped his head sideways, not towards the main gate, and Terry asked him a question Rock couldn't hear. Kyo responded quietly in return and then Terry motioned to them. Towards the back.

"Side streets. There's a back exit."

Once again, following Kyo's lead, they headed in that direction. Kyo's attention flicked left at one point and Rock didn't understand until he passed the spot and noticed dark scorch marks. This was where…

Sympathy gripped him, a familiar friend in these times.

They cleared the back exit's low bar – Mai taking extra precaution due to her injury – and spilled out into the side street. "Where do we go now?" Terry asked, for Kyo glanced around, as if confronted with the same issue.

"Dunno from where they'd come." A few seconds' pause. "Just away from the garrison."

"Behind us, then. That'll take us towards the smokescreen."

"Smokescreen?"

"You were on the rooftop earlier. Did you see anything looking hazy?"

"You call that a smokescreen?" Puzzlement in Kyo's voice.

"Yeah." Terry turned, facing the long stretch of road dimly lit by a few streetlights. "We should go there, if we need to. It's open ground."

Open ground with burning trash fires. Not the best place to hide, but Rock didn't know what was going on. Only Kyo seemed to, and Kyo wasn't saying. The man threw a rapid glance down the street and nodded. "You lead, Bogard."

"Sure."

Kyo fell in line behind Terry, and Mai continued guarding from the end. They were leaving the sanctuary of the school – why? – and going towards the most dangerous strip of land in Ikuno. If patrols were still there at night, wasn't this suicidal? Why the sudden rush there? But then again, what about those voices coming from the garrison? What had happened there?

At night, the buildings loomed as silent observers, cold and untouchable despite their decrepitude. They hurried past them – past closed and rusted gates and opaque dark windows – ignoring the occasional scurry of a mouse or some other nocturnal animal. Yet, the unnatural quiet permeated the area until Rock's nerves were wound tight. Ahead of him, Kyo didn't say a word; he limped along, dragging his feet as quickly as possible. Behind him, Joe breathed in and out, a slight change in the rhythm of his stride. Rock worried about it, but then refocused on the men up front.

They reached the end of the street, which angled towards a right turn. Took it, following its direction until it left them at an intersection of small roads. Ahead in the darkness, a scattering of streetlights lit the ruined city blocks. Since they were going towards the smokescreen, they needed to leave this behind. Find the place where less cover indicated the invisible boundary between the two.

Terry went left. Kyo, still silent, followed.

Rock glanced behind him, catching the swift exchange of expressions between Joe and Mary. Apprehension and fear, as though Kyo's emotions had spilled over onto them all. Only Mai's face he didn't see, because Mai watched the darkness behind them. The Shiranui flames were no longer on her fingertips.

He didn't look for long. Rock made the turn, following the two older men.

They progressed this way for several minutes, further unsettled as time passed. Always, Rock felt someone watching – he couldn't say or pinpoint why – and it brought goose pimples to his flesh. It wasn't anything he'd voice out loud; it was already frightening enough, tonight having so much unexplained. Were soldiers on the way here? What'd happened at the garrison after the noise died down?

The buildings grew sparse, a few here and there. If he squinted, the pinprick glows of multiple fires were visible ahead. At night, the haziness was a charcoal smear, sickly yellow its underbelly. From this distance, Rock couldn't see any people. They had to get closer. They were going there to face whatever was coming.

An unfamiliar sound ripped the space behind them.

"That's Goenitz!" Kyo said, voice strained and panicked. "Bogard –"

"Come on!"

The sound kept repeating behind them, smaller noises like echoes in the dark. Stealth abandoned, they ran towards the trash fires. No soldiers. Surreal eeriness, smothering. If the others felt the same, Rock didn't know. The soft slap of his bag against his leg. Heavy breaking noises in the distance, now left behind. Fires burning, each contained in its own steel drum.

Sudden rush of wind. In front of him, Kyo stopped. Turned.

Silence stretching. Unending.

