Hello readers. I know I make stories out of nowhere and keep them without updating for years, but I believe it's better to write them, then to never do it. That doesn't mean I abandon them unless I say otherwise. With the current state of my life and the world around, I wanted to write my feelings with this story. Hope you guys enjoy.
Kissing your elders in the mouth may be wrong to the outside eyes, but there's only two of us and I'm wrong.
Norman wakes up from his dream. He looks around and sighs in relief that he's in his bedroom. He looks at the mirror to see Manny staring back.
"What? No witty quip first thing in the morning?" Norman gets up and walks to the mirror. Manny doesn't react. His eyes cast back down to the book.
"It's hopeless." He whispers.
"What's hopeless?"
"Our existence. This world that we inhabit. This…" He stays silent.
"Eh? What are you going on about? Didn't take you for a nihilist. A pessimist seems to fit you though." Norman snickers. Usually Manny would be furious of him not taking the situation seriously, but he doesn't say or shout anything. This worries Norman.
"Our reality has been a placeholder for a broken history. Eventually we will share the same fate as the others." At that moment, someone desperately bangs at the door. They open it and it's Eliyah. She has the expression of fear.
"Thank the Lord you're awake! You have to come see this!" She grabs his arm and drags him to the living where Luka, Sonia and Alice are watching television.
"As you can see, the Bermuda Tartarus has been expanding slowly since its first appearance twenty years ago." The news shows the footage of the Tartarus and some of the area is a black hole. "It's not only occurring here, but to all seven Tartarus around the globe. There are creatures dormant in there that are called Apoptosis. They are very mysterious monsters with unknown origins or how they became the w-AUGHH!" The female reporter clenches her stomach in pain.
"Jessica! Are you okay?" The cameraman rushes to her side. Her body becomes distorted and mechanical. This freaks him out, but not before she lunges at him and one assumes the worst. The feed cuts off before anything graphic happens.
"What the fuck was that!?" Norman screams. Everyone seems to share his sentiment. Alice's mom bust through the door.
"Everyone! I need all the help to barricade this Academy! Alice, stay in my office until further notice. Tamamo will tell you everything and keep you safe." Nobody questions her and nod in agreement, even if they don't know the situation. Peaceful and fun days...are over.
7 years after the Apocalypse
Norman takes his first steps into the infertile soil that was once filled with greenery and life. He walks about fifty steps until he stops at the edge of the abyss. Where there was a town and the sea, it is now replaced with an endless void. He looks back at the Academy, now fortified for the extreme conditions and a sanctuary for the survivors. Now there are only three people alive in this world. Tamamo, La Croix and himself. La Croix is getting the barrier powered up again. It's up to him to keep the Apoptosis at bay in the meantime. At that moment, a flash of his sister becoming into an Apoptosis and slaughtering his brother and mother came before him. Flinching and tearing at the was a small metal insect girl scurrying around him.
"HaHahaHaha! That traumatized face will always be priceless!" She jumps and lands on his shoulder. The insect girl is as big as his thumb and poses no threat to him as her only purpose seems to be a warning for the upcoming swarm of Apoptosis. "I've got some bad news and good news. Bad news is that there will only be one coming today. ONE! What a bummer." She sighs. "But the good news is that it's a long time friend of yours that's finally come to visit! Isn't that lovely? A friendly reunion!"
Norman had to take a moment to process what she said, until the figure descended from the sky above them. Sure enough, there was only one coming down. And it was none other than Sonya. Sonya Chaos as they call her now.
"The Sister of Chaos has finally come to finish what she started!" She praises. Norman flicks her off, sending her rolling for a good distance. Chaos just hovered above him.
"...Target Analyzed: Norman Sanchez." Her voice is a mixture of digital and her own. "Current Job: Samurai Saint. Race: Human." She lowers herself to ground level. Only being a few feet away from him. "Chance of victory: 99.99%." Norman fiddled with his katana.
"Well it's a good thing there's still a chance." He looks at the scarf around her neck. "I see you like keeping mementos too." She doesn't react to his comment. Not like he expected anything. He takes a battle stance. Placing his right hand merely centimeters from the hilt. "Unlike him, I will not hesitate to kill you."
She throws a fast fireball at him. He easily slices the attack, causing the fragments to scatter around him and becoming giant pillars of magma. Unfazed, he lunges forward with high velocity and slices her across the chest area. Landing, he dramatically sheates his weapon and only a line can be seen on where he hit.
