Disclaimer: 'Honkai impact 3rd' is the property of Hoyoverse, Singapore. I do not own any characters in this story except the minor OCs here and there.
End of the Night
LOWER LEVELS OF THE FORTRESS – 2021 (Previous era) (Around the same time as Kevin's fight against Vill-V)
She didn't know how many days it had been since she was thrown in this dark place. The last thing she remembered was those scary-looking men coming to take her somewhere. She was held by her arms as they were bound and then her eyes were covered. When she tried to resist, she was given a slap to her face which made her feel all twirly and the world seemed to spin around her. She then felt a stinging pain in her cheek, which brought tears to her eyes. when she asked why was being treated this way, the only response she got was:
"Be grateful you still have uses, whore. To think the sister of that traitor is still allowed to live."
Then she was hoisted and put on someone's shoulder as she was carried like a sack of potatoes. She was then thrown onto a metallic floor which thumped on her body's impact on it. She then heard a whirring noise like those of a vehicle and then she felt herself moving. From this, she could think that she was being carried away somewhere.
'No.' that was the first thought that came to her mind. If she was not here when her onee-chan came back, then she will be worried. Plus, she didn't want to anywhere without her onee-chan. She also didn't like the place where she was before. The place was filled with scary people who looked at her as if they were going to hurt her. She was too scared to go outside of their room. And on many nights, she would hear screaming noises like somebody was in pain. She didn't like it one bit. Yet, she stayed there because her onee-chan was there. At that scary place, her onee-chan was the only one she could feel safe with.
And now, she was separated from her onee-chan and being taken away somewhere by these scary-looking people. She didn't like it; she didn't like it at all.
"Please let me go. Please let me go back to my onee-chan. Please… please… sob… sob…"
She cried and pleaded until her voice ran dry and the blindfold against her eyes was soaked with her tears. But nobody heard her pleas. Once her tears had dried, she curled herself into a ball on that metallic floor. She was feeling so cold and lonely, yet her onee-chan was not here to comfort her. she then sobbed quietly:
"Onee-chan, where are you? I'm scared. These people are bad and they are hurting me."
"Onee-chan, it's so cold."
"Onee-chan… sob… I want to go home."
"Onee-chan… save me…"
"Onee-chan…" were her last thoughts before she felt herself getting sleepy and her eyes fluttered closed.
…
"Mmm." the girl opened her eyes again to realize that she had been dreaming about that day again. Thinking about it still brought tears to her eyes, but she was able to hold herself much better. It was partly because she wanted to be brave like her sister. She didn't want to look like that in front of her sister and make her even more worried. Her sister already had a lot of things to take care of and was already trying her best for her sake. Her Onee-chan thought that she wouldn't notice the tired look in her eyes, the exhausted tone of her voice or the barely noticeable bags under her eyes; but she could, and she did.
Further, she understood that many of the people with whom she worked didn't like her. She sometimes would catch traces of whispers saying how much her onee-chan was disliked. There were sometimes when someone would openly badmouth her to her face. However, her onee-chan never fought back, choosing instead to smile and pat her head as if saying that everything is going to be all right. She was kind and strong, someone the girl desperately wished to be.
The other part manifested itself in the form of a man with a green mask on his face, wearing a white cloth. The man's cold brown eyes made her shrink in fear and anxiety. Yes, the other reason she had to be strong was because of the reason the man was here.
"It's your turn." The man said emotionlessly. Hearing that voice made the girl gasp inaudibly as her eyes stung with unshed tears. However, she didn't resist when he came near her and raised her holding her by the forearm. The gloves he wore were rough and it hurt when he squeezed her arm with too much strength. The girl understood this as his sign to start walking and thus, she started walking alongside the man. They soon entered a room full of screens with words that the girl could not understand.
A big chair lay at the centre of the room, with many machines surrounding it. It was similar to the ones in a dentist's clinic that she had seen in those cartoons. However, what was going to happen here was far more painful than any dentist visit could ever be.
The man nodded in the direction of the chair, ordering her to sit on it. The girl knew that if she resisted, it will become more painful. Thankfully, she hasn't experienced it herself; but hearing the heart-wrenching screams of those who resisted was enough for her to understand what would happen if she was to resist. Hence, she opted to go through with whatever this evil man wanted until her onee-chan saved her. However, it was becoming difficult lately for her to think clearly. Her whole body burned badly and there were purplish lines on her neck.
This man however, wasn't fazed by that and continued to still inject that liquid which caused these lines to appear on her skin in the first place. And as usual, she saw the man taking that pinkish liquid in that big syringe before injecting it through her hand.
The girl started squirming as tears fell from her eyes due to the extreme pain she was feeling. The man simply took a clipboard and started writing something on it, muttering something to himself. The girl felt her head getting heavy as her thoughts drifted away due to the pain. She with all her remaining strength prayed:
"Please save me, onee-chan. It hurts."
"GET HIM!"
"Kill that bastard!"
"If we kill him, the enemy will fall."
"Everyone, FIREEEEEE!"
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The sound of machine guns filled the air as everyone tried to overwhelm the enemy's strongest fighter with numbers. However, a crimson wall of flames foiled their attempt as it simply burned away the bullets. Additionally, the intense temperature of those crimson flames started to melt the assault rifles and parts of the soldier's clothing causing them to sear into their skin. Many soldiers cried out in pain at the intense burning due to the flames and saw themselves being burnt to death.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"I'm on fire."
"Somebody help me."
"It Burns. IT BURNSSS!"
The said man who had created those flames looked on as the ones nearby him started to melt and die one by one. He suddenly took out his pistol and head shotted an enemy soldier who was making their way to him. The soldier stopped and fell dead on the ground before he could even reach their target. He then moved his head to see the last remaining soldiers who were burning alive cursing at him.
"Curse you demon, curse you to the deepest hell."
"You will never find happiness; you will suffer endless agony."
"May you be eternally dammed, Ashema… gugh…"
Those soldiers then finally burned to death. Their completely burned corpses and mangled remains soon started to turn into ash and form a pile on the ground. The flames died down as all that was left of more than fifty men were small burnt patches, piles of ash and half-melted remnants of their clothes or weapons.
The man then looked over to the few surviving soldiers who had surrendered and were currently being bound by ropes and handcuffs. As he made eye contact with one of them, the soldier shrieked:
"Eeek. Don't come near me demon."
At this, the man simply started to walk towards them while having his sword drawn out and held to the side. The soldiers became started stiff once they saw the one who had single-handedly slaughtered the majority of their forces approaching them. Once he was near them, he said:
"I will do as ordered. Those who surrender will be spared."
At this, one soldier spat back:
"But you killed those without giving them a chance to surrender."