They stood before the stretch of smoky land, as if paralyzed. Jaw clenched, Kyo stared into the darkness behind them. It made Rock nervous. Not helping was the noxious smoke. It burned his nostrils and irritated his throat. He coughed, unable to suppress his discomfort.

"What are we waiting for?" Terry asked, sounding anxious.

"Goenitz is here. Just don't know –"

"Kyo! Terry! Behind you – look!" Mary shouted, alarmed.

Before his eyes – before them all, some turning in haste – the steel drums' trash fires simultaneously flared upward. Flames swirled, multiple sparks glowing orange in the now lit night. Burned orange…before turning violet. Kyo cursed savagely, shifting into stance. Rock did the same, gut instinct on full alert. Around him, he heard the others follow suit. Iori Yagami was dead, so who had these flames?

"Does this look familiar, Kyo Kusanagi?" A voice in the smoke, light and mocking.

Kyo muttered something under his breath.

"With the slaughter you and Yagami did, all that fighting energy made this ward the perfect ground for my return." The voice was clear and articulate, despite the obvious distance. "You made it possible."

Kyo snarled. Rock had never heard Kyo snarl before.

"We'll kill you and the others here." A full moment of silence. "You lost."

"No." Ahead of him, Kyo stepped forward, seemingly unaffected by the thick smoke. "We haven't."

Silence.

Wind howling in the dark. Spooked, Rock turned and glimpsed moving shapes – moving? – coming from behind. Shapes advancing towards them. He backpedaled, calling out. "Soldiers!"

Kyo swore again.

Terry said something but the roaring of flames covered it. Fire like molten gold against the black of night, rippling and crackling. The heat was incredible, altering the air between them and the soldiers. A wall of fire, reaching sky-high.

"Won't hold them for long!" Kyo shouted. "Bogard!"

"We have no choice. Fall back!"

Into the haze they went, where their enemy waited. Rock coughed, eyes streaming. Using his sleeve, he wiped them and his running nose dry. "The generals and Orochi are mine," he thought he heard Kyo say. "Bogard, I'll cover you and your team when I can."

"We'll cover yours."

Around them, the violet flames shot higher. "Bogard, move!"

Impossibly – for how could it be? – a cyclone tore through the Kusanagi flames. Strength unabated, it bore down, barreling straight for them. Rock threw himself to the side, rolling into a crouched position. Steel drums, lifted like toys, were flung about, crashing into other drums in a cacophony. Contents from the tipped drums burnt, ground set alit with ghostly purple flame. The bag now a hindrance, Rock removed it and put it aside. Waited and observed the others.

Terry looked farther into the smokescreen. There was an enemy there.

Kyo stared into darkness, gaze penetrating. Something around his neck glowed.

Soldiers in the near distance. Soldiers and someone else. Someone Kyo knew.

Pervasive stillness. Violet and orange flames crackled. The Kusanagi fires dwindled, line of brightness fading. The soldiers advanced past the disrupted barrier, splitting into formation. Near him, there was a faint sound from Mai.

"Oh fuck," Kyo said, tone dire.

What? What was it?

"Bogard, don't let them get close. I'll do what I can."

What? What was he missing?

"Kyo Kusanagi." Unlike the voice behind them, this one was deep and commanding. It carried well, precise and direct in the waiting silence. "I see the disloyal hound is dead. His presence is no more."

"Goenitz," Kyo snarled, voice low and fists tightening.

"You're the only one left. Why struggle? Why bring these curs with you?" A tall figure strode from darkness into light. Rock's first impression was of stern angles and unyielding arrogance. "You have no victory, only defeat. Did you think you could transport a god and his most loyal servant away? A minor inconvenience. Those men with us will never return – such is the price for loyalty. You have no escape. Bring yourself forth and surrender."

"Like fuck I will," Kyo said, eyes narrowing.

"Or they will die here with you. Unnecessary, wouldn't you say?"

Was Goenitz talking…about them?

