Well, I'm back in action. So to make up for my severe absence, I present to you the next chapter of NLA. Now begins the clash. I hope you all enjoy.
No Longer Alone
Chapter 5
A Battle in which No one wins
A collab by LuxUmbra2012 and MadManMatt64
If one would consider this day, they would tell you it was once a great day that then suddenly became a living nightmare, where even the clouds themselves blackened on what was once a cloud free sunny day. No one could expect that there was another person with powers, very much like Pantsman himself. However, with his own power and hatred clawing and ripping at his mind, just waiting to be released, no one could've guessed how much this boy could take before all the power was released and he was finally able to utilize it. And no one could have possibly guessed that the once happy-go-lucky young man known as Leo Leonardo the 3rd was this very person, now using these mysterious gifts to wreak horrible revenge on his tormentors. Well… his sole tormentor anyway, for he had already effectively dealt with the others. And if anyone was within the halls of Toronto's School of the Gifted, they would have heard the blood-curdling screams, loud crashes, and sadistic laughter coming from the halls. And if one were to follow this trail, they would come across a small trail of blood leading to the algebra classroom, where a gaping hole through the concrete wall would show where to go next.
Vanessa Richardson scrambled to her legs, the injuries put on her already causing massive strain for her to even rise to her feet, but now wasn't the time to collapse. She had to escape the school and run away from the monster following her, not wanting to be killed by its pure unbridled rage. Fear gripped her heart as she rose from the rubble, and gasped in pain when she realized that her right arm was broken. But there was no time to dawdle on her current blinding pain, she had to escape before more, much more horrible pain came her way, and from the sounds of the aura pulsating wildly and the laughter dawning closer to her, she didn't have much time before he caught up with her.
"Oh, don't run, pet. We have so many games to play! We'll have so much fun playing together!"His voice called out from behind as she scrambled out and ran down the hallway.
"This can't be happening!" Vanessa screamed inside her head as she quickened her pace to the limit of what her broken body would allow. Her survival instinct was now on overdrive, constantly telling her; screaming at her, that if this dark force caught up to her, she would die. And behind her, she saw a malicious smile accompanied by blood red eyes, the crimson within dancing with delight as her once and forever former punching bag now followed her, a horrible aura of black pulsating from him.
"I see you!" he cried out in malevolent glee,"Let's play some games! Let's play! I wanna play a nice game you played with me. 'How many bones can you break?' Yeah! Let's play that game, Vanessa! I'll break this time, though! Don't chicken out! LET'S PLAY!"
"OH GOD!", Vanessa screamed out in terror as she just kept running, trying to find some way out that didn't involve her being used as a wrecking ball on the way, such as she was used earlier.
"Don't run away!" he called out to her as she stumbled away from him,"I'll find you, and then we can have so much fun together! OH! I get it! Hide and Seek! Yeah! Let's play Hide and Seek! Then we can play the other game! Hide well! My senses are even stronger than ever! So, if you make a peep, I'll find you in a heartbeat! Hey, that rhymes! HAHAHAH!"
Leo's mentality was like that of a child… but he himself was now capable of devastating power now that this happened. How was the freak endowed with powers like that whack job, Pants-freak!? It's not possible!
"HI VANESSA! I'M SO GLAD YOU SLOWED DOWN LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO CATCH UP WITH YOU! NOW WE CAN PLAY SOME MORE GAMES TOGETHER!" He yelled as he suddenly appeared directly in front of her.
Vanessa paled. She didn't stop running from him at all. He grabbed her by the throat, grinning devilishly at her as he lifted her from the floor with ease with a single paw. Vanessa struggled and flailed wildly in a bid to escape his tightening grip around her neck. As she struggled, she looked at his eyes. It was just as J.E. had told her. Leo was destined to become a monster bent on destroying the world, which is why she did everything to stop him from fulfilling his dark destiny. But now, she had failed, and the evil was released. And she was to become its first victim. This couldn't be! She was destined to revolutionize the very fabric of the world! Her destiny couldn't be changed! She couldn't die by this monsters hand!
Dark Leo suddenly grabbed her wrist, and then with sickening sound, snapped it, eliciting a pained wail from Vanessa while he smiled in glee.
"We are gonna have… SO…MUCH…FUN!", He whispered insanely into her ear, before breaking her other wrist and throwing her through a door into the ruins of the social studies classroom, laughing loudly as he rushed in after her, more screams of terror and pain coming from the room when he entered…
In the skies above, Pantsman saw the wreckage that his nephew had caused. From the football field to the school itself, a large ditch ten feet wide scarred the earth, no doubt the trail of Leo's devastation. It was gut wrenching to say the very least. To think that his nephew was holding back so much power... quick as a flash, he followed the trail straight into the building. When he entered, he heard the sickening sound of cracking bone, and the muffled plea of, "Stop... please... stop..."
Turning into the direction of the sound, Pantsman was horrified at the sight that greeted him. His own nephew... Leo... he could barely contain himself.
"LEO! STOP THIS MADNESS RIGHT NOW!" Pantsman yelled upon touching the floor after the fastest flight he himself had ever done. He touched down near Leo's location only to come across a horrible sight. The very boy he had to raise like a son shortly after his parents murder was stained with blood, a girl lying beneath him, beaten, broken, and bruised horribly. But the boy's new appearance startled Scott. What was gray was black; what was once kempt was messy and wild; what was green was now red; and the smile… from simple innocence, to demonic and blood-curdling. Eying the new person, Dark Leo tilted his head sideways, wondering why the local superhero was even here. There was nothing wrong with what he was doing. Destroying a monster wasn't a crime, was it? Nope. There's no law against that. Not to him.
