Hello all, we're getting soo close to the end, so you better buckle up the next few chapters are gonna be insane. Thanks again to all my readers and commenters. Also pls pls FFnet is kinda dead, I'm still posting this here, but Ao3 gets updates beforehand, plus the community on Ao3 is just so much better! Anyways...
ON WITH THE STORY!
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Leaving Geist's body behind in a puddle of blood left him with an ominous feeling regarding their journey ahead. And the idea of actually having defeated the man was still fragile in his mind. His team looked to him as if he had slaughtered a demigod, but he didn't feel as if he had managed something of that magnitude. The only thing that Geist was, was a decrepit, malformed, and malicious old man. Who was formed and molded from his years of service in the ben Elohim, and for a moment he wondered who Sven was before the Illuminati-like society. Was he a noble? Or was he just some poor kid living off scraps in Germany's medieval villages? He supposed it didn't matter now. The man was dead... or as dead one such as he could be. If he ever came back to the land of the living, he had hoped he would do it long after they had left.
"What do we do now?" He heard Kate's question and yet Robin's eyes searched his team before answering. "We can't go back to the camp." The team spoke amongst themselves, although they knew well enough that there was no going back, but they were left with a feeling of agnosiophoba. Knowing was always half the battle, but now that their enemy lay dead and the desert remained silent, the dreaded question of what was next lingered. "I do not believe that they would let us leave either way. They've invested too much to bring us here to merely let us leave. They're giving us a breather, as it were." Robin eyes his master and nods, Slade was correct.
"Rest for a moment then, we don't have a lot of time." Ksenia crossed her arms, "So we're just waiting for them to come to us?" Robin shook his head as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, we will go to them. But I need everyone to take a moment before we continue." She sighed and muttered an "ok" before she found a spot to relax.
Asif however, exited from the chatter and took this opportunity to confront an old friend and ask a few questions of his own. "Sariel?" The girl had found herself looking out onto the wasteland before her, her arms crossed, her pose relaxed as she could be. But if anything, Sariel always did seem at home out in the desert, even if she was in the lion's den. A softly spoken "Yea?" was her only response as he approached her. His eyes never left her until he was standing at her side. "Boss?" She smiled when her eyes met his, "I'm not your boss anymore."
"Well..."
She put a hand on his shoulder. "You've made yourself a home right?" Asif only shrugged, "I suppose, but-" "No buts, you've invested a lot of work into this team of yours right? Both you and Robin. And from what I've heard you make a pretty nifty second in command."
He looked at her confused, "How did you...?" She gave her friend a smirk, "I have my ways."
"Sariel." The two glanced at their friend as he approached them. "You'll have to speak to him after all this, regarding quite a few things." Asif took a glance at her before he looked to his friend, and he saw something in Robin's eyes he had not seen before when he had spoken with or about her. Sorrow, anguish, misery, and regret had swallowed up his blue eyes, it was as evident as his rage towards the ben Elohim. The two always had secrets between one another and he wondered what had transpired between them while they were locked beneath that barrier. "Who's left that could be standing at her side?"
Sariel cocked her head at Robin's question and shrugged, "Probably just Athrilius and Aurora herself, I got the kid out, she's somewhere safe. Children shouldn't be so casually volunteered into a war, for all that she did do, it would be good of you to remember she has been brainwashed her entire life." Robin nodded in understanding. As far as he was concerned the child would go unharmed if that was Sariel's wish. "I asked her, once this was all over and done with, to find you." Another nod from Robin, understanding the severity of Sariel's request. He understood her position. No matter how little, even with the majority of her work complete, whatever Sariel did now would still affect the future. "The real problem is Aurora." she continued, "No matter what we do, even if we win, she can always rebuild, but that takes time. Tearing apart her empire will only slow her down, it won't put an end to her. But it will also introduce a subtle power shift. Her military, her network of spies, her influence in every country, the wealth she has amply supplied to a variety of countries, it will all stop flowing. The ben Elohim will retract itself, and then the true hunt begins and the world is forever changed." She looked to Robin then. "Do you understand that it's only begun? What needs to be done to finish it?" The boy hesitated for a moment before nodding and he felt his heart clench, she was leaving the rest to him.