"How tiresome," said the voice behind them, childish and cruel. "End this, Goenitz. End this, so we may return without…complications."

"As you wish." Goenitz advanced. So, too, did the soldiers flanking him. His arm rose, finger pointed towards Kyo's direction. "Take out Kyo Kusanagi first. The others are of less importance."

"What'd you say, you bastard?"

"Joe, no!" Terry shouted.

Deafening roars of flame – orange and purple – as Kusanagi fire drew rapid perimeters around them. Orochi's flames towered, throwing malevolent light upon the battlefield. Rock scrambled to his feet, assessing the tumult. Kyo had fallen back, body slanted towards both opponents within and without. Determination drawn over fear, for Kyo's expression was sharp and watchful. Who was in the center of the smokescreen?

"Rock, those are stealth units." Mai stood beside him. "Be careful."

What?

Ravaging wind – dreadful howling. Kyo's foremost perimeter fell in a spray of dying sparks. The soldiers crossed over, separating into four smaller units. One headed for Joe and Mary; one directly towards Kyo, Goenitz in the lead; one against Terry; and, one bearing down towards them. Mai immediately placed herself before him like a guard. "Rock, stay behind me!"

Lines of fire flickering on the ground, spiraling upward.

They were close enough to see Kyo, but too far away to help. Kyo hadn't moved – appeared focused, watching Goenitz approach. The others had increased distance between themselves and the soldiers, stances taken. Golden lines shining bright in otherworldly light, gathering strength. Heat thick in the air, creating shimmers and hovering like another layer of haze. Rock breathed, tasting humidity and backed away further. Still, the soldiers continued to advance.

Kyo stood there, watching. Was he waiting for something? Someone? The soldiers? Goenitz?

Mai pushed him back, retreating. The soldiers assigned to them were almost upon them and yet…

Great power building beneath their feet. Waiting to be released.

Goenitz and his unit had stopped. The others hadn't.

They can't sense it. What's happening – what Kyo's doing.

The four-man squad was closer. Closer to the flames near their feet.

Goenitz didn't move. Neither did Kyo.

Closer. Closer. Rock tugged on Mai's arm and they both moved back, letting the soldiers assume they were afraid. Assumptions might help – might let them live past this first intimidation. This planned first assault.

"Foolish, Kyo Kusanagi." Goenitz speaking, letting himself be heard. "You think it will change the end?"

If there was a response, Rock never heard it.

Two of the soldiers stepped a hairsbreadth away from the waiting flames.

The battlefield seemed to explode, all redrawn perimeters surging forth with fiery vengeance. The two soldiers incinerated in an instant, too close to avoid the scorching wall. Elsewhere, Rock heard screams. Commands shouted. Mai grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "We need to join with the others." A quick glance around – the remaining soldiers were regrouping – and Kyo wasn't waiting around, either. Movement, chaos, light, and smoke.

Someone new had entered (or was always there), engaging in battle with Kyo. Rock couldn't tell who it was.

"Come on, Rock!"

Goenitz raised an arm – the gesture terrifying – and cyclones seemed to sprout from the ground, whirling. Asphalt and chunks of dirt flew, scattered far and wide, as the monstrosities ripped across terrain. Steel drums again were tossed here and there, their strewn contents blazing with unholy violet light. Kyo and Terry both ducked under flying stray drums. Rock glimpsed Mary kicking one to unbalance the soldier she fought. A boy in their midst – purple flames surrounding him – walked serenely through violence and disorder as though nothing had occurred.

The light voice again, mocking. "That all you have, Kusanagi?"

One of the soldiers in Goenitz's unit had taken position further away, rifle in hand. Was aiming it at…

"Kyo!" Rock yelled, for he was close enough now to be heard. "Sniper!"

Kyo turned and for a brief second, something on him shone.

"I can't let you do that, Kusanagi." The cruel childish voice again. Purple flames. A small figure.

