Yo! I'm back once more with another chapter! Be prepared for even more edginess from Scott, as it's a bit of a phase he's going through. I wanted to take a second to say I appreciate all of your patience and the growing number of followers and favorites the story is receiving. I'm going to start this chapter off with a flashback to provide some much-needed Genji content and a bit of levity, as well as exposition for Genji's katana and a new plot element I'm introducing. The flashback takes place shortly after the events in Monaco and Scott's assassination of Maximillien. I want to finally address some of the mystical aspects of the lore instead of only the sci-fi, so here goes nothing! (It's also an excuse to give Scott a badass powerup and do even more cool edgy shit) Hope to hear from you guys soon!
Chapter 26: The Consuming Flames
Snarling, I gnashed my teeth in response to the searing pain that burned its way up my side. "Damnit!" I shouted, directing the anger I felt at myself outwards onto the poor training robot who caught me off guard. Caving its head in with my fist didn't have the alleviating affect that I hoped it would. It wasn't the same as someone's skull.
I could still hear Sombra's voice in my ears. Mocking me. Her eyes accused me of everything I tried to hide from the people around me. Even in my imagination I couldn't hide the truth from her peering eyes. Those deep ocean eyes haunted me, crashing against the sands that were my psyche, her lush lips whispering words at my ear that made my skin crawl. I was losing my mind.
"What do you fight for?" I heard her in my head, rattling my enraged thoughts as I tried to drown it out with the clash of my titanium limbs meeting cold steel. The robots whirred to life once more, repeating the same training exercise I'd performed hundreds of times.
I'd been up since well before the sun peeked over the horizon here at base, offering me no warmth amidst the cool autumn winds. I couldn't erase the memories of that night in Monaco away, despite the weeks that have passed since then. How was I supposed to forget what I'd done to that boy, all in the name of her dream? A dream that I have no place in. An even bigger question asked me how I was supposed to look at Sombra the same.
"If you've no ambition, no drive to cling to, why continue drawing breath?" Sombra asked me, and I could feel the tips of her fingers on my cheek. I meant nothing to her, no matter what fantasies I try to sell myself. That indescribable feeling welling up within me doesn't smolder in her heart the way it does mine.
Snapping to my left, I ripped the bot in half, ignoring the soreness that radiated through my body. "You can train as much as you like, it'll never compensate for what you lack." She teased, my furrowed brows shifting to the next target within reach. Grasping the robot by what could pass for its throat, I dug my mechanical fingers into its locks, tearing it apart at the seams, screaming in rage. I could see Moira in its cold, lifeless gaze, smirking at me. Was I a tool to Sombra just as I was to her?
"I'll kill all of you." I muttered, swinging my titanium blades against the coming force, bending the steel under my blows.
I found myself in a rhythm, lashing out at the bots as they charged me, testing my reflexes against melee opponents. In each of them, I could see the Talon agents that ripped me from the life I once knew and thrust me into this one. My labored breathing quickened with my pace, my mind refusing to let up as my body begged for a moment's rest. I could feel blood pulsing through my veins, the same as the blood that I could feel coating my face.
Before I knew it, I was breaking the floor beneath me as I slammed my fist against the bot's head. No matter how quickly they reanimated, I wouldn't halt my attacks.
"RRAAAAAAGGHHHH!" I yelled, agonized by the pain in my mind and my body.
My vision was red, my mind having conjured images from my nightmares to haunt me. That boy from the casino lay dead at my feet, with both Sombra and Moira smiling at me, just within my reach. Growling like a ravenous beast, I swung with all my might down upon both of their skulls.
My limbs stopped in their tracks, the momentum jarring me from my imagination and snapping me back to reality as Genji stood in front of me, his katana not wavering to my unrelenting strength. He stood tall, stance wide and strong, unmasked face meeting mine with an uncharacteristic scowl.
Sparks flew from the clash of our blades illuminating his scarred visage. His black hair brushed against the mechanical locks of where his faceplate would meet the rest of his cybernetic body.
Instantly recognizing him as one of my closest friends, I relented, stiffening my stance and releasing the frustrated scowl I had on my face.
He used the opportunity to plant me firmly on my ass with a shove, followed by his foot flying out to catch the back of my heel and trip me. Landing with a thud, I groaned. Failing to admit how much that one strike hurt, I gathered myself on uneven and shaky footing.
