Chapter 84 - Movie, Almighty
Aboard the Devil Skiff, Dren curiously glanced at the Nightmare among the teens. "I must ask, this 'ether' you speak of, it's not like my kind's method of survival, is it?"
"No, it is everything that makes up reality, where we are heading is a basin of pure creation, the complete opposite of what my kind are made of," Viral kept it simple, though that worried the group.
"But, if you're made of the opposite stuff-" Ochaco drew their gazes with worry. "-won't that kill you?"
Viral chuckled, "Perhaps, there's no certainty," His hands then clenched the dashboard. "But we have no other choice, I can't cure Kyoka, not without that ether."
"How does it work, exactly?" Yaoyorozu inquired.
"It reacts to thought, we simply need to dive into it and conjure something that can heal her," While simple in method, Viral had no clue how many variables stood between them and that solution. "Trust me, innovation like this is not without risk,"
"If there's a chance, we can't waste it, the others are sticking their necks out to buy us time," Sero agreed while glancing back with Kirishima, both sharing a firm frown.
"We gotta try, for Akio and Jiro's sakes," Kirishima hated waiting around but it would only be a matter of time, then they could save their friend. "Harrow's not taking any more lives,"
"Right!" Ochaco smiled as Dren chuckled again.
"Ever the optimistic bunch, I see why Kovik can't ever seem to break your spirits," That thought made Dren wonder, is that what led to the defeat of Aksis? Was it the indomitable hearts of the Guardians that broke through logic and strength? The more he pondered, the more his logic began to change.
In the back, as the ship hummed along, Kyoka lurched up, coughing up more black tar as her chest burned like she ate hot coals, tearing up from the pain. Akio moved to her side, holding her tightly. "Let it pass, don't fight it, Yuki's device should kick in," As he said this, a blue pulse from the metal resounded, and Kyoka's breathing began to steady, coughing up black spit. "You're okay,"
Kyoka gave her usual aloof stare, though it was much paler, and her purple eyes were turning grey around the edges. "D-d-do I l-look okay?"
"Right, yeah, dumb answer," Akio tried to laugh but his throat was still very dry as Kyoka's lowered her eyes, kicking herself for sounding harsh but Akio nudged her. "I know you didn't mean it, I'm always surprised at how calm you can be in these situations,"
"Y-yeah, c-calm," She gulped, resting her head against his chest.
"But you don't need to keep acting tough," His hand rested on her head, his left wrapped around her stomach gently. "Even if you kicked and screamed, I'll still be here, always,"
"I-I hate y-you," Kyoka sniffed, burying her head against his chest, hearing the soft tempo of his heart. "Why a-are you s-so calm?"
"I'm not," He admitted, pressing his head against hers. "I want to scream too, to lash out, but until you're better, I'll bury it,"
"...i-i don't wa-want t-to die..." Kyoka croaked, clutching his jacket tightly as he kept her cold body close.
"I won't let you, Death be damned," Akio hid his sorrow tightly, burying that pain in his stomach. He couldn't cry, not until she was safe. He needed to be stronger now more than ever. "Hey, Kirishima?"
"Woah, forgot you can sense souls," He blinked, noting the state the two were in. "Um, should I come back or...?"
"No, you're fine, could you take Kyoka to the others?" Akio asked as Kyoka gripped him tighter. "Please, just for a second,"
"Sure thing," With some effort, the redhead helped Kyoka to her feet, the girl still staring at Akio in confusion, seeing him wander toward the end of the Skiff where the hanger door sat closed. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, just-" He smiled at them, a glowing mass of purple light building on the ceiling from a crossbow emerging from the shadows of the rafters. "-gotta clean out the rat,"
*BOOM!*
The whole Skiff shook violently, Dren staring ahead of his monitors with a blunt glare. "Please refrain from damaging my ship, I just got a new paint job for it," He then waved an arm. "Go take care of that, thank you, I'm flying here,"
The group scrambled into the brig to find a large hole blown out of the right wall, the wind whistling from the gap. Scourge had Akio pinned by his foot, leveling the crosshairs of his crossbow to the boy's head. "I apologize, but this is as far as you go,"
Kirishima attempted to intervene but several black creatures sprung from Scourge's coat, Thrall. They grabbed Kirishima, forcing him to harden his whole body against their claws while booting one into the wall. "Viral!" Ochaco called out, grabbing a nearby pipe to swing it against the temple of another Thrall, distracting it as Yaoyorozu buried it under a large slab of metal from her torn coat and shirt, revealing her stomach underneath.
