All of a sudden, she was back there, experiencing the Apocalypse helpless. From the fiery red skies of New York, beings from other worlds, the Underworld, rained fireballs from above. Others were on the floor, crawling on all fours, one reaching over to tear a mother away from her child in the middle of the street. Throwing the poor woman down the street, for her body to split open as the child, a boy, had his head ripped off. She ran after the demons, screaming with tears flowing from her eyelids. Right hand morphing into a plasma cannon, she easily incinerated off the face of the demon who had done the murderous deed. Screeching out a final low growl, the monster laid dead on the floor. The Fool AI kneeled to the boy on the ground, no head, just his body, his stomach ripped open to reveal his bloody intestines on the concrete,
"I'm... I'm sorry,"
"Artemis..." That deep booming voice echoed through Manhattan, the woman's head turned to see him, her Creator turned by the malicious intent of The Empress... walking on air. A satisfied smirk on his face, transporting his whole behind her in flashing red light. His elongated sharpened claws sinking through her prosthetic skin, pushing her on her knees to watch as the mother of the slaughtered child, bleeding out on the floor bleeding out with her insides being torn apart. Eaten by the monstrous demons of Hell, chewing on her skin, her bones crunching on their sharp teeth leaving only remnants of her insides in their throats,
"You are helpless to prevent this, as it is the fate of this World to end, due to Humanity's insolence... however-" For a second, she managed to break out of her Creator's hold on her, turning to try and punch him square in the face with her heavy metal arm. Though, such a plain attack would never work on someone as powerful as him, creating himself back into this dimension and slapping her across the city with a simple backhand. Not only did her body leak electricity from the cracks in her body that his slap had made, but she had lost control of her wings along with the rockets in her feet. Her body tumbled into the building owned by Ben Rivera's Company, Rivera Manufacturing, the lobby.
"I'm feeling generous, I suppose. You were my initial daughter, after all. So stay here leaving out the remainder of your days, alone. For opposing me, that is your punishment," Although the AI tried, she couldn't do anything, nothing was coming out if she was going to shoot him with anything, she needed time to repair herself. It wasn't like she could just let him get away with this, Artemis couldn't let her internal programming... stop him from committing genocide. Though, the deed was already done. The 'woman' charged right at him, letting an unimpressed laugh escape his throat, his eyelids spreading over his eyeballs. And leaving only the darkness, his satanic wing slapping her into the wall to the left, her face open with wires and electricity crackling all about. Before she knew it, she was left alone, with the warm heated lights above her shattering with pieces of the glass leaving her alone. Trapped, and locked, seemingly... forever.
"I was left there by my father for 434 years, from 2103, until now," It was now present day, the recollection of her time alone in the lobby of Rivera Manufacturing had ended. Every one of the teenagers in a seat in Henry's living room, listening to her tale of strife, misfortune, and despair. Ella crouched in the chair to the right of the couch, Madi leaning against the right arm of it, Henry sitting on the chair to the left of the couch, Matt leaning on the left arm of it. Ryder listened in from behind the couch, Artemis in the center, Jason on the left, Ben on the right, both passed out from their venture in the Future. I digress, the A.I. continued with her tale about her past,
"How that came to be was due to the Kingdom. It began in December of 2102, the Empress, your future self, Madisyn Rivera, had begun hearing voices. Voices of someone she described as... 'God,' those voices urged her to do horrible things, to gain control, to become all-powerful, and achieve 'Heaven'. Over time, she was corrupted by this 'God', and unfortunately, despite her attempts at fighting back, she gave in. Secretly, the Empress devised a plot to gain control of the leading weapons manufacturer in the World, her brother's Rivera Manufacturing. She deactivated the cameras and security systems integrated into her brother's house, murdered her nieces and nephew, and her sister-in-law. Because of this, the Superior took a leave of absence from his post as CEO of Rivera Manufacturing. Leaving the Empress to control the company, she ordered the development of plasma-charged nuclear missiles. With a fake contract from the