"What the hell was that?!" I shouted at him, watching him sheathe his blade with a flair, its green hue crackling like a campfire amidst the dull white hue of the training grounds.
"I was starting to feel bad for the bots." He joked, before his toothy grin disappeared as he frowned at me. "And your form was sloppy. I don't like having amateurs watch my back." He jabbed at me, earning a scoff from me in reply.
"Care to see who the real amateur is?" I taunted, trying to ready myself for a fight. He didn't move to mirror my stance, instead crossing his arms in disappointment.
"I've no need to beat you, not once you're already finished before the fight even starts. You can barely stand in the condition you're in, let alone give me a challenge." Genji stated, his gaze unwavering as he stepped forward. "I don't know what happened in Monaco, but the Scott I know doesn't get blinded by his resentment and hatred."
I shook my head, attempting to dismiss his claim outright, though a part of me knew better. I was losing my edge, but I couldn't admit that to him or myself. "Nothing happened." I lied, avoiding eye contact. He chuckled. "Doesn't explain why Angela asked me to keep an eye on you."
"That's not like her to worry about me." I grinned, hiding the regret I felt knowing she harbored such a distaste for me. She had a right to be angry. It made looking at Genji even harder.
"It's her job. And it's my job to try and give you some advice." He bumped my shoulder with his as he walked by, taking a seat on the counter behind us, moving the weapons out of the way. "And what would that be?" I asked, rolling my eyes as I approached him.
His voice lowered, eyes glaring at me and sending a shiver through my spine. "Let go of that hatred of yours before it consumes you and leaves you with nothing left."
For a moment, I stumbled under his harsh gaze.
"I'm fine," I began to brush him off, taking a seat next to him and wiping away the sweat that trickled down my chin and into my beard.
"Don't give me that. I used to be the same, you know?" He remarked, propping his elbow up on his knee to scratch at his scarred nose with a hand. I crossed my arms and leaned back a bit, sighing. "I lost myself to my own selfish rage years ago, before Angela made me whole again. Even after Overwatch rebuilt me, I was an outcast, different from my peers."
It was hard to imagine Genji as anything but the calm, collected warrior he was now. He had never succumbed to anger, even amidst all the battles, all the chaos.
"We're kindred spirits, you and I." He finished, a soft grin forming on his lips, radiating a warmth I wished I could bottle and sell. "Don't make the same mistakes I made in my youth. Don't blindly rush into vengeance. Try to find peace within yourself. Death will give you no such comfort."
Removing his katana from the sheathe on his back, it glimmered to life within his grasp. He held it steadily, regarding it respectfully as his fingers traced the sharp edge. The sunlight cascading through the window nearby danced on the tip of the blade, reflected in his inviting eyes. They soon glanced at my own, making me falter again.
"I haven't known much other than death." I remarked bitterly, scratching at my scalp and tugging at a few loose strands of hair. "That doesn't mean you cannot hope for better for yourself." Genji replied, setting his katana down between us.
"It's a beautiful sword." I stated, attempting to change the subject.
"It's a family heirloom, passed down from one generation to the next." He began with a sigh, reminiscing as he gazed at the sword longingly. "My grandfather once told me the story of a great warrior in our history, so proud and wrathful that his own sword swallowed him whole. Each time he raised his sword, it was the bane of both himself and his enemies. Each time, it chipped away at his life, his senses, his mind. It drained him of his very essence. He was too foolish to learn restraint. He fell to his rage just like the thousands of others he cut down in his pursuit of establishing a dynasty." I remained quiet, listening intently to his story.
"This blade contains a great power, buried underneath the cool steel. One only awakened by a great fury." He raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. "The fires of the Shimada Dragon spirit slumber within and can only be tempered by one whose mind is as sharp as his blade. Without true control over oneself, the flames it wields within consumes the user as well as any in its path. In my darkest hours, it threatened to claim my life, just like my ancestors before me."
He withdrew the blade, slicing methodically at the air, releasing cool breaths with each swing.
"I was rash, impatient, hotheaded. Just like a certain someone who won't be named." He chuckled to himself, not even turning to me as I frowned, hiding my smile. "I only concerned myself with the dead piling up at my feet, not myself or those I should've protected."
