Hello and welcome. Hope everyone enjoys and if you don't, well that's unfortunate I guess. Review if you want, not really looking for criticism or praise, this is more a place for me to store ideas and share them with a few of my friends who also read fanfiction than anything else. Don't expect frequent updates or anything good from the story. You're only setting yourself up for disappointment if you do.
Apologies to those who were expecting an update anytime soon as this is just a pet project of mine, not really much of writer. At least I can guarantee it's not completely dead, just trying to make something I'm satisfied with. Speaking of which, that is the reason why I've at least taken the time to correct minor errors I missed during my initial reviews.
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Vein. This is simply being written for entertainment purposes.
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Jack sighed wearily as he navigated the Lost invested corridors of a former research center. There had been sightings of the Queen here alongside a number of distress calls originating from within. His squad had been the one tasked with heading in to investigate. Their primary objective was to locate and if possible put an end to the Queen's frenzy, saving the survivors wasn't an essential goal. That little detail left a bad taste in his mouth but the man understood perfectly well it was the simple truth. If they somehow got an opening to finally deliver the killing blow to the woman, they had to take it even if it meant abandoning a few more revenants.
'Sacrifice the few for the good of the many, it's unfortunate that things have gotten so desperate.' Thought Jack bitterly. This war needed to end soon, he was getting tired of all this bullshit. The battle hardened warrior was so deep in thought he hadn't even noticed his guard had been lowered.
"Duck!" A loud shout brought the silver haired revenant back to his senses. It was only due to his years on the battlefield and time spent alongside his comrades that he followed the orders without question, ducking just in time to dodge a slice that no doubt would have left him beheaded. A resounding bang echoed throughout the corridor followed by a bullet whizzing past him and into the Lost that had caught him unawares. It released a dying growl before collapsing, it's body fading into a reddish-white haze in no time at all.
"You alright old man?" Jack shifted his attention towards the voice. Standing behind him was the rookie of his squad, Ren Kagami.
Ren was a rather average looking revenant at first glance, likely an unfortunate teenager who met his end during the Queen's rampage if he had to guess. Messy brown hair, a fair complexion, about average height, and a slim build; nothing especially noteworthy. The only thing that really stood out we're his eyes. While they were both a light brown the right one was dull and lifeless, no doubt courtesy of whatever left him the scar traveling over his right eyelid. Like most second generation revenants the teen was outfitted in the basic Queenslayer claw Blood Veil, a number of pouches to hold his equipment, plain black pants, and similarly colored combat boots.
"Thanks kid." Said Jack, giving Ren a nod. "Looks like I owe you one."
"Don't mention it captain, it's just part of the job." Ren placed his large rifle over his shoulders. He was one of the few revenants that took the time to master more than one weapon, a fact made evident by the one handed sword strapped across his back. He favored bayonets but the teen was rather talented with a sword. Jack himself had taken the time to teach him the finer arts of using the blade.
"This is a first though, nothing has ever taken you by surprise. Is something on your mind?"
"Nothing important, just thinking about the war." As Jack spoke, the duo continued down the hall cautiously. "It feels like no matter how many sacrifices we make it'll never end." A bit of frustration made its way into his normally composed voice. Despite being the newest to their little vanguard unit Ren had proved himself not only a capable fighter but something akin to a friend. There weren't many people that stuck around long enough for Jack to become familiar with and he was one of those few.
"We will put an end to this, I'll make sure of it." The steel within Ren's words put Jack somewhat at ease. Even if he should perish there was someone that would continue leading his unit into battle. Unlike the others this brown haired revenant seemed genuinely motivated to battle against the Queen. Jack theorized that he was so willing to die over and over due to some personal reasons.
Perhaps he blamed the Queen for the loss of his humanity. Perhaps someone he cared about had died by her hand. Or even more unlikely, he knew the Queen prior to her frenzy. Either way, it was quite clear that Ren would stop at nothing to finally kill the Queen, a sentiment he fully shared. Unfortunately that determination was also a double edged sword. He had seen the kid die too many times to count due to him recklessly rushing the Queen.
