On a grassy emerald-tinted terrain in the middle of Upstate New York, the Fool and Outcast challenged their old friends, the Protectors. That slick beam that had been fired from the tip of the manipulated Rivera's finger passing light speed. This beam of flesh-destroying potential was about to simply destroy his sister's brain, that was until Ella jumped in front, manipulating the electricity flowing through her veins. Phasing through the barrier that was created by the Priestess, the Justice decked his brother, reluctantly, mind you, right across the face. Cracking his skull, shattering his jaw momentarily, sending the Fool gliding backward through the now chilly air of the summer. Pointing to Artemis and Ella, they obeyed the oldest teenager, swarming to aid their ally in his time of need. The Outcast, meanwhile, just shrugged, aiming his mechanical right hand at the Magician and Chariot. Their figures no longer held their previous position, instead, the Magician of Ice flipped over Karlo from behind him.
Landing flat on his back, Miller burst out two beams of pure ice into the still-skinned flesh of Ryder. This way, the Traitor was unable to break free of the block of the freezing glaciers that encased him, that was, until a singular beam of energized heat, a laser, pointed right at the Icy Magician. Flipping out of the way just in time, Ryder had no control of the grassy-shaded ray, hitting the ground, barely burning through Matt's boots as he flipped, then, the energy pulled his head to the side. Cutting a nearby couple of birds in half gawking at the superhumans from a branch in half, and finally, the clouds, too, being sliced in twain. Panting from the way his neck snapped so quickly in one direction, the Chariot took this time to launch his surprise attack, using a weapon in the shape of a katana to slice the metal arm of the Moon off of his socket. The duo of best friends patrolled the false limbs' descent upon hitting the ground, it suddenly disappeared out of their view. Eyes widening, the Smoldering Chariot spun to see the towering mass of the Outcast manifesting a shadow. About to dodge the incoming attack, Karlo detected his former friend's movements, screaming out in anger and irritation,
"THERE IS NO ESCAPE! IT'S USELESS TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF YOUR INEVITABLE DEMISE, COLON! THE WORLD, GIVE ME YOUR STRENGTH!!!" With that screech to whoever was beyond the stars, time's flow was halted for no more than 5 seconds, the Outcast free to do as he pleases in this section of his power. Dropping Miller's unconscious body to the ground, he stepped with all the dominant might in the Universe, reattached metal member prepared to end this vermin's life NOW. Then, the words of his Superior echoed in his head, he would not want to disobey those who took care of him, as time resumed its natural flow after those 5 seconds equivalent to human time, Henry collapsed onto the grass. Blood dripping from his forehead, Ella turned to spot this sight of her best friend bleeding out on the ground, previously busy with her corrupted ex-boyfriend. She couldn't help but cry into the dead of night, vocal cords stretching, echoing through the blackened out atmosphere,
"HENRY!!!!!!!!" Magenta-violet retinas radiating, purpled aura manifesting around her spirit, the teenager hovered into the air. Platinum strands of curly locks hovering with her, Madisyn Rivera, the Empress, held no expression, or sense of remorse on her face. All that was left... was disgust, tears dropped from her stained bloody skin, before burning away, evaporating into steam. The Outcast shook in fear, as did everyone else left breathing on the battlefield, except for the Fool, though her attention was not focused on her controlled brother yet. Slamming her former lover into the ground, she screamed into his face, anger coursing through her, light burning his remaining skin that was left on his human hand. Through cloudy sight, the last thing he was able to see was his ex's fist, breaking his cybernetic eye, pieces of glass hitting his face from hitting the air momentarily once her knuckles connected with his nose. Ryder Karlo was weak, pathetic, not worth the time, that was for sure. Next, was her brother, Artemis charging at him, the Fool in addition to sending her flying back towards where his sister was laying on the grass with a simple backhand, he slapped the A.I.'s jaw off. Next, was Ella and Jason together, both being speedsters, he had to be wary of their quickness, watching them converge side by side. Throwing individual bolts of their colored lightning into their enemy's chest, that is what drove him closer.
