Author's Note: Would it kill you people to review? I work really hard on this story; it's not something that can be uploaded on a whim. Even if it's short, could you tell me what you think of the story, what needs to improve? Thanks to all who have reviewed, it means a lot to me. By the way, it's Cipher's POV next chapter.
World of Advent Chapter Six
"It's no use," Chaos said. "This world has become far too corrupt." The two were older now, more experienced in the ways of the world. "It can still be saved," the girl argued. "Promise me that you'll do whatever it takes to save it."
"If the humans want to watch us burn, then they can burn with us." Kai's parting message was still fresh on Chaos and Light's minds as they prepared to leave Cara's house.
"Do you really have to go?" Cara asked them, her face scrunched up in anxiety. "You're safe here."
"But you're not," Chaos reminded her. "Not so long as we're here. Besides, we have work to do."
Light nodded in agreement. "Not now that we're tantamount to open war with the Children of Darkness. They'll be coming after us again soon."
Cara looked at them both in apprehension. "Just stick together, alright? It's not safe to go alone."
Chaos and Light shared a brief look. "We'll stick together," Chaos said, his stomach twisting as he said so. "Don't worry so much."
Chaos made his way to the door, enjoying the fresh scent of the outdoors, something he had missed during the brief period of his sickness. Light followed quickly behind.
"You know we can't keep that promise," Light said. "There's too much to be done without splitting up."
"I know," Chaos said. "I just don't want her to worry about us." Chaos was about to say more when the door opened once again, but quickly changed his mind.
"You'll need this," Cara said, handing Chaos a stack of papers. "It contains the information of all our brothers and sisters who have not yet joined Kai."
"Chaos was hesitant about accepting the papers. "Don't get involved in this, Cara. If they know about your interference in their plans they might come after you too."
"I'll take my chances," Cara said. "Besides, I'm not totally defenseless." She allowed a small spark to explode over her right hand.
Chaos nodded in thanks. "When all this is over, I'll visit again."
"Anytime," Cara said. "Just be wary of the Umbrians, alright? They've been seen with the Children of Darkness way too much for my liking. There may be an alliance forming. Oh, and Light- an old friend of yours is looking for you. I think you'll find him at the Pier."
"An old friend?" Light asked, confused. "Who is it?"
"I think he said his name was James," Cara said. "Whatever it was, he wants to talk to you."
"Will do," Light said as the two of them made their departure.
"You take care of what you need to," Chaos said. "I have another family reunion planned."
"Be careful," Light warned his friend. "You may be exceptional even among your siblings, but that doesn't make you immortal."
"I know. I'll be careful," Chaos promised. "Meet me at the apartment complex by nightfall."
Chaos watched his friend walk to towards the Pier before shifting through the papers Cara gave him. It appeared that most of his siblings were located somewhat near each other, something Chaos was apprehensive about. It wasn't like his siblings to move closer together. Kai must be influencing them, Chaos decided. He would have to make his move quickly, before it was too late.
The area where his siblings had relocated to was not an easy one to get to. Chaos had to use a Slider to pass most of the traffic on his way to the center of Neo Arcadia, where Ragnarok's ghastly influence still lingered.
Eventually, Chaos reached a point where using a Slider would be not only useless but dangerous as well. Rotting building parts would fall at random intervals, most of the buildings reduced to rubble. With a start, Chaos realized that he must be close to Hotel Ruin. He would have to be careful not to be seen, else someone might alert Kai to his presence.
Chaos deposited his Slider under an outcropping of rock, making mental notice of it so he could return to it later. The rest of the journey would be have to be on foot.
Chaos climbed over the sixth collapsed building, breathing heavily, wishing Ragnarok had done a cleaner job with eliminating the rubble. At last, he saw the opening in the jungle of broken buildings- the entrance to the Pit, where the Children of Darkness were rumored to have been seen. Kneeling down, Chaos entered the opening hesitantly, afraid the buildings would collapse further if it were the wrong gateway.
Right away, Chaos knew he had chosen right. Despite it being a small opening, it gave way to a vast underground world, a world where survival of the fittest reigned supreme.
Lining the path further down were torches of all kind. Every now and then, Chaos would catch a pair of eyes, usually violet like his own, before they disappeared. When at last he reached the central area, it was lit with an advanced system of lighting, something that resembled a small sun at its core.
"Welcome to the Pit," someone smirked. "Care to give me some cash? I'll make sure you don't hurt your pretty little neck that way."
Chaos faced the man with a cold stare.