Government, requesting that they would need them as a fight against the North Koreans or China. At the same time, the Superior was convinced that Humanity itself was responsible for the slaughter of his family, so, he contributed to her plan. With his intelligence and enhanced skills, he was able to manufacture these weapons and shoot them right across multiple States in America. Ohio, California, Oregon, Hawaii, 20 more were destroyed. Washington was left standing, The President decided to launch a ceasefire between any enemy nations and what remained of America. France, China, Russia, Washington, and the United Kingdom launched nuclear-armed missiles with the full intent to destroy the state of New York. At the same time, an artifact from when Jesus Christ walked the Earth was used to gift the Superior and Empress' other brother unlimited power, he pierced himself with the 'Key to Hell', bringing the soul of Lucifer Morningstar within himself. And destroying Jason Rivera for good, the King of the Demons eradicated the rest of the World by turning the nuclear weapons the nations sent back at them. Without any precautions, the world fell to the Kingdom. The Smoldering Warrior, Henry Colon, reluctantly joined them, as they created a Castle in the ruins of the Empire State Building. And now, they're after Ben, who I swear to protect with my very life... he is the key to defeating them. That, I know for sure," It was an abundance of information to consume, the ones who took it hardest were Madisyn and Ella. The latter had already disappeared by the middle of her explanation, Ryder extending out his hand to see her leave the location, while Henry and Matt both sighed. Could this be their lives right now? Only months ago were they just normal high school students, and now, their best friend's life was in danger. The android understood their reactions, if she were them, she wouldn't believe it either. And the final person to leave was Ben Rivera, who had woken up, his emotionless blue-violet eyes gazing upon the ceiling. Pupils watering... he needed some air.
Greenwood Cemetery, New York, Brooklyn. July 18th, 2013. His name engraved onto the stone of the tomb, her knee pushing into the grass and the dirt that covered it. Her father's grave. Did he leave her with a legacy capable of global destruction? El had little clue of what to say, all she did was use her eyes to gawk at his name carved into the mineral slab, 'Abel Garcia.' This couldn't be the truth, was such a company capable of so much hate and murder? The sky thundered, as she spoke to her deceased parent,
"I don't know what to do anymore. I can't handle this, I just... I don't understand. Why I'm feeling this way, maybe I'm ungrateful, maybe I'm just pathetic, but I feel like... I can't do it. I can't take up your legacy, I can't take on this Airline company shit. You understand, right? That... it's just too much for me to handle. What if I go insane... what if I go mad with power?" She was distraught, broken, alone, with no one to help her with anything, she screamed into the quiet of the coming night. And nothing returned, sobbing into her arms, her mother's grave laid beside her father's. They both gave their lives in the hope she'd be better than them, but could she ever live up to that enormous expectation?
In the streets of Queens, the Fool, youngest child of Jessica Rivera, Ben walked, taking a small bite of the slice of pizza he'd bought. Everywhere he looked, he saw the Future he'd been so desperately trying to avoid, people's faces growling at him, his eyes shooting to the ground. The sirens that the cops let out from the top of their vehicles replaced by screeches from the demons of the night, the moon threatened to rise soon, knowing he'd have to get back soon, Rivera nodded. It had been a while since he'd breathed the normal air of the past, of New York. Though dirty and garbage-ridden, it was still home, and he'd take this over the literal Hell that was that place any day of the fucking decade. In the middle of his thoughts, pondering about the possibility that the Superior was his future self, a teenager, no older than him asked his name,
"Benny?" He recognized her at first glance, pupils widening, his aura that radiated the same hue as his eyes became visible to any superhuman around. The girl was about 16, wearing semi-ripped jean shorts, a short-sleeved black crop top, and an open hoodie revealing her... small bust. Her name was Cecilia Lane.
"Jesus, Ceci--" The duo wasted no time embracing one another, but we all know the female was the one who tightened the embrace making it obvious who liked who here. They used a nearby bench to sit down together and catch up on their experiences through the whole Spread thing.