The Fool leaped out of a nearby miniature gate in space, kicking the blonde into his older brother, with that many pounds on top of one another, there was no way they'd be able to get up. But, to make sure, two metal cuffs pinned their wrists to the dirt, but he wasn't done yet. Finally, he had to face his older female sibling, who hovered in front of him, that lavender-aura surrounding the young Empress, adjacent to his azure tinted one. That glare in his optics behind those glasses, she saw nothing but pain and despair. Red circles underneath his eyes, Madi knew her baby brother, he didn't want this. He didn't want any of this, but with The Empress' influence etched into his brain, feeding him a false ideal he hadn't even begun to believe in, all he could say was,
"You're mistaken if you assume our powers are equal, I can stop time, what can you do? Do your little Cyclops blasts and try to burn me? I'd like to see you try, YOU FUCKING LITTLE WHORE!" Propelling himself forward, the teenager used the grass to throw himself at her, knuckles cracking, readying his fist to go into contact right with her nose. An easy target. That was until he was one inch away from her fast, something had halted his immediate progress, and that was a lasso. Composed of pure plasma, wrapped around his ankle, slamming him face-first into the ground,
"I Blanketed the lasso while you were yelling at me, and as you ran at me, I controlled it, knowing you'd jump into the air. And surely, you fell right into my trap. Isn't that right, Ben Rivera?" Hearing his full name, he let go of his broken nose, the ice around El and Jason's wrists melting into water that dripped onto the back of their palms. The duo speedsters stood up from the ground together, the older one of the two gazing upon his sister. Madisyn kneeled in front of the Fool, still manipulated by The Empress, he crawled away in fear, everything she did, the way she moved, the way her face was shaped. It all reminded him of... HER. But, she didn't care, as he tried to teleport away, or even stop time, one more thing caught his eye. Ben's sister's fingers had wrapped around his clothed stem, head-turning, optics soaking gradually, he stared into his sibling's eyes, listening to her tale,
"3 years ago, when you were only 14, just entering high school, it was my birthday. May 5th, since I was already in high school, I'd decided to go out with my friends and party with some guys and my friends. Earlier that day, you'd given me a present, something you'd bought by writing essays for kids who didn't want to do their school work. I didn't accept it. That same night, upon returning home, I was yelled at by mom, little did she know, my boyfriend had broken up with me hours prior. Lying in bed, you knocked at my door... and slid your present for me under the door. I picked it up, and uh, it was a star. A purple star, but that wasn't the real present. Inside the star, there was a tiny photo, of us. On your birthday last year. I had been acting so selfishly, I hadn't realized that you were right there in front of me. All this time, wanting to love me... and now... now, it's the same way. I'd been selfishly avoiding Mom, ignoring your feelings when you needed someone to talk to, someone to love you. But I'm here now, Benny. And no one will pull me away from you, because you're my brother... until the end of time," At that moment, the arrogant abusive persona created by The Empress' lies and manipulation had vanished, there was only the remainder of Ben Rivera, the True Fool. Rubbing his forehead, his vision now restored, he eyed his older sister's retinas, throwing himself into her arms. He had returned, it was confirmed from the final response that the young Rivera grumbled into her chest, the words that rolled off his tongue muffled,
"So cliche..." Now that they had him back, all that was left was the destruction of the Kingdom, and the remnants it leaves in its demolition. For instance, the Outcast had awakened from his unconscious slumber, his finger to the side of Miller's top. Ready to shoot whatever mix of mystical and ethereal energy that was pushed into the tip of the Fool's finger through the Magician's Skull, the Traitor Karlo announced his presence with a loud,
"NOT SO FAST, YOU USELESS PEONS! YOU LEAVE, MILLER DIES. AND EVEN IF I DIE, AS LONG AS I HINDER YOUR PROGRESS FOR ONE SECOND, THEN THE KINGDOM WILL HAVE WON... and I will be free," About to take up the duty of protecting her friend, Madi was pushed back, so Ben would disappear, appearing right in front of the Moon. The gleaming radiance of Terra's moon glistening on their brown mops of hair. No words were spoken between the pair of rivals, nothing but hate for one another, not even respect like some rivals have one another, just anger, hate... and malice. Matt was thrown to the side, the Outcast and the Fool face to face with one another, the one to throw the first punch was the former. The younger dodged his rival's attack, screaming out,
"MUDA-" This war cry fueled by pure avarice was interrupted by the tripping of the True Fool, he was so blind by hatred and anger that he hadn't even been paying attention to everything around. Before the Outcast could crack his back on the dirty floor beneath him, he was caught, the dark green hoodie this monster had clothed over his skin having Rivera's fingers catch it just in time.