"The eyes," the same man muttered. "Why'd he have to be with them? Sorry to bother you," he said quickly, hobbling off.
Chaos sighed. He had faced his fair share of pickpockets and thieves before, but they seemed unaware of his status for the most part. That he knew he was a child of Bass was a sure sign that he was close. His siblings were near.
A faint white blur caught Chaos' attention. But after whirling around to see what it was, it had already disappeared. Chaos had a bad feeling about whatever it was.
Kai might think it fitting that they dance upon the grave of a throne, Chaos thought, but he found it disturbing. Flashes of citizens fleeing the blast could be seen etched onto sidewalks and the few buildings that still stood. But making his way to the outskirts of the Pit was necessary, as it was there that he would find his brothers and sisters.
It wasn't long before Chaos found one of his siblings. Huddled around a fire, machine parts strewn around them, it appeared that they were in a makeshift mechanic site. Chaos looked back as something white flashed from the corner of his eye.
One of the mechanics looked up as his name was called.
"Hey Charles," the unknown person called. "Kai wants to see you once you're done with that Slider."
"Sure thing," Charles called back.
Chaos thought for a moment. Where had he heard that name before? Light must have mentioned it to him in passing, Chaos realized. This was the Advent who used to work with Light's brother, Cipher.
With horror, Chaos realized that the Children of Darkness really were recruiting outside the family. Soon their numbers would rival the Templars.
Soon, the people around the fire were aware of Chaos' presence. Chaos noted that more than one had violet eyes.
"So the prodigal son returns," a girl said. She was among Chaos' siblings. "What brings you all the way down here? I thought you abandoned us."
"I never abandoned you Reza," Chaos said heavily. "I just think there are better alternatives than Kai's madness."
Reza fiddled with a bundle next to her. Chaos realized that it must be her baby brother, her parents having died some time prior.
"His madness has kept us all alive," Reza retorted. She sounded hostile, but made room for her brother all the same.
"His madness may get us all killed some day," Chaos said wearily. "Surely you've realized that he's become drunk with power?"
Reza shook her head. "All he wants is to see our family together, unharmed. Whatever you may think of him, at his core he wants the best for us all."
"I wish I could believe that," Chaos said as he sat down. "So why are you here, Charles? I thought you were with Harley."
"Harley thought it best that we strengthen our bonds with the other strong Advent families," Charles said. "Besides, the Templars infected my old Head with the Maverick Virus as a test subject. If it weren't for the Templars, I would still have a family."
Chaos realized that the kid wasn't malicious, just someone who had his life stolen from him. Kai had done a good job brainwashing him, Chaos thought to himself. Whether Kai knew the Templars really did infect the Head or not, he doubted even Kai knew.
"The Templars aren't to blame for everything," Chaos said. "They may make our lives hell, but the Virus was before their time."
"So?" Charles asked. "It's not like they aren't weaponizing it as we speak. Kai says that if we don't learn how to keep up with them, then we'll be annihilated instead.
Chaos had to admit that they had a point there. He had seen first hand how far Templar was willing to go to achieve their goals.
"Surely there's a better alternative than outright war," Chaos pleaded with them. "I don't want to have to fight you."
"Why are we fighting each other," Reza asked, "if we're a family. Shouldn't we stick together? Kai believes that we don't stand a chance alone. We could use you, Chaos. You always were the most gifted of us all."
"I can't do that," Chaos said softly. "My allegiance is to the world, not one small part of it."
"What world? You mean the one that tried to have us all killed before we could talk?" Reza stood up angrily, holding her baby brother safely in one hand. "They never gave us a chance, why should we give them one?"
"I think we should forgive them," Chaos said finally. "Wanton hatred never solved anything."
Reza snorted. "Like you've ever forgiven those monsters. Why do you fight, if not for revenge?"
"I made a promise to an old friend," Chaos said simply. "I don't kill because they are human. I only kill when I have to."
Reza deflated a little, sitting back down. "And if we do? What then?"
Chaos looked up at her, glad to have made this much progress. "We talk. Eventually, the world will learn to accept its differences. Until then, I will be fighting for that day."
Reza glanced toward where Kai undoubtedly lay in his bunker. "Maybe..."
Chaos opened his mouth to press the issue, sure he could convince them to stop Kai's reckless crusade, when the ground beneath them exploded.
White uniforms seemed to come out of nowhere as Templar made their advance.
"Today is the day we wipe out the Children of Darkness," Chaos could hear above the pandemonium. "Strike them down, once and for all!" There was a brief blow to his head, and Chaos knocked sideways. A piece of the buildings around them had fallen.