"So, uh, ho-how've you been?" Messing up a bit on his words, he examined her face, she seemed to pay no mind to his stuttering and only responded to the question as if it had never happened. Thank god for that. She was one of the most beautiful girls he's ever seen, and he's seen a lot of girls. His sister, of course, was alluringly breathtaking to any guy, but he couldn't deny she did get their mother's beauty despite being her brother. I digress, however,
"It's been good, these past few months have been rocky ever since the whole- Spread thing, ya know, heh. But, Charlie and I, yeah, we've been doing good for ourselves. I got this modeling job at... shit, what's it called? Oh, Women's Management, yeah, since November, I've been going there and doing shoots, pays good," He shared a look of envy with her, his hand shaking taking another bite of the pizza slice he purchased, he carefully dropped it into his lap betwixt his legs. But Cecilia was not so blind as to ignore the obvious signs that he was far from okay in terms of his mental state, her hand grabbed onto his shoulder, caressing it gently. Like an instinct, she did this, not out of pity, but out of her understanding and loving nature. Shakily, and albeit, afraid, he stared into her brown eyes. Her looks didn't make her beautiful, it was everything else about her too... this warm fuzzy feeling he could feel from her, that she just wanted to do good. This was someone he felt like he could spend his life with, so, he had to ask,
"I've been meaning to ask you, before the Spread, uh, shit... I suck at this type of stuff, but- wanna go out maybe? Tonight, if you're free, of course,"
"Definitely! While I did say that I'm relieved to have found a job, it kinda is a little stressful to just be eating the same type of food over and over again to keep my body the way it is. So, yeah, sorry for the ramble, heh- {Ben: It's fine} Well, uh, I'll text you my address, and uh, pick me up at 7. Until then, I'll see you around, Benny," She gave the boy a gentle peck on the cheek, winking at the Rivera, hips swaying disappearing into the crowd of humans. Tonight he had a date, it was the most normal he'd felt in ages... could he work this out? His eyes still locked onto her, eyeing the girl, once she vanished, he just nodded. What could go wrong?
December 8th, 2536
"What's this bullshit about anyway? I thought we took care of everything that BITCH asked for, hehehe..."
"We did, but we underestimated the Riveras' skills and allowed them to slip through our fingers. To think Artemis would suddenly reactivate and aid in their escape, it almost wants to make me laugh, to be truthful," The two brothers infused with demonic power, the Superior and Lucifer, walked side by side one another. An audible contrast between the two, the brother of the Demon King walked slowly, calm, collected, despite the loss, the Superior remained in tune with himself. And didn't lose sight of his-their goal. Achieving God's praise and attaining Heaven. Lucifer, however, strutted with a humpback, a fake one, but one nevertheless. It gave him the illusion of being so weak when in reality, he was a mass-murdering demonic cannibal, as you all know. Seconds later, their feet shoved into the chilly snow that seeped its way through the shattered ceiling. Two other demons with tinted red skin were kneeling in front of the Throne in which she sat upon, her platinum locks, now revealed, swayed in the brisk breeze of winter. Among the two male demons, there laid someone on the left of the two, a woman, or it looked like one in the very least. Her pink eyes were enclosed behind her fake flesh-like lids, radiating hotter and hotter as she continuously waited to get out of this pathetic pose. The Empress finally had a question exit her mouth once her two brothers, younger and older, entered her Throne Room,
"It's come to my attention that some of you don't believe in my motivation, that I am being manipulated by some other force. Isn't that right, dear Apepsis?" The demon to the far right of the ones who were kneeling raised, giving his former ruler a firm nod, he couldn't deny his feelings. That was the truth he'd so desperately believed in, and he backed himself upon it by speaking against the woman,
"You have been leading us for centuries, yet, we have been doing nothing but sitting here in the City. Guarding this place with our lives, like there's some sort of threat that will oppose us that we can't easily squish with our superior power. WHAT is the point of laying here like dead possums when we could be going out and obliterating other pathetic civilizations?" Apepsis brought up a good point it was an inquiry even the Superior sometimes asked himself whenever he felt like this crusade they were was completely pointless. Stepping forward, he readied to defend his younger sister but was easily shut down, the Empress rising from her seat,