The two walked in tense silence, neither bothering to continue the conversation. They needed to focus. The other members of the squad had likely located the trapped revenants. It was their job to track down the Queen. Luckily it would seem they wouldn't have to look very far.
As they crept into a dimly lit storage room, a familiar golden glow caught Jack's attention.
"Move!" He ordered while leaping to the side. A volley of pure white needles descended from the room's ceiling, impaling the metallic door they had just come through with ease. As Jack skid to a stop and prepared himself for combat, he spared a glance towards Ren. The kid had dodged in the opposite direction and managed to avoid being turned into a pin cushion by the sudden attack.
Slowly, almost as though she was floating, the Queen lowered herself from the darkened ceiling. Her eyes glowed an ominous blue and energy of the same color seem to leak out of her very body, tainting the air around them. She had white hair that almost looked other worldly and was dressed in nothing more than a hospital grown. A large grotesque scar could be seen stemming from her heart, likely a product of all the experiments conducted on her prior to her frenzy.
"Kid!" Shouted Jack, getting Ren's attention. "Follow my lead, this isn't the time to be reckless. We might be able to take her if we play our cards right, this is the perfect place to finally put her down." Ren seemed conflicted but gave a nod of confirmation none the less.
'Good, he's finally starting to get a handle on his emotions.', Thought Jack while refocusing on the Queen who was preparing to summon another volley of needles. 'Since were indoors those needles don't have as much room to form. If we close the distance and coordinate our attacks correctly we have a chance.'
Just as she prepared to let loose the needles, Jack took off towards her with Ren trailing directly behind him. Due to their countless deaths against the needles the two had little trouble maneuvering past the spikes as they moved in for an attack.
Leaping into the air, Jack delivered a powerful downward slice that she blocked with her bare hands. Whatever counterattack she had planned was put to an immediate halt as Ren slide in from below Jack. The Queen jumped back to avoid the slice from his bayonet only to be met with a series of shots from said weapon. All of them were deflected easily as none were laced with ichor but managed to distract her as planned.
Jack was quick to capitalize on the opening. He darted towards her, attacking with a series of quick but powerful slashes. Most were blocked or pushed aside but the few that actually hit home left minor injuries that were healed in the blink of an eye.
There was a reason she was called the Queen of all revenants after all. Even something as simple as her regeneration far outstripped most of theirs. The only other person who surpassed her in that regard was Ren himself but that was due to a gift unique to his blood code. It wasn't some passive ability that was always active like the Queen's and it required a significant amount of ichor on the teen's part to start up from what he had told him.
The Queen stopped his last attack and flung him through the air, leaving him vulnerable to her needles and unable to support Ren. It seemed this had been her plan.
The woman immediately shot towards Ren, a blade of hardened blood forming around her right arm. Ren managed to roll out of the way of her first slice but found himself being forced to block the next few with his rifle. Each one seemed to pack more force then than the last and within a matter of seconds she had him on his knees. With one especially powerful slice the rifle was broken in two. The blade would have found its way across his heart had it not been for him leaning out the away, instead allowing it to be burying into his arm.
Gritting his teeth, Ren kicked the Queen away from him and jumped back to put distance between them but not before sending her a little gift. Thrusting his arm forward, he sent a small but powerful ball of fire hurling towards her. A loud explosion rocked the room as it made contact.
Ren had of course used this chance to heal his arm and pull out his standard issue Queenslayer sword.
Jack himself had recovered and watched with hope as the smoke began to diminish.
Neither noticed the arrows beginning to form in the wall behind Ren.
'Dammit.' Thought Jack once the smoke cleared. The Queen had summoned a wall of ice to protect herself from blast. 'I need to regroup with Ren and try to put her on the defensive aga-' His eyes widen once they turned towards Ren.
"Kid, move!" His warning proved futile.