"Am I gonna be quizzed on this history lesson?" I smiled, stepping behind him. His face contorted with a greater fury than I'd ever seen him portray, flipping backwards to distance himself from me.
His words seemed to echo and reverberate within the walls that confined us, his body glowing and crackling with green light as he flourished his sword.
"RYUJIN NO KEN WO KURAE!"
Genji erupted into a great flame; his sword imbued with the same energy that surrounded him.
"Holy shit!" I fell backwards in surprise, watching in dismay as a large green dragon took shape behind him, growling so loud it shook the walls. The beast snarled at me, attempting to snap at me and devour me in its wide maw, before Genji focused his energy back into himself, the spirit dissipating until it was only a faint spark on his katana. His eyes met my own terrified ones, as I was unable to hide my horror.
"Yeah, I get that a lot." He smiled lackadaisically at my stunned stare, as if he hadn't summoned what seemed like a demon before my own eyes.
"Don't fear him. He won't harm you, so long as the wielder maintains control. He's a protective guardian of my ancestors. He's saved my life many times. I call him Midori, short for midori no honoo. Green flames." He explained casually, reaching his hand out to pick me up off the ground.
I accepted his offer, pulling myself up and laughing. "I think I'll call him Shim Sham." I huffed, releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I had never seen anything like that in my entire life. He chuckled in response, smiling widely.
"I bet he'd like that." Genji replied, not releasing my hand from his grip. He looked at me sternly once more. "Don't let your rage blind you, Scott."
Swallowing my nerves as he cut straight through my defenses, I nodded.
"I'll try my best. For you."
Genji's lips curled upwards, mirroring the smile I had on my face.
"I know you will."
Efi's POV
The panic in my chest was rising as quickly as the fires did around me, my lungs gasping for air that wasn't filled to the brim with soot and the stench of death. 'We were too damn slow.' I scolded myself, meeting Amelie's eyes and attempting to show strength. Or at least what could pass for it. I was never very good at lying.
I held Amelie's hand tightly in my own, trying to guide her through the war-torn streets of her home, avoiding the incoming sound of gunfire from behind us. 'I was too slow to save anyone. If only Orisa was still here...'
I had to try and stop my thoughts from wandering. I needed to focus on getting Amelie and her mother out alive. The house they took me in was burning to the ground amidst the rubble and I tried to focus on finding Alyssa. She was an innocent woman who showed the most kindness I've been greeted with in years. She even invited Scott of all people into her home. Those small acts of kindness had to be paid forward. I had to be a hero. I couldn't let Orisa down.
'She'd have saved them all.' I thought, regretting her death in Numbani when she protected me from a mob during the Omni-Incident.
The time to mourn her wasn't now. Amelie and her mother needed help, so whatever I could provide, I would.
"Damn you, Scott." I mumbled, ignoring the growing anger bubbling within me as I ran past the corpses Amelie recognized. "Don't look, Amelie." I demanded, dragging her with me to where her home was. Now was no time to dwell on the dead.
"ALYSSA! WHERE ARE YOU?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, stopping outside of what remained of Amelie's childhood home. "No, momma..." She trailed off, staring helplessly as her home crumbled into ruins. Growling, I forced her eyes to meet my own. "Damnit, focus on me. We're going to find your mother and get out of here. The more time we waste the more likely Talon will catch up."
The brunette gulped, her sweaty palms gripping mine tighter as we locked eyes. "I know it's hard, but we've got to move. We'll find your mother, then head for the bigger cities. I know a few people in Numbani who owe me favors." I offered her a small grin, trying to emulate the courage I imagined a hero should have.
We had just managed to avoid the encroaching force as we dashed through a short cut into the main streets of the village. Their so-called militia didn't stand a chance against Talon's might. The sound of a sniper rifle rang out, my ears ringing from the sound echoing off the barren walls surrounding us. One of them was picking us off. We had to get off the main roads.
Pulling Amelie with me and away from the agonizing screams spreading throughout the burning buildings, we headed around the house to look for Alyssa. With any luck we'd pick up a trail.
For once, fate smiled down upon me, though mocking me all the while. She lay with her lower legs crushed under the weight of the remains of a burning building, the embers joining the crackling flames encircling the village. "MOM!" Amelie exclaimed upon seeing her, rushing to her side to rip the wood off her. Her hands were seared within moments as she yelled in pain, falling on her back in response.
