The year was 2013, in the future, the Riveras would recall this year as the worst throughout their entire lifespan. Currently, their whereabouts resided in Woodhull Hospital, the Triplets sitting together in the waiting room. Though Ben was closest to their mother, he and Jason were comforting their sister, crouching on the chair, knees up to her chest. She felt like the last piece of her sanity was evaporating slowly, her heartbeat continuously pumping blood through her clots... she shook her head. This wasn't her fault, this wasn't her fault! But, how could she believe that when the truth she wanted to believe was so... convincing. Like it had been there all along, and she was so blind for not realizing it sooner. The Empress buried her face in her legs, it only arising when she heard his voice,
"Guys?" It was Henry, her best friend, she couldn't help but leap out of the chair, throwing herself into his arms. He nearly fell over, but he held her still, tightening his grip, hearing her sobs enter his chest. Ben and Jason watched as the rest of their friend group started to open the doors to the waiting room of the medical facility. Matt with Veronica, Ella, and Artemis all poured into the Hospital, Artemis pushing through the individuals to kneel and check the Fool's pulse. Raising an eyebrow, Ben nervously chuckled pushing away the superior's creation, reassuring her,
"I'm fine, Artie, no need to get so worrisome, I get I'm the 'key' or whatever the fuck that means, but I can take care of myself-" Just as he finished speaking, a female voice bounced through the walls, soundwaves entering his eardrums. The nurse instructed him to,
"Benjamin Rivera, please report to your mother's room on the second floor," Since when does that happen? Maybe the doctor called because there was important news? He readied himself for any possibility, taking a kiss on the head from his blonde ex, and took the elevator to the second floor. Ding! The mechanical doors spread apart, revealing the interior layout of the higher story, lucky for him, he didn't have to walk far. Eyes closed, he whispered under his breath, right outside his mother's cold chamber, he had to ready himself for the worst possibility imaginable,
"I can do this, I can do this, I can do this," Those warm ups did not prepare him for what happened next, his face- how could he forget it? Scarlet red eyes infused with blood lust locked onto the beauty of Jessica Rivera's face, sleeping soundly. Chest rising, then lowering, in tune with the heartbeat monitor. Beep. Beep. Beep. His voice sonorous but calm, menacing yet collected and intimidating however with a tint of sympathy. The Superior's mass hovered over his past mother's, as beautiful as he'd remembered, his hand moved the hair covering her left eye. Sensing his other self's presence, he began speaking with that voice of his,
"I always wondered how humans could be so fragile, then I realized... because of how inferior they are, they project their weaknesses unto others. Ensuring that we suffer just like they do. They're all pathetic, they deserve death, every last one of them," He wasn't stupid, attempting to stop time or teleport downstairs would lead to the deaths of his friends and his mother. The young man had no choice but to step forward, holding that calm persona, as if his heartbeat wasn't beating like crazy feeling that sense that he was about to throw up onto the cleaned marble floor. Ben, reluctantly, questioned the Superior,
"What the fuck do you want? Frankly, I've seen enough of your face, and I've barely even seen it," Halting his movements, the Demon Prince settled his limbs behind his back, one step forward pushing him closer to his younger counterpart. The calm deep voice of this monster informing Rivera of he wanted from the teenager, he began with a suggestion,
"Let's say you had the chance to go back in time and prevent your mother from ever smoking a cigarette. Like, uh, Marty McFly in Back to the Future, when he accidentally fucked up the time stream and had to ensure his mother and father met unless he wasn't born. Let's say you did that, you stopped your mother from ever touching a cigarette in her life when she was very young, then came back here. What would happen?" This question held no meaning to it, time travel is not how it's shown in the movies, this encounter proves it. Seeing no other response, the Fool gawked at his sleeping beautiful mother, answering his future self,
"Nothing. Traveling through time would simply create an alternate timeline to the original one, changing the past doesn't affect the future, it simply branches out and creates a parallel time where she never smoked a cigarette, and she'd be alive--" The Prince of Hell let a chortle emerge from his mouth, impressed by himself, clearing his throat, he readied for the next proposal. It was a ballsy one, if Ben didn't accept, that would be a recipe for disaster. No other options, an ultimatum was concocted in the mind of the Superior,
"That is 100% correct in every sense of the word. Going back in time, if I gave you the power to do so, simply wouldn't do anything. The past doesn't hold the Key to your mother's betterment, and neither does the Future. It all relies on the present. I allow you to save your mother, right here, right now, what would you say?"