Despite attempting to jump out of the way, there were just too many spikes for the brown haired male to dodge. Luckily Jack's warning had been enough for him to insure none of them hit his heart. In a flash several of them were lodged into his body, one dangerously close to his heart. The last thing the dissolving revenant saw was the emotionless face of the Queen staring down at him.
"God dammit." Jack swore while turning to face the Queen. She was unlike any frenzied revenant. Most lost the ability to plan or any of their more advanced gifts but as usual she was an exception to this rule. It was quite clear she identified Ren as a major threat during their battles as she always found a way to separate them before completely taking him out of the equation. Her strategies consisted of little more than attacking anyone who proved too troublesome before moving on to the next but it was effective.
"This is going to be tough…" He muttered as the Queen turned her soulless blue gaze onto him.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A small groan of pain escaped Ren as he slowly regained consciousness. It felt like someone had thrown him into a bottomless sea with weights tied down to each of his limbs. The simple act of opening his eyes seemed like it would take everything out of him. Even so, the revenant cracked them open and stared up at the green tent above him. One glance around told him he was in the infirmary of Operation Queenslayer's main base. He was surrounded by a number of other unconscious revenant, many of their faces concealed by the masks used to lessen the effects of the air.
"I don't think I'll get used to the feeling of dying…" He muttered while forcing his numb body over the edge of the bed he had been laid upon.
"And you shouldn't want to." A familiar voice drew the revenant's attention as he stretched to get the feeling back in his limbs. Walking towards him was a woman he knew far better than most in this camp. She had neck length black hair and a pair of crimson eyes that seemed to shine with concern. Her clothing consisted of a simple long sleeved blouse, black necklace, a black skirt, and red tights leading into her knee high white boots. "The damage you took to your heart could have been fatal Ren, what happened out there?"
"Nothing to worry about Karen." Ren waved off her concern while cracking his neck. "I was just caught off guard."
"You know saying that only makes me worry more." The woman he called Karen closed the distance between the two of them, poking and prodding at different parts of his body. "Does anything feel off? Any fragmented memories or blank spots? How about pain?" Ren sighed as he was given a thorough examination. After so many deaths he had grown used to this, it didn't mean he liked it though.
"Is this really necessary? I've already lost count of how many times that I've been killed and I always come back good as new." To most Ren's words would have come off as extremely foolish. Everyone knew that revenants tended to lose bits and pieces of their memories with every death. In fact there had even been cases were those with particularly sever injuries had forgotten everything they once held dear after reforming. For some reason he was an anomaly in that regard. Despite his many deaths Ren had never once forgotten a single memory. Karen believed it had something to do with his blood code and strong resolve but those were little more than hypothesizes at the moment. They hadn't exactly had time to properly test them with the war going on.
"Even so we can't take any chances with this Ren? What if you forget Kiyoki?" Ren noticed the slight shaking of her gloved hands as she spoke. "What if you forget about the time you spent with Louis and Cruz? What if….what if you forget about us?"
"Karen." Ren grasped her hands, forcing her to stare into his eyes. There was no mistaking the mix of fear and concern that she was trying so hard to keep in check. "I will never forget about you." It was a simple statement yet the unwavering resolve within them provided her with a small measure of comfort. Karen found herself enveloping the man in tight hug, burying her head against his chest to conceal the tears that had been threatened to surface. She had to be strong. Not only for all the other revenants that depended on her support but for Ren's sake as well. He already had enough to worry about battling against the Queen without throwing her feelings into the mix.
Had anyone walked in on them or any of their fellow revenants around them awakened they would have thought the two were a couple and they would have been correct in that assumption. The two's relationship dated back before the great collapse but they had never been very public with it. In fact no one knew they were this close, not even their respective siblings.
They remained like this for several minutes. At one point Ren had started running a comforting hand through her hair. As much as they wanted to stay like this they both had their own respective duties to fulfill. Reluctantly Karen pulled away from him and composed herself.