The man simply looked at him. The soldier suddenly felt an extreme pressure upon him as those cold sky-blue eyes bored down at him. it was as if his whole body was bound in chains and he was drowning in an ocean with rocks tied to his legs. He gagged and fell to his knees as he found breathing to be a surmountable task. He tried to take in huge amounts of air through his mouth, only to find that his windpipe was feeling like it was being crushed by a ten-tonne rock to his chest. He then looked up with all the strength he could muster and saw the man looking down at him with a hard look. However, the soldier was too weak to even say anything and simply sat on his knees, his head bowed down.
The man suddenly felt someone grabbing his arm and saying:
"It's enough, Commander. He will perish at this rate."
The man looked at the one who had held his arm. It was a girl in her mid-teens. She had bluish-purple hair and blue eyes. he simply looked at her with an indifferent expression and said:
"The unruly ones should be disposed of immediately. That was the Colonel's orders."
"But still commander. This person didn't mean any harm to you. He was just venting out his frustrations. Surely you could understand."
"…"
"Please commander. Let him go. I take responsibility for their behaviour."
At this, the man was quiet for a while before saying:
"Do as you wish. But-" he then looked at her squarely in the eyes and said:
"Should they try anything nefarious, there will be no mercy. And you will be held accountable."
"Yes commander." the girl nodded accepting the terms of the agreement. She then saw her commander starting to walk away to his vice-leader for giving the next set of orders. However, he stopped suddenly and said while looking back:
"Don't regret these actions later. This is a battlefield, and there should be no unnecessary kindness to the enemies, Hua."
At this, the girl named Hua was silent before saying:
"I understand, Commander; however, kindness is also a virtue of a warrior. It is what separates us from them. I sincerely hope you remember that, Major Kevin."
"…" at this, the man now named Kevin didn't say anything and walked away. Seeing his back getting further from her, Hua released a long breath she had been holding. There was something different about major Kevin. she didn't know what it was exactly, but she could feel that he has changed somehow. He acted colder than usual and he was more ruthless now when he dealt with those Cocoon soldiers. She could also feel that his aura was heavier and darker than before. It was as if he had gained some kind of dark power that shouldn't exist in this world.
Overall, the major had changed and Hua didn't know if it was really for the better. He had gotten a lot stronger, as he could with a single blow defeat that woman's mechanical golem that killed nearly fifteen squads of Moths soldiers. However, there was something very wrong with the flames that his sword produced.
It was crimson and black.
Hua always knew that his sword was special even amongst the special weapons in the Moths, but she has never seen him using those dark crimson flames before. Those flames reminded her of that night in Bucharest; those black streaks that made the flames look blacker made it more obvious. Something had happened when he was unconscious. Something that has changed his flames from just being hotter to being more sinister. To Hua, it felt like those flames were alive; like they exist to only bring death and destruction.
Whatever happened during the fight with that agent, it had changed Major Kevin permanently, and it seems that it wasn't a positive one.
'Elysia-san, something has happened to the major, something bad. We need to take some action… otherwise we will lose him forever.' Hua thought as she chased after her commander. She will try her best to help him see reason and not let him do something he will regret. However, she wasn't sure for how long she will be able to do it.
"Caladbolg."
SWISHHH.
A wave of crimson-black flames swept over the corridor as it destroyed and melted the various mechs that were placed for security. They were state-of-the-art with pulse lasers and mini railguns that shot superheated plasma. Kevin vigilantly looked at his surroundings to see any signs of an ambush, or any hidden traps that he may have missed. However, all he saw were the mangled remains of those mechs and broken walls and the broken pieces of the stone floor where his attack has landed.
Kevin relaxed a little seeing that there is nothing to be cautious against at least in this section of the fortress' lower levels. They have been nearly through five floors already and the security was getting more and more automated as they were going to lower levels. From the looks of it, they have rounded about every single human soldier present in the fortress excluding the two remaining agents and their grandmaster. he then looked behind to see how his battalion was holding up. From the looks of it, everyone has made it in one piece, a good indication compared to some other battalions where they were completely wiped out to the last man. Strangely they had lost more men in the courtyard fighting the bulk of human Cocoon soldiers and that mechanical golem by that woman than on the lower floors. It made Kevin realize that the agents never intended the Moths to breach their initial and strongest defence line and venture inside the fortress; a plan that has completely gone out of the window the moment he destroyed that mechanical golem.
Out of nearly Five hundred men chosen for this mission, barely a hundred survived now. They have effectively won against the Cocoon but at a huge cost. They have sacrificed too much for this victory and now it was time to fully finish this and pay back the hurt tenfold. None of the remaining agents and that grandmaster was going to be leaving this place alive; he will make sure of it, personally. They have enough prisoners now, there was no need for any more. And after what they have done till now, there was no need to show them mercy.
Thinking this, he pulled out something from his overcoat; It was a silver pendant. To anyone else, it would look like a normal pendant that was not even valuable. It was like any other locket you can get from a street sale, and it didn't have any significant meaning to the mission on hand. Its surface was scratched and it was blackened in several places, making it lose its initial shine. However, for Kevin, it was a grim reminder of what he has done, of who he was, and of the path he has chosen.
He opened the pendant to reveal a photograph of a man with his two daughters, all smiling happily. There were two words written on the cover, that even though have been eroded by time could be made out:
'My Princesses.'
Kevin's face hardened when he saw those words. He was brutally reminded that the one who had destroyed this family and robbed them of their happiness was none other than him. Even though it was inevitable under those circumstances, it was still the fact that it was his decision to swing that sword. Thus, he will carry this sin to the end and when his time comes, he will receive his punishment without complaints; because for a person like him, there is no peace, only suffering and agony. This is the path he has chosen, and he will walk it to the very end without looking back.
His eternal damnation for their salvation. This was his choice, and he will do everything in his power to ensure it.
"Commander, what is it?" a new voice suddenly came from his left side bringing him back from his thoughts. Looking to his side he saw his current second-in-command Roberts looking at him in a questioning way.
"Nothing." Kevin said keeping the pendant back in his coat. He still has yet to find his daughters and the chances of finding them were getting slim as they went down the levels. They have gone through many sections already which were used as prisons and cells for keeping potential and caught traitors, and test subjects for the various experiments that the agent named The Doctor was performing.
To say the condition of those people was horrible would be considerate. The horrors of what they have seen in those cells would be enough to make a normal person go insane. Mutilated bodies with various parts of the body missing, monstrous mutations as a result of Honkai beast organ transplant experiments, people having their body parts stitched at wrong places; whatever wicked anyone could imagine, the truth was horrid beyond that. Many members of the battalion, especially the new recruits have either gone unconscious due to the sheer amount of mental trauma it gave or have started to vomit the entirety of not only their breakfast but also their previous night's dinner.
