We had a plan to build a wall
A great divide that would never fall
To separate us
From all the pain
And keep our skeletons locked away

And brick by brick
We built it so thick
That it blacked out the sky and all the sunlight
And one by one
We all became numb
We were making the bullets to a broken gun

He realized that without control, power was useless- and to gain power, one must have control. He went from a nobody to rising through the ranks of BioVolt with relative ease.

No matter how much blistering pain he faced or how many bones he broke, he kept climbing higher and higher until eventually conquering the top rank of the abbey's students in a few months.

Was he searching for Boris' approval? Maybe a bit, but more than anything he wanted to demonstrate his strength to break away from the weakness that had forced him from his home into this place of torment. With each step he set himself a harder goal to strive against. But it never seemed enough.

Until Kai showed up at the abbey, escorted by Voltaire's men like royalty- one of the only people who had bested Tala in battle.

Soon he found himself rivaling with the blader, who'm had wielded Dranzer, a brilliant phoenix from a very young age.

The desire for strength inside him was intensifying, and he could hear her sweet voice calling to him, luring him in. He was willing to part with his freedom in exchange for more power. All he had to do was break her chains.

And then he encountered Wolborg. Her presence was like a deafening silence that filled his mind, keeping his senses alert. She wasn't the source of illumination, but she reflected it nonetheless.

Did bitbeasts communicate with their masters? Tala did not know, for he had never heard his own beast utter a single sound. Not even a snarl or growl. She was simply there, by his side. But still, Tala began to feel an indescribable connection with her. He noticed her strength increasing the more in-tune he became with his own powers.

Mr. Dickenson was alone in his dim office, perched on the top of the arena with an incredible view of the city, both during the day and at night. A large, sturdy wooden desk occupied the center of the room, surrounded by shelves filled with important documents as well as a few trinkets from the past: pictures of teams he had been part of, old Beyblades, and so on.

His gaze drifted to the rain lashing against the window panes as his heart and mind were weighed down with uncertainty.

Mr. Dickenson had always been a man of great confidence, but the recent events had left him feeling vulnerable. Perhaps too many things where beginning to stack up and he was losing his grip on it.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his tired eyes, trying to shake off the gloom that surrounded him. That's when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.

The door creaked open, and Judy and Tatsuya stepped through. "William," Judy said in a worried voice, though she tried to mask the little exclamation that escaped her lips when she took in William sitting alone in the darkness. She and Tatsuya moved to sit across from him at his desk.

Before he spun around, Mr. Dickenson breathed deeply in an effort to plaster his customary broad smile on his face before greeting them. "Judy, Tatsuya!" He exclaimed. "I could pose the same question to you," he winked.

Judy and Tatsuya shared a concerned look, noticing the forced cheer in Mr. Dickenson's voice.

"After we spoke in my office I ran into Judy." Tatsuya said. "I think we should be really straight in our next steps of action."

Judy worked hard to disguise her annoyance in her voice, Tatsuya was certainly within his rights to raise concerns, but she was more than capable. She didn't need someone asking 'what ifs' - what she wanted was faith. "If it helps your worries, Tatsuya, I spoke with Kai and he said he can control the Black Dranzer should anything go wrong," Judy declared.

"Judy, yes he has become much better but this is a Gehenallis we're talking about, not a sacred beast!" Tatsuya countered.

"As of now, there will be no one wielding Black Dranzer except for a cage, nevertheless Tatsuya is right. We must have a contingency plan in case something happens." Mr. Dickenson added.

Then Judy turned to Mr. Dickenson. "Have you asked him about it?"

Mr. Dickenson was a little taken back by her sudden question but he remained silent.

"Who do you mean?" Tatsuya asked her

"Tala," She stated his name firmly. "After Kai, not only did he command Black Dranzer but nearly a dozen others at the same time."

Mr. Dickenson took a deep breath and looked at Judy and Tatsuya. Dodging their statement would drive them in different direction, while now of all the times they should be completely in line with one another. But at the same time he wanted to prevent the involvement of Tala, he was a brilliant mind, that he would never deny. "He's too risky," Mr. Dickenson said, leaning back in his chair.

Tatsuya nodded in agreement. "We all saw what happened to Kai, but I'd like to think that neither of the Neoborgs is fully free from Biovolt, or ever will be."

Judy gave a slight groan of frustration. She had immense respect for her colleague scientist, but they were both stuck in their old ways. It was incredibly annoying.