Viral dove over Scourge's tail as it spat yellow dust, seeping into Akio's body to conjure his tail, slicing up Scourge's chest. He rolled into the wall's shadow, tackling immediately outward for Scourge, tossing each other through the same hole he made, the pair swept out by the wind. Viral latched onto one of the steel claws for supply deliveries, seeing Scourge crawl up the backside of the Skiff.
"Thanks...!" Akio breathed a sigh of relief.
"Anytime, now focus," Viral murmured, swinging from the brackets.
"You always were quick to act, despite being weaker," Scourge's voice echoed in the wind, his soul going unnoticed by Viral's gaze. "I admired that, but, it also made you a fool, your Host certain mirrors that weakness,"
"Like you're any better; what? The master of stealth and hunting frightened by a madman? That's so unlike you," Viral taunted, unaware of the tail slithering toward him.
"If you saw what Harrow has done since our pact divided, you would be too," The tail flexed, spewing noxious purple gas.
The ruins of a massive Cabal structure loomed over the barren, resource-stripped land. The various floating lands anchored by massive chains or bridges with patrols constantly. In the center were the remains of the gargantuan complex, the towering pipeline of an old fuel supply line visible for miles.
These 'Cabal' were as described, 'space rhinos'. The Cabal were a bipedal, hulking species with wrinkled, leathery tan-grey skin, a tall skull, dark wide-set eyes with slit pupils. This faction wore gunmetal and red color schemed armor.
Some patrolled the south side of the facility, facing a wide stretch of abyss, making it a minor sector to defend, left only for their two stationary dropships to dock. Two marched nearest the end of the bridge, grunting in their native tongue to one another.
"Okay, ready for this?"
"Is this really necessary?"
"Rayla was insistent I do this,"
"It'll be fun, it'll be fun, now let's go,"
Suddenly, their weapons were drawn forward as a piece of old-timey music blared to life behind a few supply crates. Rayla strolled out, casually spinning her handcannon around her finger as the music blasted from her. ~I′ve got a gal she looks just fine. Always bring me whiskey and wine-~
The Cabal Legionaries roared, charging their weapons as something jammed in the barrels, two long shards of ice that slowly caked their weapons and hands in frost. Rayla just kept approaching with a swagger in her step. ~-Breakfast in the morning and dinner at night. Everything she do, she do just right-~
Tossing their weapons aside, their right gauntlets produced a hot glowing straight blade, charging the Guardian who kept spinning her weapon around, humming to the beat. ~When I say what you wanna do? She said there's just one thing that I want from you-~
*Blam-Blam!*
Two high-caliber rounds and their heads exploded into a black oily substance. With a sigh, Rayla cracked her neck, seeing the reinforcements charge across the bridge, Velk flying down behind her, ice lacing the dropships. "Man, I love being immortal."
While the chaos ensued, across the small floating rocks just below the bridges, Izuku, Yuki, Shoto, and Katsuki all traversed unnoticed toward the facility. Their distraction was working flawlessly. "Up here," Yuki whispered, helping them scale the wall behind a few barriers, seeing a gap between the scrapped-together walls.
"Guess now we just have to find a way to turn the cannon on," Izuku muttered, squeezing through the gap between sheets of metal, vents, and wires.
"Not to worry, I've already had Siva infect their systems, so this should lead us straight to the source," Yuki flashed a wink as her mask lit up various currents the wires stretched toward.
They shuffled through a vent, peeking through the grates to find the Cabal mobilizing toward the south to handle the Guardian and Nightmare. Yuki pointed left from behind herself, and the others followed her down a slope, landing before a grate as they squished against one another.
"Watch your foot, Deku!" Katsuki whispered sharply.
"That's not me, but who's knee is against my back?" He winced.
"I think we should've thought this through more," Shoto stared ahead plainly at the uncomfortable setting.
Yuki's face was pressed to the grate, using a small pulse of plasma at the tip of her finger to cut the grate away. "Speak for yourself, my mask's digging into my face over here - got it - wah!"
The four toppled out into a pile. Just then, a larger Cabal stomped by, a Centurion, his back adorned by large, silver wing vents. It stopped, huffing at the broken vent, unable to see the teens hiding behind the edges of the wall facing the hallway. It shook its head, marching onward as they sighed.
Yuki motioned silently for the guys to follow her, heading down the hall while hugging the wall. The entrance was lopsided, but the doorway still functioned as the access lights turned green, parting in half for them to step through into the main chamber. The area was a complete wreck, the ground covered in catwalks to flatten the surface out.