"To what do I owe the honor of meeting the hero of the city?" he questioned, that child-like mentality showing again.
"To stop you. I can't let you hurt the innocent, Leo.", Pantsman said simply, putting himself in a fighting stance, in case things became ugly.
"The innocent?" Leo questioned, looking all around him, "I don't see any innocent here, just a spoiled rotten bitch who has to die."
"Look, no one can kill!" Pantsman said loudly, attempting to get the point across, "You don't have the right! No one does!"
"Really?" Dark Leo questioned with an evil smirk, "My new powers say otherwise…"
Scott paled. "So… It is true." he thought, "He has finally awakened..." Then, shaking his head, he said,"I won't let you abuse your powers for the wrong reasons! You're a kinder soul than this. Don't put yourself on a path that no one should ever follow!"
Upon hearing those words, Leo froze, wide eyed, before suddenly exploding in anger, "AND JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO KNOW ME, HUH?!" he shouted, shaking tiling off the roof of the school, "WHO'S THE FAGGOT BEHIND THE MASK THAT KNOWS ME!? HUH!? YOU KNOW SHIT, YOU PITIFUL EXCUSE FOR A HERO! WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO LECTURE ME LIKE I'M A STUDENT TO YOU!?"
"I'm asking you politely to step away from Ms. Richardson…" Scott said, before sighing, and adding on, "Don't make me use force."
It took a while before Leo answered, most likely due to him thinking it over, before saying, "I may barely be able to use these powers…" he then gave an evil grin, "But I know that even you will have problems against me. Don't interfere with what is mine to take. This bitch-", he paused for a moment in order to step on Vanessa's head and crush it a little under his heel before continuing, "Will pay for everything that she has ever done to me. Her life is forfeit to me! INTERVENE AND I'LL KILL YOU TOO!"
It hurt Scott to see this: His tormented godson, turning into such a horrible monster. It hurt more to watch him brutalize and maul his tormentor despite the way he was raised, and using his own powers only further his point. He was tearing this girl apart with his bare hands. And it hurt the worst, hearing his godson yell at him to back off or he will kill him too, proving that he would kill the girl regardless of the situation. But Leo... or whatever depraved monster he had become… he had to be stopped. Something that consumed by power and hatred cannot be allowed to continue going on. If it meant protecting the people from the most dangerous threat that Scott has ever seen…
"I'm sorry Leo." he said before raising his arms to his sides once more, "But I can't allow you to continue doing this… I have to stop you, no matter what."
"I should've figured a second rate hero like you would try to stop me…" Dark Leo said, grinding his teeth in anger, "I'm doing nothing except destroying a monster. And yet you defend this bitch?"
"You kill her and you will sink into her place, if not any lower." Scott said, attempting to reason with him, "Don't be a fool!"
"You choose instead to stop me though…", Leo said, ignoring anything that had come out of Pantsman's mouth, "So for that… you, Pantsman, a hero even more pathetic than Aquaman, will fall…", he smiled in pure glee, "I can't wait to see you broken like her, a living testament to my wrath!"
Behind the mask, Scott sighed. There would be no dealing with Leo or whatever he had become. He had to be beaten into submission… or worse… or else the entire city would suffer for his mercy. But this wasn't any ordinary opponent… This was his godson, the little boy he raised for over 10 years. He couldn't possibly…
"Ready?" the troubled boy asked, slamming one of his fists into an open palm.
"You bit off more than you can chew." Scott replied, cracking his neck in an intimidating fashion.
Kicking Vanessa aside with brutal strength, she grunted in pain as she skidded on the mud outside of the building, and into the nearby crowd that was gathering to watching the spectacle. Dark Leo smiled insanely at Scott before they both ran at each other, fists colliding with each other as they finally closed the distance between them. To Scott's shock, Dark Leo was equal to him in terms of strength, since neither was pushed back or even reacting from the fist impact. "Damn… he is strong…" he thought to himself, "This could be a problem if I don't end this fast. Stupid clones… If I didn't have to deal with them earlier today, I could easily beat Leo."
This was a truth he knew. Had the clones not caught him off guard, he could put his nephew down, save the city, as well as Vanessa, the target of Leo's wrath, and not kill him as well. It would have been a win for everyone… But not today. Today would be different. Today, he would have to go back on a promise he made, and fight his own godson.
"And so it begins…" the shade of Scott's godson said, "I've been waiting a long time to take your pathetic ass down…"
"If you won't listen to reason, then I have no choice!" Pantsman called out, "Prepare yourself, because I won't hold back on you!"
Within the Mind…
"Where… where am I…? What… what happened…?"
I awoke, dazed and confused, unsure of what exactly was going on. Raising my head, I could see that I was on top of what appeared to be a large plateau, adorned with sand and gravel everywhere. The sky was dark and thundering, so much so I could hardly see when I got up. My head hurts... the last thing I remember was... was... I can't remember anything... what happened to me? How did I get here? Why is it so sandy here? My head hurts... and I have no memory...
"EHAHAHAHAHA! STUPID PANTSMAN! YOU WON'T DEFEAT ME, NOW THAT I'M FINALLY FREE AFTER SO MANY YEARS! I WILL NOT BE SEALED AGAIN!"
What was that? That sounded a lot like me... well, whoever I am, that is. I wonder if he knows... Hey... that's a nice sword...