"So will you be paying Kiyoki a visit before you head back into the field?" She asked as he stood up. Ren simply shook his head at the mention of his sister's name. Kiyoki was a doctor like Karen but was a lot more protective of Ren.
"I don't need another one of her lectures." He said getting a small sigh from her.
"You should at least say hello, you know she spends most of her free time worrying about you."
Whatever response he had for her was drowned out by a loud alarm going off within the base. "Looks like it's time for the meeting, I don't suppose I can convince you to sit this one out?"
"Nope." Ren answered without missing a beat. He gave the woman a quick kiss on the forehead and made his way out of the tent. "Do me and favor and tell Kiyoki Jack forced me to go or something. It'll save me some trouble when I get back."
"He's too stubborn sometimes." Muttered Karen. She watched him disappear beyond the tent with a small frown. "I just hope that he doesn't over do it."
Ren allowed himself to take a deep breath once he stepped out of the tent. The familiar scent of ash, metal and dried blood filled the small encampment. As usual a number of his fellow revenants we're leaning against crates or whatever free space they could find. Some had this lost look in their eyes while others were simply glad to finally have some time to relax.
"Well, well, well. Look who's finally awake." Ren glanced towards the main building of the base with a sheepish grin, already recognizing the voice. Walking towards him was Aurora, a close friend to Karen and one of the lead researchers involving Revenants. She had long brown hair and a healthy complexion. As usual she wore her pinked shaded glasses, a white lab coat, and plain black clothing below it. "How are you feeling Ren?"
"Like shit." Ren answered honestly as they began to walk side by side towards the camp's exit. It was a lot easier to talk one on one with her honestly since he knew she wouldn't dot over every single injury. "What's going on Aurora?"
"It's the Queen. She's been spotted near the camp." The woman explained. "I know you probably won't listen to me but I don't think you should go back out there. Not this soon after being reformed."
"Karen said the same thing. You two aughta stop worrying so much." Ren patted his chest proudly. "No one knows my body better than me."
"So you think you know more about revenant biology than not only one of the lead researcher of this whole project but a medical professional as well?" Aurora gave him a deadpan look that let him know just how much she disapproved of his logic.
"Don't say it like that, you make me sound like an idiot."
"You are an idiot." The woman rubbed her forehead, a slightly fond smile on her face. "Look I want you to have this. It's a little something I've been working on to help you and Jack." She pulled out a small dagger, no bigger than his own fingers. Even with just a glance it obviously wasn't a normal one. The bottom half of it was filled with some sort of darkish blue liquid.
"What exactly is this? Some sort of poison?" Questioned Ren while taking it from her.
"Something like that. It's capable of slowing down a revenants regeneration factor as well as making gifts harder to cast." Ren raised an eyebrow. That sounded incredibly useful and dangerous in the wrong hands. "It's was one of the few things I've made from the left over blood from the Queen. The only perfected version of its kind so be careful.
"How do you know it works?"
"Self experimentation of course and a few willing participants here and there."
"Aurora. You know you shouldn't be experimenting on yourself, it's dangerous." Ren reprimanded her with a frown, coming to a stop. "There's no telling what might happen."
"Are you really in a position to criticize me? If you don't give yourself time to recover the Queen will kill you." Aurora returned his frown with a fierce glare. The few revenants that were passing by then were careful to avoid getting anywhere near the two. A smart move on their part, even a blind man would have been able to feel the tension in the air.
"That's not the same and you know it. Someone has to stop her fro-"
"That's your problem right there, are you so self-centered that you believe you have to do it by yourself?" She jabbed his chest. "We're all here for you. Your sister, Karen, me."
"…You wouldn't understand." Ren muttered but that only served to further infuriate Aurora.
"No, you won't let us understand. All you do is brush us off whenever we try to talk. Don't you see what your selfish bullshit is doing to Karen? She spends more time worrying about you than taking care of herself." Ren faltered slightly. "Talk to somebody dammit. Hell even talking with Jack would be better than no one. Bottling things up never helped anyone."
