These bots are getting hella annoying. FFN really just isn't the same.
.
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Mark of the Beast
Tyson returned to the surface with a heavy feeling in his chest. Dragoon lowered him onto the floor. The Mark was still on his hand and burning, but it paled in comparison to the pain of losing Kai. He heard the rocks tumbling below. Kai was doing exactly as promised - bring the rocks down to stop the serpent from getting through locking them both in until he found a way to break through again.
The ultimate sacrifice, but at what cost? It wasn't as if Kai had died. What torment would the man have to endure, and would he return sane of mind? Tyson fought to hold back tears. He was the one who should've been down there. After all, he bore the Mark now and who knew what was going to happen in the future? He dropped to his knees and punched the floor with his pure hand.
"Dammit, Kai! Why?"
Of course, he received no answer. The stadium had been cleared out. If you could even call it a stadium. The roof had fallen in completely. Anyone who had been foolish to remain behind would've been crushed beneath the falling debris. About an hour ago he was battling the fight of his life against Alexander, standing before a crowd who had no idea what was really going on. They thought it was just another competitive battle.
He craned his neck back. The sky was still orange. Somehow, he had a feeling it was going to be that colour for a long while yet. Climbing to his feet, he held his arms out to the side and turned around in a circle. "I stood here moments ago before an admiring crowd… A Champion to the people yet again… But it's cost me everything. If there is a God out there watching me from above… Why? What are you trying to prove?"
Was this some sort of a cruel test?
"I have watched my friends betray me! I have watched loved ones die! I have watched my own brother abandon me! I have stood in stadiums all around the world fighting to keep this world safe, and yet here I stand alone." He was yelling up at the sky now, anger coursing through his veins. Why? "Am I just a joke to you? A puppet being pulled on invisible strings? What else do I need to do?"
He dropped to the ground again, slamming both fists down on the hard surface, tears rolling down his cheeks. Searing pain shot up through his right arm. He held back a hiss of pain, clamping his jaw shut. Everything he had done had been for nothing. Victory had come at the cost of everything.
Tyson.
Dragoon's voice. The dragon was looking down at him. Tyson peered up. "I should be the one down there. I bear the Mark. I should be the one locked away."
You are needed, Tyson.
"Needed for what? What can I do?"
We stand and fight. The Mark you now bear is a weapon. I can sense it – dark, dangerous and unsettling, but it is the key. This Mark binds you to the Leviathan…. You have a fragment of its power.
Tyson glanced down at the Mark. His hand stung. It was as if hot water had been poured all over it, yet there were no burn marks. The only mark be bore was the one that belonged to the Leviathan itself. An ugly thing. A skull looking back at him. "Are you saying I can use it against that beast?"
Dragoon nodded. The Horsemen we fought are just fragments of the Leviathan's soul, but the serpent remains as whole entity. I believe that Mark you bear can be used against them. Before humankind came to be born, there was a war between the bitbeasts. The Leviathan was the first bitbeast created by our Mother, Gaia. But he would not obey. I was then created along with Dranzer, Driger and Draciel to seal him away in Purgatory.
Tyson frowned. "He became the King of Darkness."
Yes. Purgatory is a prison for bitbeasts made by Gaia herself. He could not be defeated so easily – he was equal in power to Gaia herself having been the first made.
"But you sealed him away. You Driger, Draciel and Dranzer."
The power of us four combined was enough to force him behind the door. Our job was to protect humankind from the minions of Purgatory that managed to break through the seal. You know them as Zeus and Black Dranzer. That rock Judy found a few years ago also contained fragments of the Leviathan's creations though they were not nearly as strong.
"If the Leviathan couldn't break through the seal, then how did his minions escape?"
The seal was designed to stop the Leviathan from escaping. Not his minions. He learned he was able to create bitbeasts of his own. That is why we have them in this world now. Zeus remains in the possession of Brooklyn, and the rock bitbeasts were returned. The Horsemen have divided.
"And Black Dranzer's whereabouts are unknown." He hadn't forgotten about the dark phoenix. Kai had succumbed to the darkness and it had taken almost drowning to bring him back to his senses. He never asked Kai what had happened to the bitbeast. Had it been destroyed? Could a dark bitbeast even be destroyed? "What happens with them then? We saw them scatter. They could be anywhere causing trouble."