"Rock! Follow me!" Mai said beside him, for his cry had alerted two other soldiers in Goenitz's unit. He marked how they observed the ground – it won't work on them – and fell back. "We need to join Terry!"

Echoing report of a shot fired.

Whatever Kyo had intended on doing, it'd been interrupted. The Sacred Treasure flinched. Flinched and staggered, stumbling away from the boy, whose slow deliberate steps promised pain and death.

"Kyo!" Terry blocking the boy's path, standing before the injured man. "Hey! Why don'tcha pick on someone else?"

"You wish to die, cur?"

Howling wind – a cyclone bearing down upon Terry and Kyo.

"You're not the only one with wind, bastard! Screw Upper!"

An enormous crimson tornado ravaged the ground, tearing straight into Goenitz's cyclone. Rock braced himself as the collision of both blasted wind across the entire expanse. Debris everywhere, purple and violet sparks swirling and dying, and the soldiers behind them were masked by smoke. It no longer bothered him, Rock realized, and then he began to run, following Mai.

"What a nuisance." No annoyance in Goenitz's voice. "A mere distraction."

They found Kyo, who'd hoisted himself up and against a standing steel drum. Blood dark on his shirt, still dripping. In the ghastly light, Kyo was pale and trembling. A black smear against the side of the drum with a single streak angling towards ruined ground.

"Kyo…"

"Go find…the others."

"And you?" Mai asked, sounding as horrified as Rock felt. "What about –"

"I'll…do what I can."

Sounds of combat around them: Terry throwing punches, dodging, trying to divert the boy's attention; Joe standing against Goenitz, tornadoes versus cyclones; and, Mary weaving in and out between two soldiers, avoiding their knives. Glancing behind him, Rock noticed the two soldiers tracking them were on their tail. Had spotted them and brought their sidearms out.

Kyo made a sound, then. Disappeared.

Rock barely had time to react before Kyo reappeared before the soldiers. A swift motion, a wave of flame swallowing the soldiers whole – they screamed – and then Kyo was back with them. Sweat beading on his forehead, the dark stain growing larger, and the man looked nauseous. Barely holding himself together. "Kyo, we can…" We can fight alongside you. Protect you.

"That was…" Mai stared at Kyo, nonplussed. "Chizuru did…"

Kyo nodded, but didn't give them any explanations. "The others. Don't…worry about me."

Heat gathering thick in the air around Kyo. Rock looked at him, but Kyo's focus had gone inward, concentrating. Glancing around, he spotted Mary still dodging the soldiers, unable to go in for a takedown. Without looking back, Rock sprinted towards her. Mai followed close behind, picking up speed. He heard her peel off early, the angle of her incoming attack changing.

They attacked laterally, taking both soldiers off guard. A crunch as Mai's elbow crushed a soldier's windpipe. Mary ducking in, motion swift towards the remaining soldier. Something in her hands, followed by gurgling sounds and the soldier pitching forward. Rock reached up, wiping blood off his face. A gun in Mary's hand, muzzle trailing smoke and it wasn't hers. He wasn't sure how many stealth soldiers were left, but Kyo had killed two earlier. Four now.

"That all?" he asked.

"Don't know," Mary responded. "How's Kyo? What –"

"He's hurt."

"Badly?"

"Yes." Rock recalled the dark spreading stain on Kyo's shirt. "We need to –"

His dad yelling. A cry of pain from Kyo. Joe swearing a blue streak, sounding aggravated and exhausted. The nightmarish howl of Goenitz's cyclones – of the winds skirling around them – suddenly masking human voices. It was like being in a vacuum. Remote. Cut off.

Dust in the air creating a new smothering haze. Light shifting, eerie and disturbing. The battlefield was still the same, yet had undergone a drastic shift. It wasn't the smokescreen they knew anymore. It was, Rock thought with horror, a killing field shaped by Goenitz. By O.R.O.C.H.I.'s forces and they were the hunted here. Distances were no longer discernable and the enemy could be anywhere.

Terrified, Rock looked around, trying to find his bearings.