The brown haired revenant gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, nearly cracking the small dagger in his hand. Before their argument could escalate any farther a voice broke them apart.
"Kid!" Jack called out to Ren from the exit of the camp. "Hurry it up, we need to move out soon."
The two stayed locked in their glaring match for awhile longer before Ren eventually released a heavy sigh.
"Look Aurora." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just…Just take care of yourself okay?"
"Don't lecture me idiot." She muttered angrily. She quickly brushed off his hand took off back towards the main building.
'I'll apologize later.' Ren decided while slipping the blade she gave him into one of the pouches clipped to the back of his hip. 'Hopefully Karen will be able to calm her down.'
With that situation temporary put on hold the revenant finally focused his attention on Jack who had gathered up the rest of his advance team. He quickly made his way over to the group.
"Finally done arguing with your girl rookie?" Questioned one of the masked revenants with a chuckle, clearly finding amusement in Ren's situation.
"I wish I was as lucky as him." Muttered one of the others, this one wielding a giant axe.
"Would you two pervs back off." Cut in the only female member of the group. "You doing okay Ren? I heard the Queen did you in."
"Good as new." Ren answered, opting to ignore the other two.
"Perfect." Jack interrupted the group's chatter and tossed Ren a standard issue bayonet. "The Queen and her forces have broken through our defensive line, however, she has suffered numerous injuries to get this far. This our best case scenario, we'll need to be at our best to stop her."
Ren did a once over of the weapon while listening to Jack.
"Our sixth is sitting this one out so you three will group up and head in from the west. Ren and I will be taking the east. Silva will be leading the main group directly through the center." Jack ordered. "Don't take any unnecessary risks. If you can avoid the Queen's forces do so. Am I understood?"
"Aye/ Understood/ Of course/ Roger." The four of them responded simultaneously.
"Good, move out!"
"Good luck with the captain rookie, try not to get killed this time."
"I Still can't believe he managed to score a babe like Aurora."
"Just ignore those two Ren." The girl gave a backwards wave as they took off. "Keep the captain safe for us."
Ren nodded in confirmation before taking off after Jack who had already began making his way out of the camp. The duo walked in silence for a few minutes on high alert before finally deciding to break the silence.
"Thanks for that back there old man." Ren thanked him. "Who's knows how long that argument would have gone on otherwise."
"Forget about it." As expected the captain just waved off his thanks. "That's the first time I've seen Aurora have an outburst like that. What exactly did you do?"
"We…" Ren searched for the right words to describe what happened. "…had a disagreement about my placement on the front lines." Jack grunted in understanding.
"Don't let it weigh you down. There are things in this world that can't be understood unless you see them first hand." A hardened look cross Jack's voice. "They aren't soldiers. They don't see the bodies of the fallen. All they see are the numbers. They have no idea what it's like watch your allies die over and over again." Ren silently agreed with the older man's words but found himself wondering just how long silver haired revenant had been fighting. Unlike him Jack was a first generation revenant. He had fought the great horrors as well as the Queen. Ren could only imagine just how many fights the man had been in. On top of that the man seemed to hold himself how'd he'd expect a professional to. Perhaps he had military experience prior to all of this.
He supposed the answers to those questions didn't matter. What mattered is that Jack would definitely have his back.
Today they would put an end to the Queen.
Today he would put Cruz out of her misery like he should have done so long ago.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Torture.
Pure, unadulterated torture.
That was the only thing that came to mind as Ren fought the Queen. Between her seemingly infinite well of gifts, constant regeneration, and limitless stamina; just keeping pace with her was proving to be challenge. Even with Silva using his barrier gift to take the brunt of her needles, Jack fighting alongside him and the substance that Aurora gave him stifling her true power this battle had dragged for well over half an hour.
Slamming the blade of his bayonet against the Queen's resilient skin, Ren kicked the woman away and landed beside Jack.