Bitbeasts are invisible to most people. Only those who have the strength inside can see us. Most bitbeasts prefer to stay in a beyblade – we are guardians of humans and staying in a beyblade allows us to remain close. We feed off your energy in battle. But these bitbeasts of chaos… the minions of the Leviathan… They do not like to be in beyblades.
"So, I'm right then. Trouble is going to follow. That's four strong bitbeasts that escaped. We're talking Death, Famine, Pestilence and War. If they're out there roaming freely… people are going to die. Those things could be anywhere in the world." He looked down at the Mark again. "How can this help? There's no way we can just fly around the world chasing down bitbeasts that can get around much faster."
We awaken Gaia.
Tyson raised a brow. "Awaken another bitbeast? Look what happened to the Leviathan."
Gaia is not the Leviathan. She is the Creator.
With a sigh, Tyson said, "Aren't they sealed? I thought the Leviathan fell back down to Purgatory. With Kai."
That is temporary. Without Gaia and the four sacred bitbeasts power, that seal will not hold. We must locate Gaia's resting spot and awaken her then we can seal the gate once more. Time is of the essence, Tyson. The more we delay, the quicker the corruption will spread. Then you yourself will become a slave to the Leviathan.
Great. Just what he wanted to know. He was slowly going to lose his mind and become a threat to everyone he called a friend. He didn't want to know how much time he had left – it was better not knowing. "I should talk to the others about it. They'll want to know."
That would not be wise, Tyson. You are carrying a bomb inside you.
"Where do we even go then?"
Where it all began. You know this rock as Uluru or Ayers Rock. It is the largest rock in the world and found in the centre of Australia in the desert. The rock will be protected by its own guardians. They will not respond so kindly to the Mark on your hand and they will attack. But we must reach her, or all hope will be lost.
Tyson squeezed his eyes shut. For once, he'd be truly fighting a battle on his own. Dragoon was right. He was a danger, and he couldn't involve his friends in this, no matter how much he wanted to see them again. They would be worried – but they would have to wait until he could see them again. If he survived. He climbed to his feet once more and drew in a deep breath.
"We have work to do."
.
Dranzer twisted and turned, navigating her way through the rock pillars, frantically trying to distance herself from the approaching shadow. Fire tornadoes pursued her, but Dranzer nimbly avoided them by travelling through twisting canyons. It was like an underground mountain valley. Sooner or later, the shadow would catch up, but he had to keep trying.
I can smell you. I can sense your fear.
The serpent. Kai tightened his jaw. "Show yourself. I'm not afraid."
A large worm made solely of flames jumped up from below. Dranzer made a sharp turn to the right to avoid being knocked over. Another worm leaped out. This time he saw the face. The worm lacked eyes, but he could clearly see the mouth. Dranzer flew around some more stopping to rest on a fallen pillar.
"How are you even here? I thought the Horsemen were you."
They are my servants, nothing more. Your scientists thought they could contain me, but they were wrong. They simply… took a small part of my flesh and inserted into the things you call beyblades. Their job was simple. Start Famine. Wage War. Spread Pestilence. Cause Death.
"We stopped them."
But you haven't. You only brought on the end of the world with your noble efforts. The Mark Bearer has freed them. Released them into the world to carry out my bidding and now they're bound to no beyblade. They are free to do as they please. Bring on the end of humanity.
Kai frowned. Freed them? Carry out his bidding? Wait. Did that mean Tyson was acting as a servant for the Leviathan now? Was the Mark on his hand the Leviathan's way of communicating with his followers? "Tyson. You're using him as a host." The kiss of death so to speak. Tyson was clueless too. Would the corrupt him overtime? Gradually weaken him?
He heard a chuckling sound. You're not as dumb as the rest of your species. Perhaps I will have use of you yet.
"What does the Mark do?"
You're curious, but I will not give you the answers you seek. If you are truly smart, you'll work it out overtime. For now, you reside in Purgatory with me and your own fears. You thought bringing those rocks down would keep us here forever? No. I could leave whenever I want, but those battles have weakened me. I must rest and recover.
So, the Leviathan had a weakness after all. That was good to know. The battles had caused a rift to open and falling into the underworld had drained him. Purgatory was supposed to be a prison after all. The rocks were a temporary barrier. It would buy Tyson some time at least to find a solution. Or so he hoped. His sacrifice couldn't be for nothing.