Flashes of orange and purple, obscured here and there by the hanging pall of dust. To his far left, a vortex of crimson shredded the night sky. It was like a beacon, for Joe was there. Joe was by himself and Kyo was…. A brilliant burst of energy farther ahead, timed right after a fiery flicker chasing violet. His dad was with Kyo, fighting alongside the wounded man. How was Kyo still fighting?

Mai crashed into him, tugging Mary in tow. "Rock!"

"Joe needs help!" He found himself yelling, because the wind threatened to cover his voice. "He's fighting Goenitz!"

"Where's Kyo?"

"With Dad!"

"Mai, you go with Rock!" Mary stared into the distance. "I'm gonna find Terry!"

"He's up ahead!" Rock shouted, pointing where he last saw the energy burst.

"We'll find you later!" Then, Mary was gone, vanishing into the enveloping haze.

Once again, the wind dominated, suffocating all sound to nil. Rock cast his line of sight leftward, catching a glimpse of a red vortex. With Mai behind him, he raced towards the area, unsure of its exact location. If there were still soldiers here, he couldn't tell. He tripped over toppled steel drums, sprawling upon torn ground and ripping his palms open. Purple fire burned here and there, reminding him of the flames in the boy's hands. Yagami had the same fire, but the sensation experienced here was different. Or maybe not. Maybe, this was what the O.R.O.C.H.I. soldiers felt, seeing the garrison burn that night.

He glanced back, only seeing Mai. Couldn't tell where Terry, Mary, and Kyo were.

"Keep going, Rock," Mai said, countenance serious. "We're almost there."

He continued, pressing forward.

With the distances obscured, they stumbled upon the maelstrom of battle between Joe and Goenitz. Joe, Rock saw, wasn't able to cross over to where Goenitz stood. The O.R.O.C.H.I. general was untouchable. Wind skirled around them and the sensation of being encaged unsettled Rock. He tried to move forward, only for the wind to cut, drawing blood. He looked at Joe again and realization of what Goenitz had done struck him like a landed bolt.

Joe wasn't throwing Screw Uppers trying to attack. Joe was trying to break free.

"Joe!"

Goenitz turned, motion impossibly smooth, and stepped closer. "How impolite." No disgust or hatred in his voice, which carried past the howling winds. "Interrupting a fight? I believe you know better than that." Arrogance and cold condescension instead. "Why is humanity full of folly? Seeking its own death by running towards it?"

The man raised a hand. A small cloak billowed around his shoulders.

Rock blinked. Stepped back.

The small cyclone tossed him off his feet, hurling him to the ground. Taste of blood in his mouth – he'd bitten his tongue – and minute cuts and abrasions on his face and arms.

"Rock!" Mai facing Goenitz, reminding Rock of Terry standing before Kyo. "How dare you!"

"Mai!" he called out, fear gripping him. If Goenitz wanted to, he could…

"Get away from them, you bastard!"

Joe. Had he broken free?

There was a moment of absolute silence. Rock felt his blood turn cold, for even the winds stopped howling. Goenitz turned away from them, facing Joe and the single action was pure menace. "You are nothing. A little distraction while the Sacred Treasure bleeds out. You no longer entertain me." Finality there, Goenitz's tone cold. "I'm done toying with you."

Then, Goenitz was gone.

Rock blinked, startled. Kyo had done the same, which meant…. He pushed himself off the ground, shaking his head to clear it. What about Joe? What was –

Joe shouting in the near distance. A mighty wind arose, abruptly cutting it short.

Mai whirled around and seized him by the shoulders. "Rock, go find Mary! She's with Kyo and Terry!" A sudden push, propelling him in the opposite direction. Away from Mai. Away from Goenitz.

"What about –"

"Go, Rock!" A sudden altering of the wind. Mai shifted into defensive stance. "Go help them!"

"Mai!"

"Go!"