"Wield me… Your mind is fragmented… I will help you restore your true self…"
I blinked in curiosity. A talking sword? Neat. And it says it can help me? Don't see any problems with that. So, I picked it up, and put it in this sheath that formed on my left leg, the blade sliding in easily. Without anything else to do, and the sword at my hip currently not giving me any advice, I walked forward, in this vast rocky area. The closer I got I could tell that this place appeared to be some kind of ancient ruin of some sort. As I continued I looked to the horizon only to see something... huge. A massive figure was at the epicenter of the brewing storm, the thing obviously being the cause of this, as well this horrible feeling pooling in my stomach. In the center of a huge dais, with a bunch of small monoliths and bunkers surrounding was what looked like a massive behemoth with no legs. The lower half of its body was what looked like a tower, but the upper half was humanoid... massive hands with large claws extending from the fingertips, fur and stone encasing its body, the midnight black fur making small connected trails on its body. And yet... despite the features of the thing, what scared me the most was the monster's face. It was... familiar to me, but terrifying as well. I stumbled back and landed next to a shard of a mirror. I looked at it and saw my face for the first time. So that's what I look like. I'm certainly no pretty boy with those looks. But my eyes, my emerald green eyes, I definitely like those. They're so vibrant. I smiled, graced by the fact that all my teeth still intact. "I wonder what my name is…"I thought to myself. But something struck me then and there. That thing's face… It's… mine… What is that thing!?
Just then, as though the sword were reading my mind, it said, "That… is the personification of all the hatred and darkness of your heart given form."
"Talking sword says what, now?" I said, confused by its words.
"I am Signa." it told me, it's 'voice' authoritative, yet quiet, "That which once bound him away. By setting him free, he now devastates the world beyond this world. Tenebrous Leonis must be sealed once more to save the world beyond this one and to restore your memory of who you truly are…"
I had a million questions running through my head, and I could only voice a few, such as, "I set that thing free?! Where are we!? Tenebrous Leonis is that massive monster!? Why does he have my face!?"
"Only by sealing him away will your memories return…" it said back to me vaguely
"Answer me, Signa!" I screamed, half expecting to cough up a lung while I was at it.
The sword gave what sounded like a sigh before saying, "You created me to seal Tenebrous Leonis away long ago. But something happened, something that Tenebrous was able to take advantage of and seduce you with empty promises. Because of this, you removed me from him, setting him free. He sealed you in return, and this is why your memories are lost."
"So… I made you to seal him… and now he's free." I said, calming down, and turning the situation over in my head, trying to understand it.
"And must be sealed again. Only you have the power to do this." the sword said, its voice becoming somewhat louder.
I looked at my hip to the sword for a moment, then back to the monster in the distance. Making my decision, I drew the sword and said, "... Guess I can't run away anyways… I want to remember who I am."
"Onward then..." Signa said, its tone satisfied, "Tenebrous must be stopped."
So, I got to my feet and started moving towards thing, while it was laughing maniacally at something I couldn't see… Until, it's massive red eyes suddenly grew in surprise and turned to face me. I paled as the creature stared at me. And when it spoke, it felt as though someone had replaced all of my nerves with ice. Its voice was booming and sinister, and it said to me, "So, you've awakened, I see… Sorry, but I'm having too much fun now that I am finally free. So... YOU NEED TO GO BACK TO SLEEP NOW!"
The thing lifted a massive hand at me, and when he did, a black mist started swirling in its palm, creating a large black ball, and lightning crackling around it. Oh crap... I saw a small formation of rock just ahead of me and ran for it, just as he launched the sphere from his palm. I slid, just barely ducking the sphere as it exploded some distance away from me. I don't wanna know what would happen if I got caught in that... Then I realized something... I have to beat that thing!? How!? Another explosion occurred right next to the blockade I was hiding underneath. He was trying to destroy the barricade I was hiding at! I ran as fast as I could away from it, the area blowing up right after I left. I then quickly ducked underneath a large pile of rubble. But that one didn't last long either. I thought I had run out of places to duck and cower- err, I mean, cover, but thankfully there was a gap in the floor with a strange light not too far away. Hopefully, I could make it before Tenebrous could blast me. Gathering all of my strength, I dashed for the gap, sprinting as fast as I could, and sliding inside the hole in the floor, landing on my feet carefully…
"Momma! Lookit!"
"Look, Leo! He's riding the tricycle!"
Startled by the voices, I looked in the makeshift hallway down in the hole to see an image of a little boy cat riding a tricycle with two older cats following him, a man and a woman. There were others here? Didn't they know about the large creature that I created that was hell-bent on killing me? Evidently not, as the woman holding a video camera, probably recording what I deduced to be their son's efforts in riding the bike, and was oblivious to all the explosions going on outside. That camera seemed to be familiar somehow... and those two adults too. What is this stuff?
Before I could get too distracted by my thoughts, the little boy hit a bump on the floor and fell off the bike, hitting his head on the concrete floor. I seethed at that, as looked incredibly painful. The kid got up and then started crying very loudly while he was holding his scratched forehead. The woman, a tannish-golden-brown cat, picked up the child and started whispering sweet nothings in his ear. He stopped crying pretty fast. After this, his dad asked if the kid, who he called 'Leo', wanted to try riding the bike again. He giddily got back on, despite his earlier accident, and continued riding down the street.
At this point, I gripped my head, as something flashed through my memory. My name... my name is... Leo... That little boy cat was me... when I was 2... Signa was right. Maybe if I stop that Colossus, I'll regain my memories. I could remember the adult's names… Karen and Leo… Apparently, I was No. 3 out of them, while my dad was No. 2. Huh... these memories that flashed on the walls of the hallway were of my childhood days. I remember that much now. But I couldn't remember anything more in this hall. I guess I better move on to another place. Maybe there'll be more of those hallways with my memories in them...
Back on the fields…
"Damn... what the hell happened to me?"I moaned out as my consciousness returned.