Wire fed from generators into a central terminal next to a massive pipe that appeared to be a loading dock overlooking the massive corkscrew pipe sticking out of the ground, the clear pipe inactive but facing toward the faint outline of the spire.
"Get to work, we'll cover you," Shoto spoke up, freezing the door shut as Yuki jammed her hand through the console, infecting it with SIVA as the screens turned from an orange to a light blue, her right hand working to manually adjust the fuel pipeline as various hydraulics fought against her control.
"Izuku, I need your help," She asked, eyes slit on her mask as she pointed to her right. "There's an access port for fuel just down the catwalk stairs, grab these glowing orange spheres and toss them inside, that'll provide us with enough fuel to power this thing.
"Right," He moved quickly, immediately spotting the orbs plugged into what he could assume was something important but if it didn't explode then it should be fine, right? Yanking the first one out, he heard a distant rumble from within the ruins. "Uh, Yuki?"
"Don't question my madness, just do it!" Yuki yelled as he stumbled with the heavy orb, ignoring his instincts to fuel the machine. Once placed, the smaller pipe sucked the glowing orb away.
While the process of charging the cannon went along swimmingly, something made the ground tremble, the ice that thickened the doorway splitting after the second tremor. Then came the third, and Katsuki's frown deepened. "Looks like the boss is here,"
The fourth blast tore the doors off their hinges, ice sliding across the chamber before the large Centurion in black armour with silver accents forming the angular 'n' on its breastplate and shoulders. The large silver wings lined with navy as its eyes locked onto Yuki who gave a timid wave over her shoulder.
Shoto's eyes dilated as it stomped one foot, knocking him backward onto his knees. Katsuki chuckled loudly, feet pressed to a sloped catwalk as he blasted himself toward the Cabal. "About time I get to blow something away!" He struck with a double slap explosion. To his bitter surprise, he flew with his head running parallel with an orange shield. "Bastard's got a shield!?"
"Hahaha!" It bellowed, stomping again to send Katsuki flying into the rafters, bending a few pipes. Swiveling around to Shoto, its wide Bronto Cannon released a payload of molten slag that nearly dissolved Shoto had his ice not covered him with a frozen wave. It continued to fire upon the ice, tearing down the continuous walls.
Shoto sighed a cool breath, burying the Centurion in a massive glacier of ice that tore through the far wall. Or it should have, seeing its hovering in the air above the ice, firing upon Shoto who quickly ran for cover, blown forward by the explosions.
"Kacchan, Todoroki!" Izuku finished loading the fuel charges, seeing Yuki nodding to him, herself still calibrating the cannon. Clenching his fists, the bolts of emerald intensified. "Full Cowling, fifty percent!" Launching into the air after the Centurion landing on the ice, he spotted Katsuki spinning around from the Cabal's blindspot. "Delaware Smash!"
Two bursts of wind pressure slammed into the Cabal's hardlight shield, himself missing his shots on Izuku who pivoted through the air with constant air force strikes. From behind, Katsuki engulfed the Centurion in flames, only to gag as the massive weapon slammed into his stomach, tossing the blonde across the ice.
That's when it twigged in Izuku's head, seeing the flickering of the shield. "Fire? Heat? That's it! Its shield can't handle the heat!" Then he pondered further, "That color's a bad design flaw,"
Below the various payloads of molten lead, Shoto stood directly under the hovering brute as it flew away from Katsuki's AP Shots. Erupting his left side into flames, he spun up a tornado to sweep and consume the Centurion, blinding it to its surroundings. "Oi, Deku?" Katsuki's dark glare made Izuku shiver, feeling a rough hand yank his arm back.
"If not for the Mute, I'd hate this, teaming up with him, but to hell with it, I'll take my frustration out on this freak!" "X-Catapult!" Katsuki moved through the air using an explosion with his free arm to propel himself in a spinning motion with Izuku until he gained enough momentum to forcefully throw Izuku toward the whirlwind of fire.
"St. Louis Smash!" Propping his left leg forward, the flames scattered as the shield shattered into wisps of light between him and the Centurion. Yet, despite the force of Izuku's foot digging into the creature's armour, it still refused to go down, craning its large cannon toward the boy, charging the chamber slowly. "I won't give up, we're getting through this!"
From above, Katsuki blinded the Cabal, his hands radiating with heat. "Get out of our way!" His thunderous roar followed by a blast disintegrated the Centurion's head entirely, and the remaining force behind Izuku's foot flung the massive corpse into the side of the doorway, just as two shadows waltzed through.