"Let us settle this in combat," Equivalent to 5 minutes passed, the Empress shed herself of her cloak with the hood, leaving her with a metal breastplate that covered her chest, extended out to her arms, and down to her legs, of course. A chain had been wrapped around her waist to dangle over her leg, clinking against the floor every time she'd walk. A plethora of scars separated around the mass of her entire self, above the breastplate, there were multiple, deep, possibly created by her metal claws she had substituted for normal gloves. They were random, she didn't care about the pattern of each of them, however, the ones on her throat- they were thought-out. And planned accordingly. Like before, she used her metal claw that concealed her finger to create a scar over the exterior of her flesh, carving out the Greek symbol for God Himself, "Ω". Her darkened violet optics reddened in the black night of winter, whispering phrases to herself, the pale hands of the Superior rubbing her shoulders. What she whispered to herself was,
"Creaturae. Caelum. Exitium. Inferos. Angelus. Vita. Daemonium. Mors. Orbis Terrarum. Universum. Imperium. Potestate. Caelum," The Empress felt it right then and there, chanting those phrases, her heartbeat increased its usual pace, her veins visible in her wrists, her hair rising in the wind. This was HEAVEN! Apepsis widened his eyes at the sight of this, the last thing he saw was the Empress rushing toward him, and the last thing he felt was her hand through his chest. Not even in the form of a fist, just her lustrous palm, thrust through her former subordinate's bones and organs. His mouth reached for the oxygen, but it was a useless effort, his lungs were destroyed in the impact, all he could do was turn his head. But even then, with the simple push into his eyeball, it exploded in a ball of blood. He screamed out in pain, trying to use his arms to help himself. The final thing that this excuse of a demon heard were the chilling words The Empress pushed into his intact eardrums were,
"Beelzebub Apepsis... your position as serving as my puppet has been terminated. Your strings have been cut, and you have no protection. May the fires of hell embrace you, demon," Her voice held no emotion, no sense of love or hatred, she did not care for any single aspect of his feeble existence. Tired, annoyed, like a parasite seeping into their flesh through whatever hole you have on your body, and yet convincing. Like this demon was but a nuisance for her to control, his burned insides leaked out onto the floor once he slid off of the Ruler's clawed palm.
"Ready the showers, H'xler. {H'xler: Yes, my Lady} Demon, clean this mess up and deal with it, I have another phase to plan. Brother, with me," Ecstatic, Morningstar leaped to feast on this delicious meal, no regard for how this was his demon who followed him from Hell. It was his fault for opposing The Empress. Fingers digging into the corpse's mouth, he grabbed onto both lips, upper and lower, spreading his head in half and opening him up. Blood splattering onto his face, Morningstar continued with the rest of his dead subordinate's corpse, spreading him apart, cutting him in half. Brains being stuffed down his throat, SQUISH, they went as he chewed with his fangs. Meanwhile, the Superior walked with his older sister from the back of the Castle, pushing her cloak onto her back, he inquired his elder sibling,
"What do you need?"
"Mmm, earlier today, we lost the Riveras and your former A.I., a loss, yes, but there is no need to feel guilt over it. You see, we can easily fix this dilemma, but I need you to do something risky," The Superior's brow rose at this offer, The Empress entered her bathroom, because she was his sister, she did not care for him seeing her as she stripped herself of her clothing. H'xler, who had made the bath, watched their master get into the tub, and gifted his Superior a gift. None other than the Key to Hell itself, the Demon Prince eyed this artifact,
"Do you believe I can survive if I stab myself with this thing? The only reason I survived the last time is that I didn't have demon blood within me,"
"I trust you," Were all the words he needed to hear, sure enough, he knew she'd probably be upset if he did this in her bathroom. So, the Superior stood in the center of the Throne Room, the ceiling spread apart like a mechanical door. The moment of truth, he pierced his chest with the Key, unleashing a shockwave of demonic energy, codenamed Takyr. Moments after the release, the Superior was on his knees, the Key engraved in his chest, sweat dripping from the glands of his forehead, he moaned. In agony, and accomplishment. His heartbeat was irregular, feeling the metal of this ancient artifact from the depths of Hell pierce the fleshy exterior of his heart around the flesh inside of him. The Superior rose from the ashes of his former self, oozing with power, he got to work. On Phase 2.