Shaking my head, I looked up to see everyone gone from the stands, a few people unconscious on the grass around me, some of which I recognized as some of Vanessa's and Jason's goons. Who took them out? If they could restrain me, it would take some real muscle to beat... ALL OF THEM!? All of them were beaten unconscious! No way! And the sky... It's so dark. And I hear thunder but no lightning. What's going on? How long have I been unconscious and- wait... is this... blood? Oh god... It's real blood... I feel like I'm gonna puke... What's going on here!?
"EHAHAHAH!"
"STOP THIS, RIGHT NOW!"
What was going on? Who was yelling that crap? I looked around myself attempting to figure out where all the shouting was coming from, I saw a crowd standing some distance away, all of them either yelling something or screaming in terror as a collective whenever the thunder boomed. They were all looking up at the clouds, as if though they were watching something. Then I noticed that camera crews and ambulances were present, scooping up the unconscious into the vehicles as the reporters talking about some sort of fight. Something about Pantsman going up against the greatest threat the world has ever known. Yes, Leo told me about the hero. I did find it a little weird about the name and costume, but I can't necessarily blame the guy. After all, most of the good names are gone. But as I got closer to the crowd, a student, Ronald Blue, was being interviewed. I heard his voice as the reporter asked him to explain what happened earlier. Maybe I could find out what happened to Leo, since I couldn't find him anywhere…
"Well, it was nuts!" he cried out, "Van humiliated Leo like crazy! Made some horrible play in front of the whole school 'bout his parents getting killed. He snapped and fucking lost control and it was crazy! Leo's got powers like Pantsman too! Don't know how, but he does! He just screamed and his fur turned all black and he got red eyes and shit and he… just went all dark and stuff and attacked everyone who tormented him!"
The moment I heard Ronald say that... I looked up into the sky were this supposed fight was going on. I really couldn't see much due to the black clouds but the two figures in the sky suddenly came down onto the plains very close to the crowds of people. All of them gave a start and diverted their attention onto the two. But I was able to see who the two were. One was the city's protector, Pantsman, ragged, clothes torn and bruised. And the other... Oh my god... it was Leo, exactly as Ronald described him. He really had those incredible powers I've seen Pantsman display on television... he really did lose control of himself... and he was the one who attacked everyone after I lost consciousness... No... Why? This nightmare can't be happening...
"FOR GOD'S SAKE, LEO! STOP THIS MADNESS RIGHT NOW!" Pantsman shouted out.
"I WILL BE THE END OF YOU!" Leo screamed in malevolent joy, clearly enjoying what he was doing.
"LISTEN TO ME! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! STOP THIS!" He screamed, as though desperate to get through to Leo. Wait... his voice seemed so familiar...
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, PANTSMAN!"
Scott? Was... was that Mr. Ramsoomair I heard just now? It can't be... I'm so confused about everything right now... I didn't know what to do...
"Hey… pinkie… over here…"
Huh? Who called me?
"Over here… it's me. Dante."
What did he want? Doesn't he-Oh my God! His arm! It's soaked in blood!
"Don't worry about me right now." he said as he shambled toward me, holding his shoulder in pain, but otherwise not letting it bother him, "I pieced it all together. Your friend was born with a rare genetic material called M.E.T.A... It gives people all kinds of powers, it's rare, and it seems Leo had it within him, the same as Pantsman. His powers triggered due to the emotional stress that Vanessa caused, and his darker side has come forth as a result. He basically can't control himself right now. If we don't prove that, Leo's finished."
"Why!?" I cried out in confusion.
"Listen to me..." he said, motioning all around him, "If we can prove that all this was because he snapped purely under stress, it'll prove his innocence. If not, he's a threat to the whole planet with that kind of power, and everyone will be ordered to kill him on sight! Everyone on Earth will have orders to stop him! If Pantsman can't beat him, then we are all fucked, you got that!?"
That was his fate if he won? That was ours? No... I can't believe this...
"Listen to me..." he said, calming down a little, "The school's security system has cameras all over the place. If one is even remotely present at the bleachers, then we can clear his name. I need your help with this task…"
"Why?" I asked, eager to help, but wondering why he would even need it to begin with.
"Because..." he winced, evidently squeezing his shoulder too hard, "I'm losing a lot of blood. If I lose too much, I'll pass out. I need you to keep me conscious long enough to get the feed to prove Leo's innocence."
I was about to ask him to lead us to where he needed to go, but then another thought occurred to me, "Why do you want to help him? You don't even know him!"
"Because..." he said, looking a little pained, "I sat by once when something like this happened before. I won't allow it to happen again. Now let's go. We have to hurry before things escalate out here, and with the power coming off of Leo, it won't be long before he overpowers Pantsman."
"What!?" I screamed. Leo overpowering Pantsman? That... didn't even seem possible...
"His negative emotions are fueling his power and Pantsman is holding back on him, so that's why we have to hurry." he explained, taking a deep breath before continuing on, "I know why he snapped. After you lost consciousness when Van's gang attacked you, he immediately lost all restraints and control over his powers. He cares for you, far more than you know. And when you were hurt and he was powerless to stop it, that's when this hell was unleashed. You're the only one who can stop this madness… I'm sorry to have chosen you to help me, but it's urgent! I need the feed, and then you can go outside and find a way to stop him before the whole world is threatened by his power."
I honestly couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, but Dante seemed to know a lot more about the situation than I did. He ran off, clutching his arm, to the gaping hole in the west wing of the school, no doubt caused by Leo. My god... all this devastation... all of this caused by the most tormented soul I've ever encountered in my life... This boy was far beyond Will. He was hurt, angry, and sad, harming himself and others around him. He had to be stopped, not only for our sake, but his as well. He doesn't deserve any of this at all.