"Woah...!" Through the dust and debris, Rayla waved a hand, coughing. "Man, you guys really went all out," She admired the large glacier ahead of her. "Overkill much, I like it."
"We have covered the enemy's advance," Velk added, freezing the entire complex behind her. "We should move before they disable the cannon."
"Done! Finally!" Yuki groaned, slamming her head against the console. "This stuff is seriously high-tech, even for a bunch of scraps,"
"Cabal are military-focused for a reason, Blue," Rayla interjected, peeking over the railing at the hatch roaring with a suction sound. "Guess we just jump in?"
*ROOOOOAAAR*
"I think that's our incentive to leave," Shoto noted, staring down at the hatch. Everyone then looked at Rayla, who quickly shot her head side-to-side.
"...oh screw you guys," She huffed, hopping atop the railing before giving a final salute. "Titan Master Race - YAAA-!" And like that, she disappeared through the tube.
"Ladies first!" Yuki shoved Katsuki in next, hearing him curse into oblivion before giggling, leaping after him. "SeeyaAAAAH-!"
Izuku shook a little but gulped and eventually found the courage to throw himself over the edge, yelling too as the powerful gravitation pull of the cannon tore him through the clear tube in a haze of blue particles.
"Times up, Todoroki," Velk warned, and the heterochromia teen leapt in with his own shout of surprise, followed instantly by Velk.
The tunnel rocketed their bodies around for the longest time, seeing the timeless realm spread out around them in the clear white void, the sheer magnitude of the nearby Corridors of Time stretching further than before. Light trickled back into its usual tone as the group was spat out of the cannon, flying high through the world as landmasses zipped right on by.
"Siva, Augment, Valorgod!" Applying her own wings, Yuki used them to fly with more precision, ensuring everyone was nearby to be caught when the inevitable crash landing was needed. Spreading her arms, she let the momentum of the cannon continue to carry her through the endless skies, "Wooohooo~!"
"Y-Y-YUKI!" Hearing the call, she swept around to fly next to Izuku, holding out her hand for him to quickly grab. "T-THANK YOU!"
"Hahaha, NOW YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FLY ON YOUR OWN!" She yelled over the wind, holding on tightly as the spire grew in size with every passing second. "EVERYONE GET READY, OUR DESTINATION ISN'T FAR NOW!"
All she got were yells over the wind.
Scourge swung across the ribs of the Skiff, tail regenerating as Viral scorched the left-hand side in flames. A cloud of dark smoke clouded the area, forcing him to dive to the opposite support beams. Viral grunted, hanging by one arm as the other was forced to avoid the torrent of energy from the crossbow, a tail wrapping around his throat, dragging him through atop the hull of the Skiff.
He rolled away from a yellow mist cloud, glyphs turning deep blue. "Downpour!" A large column of water washed away the gas, as Viral evaded another bolt that stripped a line through the ship's roof, his claws slicing through Scourge's forearm, pulling the crossbow away to punch the Nightmare across the jaw as the tail sprayed a dark smog in his eyes, blinding him. "Sunbreak!"
"Ngh!" Scourge was quickly forced back as the molten orb exploded outward around Viral's hands, his tail clearing the dust from his eyes in time to take another bolt to his left arm. "You're slipping, Viral."
"Is that a fact?" He taunted, then blinked. "What an odd place for a piano to stand?" That made Scourge's eye twitch, glancing over his shoulder as Viral threw himself off the Skiff, using Gloom Grip to drag the hunter with him, the two kicking and punching until the impact threw them aside.
Inside the Skiff, Kirishima ran and kneed a Thrall in the chin, a strand of tape wrapping its arms to its torso for Ochaco to trip out the catwalk, seeing it tumble toward oblivion. Yaoyorozu conjured shields to defend Dren and Kyoka, the cursed girl using her jacks to paralyze the monsters by pumping their ears with intense heartbeats.
"Last one!" Ochaco exclaimed, levitating it before it could gouge out her eyes, Kirishima grabbed a free roll of tape from Sero's hand, slapping it against the Thrall's back as it thrashed. Then, with a mighty tug, he threw it out into the open air. "Release!" Tapping her fingers, Ochaco sent the last to its grave. "We did it!"
"Uh, guys, not to dampen the mood, but Viral's gone overboard," Sero held onto the side of the Skiff, pointing out at the two dark figures battling across the barren waste bridge below.