July 18th, 2013
If there was a way to describe the way water moves in a river, it'd be calm, right? Without falter, it'd move down the path it's destined to follow, and no one would be able to stop it. In a way, it was somewhat beautiful. Side by side, the lovers stood on the bridge, fingers interlocked, Matthew Miller gazed upon the lake. Their location, Central Park, in the middle of Manhattan. Veronica Johnson's brown eyes darted to spot her boyfriend's, seemingly distracted by the calm nature of the Park's liquid. But that couldn't be further from the truth, and she knew it, despite his peaceful exterior. She read like an open book.
"That man, the Warrior, that's what this is about?" Unable to face the truth, Miller nodded at his girlfriend, disposing of his hand intertwined with hers. Covering his face, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to die. Did he deserve that? Was he truly so evil that he deserved to be executed like that? Would his mother be proud of him for his decision..?
"Matty, he was a bad guy-"
"NO!" The pigeons perched on the branches of trees nearby used their wings to disappear into the clouds, his voice was that loud. She didn't falter, instead, she looked him right in his gleaming eyes, and placed her hands on his cheeks. She would not be driven away, he continued speaking to his lover, her forehead pressed against her own,
"He was a bad guy... yeah, I get that. But I have this gut feeling, babe- that something is wrong. That he wasn't the man we saw, from the way Ben described him when he woke up, the way that guy spoke before I- he died. There has to be some sort of truth, and if he was truly innocent, and I'm right... what would my mother think of all it? She's gone, yeah, but... babe, I want her to still be proud of me..." There had to be some way to get some information on the Warrior, some sort of truth on who he was behind all of that metal armor. Then, Ronnie's mind jumped back to the A.I., Artemis! She was from that Future, she had to have the answers, and then he wouldn't feel so guilty anymore.
"Let's head back, babe, I have an idea," With nothing else to do, the couple joined their appendages together, their feet stepping in sync as the clock hit that special number. It was 7:30 P.M., EST in New York City.
"How's this one?" In Henry Colon's Apartment in Queens, New York City, the Rivera Brothers were debating on which suit the younger one of the two should put on for the date. Half of him didn't even know if he should wear something fancy, while it does give off the impression you care about the date, he didn't want to overdress. The suit he wore now was a special one, matching the color of his eyes, dark blue jacket, black tie, white vest, black suit pants. It seemed perfect, and honestly, Jason had no objections. Upper lip vanishing into his mouth, he stuck out his bottom one, putting up two thumbs,
"Alright, alright. Thanks, man, see you later-"
"Wait," The older brother, protective of his brother and sister, said sternly, the Fool obeyed, spinning to face the Justice. Listening to his brother's inquiry,
"Are you sure you'll be okay out with Cecilia? I mean, we only got back just a few hours ago, maybe you're rushing into things way too quickly?" The Fool nodded, he understood his dear brother's sentiment, his concern for him, if he was Jason, he'd be the same way. But, maybe this was his way to cope with everything, his mom, the Future, maybe he just needed some sense of normality that everything would be okay. That way he'd feel okay and have someone's shoulder to lean on. With the most genuine smile, Rivera said to his older sibling,
"I'll be fine," Then he vanished out the door, feet retreating down the steps of the stairs, Jason stared at the ceiling. Leaning back on the chair he was seated in, normal thoughts any teenager would have slid into his brainwaves. For example, like, "I wonder if there's anything to eat. I'm feeling a little bit hungry," and, "Maybe Henry has some money hidden around so I can get some McDonald's," his hunger was unbearable, stomach grumbling, he shook his head in anger.
"NOT NOW!!!" But there was no stopping it, mouth-watering, subconscious taking over, the images fitting perfectly into his head. Thoughts of heads being decapitated with his dagger, intestines being taken out by force from stomachs, squishy delectable brains... all he needed was one. One guilty sinner and his hunger would be satiated.