Chaos woke with a start, looking around for Reza and her brother, but was met with darkness. The Templars had destroyed the central lighting system. Soon, torches were being stripped from the walls, violet energy lighting up in the darkness.
Chaos made a fist of his own arcane energy, giving him sight to the macabre seen before him.
Templar fought against Advent until one of them dropped, a bloody crest carved into their side. The Children of Darkness were slowly becoming overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Templar. Even in the darkness, Chaos could see that the battle was slowly favoring the humans.
Chaos gritted his teeth. With the little visibility he had, and how spread out everyone was, there was no way he could use Darkness Overload. He would have to fight one on one.
Chaos loosed two energy sabers from the void, cutting Templar down wherever they approached. Soon, a pile of corpses lay at his feet, with no sign of it letting up.
Just then, a war cry split the air, accompanied by a vast orb of violet energy, illuminating everything under it. Kai stood next to it, in full oversol, looking like a mirror image of their father.
"Take cover!" Kai called. "Hells Rolling on three!"
The Children of Darkness stopped to listen to their leader, grins on their faces as they realized what was about to happens.
"One!" Violet discs appeared at the sides of each Child of Darkness.
"Two!" The discs flew in the air, guided by the chaotic energies of the sphere above.
"Three!" The discs made contact with the Templars, often cutting them in two if not severing a limb or two.
The Templars may have started the fight, but the Children of Darkness had ended it. When the lights came back on at last, a terrifying scene met those under it.
Some of the Templars were still alive, crawling back to the entrance when Kai descended upon them, cutting them down with a swift blow. Some of the less merciful ones were cracking the bones of the Templars as they lay dying, chaotic energies pouring forth into the bodies of the fallen.
Chaos looked around him, seeing Reza alive to his relief. "Reza!" he called out. "Are you alright?"
Reza did not respond. Fearing that she may have been hit with a stray bullet, Chaos made his way over to her, where Reza held up her baby brother's dead body.
The small child had been caught in the crossfire.
"Forgive this," Reza's voice shook. "I'll never forgive them." Her eyes were cold, empty when she looked towards Kai. "I've made my choice."
"I'm sorry," Chaos whispered. "I didn't know."
"Do you think they were worth forgiving?" Reza said bitterly. "Do you think they would have given us a chance?"
Chaos looked around him in despair. What if Kai was right? What if there really wasn't a better option? Chaos shook his head. No, he had made a promise to her. He would stray from his path, not even after this tragedy.
On the opposite side of Arcadia, Light had just made it to the Pier. To his distaste, he saw Templar activists lining the streets. Adding to his disgust was the number of supporters they seemed to accumulate.
At the edge of the pier, a lone human stood, waiting for someone.
"Hey James," Light called out. "What's up?"
"Oh," the man said. "Hello." He had dark hair and the ghost of a beard. His eyes seemed to dart back and forth, almost guiltily.
"What are you doing here?" James, Light remembered, was a Neo Arcadian soldier who had volunteered to help in the Outer Colonies. "Why aren't you out defending the Colonies?"
James shook his head bitterly. "They're gone," he said.
"Gone?" Light asked. "What do you mean?"
"Your kind destroyed them." A figure stepped out from behind a pillar. She was dressed all in white, with a few accolades seen. A Templar.
James fiddled with something guiltily. Light recognized it as a Templar propaganda pamphlet. "Light, this is Amy, my girlfriend."
"You... you're with the Templars?" Light reeled in shock. "But why?"
"The better question is why James has an Advent as a friend," Amy said.
Light glared at her. "What is your problem?"
"Nothing," she said. "It's your kind that has the problem."
"Settle down," James said. "We can talk over lunch."
'Talking' ended up to be very little more than Light and Amy glaring daggers at each other while James ordered them all food.
"I'm thinking about joining Templar," James said.
"Really," Light said sarcastically. "What else? Planning on starting neo nazism as well?"
"Well," James said, "I wanted to explain myself first."
"Do so quickly," Light said, "before your girlfriend here decides to kill me like the rest of Templar."
"Hey," Amy said, "the Advents are the bloodthirsty ones. We just want to survive."
Light gave out a harsh laugh. "From the beginning, Templar never gave us a chance. You never gave us time to prove ourselves."
Amy's expression was mingled with confusion as Light spoke. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by James.
"Act civil, you two." James gave his girlfriend a look. "I'll tell you what happened, okay? Just hear me out, all right?"