Even Hua who was the most level-headed of the entire recruits had retched hard when they entered the first cell block. She was shell-shocked to say anything and kept emptying her stomach, even when nothing was left to vomit out. Looking at her condition, Kevin decided to send her away to the back lines along with aniki to a more supporting role. She had feebly resisted at first but quickly gave up when he bluntly told her that she was in no condition to be on the front lines.
Coming back to the current time, Kevin looked around himself to see the members of the frontlines gathered in small groups and discussing their next move. He saw Kalpas scoffing at something that Emile had said to him and then proceeded to ask something from his squad. He also saw Sakura standing at the side, separate from the main group with a dejected look on her face. It seemed that she still hadn't found her sister yet, and the chances are becoming slimmer and slimmer at each holding cell that was swept clean. He then faced his second-in-command and said:
"Status report."
"Sir." his vice commander saluted before continuing "the search for intel and survivors on this floor has been completed. We have retrieved some more crucial documents regarding the various experimentations that the agent was performing here. The records indicate that he was trying to find some way to integrate a Honkai beast into a human body to create a new species of human that could exhibit the power and abilities of a Honkai beast."
"Hmm." Kevin hummed in understanding. It looked like this doctor was trying to make humans inherit the Honkai beasts' powers without the fear of getting corrupted, interesting. If this research was successful, it would revolutionize Honkai warfare. Unfortunately, it seems that the doctor had failed miserably at his experimentations, as the conditions of his guinea pigs have shown. And now it was up to Kevin and the team to stop him, even when it was too late to do anything for his victims.
Thinking this he turned towards the people still talking amongst themselves and cleared his throat. This was enough to grab everyone's attention as they stopped talking amongst themselves and stood in attention for the announcement. After seeing that he has everyone's attention, he started speaking:
"With this floor, we have reached the innermost levels of the fortress. From the next floor, we can expect extremely heavy resistance from the mechs and the few remaining soldiers if they are present. We can also expect the last two remaining agents to make their presence and oppose us. Be prepared."
"YES SIR!" everyone shouted in unison except Kalpas who just clicked his tongue. Kevin then started giving instructions for the next floor:
"The entire frontline forces will be divided into two groups. The first group will be led by Lieutenant Emile; Kalpas, Sakura, you two will follow him. You will sweep what is according to the reports from the recon team the medical and research wing of the fortress. If any of the victims are still alive, that is where we will find them." He said while looking at Sakura. hearing those words, Sakura gripped her Katana tighter. She will save Rin with her own hands and make that man suffer for keeping her imprisoned for this long.
Kevin then continued "The rest of you will follow me. We will sweep across the administrative and the main command centre of this fortress. We can expect the agents to resist us along with the most advanced mechs and the strongest soldiers they have at their disposal. Thus, be prepared for a more gruelling fight than those in the first group. Only those who are completely prepared may join this group." He then looked over to everyone present here and said:
"We will move out in ten more minutes, so prepare your equipment and restock on ammunition. That is all. Dismissed."
Hearing this, all the soldiers scuttered away to prepare for what was inevitably going to be the last charge for the night. This was going to be tougher than all the battles they have faced this stormy night. However, compared to when they began their assault, they were more hopeful now as their hero was here. He will make sure that no death is in vain and will triumph over the agents. Knowing this made their minds more at ease and they were a little merrier during preparation, some even joking amongst themselves.
Their said hero however was standing aside all alone while holding his hand to his mouth. He was standing in a comparatively dark place, so nobody was able to see what was happening. His iron willpower and extreme self-control also helped him to hide the fact that he was coughing rather violently. He was finding it difficult to breathe for some time now. As his coughs subsided, he brought his hand down to see his blue palmed gloves stained in crimson. He fisted his hand, not wanting anyone to see it. This was happening from when he fought against that mechanical golem. Thus, he delved into his mind and asked the only one who could answer his question.
"Hey you, do you know anything about this?"
He was met with only silence.
"I asked a question."
"And why do you think I will answer it, Kaiser." the inhuman voice finally answered.
"Because that is what you owe me."
"Didn't I already give you the power?"
"And you promised the knowledge to use it as well."
At this, the voice was silent for a while before a sigh could be heard from it (if it could be said as a sigh). He then heard the voice say:
"This is the price."
"Price?"
"The price to use your powers."
"Oh." Kevin simply said. Everything made sense now. The entity indeed had said that there will be a heavy price for this power that shouldn't exist in the first place. This didn't however mean that he will stop using it. He will ensure his comrades' safety, no matter what happens to him in the end; Humanity will defeat the Honkai, no matter the cost.
And he will start here by purging the creatures here who have abandoned their humanity. A monster to defeat a monster. An evil to defeat evil. That was his way and will be in the future, and he will be the one to become the said evil.
He opened his eyes and took out the pocket watch from one of the accessory pockets that aniki had gifted him on his promotion to Major. He flipped it open and saw that the ten minutes were up. Thus, he turned around to address them one last time when he was suddenly stopped by a familiar face.
"Do you need something, Kalpas?"
"Are you doing fine?" Kalpas asked without beating around the bush.
"…" Kevin looked at him as if not understanding what he had just said.
"Don't get the wrong idea. If anything happens to you, all of us are going to get screwed back at the base. So don't do anything stupid and fuck us up."
Kevin only nodded in response and went ahead to give out the final instructions. Kalpas who watched him leave just clicked his tongue in annoyance while saying:
"Tch. Annoying Fool."
FIRE MOTH BASE – 2021 (Previous era) (Around the same time)
General Alexei wiped his hand over his forehead as they waited for Ato to communicate with them. It has been nearly three hours since Kevin left with the supply crafts and six since the Assault team had been sent to the fortress. Since then, they have not established a communications line yet. The people present in the room were getting anxious, especially when considering the 4 dark auras that threatened to overwhelm them. General Alexei grimaced internally when he realized that a woman with lime green hair was practically boring holes in the back of his head with her angry stare, one step away from turning him into her next experiment.
"Dr. Mobius, no matter how much you glare at him like that, we will not know what happened till we get contacted by Ato first."
At this, the reply Welt got was a death glare from the said woman.
"Dr. Welt, sometimes it is better to be silent than to voice out your thoughts." General Alexei said while shaking his head.
"I believe you to be correct, General." Welt said trying to look anywhere except the back. He knew that they will skin him alive with their glare if he looked back.
This tense atmosphere remained for some more time until one of the terminals started beeping. The operator who was sitting in front of it then exclaimed:
"Sir, we have got a signal. It's… COLONEL ATO!"
"Phew…"
"Haaa…"
"Sigh…"
Sounds of relief and sighs started to sound across the room. They finally had the assault forces communicate with them. The General then ordered the operator who was manning the terminal:
"Put it on the main screen."
"Yes, General." the operator said and typed a few keys on his keypad; and then the main screen lighted up and in came the familiar face of the silver-blue haired Colonel.