It was like a bolt of lightning, Riker's Island's security system for superhumans was non-existent, it was the dead of night. His attire was that of a Vigilante from out of a comic book, black trench coat, dark turtleneck, black army pants he'd borrowed from his adopted sister, military boots too. Hood concealing his hair, shadowing his eyes, and a bandana covering his lips. The metal bars were nothing to him, he phased through them the way a knife would cut through cheese, easily finding a lone prisoner in a cell. Sleeping in his cell, having finished his work, the Vigilante of Justice disguised his voice by vibrating his voice. Giving him the persona of a dark spirit of lightning, ready to take vengeance on a wicked soul, the remainder of his mass vibrated as well, crimson lightning flickering throughout his whole,
"Christopher Samuels. 29 years old. First Degree Murder. Sentenced to 45 years in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of three people. Two women, one boy, aged eleven at the time of the killing. I am Justice, your fate is sealed," Samuels never got to defend himself, he knew it was true, but he tried to speak, knowing he'd die right then and there. Eyes widening, his throat had five fingers wrapped around, the rear of Samuels' front hurled into the cement wall, appendages under the leather gloves starting to dig into this murder's throat. That was when he saw it. His reflection in the corner of his optics in the mirror this cell held, this was him, and he couldn't help but see it. Lucifer. Right in front of his very eyes, Jason shook his head, it was only a hallucination, that wasn't him. He was sure of it. This was a murderer... but that's just how it starts, kill a killer and the number of killers in the world stays the same. This was not the fake sense of Justice he'd been believing, this was an excuse... ashamed, he dropped the inmate. His conscience wouldn't let this asshole go unpunished, so, emotions in check, his signature red lightning brightened the night sky. Christopher Samuels was left wailing in his cell, back broken, paralyzed for life.
15 minutes had passed since that event, teeth sinking into the meaty beef of the patty the hamburger hid within the rest of its ingredients. This was exactly what he needed, though his hunger wasn't exactly satisfied, this was the best he could do at the moment. He also bought fries, three large fries. And two Big Macs, but that was beside the point, he was nearing the end of his first burger when he heard someone call his name. A female.
"Jason?!" She seemed ecstatic to seem him there, and from her perspective, he hadn't aged in the last 9 months he was in the coma. His red eyes started to shift from blood red, bloodlust about to take over, to a lighter shade of crimson-red. Her name was,
"My name is Charlie Kyles, you remember me, right? We had, uh, Math together before October. I was the girl with the--"
"Fat ass, yeah, I remember you. That whore with at least 20 new boyfriends every other day, is there somethin' you want?" Charlie was shocked by his hostile attitude, he seemed so annoyed just by her presence, and she hadn't even said anything wrong. But, then again, the whole school knew about the news of the Riveras' mother. Maybe that was the reason he was acting this way?
"I'm sorry, should I go, I just wanted to catch up and you seem a little... shitty. Not to be rude though--"
"It's fine, I understand, I am a little annoyed. Not by you, but by my stupid self..." Only after he rid himself of the palm covering his face, blocking his full vision was he truly able to see Charlie. She was no longer that same slutty girl from 9 months ago, but how could he even shame her for something like that, like he was any different from her... he had to make up for it. And get this thing off of his mind.
"Can I offer you my Big Mac?" Right then and there, she felt it, his warming up to her, wanting to do things right after fucking things up for so long. Eyes sparkling, she halted the incoming tears, and nodded, all she said was,
"Sure,"
Woodhull Hospital was a place of pain for the Riveras, it was there that their cancer-ridden mother laid comatose, resting. Jessica Rivera's eyes closed, she let out a weak soft snore, Madisyn watching her mother breath. At any moment, she could die, and she wouldn't even get to say goodbye before then. How could she be so selfish?! Violet eyes radiating in the darkroom, pushed her head into the side of the bed her parent rested on, sobbing into the metal, she confessed,
"I don't know what to do... I'm trying my hardest to act like I'm here... but... but I just don't... I just don't want to..! I want everything to be okay, I want everyone to be okay, but... why does it feel like I'm dying even faster..? Why do they get to have it all, while I'm stuck here with nothing but bullshit?!" Rage taking over, her final scream of agony disrupted the structure the windows held, emotions taking over the natural state of her brainwaves. Shortly after her outburst, she returned to normal, panting, vision hazy, for the final time, her eyes opened to see her mother's face. Chest rising up and down, eyes rolling to the back of her head, limbs jerking all around, the doctors came in immediately. Left distraught, Madisyn was instructed to head to the waiting room, standing outside Jessica Rivera's cold chamber, her palm placed over her lips. She caused this, she did this... everything was her FAULT.
