Etrius's blood grew cold as he watched a black chopper descend from above, and settle in front of the Rebel's base. The Superior himself emerged from the cockpit. Etrius's jaw clenched as the memories returned to him, but he held himself together, reminding himself that he needed to protect his team.
The Superior sauntered across the forest clearing, his black eyes on Etrius. His irises were black orbs, and yet there was a ring of white fire around them. Etrius assumed the worst.
Before he could speak, Lloyd demanded, "Where the fuck is she!?"
The Superior met his glare with a smirk, enraging Lloyd even more.
"You son of a bitch," Etrius growled, his eyes stirring with something dark. "What the fuck did you do!?" The Superior knelt down to his level. Etrius could smell his breath, and it reeked of cigarettes. "I thought I got rid of you last time we met. Doesn't matter anymore. Blue is mortal- or, she was mortal. I killed her, along with that sorry excuse I had for a son." He grinned at him. "You're alone now."
Shadows fell over Etrius's eyes as he lowered his head. "You're going to kill us."
The Superior grimaced. Wordlessly, he held out his hand, an invisible latch grabbing hold of Etrius's throat, pinching his airway shut. He slammed his eyes shut, trying to draw breath even though he knew it was useless.
"NO!" Beecher shouted, breaking free of Angel's restrains and diving for the Superior. The Superior thrust out his free hand, seizing Beecher's throat with an invisible force. He collapsed to his knees, then to his side, trembling in the grass as white began permeating his vision from air deprivation. Boomer looked like he wanted to either help his teammates, or rip the Superior to shreds. Nox gave him a subtle shake of her head, not wanting to lose anyone else. Even though she knew the Superior would kill them all anyways.
Etrius unleashed a scream, memories invading his mind. He recalled the first time he saw the Superior young again. When he took Angel and left him for dead. When he truly thought he would die. When he sent a silent request for Lloyd to lead the team when he was gone.
Now, he took it all back.
The Superior realized something was wrong. He relinquished his grip on the two rebels, glancing down at his hands in rage. With a defeated roar, he slammed a fist into the ground, forming a crater in the soft earth. Bits and pieces of soil began to rise into the air, materializing and evaporating like water. Lloyd realized what this meant. The Author was gone. There was nobody to hold this world together.
The Superior slowly climbed to his feet. "No. I can't kill you. That damn creator thought she could protect you all by giving up her power."
Beecher grabbed Etrius's arms, dragging him as far away from the Superior as possible.
"I can't kill you. "The Superior's eyes faded to deep red, almost like blood. "But I can make you suffer."
In Etrius's peripheral vision, he noticed someone else emerge from the chopper. Someone with a cold gaze, sharp blue eyes, and bony horns that protruded from his head in curves.
The Superior stepped out of the way to let him through, a sadistic smile playing on his lips. "Do as you like, Arthur."
Arthur assessed Etrius from head to toe without blinking. He was far from pleased. "I told you I wanted his head on a silver platter."
"Well, that didn't work out quite like I expected. So I'll have you do the honors."
The fact that Blue could open her eyes and glance around meant she wasn't dead. Or at least, not yet.
She blinked in the darkness. She felt the cold ground at her back, the dust forming crust in her eyes, and the glass shards digging into her flesh. But she couldn't see.
Taking a risk, Blue tried pushing herself off the ground.
"Don't move." The General's voice. He was close, but Blue couldn't see him. His calm voice set off alarms in her head. Maybe we really are dead.
"What... happened..." Blue managed to form the words, her throat dry and scratchy like gravel.
"I don't know," The General responded in a hushed tone. Blue heard the rustle of torn fabric as he rose to his knees, raising his hands above him. They brushed against titanium wall pieces and debris. "Shit..."
Blue wondered how many times he'd been stuck in a situation like this. How many times he'd gotten himself out. If he could get them out this time.
The debris shifted around them, creaking and falling apart. Blue gasped, and Creticus moved in front of her once again, as if he could stop everything from reaching them.
Instead, sunlight began to pour through crevices and holes in the debris, fresh air rushing in.
As the rubble fell away, Blue noticed something different. A translucent blue light forming a small dome around them.
A voice shouted. "They're alive!"
Blue took in her surroundings. What had once been a vast, fortified, well-built base was now endless miles of rubble. Nobody could have lived through that kind of explosion. But two survivors stood among the aftermath.
Someone grabbed her arm, pulling her back on her feet. "Thanks," She mumbled, then realized it wasn't Creticus beside her.
Another girl, somewhere around her own age, stared at her. Red highlighted hair fell into curls around her waist, and sunset eyes watched Blue closely. The most distinct feature was her ears. Wolf ears. They twitched every once in a while, and the girl cocked her head to the side when she noticed Blue staring. "You don't know who I am. Do you?"
It took Blue a moment to find the words. "Y-Yeah... Yeah, I do. Misty."
Misty smiled. "The fact that you're alive means we can still save this world. It means we still save all worlds."
Blue was at a loss. Yet another character was standing clear a day in front of her. She couldn't wait to tell her friend back in her world. If she made it back to her world. "I don't understand. What are you...?"
"Are they alright?" Another voice. Blue swore she'd heard it before, and yet it still sounded foreign. Like from a dream, or distant memory. Blue and Creticus took in the conversant boy with jeans, a lab coat, and horns protruding from his hair.
"Dan?!" Blue knew his name instantly. It wasn't hard to distinguish him from a crowd.
Dan was silent for a heartbeat, and then he smiled. "Say hi to Leo for me, will you?"
Blue rolled her eyes, still feeling the ache in her bones. "That's if we make it through this alive. I still don't understand what's happening. We're supposed to be dead-"
Misty held up a blue shard with triumph in her eyes. Her tail swished. The shard shimmered with vibrant blue, almost white light. When Blue looked close enough, she swore she could see ocean waves crashing around within the crystal. She felt drawn to it. "What... is that?"
Misty held the shard by a chain, careful not to touch it as she held it out to Blue. "Our way out. The Superior never keeps his power in one place. We..." She shrugged, deciding not to sugarcoat it. "Stole some of it."
Blue's heart beat faster as she took the chain. She couldn't believe it. "My god... Thank you. I thought-" She shook her head, letting go of the thought. "Let's find the team. Find Angel. Fix this mess."