Light nodded curtly. "I'll give you three minutes."
"Thank you." James began recanting his story. "For a while, the colony I served was peaceful. Without Weil's armies attacking us, we were free to rebuild. And we did. For a time, we were happy."
James looked up, half expecting to be interrupted, but, sensing no such thing, continued.
"Everything changed when a small Advent colony moved close by. We were suspicious of them, but decided to give them the opportunity of living there as well. A month passed and we realized that they had been stealing from us. We sent an ambassador to negotiate with them, but he never returned. That night, they attacked. It was horrible. Each one of them had evil, purple eyes, each wielding a terrible energy. We were defenseless against their attacks. If it weren't for Templar, I wouldn't have survived."
James looked towards Amy. "It was Amy here who saved me. She introduced me to the Templars." James looked pleadingly at Light, begging him to understand.
"I understand," Light said. "I understand that you're basing an entire race off of one small faction's actions." Light faced Amy, an intense look in his eye. "Take me to your recruiting centers. I know you have them. I'll prove your definition of an Advent wrong."
Amy smirked. "Very well. But I'm not responsible for what will happen."
"I can handle myself," Light said coolly. "James, are you okay with this?"
James shook his head in exasperation. "This was never my intent, but sure. Go ahead. Do what you have to."
The three of them made their way to an abandoned sushi shop, Amy leading the way. Amy gave a curt nod to the security detail guarding the door, and they were met with a Templar's recruiting room.
Humans of all races were gathered, each one in a startlingly white uniform, each with a pistol at their side.
"Hey Amy," one greeted her. "How's it going?" Then, seeing Light, his eyes narrowed. "Have you brought a prisoner?"
"I'm here of my own accord," Light responded icily.
The man picked up his weapon, only to be stopped by Amy.
"There's a busy street outside," she reprimanded the man. "If you fire, someone will hear you."
Light could feel the intensity of the glares the room gave him. Ignoring them entirely, he spoke up amidst the silence. "Many of you are here because you believe Advents to be inherently evil. That's not the case, however. We look like you, talk like you, we even eat like you do! But we can't be treated the same? What do you have against reploids and their children?"
At this, the stillness of the room broke, replacing itself with a wild commotion of shouts and arguments.
"Reploids killed my family!"
"It's unnatural," another said, "for a human and a reploid to be together. Their children are abominations."
"You Advents think you're superior," another called out. "What about us?"
Light raised his hands, making sure not to release any of his oversol, telling them that he would set their opinions straight. "Can you get them to settle down," he asked Amy.
Amy nodded. "The enemy has laid down his arms," she said. "Stand down."
Light faced the crowd once more. "It's true that I am part reploid," he said, "but I am also part human. Some of you have grudges against the reploids." His voice hardened. "Grow up. The reploids are not the source of all evil."
"If it weren't for the reploids," someone said, "we wouldn't have war."
Light looked at the woman pityingly. "Where were the reploids in the Old Days then? What about when human fought against human? Humans fought each other to the brink of extinction. What makes you think reploids had anything to do with that? Let it go."
The woman looked away, a confused expression on her face.
"I think you've had enough time," Amy said. "It is good to see an Advent who'd rather try diplomacy than war as a first resort though."
"Funny," Light said, "I was going to say the same about you."
She held her hand to shake Light's, but stopped, a curious expression on her face. A red spot appeared on her stomach, slowly spreading as she slumped to the floor.
At the end of the hall, Five people discarded their Templar uniforms, revealing a mix between violet and hard, black eyes. Their leader held a smoking gun.
"It's a ruse!" the Templars shouted. "We've been tricked.!"
"No!" Light cried, "Stop! Listen to me!"
But it was no use. The Templars quickly found the five Advents hidden in the back, and fired upon them. The Advents fought viciously, but were quickly overcome by Templar's numbers.
Light felt a cold barrel to the back of his neck. Shifting his head slightly, Light could see James holding it to his head. Next to him lay the dying body of his girlfriend. "Let this go? No, Light. It's your kind that needs to go."
"I didn't know," Light said. "I swear I didn't know."
"I'll let you go this time, old friend," James spat. "But next time, we meet as enemies."
Light ran out the door as the paramedics arrived, taking advantage of the chaos. When he was safe, Light cursed. Why had it all gone so wrong?
Light received a call from Chaos, who told a similar story. Light swallowed painfully. It appeared as if the fatal gears of war were turning, and there was nothing they could do about it.
The war of Advent against Templar had at last begun.