Hell's Kitchen, on 9th Avenue, Ben had met up with his date. His (borrowed) vehicle parked halfway up the block because it's Manhattan, they sat in front of a window, with a very obvious view of the street and all the cars that would race past. Cecilia's chair was right behind the door, but she had no complaints, all she did was sit down, and look around at the restaurant's interior. While the Lovers was examining the intricacy and interior design of this establishment, the Fool's hands rested on his thighs. Thighs quaking, fingers shaking at the sight of the girl, he thought back to that advice he looked up on Google. It was easy to talk to a girl, he's done it multiple times, right? Ella, Jennifer, Addison, but if women were such an art he'd perfected, then why was he so damn nervous? Fortunately... he didn't have to start the conversation, she did it for him, with the beginning topic,
"I'm surprised you managed to afford this place, looks pretty expensive,"
"Huh-? Oh, yeah, yeah, before the Spread, I did some freelance writing for some kids who needed work done. They paid me, then I turned them in for cheating. I never returned the money... heh, see, I'm cool like that,"
"So cool, Benny," The girl shared a laugh at his joke, humoring him, he spoke so naturally, he didn't even have anything to be afraid of. The shaking stopped as their conversations continued between one another, making eye contact with the girl, she bounced off from the previous topic,
"You said you did freelance writing for kids at school, like essays, right? {Ben: Mhm} Do you do any other writing, like uh, creative writing for books or whatever. Or just for fun?" This girl was psychic, how could she have known about any of this, if he'd said that to Ella, despite how smart she is, she would have never asked that question. Then it hit him, it was no coincidence, their feelings were related, she never cared if he brought her to an expensive restaurant or anything of the sort. She was just interested in him, not because he was attractive like most girls, but because... he was Ben. A minute passed before she smiled, knowing what he was thinking about, the food had come to push onto their tables. They had subconsciously ordered the same things. Ben, although being 16, still loved chicken fingers and fries, and Cecilia had the same thing. This was it, his very soul lit aflame, taking her hands in his own, he looked into her brown eyes. Showing no signs of a struggle, she smiled holding his hands in her palms,
"Okay, so... I like you. Like, a fucking lot-" Pi! Pi! Pi! His phone vibrated in his pocket, reluctantly, it was pulled out, examining the text message he'd received from his older sister. This date had to end, albeit abruptly, he leaned over and kissed Ceci on the cheek. There was no time for an explanation, standing up from his chair, he ran out of the restaurant and vanished into the Universe. Cecilia Lane was left with nothing but worry for her future lover, as she prayed for his safety... the night continued.
December 8th, 2536
"I must commend you, my brother, I hadn't expected you to take this route on the path to Heaven. I'm impressed," The Empress' praise gave him an appreciative smirk, confident, arrogant, and downright devious the Superior's idea was. None of that mattered, they were one step closer to achieving their goal, that is what mattered. Turning away from his master, she whispered a final reminder of their mission,
"For Heaven," The matter in front of his eyes was pushed out of the way, destroyed by the sudden existence of the blood-red gateway, the Superior fixed his glove. This next part was going to be tricky, but he was determined, humanity would pay for their actions, and he would finally get revenge for his deceased family. Mass entering a new world through the rift, Phase 2 went into effect, his foot stepping out onto the concrete sidewalk of 2013, all he could say was,
"For Heaven."
A Card Telling You The Future Has Been Flipped
The Awakening Power Inside You Will Be Your Guide
Well, Let's Get Started