The land had become long, winding walkways of rock and debris, funneling and converging on a massive mountain with gaping maws the size of skyscrapers, a faint, etheral glow emanating from within.
"You were so gifted, Scourge, why didn't you do anything to stop him, to bring Harbinger back!?" Viral was beyond exhausted and frustrated, waving his arm angrily.
"That's easy for you to say, you ran!" Scourage countered, glaring daggers at his former ally. "I'm not like you, I can't just think of escaping him, no one can!"
"Don't give me that crap," Viral hissed, pointing back. "You had every chance; me, Ravage, Velk, you could've tried but all you are is a coward to afraid to die a final death!" Viral gargled, tugging his hood down, revealing his scarred eye. "You have no right to feel anything but guilt! We're living in a hell you helped create! Are you proud of yourselves!? You're not even real Nightmares anymore!"
"You think I wanted this!?" Scourge grabbed the scruff of his coat. "Want us to feel bad, take the blame!? Take a good long look, Viral! The Nightmares you knew are dead and gone, but if screaming helps, then go right ahead!"
Silence ensued, only a dead wind and rumble from the Skiff landing a fair distance from them. Scourge hid his eyes behind his hat, resting his hand on his twisted weapon. "...hah... hah... I've lost count of the worlds he razed, only taking the strongest of souls, pursuing you and Velk, and then he found It, and... and we can't stop him, no one can now," His voice trembled before leveling his crossbow charged with dark light. "If you think you can change fate, if even for a moment, then you'll have to kill me,"
Viral, with one foot forward, summoned several glyphs around him, eye narrowed dangerously thin. "...like I have a choice," Clicking his fingers, several columns of fire spewed out onto the earth, flowing like water down the edges of the bridge.
Through the wave of flames, a ring cleared in the center, the amethyst bolt of dark light crashing against a silver barrier at Viral's hand, his right curling around to drag with it a jagged spine of earth that splintered with a single thresh of Scourge's tail as he vaulted over Viral, firing another blast to tear through the earth.
Viral pursued, evading another plume of paralyzing smoke to bury both hands against Scourge's stomach, slicing a wide arc of frost between them, the hole began to close while Viral rubbed his cheek, feeling the hiss of skin from the crossbow's power. It charged again, and Scourge swept low, creating an arc of dark energy that forced Viral to leap into a cloud of black smoke, blinding him as something made Scourge's eyes twitch in pain.
"Thanks, Yaoyorozu!" Akio slipped out from Viral's body, unaffected by the status ailment with a katana in his hand, coated in his nightmare-infused smoke. "Shadow Sunder!" Striking through another jet of yellow mist, his dark smoke tore ribbons from Scourge's chest, exposing the bone beneath.
He dove high, releasing smaller bolts from his crossbow against the pair that rejoined, sprinting toward Scourge as he swept the land with more purple mist, rotting the ground before several small fireflies scattered from Viral's fingers, himself flying over the mist with his torn cloak forming wings of smoke. "Will o Wisp,"
Several eruptions tore through the walkway, Scourge diving backward onto his hand, spraying Viral again with yellow mist that stunned him, and again, two feet dug against Scourge's cheekbone, followed by a shift in the earth that followed the boy's feet, breaking several bones that slowly reformed after impact.
"Switch!" Viral slid by Akio, the pair parting ways from another bolt as Scourge focused on Akio, blasting rubble in the brunette's face while blocking a claw from Viral with his crossbow, wrapping his tail around Viral's other arm.
"Die, at least it'll be painless,"
"Hardly," Viral mouthed his mouth, his tongue glowing with a glyph as a blade of ice gouged out Scourge's eyes, followed by another Shadow Sunder from Akio, amputating the tail as a plume of various ailments sprayed wildly, the pair retreating from the smog that hid Scourge away. "Hmph, Soul Scatter,"
Closing his fist around a pale glyph, pain erupted in Scourge's chest. The poisonous mist subsided, and two fists connected to Scourge's face, the pair repetitively striking the discombobulated Nightmare into hiding in a shadow, appearing behind them to crack Viral across the nape, breaking his neck while grasping Akio's sword in one hand, snapping it in two only to be blasted by a column of smoke from the boy's off-hand, Scourge's tail managing to blind the boy in black smoke.
"Here's a new one for you!" Akio smirked, rushing Scourge between torrents of unstable energy, broken sword clasped in both hands. He was only a few inches away from Scourge by now as the Nightmare stumbled away, still healing.
"How did you recover so quickly!?"
"Nightmare Rain!" He drew his left hand forward.