"Chance of victory: 97.54%." She said in her monotone voice. Norman smirks and shakes his head.
"What did you think I did all this time? Fuck an old lady and a living corpse till my inevitable end?" He takes the battle stance once more. "You should know better by now. I'm not the same weakling as you knew before."
Tamamo's Quarter
The nine tailed lady is sitting beside the window, watching the battle as she nibbles on her tofu. Radio-chan#37 is combining one of her disabled tails.
Age hasn't been kind to Tamamo. The Goddesses in their endless cycle of hatred costed their life. Her fellow colleagues have been dead. The Fateburn family she had been loyally serving, will be no more than a distant memory. Humanity has been wiped from existence. There is no reason to delay the inevitable. She should've been dead along with everyone else. Yet here she was. The boy refused to let her fade away. Even when the semen supply had long been dried out, he used his own to keep her fed.
"What a poor fool." Radio-chan looks up to her. "All that boasting and he's still holding back." She sighs. "I'll be very mad if you've kept me alive just to watch you die."
Back to the battlefield
He clashes blades with her scepter. "Don't toy with me, Sonya. If you're going to kill me, you better do it swiftly." His weapon finally breaks and she swings at him. In a split second, Norman switches Job and grabs the scepter with one hand. He pulls the weapon and directly punches her face with holy magic. Blasting her across the field and she air recovers.
"Analyzing...Current Job: Holy Fist" She prepares her Shadow Flare attack. Dashing, he catches up and repeatedly punches her until she loses concentration. Teleporting away from him, she hovers on the abyss where she proceeds to launch dozens of fast balls of light at him and the Academy. He switches to Holy Archer and Meteor Arrows all the projectiles. The metal insect girl is watching with concern at the battle before her.
"Why do you keep fighting? It's hopeless! Even if you beat her, there is no future left for you! You're just delaying the inevitable!" She cries out.
"That's what I'm fighting for." He said while charging the next shot with holy magic. Releasing the shot, Sonya creates a barrier nullifying the attack. Norman frustratingly clicks his tongue. "If she can get the damn barrier up in time, that is."
La Croix's Study
In the room, there's tons of books on her desk and floor as Shirome scribbles down in her notebook. Radio-chan#21 walks into the room. She bows. "The repairs for the barrier are approximately fifty-seven percent. It will be complete in five minutes."
"I see. What's the situation with Norman?"
"He's currently combating the Apoptosis who is known as "Sister of Chaos". It is a stalemate at the moment. Though recently the Apoptosis has the upper hand."
"Get everyone you can to work on the barrier. We need it up as fast as possible."
"As you wish." She bows and leaves.
"Just give us five minutes. I'm very close to completing this. The last hope of our future."
The Battlefield once again
Norman wipes the sweat from his brow and breathes deeply. Switching to Holy Mage, he casts Nirvana and launches it to her. Sonya counters using Holy Flare and they cross beams. Energy builds up in the center and explodes. The force of the blast reaches him and blows him back. He tries to get up, but Sonya stomps him on the floor, grunting from the sudden pain in his chest. She starts using Apoptosis and readies her scepter. Tamamo's words echo in his mind.
If you want to secure the hope for everyone, you must sacrifice your future and become what you were destined to be.
In a blink of an eye, Norman slashes off her right arm with dark energy. For the first time, there is a concerned expression on her face. "Analyzing...Job: Unknown. Error. Dark energy. A-Angel Halo. Paradox confirmed." While analyzing, he released a large amount of dark energy to get her off. He concentrates all his power on the Angel Halo. Not wasting any time, he uses Demon Decapitation and all the energy causes a chain reaction and explodes. She screams in pain.
She disintegrates into glitters of light. Norman grits his teeth. He notices the scarf on the floor and picks it up. Honoring their memories, he puts it on.
"N-No way." The little bug whimpers. "W-W-What are you!?" Norman points the sword at her.
"I am the one who opposes light and embraces the bosom of the Dark Mother. I am The Hunter of Darkness." He says it seriously. "Bah. That was fucking lame, right? I'll come up with something better next time." The shield powers up and covers the whole Academy. Just in time for the lesser Apoptosis to show up in masses. He strolls back to the place.
Back in the Tainted Sanctuary
Norman steps into the halls that were once populated with people and monsters of all kinds. Now there's nothing but Radio-chans. They greet him.