"Yes," Extraordinary, the Superior thought. Fidgeting hands concealed in the pouches of his suit pants, he followed up with a catch, there always was one when making these sorts of arrangements,
"Mr. Rivera, come with me to your Future. After that, I will ensure your mother, your siblings, friends, it doesn't matter, as long as you come with me, then I will ensure no harm comes to them. As long as you come with me," He didn't know what to think of the offer, would he hold up to his word? And protect the Triplets' mother, his brother, his sister? There was no guarantee he would do any of those and remembering what they tried to do to him back when they forcefully brought him there only a few hours ago, all he had to say was,
"Sorry, but I refuse,"
"What-?" KRAKK! His future self's body was sent flying out of the nearby window that stalked the right side of his mother's decaying substance. Teleporting over to the broken glass, the Fool searched for his remains on the ground, only seeing shards of glass on the empty sidewalk of Brooklyn. Turning around, Ben was slapped out of the window, body falling toward the concrete street, crater manifesting under his clothed back. Rubbing his bleeding forehead, he watched the Superior leap from the edges of Jessica Rivera's chamber, almost stomping on the teenager's chest ready to break each of his ribs.
"You have remained a defiant piece of shit for the last time, Rivera. First, I'll kill you, then your brother and sister, then your mother. This rebellious action WILL PROVE USELESS, JUST AS YOUR PATHETIC LIFE!! NOW REMAIN STILL AND PERISH AT THE HANDS OF THE SUPERIOR!!!!!" The threat against his mother sent Ben into a fit rage, throwing himself at the Superior, tackling to the ground, he was easily kicked off onto the nearby stairs to the train station. Shaking his head, the Demonic Prince of Evil watched his other self sit up with a fitting smirk on his lips. It made him want to snap his neck several times over, unbeknownst to him, Rivera had stuck pieces of glasses into the so-called Prince's thorax. He was so fueled with adrenaline that it went unnoticed by 'The Superior' until the shards in the breast of this Demon heated exponentially, revealing the interior of his chest upon the loud BOOM! Blood dripping down from the wound, the Superior kneeled in the middle of the road, previously closer to Ben, who pushed himself up from the sidewalk. About to be rid of this pathetic nuisance, he raised his hand into the sky, TIME WAS ABOUT TO STOP- CRACK!
A metal right hand, fingers pushed together, tapped the back of Rivera's skull. Made of a special metal discovered by the former CEO of Rivera Manufacturing, all it took was a simple slap, and Ben Rivera fell over, unconscious. Laughing maniacally, The Superior nodded, approving of the strategy his young protege used, congratulating him,
"Well done, Mr. Karlo. You've certainly proved yourself in my eyes. And I'm sure The Empress will feel the same way when we get back and show her our prize. Especially since you're the one who captured him... isn't that right, Ryder?" Burning green pupil visible in the shadows of the night, he stepped out, kneeling before his Superior. At that moment, with the bare fingers of the Demon Prince running through his young successor's brunet hair, The Outcast was born.
Against his will, with no deal made between the Kingdom and the Fool, Ben Rivera was taken to the Castle in the Future.
In December of 2536, all the young 16-year-old could remember seeing was dark, some images flashing through his brain. The Superior's annoying face, The Outcast, bent over, examining his future rival's bloodied front, and The Empress. Ruler of the Kingdom that she was, this wicked woman took up the deed of manipulating the poor despaired boy into fighting for their cause. The voice got louder, reciting the phrases she heard from 'God'. Black eyeballs, her retinas brightened to match the intensity her flat palms gave off, on each side of the young teenager's face, dark purple,
"Imperium. Regnum. Infernum. Coelum. Creaturae. Exitium. Via ad Caelum. You belong to The Kingdom," Removing her influence from his head, Ben's eyes shot to the floor below his feet. A single tear falling from the edge of his right eye, he looked up at his new superiors. The last piece of his mind that could remember the past he was given by his mother 16 years ago remembered a song, a tune he sang to himself whenever he felt depressed. Down on his lock, like a diamond in the rough.
Feeling low, feeling blue
All the troubles come my way
But I just won't worry
I'll Be Lucky Someday...