Her mother's eyes were beginning to flutter open, as if her child's screams of agony were enough to bring her back to consciousness. "Amelie..." She mumbled, unable to find the strength to move. Her wrinkled hands shot from her sides to grasp her child's arm. "Hold on, we'll get you out of there!"
Quick thinking saved her life, as I grabbed a metal pole nearby and wrenched it under the burning wood. "Amelie! Help me!"
Catching her attention, she helped me leverage the bar upwards, giving her mother the space she needed to crawl out from underneath it.
Her groans of pain were enough to snap me from any unearned satisfaction I felt upon getting her out of that predicament. 'We're not out of the woods yet.' I reminded myself, trying to help her to her feet. Looking down at what remained of her left foot was enough to tell me she wasn't walking out of here.
"Shit... can you stand?" I asked, trying to hide the fear in my voice. Her glance up at me answered the question.
Alyssa gritted her teeth, trying to push me and Amelie away from her. "You both need to get out of here! Please, I'll just slow you down."
"We're not leaving you behind!" Amelie refused, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere without you, Mom."
There was a loud crash behind us as my eyes widened in fear. A young child, covered in blood and guts stared lifelessly at us as his head seized upwards in a jittery fashion. His cybernetic legs were stuttering with each step he took towards us, wobbling as he glared at us, murderous intent in his eyes. His neck had been snapped but he kept moving. He was one of them. Like Angelica.
Grabbing the metal pole we used to pull Alyssa out of the rubble, I stepped in front of them as they huddled together. "No! Child, run! Both of you!" Her cries erupted from behind me, but I ignored her pleas. I wasn't leaving them.
"Damnit... stay back!" I growled, though nothing I said would make any difference. His sunken eyes met mine, charging towards us. I raised the pipe up above my head, ready to bring it crashing into his skull. "DON'T!"
His skull shattered before I could even swing, his crippled body crumpling at my feet, blood splattering onto my face. I recognized the titanium blade sticking out of his cranium, looking up into the bright flames engulfing the building he'd charged out of. The silhouette of a large man clambered from behind.
"Scott..."
Scott's POV
The warmth of the fires joined the fresh blood staining my face as I emerged from the building. Talon agents were quickly surrounding the area, following the commotion and trail of corpses I left in my wake.
'Let them come.' I thought, a smile creeping up onto my lips.
Efi stood dozens of feet ahead of me, attempting to protect the others from what remained of that corpse. I instinctively shot a blade out to help her, an urge overpowering my hatred of everything else. I could still hear her berating me in my mind, the words rattling in my skull. Alyssa was barely moving, shattered legs and blood pooling beneath her. She was a lost cause, as I predicted.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" I heard their leader shout, guns trained on my head as I stumbled slowly out of the flames. My cloak fluttered in the smoke behind me, blood following wherever I went. 'These thugs need a commander for slaughtering a dump like this?' I pondered, almost laughing.
As I approached, I could see the fear spread through their ranks as they noticed the corpses slumped over my shoulders, hanging on to my cloak and gear, covering me in a makeshift armor. Their limbs clung to my own, feet dragging in the mud beneath my boots. Genji's katana roared with life, sparking just like the embers surrounding me.
"Hehe..." I cackled, one eye glaring up at them wildly. "Who's next?" I rasped, raising the blade covered in their comrades' blood up to my mouth, licking the edge clean.
A thunderstorm began to rage overhead, illuminating my sharp, intimidating features for a split second. Just as quickly as the lightning had struck, I charged their lines, intending to break right through like I always did. "OPEN FIRE!"
Their bullets pierced straight into what remained of their friends as they hung off my shoulders, supplying me with a makeshift armor. It bought me enough time to take one clean swipe at their front line, watching in satisfaction as panic flooded the men who witnessed those in my way get split in two with one swing.
Making a break for their back lines to ensue more panic and terror in their hearts, I dashed into an agent unlucky enough to be in my path. Slashing his throat in an instant, coating my face in his thick blood, I used his still convulsing corpse to shield me, his body being riddled with bullets.
Once most of their magazines emptied, I threw the mangled body into them, using the distraction to crash straight into their commander. I impaled him on the edge of Genji's katana, lifting his open chest cavity above my head and waving it like a banner. Fear was a tool to be used against these cowards.