"This is Colonel Ato of the main Cocoon fortress Assault company. We have finally managed to establish communications with the equipment brought in the supply crafts."
"How is the situation there, Colonel?" General Alexei asked. At this, Ato started laughing while rubbing the back of his head. He then said:
"What can I say, that guy is doing all the heavy lifting as usual."
"Hmm." General hummed and nodded. It seems that he was doing as he promised earlier, protecting his comrades. He couldn't be prouder if he could be. He felt like a father seeing his child grow up and become more responsible and dependable; albeit Kevin was always reliable, but that was beyond the point. He smiled a little as he realized that he had come to see the silver-white haired young man as his son. If Ivan was still here, he would be like him. Thinking about it brought a small ache in his chest, however the passage of time has dulled it into a small pain, and seeing Kevin has helped him to move forward while smiling at those memories.
He was not allowed to dwell on those said memories when someone else burst out speaking:
"Colonel, how is he? Is he okay? Is he hurt anywhere? Are his wounds okay? He hadn't pushed himself again, has he? He is fighting with everyone else, right? Has he taken enough breaks to let his body rest?" the person continued to ask question after question with a worried frown on their face. Seeing the person's expression, the General chuckled inwardly. Kevin really had to work on not making people worry about him that much.
Hearing those questions Ato started laughing again. Hearing him laugh, Mobius spoke in an irritated voice:
"Answer her questions instead of laughing, Colonel Ato. And by the way, you are going to face Blanca when you return."
Hearing the name of his wife, Ato stopped laughing at once and said in a fearful voice:
"W-Wait, it's not my fault. Those geezers are the ones who sent him here. Even I didn't know he was going to come here."
"Hmph."
"Noooo." cried Ato at the knowledge that he is going to be done for when he was going to return. At this light-hearted banter, the mood in the command centre became a little bit lighter. Ato then said warmly:
"Don't worry, Elysia. He is fine. Yet better, he is stronger than before. You should have watched when he slew that mechanical golem. His flames were so strong that they blew up a hole in the courtyard from where we could gain access to the lower floors."
"Thank goodness." Elysia said sounding relieved. Small tears of relief rolled down her cheeks. Seeing this Ato said:
"Hey, why are you crying like that? you are a strong and proud member of the Moths right?"
"I-it…It's just…"
"Don't worry Elysia, we all are here. We will bring him back safe and sound."
"Please do." Elysia said.
After saying this Ato turned towards the General and said:
"And now for the latest status report. We have subdued an estimated eighty per cent of the Cocoon forces and have made it to the lowest level just five minutes ago."
"Good. What about the casualties?" General asked in a serious tone. At this question, the command room went silent again. They all knew that such a mission will incur many casualties, the main question was how much. Ato was silent for a while before saying:
"Only 100 remain General."
"…" the General was silent as he looked at Ato with a hard look. Seeing his expression Ato said:
"There was a complication when we were fighting in the courtyard trying to breach the inner levels."
"Explain." the General said in a cold voice.
"We were having an upper hand until that moment. But the Cocoon had an ace up their sleeves. They had an engineer on their side who created a mechanical golem which was able to use and contain Honkai energy."
"What?" Welt asked. The Second institute was trying something similar for many days without success. However, this engineer was successfully able to navigate around the corrosive nature of Honkai energy and to even make a container for it. If this person joins the Moths, then their mech research could progress by leaps and bounds.
"Yes, it is what you hear, Dr. Welt." Ato replied making welt to stop his thoughts for now. Ato then continued "That was a terrifying golem all right. It gave out a very strong E.M.P blast which killed all of our forces near it by making them have cardiac arrests. It was only due to Kevin's arrival and his defeating it that made it possible for us remaining to survive."
"Hmm." General hummed and said "While I understand your situation, you still will give me a detailed report of what exactly happened."
"Yes sir." Ato acknowledged. Then he continued his report by saying how they were able to capture around 300 of the enemy forces who had surrendered after seeing that golem melt before their eyes. he also stated that they have managed to restrain the said engineer and would bring them back when the mission was over. He then stated that Kevin, Kalpas and that ex-agent along with the majority of remaining Moths forces were now making their way across the lowermost floors to fight and subdue the remaining enemy mechas and the final remaining two agents.
After his report was finished, General Alexei finally said:
"Okay, I have heard all the reports. Continue the assault at the given pace and capture any remaining soldier that may be present on those lowermost floors. Also, send the victims of the human experimentations back to the H.Q through the supply crafts. Also, send the captured engineer along with them."
"Sir." Ato saluted. Then he remembered something and said:
"Dr. Welt, I have something to ask you."
"Hmm, what is it, Colonel?"
"It's about Kevin. Well rather than saying it verbally, it would be better to show you." Ato then sent a file over the communications channel. A second operator then brought it up on the secondary screen and started to play it. It was a video of Kevin defeating the mechanical golem. Everyone present there was shocked and in awe seeing him defeating the behemoth all with but a single swing of Surtr. However, some people noticed something wrong with the video. One such person was Aponia, who was silent this whole time. She said in a whimpering noise:
"N-no… it can't be…"
"Aponia nee-chan, what is it?" Pardofelis asked, not being able to understand. However, she was answered by Ato who finally voiced out his query:
"Hey Dr. Welt, was Kevin's flames always this dark?"
Indeed, the flames which burned away and defeated the golem were not the usual flames of Surtr. They were crimson with black streaks. Seeing those flames brought a sense of unease amongst those who were present that night.
They were nearly black.
"Black… Flames…" Welt muttered to himself, opting to finally look behind him. He only saw faces of shock and fear on the women who were standing there. Even Dr. Mobius was frowning in anxiety and worry.
It seemed that there were many concerns apart from the Cocoon. As he looked at those flames again, the words he got from that slain agent's brain came to his mind.
PROJECT: SALVARE.
He had to ask Kevin what that meant when he returned. This power was not good. Not good at all.
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE FORTRESS (Around the same time)
Sakura navigated through rows of cells that held yet even more victims of those crazed experiments of The Doctor. Her heart sank further and further with each cell they passed. Small children, even younger than Rin were chained to walls like animals, preventing them from even moving their bodies in their place. Until now, Sakura have not cared in the slightest about what this particular agent had done. It was not her concern as she was not a part of the biological department of the cocoon. She was a combat agent whose job was to assassinate the marked targets. She was satisfied with the monetary and living benefits that were provided to the agents, along with the treatment that her sister was getting.
However, things were different now. now it was her sister herself who was being treated like this. She could now understand the anguish and pain of these children's mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. She now knew exactly how they felt at having their family suddenly disappear, never to be heard from again. Perhaps this was her divine punishment for the evil she had committed. But she still couldn't accept that it had to be Rin who had to face the consequences of her actions. Thus, she decided that she would face any punishment that Kevin-dono deems fit her when all of this would be over. It was because, in her eyes, only a sincere man like him could judge someone like her.
