Steven didn't really know where he was running at this point. He didn't have a destination in mind whatsoever. He just felt like he wanted to get away from Beach City. From the ones that had shaken everything to it's core.
Wind whipped his face as he ran far faster than any normal person could. If someone were to see him at the moment, all they would be able to distinguish was a glowing pink blur. Accented by the slowly encroaching darkness of the rainy night.
Water had soaked nearly every part of his skin and had thoroughly drenched his clothes. His shoes stuck full of mud.
But he would rather feel that every day of the week if he could just go back to the way things were just a few hours ago. If he could stop the truth from coming out for everyone to hear.
It happened soon after the two Spartans had shown up at the door. Wondering where Will was, as well as meeting with Garnet. They weren't very talkative, the tall lady with green armor especially. As well as being way to still to be human.
They had both unnerved and interested him at the same time. He could figure out what they were from the stories Quasar and Will had told him. They were Spartan II's, the greatest soldiers and heroes of the human race
But no one told him but how blunt the ones beside his uncle were. Or how utterly inhuman they were. Amythest and Lapis were put off by them almost immediately. But he decided to try and get to know them better. Asking questions like who they were and what they were doing.
The blue one didn't really like him asking all this though. She gazed down at him through her the cold gold visor. She looked like a demon in cold metal armor that would just as much steal your soul when you turned around.
He'd been playing to many games like it, but she reminded him of doomguy. An emotionless killer that would stop at nothing to get the job done.
But the taller one he felt more at peace with when she showed up. She only spoke once and for a very brief moment. But those few words were of a softer, kinder voice.
It was strange for him, the first time in his life that he honestly didn't know how to help someone. To cheer them up and get them out of a funk. If he couldn't help people, then who was he?
Well, he knew now.
He was a Diamond.
As well as his mother.
She wasn't Rose Quartz, leader of the rebellion against Homeworld and the Diamonds. She was one of them! She could've done something to stop this! To stop everything!
But no, she isn't had to start a war didn't she?! She couldn't just come clean to the other Diamonds and demanded they stop.
He didn't really know what to think of mom anymore. She definately wasn't a picture perfect savior that him and everyone else thought she was. But she also wasn't this evil person who wanted nothing more than to make people suffer.
No, he'd seen the true . monster through the holographic screen of Quasar. Blue Diamond was the life definition of a monster in both actions and look.
Her spindly limbs that were deceptively strong. Her razor sharp claws that ripped through that fusion's armor with ease. A terrifying gaze that he felt stared into his very soul and threatened to actually rip it out.
She terrified him to no end. He felt like a little kid watching his first horror movie with Amythest. But at least he had the reassurance that those monsters weren't real, no matter how many times she tried to convince him otherwise. But Blue was far to real. She would get him if she had the chance.
Steven didn't really know why, but he ran in the direction of the woods that bordered beach city. The same woods that Connie lived in several miles deeper in.
The heavy rainfall clouded his sight as he ran. Despite his eyesight being oddly better all of a sudden, he couldn't see anything past 20 feet.
So it was no surprise when his foot snagged on a tree root. Causing him to fall forward and tumble roughly down a hill. He then came to an abrupt stop when his back hit a large tree.
Steven groaned as his back erupted into pain. It felt like he just got punched by Garnet directly in the spine. It didn't feel good.
He slowly lifted himself off the ground. Standing on shakey feet as he tried to brush himself off.
"Damn that hurt." He said to himself as he rubbed his back to try and ease the pain.
He then looked around at the he area he had fallen into. All around him were trees that stretched over a hundred feet tall. The ground was littered with small rocks and boulders. Mossy dirt and puddles littered everywhere else.
Steven then started to walk further in the woods as his mind went back to the thoughts at hand.
"What am I supposed to do now? I don't even know anymore." He said to himself sadly as his eyes trailed toward the ground. Occasionally kicking small rocks and pebbles to try and keep his attention occupied.
But when he gazed down at his reflection in a puddle, he knew that he'd never be able to go back to how things were.
His eyes weren't his old ones at all. The shade of light black they used to be was now a shade of vibrant pink that almost glowed in the dark. His pupils were different as well, now shaped like the diamonds on a playing card. How that worked he had no idea, but that wasn't what mattered.