"Tch-"
*Boosh!*
Akio's face quickly warped with pain, staring down at his stomach where a fist lay firmly through his organs, Scourge leaning in with a frown. "Didn't anyone tell you boy, never to leave your Nightmare?" He spoke cynically, twisting his arm further through Akio's torso. "Rot on the ground, your soul can pass on with your little girlfriend,"
"Sorry, but," Scourge's eyes widened impossible large, the Akio he impaled faded away, and his vision focused on the slab of blue ice that had coiled tentatively around his forearm. Behind the ice, Akio's glare was that of a monster, his mark glowing a vibrant purple. "I won't stop moving forward until Kyoka's safe - that's why I'll risk my life outside of Viral, unlike you,"
Scourge hissed, his tail swiping forward to stop an inch from the boy's face, feeling a fist plunged through his back and out his chest, clutching a bright, yellow flame between its fingers. Viral had moved in behind Scourge, together, the pair had struck as one. "A Timelost spell, Release Recollection, it can show us memories of the desired target, or be used for powerful illusions, I owe that old drake for this,"
Scourge lowered his arms, the crossbow's light fading with a hoarse cackle. "You risked your lives just to fool me? Heh, yeah, that sounds like you Viral, you two are far too alike," He smiled, bowing his head with his hat in one hand. "Finally... I can be free..." To Akio's surprise, he saw a tear roll down Scourge's face. even with his mouth hidden, Scourge had to be smiling. "Thank you..."
?
. . . . . .
Scourge ignored that pressing voice booming in his head, staring at Akio evenly. "I hope the vials on my necklace... will help... you cannot change fate... until you know... you need to... know... every... thing..." He lowered his head. "I... we... are sorry..."
Viral sighed shakily, crushing his soul, and slowly, Scourge's body dissolved into dust, leaving only a necklace to dangle from Viral's palm, two small potions hanging from the thread. He closed his eyes a moment, "I forgive you," Handing the necklace to Akio, the pair turned to the mountain ahead. "Until this is over-"
"-we'll keep moving forward," Akio smiled, and the two ran to regroup with the others.
The world gave way to something tranquil and still. Rivers glowed with a faint radiance of purity. Plants were vibrant and flourished in harmony from the ceiling's columns and stalactites. Light, in the form of crystals, refracted glimmers of rainbows off the black walls of the cavern like a geode. Stairs formed of amethyst led a snaking road down into the basin that faced the source the team had yearned to find.
"We're almost there, Kyoka," Akio nudged toward the pathway.
Then a rumble like thunder drew their attention toward the bridges again, Viral narrowing his eyes. "Not more trouble, come on!" Sero had to exasperate.
From the dust, standing up slowly was Magnar, his eyes disinterested in the fact Scourge wasn't present, instead, he rushed the group without a second to spare, fist clenched as Kyoka felt her eyes contract at the closing knuckle.
*Shiing!*
Dren intervened, his cutlass rising to split the Nightmare's arm in two up to the elbow. Magnar leapt away, standing several meters back while the two halves joined together again. "That's a sharp blade," He mused, quirking a tiny smile of amusement. "A Splicer, huh?"
"I'd suggest you move for the ether pool, I will handle this," Dren ushered back, keeping his eyes on the Nightmare.
"But you can't-" Viral was stopped by the Fallen's hand.
"And you can't cure the girl without your Host, go, I may not be a fighter, but I am still a Devil Splicer," Dren boasted. "Save her, and go!"
"I don't care what anyone else thinks, you're a big help like Tekres, Dren!" Kirishima waved, guarding the rear with Viral.
"Thank you so much..." Ochaco murmured, earning a slow nod from Dren.
"Fighting me on your own, how bold," Magnar cocked his head, frowning at the aura surrounding Dren. "Your reaction time is all you're good for, with a spirit like yours I doubt you'll be much more than a bug under my thumb,"
"Often the cocky are rewarded with poison," Dren recited, eyes wide like a madman. "So I'm very curious, how much can you tolerate before you die?"
Hearing this, Magnar couldn't withhold a laugh, stomping once to conjure his massive seal. "Oh? Want to test that theory!?" The world boiled like magma, a hot wind billowing through Dren's cloak. "Soul Forge - Esoteric Art; First Art, Golem!"
"Before we get to the fun part, might I ask something?" Dren commented, seeing the Nightmare halt patiently. "Why is it you kill? I'd really like to know how low you've fallen,"
Viciously, a psychotic grin plastered over the creature's maw. "Why else? Only those strong enough can fight the untouchable, those that govern worlds, and I want to feel what it's like to crush one with my bare hands, only the strongest can be free entirely, weaklings have no right to live!"