She walked with bated breath until she was in front of a big metallic door. Until now, they have found only two survivors, and they were on the verge of death. Hence, she was sure that her sister was in there. This was it, her sister and the one who held her captive were inside. She will finally reunite with her sister, whether she is alive or it was already too late…
'No.' she chided herself mentally and held the door's handle. As she held it, she heard voices coming from inside of the room.
"Sob… sob… please stop. It hurts."
"The Honkai energy adaptability is higher than any other subject. Truly, you are the most are precious test subject until now."
"Somebody, save me. Onee-chan… sob…"
"Injecting 17th vial of Honkai serum. Now I will proceed to see the effects of overdosage of Honkai radiation on the Nervous system."
"Nooo…" the first voice pleaded in a crying voice.
"Rejoice, you will be the pioneer of the new way of fighting the war against the Honkai."
"Nooooo" the little voice screamed with everything it had. Sakura didn't need to hear anymore. She clutched the sheath of her Katana tightly and swung with everything she had.
BOOOM.
The door flew off its hinges at the impact of the slash on it. It then flew inside the room and embedded itself into the opposite wall. When the dust finally settled down, Sakura finally saw what was exactly happening in the room.
There was a girl of around twelve years of age, who was strapped to a medical chair.
There was a man with blue hair wearing a lab coat who was holding a syringe filled with a dark purplish liquid and about to inject it into the hand of the girl.
The girl looked very pale, and pinkish lines were running around her neck. She had similar pinkish hair to Sakura, and when she saw her, her eyes glistened. Then with all the remaining strength she had, she whispered out:
"Onee… chan…save…"
The man simply looked at her and said:
"Shit."
What happened next was invisible to nearly everyone's eyes but to a select few. Kalpas and Emile happened to be those of that select few. When they arrived inside the room, they saw Sakura getting into a low stance before she unsheathed her sword. The next moment there was a loud banging sound and the man with the lab coat was slumping down against the wall, his blood splattered all across it. However, they both were able to see what had actually happened. She had slashed the man not less than a hundred times within the span of a second. A truly frightening individual indeed.
Sakura quickly sheathed her katana again and ran towards the girl who was still strapped to the chair. Once she reached her, she quickly untied the girl and picked her up, cradling her in her arms. She then said in a worried and broken voice:
"Rin, Rin. I'm here. Onee-chan is here. Nobody is going to hurt you anymore. I'm sorry for being this late. Please open your eyes. you are safe. You are safe."
At this, the girl only groaned a little as if she was in pain. Sakura hysterically called out her name:
"Rin, please open your eyes. Don't make your onee-chan worry. Please…please…sob…"
Sakura was not able to think anymore. She had saved her sister; however, she was in extreme pain and that bastard had done something to her. She didn't know how to make her sister better. She didn't know how to fully save her, if only she was in some organization like the Moths…
"!" Sakura's eyes widened when she realized something. Yes, the Moths, they can save her sister. They were more advanced than the cocoon and had more medical knowledge as compared to this bastard. Yes, they could save Rin. However…
She was an ex-agent of the cocoon. Would they even listen to her? would they even save her sister? What would be the price? So many questions, but there was no way to know the answers. As she kept considering her choices, Rin groaned again in her arms. That was when she decided:
'Fine, let it be. I will pay whatever price I have to. As long as she is safe.'
She then turned towards the two Moths soldiers present in the room and said in a broken voice:
"Please help her."
Emile was not able to say anything. On one hand, his orders were to secure any victims and bring them back to the base. But this girl was the sister of this ex-agent. Even if she had defected from the organization, it was still a fact that she was once a member of this organization. Thus he was feeling conflicted. That was until Kalpas spoke up:
"Go, take her back to that old man. he will tell you where to go."
"Eh?" Sakura said in shock. Did he just help her?
"Kalpas…" Emile called out to him. to this Kalpas simply looked at him and said:
"What? Wasn't it his orders to find and evacuate any surviving victims? This girl is one of them. Or do you think that she isn't worth saving because she is related to this woman?"
"That's-"
"That's what? Is this what the Moths stand for?" Kalpas asked looking directly into his eyes. At this Emile mentally berated himself. Yes, they were not the Cocoon. They were here to save these people, not to kill them. They had to be the bigger person here. Thus, he took in a long breath and sighed.
"No." he then turned to Sakura "As he said, please go back to the Colonel. He will arrange for you to go back to the H.Q along with the rest of the victims. Please hurry."
Sakura still was in a daze. They were really helping her. Even though she was their enemy first.
"What are you waiting for, scram." Kalpas said angrily. This was enough to bring Sakura out of her trance. She then bowed her head towards them and said:
"Thank you."
"Hmph." Kalpas scoffed with Emile simply smiling. However, as she took a step towards the opened door, they all heard a voice speak up:
"Well, we cannot have that now, can we?"
Sakura then looked back, and to her horror found that bastard standing up like he was not slashed at all.
"How…" she muttered out in disbelief as she watched the numerous wounds on his body close by themselves until it was like those wounds never happened. The man then said:
"That attack was indeed powerful. Now I see why the grandmaster insisted for you be the sixth and the last agent."
"…" Sakura simply stared at the man with a hint of apprehension. To this the man said:
"You must be wondering how I'm still alive. you see, it's all because of this." He then pulled out a different syringe which had a dark green liquid in it. He then pressed the syringe to his neck and said:
"However, this syringe can have multiple effects as well. For instance, it can give someone the power of a Honkai beast."
"!?" At this Emile was alarmed. Whatever that syringe was, it was not good at all. Thus, he shouted at Sakura:
"Miss Sakura, take your sister and leave."
"Eh?" Sakura was not able to comprehend what he said. She was too shocked to see someone come out of her attack which had claimed dozens of lives. All this while, the man in the Lab coat injected the syringe into his neck.
The reaction was slow. At first, the man's eyes dilated and he suddenly fell to the ground as if in pain. Then purplish veins began to spread all across his body. The man then screamed as his body was torn from the inside out. Sakura, Kalpas and Emile saw the man transform into what could only be described as a monster. This was the same as what Roque had done; however, they didn't know that. once the transformation was complete, stood before the man who had been transformed into something eerily similar to a Honkai beast. The man in an inhuman voice spoke:
"Let's test out the effectiveness of the Honkai Gene repeat serum. Please try to not die very fast."
Sakura then saw the man barrelling towards her. However, she wasn't able to move for some reason. It seemed like her legs had been frozen to the ground. She then realised that she was scared; this was the first time that she had been scared, and she didn't know how to respond. The man closed the distance to her in a second, and Sakura watched her and her sister's doom arrive right before her very eyes. The man then raised his appendage (to probably cleave or crush both of them to a pulp) and brought it down upon them. At the final moment, Sakura held her sister tightly while saying:
"Don't worry, Rin. Onee-chan will protect you."