I followed Dante within the school, looking around to see if I could find some form of security room. Hopefully it would be where the feeds of all the classes and areas were stored. This place is a little bit more uptight so there has to be one.
"Over here!"I heard Dante call out from an open room not too far from me. He must've found it before I did.
As I entered, I saw him, typing furiously on a laptop, probably his own, as it was connected to the monitor that stored all the camera feeds. I stood by and watched as he worked, and within a short time, he bypassed the school's security code, and was able to monitor any camera feed. He gave a small fist pump when he finally found what he was looking for: video feed at the stadium, which was coming from the commentator's box. Despite my excitement at this news, I noticed that he was starting to slow down at his work, a sure sign that he would pass out. Without any other plans, I slapped him hard upside the head, granting an, "OW! DAMMIT!" from himand soon he was back to his work.
"Got it… Everything that happened is stored right here.´ He showed me a tiny flash drive. "This will prove it, should Vanessa say and will say otherwise. Thanks… you should get back outside. It's getting worse out there… I can feel it. Find a way to stop him."
Dante looked about ready to pass out as he said that. "Let's get you out of here and to an ambulance.", I spoke, taking him by the shoulder and walking him out of the building, just in time too, since a deafening crash happened only right where we were just moments earlier. I was terrified, since we almost essentially got buried beneath that rubble as I saw Leo emerge from it, enraged beyond comprehension.
"PANTSMAN!"He shouted, before taking off and going after his opponent. I was scared out of my mind. How the hell could I stop him if he can do everything I remotely can't!?
Inside Leo's Mindscape…
"UNCLE SCOTT! UNCLE SCOTT, PLEASE HELP ME!"
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
"Uncle Scott..."
I don't know what to say... I just saw my parents get murdered by that man. I have seen the saddest part of my life... and now I remember all of it.
My heart weighed so heavily. Now I know what Tenebrous is to me... he's my dark half, created from the years of suffering I went through after losing mom and dad to Jake Muldoon. No wonder I repressed him inside of me if he's this destructive. Somehow, I let my dark half loose, but I can't remember what happened that made me even think of doing something like that. I must've been pretty stupid to let him out, even though I'm far more intelligent that more other students there at school/ Grade wise, at least. I decided to press on. Hopefully, more of my memories were still out there, and I'm getting closer to the Colossus. I need to seal him before he does too much damage in the world outside my mind…
"Hurry, Leo! Time is of the essence! There are some who are trying to withhold your dark side's advance, but they won't be able to hold out much longer!" I heard Signa yelling at me to hurry. I could also hear someone grunting in pain. It must be the one outside my mind fighting my dark half. I have to hurry and regain control before it's too late…
I ran as quickly as I could, out from the large tunnel from the ground to see the humongous form of Tenebrous had gotten closer. Obviously the tunnel got me closer to my dark half, so now I could possibly run up to it, not get noticed, and end this nightmare. Quickly I decided against that when a powerful dark energy exploded nearby me, giving an aura of fear, hatred, and sadness. When the feeling subsided, I heard the creature say, "Come on out... all I want to do is talk... Ah, who am I kidding!? I just want to kill you!"
He then laughed a cold, but genuine and insane laugh before going back to searching for me. It was a laugh that chilled me to my core, and echoed in my mind for what seemed like hours. But I had to shake it off. I needed to continue, to seal my darkness away.
Carefully, I climbed out of the tunnel, and ran to the neared form of cover, which appeared to be something archers would protect themselves with while firing arrows. Ducking behind the barricade, I suddenly saw more characters in the wall. It was me once again, this time with who appeared to be a white wolf girl... she was torturing me... along with a tiger... more memories came back. The wolf was Vanessa, the tiger Jason, and they made his life a living hell... this was something he could've gone without remembering. This train of thought was quickly interrupted by the giant stone and fur creature crying out, "FOUND YOU!", and firing more magic at me.
I deftly dodged out of the way, running toward the next barricade. This barricade seemed different from the last one. This one seemed... warm. Almost as though it were radiating happiness. Ducking behind this barricade, I was faced with another image... a beautiful girl... pink fur... wonderful smile... Aeris... her name is Aeris...I remembered everything about her. She was my best and only friend, she was kind, she was smart, and to me at least, she was pretty much amazing in every category... well, at least to me anyway. I reached out in an attempt to touch the image, but unfortunately, all I could feel beneath my fingers were the cold stones that made the barricade. I sighed. I at least knew now that I had something worth fighting for on the outside...
"YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER!" Tenebrous shouted out in glee, once more shooting a dark blast at me. I was distracted for a moment, but thankfully, the image of my friend was able to withstand the blast, as opposed to those before. Sighing in relief, I charge to the next barricade, the monster that I created looming ever closer. I was ready to charge at the creature once again, but then I was distracted by another image... a stage... a bed... people, all around it... Oh my God... this was the trigger. This was what happened. I... remember now... I unleashed this... THING into the world to protect my best friend...
As if to confirm this, Signus chimed in, "Yes, it is true. You did all this to protect Aeris."
I was silent before saying, "So it's really all my fault..."
"No.", Signus said adamantly, "This is all the work of Jake Muldoon, and Vanessa Richardson. He planted the seed, and she cultivated it. You were never meant to live through all this."
I looked up at the giant, and into its eyes. He didn't try to blast me, probably because of my close proximity to it. It didn't want to hurt itself. Steeling myself, I said, "Alright... I created you... I'm going to bring you down." I then dashed toward the base, and started to climb.