"Look, I know you both have your reservations about Tala and the Neoborgs," Judy said. "But we can't afford to dismiss them completely. They've proven to be powerful assets in the past, and with our backs to the wall, we need all the help we can get."

Mr. Dickenson rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I understand your point, Judy. But it's not just about power - it's about the risks involved. The Neoborgs are still a wild card, and there's no telling what kind of influence Biovolt still has over them."

Judy leaned forward, her expression serious. "But what choice do we have? We're running out of options here. If there's even a chance that they can help us, then we should take it."

He respected her determination, it's what made her such a fantastic pioneer. She never stepped away from an obstacle, she would battle against it and overcome it. In his head he had already selected her as his succesor, he wanted to honor her after the world settled down from the current crisis. But right now, he knew he should have faith in her as much as he would lay the future in her hands. "Okay then, I'll call him at least."

Satisfied by his answer Judy gave him a nod of approval. "I appreciate it."

A moment of quietness hung in the air before Mr. Dickenson spoke again. "I'd like to extend an invitation from the FBSC to come to the BBA stadium," he started. "F-Dynasty are playing against one of the new teams in a friendly match two days from now."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tatsuya asked him.

"Not entirely," he answered honestly. "But I think it would be a great way to demonstrate that we have honorable intentions with this tournament."

Having Rachel and her men on the premises of the arena felt like inviting that she-devil to their only place of safety. Judy really hoped that Mr. Dickenson had considered this carefully. "Can we help in any way?" She questioned.

"So far, the FBSC has only sent lawyers to our doorstep as a provocation, but with recent events, there's no telling when we'll have a confrontation," Mr. Dickenson clarified.

"How about we ask Hiro and Tyson to gather everyone together? It would be best to have a strong show of unity so she won't try anything rash," Tatsuya proposed. "After all, she's merely a visitor here."

"I like that thought. I'll send the same message to the All Starz team and Max," Judy said.

Mr. Dickenson grinned at their enthusiasm, despite having asked quite a lot of them already. After the declaration not one of them had gone home; all the participants decided to stay for the tournament.

"Very well," he said as he stood up from his chair. "I will tell Kai about the invitation to the FBSC. As for the match, Julia is a competent woman, but it would put my mind at ease if both of you were there just in case she needs help."

"Absolutely," Judy and Tatsuya agreed in harmony.

Time flew by as he drove down the dark and desolate roads. He was thankful to have taken the time to fit his car with a better suspension for bumpy surfaces. After he had left the highway onto a way less travaled side of the country it only became so much more worse.

The forest thickened around him in an almost suffocating way, like it had grown a heavy blanket of darkness.

As he drove along the road he had a difficult time to keep his mind from not wandering off too far. This day had just been a terrible rollercoaster for his already weary mind.

The afternoon with Julia was like a boost to his state of mind, but at the same time a gut eating feeling since he knew damn well he was leading her on. It was selfish, he knew that much.

Part of him regretted leaving her like that, surely Spencer and the lot took good care of her, those two where like two old ladies just chatting the night away. At least that is what he hoped they'd do.

He pulled up to what appeared to be an abandoned church. The stone façade was crumbling, and there were no lights on inside. Tala stepped out of the car and cautiously approached the entrance.

Cults were inclined to set up in abandoned places - warehouses, chapels, you name it. There was a certain irony for him when he arrived at this particular chapel. Though its former holiness had been replaced by a wickedness, it still reminded him of the abbey and the church-like facade. He'd grown accustomed to understanding that nothing is ever truly what it appears to be.

On the road he spotted a clean up crew from the FBSC, but nothing of the heavy stuff. He was slightly irritated to see them. "Does she really expect me to do their dirty work now too?" he muttered before entering the building.

A group of FBSC agents swiveled their heads towards him when he stepped inside, but quickly conversed among themselves and looked away again. This kind of behavior wasn't out of the ordinary, in their eyes he was the fiend, so he chose not to pay them any attention.

The walls of the chapel were splattered with blood, and most of the decorations shredded or ripped apart—even claw marks covered some surfaces. As he walked down the aisle towards the front, he noticed about a dozen lifeless bodies from FBSC agents, mangled beyond recognition—whatever they encountered here must have had some fun.

One of their officers walked up to him, his expression grumpy and sour. "So she send you, huh."