Withdrawing a smoke bomb that I had crafted, I dropped it in front of my feet, kicking it into them. They inhaled the smoke deeply, coughing violently. My augmentations allowed me to see and breathe in the smoke just fine, ripping them off their feet and dragging them kicking and screaming to their demise.
"You'll all die here..." I mumbled, feeling a familiar rage snake its way through my veins, grasping the hilt of Genji's blade tight enough to shatter bone.
With one jump, I fell into a group of them, swiping in a circular motion. A sea of blood joined the downpour of rain, soaking me and dousing any of the remaining flames lingering on my frayed cloak. I listened to their gurgles, watching them drown in their own blood.
Fear was so ripe in their ranks I could almost smell it, staring at what remained of the few squads dumb enough to get in my way.
Glancing at Efi and the others, she was trying to help Alyssa to her feet, as she had supposedly fallen unconscious. Something about the way her limbs jittered to life sporadically didn't sit well with me.
Before I could piece it together, Alyssa sprang back to life, her pale skin grasping Efi by the throat as she kicked. My eye widened, scowling as I threw a Molotov cocktail on the scum in my way, ignoring their screams of anguish as I charged towards Efi.
Amelie was banging on her mother's back to get her to stop, but Alyssa twitched in response, eyes narrowing on Efi as she tightened her grip on Efi. She was going to snap her neck. Only now could I make out the small augmentations at the base of her neck, usually covered by her hair when she wore it down. A small chip at the base of her spine, probably to help with motor functions, but it was enough to make her a tool in the hands of Talon.
Efi looked at me, terror stricken in her eyes as I swung the blade down on Alyssa. "S-SCOTT... NO!" She croaked out, but it wasn't enough.
'I won't watch you die too.' I thought, feeling the katana tear through the older woman's spine, ripping her head from her shoulders in one smooth motion.
"NOOOOO!" Amelie exclaimed, blood spraying out onto her as her mother's limp body fell on top of her. Efi fell to the ground beneath her with a splash, gasping for air. "SCOTT! WHY'D YOU-"
"SAVE IT AND GET BEHIND ME!" I shouted, turning to deflect the oncoming barrage of bullets headed my way. If she fled, she'd be caught in the crossfire. With Amelie under her mother's corpse for the time being, struggling to get out from under her, she'd be covered for now too. Steadying my hands, I widened my stance to protect the girls.
The shots clashed with Genji's katana, sparks flying out as I worked to keep up with what was coming in. I was soon overwhelmed, shots piercing into my vulnerable legs and hips as very little armor remained to protect them.
I spotted a familiar scope glint in the light of the moon, a tall woman's silhouette illuminated by another flash of lightning and thunder. Before I could react, her rifle pierced my chest and sent me stumbling backwards. Blood heaved out of me upon impact, feeling Efi behind me, giving me strength to stay on my feet and prepare for the next attack. I needed to move, or we were done for.
A grenade rolled by my feet. With barely enough time to snatch Efi off the ground and bury her in my chest as I turned my back to it, I yelled in agony as the force propelled me a few yards back and into the puddles beneath us. We hit the ground with a hollow thud, my head smacking into the hard stone streets below, holding Efi above me as I landed on my back.
My back burned like I had all my skin flayed from my very bones, leaving me to hiss in pain as it washed over me. Efi looked down at me, still in my clutches as I groaned. "Scott..." she muttered, before I used what remained of my strength to throw her behind a blackened building to keep her safe. I didn't have the luxury to try and be gentle, ignoring the scowl she gave me after whipping her head up at me after her fall.
Amelie was still alive, having dragged her mother's body away from the firefight and into relative safety, swaying with the corpse as she sobbed.
'If you had been here the whole time, she might still be alive.' Guilt ate at me, but my rational thoughts kicked in. Talon would've used their weapon regardless. It's how they've been untouchable this entire time. People aren't willing to kill their own family.
Standing on shaky feet and readying my blade for a fight, I watched as Widowmaker appeared from behind what remained of her forces, a smug grin decorating her heart-shaped face.
My hands trembled and my vision was blurry. I could barely hear over the ringing in my ears and the boisterous thunder in the skies.