July 20th, 2013
It had been two days since their brother's disappearance, the time was 12:02 in the afternoon in Brooklyn. Bottom pushed against the soft sheets covering his younger sibling's bed, fingers scratching against the back of the case of the technology he held. Not fast enough, too distracted by everything... all he could do was blame himself. It shattered to pieces around his fingers, holding his face, sobbing into his flat palms. Was there nothing he could've done? Truly nothing he could've accomplished just by following him there, maybe if he wasn't so distracted by his hunger, by Charlie, by the fear of his other self, he could've done something. Instead, he was left there, unattended, young, afraid, and manipulated. The sun shining its golden glow onto the right side of his face, he let out a long sigh of relief, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly. He couldn't be like this, he knew what Ben would've wanted, what his mother would've loved, and that wasn't this. Looming on his failures, blaming himself, being afraid of who he wasn't. His brother didn't save them at Matt's house where all of them could've been killed for nothing. He would save his brother, NO MATTER THE COST!
And in Queens-
There this certain beauty in the concept of fire. Maybe it was the way it crackled, the way it burned everything it touched, or the way it looked. Controlling fire was dangerous, it took practice to make it perfect, to ensure that it didn't go apeshit and start burning everything. The flame was snapped out of existence, the superhuman's hand being drawn back to be flat against the table, fingers tapping against it. The man across from Henry, all he had to say was,
"Coollll, here, look at mine," This was the foreign exchange student from Brooklyn Tech that Madisyn knew, gay, just like Colon. His name, according to Madi, was Astin Edmund. He, too, was affected by the Spread on that fateful day of October in 2012. And now, he was going to showcase his abilities he was 'gifted' with, little did Henry know, their capabilities were extremely similar. Touching a simple glass of water on the table they were seated at, the sizzling heat was enough to melt through the wooden floor underneath them, as the material of the object shifted. Made of pure magma rock, the Chariot could only see it for a split second before it transformed back into a regular glass, although it was superheated. So hot that even when Henry touched it, the glass burnt the tip of his right finger, eyes widening.
"That's better than mine, heh. So, you can turn shit into magma and control lava?" What was this feeling inside of the Chariot? Fiery orange optics brightening, he asked himself, could he be enjoying this date? But, this was only for the Future, Henry told himself. He wasn't seriously sensing a future with this guy, was he? Colon's memory went back 2 days prior, remembering his best friend, how he was saved from the Smoldering Warrior. Knowing Ben, the Fool, he knew Rivera would have loved to see him happy with someone. Vice versa, the same with Henry, the Chariot put on the brightest smile he could and listening to him talk. Without the knowledge of knowing whether he was alive or not, the best the young smoldering teenager could do was this. Make not just Ben, but the rest of his friends proud, not by forcing himself to enjoy this date. To be true to oneself, not to force himself to come out with his sexuality to prevent the Future. Fuck the Future, Henry Colon, the Smoldering Chariot thought, scorching coral aura invisible to the naked eye, though he was determined. He would change the Future, and it all began with the last confident words exiting the Chariot's lips,
"Give me your number,"
December 8th, 2536
The moon's sparkling brightness hit the face of this young man, tainted by the malicious intent of The Empress and her path to Heaven. All he could do now was gawk at the moon, and let tears fall from his eyes. Shedding his glasses, he wiped them from his cheeks, hearing the familiar voice of the Traitor. He informed him,
"Get your lazy ass inside, The Empress has some news on the Next Phase of her grand plan. And be quick about it, I don't have all fucking day, Rivera," That voice belonged to none other than The Moon, The Outcast... of course; Ryder Karlo. The half-human, half-cyborg had stepped out of the huge front doors of the Castle to see his competitor, The Fool, resting on the steps leading up to it. After informing said competitor about The Empress' next step toward Heaven, The Outcast vanished into the wedge between the doors. Leaving the Fool all alone, a dejected sigh exiting his lips, he had hoped he'd be lucky someday...