The world will be mine then shall the beginning of the end start.
It was almost biblical. What did that mean for the rest of people on the surface? What about his friends? What would happen to the sport of beyblading they had tried so hard to protect? So many questions raced through his mind, but he had little answers. Tyson was in danger. Max, Rei, Hilary and Kenny too. Worst of all they were clueless. They had no idea what was truly happening.
"Why?"
Why not? An odd question you ask of me. You were the one I was hoping for, Kai. I wanted you to bear the Mark originally – You have a… peculiar taste of the darkness. But Tyson has taken it upon himself. A noble sacrifice of a different kind, yes?
"How do you know my name?" It was odd talking to the shadows. Even stranger to receive the responses in his mind, but the more knowledge he obtained now, the more he had to help the others when he was freed.
I've been watching you for a very long time, Kai. From the day you were born. Black Dranzer was my gift to you, and you happily took it, drawn to the darkness. You craved the power. You could handle it too. I knew one day someone like you would come along and tame Black Dranzer. You were my favourite, but Tyson claimed the top prize. The question is… Can he handle it?
Kai didn't want to know the answer to that question. Tyson was cursed – a curse that was originally meant to be for him. In a way, the team advancing to the finals and winning had caused more problems for them all. Maybe they should've accepted all the warnings given beforehand. If they had, they wouldn't be in this situation. Winning could cost them everything.
"My friends will find a way to stop you."
Perhaps you are right… But most likely you are wrong. My children have been released upon the world to do as they please and there's nothing you can do to stop them. They will prey on the weak. Feed on the dying. Corrupt the innocent. Demons will claim this world, and I have you and your friends to thank. Your people thought you could control me… Make me obedient… But I used you all along.
What on earth had they done? "…We should've lost the battle…" They should've lost to the Majestics in the opening round. Their actions had damned the world all because of pride. How many people were going to lose their lives? So much for sacrificing himself to save them all. There was nothing he could do whilst he was stuck down here but hope for the best.
Pride leads to your ultimate downfall. The downfall of mankind. You wanted to be a hero… but instead you brought upon the destruction of your species. Somehow ironic, isn't it? You are the Destroyer. The Betrayer. And your friend? He is the Bearer of the Mark. The Curse Bearer. He will fall from grace and become everything that I am.
He even felt sympathy towards Tala and the other Demolition Boys. Even Brooklyn. Hiro. Everyone he had crossed paths with. All were going to suffer. Some would possibly even lose their lives all because of their collective weakness – hubris. "I'll find a way out of here and I will personally bring you down myself."
How are you going to do that, Kai? You're drawn to me.
"You're wrong."
I think I know you better than you know yourself… But it'll be interesting to see you try and defy me. Perhaps you'll prove your kind wrong. Maybe you will triumph over me. Maybe Tyson will find a way to overcome the curse before it claims him, but the world is still going to suffer as it should. Doomsday is coming.
.
The stadium roof had collapsed. Anyone who had been unable to escape would've been crushed. Hilary stood outside the remains of the stadium, trying to get a glimpse through the haze of Tyson or Kai. But they never appeared. "Tyson! Kai!" Hilary called out. She wanted to run into the haze and search for them, but police were now surrounding the area.
Her companions, Kenny, Max and Rei looked on with worried expressions. They had wanted to stay with him, but Tyson had asked them to leave. Had he… No. He had to be alive. He had to be. After everything they had been through… It couldn't end like this. "I have to go and check," Hilary said, her voice parched from the shouting.
Rei grabbed her arm. "We can't."
She pried her arm free. "They're our friends, Rei!"
"And we can't go after them," he replied calmly. It was like he didn't care. But no. Rei was always able to keep a cool head under pressure. "I want to find them as much as you do, Hilary, believe me. I do. But we're not going to get past the police. Champion bladers we might be, but we're not above the law."
"They're alive," Max said tersely. "I know they are."
And yet, no one had seen Tyson or Kai leave the stadium. There was no way they would've escaped in time before the roof had come crumbling down. They would've been buried beneath the rubble… No. Think positive, she scolded. They're not dead. She wiped her eyes. Now the ambulance had arrived, and so had the firefighters. Even the media had come. Bodies were already beginning to be carried out from the rubble.