Her blue skin contrasted with the orange and yellow of the flames spreading through the village, her tall narrow figure towering over most agents behind her. The rifle she held in her hands dropped to the side as she laughed. "Scott Gallagher, the Scourge!" She mocked, earning a low growl from me.
"Have you come here to die with this village? Who knew you went down so easily, after all the stories I've heard? I'm disappointed."
"It's rich to hear that coming from people who hide behind dead kids to do their dirty work!" I scowled, struggling to stay conscious. My head throbbed, blood trickling down my head and into my beard. A few unkempt strands of my now chin length hair fell into my field of vision.
"I wouldn't expect you to be so concerned with their well-being, given the tall tales I've heard of your rampages." She remarked and suddenly Genji's blade felt heavier in my hands. 'To beat a monster, I guess you've got to become one yourself.'
"Old habits die hard, I guess." I smirked, attempting to seem stronger and more stable than I was. Her perceptive eyes, the same deep blue as her skin, analyzed my unsteady stance and wounds.
"Would you prefer I make it quick, or slow just like how it was for your friends? I can still remember the look on their faces." She taunted, my mind dragging me back to the hellscape that haunted my every move. I could still hear their screams, see their eyes staring up at me, blaming me for everything that befell them.
Enraged, I felt my hands tighten in response to the overwhelming memories. This night smells like it did then, right before I lost them.
Thunder crashed overhead, lightning striking a tree nearby, fire crackling in the leaves.
"How is she? Lena Oxton? I haven't seen her since..." Widowmaker pondered, scratching at her chin as she feigned concern. My eye widened in response and the scar over my left eye seemed to burn as if it were brand new. Lena's screams of terror echoed in my mind, reaching out to me as I was helpless to stop it. My breathing began to hasten, pulse racing, paranoia pulling at the edges of my mind. Voices that weren't my own flooded out all rational thought, tugging me down to their level.
"Is she even still alive? Or did she throw herself from the highest balcony to end it all? Would you even know?" Her grin spread across her face, toying with me. "How long has it been since you abandoned her, hero?"
Nails were scratching from beneath my skin, demanding to be released. 'Let me out! Let me rip them apart!' Genji roared in my mind, feeling his blade spark in my hand all the while. Its usual green hue wasn't faint anymore, now completely engulfing the blade itself, specks of green flames travelling up my prosthetics. 'I DIDN'T ABANDON HER!' My voice thundered in my ears.
'It's ALL your fault!'
'She's toying with you!'
'She used you...'
'Olivia, she left you to die, to rot in the ashes left in her wake.'
'Do you remember? Do you even still remember our faces?'
I hesitated, vision blurring as I blocked out Widowmaker and the agents behind her as they prepared to gun me down. My hand grasped my face, contorting into a rageful beast as I snarled, feeling my left eye burning. With each ragged breath, the flames intensified, now up my legs and on my shoulders.
They were clawing at my eyelids. I can't hold them back. I won't make them wait for retribution any longer.
Fire crackled to life around me, swallowing me whole as an energy I'd never felt before surged through my entire being, radiating through every cell, pounding as quickly as my heart did. My remaining eye glared at those in front of me, looks of dread filling their gaze. My hands trembled with rage, feeling something in the pit of my stomach open up like a bottomless pit, absorbing any other emotion I could feel. My breathing hastened, stifling the sadness I once held in my heart, replaced with an all-consuming rage. Hatred blinded me, my vision fading as green flames spread up my face, causing me to scream.
I couldn't tell whether I screamed from the searing pain, or the wrath that was now devouring me. Obsession filled my lungs, flowed through my veins, pumped through my heart, ran circles around my brain.
My screaming only grew louder as I felt flames overwhelm my senses, blinding my vision as I heard a bestial roar replace my own haggard screams. Before I knew it, the intense fires absorbed me, replacing everything I'd ever known with hatred.
It burned. I accepted it as my punishment for all I'd done, leaving the rest to them.
"I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"
Efi's POV
I couldn't believe my eyes as Scott erupted into a raging inferno; the shockwave so powerful that it blasted the Talon agents backwards and caught the sniper off guard. His screams filled my eardrums, terrifying me as he yelled in agony, body thrashing as a dragon, a fucking dragon, surrounded him. It roared, its savage and inhuman growls combining with Scott's voice, shaking the ground and becoming deafening. It sounded like thunder. The dragon was massive, its head dwarfing Scott as it soared into the sky, circling closely around him. It was otherworldly. Even from here I could feel the heat from its blaze.
