Blue struggled violently as she felt the guards drag her inside the base. Obsidian handcuffs shackled her wrists behind her back, and a blindfold was wrapped tightly around her eyes. She screamed against the rag these bastards dared to tie around her face. She lashed out, and heard a satisfying grunt as she managed to kick one of them in the groin. Air filled her lungs as she was thrown into the air without warning. The hard crack of a stone floor hit her shoulder, and splitting pain lit up her hip. She ground her teeth. This was her world. She was supposed to be in control. She would erase them from existence. All of them.
Leaping to her feet, she spun around, trying to listen for more sounds. Try to figure out at least where the door is. What room she was in. It didn't take long for her to realize the room was closed off. And she wasn't alone.
Rough hands grabbed her shoulders, dragging her down to her knees in a sloppy bow. The blindfold was ripped away, and blurry white lights filled her eyes. When the haze faded, she scowled at the Superior standing in front of her. His eyes were set alight in victory. And fear. He was standing in front of the very being who could rip away his existence with a mere word. All that was between Blue and making him suffer were a pair of obsidian handcuffs. She hated the feeling of not being able to move her hands, or even use her power.
"Here's the deal," He tried to sound superior, but tremor in his voice gave him away. He was afraid of her. "Cooperate, or I will kill you."
Blue growled through the rag, the rage in her eyes telling unspoken promises of punishment. The Superior knelt down to her level, untying the rag. Blue spat in his face. "Why don't you go fuck yourself?"
"This is not negotiable," The Superior stared at her like a wold staring down prey. He wiped away her spit. "I already have the Tree."
Blue's blood froze inside her. The Tree... He can control everything. This will become hisstory. His world. No, he's got to be lying...
Blue ground her teeth, trying not to let her shock reveal itself. "Is that supposed to make me afraid of you?"
The Superior chuckled, dragging her to her feet by the collar of her shirt. He sneered into her face. "Yes." He set her down gently. Almost mercifully. Or fearfully. "You know what this means. I hold complete power. Almost complete. Now that I have you, two halves of the power will be complete. I will own both this world-" He smirked. "-And yours."
I hate my world anyways. But she didn't say the words out loud.
The Superior flicked his hand in the air, and Blue felt an unrelenting force gripping her throat, crawling through the crevices of her mind, pulling apart secrets. The Superior stared into her eyes. "Tell me about your power."
He's looking for the truth. Blue couldn't hold back. She couldn't resist. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't control it. Not all of it."
The Superior's eyes widened as he released her of his hold. "You can't control..." His voice trailed off. Then, his smile widened. "Excellent. Then I don't need you. I just need your power."
Blue collapsed to the floor and coughed. "Over my dead body."
"That's the idea."
"You can't kill me. The power will just evaporate into the universe and be passed onto someone else. And you are the least worthy."
"Oh, I won't kill you." The Superior said nonchalant. Blue was wary of his changing attitude and wants. He was becoming even more out of control. "But I will kill your team."
Blue scoffed and rolled her eyes. If he only knew how many threats the team had to face. How many times they died and re-birthed. She could bring them back... Couldn't she?
"I already sent that bastard child with the rest of your team. She could kill them in one shot with Element Evil. Don't be fooled by appearances. I still have control over her. The child has grown so powerful, even you can't bring them back from the dead. Your team is done for." The Superior's words cut a hole through Blue's soul like a hot knife. He gazed at her with such sincerity that she felt sick. "If you don't do this, I will kill everyone you love, starting with Etrius."
Blue felt the unrelenting pressure, telling her to give in. That it was hopeless. That there was no way she'd get out of this alive. She shook her head, her breathing growing heavier.
"Blue, I will kill them all unless you cut this shit out and hand over the power." The Superior pressed.
She squeezed her eyes shut and refused to look at him. "I can't."
Ice cold hands wrapped around her throat. "You can, and you will."
Blue couldn't give in. She couldn't. But if she defied the Superior, the team would die. For good.
If she gave him the power, the team would live. But she would never go back home, and the Superior would have complete access to the Waking Realm. Her realm. Her home.
Blue's shoulders shook with rage and helplessness. "I fucking can't."
Nox expected to go outside and see Lloyd and Blue return badly wounded.
She expected to see The General bringing back their lifeless bodies.
She expected The Superior to creep out of hiding and drag her away.
But what she saw made her freeze. It was Lloyd. And... someone else. A teenage girl, no older than Blue. She was walking stiffly, her posture straight and narrow. Almost robotic. Her eyes were staring ahead. Her eyes... changing color.