"To kill a God then..." Dren breathed slowly. "Yes, I have seen such a feat, but even so, there will always be something stronger, something that will not give you the same level of mercifulness as the other - but besides that," The Splicer raised his blade, taunting the Nightmare. "The weak are deserving of life all the same."
"Then prove me wrong," Magnar challenged, disappearing for a split second, but to Dren, it may as well have been in slow motion. The glint of his silver cutlass descended upon his opening thread.
"Down here, I think this is it!" Yaoyorozu pointed toward the back end of the chamber, a large, radiant pool of crystal blue liquid shimmering before them. They couldn't see their reflection and a strange sensation made their hands flinch away from the substance. "It's strangely foreboding,"
"Pure concentrated Ether given physical form, there is nothing more powerful in existence, and since humanity is comprised of light and dark, it's only natural the latter half would resent touching it," Viral explained, his whole body shaking from the presence, much like he would near Midnite.
"Ngh, graaaah-hah!" Kyoka suddenly doubled over in agony, black liquid spewing from her mouth as the Calcified fragment dug further into her body, the color of her eyes almost gone as she collapsed, coughing up blood alongside the goo, shaking in terror, her skin ice cold. Tears fell from her eyes as she desperately clawed at Akio and Ochaco's shirts in pain, trying to breathe through knitted teeth.
"No, no-no-no-no, come on, not yet, not yet!" Akio could only hold her head against his lap, unable to relieve her pain, even with his and Viral's Calm Mind soothing what they could, the crystal had burrowed deep, Yuki's cluster no longer affecting the curse. "Viral, we need to go, now,"
He said nothing, leaving Kyoka in Ochaco and Yaoyorozu's care with Sero and Kirishima watching the exit where red and orange glares flashed across the walls. A trembling hand grazed Akio's face, frail and weak. "...a-ak-io? i-i can-n't s-see y-y-you,"
Choking back his emotions, he smiled, the girls next to him misty-eyed. "I'm here, we all are, you just... you just need to hold on a little longer, okay?" He croaked, cupping her hand. "I promise, I promise I'll fix you, no matter what happens to me!"
"i-i-idiot, i-i'm a-a-alrea-ady a-am," Kyoka found a smile, her other hand resting by her necklace. "G-g-good lu-u-uck,"
"I know," Akio leaned down, capturing her dry lips in his, savoring the sensation, the warmth transferred to her for a few seconds before parting. "I'll borrow some; take care of her,"
"We won't let her down," Yaoyorozu replied, gripping Kyoka's hand tightly.
"You do what you have to do," Ochaco nodded as he graciously hugged the pair before placing Kyoka's head on his jacket, turning to Viral who stood by the pool of ether.
Snapping the necklace off, he held out the purple vial to Viral as he bit down on his. The two broke the fake glass between their teeth, the vibrant liquid pouring down their throats as they gagged. "Bleh, tastes like car batteries..."
"And rust," Akio smacked his lips, stomaching the potion that Scourge offered them. Merging together, Viral stepped toward the pool's edge, toes curled away in fear. This was the opposite end of the spectrum, everything a Nightmare wasn't and he had to dive headfirst with his Host into that glimmering well. "For Kyoka."
"For Kyoka," Viral leaned forward, plunging down into the crystal clear depths.
Viral kicked and thrashed deeper into the well that now expanded far and wide under the surface somehow, as though they fell into another world. The sensation of swimming was strange, one moment he felt his body strain against the liquid, then there was nothing but air, and briefly, his skin peeled.
His arms kept swishing, seeing the claws chip and fizzle in the ether, revealing his bones that soon followed that same erosion. The white light at the base of the ether was visible but the deeper he fell, the more his body broke down, suppressing his regeneration. Not to mention, something ebbed and flowed in the mist, there was something alive down there with them.
"Keep swimming, deeper, we need to go deeper!" Viral pressed, his hands gone, the cracks around his scarred eye gasping in pain. By now, his vision started to blur, "No, keep going... not... yet... so tired," He shook his head, glaring down at the ether's core. "Reach it... reac... rea..."
Bubbles fell past Viral, parts of Akio no visible, exposed to the ether as the pair lost their momentum, drowning deeper into the well, the light growing uncomfortably bright.