Rei turned his head. "I'll talk to him." Hilary followed him and spotted Tyson's grandpa fighting some officers. He was waving his stick at them issuing a challenge to come and fight him. She wanted to be at his side fighting the officers too, but it would help no one. Shifting her attention away from the old man, she observed the other survivors. People who didn't even know each other had come together to mourn and provide comfort.
"…Please, calm down old man."
"…Old man?! Do I look old to you?!"
If the situation had been any different, she would've laughed.
"Hilary."
Max's voice. She turned her head to face him. "Tyson does care."
The stubborn bull-headed fool of a man. God, why did she have to fall for a man that reminded her so much of herself? One she couldn't even be with? Angry tears rolled down her pallid cheeks. "And I hate that he does. And I hate that I care," she spluttered. 'Things would've been so much easier if I had just walked away and never come back."
"He does have that effect on people. Even when I abandoned the team, I always felt guilty for leaving. I've known him for years, Hilary. And I've seen him overcome the toughest battles. Not only against other people, but himself too. He's not dead. Death would have a hard time keeping Tyson down."
"And Kai?" She liked Kai. Not in the same way she liked Tyson, but Kai defended her when no one else would. He was the one who convinced her to return to the team after Tyson had torn up her blading plan. It was Kai who had retrieved the torn-up plan and convinced Hilary to return to the team. She owed a lot to Kai. "He was there with Tyson."
"He's out there too."
"People are going to talk. They're going to spread rumours. About their deaths."
"Let them talk. We can't let their words influence our thoughts."
She drew in another deep breath and nodded, wiping away the tears again. "What are we going to do?"
"Those bitbeasts are out there. We all saw it. We have to keep fighting."
"The others will have to know. We need all the help we can get."
Max nodded. "We'll arrange something. Get all the bladers together and let them know what is happening. I'll contact Daichi as soon as I can." Right. Daichi. He hadn't wanted to take part in another world tournament. But surely, he'd care about Tyson. "We should return home. There's nothing we can do here."
Hilary didn't want to leave, but Max was right. What could they do but watch more corpses be transported away on beds? "Yeah. Right. I'll take Kenny back to the hotel." Kenny was quiet. He hadn't said a single word since the battle had been won.
Just as they prepared to leave, a pair of journalists approached them. Max held his hands up. "We're not taking questions. Sorry. But we really must leave." He tried to push past them, but the journalists stepped in front of their path.
"Where is Tyson?"
"Where is Kai?"
"Can you tell us what you know? Everyone around the world is waiting with bated breaths." Hilary glared. She grabbed one of the microphones shoved in Max's face and pulled it out of the woman's hand. "Hey! You can't just do that!" the woman protested.
Hilary threw the microphone on the ground. "People have just died. A lot of people. Just look around you. And all you care about are two people. We're not answering your questions so why don't you lot just back off and have some respect?" she snapped, her eyes narrowed, her left hand balled into a fist.
"But-"
Hilary pushed the woman aside and marched on ahead. The sooner they left this place, the better for her own sanity. Kenny hurried after her whilst Max walked back to the crowd for Rei and Tyson's grandpa. "I hate them," she muttered, storming down the street, taking brisk steps. "They don't even care about Tyson nor Kai. They just want to make news." She could hear Kenny panting hard, struggling to keep up. But she didn't slow down. Anger didn't let her. Someone would have to front the media and deal with the pests. They'd keep pestering for information. Perhaps a short vacation was needed.
Without saying another word, she continued the walk back to their hotel.
.
Elder Pierre glanced out the window and looked skywards. Days had passed since the battle between Tyson and Alexander, but the skies remained a bright orange, completely absent of life. Normally, at the break of the dawn, birds would fill in the skies, but there had been nothing. Discomforting.
Yesterday he had taken a walk through the forest. Pure silence. Not even the crickets were making any noise. It was as if the animals themselves sensed something was amiss and had taken cover. Were they aware of the Leviathan's power too? Or was it simply just the unnatural colour of the sky that had unnerved them?
His fellow companion, Rowena, joined his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder, following his gaze skywards. "It's happening. It's really happening. I didn't want to believe it… but… Now that I can see it with my own eyes…" She stopped abruptly, unable to find the words to finish the sentence off.