"Ryder, I don't hate you. I hate the way you act, the way you betrayed us for a bunch of mass-murdering demons--"
"LIKE IT MATTERED! In the end, no one even noticed I was gone until I posed a threat to you. That's all I am to anyone, just a useless speck of dirt... just kill me. I know you have the balls for it, for fuck's sake, you almost killed the Warrior, same with the Superior. Do it, do what you've been wanting to. It's better than facing the punishment the Kingdom will give me if I show up empty-handed," The choice of Karlo's fate in his hands, the True Fool watched the Outcast lose the strength he kept in both his mechanical and flesh arm. His hair shadowing his vividly-shaded pupils, all Ben had to say was,
"As you said, Ryder... all you are is a useless speck of dirt. That is all you'll ever be, you're not even worth my time, you fucking piece of shit!" Angered by Karlo's option, Rivera cut his rival out of his grip, the figure of this future monster fainting on the bottom level. All that remained inside of Ben Rivera's soul was hate, hate not for Karlo, not for himself, but the Kingdom. Everything that had happened over these past 2 days was their fault, they had to be eradicated from the face of this and any other Earth in the plausible Multiverse. With that thought, the Protectors vanished from this place.
Left in their wake, the Outcast, minutes later, seated on the grass, gaping at the wonderful sparkling charm of the moon. And everything it represented, Ryder Karlo heard the whirring and twisting of his metal fingers as they reached. Ascending to rub his temples, full of irritation, the wind pushing his brunet locks back for but a moment... he wondered what life could've been like had he never been born.
Venturing through the depths of New York, Queens, young Ryder Karlo's boot cracked a stray branch that had descended from the height the bark had birthed. The date was the day after the fight between the Outcast, the Fool, and the Protectors. Or well, not technically, just a few hours following said battle. 2:35 A.M., July 21st, 2013. One day before Jason, and Benjamin Rivera's birthday. The thought of that date sent vibrations through his body, emerging from his palm, exiting through the left pocket of his hoodie. Destroying the hot dog stand he'd wandered past unintentionally, hearing the owner's anger screams toward him, words like,
"YOU STUPID FUCKING SUPE! WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Pushing him over the line with every new insult that this old man cried at him, even though he assumed this male to be over the age of 30, he acted like a man-child. You don't just yell at a superhuman who controls sound and expect your eardrums to remain intact, that is the truth that this old man had forgot about the new superhuman society they'd resided within. To remind him, the tired Outcast wrapped all of his fingers around the top of the apron the male wore over his oversized stomach,
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!" That banshee-like sonic scream sent a soundwave throughout the whole of the block, shattering glass windows close by shattering. Transforming from just solid to nothing but shards. Like easily-destroyed glass, blood spurted out of the center of the human's ears. Ruptured eardrums, some of his skin covering his surface money maker almost ripped off, the decibels that Ryder had screeched at 137 dB almost reaching the dangerous amount that humans couldn't handle. In addition to this random's eardrums being ruptured, it was humans all around this certain area, except for Ryder, of course, and a specific one. A tanned-skin male, age exceeding nothing past 22, all-black suit, a tattoo carved in ink on the rear of this adult's neck. Ryder paid him no mind, the suited man bypassing the street, Karlo, the teenager, inserting some earbuds into the crook of his listeners. He was going somewhere he knew that he'd be disregarded and abused, though, it was the only place he could sleep without being nearly killed. That was his home, a portion of him didn't foresee the need to head to such a pathetic place, however... he's not so pathetic as to sleep on the street like some bums begging for a singular dollar. Or a sex worker respected by the same society who betrayed them, like the work they do is so admirable, and getting a real job is so difficult,
"Useless fucks," He sputtered to himself, shaking his head, ashamed he was previously the same race as those mortal creatures. Index finger thrusting to press itself against the 'Play' button, his right foot pushed in front of the left, and unbeknownst to him, he had passed an alleyway. The song playing into his ears, a whip snapped into position, pulling its target into the gloomy dark shadows of nights. At that moment in time, the Future was decided for the Protectors and this Earth. Forever.