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"...Akio... hey, Akio~!" Blinking wide awake, Akio spun around to find himself in an entirely different setting. No pool of ether, no friends, in fact, the world was wide and blue, the sky, a real sky! He stood on stone slabs, a courtyard by the sights of statues, bushes, and flowers.
"Where...?" He turned to find a large castle staring back at him, the place this 'courtyard' resided was to the side of the castle, overlooking the massive kingdom below, ivy running down from the balcony perimeter.
"Akio!" He spun around to find a girl with an expression similar to Kyoka's aloof one. She had long, faux-brown hair and chocolate-brown eyes, wearing a formal uniform you'd see in a school for the prim and proper. What perplexed Akio was the boy an inch or two shorter than himself, the characteristics unmissable.
"What the whaaaaa?" Akio gawked at... himself? "Ooooh, that potion's some real strong stuff, I'm seeing mini doubles," Though it made sense, they weren't reacting to him at all.
"Ye-yeah?" He blinked, clearing he was talking to himself, or so it appeared to the girl, but the older Akio spotted it, something shifted into his shadow. Viral? But why didn't Akio remember any of this? Or was that it, was this... his memories Viral sealed away?
The girl motioned to the castle. "Our studies, remember? To find out what my affinity for magic is, or did you forget?"
"A-a little, sorry," He smiled timidly as the girl nodded, dragging him along by the fingers.
"Come on, then, I want to find out mine with you," She added cutely, and the younger Akio held her hand.
"I remember that, I'll keep my word," He reassured as she sighed.
"You're my older brother and prince, and yet you're so forgetful." As they walked away, the older Akio paused for a moment, jaw unhinged.
"I WAS A PRINCE!? What the fu-"
Tucked away in a valley, a small village lay in ruins, fire and brimstone suffocating the air as not a sound stirred with life, only the crackle of embers and collapse of lives once free of worry. The farming fields were set ablaze, burnt down to ash. All expect, for a single, burnt child sobbing over the corpse of a woman still holding his hand.
Her eyes were unfocused, her life had been extinguished, the boy held no strength to stand up, simply laying atop her cold body as his own was burnt and bruised from kicks and punches that left him sore and bleeding. He just wept into her blouse, now stained with tears and blood.
Behind him, one, shadowy creature knelt down with a frown knitted to his face, three eyes staring with a forlorn expression. "Are there any others?" The boy shook his head, unable to lift his head to see that another stood nearby, ice enveloping her form as she quelled the flames with a cool mist from her breath. "Is this your mother, did she protect you?"
"*Hic* mmhm *hic*," He nodded and the dark entity shuffled around to sit beside the boy, not once laying a hand on him or his mother.
"Her soul is gone, taken by those that did this, she may not rest, nor those that perished here," He replied calmly, seeing that the boy survived due to a strange necklace that now lay crumpled on the ground. "She warded you from their wrath, she sacrificed her life for yours, and they still snuffed them out,"
"I-I *hic* hate them *hic* I hate them!" He croaked, fists curled up on the dirt in front of him. "Mama *hic* Ma~ma~! *hic*!"
The creature raised a hand to rest on the child's head as he sobbed. "Weep tonight, and tomorrow, if you still resent them, I will help you steal their souls back, and snuff theirs out," He vowed, glaring at the mountains above, the last sight of embers leaving his vision. "Then, they will be the ones groveling in the dirt,"
And so the child wept loudly, and the two entities stood by and waited.
Harrow stared across the Shattered Isles, his grin unchanged but his eyes slit with remorse. "You gave me my chance, for that I'm thankful, Harbinger, now, rest, slumber as I did, and let me reap the rest," He waved his arms out wide, admiring the view. "All of them will pay, every last realm - the strong will be purged, and weak shall rise to be the freest of them all!"
Madness consumed him, motives twisted in self-satisfaction as several souls below caught his eye. "Hehehehahahahaha! Looks like the main event has finally arrived! Let's give them a show,"
To Be Continued...
The main event is here, can Yuki and her team prevail? And what of Akio's resurfacing memories, what led to him becoming the Host he is today? Will Kyoka survive her curse? I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!
Next Chapter: Movie, Nevermore
Akio: Who was I? Why did I suppress my memories, I need to know!
Yuki: This ends now, Harrow
Harrow: I cannot wait to see how this ends, Aksis!
Izuku: No matter what comes next, we have to prevail, for the billions at risk!
Magnar: Die, like the insect you are
Dren: I... will see my duty fulfilled!
Akio: Up next! Movie, Nevermore! Go Beyond-!
Yuki: Plus Ultra!