Scott's POV
"PANTSMAN!" I heard my enraged godson yell, as he emerged from the rubble, murder shining in his eyes as he cried out, "GO TO HELL!"before appearing in front of me and kicking me clean across the face. I was able to stay flying, but before I could get my balance, he started barraging me from all sides. How is he this tough? Thankfully, before he could get another blow in, I grabbed him, and chucked him straight to the floor, crashing into it, but he was able to flip to his feet quickly, only to have my fist meet his face. He rocketed off from the impact, at which point I chased after him, grabbed his face and slamming him into the dirt, dragging him through until we stopped. The moment we did, he gripped my wrist and threw me off of him and almost into a tree. Luckily, I stopped myself before I actually hit it. When I looked up, I saw him coming for me, and dodged his punch, which slammed into the tree and uprooted it on the spot. He snarled viciously when he faced me after missing that attack.
Watching him utilize his abilities like this saddened me... Yes, I knew about his 'gift'. I knew all about it. But I was hoping that he never was able to use it for his natural life, or should he use it, he would come to me about it, and I could tutor him about it... But seeing him now showed me just how damaged he was over the years. Awakening under such strife had caused this darker persona of my godson to surface, and he truly was everything my godson wasn't: Cruel, sadistic, megalomaniacal, destructive, and vengeful. And all because of a girl... a girl I was powerless to stop because of her cruel manipulative ways, and now she awakened the deliverer of suffering. All the more reasons for me to stop him before he makes everyone else feel his pain.
Charging at me, I grabbed his wrist as he punched and I dodged, and kneed him hard in his stomach, causing him to cry out while spittle flew from his mouth. I then kicked him upwards, warped to his side and kicked him again in the face into the tree that he uprooted, causing him to cry out as the tree finally gave way and collapsed. He just looked at me, his anger and dark energy flaring to new heights. "Dammit… DAMMIT!" He yelled out, clearly frustrated that he couldn't get an edge over me.
"DAMN YOU!"Leo screamed while flaring his enhanced strength out of raw anger. Hatred burning behind his red eyes, he charged at me and punched me in the chest with new speed, and kicked me up into the black thunderous clouds. Regaining my balance, I grabbed his palm when he tried to attack again, flipped him around and kneed him in the back, grabbed his arm, and... Karen, Leo, forgive me... I dislocated his left arm out of its socket, before punching him in the face, flinging him a little ways from me. As he regaining his balance in midair, the clouds boomed loudly as a streak of lightning flashed. Leo was whimpering as he clenched his broken arm. I felt sick, realizing my actions against him, but it was for the best since I now essentially crippled his ability to fight now. "It's over, Leo. Don't try anything further." I voiced out, hoping that he would listen, and he would later forgive me…
He cried a little, whimpering as he grasped his broken arm, incapable of flexing any muscle within the dislocated arm. Before… his whimpers turned into creepy giggling, then soft chuckling, into full-blown laughter as he grabbed his arm and sickeningly popped it back into place. I was mortified… He still laughed insanely before he stopped suddenly and yelled, "DID YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT WOULD STOP ME!? I'VE HAVE COUNTLESS BONES BROKEN SO THIS IS NOTHING! NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!"
I was so shocked at his near instant recovery that he smashed me across the face before I even realized what was happening. Because of the impact, I was sent sailing quite fast, but Leo being even faster caught up and beat the absolute hell out of me... Ever seen one of those anime scenes where one person viciously beats on another person, without tire, without restraint, and certainly no defense from the recipient? Yeah... Imagine him beating me like that but him laughing like a maniac during his ballistic barrage. He then stopped with a gut punch, an uppercut, and then finally a ruthless slam across the face that sent me crashing from the clouds above straight into the earth below. Only the thought of 'I was too weak' crossed my mind as the descent speed increased until…
*CRASH*
The surrounding earth shook at the impact. The people screamed when they realized I was the one inside the crater. A bone chilling laugh came and only grew louder as my opponent finally touched down. More screams came as they ran from him. I was so battered and bruised; I think I lost nearly all my strength to fight him back. It'd be like a child fighting Muhammad Ali. But I had to. I had to find some way to beat him. So many thoughts crossed my head as I slowly crawled out of the muddy crater. At the same time, I kept hearing his taunts about me being an ineffective bitch-loving hero. Every nerve and every fiber of my being was on fire or aching from pain as I stood with what little strength I had left. He simply glared through me with those blood red eyes... Full of malice... Full of hate... Full of pain.
"Are we having fun yet?"He asked, politely to my surprise. I guess he was being courteous. How condescending... I couldn't respond. My voice was too dry, and my strength waned. I won't be able to keep up much longer. I can't hold back against him anymore. No more mercy, because he's not gonna give any to everyone around him. With a new fire burning inside, I shot towards him, faster than before, getting ready to end this nightmare.
Aeris' POV
I came outside to witness the two going at it again, but it looked like Leo was having some trouble. I guess Pantsman stopped holding back against him. I saw him smash Leo upwards, shoot up into the sky, kick him down, and then blasted him while I heard Leo's pained screams. The dust settled and everything was quiet. I walked towards the freshly made crater and saw that Leo was beaten, knocked unconscious. When someone else confirmed it, the people erupted into cheers and congratulations for Pantsman. He stopped that poor hurt boy from causing any more damage, and while he was my friend, I was thankful that he was stopped before he did something very bad. I thought while everyone was celebrating Leo's defeat, that I could pick him up out of the crater, but when I turned to get him out, there was no body. I realized that Leo feigned defeat... and he was gunning straight for Pantsman!
"PANTSMAN! WATCH OUT!" I cried out, hoping he would hear me. Unfortunately, he was just out of earshot, but I know that he heard what Leo said...
"DIE, HERO!"