"Great! Now even my eyes are gonna tell people that I'm a Diamond. Their probably gonna freak out that I'll kill them all or something!" He yelled out as he gripped his hair in frustration.
Steven sighed as he noticed the glow in his eyes get brighter as he got angrier. They almost radiated around him as he noticed how worked up he was. He ungritted his teeth and let his fists uncurl. He took a few deep breaths and let his anger receed from him.
He hated this, he didn't get angry easily. EVER! It was frustrating that for a last half hour he felt nothing but anger, frustration, unease and heartbreak. He isn't felt overwhelmed.
Is this why people did drugs?
Unbenounced to him though was that he wasn't alone in the forest. Far from it.
"Screeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Steven felt goosebumps on his arms and shivers go up his spine when he heard the Banshee like screaming. He bolted upright and summoned his shield. Which was now interlaced with hexagonal like patterns.
He scanned around him for whatever caused the noise. Standing firmly in place as his eyes searched frantically.
It was now that he realized how much of an advantage he was at in the forest. There were places everywhere for something to hide. Hell, for all he knew it could be underneath him.
Plop
Steven looked to his shoulder where he cost something hit it. It felt a lot like a raindrop, but much larger for some reason.
He got rid of his shield and brought his hand up to clear it off. He tried brushing it away, but it was unexpectedly viscous. It felt a lot like...
Oh shit
With a sickening realization Steven's eyes widened with fear. He severely hoped he was wrong. With his limbs trembling he slowly turned his gaze upward to the tree tops.
Three pitch black eyes with glowing white pupils met his own. It clung to the thick branches with sharp claws.
"Screeeeeeeeeeeeee!" It roared at him as it unlatched itself from the trees. It fell towards him with it's razor sharp teeth bared.
Steven put his arms up instinctively and a large hexagonal barrier of pink Hardlight appeared around him. Protecting him from it.
The monster hit the pink barrier with a loud thud. Slamming it's face into it. It then rolled into the ground before standing up and gazing at him.
Once he realized that he wasn't infact dead, Steven brought his arms down. Only to see himself confined in what looked like an Uber version of his bubble.
It was also then that he got a look at the monster in better detail.
It's body was that like a wolf's, hunched with four legs and nearly 20 feet long. It was covered in green and brown fur that somewhat blended into the forest. It's legs were thick and muscluar until halfway down it's body. Where they split off into black and skeletal like appendages made of what looked like bone. It's feet were made of three fingers that were stubby, but had long and razor sharp claws.
It had a tail that was made up of what again looked like bone, but now he realized it was covered in a thin layer of black skin that must've held it together. The tail ended in four sickle like prongs that were also razor sharp.
But it's head was the weirdest part to him. It was oddly circular with the triangular eyes at the usual place. It's jaw was filled with knife like teeth that grew in random directions and made it seem like a sea of bone knives. It was also weirdly complimented with a set of long and fuzzy ears that erupted from the top of it's head.
It roared at him again in the Banshee like screech that shook him to his very core. It seemed smart enough to realize that it wasn't getting through his bubble after a heavy slash with it's claws. Which simply created a sound like scratching steel with steel.
Steven then felt what could only be described as a pull in the back of his mind. At that moment the monster pushed up against the shield and just soaked through it as if it wasn't even there. It then lunged at him which caused Steven to fall on his back and make the Uber bubble fall.
The monster then lunged at him and opened it's jaw and tried to tear him to pieces. In a panicked response he raised his arm and summoned his shield once again. Which pried open the mouth of the monster.
But it's maw of razors still ripped at Stevens arm. Causing numerous shallow cuts that stung his arm.
Steven, in a fit of adrenaline feuled pain and rage reeled his arm back. His eyes glowed a bright pink. Even his skin itself seemed to pulse the color of his gem.
"Yeeeeaaaa!" Steven yelled as he then brought his fist forward in a devastating punch directly at the monsters face.
The sheer power of the hit sent a shockwave out that blasted everything on the forest floor flying for miles. The creature itself was hit full on and was rocketed backward. Crashing through a dozen trees before coming to a stop in a ditch it had made.
Steven was left there panting as he tried to catch his breath. His heart hammered in his chest like a machine gun. The adrenaline that fueled the hit faded. Leaving him standing there in awe at what he just did.