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Slade watched the three at the edge and he noticed Dick's shoulders drop. This wouldn't be easy for the boy, but he knew Richard would endure. He had hand-picked him as his apprentice for various reasons, one of them being the boy's stubbornness and his unwillingness to yield. No, the boy would lead the society to a great future, of that he was certain. Whatever would happen here today, would unleash chaos into the world in the upcoming months. He and Richard would have to grapple with the remaining threads during the collapse of an unforeseen empire and remnants of a dying capitalistic economy. He wondered if this was what they wanted in the first place. Set a world to thrive only for it to fall apart in such a short life span, her job must have been rather difficult. Getting a world as a whole, with its various cultures and religions, to come together, to cooperate, and eventually to succeed. Only to watch it spiral out of control, all that hard work left to ruin. And what occurred other than the ben Elohim lining their pockets? When will the next World War break out, when they run out of money if that was even possible? The ben Elohim had its own enormous amounts of riches but they depended on each individual country to make their own decisions, using their wealth to act upon their own endeavors. And when one country ran out, where did they go? The mastermind thought of Argentina and let out a sigh and knew there was only one outcome. And he knew then that that fallout wouldn't apply to the ben Elohim.
And for a moment, as the mastermind looked to the stars above, he wondered about Jillian. He pondered what her role would have been in all this back in the day before he came along. Did she stand against them as he did now? Did she ever face Aurora herself? The information she must have held on her enemy, even if she was the only one to know the truth. He couldn't help but speculate if he ever even scratched the surface of what she had known. And speaking from experience, he knew that multiple things would have been kept from her as well. But her knowledge may have still outdone his own today. She was obligated to keep a secret by the founding family. So it begged the question, how many others in the society knew of the ben Elohim or was it just her? He had a feeling it was Jillian alone. The ben Elohim had left the Society alone for years, there was no need to stoke the embers. And so the Founding Family kept quiet and in their silence they found themselves hidden for a short time. In this he found that it was the resolve on their part he found dissatisfying. Some secrets are meant to be kept hidden away from all prying eyes. Others should held in high regard by the society itself and monitored.
He would not keep such secrets from the society. Instead, he would make the remains of it function in his favor. The ben Elohim would be known throughout the Society, they would be a force to counterattack them, that is of course if they didn't end it here tonight. He didn't think that was possible in all honesty, if anything the events of this evening may very well put a wrench in their works, but it will take much longer to completely dismantle such an old operation of its size that has many fingers in each country's lined pockets. Little by little the Society would take control over the ben Elohim. Of course, the world couldn't know, people would think it nonsense. But the world's opinion didn't matter, not here, not in any war zone. This was all only just the beginning.
Slade crossed his arms and he continued to watch his young apprentice with his friends, or perhaps more like family to the young boy now. And he tried to imagine them all a bit older, albeit for Sariel. He'd imagine she would be the child of the trio. The older man let out a more of a "huh" as he watched them before calling out. "Richard." The boy's eyes found his master. "We need to get moving." The boy's nod was the only confirmation he needed, knowing that he would get his team up and going.
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Moving forward felt as if they were going backward. The city was demolished all around them, burned and blackened, the embers had long since gone out, but the scars remained. Robin looked around at the devastation and it felt as if it was only yesterday that this had all occurred. He blinked away the memories and found himself looking towards his team, Asif and Sariel. His future. He smirked slightly at the thought.
To be honest, he had no idea where they were headed, the unit eventually broke up and searched for clues as to where Aurora herself could be hiding. Yet, even with all of the team's enthusiasm, in the end, they had found nothing. Their ability to remain hidden until wanting to be seen rivaled even that of his masters, something which Slade would probably never admit to. Albeit he knew how it infuriated him. He could see the annoyance in the man's posture.
"Nothing?" Kate had found him overlooking the rubble in what was once a courtyard. He gave a shrug as his response, "Nothing." She let out a sigh and Robin looked at her levitating form. "I'm guessing it's the same for everyone?" She crossed her arms and gave him a nod. "Alright, let's all meet up back on the ground." "Need a lift?" Robin wasn't one to deny such a humble offer from Discord. "Sure, if you're offering. How could I say no?" She grasped onto his hand and flew them down to the desolate road below. "Just don't get used to it." She dropped him off in the middle of the road, and he landed easily enough. He dusted himself off as he looked to the sky and wondered what time it was. The night sky was slowly fading away, turning into the day. He was tired, his team was tired. But there was no time for rest, he knew that that was what they wanted. Keep them on their toes, keep them awake, maybe they'll give in, maybe they'll be easier prey.