"Welcome back, Master Norman. Congratulations on your victory and awakening." Radio-chan#12 bows.
"Yea yea." He looks at the Angel Halo and makes it disappear. "Would be excited if I had a crowd to show off." The girls clap unanimously and he bows in return. "Thank you. Thank you. Your favorite Hunter of the Night appreciates the applause...I'm still working on the name." He ponders while making his way to Tamamo's room.
Tamamo's Quarter
"Knock knock." He goes in, not waiting for her reply. Tamamo is sitting on a chair looking out the window, while RC#37 is still brushing her tails.
"Tell me, how does it feel to finally use the gifts that were dormant all this time?" She says, never turning to face him.
"Feels good. Just need to get used to this dark matter and I'm gucci." He collapses on her bed.
"And who's going to teach you to properly control your powers? As far as I know, Manuel is the only one that can train you, but he never appeared since the incident." Norman shifts to face her. He has tried to contact him since that day, but to no avail. He doesn't know why he doesn't respond and he gave up on him recently.
"I'll teach myself if I must." Tamamo shakes her head.
"We will get swallowed up by the time you master the techniques." She finally faces him. Her age is showing through small wrinkles on her face and some white hair, but she's still bangable for him. That's what he says to himself, however they never had intercourse yet.
"We'll make it somehow. We didn't live this long for nothing, right? It'd be a shame if our story ended like this."
"Master La Croix wants to see you in her study, Master Norman." RC#37 says.
"Better be some good news." He sighs and pecks Tamamo on the lips before leaving.
La Croix's Study
Norman tiptoes around the books as to not disturb her organized chaos.
"Yo Shiro. Ya called?" He taps her shoulder. She looks up from her book. She has her plague doctor get up. He doesn't understand why she wears such a ridiculous outfit, but just accepts it.
"Good to see you too." She stoically greets him. "I'm sorry you had to fight a close friend of yours."
"If it makes me feel any better, I'd like to think I gave her some peace. I can't imagine how it's like to be semi conscious in that form." An image of his sister flashes again. He takes shaky deep breaths to calm his nerves. La Croix grabs hold of his right hand. "I-I'm fine. I'm okay."
"I know." She lets go of his hand. "I have finished my research on the nothingness and Apoptosis."
"Mhmm."
"You know about the parallel worlds that exist, right?"
"Yea. You guys hypothesized the possibility of this calamity due to the disturbance of history from another world. I actually read up on it in my free time."
"Good. Saves me time from explaining. Well the origin of the Chaos started in the land of Remina. Which is the other world's Earth. Due to each world being linked through Tartarus, we have been infected by the Chaos of the previous one and now we're living through that consequence."
"Which I find absolutely bullshit!" He stomps in frustration.
"Your anger is justifiable, but hopefully with this research, we can prevent other worlds from sharing the same fate."
"Who cares about that! What about this world!? Can we not save our home?" She faces away from him.
"No. This world is far from salvation. The effects of the nothingness are irreversible at this stage. At most, we have about a month before it is consumed. Even then, my research is incomplete and the resources we have to further the progress are extinct." She closes the book.
"So this is it then? We're fucked?" He can't believe all the struggles and sacrifices have been in vain.
"Not quite. Maybe it's fate or luck, but your awakening has given you the key to open the door to the Oregon Tartarus." She hands him the book. "I want you to travel to the other worlds and find a La Croix to finish what I started. You can use the Angel Halo to traverse in other Tartarus because it holds holy energy." Norman clutches the book to his chest.
"But she's not you. I can't abandon you guys. You're all I have left." His voice cracks and tears run down his cheeks. La Croix stands to give him a hug. He doesn't mind her cold body.
"You know what must be done." They share a moment of silence together. He breaks the hug and wipes the tears off his face.
"You're right. No one should go through this hellscape." He sniffles.
"While we may be in a dire situation, refresh your body and mind with a shower. I'm sure it will be a long journey and it will do no good if you're unhygienic." He laughs.
"Good idea." He walks out of the room. La Croix grabs a book and sits down.
"Fate can be a cruel mistress. No one denies that. We have a choice to accept the outcome or defy and create a new future. I hope one day he can come to understand and handle the weight of that decision." La Croix coughs uncontrollably.