The Throne Room of the Castle, from left to right, the following Demons and subordinates of The Empress kneeled. The Superior, Lucifer, H'xler, The Outcast, all that was missing was the Fool. Upon entering the presence of the Queen's presence, Ben just stood, arms crossed, awaiting the instructions of his Empress. Rising from the seat the woman relaxed in, she levitated in front of the Fool, a clink heard as her metal boot tapped against the material floor. Now that everyone was here, she began speaking, pacing around the figure of Rivera with words crawling out her raspy throat,
"Thanks to the Superior, we now have our final asset in the Key to Heaven. Phase 2 was an easy success, now all that remains is to be rid of the others. There is no doubt that those incessant children will continually be a discomfort to the Kingdom's plan. However, I mean this in no offensive way, Brother, Morningstar, H'xler because most of you have demon blood running through you, I expect there to be a certain... bloodlust within you that neither of you can control. That is evident from the recounting of the Superior's second encounter with Rivera before we took him in. So, I assign this task to you, Rivera, Karlo, dispose of your former friends, and rid them of their lives. Failure of this task is unacceptable," Like magic, an opening in time and space spread apart, crackling with power, sparking with electricity, ready to accept whoever would enter through it. Without any questions, the reluctant duo withdrew into 2013, to defeat the Protectors, once and for all.
July 20th, 2013
A major company like Garcia Airlines wouldn't be located in a place like Manhattan, there were already so many mass corporations there, like Trump Tower. It'd just be taking up too much space, so, her late father decided that his company would create their HQ in New England. Despite its name, it resided in America, near New York, but further away from it, sort of. If you took a plane from Manhattan to there, it'd be only an hour. New England comprised itself of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, one of the largest cities being Boston. That is where Garcia Airlines resided, and to be honest, not that much of a difference from New York. One foot stepping through the front doors, the secretary looked up from her desk. Men and women of all ages leaving and entering, the young woman at the front widening her eyes at the blonde in front of her. Without warning, her fingers dialed at the numbers on the keypad, muttering to someone on the other side of the phone, moving her brown hair out of the way of her face finishing her call. This woman was no older than maybe 20 or 25. Now, being able to speak to the young Garcia, she greeted the teenage girl,
"Ms. Garcia, it's an honor to meet you. What your father did for this company, he was a great man. I'm sorry for your loss. That being said, The Board of Directors is upstairs on the 5th floor, they've been waiting for you ever since you got out of that coma in May," El had been here several times over when she was younger, her father had taken her as if to show the young girl she was formerly how successful their bloodline would become. That, someday, this would all be hers for the controlling.
Ding! The elevator doors spread apart, revealing her figure, biting her index finger's nail upon exiting the cold metal chamber, her dark azure eyes darted reading the signs beside the entrances. The meeting room for the Board was at the end of the hallway on the right, she was right outside of it, this was her moment of truth. Retinas scanning her attire in the reflection of the glass wall, she sighed, could she be the heir to a massive company with this on? Some skirt, a black shirt with a bright blue thunderbolt that glowed in the dark, tucked into her skirt with leggings? She felt like an idiot, about to turn around and head back home, before remembering him. Ben. What would he want for her? The Ben she knew, despite all of his flaws, cared for her. That's why he was able to cry in her arms two days ago when he went to visit his mother because they cared for one another. They wanted to see each other happy. Her head nodded, now understanding the final decision she had made regarding her father's legacy. Memorizing what her father had told her all those years ago when he brought her here for the first time, she had been so blind, distracted by herself that she didn't even recognize this,
"Make your future, don't rely on others, do what you want. And as long as it makes you happy, what does it matter? That is what I want for you, to be happy. As long as you are happy, the World, excuse my language... can go fuck itself," Eyes watering, she remembered her father, the one man who loved her no matter what, who saw through her face and saw his little girl's heart. And wished for nothing but her happiness, only now, she remembered his true self, he wouldn't have cared if she took up CEO at this company or not. With that information in mind, the young woman took the stairs down to the main lobby, leaning on the secretary's desk, the Priestess informed the lady,
"Tell the Board that I won't be working with this company in the Future. I'll carve out my path when I get old enough, I'll sell this company. Until then, I hope you see my growth in the news. Goodbye, Ms. Marquez," With that final power move, Ella Garcia raced through the streets of New England, lightning flowing through the insides of her flesh. Heart pumping at an accelerating speed, a deep content smile spreading across her lips, she went back. To New York City.