He appeared in front of him, then slammed his fist into the hero's stomach, then uppercut him skywards, following after him with a sphere of blackness forming in his hand. He then grabbed Pantsman by the face, and slammed him into the dirt headfirst, then shot the sphere. The result was earthshaking... and after that, Pantsman stopped moving, save a groan of pain. Leo kicked him just to see if he would move. He didn't. Then Leo broke into absolutely insane laughter, one that sent shivers down everyone's spines, including my own.
"HAHAHAHAH! DID YOU HONESTLY THINK YOU COULD WIN!? YOU'RE A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A HERO, YOU DUMBASS! YOU WON'T STOP ME FROM TAKING MY REVENGE!"
"LIKE HELL YOU ARE!" said a voice that I kind of recognized. Only when I saw him did I know who it was.
I saw Jason getting up and bum rushing in a frenzied sprint. I guess he was going to try and stop Leo from harming Vanessa. Even I knew how futile attacking Leo would be. And again, he proved my point when Leo slammed his foot into Jason's stomach, stopping him in place. Truthfully, I didn't pity Jason. I've seen what he's done, so this is purely karma for him, and even more ironic when his number 1 punching bag strikes back with unbridled fury.
"Feels good don't it?" Leo said sardonically,"Seriously, what goes on through that thick skull of yours!? I fucking beat Pantsman. What makes you think you can harm me!?"
And with that, Leo kicked him away, slamming him into the collapsing wall that was once our history class, the severity of the blow, plus the impact, knocking him out on the spot.
"And that just leaves you…" he said, turning his back on Jason,"The little white furred slut."
He pointed at Vanessa then began to walk over to her with a mad grin. It's like he was serious on killing her... no, he IS serious about killing her! Someone has to stop him before he does something unforgivable… and I guess that person is me. I got up from my spot and ran as fast as my legs would allow, as I was still feeling some pain from when Vanessa attacked me. As I walked I crossed the injured Pantsman... no, it WAS Mr. Ramsoomair. The mask fell off of his head due to what the last attack had done to him. I ran into the crater and said, "Mr. Ramsoomair! Are you okay!?"
He groaned a little, before opening his eyes and saying, "Hey... you're Aeris... that girl he likes..."
"Yeah.", I said, helping him up, "Come on, you need to get up and stop him!"
Pantsman was silent for a moment before sighing and saying, "I can't do this alone... he's too strong... and I can barely fight him in this state..."
He took a few shaky steps to the edge of the crater. Rushing to his side, I said, "I can help."
He looked over to me, thought a moment, and said, "...That actually might work... If you can distract him long enough, then I could probably attack him and get him to snap out of it. You go to him, and I'll get behind him."
And with that, he flew away, and left me alone. I prayed that it would be enough to just end the madness before it got worse. I then made my way towards Leo, who was laughing and screaming his hate as he approached Vanessa, who in turn was crying and screaming for help. But no one would help. After all, Leo DID defeat the protector of the city. Before I approached him, he spun around, another black orb in his palm, before he realized who it was. When he saw me, his features softened, and the black orb dissipated almost immediately. He even seemed to... not be so intimidating. Now I just had to calm him down.
Ironic that I would be doing this. Only a week I knew him and he already calms down upon seeing me. And why the hell am I doing this? Telling him I wasn't harmed and trying to calm him from his murderous rage. I should be running like hell, alongside everyone else, because he could kill anyone in a heartbeat if he so desired. And I'm certain that he would that poor- wait, person screaming for help. In truth, I saw this as karmic justice. Vanessa's made Leo's life hell ever since his parents were murdered and he definitely didn't deserve the horrible treatment he suffered, not after he dropped his façade to me and simply just showed he only needed a friend, something he didn't have for many years. So she shouldn't be screaming about her pain because that's nothing compared to the hell my tormented friend has lived. Despite how right he is for hurting her, he had to be stopped.
"I'm fine." I cried out, "You don't have to hurt her anymore! She gets it now!"
"She won't get it till she's dead. Then she'll know my pain!"
"Are you really planning on doing that?" I asked, getting a little desperate, "Or are you saying that because of what happened before you started hurting people? Look around you! Here's a lot of people you hurt lying around, even Pantsman too. And he didn't deserve what happened because he wanted to stop you from making a horrible choice. If you kill Vanessa, then you'll sink even lower than she ever will. And I know that wouldn't do that."
He paused for a moment, as though unsure of himself. Then, he said, "She deserves to know pain."
"And she knows it.", I said to him, tears in my eyes, "Calm down and just stop doing all of this."
It seemed my words had some form of effect on him. The black fur turned back to gray and he basically reverted, save the eyes. They still shone red, and he still looked conflicted. I would fix that. As I stood in front of him, I saw the motion from Scott. With it, I cocked my fist back.
"Please forgive me for this..."
"Huh…?"
Pantsman appeared then and there at my side, and simultaneously we buried our fists into his gut, causing him to cry out in pain. He staggered back from the impact and looked at us. The red eyes then reverted to green. He then said, "Thank you both..."then collapsed, passed out into the mud.
It was finally over. I then heard the people screaming and cheering now that the threat that Pan- no, Mr. Ramsoomair dubbed 'Dark Leo' was quieted… for now. I didn't want to think about what would happen if he would come back. As the people were being loaded into ambulances, myself and Mr. Ramsoomair loaded into Leo into one of them, I wondered what could happen. Now that Leo has this strange power that makes himself Scott's equal, what would he do with them? I hope he doesn't go psychotic with it, and I pray that the upcoming days be brighter than this dark night.