An abandoned sector beneath the most heavily guarded prison in New York City, his concealed insight was brought back to normal light, his knees hitting the concrete ground. Bruising them, he bit his lower lip, blood drawn from his teeth snapping the human liquid out of him, hands tied neatly behind his back. Gloves on each of them, both his real and fake eyes looked up to see an old man, the oldest man he'd seen today, grey hairs growing in his raven tinted beard, same with his hair. From the rich attire to the white-haired girl standing over the boss of this organization to the left, it was obvious he'd been kidnapped by a mob. And not just any mob,
"I'm sure you know who we are," Smoke emerged from the crevice of the elderly male's jaw, the cigar he'd been holding between his index and middle finger glistening with a baked coral hue. SNAP! The chains around the wrists of the sound-manipulating superhuman slid off of him, visibly exasperated by the sudden kidnapping of him. However, not just that, but ashamed he'd used his powers so recklessly that he'd accidentally revealed himself to a deadly organization like this one. Standing up straight, the enhanced Betrayor rubbed his wrists, the pain subsiding as he recounted the origin of this mob with his statements,
"You're the Prelle Family Mob, formed in 1966, your father created this mob in New York to help continue Al Capone's legacy after he'd been murdered 19 years prior. I assume you grew in the underbelly of this city, as time went on, you grew larger, the old leader died, and you grew to power. With your older daughter, Isabela, as your right-hand woman. After her mother was murdered by Government officials ordered by Mayor de Blasio to investigate the growing Prelle Mob, she murdered one of the FBI officers that had partaken in her mother's assassination. As she murdered him, the camera in the room recorded this, and broadcast the action unto TVs all over New York City. She earned the nickname Athena. So, yeah, I fucking know you. Why the fuck did you pick me up?" The father of the Mob, Jackson Prelle, fell the cigar descend from his appendages, collapsing and rolling on it side. To be crushed under the bed of his boot, the match that'd been lit had been extinguished.
"Superhumans are a pain in my ass, they've been makin' me go out of business lately. People used to rely on the Mob because we were special, ya know, ask for someone to get popped, we'd get the job done quick and easy. Now, we've been making less and less money than ever with the emergence of these fuckin' supes. Half of the population's got some fuckin' superpower now, they want someone smoked, they'd do it themselves. With their little fuckin' eye laser, blah blah blah, I'm too old to understand any of it, but- if you, Mr. Karlo, can help us retain our past glory, the Mob will give you everything you ever wanted. Protection, fame, money, all you need to do- is work for me," This offer was tempting, remembering his past self, his human self that'd been destroyed and wrecked by the very people that were meant to guard him. There seemed no other way, the Kingdom believed him to be useless, considering he failed at the task he and the Fool had been given. So- what other choice did he have? For the finishing touch, in front of Ryder's very eyes, he witnessed Athena herself run up to him. Not only giving him a peck on the cheek to convince him but the information in his ear formed in whispers needed to turn him over to the Mob's side, it was quick, but, he fell for it either way. Without any further options, the Outcast gave Jackson Prelle, leader of the Prelle Family Mob a firm and quick nod,
"I accept your offer,"
December 9th, 2536
"I believe they've failed their task. It seems your little fucking PETS are useless after all, dear Empress, hehehe," That deranged speech pattern belonged to the King of the Demons, the Ruler of Hell, Lucifer Morningstar. Said older brother was slapped in the back of the head with the Superior's flat palm, the duo gazing upon The Empress' maniacal sinister side. As she cackled at the mockery this Demon gave to her, she couldn't care less, because they'd already won. The Prince of Hell could already see it from that crazed expression their tyrant wore on her freshly cleaned smooth exterior. The Empress explained her true plan to her allies,
"Do you believe I wanted them here? As if I wanted Karlo's reckless self on my team, how pathetic. And while Rivera's strength and potential could've been useful in the final battle against them, that was not his true purpose. Cthulhu has been waiting to fulfill his purpose for eons, reclaiming the Earth as his own. However, once he reawakened, the Planet had already been taken- by us. I extracted some of Rivera's DNA, and with his power- we will finally be able to Achieve Heaven!" Sliding a syringe out of a Blanketed light dimension, she pushed the tip of the sharpness into her skin. The blood of her other brother flowing inside of her, The Empress' limits shattered beyond belief, true potential unlocked. Raising her arm into the air, her fingers spread out, slicing through space and time to open a rift for the towering Eldritch Giant stepping on the remains of the Freedom Tower, to enter upon taking its next step. With that much to swallow, the Lovecraftian God entered its journey to destroy humanity, The Empress losing the remainder of her strength, and collapsing on the floor.