The fires that would occasionally spark from his sword had now engulfed him entirely, making him look as though he'd just emerged from hell.
The Talon agents had begun firing now, spraying wildly at the dragon and where Scott's silhouette stood in the fire, all of the bullets burning to a crisp before they could do anything. His hands flowed up to his head as he pulled at his own skin, nearly ripping it off. I could see his remaining eye be replaced by one that resembled the flaming dragon behind him. He was still screaming.
The firestorm that was Scott, flowing all the way well past his head, began to move towards those unlucky enough to be in the way. Even the sniper, as cocky as she was fell back in fear. The dragon followed him, the very ground cracking beneath Scott's feet as he marched towards them. He burned brighter than the village around him, before it blasted outwards.
Fire consumed everything in front of him, burning the first dozen agents to naught but bone and charred, black flesh. Their screams weren't even half a second. The sniper had grappled away in an attempt to escape, but the dragon, seemingly with a mind of its own, snatched her from the air in its jaws, spitting her out only once she'd suffered third degree burns. Her skin was a dark red, most of it having been boiled off her as she screamed, left writhing in pain in front of Scott.
When they turned to flee, yelling in terror, he dashed forward with a massive leap, the dragon following his blade as he led it straight to them. He slashed the air, the dragon following in its wake, the flames consuming everything within what seemed to be miles of his reach. The dragon roared in anguish, just as Scott did. It was connected to him, tethered to him somehow.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" His voice echoed, sounding subhuman as it danced along the night sky. I stared in awe, terrified of what he'd become.
What remained of the Talon forces lay bleeding and burned, ripping their helmets off in a fruitless attempt to escape the fires that had filled their uniforms and boiled them from the inside out. Their brutal screams were only matched by Scott as the dragon roared again. "SLAUGHTER THEM!" He ordered, seemingly having gotten used to ordering what seemed like a fucking otherworldly demon to do his bidding. In a blind rage, he spun around like a whirlwind, the vortex created by his movements dragging those still alive towards him. Nothing remained of them but dust.
Scott screamed again, dropping his sword for good as he collapsed to his knees, the consuming vortex of flames that he once was died out with a flicker of light. Only embers remained, flowing up into the night sky like fireflies. I watched the dragon dissipate and begin to flow back into his katana, filling the usual green hue of its razor-sharp edge.
Feeling cowardly for having hid behind the wall he'd thrown me to, I charged out into the hellscape left in his wake, stumbling slightly.
"Scott! Scott! Can you hear me?" I demanded, showing more worry than I intended to.
His body was still smoking, the ground where he stood a smoldering rubble. The stone pathways were cracked from the sheer magnitude of the force he exerted.
I caught his body as he fell backwards, inhaling the smoky vapors that emanated from him. His sword lay at his feet, no longer whirring to life. Only now did I notice the burns and small cuts littering his body, blood pouring from the wounds covering him. His breathing was labored, remaining eye shut. He had a small burn that covered where his eye was, as if the dragon had burned him just like the others. His cloak was now much shorter, most of it having burned away, yet it still reached past his lower back, frayed at the edges.
Scott's raven black hair was now a dazzling white, flecks of gray sprouting out and replacing his dark beard. He looked a decade older, the white hair contrasting with his dark attire and deep, sleep deprived eye. It opened suddenly, quickly portraying the pain he was in. Luckily, he recognized me as I set him down as gently as I could on the ground.
"Are you okay?" He asked, something I never expected to hear coming from his gravelly voice. Smiling for a second, I placed and hand on his burned and now white-haired face. He winced at the touch. "That's my line, you crazy bastard." I quipped.
His eye fixated on my neck, bruised and now a deep purple from Alyssa's grasp. I didn't notice her writhing until it was too late.
She had bled out before we could get her out of here. My eyes threatened to shed tears, trying to wipe the memory of the kind woman strangling me from my mind. 'That wasn't her.' I told myself, though harboring the same guilt.
"I'm alright," I lied. "Don't start worrying about me now, it's weird."
A small smirk graced his lips, stretching out the cuts that littered his mouth. "Is the girl okay?"