Nox's breath caught in her throat. "Oh my god... Angel?" Her walk quickly stretched into a run, and she practically collapsed on the girl. "Angel?!"
The sudden shouts brought the attention of the rest of the team. Etrius and Beecher poked their heads out of the upstairs windows, surveying the scene downstairs. Beecher disappeared back inside to descent the staircase. Etrius didn't wait that long. He leaped straight out of the window and slid down the roof, clawing his way to the ground. "What the hell happened back there?! You and Blue disappeared without telling-" He stopped talking altogether when he saw Nox on her knees, embracing someone. He saw her sapphire eyes - and recognized her instantly. "Angel?!" She looked so familiar, and yet so different. He ran his hands through his hair, collapsing to his knees as well. "God... What did that bastard do to you..."
Angel didn't respond. She looked almost... confused.
Etrius looked at her, the whites of his eyes now red with burst blood vessels. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep you safe. I couldn't stop them." His mind traveled back to the night when he last saw her. When the Superior promised him the people in his life would be reduced to ruin.
Beecher finally caught up with them and understood the situation. He placed a hand on Etrius's shoulder. "Etrius, at least we have her back. She's alive."
Etrius whirled around to face him. "She is not alive! HE TOOK HER LIFE!"
Angel continued to watch the scene in silence. She didn't know how to react, even though the Superior told her exactly how. To pretend that she was on their side. That the rebels owned her. This sounded nothing like ownership. They looked genuinely concerned. She found herself comparing it to the Superior's cold features. She shut her eyes and shook her head. Focus.
Beecher glanced around. "Where's Blue? And The General?"
Lloyd remained silent, staring at the ground. He had mixed emotions about this. Angel was returned to them, but Blue... What made things worse was that the Superior would use Blue's power and do anything his heart desired. It was too much power, especially for him. He could only trust that the Author would never give the Superior any power.
Etrius noticed Lloyd's silence first. He stood to his feet, approaching Lloyd. "Lloyd? Where are they?"
Lloyd clenched his hands into fists. "I couldn't get The General without losing Angel again. It was too much of a tall order."
"And Blue?" Etrius inquired.
Lloyd refused to make eye contact. "I..."
Lloyd didn't have to answer for Etrius to understand. He stood staring at Lloyd for a long minute, then looked at Angel, and back at Lloyd. He pulled his elbow back. And, for the first time while not under The General's influence, Etrius punched Lloyd in the face.
It took Nox a moment to realize what was happening. She stared at Lloyd with scorn burning in her red eyes. "Remind me why I chose you again?"
"Nox-" Lloyd started, his voice raw, but there was nothing to say. He clenched his hand into a fist and shut his eyes. "There's no use fighting now. We have to go back for her."
"Go back for her?" Etrius let out a bark of laughter. "Everytime we go to that damn base, someone gets left behind. We're lucky the Superior hasn't erased us all by now! Blue's probably hanging by a thread, and it's because of you!"
Lloyd didn't argue. He didn't need to. Because he knew Etrius was right.
Beecher ran his hands up his face. "We need a different approach." He looked at his broken team. "We need the Superior to come to us."
"You don't have to go back for him." Boomer spoke softly.
"Pfft. I'm not. Because Lloyd doesn't deserve it."
"Nox?" Lloyd's silhouette appeared beyond Nox's dorm room door. His shoulders were hunched over, almost in exhaustion and regret. He was drenched in regret. He looked like he wanted to apologize, but it would just humor them. There was nothing he could say that would mend this.
Nox whipped her head around to face him, her eyes green in disgust. She sneered in his face. "This is all. Your. Fault."
Lloyd ground his teeth. "I know that! I had no other choice!"
Nox didn't fully understand the situation when he and Blue were at the base. But she knew he could have at least told the team where they were going. The most powerful being in the universe next to Angel. The only one with the ability to control their fates. Gone. The thoughts only angered her further. She pushed against his chest. "Maybe you did deserve those twenty years of suffering. Because you never fucking learn."
It took Lloyd a moment for him to register Nox's words. His voice grew faded and weary. "What?" He whispered.
Wounded, Lloyd watched as Nox returned to Boomer. Boomer smiled and held her close. Almost as if to spite him, he crushed his mouth against hers. He swore he could see his icy blue eyes watching his as he took his only solace away.
Lloyd felt something shatter inside him. He couldn't stay here. Turning on his heels, he retreated down the hall. He didn't even know where he was running. He just knew he had to get away.