He nodded. "When we were children, my grandfather spoke to me of a reckoning. The skies would turn orange and the demons would be released to cause havoc on the land of the living. He called it 'The Time of Troubles' an internal war between the bitbeasts." He turned his head away from the sky and looked at Rowena. He could see the uncertainty and fear in her eyes. He was sure his eyes told the same story.
"What does that mean for us?"
Shrugging, he added, "We're caught up in a war between two sides. The fallen bitbeasts, the demons, and the untainted ones guided by Gaia, the creator. I don't know where the answers are, but I do know we are in grave danger. These bitbeasts are not bound by beyblades. Their powers are unimaginable. There's no telling what is going to happen now and if we can even survive this."
"Is there nothing we can do?"
He didn't know the answer to that. His grandfather had simply said humanity would face judgement by the bitbeasts. A war would break out and hundreds of lives would be lost. Each death would only make the Leviathan stronger. "I don't know." Nothing in his teachings ever taught him how to deal with an apocalyptic war with the bitbeasts. "If only they had lost the battle…"
The battle between the Avengers and the Horsemen. If Tyson and his friends had failed to make it to the finals, then none of this would've happened. If would've been better if they hadn't decided to compete. It was obvious the Horsemen only cared about defeating Tyson and his friends, the holders of the sacred bitbeasts. Now? It was rumoured both Tyson and Kai had left. Some even believed both had died. Without the two strongest bladers, what chance did they have to survive this?
"We could always run…" Rowena said, removing her hand off his shoulder.
"We could run far and wide, but the Leviathan's minions would still catch up to us."
"Then we hide. Hide underground."
"They'll still find us. The demons come from beneath. When the ground opens again, more will come."
"Then we fight the hordes of demonic bitbeasts."
He turned to her again, catching a flicker of doubt in her eyes. "With what? We are not warriors." They didn't even have blades of their own. He had been raised to spread scripture and to educate; not to blade and fight. That wasn't the path chosen for him.
"We can't just stand around and do nothing! There has to be something."
He didn't reply to her words. Rather, he focused on the orange skies. It was like the heavens above had caught alit. There were clouds in the distance, and they were as black as coal. Like a scene right out of a Hollywood action blockbuster only this was very real and there were no second chances. No happy endings. No overly dramatic actors.
"I've read enough of war to know how this will end," he said softly. "Innocents are caught in the crossfire and they pay for it with their lives. I don't want to relive such history. I don't want to watch the world around me burn." He dug a hand into his pocket beneath his robes, his hand resting on a clear bottle of rat poison.
Perhaps it was an act of cowardice to run away from the incoming threat, but what was he, an elderly man, supposed to do to combat it? Words wouldn't help here, and their only hope of survival, Kai and Tyson, were both gone. What was the point in fighting an uphill battle? It was better to die now. At least the decision to die was in his hands and not to be made by the enemy.
"We need to believe in hope."
A dry laugh escaped his throat. "Hope? Look around you Rowena. What hope is there to believe in when the skies are orange and the ground has been splintered? Dangerous beasts now prowl across these lands and the Avengers have dispersed and some even rumoured dead. How do we stand and fight against a creature we still don't fully understand?"
She fell silent.
A part of him wanted to apologize for his rash words, but he knew he spoke the truth. They were doomed. They were all doomed. "I'm sorry, Rowena… I truly am, but this is the beginning of the end. Our ancestors always predicted this day would come – Judgement Day. I will not allow bitbeasts to determine my fate. That is for me to decide."
She frowned, concerned. "…What are you…"
He withdrew the bottle from his hand and unscrewed the lid. Bringing it to his lips, he arched his neck back and poured the liquid into his mouth. He drank until there was nothing left. Once done, he discarded it, and waited for the effects of the poison to kill him. Already, he could feel the taste of blood on the back of his tongue. The chemicals were starting to eat away at his flesh.
Her eyes widened. "Pierre?!" She paused then, "Roark! Myrah! Call an ambulance! Pierre is sick!" Blood seeped through his lips, spilling out onto his clothes. Weakness gripped him. His knees buckled and gave way to the ground. He fell but didn't quite hit the floor. Rowena had grabbed him. He coughed up more blood as the rat poison quickly ate through his internal organs.
Soon, he'd have peace.
Before he lost all ability to function, he grabbed her arm with a bloodied hand and said in between coughs, "...Do not mourn for me, Rowena… This is our fate… Our end."