'This needs to end before one of us is killed or Silva's barrier is broken.' Ren gritted his teeth. 'Should I finally use that? Aurora said that I shouldn't use the gift but if I don't the Queen might break through to the main base. There's too much at risk to hold anything back.'
"Hey Jack." Ren got the silver haired man's attention. "I got one last ace up my sleeve but the cost…the cost isn't something I can comeback from."
"What are you going on about kid?" Jack questioned, keeping an eye on the Queen who was already preparing to engage them.
"Do me a favor and tell everyone I'm sorry alright?" Ren dropped his weapon and placed one of his hands over his heart. Jack watch silently as pitch black energy began to ooze from his teammates chest and red electricity began to spark around his hand. "Tell Karen, tell her that I love her."
"The cost, it's your life isn't it?" Ren gave Jack a nod and one last smirk. "I'll deliver your message kid just make sure to finish this."
"Of course."
Having recovered from Ren's attack the Queen rushed forward, shooting a barrage of car sized fireballs at the duo. Just as it seemed they would be burnt to ashes the sparking energy surged out of Ren's body. The output of the energy alone was enough to send both the Queen and Jack flying in opposite directions while the flames slammed directly into the black aura now surrounding the revenant. The impacted created a dark cloud of dust and ash, shielding Ren from view.
Jack couldn't help the apprehension filling him as he waited for the dust to settle. Every fiber of his being had been telling him to flee since Ren had reached for his heart. Something was off about that energy. This was no normal gift, that was for sure. Even the normally brutal Queen watched with baked breath as the smoke began to diminish.
Before any could react a blur shot out of the smoke, headed straight towards the Queen. It was only by pure instinct that she managed to avoid it, but alas, instinct would not be enough to save her today. A bone shattering kick connected to her ribs, sending her crashing into one of the many ruined buildings. Standing in place of the Queen was none other than Ren himself though he had undergone slight changes. His previously short hair now reached all the to his mid-back, swaying with the slightest movement. His eyes were a deep red but lacked the usual glow that all revenants produced when using their gifts.
"This power-" Ren clenched his fist, getting a feel for his new found strength. "-is more than enough to stop you."
Hardly a second later the Queen shot out of the ruins, two long blades of hardened blood now covering her arms. Ren met her head on, dodging and weaving past her series of slashes with ease. Any cut he did receive was instantly healed, his regenerative abilities now surpassing that of the Queen's even at her strongest. He ducked beneath her final attack and landed a harsh uppercut that lifted her high into the air. The power up revenant wasn't done though. Pointing his index finger towards the queen, a small ball of blood formed in front of it. In the blink of an eye it shot forward in the form on a thin beam, piercing the white haired woman's heart.
Ren watched impassively as his opponent hit the ground and tumbled across it like a lifeless ragdoll. She was still alive, he could feel it. Focusing enough power to destroy a revenant of her caliber that quickly wasn't possible, even with this absurd boost in ability. In no time at all she began to rise up from the ground, her eyes now glowing an even deeper ominous blue color than usual. A wall of yellow energy formed behind her, giving way to a barrage of her signature white needles. Unlike all his previous attempts he managed to dodge most of them, receiving little more than a knick on the cheek which was healed by the time he had even registered he suffered any damage.
Unfortunately that attack was just a distraction. The Queen had been closing the gap between them and as soon as she was within punching distance she did something unexpected. She slammed her fist into the ground cracking it and putting up a dust cloud that blinded him. Ren found himself on the receiving end of punches, slashes and kicks as the Queen rained down attack after attack on his defenseless form. While her power and speed was far from matching his it was clear that she was using ichor to boost her latent abilities on a level that at least stood some semblance of a chance against him.
'What the hell!?' Jack watched in disbelief as the two powerful revenants duked it out. Both Ren's physical power and gifts had reached unparalleled heights but something was very wrong. The Queen was an unthinking monster. Up until now she had simply overpowered them through sheer force with lightest bit of strategy and yet here she was using clever tactics against Ren, as basic as it was. 'Did the parasite inside the Queen recognize the threat that the kid presents and use it's host brain?'