Despite the officer's condescending airs, Tala was unfazed. He simply gave him a sharp stare before making a whistling noise.

At the sound of his call, the hounds came bounding out from the shadows in the room, startling the unsuspecting agents.

But they weren't just for show; these hounds had another purpose – like an extension of Tala's own senses, allowing them to see, feel, smell, hear and taste beyond human comprehension.

Tala smirked mischievously at the officer who quietly stepped out of his way before turning his attention to the scene. As usual, there were chopped up body parts everywhere and lots of blood all around. Ritualistic markings had been carved into some of the walls.

"It's getting tedious..." He mumbled. It felt like he had done this all before. But then one of the hounds seemed to become alert at something, sitting near the preacher's chair as if they had discovered something.

Tala went up to the podium and gently patted the hound's head while scanning his surroundings. His gaze landed on a glinting object and, upon closer inspection, he realized it was almost identical to the riftstone he had found just a few days ago. Cupping it between his thumb and ring finger, Tala observed its obsidian color; whenever light touched it, though, it shone back like a mirror.

Still, something didn't make sense. The agents had been attacked but there was no trace of fiends. They couldn't just vanish into nowhere, there was always the residual stench of sulfur and dried blood. Maybe someone else had come before him? But that seemed highly improbable; the FBSC may be inexperienced at times, but their intelligence gathering was remarkably accurate.

He let out a weary sigh and took in the FBSC agents. They did not look impressive, one of them was almost aimlessly wandering around with his face mask pulled up; he was tall and burly looking, creating suspicion in Tala's mind. But at the same time he was done dealing with their messes; what would a couple of rats make a difference? Plus it would keep Rachel distracted, leaving him alone for longer periods of time.

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and realized he had already lingered too long. As he neared the acting officer, his hounds followed closely behind him. He noticed how the officer attempted to maintain a strong countenance in spite of it all.

The two exchanged brief words before Tala was about to depart, when he heard a soft tapping noise. His gaze traveled up to the roof and stained glass windows, sure he had spotted something, though his senses told him otherwise. Instinctively, his hand reached for his gun and removed the safety. Then a loud screech filled his ears, leaving him unable to stand properly, but seemingly unnoticed by all else.

"Shit.." He mumbled quietly as the officer looked on with arrogance. "Tch, even a devil's spawn like you is-"

But Tala interrupted him. "If you want to live," He threatened lowly as he pointed the gun just over the officer's shoulder. "You should step away from the window."

The agents all drew their weapons at Tala in response. "Stand down!" they shouted at him.

At that moment, Tala noticed tiny cracks forming on the window's glass - as if something was pushing from the outside. He waited for the perfect moment, then fired several shots. As soon as the bullets brushed past the officer's face, within inches, the glass shattered behind him into pieces. He turned around to find an enormous fiend staring right back at him. He had no time to react before a large spike shot through his abdomen.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Tala rolled his eyes as he leapt out of the fiend's way.

Never before had he encountered a fiend like this one. Six appendages hung on its back, each tipped with dozens of spike-like ridges that reminded him of feathers. Its body covered in thick scales that stretched over the contours of the creature's many folds and creases, and Tala realized it must have been some kind of armored shell of some kind, protecting everything within it from the outside world. The texture resembled hardened lava or perhaps even a hint of riftstone.

A fog seeped into the chapel, which filled up the entire building as if it were rising from the ground. But there was no mistaking that this was not a natural sort of fog; it seethed with life and pulsed with power. The intoxicating fog rushed in like a stampede and began affecting his men within minutes but it seemed to have different ideas about the matter as it violently attacked with one limb crushing one of the agents beneath it's weight.

Calling on his hounds to attack, they moved forward in unison, attempting to find a vulnerable spot on its body. But the creature killed off the agents quickly, biting off their heads or ripping them apart limb by limb.

Still, moments later another agent fired a dragonbreath round into the beast's side causing it to shrink away for a moment.. Tala then opened fire with his weapon hoping to catch it off-guard as he dashed closer underneath its belly. From a side pocket on his body armor he agilely pulled out a knife and slit its skin.

The hounds swooped down towards their target tearing at its appendage in mid air before coming down hard onto the fiend.

The fiend shrieked away in pain and flailed its limbs crushing the beams of the chapel. The surviving agent barely avoided the debris but he responded by firing off another few shots.