It wouldn't happen.
Robin blinked in that moment, his confidence was secure in his team, in his allies. However, the rumble that tore through the land brought him back to the church in Berlin, and his eyes instantly scanned for Sariel, the trauma he had suppressed within was triggered by that familiar vibration. And when he thankfully laid eyes upon her he was able to cage it once again.
"What was that?" Tank's eyes darted around, looking for his teammates. Ksenia had kept to her feet, but like the others she was shaken. "An earthquake?" Robin shook his head and he looked to Sariel and Asif. The former only nodded confirming what he already knew. "If not an earthquake, then what?" Discord had taken position slightly above him, her form levitating above the ground.
"It was the same, don't you think?" He knew Slade would remember the rumble that tore apart the Berliner dom. "Yeah, it is. No doubt about it."
"It's him," Sariel strode over them. "The Demon."
Robin's eyes looked to every nook, every crevice in hopes of finding Athrilius. "He can cause catastrophic earthquakes or he can purely control his abilities to only affect one area. I'm not entirely sure how he does it, but I've seen him do it on a few occasions." She shrugged. "He could be anywhere."
Kate grimaced, "I have a feeling that was only a warning shot."
"Yes, and he will do it again if I command him to." The team whirled around and found a singular woman, in a white military Kevlar uniform, the only thing giving it color was the hints of grey and black and the green military belt. Her pale skin nearly melded in with the clothing she adorned. She stood out amongst the rubble, almost as if she were a beacon of pure light amongst a ruined land. "Ms. Warchild." Slade clasped his hands at his back. And Robin folded his arms as he saw the red-skinned demon appear at her side.
"Did you bring what I asked of you?" She raised a hand in his direction, laid out as if allowing him the opportunity to simply hand over the Legacy. Aurora was always one who used her hands while speaking, he noticed these little things early on. And she always spoke as if everyone else was beneath her. Well, two could play at that game. So he laughed before he spoke, "You mean these USB drives?" Robin held the black and red USB drives up, the metal glinted as he turned his hand. "These are just the methods in which they were carried to me, the Legacy has been copied over a dozen and a half times to our hard drives. Why do you so desperately want this back? It doesn't mean anything now, we have taken everything from it."
She smiled, "And what have you found, mere odds and ends correct? Incomplete knowledge is still knowledge, although I'm betting it's been rather difficult to connect the pieces." Slade scoffed and the boy shrugged, "You just want your records to be whole again right? What do you intend to do once all the gaps have been filled in?" The smile never left her lips and she returned the answer, "That, my boy, is none of your concern. You have all played your parts well. But it is time for this inconvenient chapter to come to a close."
"No", was his only reply. She sighed. And her eyes found Sariel at Robin's side. And the women couldn't help but feel a displacement at that time. "The Legacy is what the current world is founded on you know. Wealth, power, weapons, knowledge. I'm sure you've gathered that much. You see after World War II, the world was split into two, it was not the world we know it as today. There was a shift in power and the world continued on. But there was something unique that occurred after the Second World War. The difference is that after the war, society leaped into a new era, and more so than ever before, did humanity prosper with science and technology. Computers were created, science in all fields evolved and we touched the heavens and landed on the moon. All necessary to reach this point, here and now, where all that you have known is now falling apart, a once prosperous West slowly collapsing under capitalism. Ally's needed to be made to get you all this far. The Society played its role well. Founding members of a secret society that would help lead the West into a post-World War era. Everything was going so well too, until your founders betrayed us and assigned someone within their ranks to hide the Legacy. And thus a power struggle began. Which was fine by us. If you wanted to fund the West, we would empower Russia and China. After all, America had to have someone to contend with. Living your daily lives without a threat of nuclear war would be far less entertaining." Robin frowned at the idea of the nuclear crisis of the sixties being nothing but entertainment for her pleasure.
"Your world is falling apart, do you not see it? There have been multiple signs, you should have been paying attention." She smiled at them all, her features he knew she used against her enemies, always posing as someone so calm, so professional. She created a sense of calm before she unleashed whatever hell she wanted. "And when it does, we will be there to collect the pieces once again. We steer this world where it needs to go. That decision is ours alone."