Inside Leo's Mindscape
Finally, I made it. It took me forever to climb up the base of the monster, and even longer to climb up to its head. Finally reaching it, I grabbed tightly into the fur of the creature, raised Signa above my head, and stabbed it into the monster's forehead, eliciting bellowing roars of unrivaled agony. I finally did it! I got the rest of my memories back! During the midst of Dark Leo's screaming, he threw me off of his head, causing me to plummet to my doom. I thought for sure I was finished, but I realized that this was my mind, and everything goes in my head, so I landed gently on the floor, pleased with myself as Dark Leo kept screaming and trying to remove the tiny sword from his skull. But then he started shrinking rapidly, the massive stone features that he had as a Colossus fading from his body rapidly. He eventually reverted to my size, looking exactly like me except for disheveled fur and blood red eyes in place of my green ones. He looked at me, the sword still in his head, before his face contorted into that of absolute fury
"YOU! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! I'LL KILL YOU!"He yelled then lunged at me, claws extended.
"I HAD EVERYTHING! EVERYONE WAS GOING TO PAY AND YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" He screamed while trying to hit me, but it felt like every time he tried, I effortlessly dodged him. I didn't understand why, but it felt like second nature.
"What the!?" he cried out, looking at his paws,"My powers! Where are my powers!?"
"Guess you lost them!"I shouted at him before taking hold of Signa again, and pushing the sword deeper into his head until it was all the way in. Dark Leo looked at me in horror of what I've done until massive metal constructs burst from his head, surrounding and entombing him in some sort of machine. Before the machine (which I assumed to be Signa preparing to seal Dark Leo) could start working, my dark half paled, and then ran towards me, trying to get to me first. As he ran towards me, I saw some cables and wires emerging from the device, and then headed straight for him. The wires slammed into his back, pulling him towards it as he kept yelling and screaming and thrashing his way in a desperate attempt to escape the device as it kept pulling him in until he was pulled into its exact center. Then his body started to crystallize, starting with his bare feet, slowly climbing up his body…
"NOT AGAIN! I WON'T BE IMPRISONED AGAIN!" He screamed, and kept thrashing wildly. I could only stand and watch as more of his body was being crystallized. He looked at me, madness in his eyes. He then started to speak again, "This… isn't the end… as long as HE lives, your hatred will never fade… and as long as that exists, I exist… and I will come back, and have control over this body again! I WILL COME BACK! DO YOU HEAR ME, COPY!?"
"Yeah... I hear you..." I said, trying not to show fear, "But I hope this'll be the last time I see you. Goodbye."
With one last despairing wail, the crystallization finished, entombing him alive inside of it, and the machine shut closed, removing him from my line of vision. He was gone, sealed once again into the darkest depths of my mind. I would see to it I don't see him again…
"He is sealed once more… and your mind is restored to its former self." I heard Signa speak through the machine that imprisoned my dark half. One last memory, a new one formed inside my head, showing Aeris outside, telling me to forgive her for what she was going to do, before Pantsman suddenly appeared at her side and the two gut punched me. My dark side's hold on my body was shattered at that, but the extensive injuries received were enough for that blow to be the finisher. I told them, "Thank you." before everything went black, leaving me unsure if my message was delivered to them.
I smiled inside... I had people who tried to stop me, not try to kill me for everything I've done. There were people in this world that cared for me... Maybe I'm not as alone as I once believed myself to be so long ago... Hey... What's this? Another memory?
I see myself as a three year old with mom and dad and... I fell off of the balcony from the top floor since I stuck my body through the bars to say hi to my mom. They screamed as I fell from there, neither of them close enough to catch me. Why couldn't I originally remember this? But... something crazy happened. My descent slowed until I harmlessly touched the floor. Both of them looked on in surprise at this display. But at a closer look, I never touched the floor at all. I was… hovering just a tiny bit above the ground. I was shocked. I could float?! What the hell was this!?
"He's already displaying them… and so young as well." my dad said, clearly surprised
"Momma? Why didn't get hurt?" I asked, looking up to her.
My mother picked me up and cradled me in her arms. My younger self sighed contently, obviously enjoying being smothered like that.
"You're special, my sweet baby boy... So very special..." she said, holding me closely.
"Can you do that too?" I asked.
She nodded in response to my younger self's question.
My younger self fell asleep as my mother rocked me in her arms but there was still more to this memory.
"Only 3 years old… and showing them off already! Wait until Scott hears about this!" my father said, pride in his voice.
Scott knows about this? Wait... does this mean... I have...
"You felt it too, huh?" my mother asked, looking over to him.
"Yeah.", he said, walking over to us, "The moment he used it. He was phenomenal for a 3 year old."
"What do you think this means for him?" she asked as they walked up the stairs and into my bedroom.
"I don't know..." he said, "My guess is he'll be an incredible person when he gets older… Hopefully, Scott will tutor him in using his powers."
"I'm sure he will." she said as she put me in my bed,"And I'm sure that little Leo here will be a great young man..."
The memory stopped there. I couldn't believe it... they knew that I had that gift. Scott knew too… and now I could see what my dark side was doing. I had powers like Pantsman, and my dark side was using them to inflict pain on people. This does kind of explain how I kept recovering from my injuries much faster and had a higher pain tolerance than most people I knew. This revelation made me smile a little. Now I had another reason to keep going due to this hidden memory. I'll master my hidden powers, and be the great person that my parents wanted me to be before their passing. Guess that's all I can do for now. I better get some sleep... even in my own head I'm exhausted after all of that climbing and running I had to do...
Lux: Crap… After ages, it's finished… Phew… No excuses but I'm not dead and I promise I WILL complete this. I won't let such good ideas rot in internet and development hell.
Matt: FINALLY! It's done! Enjoy everyone, we put our blood, sweat and tears into this!
Lux: So until next time, "Ja'ne"!