Every single one of Taylor's survival instincts screamed at her to run away as an explosion of invisible energies rapidly surged in every conceivable direction as the Banshee brought its hands together, "Domain Expansion: Song of the Bloody Mountain!"
And then, the world shuddered as a wave of darkness expanded from the Banshee, moving so fast Taylor barely saw it, right before the darkness engulfed everything around her. And then, the city itself disappeared, replaced by the peaks of many mountains, and thousands upon thousands of crosses and graves sprouting from the ground, and hooked chains dangling from a blood-red sky. The Banshee hovered far above her, in the air. Taylor felt its presence everywhere. It was as though the whole place was the Banshee, a part of it- no... something even greater than that. Though, she hadn't the words to properly describe any of it.
Taylor's eyes widened as more and more Banshees emerged from the graves and the crosses, each of them identical, save for the white wraps that covered their eyes, which the original did not possess. Taylor breathed in. No matter where she looked or turned, she did not see an exit point. Was she trapped? How was such a thing even possible? Did the Banshee possess an ability that was similar to Alice's? "What's happening?"
It took Taylor a moment to realize that none of her Ghostly companions were with her. Alice, Mister Randal, and Liam were all missing. She was alone. Stuck. Powerless. She tried calling the ghosts to her side, but Taylor received no reply. Whatever or wherever this realm was, it seemed to be entirely cut off from the outside world and, in turn, cut off her ghosts as well. Not good.
The Banshee uttered a single syllable and all the other imitation banshees did the same, each of them echoing and amplifying her painful voice. Taylor screamed and fell to her knees, blood pouring from her ears, nose, and mouth. At this rate, Sukuna was going to take over. She couldn't allow that. Not again. A single whisper from the Banshee was amplified enough to rattle her bones and screw her hearing. If the damn thing started screaming, then she'd die. There really wasn't much of a choice here. The Banshee was damaged enough that it'd crumble if only she got close enough to attack it. Her body was weak and her breathing was heavy. She was getting tired. But she had enough of a fight left in her to do something. And if all she could do was punch the ever loving shit out of a poor woman's ghost, then that's exactly what she was going to do.
Taylor gritted her teeth, more and more of the blue energies erupting around her, even as the pain in her ears grew greater and greater. She'd go deaf at this rate. But that was easily fixed if she made use of her Binding Vow with Sukuna. She still had plenty of heals left, after all, and, though it'd leave a very bitter taste on her tongue, dying would be a worse fate. For now, however, she was a live. And she could fight.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Roaring, Taylor charged, channeling the bluish energies into her legs, through muscle and bone, making her strides faster and more powerful – though not by much. Her control was lacking; Taylor knew that much. It was, perhaps, possible to physically augment herself, given enough time and training. But she had neither of those, for now. The Banshee wasn't too far away. And she may have been floating, but she wasn't so high up from the ground, either.
Taylor grabbed a pebble off the ground and grasped it tightly. When the Banshee opened its mouth once again, Taylor channeled as much of the bluish energy as she could directly into her arm and the pebble, before then hurling it right at the Banshee's mouth.
The pebble shot through the air like a bullet, streaking with blue energy. Taylor's aim was true, and the projectile slammed into the Banshee's open mouth. For a split second, everything stopped. The Banshee's unearthly wail choked off, replaced by a sickening crunch as the pebble tore through the back of its throat, spraying dark, smoky tendrils of spiritual matter.
Taylor grinned as she drew closer and closer. That seemed to work as intended, shutting the Banshee up for a moment.
Then all hell broke loose.
The Banshee's shriek erupted from its wounded mouth, a sound so piercing it tore at the fabric of reality around them. The air vibrated with the force of it, and the sky seemed to ripple, the blood-red clouds above shivering in response. Taylor felt the shockwave hit her like a freight train, slamming her back against the cold, hard ground. The impact left her gasping for breath, and she could feel the skin on her face blistering from the sheer intensity of the sound.
Sukuna's laughter echoed in her thoughts.
"Is that all you can do, brat?" Sukuna's mocking voice echoed in her mind, though it sounded distant, as if she were underwater. "Surely, there's a little more. Come on, try a little harder."
Taylor ignored him, forcing herself back to her feet. Her ears were ringing, and her vision was blurred, but she could still make out the Banshee's form, now twisted in pain and fury. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
"I'm not done yet," Taylor muttered, wiping the blood from her face. She felt the blue energy inside her pulse, as if in agreement. The power felt different now—less wild, more focused. It was as if the act of striking back had forged a connection, a thin thread linking her will to the chaotic energy. She latched onto that feeling, letting it guide her.
The Banshee writhed above her, its form flickering like a dying flame. The multitude of spectral clones screamed in unison, a chorus of agony that threatened to drown out all thought. But Taylor pushed through it, focusing solely on her target. She knew she had to end this, and fast.