Tala was uncertain if the man was a thrill-seeker or simply misguided, but he had stood his ground. Not that it would take long before he'd be affected by the fog too.

As the fiend opened its jaws, it seemed as though it was about to unleash a treacherous attack. He rushed towards the man, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him towards a wall for shelter. The fiend shot thousands of needles in their direction, with some coming dangerously close to their heads.

After catching his breath, Tala looked at the agent removing his mask - only to be overcome with surprise when Boris's face revealed itself.

Boris flashed a smile and cheerfully exclaimed, "Surprise!"

"What in the hell are you doing here!?" Tala shouted at him

He smiled broadly and said, "Ah yes, a surprise attack is always an exciting prospect. I have to admit, working for the FBSC is a thrilling experience, I'm beginning to understand why you are doing it."

Cursing loudly, he tried to peek over the debris and spot the fiends position. But whenever he poked out even a strand of his hair from above another barrage of darts came flying at him.

Before Tala had the chance to contemplate his next move, the fiend had already come crashing through the wall with a mighty swing of its limb. He quickly glanced and saw that it was tipped with a razor sharp edge. "Close call." He whistled.

He noticed on the other side Boris firing shot after shot as if he was in some sort of action film. Tala whistled for his hounds to go in but even that only seemed to be doing minimal damage. He'd still have one trick up his sleeve but the issue was- well whatever, the agents where all dead and he couldn't really care less if Boris would make it out or not.

Boris studied Tala, who was effortlessly performing a feat of combat prowess that was unimaginable when he was training him to be a soldier. "Well, I'll be," he said to himself in amazement.

A dark fog hovered over Tala's body like a mist. Silently, Tala crept closer to his foe until he was just around 3 meters away. The fiend stopped its thrashing and squawking and focused all of its energy on the man who had dared to challenge it. It looked as if it were intrigued by him.

Tala rotated his head from side to side and began to flex his hands into fists. His pupils were entirely black with blue irises shining out of them. He seemed ready for a fight.

When the creature was close enough, Tala threw his fist at the tip of the creature's nose. A sheet of ice spread over the area like an icy wildfire as soon as it came in contact with the creature's flesh. The strike stunned it momentarily, causing it to stumble back and flail its claws in an attempt to regain balance.

He heard an "Ohhh" and the sound of applause behind him, from Boris. He spun around to see the old brute completely unscathed - a shocking thing to witness. But Tala didn't have much time to think about it before the fiend launched his counter attack.

Jumping out of the way two hounds passed him, the fiends teeth sank into them but they quickly faded into nothingness. Momentarily it was distracted allowing Tala to draw closer again to it's face. He cocked back and threw a devastating uppercut into the fiend's thick jaw, a streak of blistering ice sprouting in all directions. Frost caved in and crumbled, leaving a gaping hole.

The monster wavered, lurching forward and then stumbling back. Despite the injuries it sustained, it was still very much alive. The creature rose up on its hind legs, unfurling its carapace like wings of a moth. As it flapped them, an intense gust lifted from inside.

Tala and Boris took off running from the open air as the old chapel began to topple around them. Strong beams of light shot through the stained glass windows like lasers, stabbing at the walls and ceiling. The pews fell over, followed by the roof collapsing overhead. They watched as stone slabs were tossed aside while ancient wood beams burned in flat orange flames before crumbling to ash.

Soon enough, all that was left was rubble; a pile of charred debris. Trees surrounding the scene were uprooted and vehicles that had been parked nearby were reduced to shards.

Boris brushed himself off and spoke up as soon as he took in the gravity of the situation. "I honestly don't get what your problem with churches is." It wasn't too hard to anger Tala with his words.

Tala turned to Boris, a look of intense annoyance spread across his face. He wanted to say something, but he found the energy to be unappealing; his headaches were getting worse, and the prospect of having to walk 120 miles didn't sound very appealing either.

He quickly pushed the thought away; there was no point in sticking around and he simply didn't have enough energy spare to deal with Boris. He wished the situation would take care of itself but, seeing as the old man was following a few meters behind him, it looked like the hike ahead would be long... very long.

A/N

Fly on the wall - thousand feet krutch

Thank you MKverse for being the awesomeist proofreader!

I'll try to keep up with new chapters, but my work is quite demanding at the moment so please bear with me ^^

As the story progresses more songs will be added, therefor I made a spotify list with all the songs up to the latest chapter. If you want a link feel free to DM! I will update it with new chapters.