"Heh..." She chortled, content with herself while the Superior tapped his brother on the shoulder, for Lucifer to create his signature trident raising it into the air. The demonic blood-red radiation it emitted calling out to the demons of Hell, yelling for their attention, Hellskins of the Underworld gliding with their wings from the broken ceiling descending on the ground, in front of their Master who instructed them,
"The TIME FOR HEAVEN HAS ARRIVED, MY BROTHERS, MY SISTERS! GO OUT THERE, AND MAKE IT. YOUR. OWN! IN THE NAME OF THE KINGDOM, IN THE NAME OF HELL-!" The monsters from the other world beneath the Earth followed their commander's demands, flapping their wings, drool dripping from their teeth. Watching them vanish through the very nature of the way they'd come in, Morningstar finished with,
"In the name of the Author Himself. We will reclaim... Heaven!"
July 21st, 2013
Alongside this simultaneous event in the Future, the Protectors met up at Henry Colon's apartment for the last time. All seated together as they did three days ago to eat cookies, that same plate of sugar-infested snacks was pushed onto the course. While this would be a time of excitement, usually, considering they were about to defeat their tormentors, some of them couldn't help but despair. Ella, for example, or Madi, unable to accept that their best friend/ex-boyfriend was able to be turned so easily. They had underestimated the lengths Karlo would go to to find an actual family, but Ben was the to reassure them all,
"He made his choice. He could've stood with us, but instead, he decided to be alone. It's his fault, and he blames us for it? Tch... all I know is that Ryder got what he fucking deserved. There's no changing that, I doubt he's going to change, so we shouldn't keep in contact with him-" Though Ben put up that defensive and big exterior, inside, he felt the same way Ella felt. He had never gotten to know Ryder, not truly, anyway. All he knew was that he dated his older sister, which he disliked him for and he maybe had an abusive family. If only he could've done more, but now- with the Moon's whereabouts unknown, there was no point in trying to do anything. They could only leave Ryder to his destiny, and see what he would become in their Future.
2 minutes of silence reigned over the living room, the type of cumbersome muteness that came with losing a fellow family member, like a mother, a father, sister, brother, but it was different this time. They could've saved Ryder, they were just too selfish to acknowledge his obvious cries for help, that is what led down the dark path of regret, hate, and anger. Nevertheless, was this the time for such feelings? In about 15 minutes, when the clock would strike 3:00 A.M., they'd be leaving using the Fool's power to head to the Future. The Chariot was the one who interrupted this quietness, announcing to everyone,
"I went on a date yesterday- we had fun together. We ate some food, walked in the park, and ya know, I got his number--"
"Aren't you supposed to get the number before you go on the date?" Jason inquired, not even realizing the pronoun his friend had used to describe the superhuman he'd went on a date with. 'He'. Madisyn couldn't help but smile at the thought he was finally comfortable with his sexuality, that he didn't force himself to come out, instead, he thought of his best friends. People he knew would like if he did it for himself, not for some stupid bleak Future neither of them knew would occur.
"Him, huh? So, you finally say it aloud," Ben responded to the reveal, looking around, Henry realized that none of them were surprised by this sudden 'revelation'. Madi held no signs of embarrassment on her face, she had no regret, she didn't reveal anything about what he felt for whatever gender. They all already knew-
"S-so, wait, all of you knew-? And you all just... didn't say anything?"
"Of course we knew, man, all of us have been friends for what, like... since middle school? But it never mattered, gay, straight, whatever the fuck, you're one of us. That will never change," Matt reassured his best friend, leaning over to pat his comrade on the shoulder hopefully, the Magician and the Chariot hugging together, Jason couldn't help but yell out,
"Gayyyyy!"
"I assume that the reason you went out with this mystery guy is that you believed the Smoldering Idiot to have been manipulated by the Kingdom via his sexuality? {Henry: Mhm..} So you decided to force yourself to come out with yours so you wouldn't be manipulated by the Kingdom should the time come. And at the end of it all, you somehow realized you could make your Future, deciding not to force the date you were on to be comfortable with yourself. What caused the sudden change?" It was a big thing to just become comfortable with yourself so quickly, remembering back to his first year of high school, he had to debate whether he felt he was bisexual or straight. At the end of the school year, after his experiences with boys and girls, he determined he was the latter. So, for Colon to do it so quickly, there had to be some sort of driving force- right?