"That's why it's so important for you to have the Legacy complete, you intend to hide out until the world falls apart and then come out of your hole to save the day. You did this, you created this grand modern-day civilization, and for what? Profit?" She shook her head as she responded, "It's how the shift in world power always works. Everything is coming to a full stop and perhaps the world as you know it now, will not be the same one in two to three years. The world is forever changing, nothing is promised to last forever."
Robin knew she was correct, power shifted every few decades. And no one was susceptible to that. But he could not imagine what kind of terror she would bring upon the world in the future, shift in world power or not. In a world where empires lose ground every few hundred years, what would the ben Elohim create or rather use as a cover-up for the power shift? Britain lost its superpower status because it was fighting a war against the Nazis far before the US ever bothered to join. Churchill used up all of the reserves to fund the allies and in doing so relinquished its status to the United States of America. Was World War II just another cover-up, another distraction? She would always be the driving force behind everything. The wars, the massacres, the problematic nations. Every little thing was influenced by the ben Elohim. Maybe it was time for her power to shift, perhaps into their hands.
"With the Legacy complete we can then carry on to our next phase, invoking complete downfalls of countries and various empires. The West being one of them. It's on its way out on its own, however. It won't need too much of a push." The team glared at the woman. Nations falling apart was never a nice thing, people got killed, and many more were left to starve. "What do you think happens to empires when they go bankrupt? How can they stand strong when they are billions or even trillions of dollars in debt? They have to borrow money since they can't print it, doing such a thing will only lower their dollar's value. What happens when they are running out of people to turn to? Countries, once great nations, fall all the time. And the nations the empire owes money to will pick it clean. Eventually, the power will shift, and with that shift so will the hands of those who have nuclear power. If something is not done, It would only be a matter of time before today's superpowers turn into the very things they had fought against so many years ago."
Richard shook his head, "It really doesn't matter what country is in charge does it? It doesn't matter if it was Germany, the UK, or even America. You build everything behind each one and when you're done, when the world reaches a certain level you pull the trigger. The damage you wanted done, it's unfolding now."
"Hrmm, of course it is. Exactly as planned and as it has always done so for centuries."
"What about the countries that don't want to change?" Aurora shrugged at Kate's question. "You think they have a choice? In reality, they've done this to themselves."
"What do you get out of this?" this time it was Sariel. Of course, it was her, a girl who could control time, but was unable to see what she could have been if she had stayed at her side. "Humans cannot govern anything themselves. The world is to be controlled. But not by you. The Legacy itself is an organic library of knowledge, as you have found out, many of the world's secrets should not be in human hands. You have shown yourself to be irresponsible. Therefore the knowledge must be contained. Our secrets kept." Robin could only imagine what kind of things Aurora knew simply from the memories imprinted upon her from previous carriers of the Legacy. And those who held all the secrets and all the knowledge ruled the world. But he wondered what drove the society to this point or where they now simply upkeeping old promises. "You want to keep changing the world so it keeps working to your advantage. Humanity can suffer loss after loss as long as it works alongside your agenda, you make sure one country thrives while all the others are begging for scraps, it doesn't seem quite fair. And the more you reset the world, each time it just gets worse doesn't it? History will say what a marvel our society is today, but is it really? The constant threat of war, death, and plagues. Peace is a thing that only so few have experienced. You created heroes to keep people occupied and to assure them they are safe, but only in the West, so it could thrive to accomplish your goals. The rest of the world you couldn't give a damn about. I think you've been playing this role for so long, you don't know what else to do. Seems like the same thing over and over again," Aurora only smiled at the boy and his teammates, "With everything you know now? Do still want to fight us? No one will come to save you."
"I'm not handing over the Legacy." Richard snarled at the woman, "Not ever." She merely let out a sigh.
"Very well then. Athrilius, you may begin." The demon raised a hand and a small tremor began to stir in the buildings around them. The ruins were already in such a deplorable state, with this subtle interference, they could very well fall on top of them. He glared at the two before him, they had just made the game a bit more dangerous. "I warn you," she looked to the boy. "I'm not to be taken lightly. I will have what is mine."
Robin remembered how she used blood as a weapon the last time, but she had sacrificed her own men to do so. And there were currently no bodies at her feet, although he supposed that didn't mean too much, she could have very well killed a few men before arriving. He cringed, Aurora herself was the biggest unknown of them all. They were literally in the dark now.
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Take care of yourselves out there!
-Fangy