It was then that the effects of the shockwave faded and things that were launched began to fall back to the ground. The most prominent of which was the rain itself. Which had momentarily stopped talking in the area due to the force pushing it away.
Steven was then almost drenched in water as the collected rain fell on him. Soaking his already set form even further, if that was even possible.
"Did I...just do that?" He said in awe at the paper he had just given off. He had started to spar with both Quasar and Garnet the last week or two for his training. But he'd never even come close to a bit that strong. He hadn't seen something like that since the time sugilite appeared. Which was probably better left forgotten.
The slight shuffle of the mjsnter he had just punched caused him to drift back to reality. This was no time to dwell on things or even a new ability he had. He had this thing to fight.
The monster in question was starting to get up. Recovered from Steven's hit. It's the now coated with dirt and chips of broken wood from being going like a ragdoll.
It then looked straight at Steven with what could only be pure animalistic rage. It opened it's maw of teeth and let loose and ear-piercing screech that he had to cover his ears for. Unless he wanted to go deaf.
It's form then almost seemed to shimmer. Glowing slightly, making it look like a hologram before dissapearing in a flash of light and a small explosion of lights like fireflies.
Steven felt relief flood through him. Whatever that thing was, it was gone now. But why did it just dissapear like that when it looked like it could still move and fight? But it wouldn't be the strangest thing he'd ever heard. He lived with four ancient alien women, a highly complex and slightly egotistical AI and a Supersoldier with pyromaniacal tendencies.
Why was his life like this.
He then felt a flooding pain in the back of his mind. It felt like a dozen hot knives stabbed directly through his skull and into his brain before twisting and biting.
Steven then heard a low growl coming from in front of him, specifically in the direction he'd seen the monster. He felt a cold sweat break out on his face as the monster slowly crept out from the darkness once more.
But there was one thing different that he noticed about it this time. In it's neck, in a shape a lot like Pearl's gem was a clear green gemstone. It leaked light and gave off a wierd sound like clicking mixed with an electronic clock going haywire.
Where had he heard that sound before.
The same sound got louder as sickly green light fell out of it's dripping maw. Making him flinch and stumble backward. Why did he feel nauseous all of a sudden? Now was not the time to throw up!
He caught back the growing sense of nausea and stood up to face what he now knew as a corrupted gem. His fists clenched and his eyes narrowed. His fists and eyes once again started to glow in bright pink light. Unknown to him was that his gem also started to glow. Brighter and brighter, uncontrollably increasing in power.
He didn't notice it until even worse pain came from his abdomen. The now spotlight like glow of pink light coming from the stone where his belly button should be.
It then felt like an invisible hand reached into his stomach and started churning his gem. He ripped up his shirt and was horrified that it had started to turn inside his body. His skin being molded like clay as it changed to a new position.
But it was extremely painful as it did so. Having him clutch his stomach to try and make the pain stop. But it simply continued to hurt as his gem twisted in his stomach.
Then a sound like the air itself vibrating filled his ears. His eyes filled with tears of pain he looked back to the corrupted gem. The floppy ears on the side of it's head now pointed to the sky. They vibrated against the skull of the gem as a faint wave ejected out of them.
Steven then felt the pain in his stomach lessen significantly. He looked down at his gem and saw that it had turned 90 degrees. A newly revealed pointed sort of it now facing upward.
The corrupted gem then stopped whatever it was doing and sprinted at him.
Steven knew he had to get up and do something, anything, to stop it. But he felt like he had just run a marathon while being punched in the gut. He tried to summon his shield, bubble, anything really. But it just brought pain in his gem when he tried.
He also struggled to lift his legs. Which meant he couldn't run either.
Was this where he died? After all the things he'd come through and this is what did him in. On his knees without being able to do anything before he got eaten by a corrupted gem.
But just as the corrupted gem opened it's maw to chomp on him. A large blue fist of water came crashing into the side of it's head. Sending not off to the side.
He witnessed all of this in what felt like slow motion to him. He saw the fist bit the side of the gems head and saw how it recoiled in pain as it went flying. He saw Lapis run toward him as her mouth was wide open, shouting something. While her eyes were wide and starting to tear up. But then the world started to go black as he slumped backward.