Unable to persuade her, Rock stumbled back, horrified. The wind changed again, Goenitz reappearing with it. The last thing Rock saw was a bright wheel of flame spinning downward. Panicking, he bolted. Goenitz would be after him next and…

He killed them. I…I can't fight him.

The battlefield was suddenly too large. He wasn't sure where Kyo, Mary, and his dad were. What if he missed them in the haze? He was afraid. Goenitz could be right behind him. Could show up without warning in front of him and if that happened, he'd die. He didn't stand a chance against him. Against one of O.R.O.C.H.I.'s generals. What if he encountered that boy here as well? Or one of the stealth soldiers, looming out of the dust like his worst nightmare?

Trails of orange, followed by purple flashes. Sounds of human voices, of physical combat. A relief compared to what he'd left behind. They came from his right just up ahead. He just needed to…

"Do you think you can escape?"

Rock raised his voice. Screamed. "Kyo! Dad! Help!"

"Howard! Move!"

Kyo was coming towards him. Rock rolled, breaking right just as a white-hot wave of flame sped past. Behind him – for Goenitz was that close – the O.R.O.C.H.I. general did an idle gesture with his hand, dissipating the Kusanagi flame. Kyo, pale yet somehow still standing (still fighting), stepped back and firmed his stance. In the unnatural hazy light, parts of his shirt were dark, as though drenched with black paint. "Howard…Bogard's fighting…Chris." Kyo never removed his gaze from Goenitz, Rock noticed. "Your choice."

Kyo was injured. Had managed – how? – to stay in the fight.

"You won't last much longer, Kyo Kusanagi."

Silence.

"Where's Dad?"

"Behind me. Keep…going. You'll see him and…Ryan." Fire swirled around Kyo's fists, reminding Rock of Mai's Shiranui flames. Mai was dead, killed by Goenitz. "Be careful."

Rock nodded and retreated, keeping his eyes on Goenitz. When he felt safe, he turned and ran. Thought he heard Kyo mention Yagami before that particular battleground fell away. Violet and yellow flashes ahead. Terry and Mary's voices. Sounds of blows landed. No wind here, blocking sound or driving him insane with fright.

Because of Kyo. Because Kyo intercepted Goenitz. Was fighting him despite his injuries. Despite the obvious pain.

The last Sacred Treasure against one of Orochi's own.

Rock clenched his jaw, running headlong into the next fight. This time, he witnessed it unfolding like a picture scroll. Terry's punches blowing craters into the ground. The boy – Chris – nimbly avoiding the attacks, retaliating with rapid bursts of flame. His dad dodging, moving sideways while advancing. Mary, spotting him, raced over and pulled him aside.

"Rock! Are you okay? Where's Joe? Mai?"

Dread only, for urgency stayed grief. "Goenitz…they…"

"Are they okay?"

"They're dead." Joe's final shouts lost to the wind. Mai in her wheel of fire, buying him time to escape. "Goenitz was…"

"Rock! Mary!" Terry's voice bellowing. "Watch out!"

With split second reflex – not quite grasping what his eyes saw – Rock broke away from Mary and dove low. The boy shot past him, violet flames trailing and pivoted in a smooth motion. Chris was younger than him by several years, but the eyes in that boyish face were intense and cold. Violet light otherworldly in his crimson irises, casting a sickly hue on the whites. "Your pup, mangy cur?" Nothing was innocent in that light taunting voice. "Are you so eager to have him killed?"

Rock watched Chris, sizing up the boy – the second O.R.O.C.H.I. general – even as Chris did the same, coldly observing him. He kept silent, refusing to retort. All he knew was Chris was quick and –

The boy within range before Rock could blink. He threw his arms up, catching Chris' deft kicks, which would bruise later. The boy withdrew, but Rock had gained a measure of his opponent now and was wary. Mary circled Chris on the other side, not making any sudden moves. Behind him, Rock sensed Terry's presence. Three of them against Chris and yet…

Underestimating this child – this general of O.R.O.C.H.I.'s – would be a fatal mistake. Something about Chris reminded Rock of a snake, uncoiling and waiting.