"This might sorta stereotypical, like something out of an anime or whatever the fuck, but... at the time, earlier today when you were gone- I thought about you. How, you might've been dead, killed by the Kingdom or whatever they did to you. So I decided to do it for you, to come to terms with myself and put all my passion into the date I was having with Astin. In your memory, of course, I had no idea that you were alive- but in the end, I guess it all worked out, huh?" He wasn't the only one that had been moved by Ben's memory, his legacy, Ella, after the Chariot finished his statement, chuckled nervously, and presented what she'd done in her ex's memory,
"Heh-I, uh... well, I decided to sell my father's company. Ever since Artemis told us about The Empress and how she was able to manipulate the Superior's company, I'd feared the power such a business had. If I sold it, would my dad be proud of me... then, I realized. Your and his memory, they made me realize that I'd be blinded by the Kingdom's tricks. I can carve out my future, that's what you'd want, and that's what'd make my father happiest," Everyone had, in one way or the other, been moved by the memory of their best friend. Their need to do something for him, if he died, overruled their insecurities, worries, and fears. Even Matt, though he'd been traumatized by his taking of the Warrior's life, he thought of his best friend, the Fool, too worried about his mother and what she'd think to avoid the truth for so long. Artemis couldn't help but interrupt the group speaking amongst themselves, with a humored and impressed chortle emerging from the depths of her inorganic throat. The Protectors turned their pupils to the woman that resembled Jessica Rivera, the World, listening to what she had to say- her praises,
"You've all grown so much in so little time, to be honest- I'm quite jealous. While I was given a personality by my creator centuries ago, I've never experienced human emotions as you have- it's almost quite beautiful from what I'm observing at the moment. Now, we must use this power together, to destroy the Kingdom's growth, and avenge those who've fallen!"
"Right-" Without wasting any more time, Ben sent a text to Cecilia Lane, who hadn't heard from him in three days, but he reassured her that his mental state was fine. Opening the portal, his cellular device pushed onto the glass the coffee table held, with Jason doing the same with his hopeful girlfriend soon, Charlie Kyles received the text.
On the other side of their phones, unknowingly to the two brothers, they held each other, the older of the two, Char, rubbing her girl friend's hair. Praying for their safety, Matthew pushed his right foot into the kitchen, his lover, Veronica, had been waiting for him to finish for this exact moment. The two shared a kiss between one another, with the man having work to do, he rubbed theirs together, pulling his fingers away. Standing in the center of the living room, the Protectors disappeared, in a bright flash of blue-violet luminosity, every member was transported to another time.
December 9th, 2536
Nails digging into flesh, palm resting on the face of a cultist, her right eye jumped out of her socket, with the Demon King of Hell moaning in delight and pleasure. Cackling maniacally, spinning around, Trident in his adjacent to right hand disappearing. When they came, he wanted to feel their flesh on his fingers. So he could hear them gasp for air when he dug himself into their flesh, listen for their weakened pleas for mercy- but he wouldn't give it to them. His pubescent brother to the left of him, crimson radiating ax in hand, Lucifer Morningstar turned around. Rippling into space, the rift cracked open like an egg destroying its shell, the Protectors in all their ragged-clothed glory emerging from the appearance of their home time. Ben, wearing his signature galaxy hoodie he wore in Chapter One, with sweatpants, not because they were comfy like Ryder, but to honor their fallen friend. Jason, with his edgy black trench coat and turtleneck along with it, darkened military boots, everyone was primed and ready with their signature outfits.
He who stepped forward first was the Superior, the Fool's doppelganger, brushing the sharp metal of the ax on his teeth, he greeted the Kingdom's enemies,
"So, you've come. How pathetic, this trivial meeting holds no meaning, you've reached this area to die at the hands of the Kingdom's most elite. Is that what you've been fighting for, dear children? To die at the hands of those who are superior to you in every sense of the fucking word? Tch... brats like you piss me off the most, believing yourself to be the peak of humanity, not embracing the God-like powers you hold within thyself. To think you would come this far, Jesus- we should've dealt with you incessant kids back in October. Before you all suffer gruesome deaths at the hands of the Kingdom, do any of you have last words?" His voice sent chills down the Fool's spine, wondering about his mother, his friends, his brother, his sister- would they survive this? Then, he realized, all of them have grown in their way, they're more than capable of taking care of themselves, whether or not of their age or power. Instead of something sarcastic like he'd usually say to someone who thinks they're all-powerful and whatnot, Rivera thought back to some of his favorite media. Games, movies- then it hit him. Stepping one foot down onto the ground, the Castle shook to its core, the Fool yelling out with determination and a defiant look on his face with all his might,
"I'll face myself!"