CLANGGGGGG.
There was a loud sound of impact, as dust blew in the air of the aftershock of the collision. Sakura kept her eyes closed for a few moments, until she she realised something.
It didn't hurt.
There was no pain and she felt all of her limbs intact. She then slowly opened her eyes, and what she saw shocked her once more.
"Hou. Interesting." the creature said. Blocking his appendage was none other than the man with silver hair. He had caught the appendage amongst his gauntlets and successfully blocked them. He then turned around to see Sakura and said:
"What are you standing there with your mouth open for? I said you to scram with your sister, didn't I?"
"Kalpas…" Sakura muttered.
"Leave now." he growled.
Sakura then did as he said and left before that bastard could recover from the shock. She said while leaving:
"Thank you Kalpas, I owe you one."
"Get lost." He said as he pushed the creature back. Sakura didn't say anything more and left the scene. The creature seeing two of his test subjects leaving his grasp said:
"Not so fast."
He then sidestepped and made his way towards the leaving Sakura only the pellets from a shotgun bullet struck his shoulder.
"Ghhh." he grunted and saw who was the one who shot him. He saw the honey-blonde haired man holding the shotgun on his shoulder. Emile then came to the side of Kalpas and said to him:
"Seems like we are getting a big fish here huh, Kalpas."
"Don't get in my way if you want to live." Kalpas said while readying himself.
"Took the words out of my mouth, Friend." Emile said as he reloaded his shotgun. Seeing this the creature said:
"Well then, let the experiment begin. I, The Doctor, the fifth agent of Cocoon will personally extract every bit of knowledge that I can from your bodies before disposing of them."
At this Kalpas started laughing:
"hehehe…Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHA…"
The Doctor simply looked at him. At this, Kalpas smiled his crazy smile and said:
"The only one who is going to burn here is you, you fat green blob." He then ignited his Honkai-powered gloves and said:
"Try not to die early, AGENTTTTTT!"
Saying this both of them charged into each other, with Emile providing cover fire from behind. Both Kalpas and the agent met in the middle of the room.
BOOOOM. The surroundings shook again with the impact of the two. As they locked into melee combat, Kalpas said in an ecstatic voice:
"Good. Good. Very good. Give me more. GIVEEEE MEEEEEE MOREEEEEE!"
They both punched hard, their fists meeting in mid-air.
BOOOOM.
WITH KEVIN (Around the same time as Kalpas' fight)
Kevin walked carefully looking for any sudden ambushes and traps that may await them here on this floor.
At that exact moment, there was a loud sound. Like the very earth was being blown up.
BOOOM.
"S-Sir that's-" his second-in-command commented after hearing the voice.
"Yes, they have started." Kevin commented. He didn't have to worry about them. Emile was a capable soldier, and Kalpas and Sakura were… well them. Thus, he was certain there was no way that agent was going to come out on top. That meant that he had to take care of things here, like the person who was watching them from the shadow of that pillar.
"I know that you know that I know you are watching me." Kevin called out in his cold voice. After saying this, a man came out from the shadows. He was dressed in a similar grey battle coat and had a rapier on his hip. He walked to the centre of the clearing that they were standing in and bowed in courtesy. He then said:
"I must applaud you for defeating all of our soldiers and making it this far. You really do deserve the title of 'Hero'."
"…" Kevin remained silent and gazed at the man with his cold, emotionless sky-blue eyes. it made it difficult for the man to know what his enemy was thinking. However, at this point that was nothing left to be said. The two of them understood what had to be done. Kevin saw the man's black eyes held the same resolve as the General's. Thus he understood; this man who was standing in front of him was none other than the first agent.
"Allow me to introduce myself." the man said before drawing his rapier and pointing it towards Kevin "The combat personnel leader and the first agent of Cocoon: Miguel Reinhard."
At this, Kevin drew his Surtr and replied:
"Commander of the 7th battalion of the 7th Anti-Honkai regiment of the Fire Moths, Kevin Kaslana."
"Well, then Kevin Kaslana. I will not waste your time with useless speeches. If you want to meet the grandmaster, then pass through me."
At this, both of them nodded to each other. They both understood that the one in front of them was a warrior in their own right. Thus, verbal communication was not needed. The unspoken code of honour of warriors has already communicated whatever they wanted to say between them. Thus, they held nothing back and started with their true powers from the start.
"Aria: 1st drive."
"Mode: Ragnarök."
A whirlpool of flames and wind roared across the entire floor as it threatened to tear apart the whole fortress. Seeing the hero of the Moths looking at his weapon with familiarity, Miguel decided to clarify any lingering doubts about this weapon.
"Yes." He spoke catching Kevin's attention "This is my sacred key, Sacred Key of Tempest: Aria. This is the prototype for all the subsequent sacred Keys; thus, it doesn't have any fancy shape-changing features. However, since there are no limiters to control the amount of Honkai energy this weapon absorbs, it has the highest destructive capacity amongst any other sacred Keys."
He then pointed the glowing rapier towards Kevin again. Even though there were no major changes to the weapon like with other agents, there were subtle ones. The first being that the blade now glowed green instead of being silvery white like before. The handle also had gotten more elegant looking. However, the most drastic of them was the amount of Honkai energy flowing through its blade. It was almost comparable to Homura's. this was a powerful weapon, Kevin noted; more powerful than any other he had faced until now. And along with that, the wielder of the weapon was an equally great fighter. However, he will not lose here. He was stronger now, and he will not hesitate to use that power.
Thinking thus, he started to release his new power. He found his chest constricting again as his breaths became short. He could also something metallic rise up his throat, and he had a good idea of what it was. However, this didn't dissuade him to not using the power. As he released more of it, the flames of Surtr became much more darker, from crimson to dark crimson with black streaks. Seeing this, the agent said:
"So this is your true power?"
"…" Kevin remained silent. At this the man said again:
"No matter. As long as I breathe, you shall not pass here." He then got into a low stance as he pointed his rapier forward
"May the better warrior prevail."
At this, both of them charged into one another. The soldiers of Moths were awestruck as they saw their commander charged to meet the last and the strongest of the agents. The two met head-on in the middle of the clearing.
The surroundings were engulfed in dark crimson and a strong gale tore apart the hallways.
SLASH.
CLANG.
SLASH.
Sounds of metal colliding with each other sounded the opening. Both Kevin and the agent were equally matched in terms of skill and tenacity. They were both going at each other for ten minutes straight, and even though it was pretty clear that Kevin was inherently stronger, the agent was keeping up with him with his natural rapier skills and reaction timing. Further, Kevin was holding back as he knew that if he used Excalibur here, it will destroy the entire fortress inside out and may cause unnecessary casualties. Hence, he was not able to use his slashing attacks and just had to rely on pure swordsmanship. And in that, they were both equal.