As if right on cue, Amelie had stepped out from behind me. I only now noticed her shadow towering over me. "Out of my way!" She yelled, an entirely different person as she ripped me up off the ground beside Scott and threw me to the side. "Kid!" Scott exclaimed, trying to grab me.
"I'll kill you for what you've done! You've taken everything from me!" Her once kind innocent face was splattered with blood, fury contorting her face into that of a beast.
Scott made no move to defend himself, simply shifting up to his knees and facing her. "You're right. I took her from you."
Scott gave her a familiar smile, trying to goad her into hitting him. 'What's he doing?'
"I'm the one who killed your mother, and I might as well have burned your home myself. I'd do it all over again."
Grasping his katana, Amelie lifted it above her head, unsteady in his gaze. Once more, he didn't try to stop her. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I demanded, rushing to stop her.
"DIE!" Amelie brought the sword down as hard as she could, but I tackled her before she could reach him. The katana skittered to the ground beside Scott.
"Enough! There's been enough death today!" I shouted, resisting her as she tried to force me off. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, mixing with the blood that covered her face. "It's all HIS fault! I'll kill him! I'll-I'll kill him... I'll kill him..."
Her cries were weakening, the rage dying down for a moment as I held her to my chest. Her sobs were muffled in my shoulder, as I looked back at Scott. His face didn't have that smug smile, just a saddened gaze he didn't hide as well as he hoped. His white hair brushed past his ears in the breeze.
'Today can't get much worse.' I thought to myself, trying to brush the memory of Alyssa from my mind. Amelie gripped my shirt tightly, wailing in my arms. "I'm sorry..." I trailed off. I couldn't tell who I was apologizing to. Her, her mother, or Orisa.
Scott and I turned when we heard laughing, the sniper from before smiling, seemingly amused at the horrors she inflicted. I scowled, pulling Amelie closer to protect her.
Her once long ponytail had been caught in the inferno, ruined just like the rest of her gear and body. Third degree burns littered her limbs and torso. She couldn't do more than lay there, laughing.
Scott stood on shaky legs, dragging his katana behind him as he approached her. "Oh, everything you touch slowly dies, hero." She smirked up at him. "No matter how many of us you kill, you can't bring them back to you."
He hesitated and I couldn't tell whether it was because of his wounds or what she said. Staring at Genji's katana, his eye dropped. "I failed you," He muttered, gripping the weapon tightly.
I watched him sheathe the blade, struggling to stand upright. He was showing mercy on his own accord for the first time since I'd met him.
"Showing mercy, now? Do you think that redeems you?" She scowled, still smiling at him as he stepped away from her. He scoffed, groaning as he stopped in his tracks.
"I won't kill you. But that doesn't mean I have to save you from the hell you created."
Leaving her to burn in the rubble of the village, I watched in awe as he kept moving forward, white hair poking up and fighting back against the night sky. Like always, he kept pushing forward.
Amelie shuddered in my arms, and I placed her down to help Scott keep moving forward as he stumbled. "I'LL KILL YOU! ONE DAY, I WILL KILL YOU!"
Her rage had still consumed her, grief eating at her heart. I couldn't blame her for the anger.
I offered her a tearful look, watching as she scowled at us both. "I'LL KILL BOTH OF YOU, FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE TAKEN FROM ME!" She continued to threaten us, fueling my remorse even more.
Holding Scott's hand to try and support him, he leaned on me slightly before turning his head to the side, just enough to see her in his right eye.
"I'm ready whenever you are." He grinned, meandering forward past the corpses in his wake.
I looked at him as I tried to ignore the guilt eating away at me, watching in surprise as the same guilt was destroying him. A single tear fell from his eye, lip quivering in regret. 'That's why he was trying to anger her.' I thought to myself, understanding what he was doing. 'If she focused on her hatred, she wouldn't have to feel the guilt eating her up inside.'
For some reason, I felt that he knew how she felt and was trying to save her.
Looking at Scott in a new light, I tried to keep supporting him as he stumbled around, holding his hand delicately.
"Come on," I said, meeting his weary eye, the tear having disappeared. As always, he hid his weakness behind a wall. "I know a place, people owe me some favors. Only around 200 miles from here..."
"Once we're there, you owe me dinner." I stated, trying to make him smile. For some reason unknown to me, I wanted to see him happy.
"Deal."