Norman's Dormitory
Norman walks into his room. It only has a bed and a desk. Anything else would remind him of painful times. There's RC#5 in his room doing her usual sweeping duties.
"How are you doing, Master Norman?" She asks.
"I'm fucking exhausted, but I'm going to take a quick shower and head out to the Tartarus."
"I will take out a fresh set of clothes that Master Tamamo personally made for you." She pulls out a box underneath the bed. The inside contains a black jacket with a hoodie, white t-shirt, black jeans and black running shoes. "She said she would've made it more colorful, but only had black and white to work with."
"I won't lie, it does look edgy as fuck. I'll thank her once I'm done." He undresses and playfully throws his dirty clothes, except for the scarf, at RC#2. She grabs them and leaves the room. He goes to the shower and lets the warm water flow through his body. The adrenaline wears off and he can feel the body being heavy with exhaustion that he can barely stand. He sits down and lets the water run for some minutes. After cleaning himself up, he gets out and looks at the mirror.
The first thing to note is that his eyes changed from brown to orange. A side effect of his powers he theorizes. He keeps himself shaved but hasn't cut his dark brown curly hair for ten years, so it reaches to his shoulder when wet. There are multiple scars around his body from the battles, which is the nature of things. He used to have a beer belly, but he lost it due to barely eating anymore to not waste rations. He has bags under his eyes because of how little sleep he gets. The job of a survivor and protector is a tough one. He leaves and puts on his new clothes. They fit perfectly.
"I feel like a new man." He summons the Angel Halo and poses with it. "Something is missing…" He looks at the scarf on the floor. He reaches for it, but a flash of Luka getting fucked to death by Sonya comes back to his mind. He's clenching the scarf on his fist. "This is why I don't carry mementos, but I'll handle this one." He comforts himself and envelops it around his neck. Then the whole place shakes as if something was slamming against the building.
"What the hell!?" He looks out the window to see an Apoptosis doing what was just described on the barrier. "Adramelech!" He knows her well. She is the one who killed many of his colleagues. He packs everything he needs in his backpack and runs to Tamamo's room. "We got company." He looks out her window with her.
"I can see that. Do you have the book that La Croix gave you?"
"It's in here." He pats the pack.
"Good. Now go back to her study and use her secret corridor to escape directly to the Tartarus."
"No. I'm staying to make that bitch pay."
"Are you now? Try switching Jobs." Norman thinks of his Holy Fist, but nothing happens. He is confused and tries to change to the Holy Mage. Same result. "Why can't I change my Job!?"
"You've rejected your Holy affinity to become one with Darkness. It is a necessary sacrifice and I wish you'd awakened sooner to properly train, but we don't have that luxury anymore. Now leave. Me and La Croix can hold her off while you escape." She nudges him to go away. He's still for a moment. Angry that he is now weaker than before. All that training has been for naught and he has to start back from zero!
"Why...Why are all the wrong things happening?" He falls on his knee and hangs his head down. Tamamo places her hand on his head.
"You know, sometimes I forget to tell you kind words instead of implying. I won't lie, me and La Croix will lose this battle. We are at our limits. But you. You've unlocked your potential. You may be weak right now, but you will become far stronger than ever before. Especially now that you have the key to save the future from this Chaos. Don't forget all the sacrifices we've been through for this opportunity. Now hang your head high! You're not a boy anymore! I want to see the face of the Shadow Hunter!" He lightly chuckles at the name, but her words of encouragement made him feel better. He gets up and hugs her tightly. She returns the embrace.
"Thank you." He says softly. She kisses him on the cheek and he runs out of the room. Tamamo notices Adramelech has her hand piercing through the barrier already.
Back to the Study
Norman busts through the door. He sees La Croix preparing the Cirque Du Croix. She takes out a book from the shelf and it reveals the secret pathway. No words were exchanged. He goes in and turns around.
"I'll miss you." She faces him. He can't see it, but she's smiling under the mask.
"Take care." With a determined nod, he runs out of there.
"Master…" RC#5 speaks but looks away. La Croix pats her head.
"Go with him. Make him feel special and less lonely, okay?"
"As you wish." She follows him.
Into the Hellish Landscape
Norman runs as fast as his legs take him before catching his breath.
"Master!" She shouts at him as she catches up to him.
"#5?" She summons a cannon out of her belly that points him. He ducks and she shoots the Apoptosis behind him.
"Be careful. We are not free from danger yet." She says as a matter of factly.