It was a rash assumption made with no shred of scientifical backing but it was the only thing that made sense to Jack. Ren would have to finish this fast, before it got anymore out of hand.
'Dammit.' Forcing open one of his eyes, Ren dodged the punch aimed at him and grasped the Queen by her neck. To his frustration ice began to form around her neck, threatening to incase his arm. He raised his freehand began to concentrate all of his ichor at the tips of his fingers. A short blade of condensed blood, similar to that of the Queen's, formed. He went to stab the Queen in her heart but she managed to stop it by moving one of her hands in the way. At the same time she reached for his gas mask, freezing it solid and crushing it one smooth motion.
The effects were instantaneous.
Ren dropped the woman and stumbled backwards to the opening of a large chasm, reaching for his skull. His head was absolutely throbbing as an insatiable hunger for blood began to set in. He could feel it. The overwhelming urge to head back to the main HQ where he knew humans were kept. The desire to crush and snuff out anything that could pose a threat to him. He released an almost animalistic growl and tried to suppress these desires. He needed to focus. If he failed to kill the Queen everyone would die.
His sister, Karen, Aurora, Louis, Jack. The sacrifices of all of the other revenants that had perished fighting the Queen would be meaningless. The revenants he fought alongside would be killed. The humans that were relying on them would be slaughtered. Worse of all, he would leave Cruz to suffer inside of the monster that had controlled her body for so long.
These thoughts were what provided the tiny silver of clarity that he needed. He could see Cruz's emotionless face hovering just before him, a blade of blood poised to cut straight through his heart.
"No!" Jack's yell echoed through the battlefield followed by his blade sailing through the air towards the Queen. She caught it with ease, sparing Jack only a single glance. This shift in attention was all Ren needed.
Focusing all of his remaining ichor into his Blood Veil he shot upward to deliver the final blow. The claws that formed around his arm pierced the Queen's heart with enough force to carry her into the air. As he began to drain her blood, Ren felt his body weaken as it struggled to process the substance.
"Ren…" Ren's blood ran cold at the voice. It was scratchy and quiet but there was no mistaking who's voice it was. The Queen, no Cruz, reached towards his face. She caressed his cheek, a gentle smile that pained his heart making its way across her face. "…thank you."
"Cruz…" Ren whispered with regretful eyes. "I'm sorry it took me so long." With that said, Ren pulled out his claws and sent her stumbling backwards onto the ground. He could only watch mournfully as her body collapsed to the ground, slowly but surely solidifying to stone.
Any chance he had to try and understand why her body hadn't turned to dust was snatch away as the overwhelming power of the Queen's blood took hold. It felt like his body was on fire and being burnt from the inside out. Screaming out in pain wasn't even possible anymore.
"Ren, your resolve was truly admirable." The revenant glanced upwards, spotting both Silva and Jack standing before him. "You've done what I couldn't and finally put an end to my daughter's suffering. For this I thank you."
"Sleep well, Ren." Jack stated, raising his hand preparing to give his friend a painless death. To the men's surprise Ren released a small laugh.
"That's the first time you called me by my name, old man." Ren couldn't help but find that little detail amusing. "How fitting that it would be at the final moments of my journey."
"I guess so…" Jack allowed a single humorless chuckle to escape him. With a single fully powered shot through Ren's chest, he sent the boy stumbling backwards staring up at the sky.
"I'll be joining you soon Cruz…" Ren whispered as he fell into the chasm behind him. He could feel his body breaking apart, slowly turning to dust. The pain in his heart from the use of his ultimate gift, fading alone with his life.
'I guess I'll never get to start a family with Karen.'
Prologue End
Hello to those who made it to the end or just scrolled down here for some reason. Hoped you enjoyed.
Jan 21: Some light edits.