Gathering her energy, Taylor launched herself into the air, her feet leaving the ground as the bluish aura propelled her upward. It wasn't graceful—more like a series of powerful leaps than true flight—but it got her close enough. The Banshee's eyes widened as Taylor came within striking distance, her fist cocked back, glowing with a searing blue light.
"Shut. Up!" Taylor roared, bringing her fist down with all her might. The blow connected with the Banshee's chest, and a wave of energy erupted outward. The Banshee's scream cut off abruptly, its body arching back as the force of Taylor's punch sent it crashing into one of the nearby crosses. The wood splintered and cracked under the impact, dark smoke billowing out as the Banshee's form flickered, struggling to hold itself together.
Taylor landed awkwardly, almost stumbling, but managed to keep her footing. Her whole body ached, and the blue energy around her flickered, the strain of channeling it taking its toll. She couldn't keep this up much longer. The pain in her ears had dulled, replaced by a hollow ringing, and she knew she had to end this before she lost consciousness.
The Banshee lay sprawled against the shattered cross, its form twitching and shivering. The thousands of other banshees mirrored its movements, their cries now a distorted, low hum that reverberated through the air. Taylor saw her chance. If she could destroy the original, maybe the clones would vanish too. Maybe this nightmare would end.
Mustering the last of her strength, Taylor charged forward, the blue energy around her flaring to life once more. Her vision narrowed, focused solely on the Banshee's prone form. As she drew closer, she saw its eyes—the empty, glowing sockets staring up at her, filled with malice and hate. The banshee's mouth opened, a whisper of dark energy leaking out, forming into words she couldn't quite understand but felt deep in her bones.
Before it could unleash another scream, Taylor reached out with her free hand, fingers clawing at the Banshee's throat. Blue energy surged through her arm, burning brighter and hotter, whilst the edges of her fingers seared through the spirit's ethereal flesh. The Banshee's body convulsed, smoke billowing from its mouth and eyes.
And then it stopped.
She heard Sukuna scoffing in her mind.
"That's it?" The demon said. "Oh well, I guess that's what happens when infant Cursed Spirits experiment with their domains in the middle of a fight."
Taylor ignored him. "Just go ahead and heal me."
"Hehehe sure thing, brat."
Her wounds faded. And all the pains that assailed her body disappeared. Taylor breathed in and sighed. The entire world seemed to hold its breath as the banshee's form disintegrated into a cloud of dark mist, dissipating into the blood-red sky. One by one, the other banshees followed suit, fading away like shadows in the light of dawn. The chains that hung from the sky rattled once, then fell silent. The graves and crosses shivered, then crumbled into dust. The blood-red sky lightened, turning to a dull gray, and the air around Taylor began to shimmer and fade.
Taylor stood alone in the empty expanse, her breathing heavy, her body trembling. The blue energy around her flickered and died, leaving her feeling cold and hollow. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, with a rush of wind, the alternate dimension fell apart, flecks of black cracking apart and falling as the world snapped back to reality.
She was back in the ruined city, standing in the middle of the deserted street. The buildings around her were silent, the darkness of the night pressing in from all sides. Taylor stumbled, catching herself on a broken piece of rubble. Alice's skill was still in effect. That was good. The last thing she needed was to get arrested right after that. Whatever the case... she'd won. She'd exorcised the spirit.
She'd survived.
Alice, Mister Randall, and Liam materialized beside her, their forms flickering with concern. Alice reached out, her horrific hand resting on Taylor's shoulder. Taylor glanced down at Alice's long black claws and found that they no longer troubled her as much as they used to. She found it comforting, in fact. Alice may have had the body of a monster, but the kid had a heart of gold, which was a lot more than Taylor could've said for a lot of other people. She reached up and placed her hand over Alice's and smiled.
"You did it," Alice whispered, her voice full of relief.
Taylor nodded weakly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah. I did."
Mister Randal cleared his throat. "We should get moving, Taylor."
Taylor breathed in, before nodding. Mister Randal was right. She didn't want to waste more time than she'd already wasted – not that the wasted time was tangible, given Alice's ability, but she came here for a reason and the longer she went without seeing her father the closer she got to just snapping. The Banshee was gone. It wasn't going to hurt anyone else now – or ever again. "Yeah... yeah, you're right. We should go."
Briefly, as they set off to where she remembered her house was, Taylor wondered just how many Cursed Spirits, like the Banshee, now inhabited Brockton Bay and how many of them she'd have to deal with to keep everyone safe. The heroes and villains were strong, sure, but none of them could even hope to interact with a Cursed Spirit or a Ghost. Someone like Armsmaster isn't doing anything worth a damn against something like the Banshee and neither was Alexandria.
It took her nearly half an hour to reach the site of her old house. It was still there, actually. But the whole street was dark and most of the lights came from emergency solar street lamps that hadn't been there before. Her house was dark too. No lights came from behind any of the windows. She wasn't even sure if her dad was there. But she had to check anyway, right? She had to know.
She had to talk to him.
And so, she walked forward, reached for her door, and opened it, before walking right in.
AN: Chapter 27 is out on (Pat)reon!