"A little warning would've been nice!" He screams at her. There's an explosion going off from inside the building. They need to reach their destination fast. He summons the Angel Halo. "Out of the way, freaks of nature!" They both sprint as they slice and shoot their way. Finally reaching the Tartarus, they jump down. RC uses her inner parachute to land safely to the ground. "What the fuck is this place?" He says to himself analyzing his surroundings. Everything is distorted and out of place. Like some parts of the floor are on top of him and vice versa. It's like they're floating in the middle of space and underneath is the nothingness itself. One wrong slip and it's over.
"By my calculations, we are about forty-seven steps towards the door." RC says.
"I don't know how you can do calculations in this shitfest, but I hope you're right. I know time is against us, but let's take it slow and watch your step." He tells her and she nods. The further they walk, the more space gets distorted. Norman has to catch himself not to get dizzy because of how disorienting it is. "I think I see the door." True to his word, their destination is only a few steps away.
Then the ground shakes. Adramelech appears and dashes towards him. He uses the sword to block her and stand his ground. She is heavily damaged from the previous fight, but she is still strong enough to slowly push him to the edge.
"Paradox detected. Must eliminate anomaly." She says robotically. "It's been awhile, Norman~!" She now uses her normal voice.
"Fuck you! I'm going to finish what they started!" He shoves her and uses Demon Decapitation. It barely damages her. "Are you fucking shitting me!?"
"I see you are weaker than before. I thought you promised me you were going to beat into nothing but scraps?" She mocks him. RC blasts her away, cracking her armor shell even more. This momentary distraction gives Norman the opportunity to slice on her exposed flesh. She flinches at the attack.
"Fuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyou!" He screams as he slahes wildly. Adramelech is too damaged to retaliate and falls to the ground. He plunges right in her core. "Rot into the abyss where you belong." Her body is decomposing and she smiles. This confuses him.
"Norman, baby. Do you honestly believe this is over? Do you truly think you killed us? Especially with how weak you are? You merely killed copies. I'm very disappointed that you thought you killed the Sister of Chaos herself. You're just delaying the inevitable." She chuckles. "See you later~!" Her body completely disintegrates. Leaving a dumbfounded broken man having an existential crisis.
"What?" Is all he can utter. "She's lying. It has to be lie. There's no way!" He strikes the ground with frustration.
"Master Norman, we should leave right now." RC tells him. He notices the nothingness closing in on them. He breathes deeply. He nods and strikes the door with the Angel Halo. It opens, revealing a more distorted area but it's yet to be consumed by the Chaos. They run in and it closes behind them. He leans against the door and prays a little. He knows it's pointless, but it gives him some comfort. They look at one another knowing that they are the only survivors left of their world. And so they walk further, carrying the weight of their future.
Shadowbringers Theme
For whom weeps the storm,
Her tears on our skin
The days of our years gone,
Our souls soaked in sin
These memories ache with the weight of tomorrow
Who fights?
Who flies?
Who falls?
One brings shadow, one brings light
Two-toned echoes tumbling through time
Threescore wasted, ten cast aside
Four-fold knowing, no end in sight
One brings shadow, one brings light
One dark future no one survives
On their shadows, away we fly
The road that we walk
Is lost in the flood
Here proud angels bathe in
Their wages of blood
At this, the world's end, do we cast off tomorrow
One brings shadow, one brings light
To this riddle all souls are tied
Brief our moments, brazen and bright
Forged in fury, tempered in ice
Hindmost devils, early to rise
Sing come twilight, sleep when they die
Heaven's banquet leavened with lies
Sating honor, envy, and pride
One brings shadow, one brings light
Run from the light
Authors of our fates
Orchestrate our fall from grace
Poorest players on the stage
Our defiance drives us straight to the edge
A reflection in the glass
Recollections of our past
Swift as darkness, cold as ash
Far beyond this dream of paradise lost
Home
Riding home
Dying hope
Hold onto hope... Ohhh...
Home
Riding home
Home, riding home
Hope, finding hope... Ohhh...
One brings shadow, one brings light
One more chapter we've yet to write
Want for nothing, nothing denied
Wand'ring ended, futures aligned
One brings shadow, one brings light
One brings shadow, one brings light
You are the light
We fall
We fall
We fall
We fall unto the end
One world's end
Our world's end
Our end
We won't end
I am shadow, I am the light