Chris moved. Rock barely caught the blur of motion before Chris' strike smashed through his guard. Reeling, he felt his feet hit ground one unsteady step at a time. Saw Chris approaching, face twisted with malicious delight.

A movement, just as swift, from his side.

"Power Geyser!" Massive blast of energy, light normal in the weird dusty haze. Dad. Mary had circled back around, lifting him to his feet.

Chris, oddly enough, had fallen back. Smiled at them, which meant…what?

An eerie pall settled over the entirety of the smokescreen. Rock unconsciously backed away, disturbed. Standing steel drums reflected violet, flames once again cutting into the dark sky. His dad and Mary, exhausted – bodies still tensed to fight – watched Chris with utmost caution. The dusty haze parted, as if by design, and Goenitz strode through, tossing Kyo Kusanagi to the ground.

"Kyo!"

No. Kyo couldn't be…Goenitz couldn't have…

With his boot, Goenitz flipped Kyo over. The bloodstain on his shirt was vast, red running to black. Kyo's chest still rose and fell, but Rock saw him straining to breathe. Goenitz's boot sole pressed down hard on Kyo's exposed throat, pinning him there. The Sacred Treasure was too weak to even thrash, only making a faint sound. With one hand extended, Goenitz bowed to Chris. "The world is yours, Lord Orochi. Victory is ours, as we expected."

What?

Chris smiled wider – expression hideous on the childish face – and spoke. "And Kyo Kusanagi?"

"Dying. He will be of no further hindrance, my Lord."

The smile remained, even as Chris changed. Rock watched in horrified bewilderment as the boy matured, shedding youth like a discarded skin. Brown hair to white, like frost on silver. Shoulders widening – stretching – while bones beneath skin elongated to accommodate a broader frame. Chris' shirt seemed to dissolve, disappearing bit by bit until a muscular torso was revealed. Chris – no, Orochi – was taller, stronger, and by the time the transformation was complete down to the intricate tattoo, it was evident a god was among them.

A god with serpent's eyes, dark slits in yellow irises, which fixed upon them.

Rock held his breath, afraid to move.

"Goenitz, what plans did you have in store for these mongrels?" Orochi's deep voice echoed, reverberating across the vast empty battlefield. The crunch of debris beneath boots. Two soldiers appeared within Rock's periphery, holding their guns and ready. They looked awed and not a little fearful before Orochi.

Terry shifted onto the balls of his feet, subtly guarding him and Mary. Mary glanced at his dad, but did nothing else.

"The boy is mine. He is the third."

"Why the third?"

"An idle amusement." The towering O.R.O.C.H.I. general gazed at him; Rock had never felt so vulnerable. "Humanity struggles even when meeting its end. I wish to know how the boy would face his death."

Tension in his dad's back muscles. Terry's shirt was translucent with sweat.

"Have done with it, my loyal servant. Finish it and it shall all be ours."

"As you will, my Lord." Goenitz's boot pressed down harder upon Kyo's throat. An arm lifted, hand open and held aloft.

Terry lunged, arm extended to strike. Goenitz, face impassive, didn't move.

A loud report resounded, blood spattering.

"Dad!"

The cyclone that followed wrenched Terry aside, flinging him towards Orochi.

"Daaaad!" Grief and horror and rage. Rock would've surged forward, if not for Mary suddenly grabbing him, holding him there against her.

"Rock, no. No." Tears in her voice. On her face. "Don't."

A crushing sound – Orochi had done something; Rock couldn't tell what – and his dad slumped in the god's grasp. Was then thrown to the ground away from them, lost among the shadows and violet flames. Joe was dead. Mai was gone. Kyo was dying. And Dad…Terry had…Dad died, trying to defend them. To protect him.

"Oh God," he whispered, sinking back upon his heels.

Goenitz turned.

Silence in the wasteland. Fires burning, dominating the plain.

Through tears, through grief, the fires turned orange.