Henry Colon's Apartment, in Queens, Artemis was held out there, on the couch, the A.I. was seated while the other two were standing. Matt and Veronica, his girlfriend, listening to the tale that Artie was informing them about from her time,
"I do not know much about the Smoldering Warrior after the Kingdom's take over. Before, however, is a completely different set. My Creator- the Superior... has a file full of his friends and family. Before turning into the Smoldering Warrior, Henry had a family, a boy, whom he adopted, and a husband. Astin Edmund and Beau Edmund, to be specific. Upon getting slaughtered by demons, the Warrior intended to take revenge on his former friends. He was easily defeated. From then on, it's suspected that the Kingdom either manipulated him or the Warrior went willingly," Matt thought back, there was no true way that the Warrior willingly went on to be a subordinate of the Kingdom's, still remembering the tone of his voice. He had to figure out the truth, but how? If Artemis' memory stopped there, how could he find the truth? Then it hit him... Ben. What would Ben do at a time like this? Use the clues and figure it out himself. After all this time, he had realized the truth, everything had been screaming at him this entire time. The Superior, The Empress, everyone apart of the Kingdom never cared about the Warrior, the truth is, he was the only one capable of giving them all powers. He was suffering, and he wanted to die, that is why he never objected to his execution. The truth in his hands, the Magician of Ice nodded, remembering where Madi told them all she would be, away from people.
"Artemis, let's go. We've waited long enough. If we don't get him ourselves... he'll be dead by the end of the week," No objections were raised by the female Intelligence, instead, she walked out the door, following Miller's commands. The next thing they heard after the wooden door slammed shut was the propulsion of jets throwing Artemis into the air, clouds being pushed out of her way. Matthew kissed his lover on her lips, a promise was made between the couple,
"I won't die. I promise, baby girl," With those words transmitting out his mouth, he ran out of the door, leaving Veronica there, fingers interlocked. Nodding, and hoping for her boyfriend's safety.
The sun setting, the moon rising, trees' leaves being pushed by the wind, Madisyn Rivera collapsed for the final time. Extremities pushing her platinum tinted locks back, a breath emerging to push the lonely curly strand of hair covering her right magenta-dyed pupil. Determination driving her forward, her brother's life was on the line, her palm extended out. A gate in space opening, to no avail, as she ran through, lowering from the exit point, her bruised knees hitting the grassy terrain. The time being 8:03 P.M. in Upstate New York, her stamina was dissipating, every new breath she took, her heartbeat slowed. Losing the will to be awake, her head turned hearing the cracking sound of two mystical streaks of thunder in the air. With that noise, she allowed herself to fall into her older brother's arms, blood dripping from her bottom lip. The Priestess' eyes widening, with the remainder of everyone else arriving at the same time, the barrier of light that had surrounded this specific area having been destroyed. The Magician of Ice vaulted off the edge of the icy trail he'd created to get here, standing beside his friends. Next was the Chariot and Artificial Intelligence, the latter arriving via the jets etched into the soles of her feet, the former using his signature wings of fire to land. Sparks appearing once the wings evaporated, Henry ran over with a sense of urgency to see the condition his best friend was in. Not just her bottom lip had blood dripping from it, but both of her nostrils was oozing that crimson liquid,
"Is she okay?" The Smoldering Chariot inquired, a sense of fear audible from the way the question was asked, vocal cords trembling. Shaking his head, the Justice answered, hands on her back, turning as he held his baby sister in his large arms,
"She's fine, she just overworked herself a bit. Let's bring her home. We'll follow in her footsteps and bring my brother back safe--" All of a sudden, that signature tone came running into the Protector's ears, that warbling tone. Belonging to something entering existence, pushing invisible matter out of its way to bring forth... humans. Humans, whose shape they recognized far too well, humans, one who they once called a friend, a boyfriend, and one who they once called-
"Ben..?" The Fool's blue-violet eyes darkened, that name no longer belonged to him, neither would he be called it. Pushing the Outcast out of the vicinity of the blast, his finger unleashed a destructive force heading right for Madisyn Rivera's head...! That- is where Chapter Six ends.
Feeling low, feeling blue
All the troubles come my way
But I just won't worry
I'll Be Lucky Someday...
My money's gone, ain't got no friends
More debts than I can face
But I just won't worry
I'll Be Lucky Someday...
Let it rain, oh, let it pour
'Cause it just can't get worst no way
But I just won't worry
I'll Be Lucky Someday...
Maybe I'll get lucky someday...