"Haaa." the agent grunted as he poked with his rapier, intending to get Kevin's shoulder, but was stopped by him. in response, Kevin gave a low swing of the sword intending to strike his torso and make him lose his balance. This was blocked by a diagonal swing of the rapier which not only changed the trajectory of his slash but also the wind currents generated by the rapier made the Surtr fly off a wide arc. To catch the sword from flying out of his hand, Kevin had to use his second hand to hold the handle. This, however meant that his side was open and that was where the agent struck.
Kevin was able to step back in time to prevent himself be completely stabbed through the rapier, but the tip of the weapon still grazed his inner shirt at the place where he was wounded by Roque. Along with the fact that he got hit by a piercing gust of wind afterwards, it was no surprise that even though his clothes were relatively unharmed, the same could not be said for his wound.
"It seems you were already wounded." the agent notedly said. Only then did Kevin's eyes land on the growing crimson patch on the side of his abdomen. However, he didn't pay any attention to it as always. Not feeling pain really come with many benefits in a fight. And although many people saw his inability to feel any physical contact as a downgrade, to him it was a unique strength; to fight without the annoyance of pain distracting your judgement. Of course, he earned the ire of many of his close comrades; Dr. Mobius and Clara-san being the most vocal out of them. But…
'Anything to protect my comrades.' he thought as he swung Surtr to the side. Crimson black flames threatened to cover every inch of the floor in which they were fighting. However, they never left too far from the blade, condensing on it and making an outer cover of flames on the blade.
"It seems that it isn't much for you." the agent said knowingly and shook his head. He then continued "I have seen many people like you in my life, acting as if nothing mattered, not afraid of death. Do you know what future all of them had?"
"…"
"A cold, nameless grave. The only thing that awaits you on this path is destruction and despair. I know, I have walked it once." The agent said in a surprisingly soft voice that made all the soldiers expect Kevin to double back in surprise. They never in their wildest dreams thought that an agent of Cocoon was capable to speak in such a tone. Their experiences with the Cocoon soldiers had led them to believe that all of them were crazy fanatics following their leader, the agents being the prime of those fanatics. However, seeing the leader of the agents showing empathy to Major Kevin was a shocker to them.
Kevin similarly was surprised to her words of understanding come from the mouths of an agent. So far, all the agents he has met until now were borderline psychopaths and believed in following the Cocoon's missions like a doctrine. However, he didn't have to luxury to show this face as the one in front of him was his enemy. As if knowing his inner thoughts, the agent said:
"Didn't think that an agent would be able to empathize with you, Godslayer. Well with the attitude that my other co-workers had shown, it's not that much surprising." He then looked at Kevin and said:
"Every agent here is like you, Godslayer. We had been discarded by this world. Whether it be losing one's sister to the Honkai; or getting everyone you love killed by Honkai due to the impotence of the earlier world order. We all banded together under the grandmaster because he gave us a reason to exist. Nothing more, nothing less. Not for me at least." saying this he readied his rapier and got in a low attacking stance. He then looked at Kevin and said:
"So don't become like me and become a living corpse. Rely on your comrades, before it is too late."
"It already is." Kevin said silently. However, the agent heard it and said:
"I see. Then there is nothing for me to tell anymore. Come, we both are out of time. Let us finish this in the next attack. And come at me with the intent to kill Godslayer, because God knows I will."
"Fine." Kevin said as the flames roared again. This person in front of him was a warrior; and he will give him the respect he deserves. Thus, he decided, he will use his slashing attack in this next move.
Deciding this, he also got into a low stance with his sword held to the side, raised up. He will put a downward slash and hope that the ground will absorb most of the impact.
"Let's do this Godslayer." the agent said as he shouted out the name of his attack:
"Tempête… perçante." and pushed his rapier forward. The tip of the rapier made a piercing sound as the man barrelled towards him faster than the speed of sound. The resulting sonic boom instantly doused the surrounding fire that was caused by Surtr. However, the flames on Surtr's blade refused to bow down as they only got violent. Kevin then used his own attack.
"Caladbolg." and slashed downwards. Crimson black flames rained down on the advancing agent, threatening to swallow him whole. However, even then he refused to back down.
BOOOOM.
The two attacks met head-on and threatened to tear apart the whole floor. Yet, to everyone's relief it didn't pass to happen. The soldiers stood shocked at the display of power by the two, and waited batedly for the surroundings to clear. At last, when the wind died down and the flames receded, the two figures were standing at the opposite side of where they stood.
"Mag…ni..fi…cent…" the agent breathed out as he fell down, there was a large gash on his body which was cauterized. Though, any soldier could see that the gash had run through all the vital internal organs, making it a fatal wound. and true to prediction, the agent fell, never to move again.
"…" Kevin remained silent, as blood sprayed out from his shoulder like a fountain. In that last attack, the agent had finally managed to get across his armour's defences and wound him a deep cut. Kevin sheathed his sword as he held his bleeding wound. many people would not approve of this, but they will not be able to refute the results. He turned around to face his second-in-command and said:
"Report to Colonel Ato that the last agent had been taken care of."
With this, the entire group of soldiers erupted in cheers. They have finally defeated the last of the agents. They had won. The enemy had lost their fighting personnel.
Kevin watched forward to see the hallway that led to the supposed mysterious grandmaster. Only one remains, he thought to himself. He then turned towards his second-in-command and said:
"I leave the command of the men to you, Roberts. Gather any intel that you can and report back to Colonel."
"But sir, what about you?"
"I will finish this." He said looking at the advancing dark hallway.
"B-But sir, your body-" his second-in-command tried to argue.
"It's an order." Kevin said and left before his second-in-command could say anything. The soldier just shook his head dejectedly and said:
"Sigh… typical Commander. How am I going to explain this to the Colonel?"
The hallway was straight forward without any branches. The walls were plain and didn't have any decoration that would indicate that what lay earlier would be the leader of such an organization that could give serious headaches to the Moths. He kept walking forward until he reached in front of a big wooden door. He knew this was it. Whoever was behind the door was the cause of all the things that had happened this past month; the killings, the weapons, the Imperial Hall incident, Sakura, Dominique… all of them. He will show no mercy to this person. Resolving himself, he pushed the door open with one push and walked inside.
There stood a man in his later years of life. He stood with his back to Kevin, simply standing looking at a painting on the wall. The painting showed a big tree, which almost looked ethereal with golden leaves and a silver trunk. There was an infinite number of branches spewing across the entire top half of the painting. Kevin felt that the painting conveyed some very important meaning but decided to think against it, he had a job to do.
"This is it, Grandmaster." he said pointing his sword forward.
"As I expected, you are the one who came till the end." the voice said nonchalantly. Kevin however was frozen to a stop.
That voice… how? He should have… he saw the entire place burning…. There was no way he should be alive…
How was he here? How was he alive? How was he talking?
How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How? Howhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhow…
How is this man still alive?
Kevin was stunned into silence as his grip loosened on Surtr. The nightmares came back with full force, and he felt the pain return. He felt his chest tighten even when he knew that he could not feel anything. He fell to his knees as Surtr fell down on the ground with a clang. Suddenly, Kevin felt trapped in the same cell as the past that haunted him played over and over again like a broken tape.
His breaths became sharp and quick as his pupils dilated. He couldn't think for some reason as his whole body refused to move. He felt bile rise up his throat, as he willed himself to not empty the contents of his stomach, even if there was nothing in there.
He didn't understand; why was he here? He should not be here. He should have died in that hell along with the other demons.
The man finally turned around to let Kevin see the pair of wine-coloured eyes that haunted him to this day. That was when he knew: this man in front of him is exactly the same as he looked all those years ago. The man in the same nauseating voice of his spoke up:
"You have grown up big and strong, Soleil."
"DO NOT CALL ME THAT." Kevin growled. His voice came out like that of a feral animal rather than the calm and composed that everyone was accustomed to hearing. He internally thanked that there was nobody to hear him and see him in this state now.
"Why?" the man said nonchalantly. He looked at Kevin like he was watching a fictional character and not like an actual human. He then continued "that is what your name is in the files."
"That person is dead." Kevin said with a hint of melancholy. Yes, the boy named Soleil is dead. That boy was already on the other side with his mother. The one currently in this body was Kevin: the captive of that hellish place, a soldier of Moths, a slayer of Honkai. He will never sully that innocent boy with what he had become now.
"Fine then." the man said "I have a better name for you. One that you are used to hearing, Subject 108."
Kevin felt rage course hearing that infernal name. Yet, it was something he expected. He knew better than anybody that this man in front of him viewed others as not humans, but as animals used for his experiments. The man approached him and said:
"Yes, Good. Very good. You have successfully awakened the power from the plane of Teotl. You really are the most successful of our subjects. This shows that our research was not in vain."
He then opened his hand like a saint and declared:
"Rejoice, Subject 108. You are the one successful product of the Kaslana labs. And as I promised to all of you when the tests began, you will have your own name." he then looked at him and said:
"On the other hand, perhaps I don't need to do that anymore do I? You have already gotten your name, right?"
"You." Kevin growled again.
"Now, now, don't need to act feral like an animal. You are supposed to be the salvation of humanity. With this, I have ensured that this branch will defeat the Honkai. All the conditions have been now met for this world to exist forever."
'What?' Kevin thought to himself. Branch? What did this man mean by it? He didn't have much time to think about it however as he heard that demon speak again.
"I'm really proud of you as the head scientist of the Kaslana labs. You always far surpassed our expectations, whether it be your honkai adaptability, your natural strength or your mental prowess. You have far surpassed every single one of the failures there. Even the agents of this new organization I created are nothing compared to you. this makes me believe that choosing you for the ascension experiment was the best decision of my life."
Kevin had heard enough. The moment he called out his friends there as failures, he was done with this man. he will finish what this man started all those years ago.
The man seemingly oblivious to Kevin's inner thoughts continued:
"I have created the perfect weapon against the Honkai. I have created the saviour. You will lead all of us to victory against that accursed infection." He only stopped when he suddenly felt the surroundings become hot. He then raised his head to see Kevin looking at him with an expression of murder on his face.
"Sigh… you still care for those failures. That was your only weakness. It would be better if you cut off that habit in the future."
"Shut UP." Kevin said, his voice becoming distorted and inhuman. The flames of Surtr were also becoming a very dark shade of crimson that was borderline black. Like that time in Bucharest.
"It seems that you are still bound by your emotional tendencies. It only will drag you down from showing your true potential."
"I SAID SHUT UP." Kevin's voice was totally inhuman now. The flames were covering his entire silhouette, making him seem demonic. His eyes glowed a bright golden. Seeing this the man was ecstatic as he said:
"Ahhh. You have already manifested that power to such a degree. Perhaps your emotional part is not useless at all. You truly are the most successful subject that I've ever worked on."
To this Kevin simply made the flames hotter. The temperature inside that room was causing the pieces of furniture to start catching fire and the metallic things to start melting. Seeing this the man said:
"Well, it doesn't matter if you kill me now, Kevin; because I know that I am successful."
"…"
"Go ahead… do it." the man said again while spreading out his hand. Kevin lost in his wrath swung down the Surtr causing the room to explode. the following debris was flung out into the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The blast was so strong that the entire structure on top of the room collapsed, its remnants joining the bone-freezing waters below the stack on which the fortress was built.
Kevin huffed after his supposedly explosive finish to this whole fiasco. He still couldn't forget the face of the man as he was burned away. He still wore that conceited smile even as he was burning away. It was as if he had fulfilled the goal of his life, and by hearing him talk Kevin deduced he indeed has.
He was supposed to feel fulfilled. He had finally ended the man who had caused them to suffer endlessly. He had avenged them: Elisa onee-chan, Samal, ***, all of them. Then why did all he felt now a crushing emptiness in his heart? He had never felt this way since that day when the facility burned down, then why was he feeling this now?
"A cold, nameless grave. The only thing that awaits you on this path is destruction and despair. I know, I have walked it once."
The lines spoken by that agent suddenly came to his mind. Kevin's eyes widened as he realized that this was the answer to why he was feeling this way now. He had accurately pointed out that Kevin was fighting while being completely empty inside. He had thought that as long as he fight for his comrades, it would be enough. However, he was slapped in the face with the truth that he was just an empty person, who was using his comrades as an excuse to return to the battlefield because he didn't know anything else.
"I don't have anything else left than fighting." Kevin said to himself. And even as he burst into a fit of coughs and coughed out blood due to using his powers, there was only one thing in his mind.
'For… what am I existing?'
To be continued…
Hello everyone, welcome back to 'A Warriors Destiny'.
Finally, we are done with the Cocoon arc. What do you think of it? Tell me in the comments. With this arc done, we can now move on to the sixth eruption, from where the true feels train will begin. Also, at the end of this chapter, we are seeing Kevin asking the questions that will lead to his damnation that will remain until the happenings of the main game.
We also see the origins of the Kaslana name in this story. While for the members of the Kaslana family in the Current era it is a source of pride, for Kevin it is just another curse.
Also, we learn of his true name. The past of Kevin is a story that will be told at another time. As for the meaning of his true name, will he live up to it? We will see as the story progress.
Well, then that wraps up this Arc. The next chapter will be an epilogue of sorts to see the aftermaths.
As always if you like the story please leave a follow, favourite, and/or review.
Thank you for reading, until next time.