The aerosol from the butt of the cigar lifted its way through the dark blue air, surprisingly not as polluted as New York City's. He could see the stars, twinkling forever, their shine so bright to reflect on his red eyes light-years away. To his attention, there was a specific star that glittered brighter than all of the rest, darker than the others, reminding him of a shade of grey for some reason. Though he couldn't see it for what it was; maybe it was already dead, a supernova could have already emitted through the utter abyss of the galaxy, but, he had hope. Jason had hope for this singular lone star, to continue shining, though it might dim over time, he just wished it'd be alright... and for the rest of its lifespan in the human eye- it could live a happy life.
Knock, knock, knock! Knuckles of one hand repeatedly tapped on the carefully constructed wood, though whoever was on the other side meant for it to be a soft tap, it was out of their control, seemingly. Feet, heavy emotionally, filled with a strong burden to carry over his shoulders, slid out of the room to the left of the hallway near the entrance. If it was anyone, in particular, he could easily slaughter them without hesitation, so, without a worry on his mind, he twisted the knob to the left. To see... pink plasma. About singe off his skin, before he screamed,
"THE WORLD!" Her true intentions were revealed, flying backward, grunting once her back let out a tiny crack. Before snapping back into its usual place, the Konpeki-laced endoskeleton could withstand almost anything, she had no trouble standing as if nothing ever happened to her in the first place. The Outcast had believed that the kick would at least tear some of her artificial skin off, the way he tilted his head, he seemed almost intrigued by her tenacity,
"And here I was thinking you were just some ordinary cliche robot, what a surprise to know that Rivera's sex robot came all this way from Japan to assassinate me," She did not react to the brash nickname she was given, instead, all she did was send an emotionless glare at his direction. Ultimately sending him forward, his left metal palm beginning to morph into a plasma cannon, eardrums picking up her reasoning for Artemis' sudden arrival,
"You are an incurable evil, though I mean nothing harsh to my new creator, my programming engraved into my board prevents me from seeing his point of view. Ryder Karlo murdered a child, in cold blood without remorse. Not to mention there are a plethora of other murders he's committed across these short four months. He does not deserve saving! That is my Father's philosophy!" To say the least, The Outcast was more than surprised, she was talking about the Superior. The same doppelganger of the infamous Emperor, the sadistic half-demon Superior. She was going off of the programming, the initiative that criminals like him, they don't deserve mercy. Gritting his teeth, from the corner of his lip, he formed a mischievous smirk, devising a quick devious plot... to push her over the line.
"If that's so, then why give me a reason? Why not just burn me to a crisp right here? Let me guess, there's a part of you that's conflicted, isn't there? Seconds ago, your arm was a cannon ready to char my skeleton, but now, you're just saying you will. Take it from someone who's dealing with another personality and conflicting half too, Artie... I can read YOU LIKE AN OPEN BOOK!!!!!" Though she believed it to be a plasma cannon, it was a sound enhancer, to project the massive sound waves that bounced out from his metal palm. Clamps emerged from her ankles, skin starting to tear off of her metal endoskeleton layered beneath all of the silky smoothness. She didn't breath, she continually moved, older clamps flying into the trees behind her, flowing in the chilly air. New ones replacing the destroyed ones, before she eventually reached him, attempting to utilize her fading strength to punch him in the gut.
"Mudana (無駄な)," The blow he dealt with her jaw sent her flying, soaring through the clouds, using projected soundwaves to send him into the air. Continuously searching for her body, that halted suddenly in the sky, catching her adversary by his throat, wings emerging from her back. Shattering the sound barrier with a sonic BOOM! they suddenly reached the borough of Brooklyn in mere seconds, where she projected The Outcast out of her powerful grip, so he'd relentlessly free fall. Without control, without stabilization from the sound waves, he made to propel himself normally, he'd collapse onto the ground. Maybe halting time before he could collide with the Earth, she would need to ready herself for that probability. The clouds parting from the way she threw him, The Outcast was revealed, hovering in mid-air, that emerald bright energy surrounding his menacing figure. Though it was obvious this was a new power she'd been gifted by Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, whatever his name was- she was sure of it, he had complete control over it from the get-go.
Hands behind his back, darkened figure radiating in the nightbreak of the morning, cowl secreting his pale facial features. Grassy retinas brightening from the shade of the hood shadowing his face, inching closer hovering amongst the clouds,
"I suppose this is a surprise? I'm partnered with an Outer God, if anything, you should be surprised you thought you stood a chance against me. Your useless life ceased the moment you were in range!" The A.I. was startled, smooth skin pushing over her metal interior, Artemis' hands stood the same. A signal to the enemy in front of her- to see that this would be a fair fist fight, he wasted no time pushing out his feet and gliding at her. Just as she believed, he vanished, not into anything visual, like a splice in space, but into The World of stopped time. CRACK! The skin that she usually had covering her alloy exoskeleton, it was meant as something to prevent shattering bones, a simple catching of a wrist snapped the bone under The Outcast's arm. He was thrown several hundred meters into the air, where she propelled herself after him, rapidly throwing a barrage at his ribcage. Bones shattering rapidly, experiencing the horrific pain that haunted his mind, for a quick moment before the final punch was thrown, she could see the look in his eyes. And the smile that pushed itself across his lips, resembling a sort of happiness... her eyes widened at the look in his eyes, witnessing his body soar to the Earth floor. Had she been wrong this whole time...? She couldn't let him die so easily, freefalling to the roads in New York City, the air pushing through his clothing, flapping endlessly. Death was inevitable, haunting everyone like a seeping slave, entering people's minds over and over. Wondering what would happen after death, The Outcast's emerald artificials blinked, for their shade to shift. To full grey. This was his fate, at that moment, he saw the future, his entire life plan flash before his eyes. Mere seconds away before crashing into the floor- he was caught...
Eyelids relinquishing their hold over his pupils, concealing what he truly thought, Ryder could see where she'd landed. Coney Island, deserted, with no one to witness the ongoing battle. Blood leaking from his nostrils, through his blurry vision, he attempted to sit up, croaking out to his A.I. enemy weakly,
"Why...?" Part of him didn't get it, though he had believed, he had faith in Rivera- in Ben, to save him. He didn't believe he was worth saving, after everything he'd done, the tears welled up in his right eye. Voice cracking, losing the raspy menacing feeling The Outcast had,
"Why did you... save me? Kill... kill me, goddammit," Artemis was no better than him, she was across from him on the sand, only an inch or so away. Staring into his eyes, the tear that streamed down his right cheek, panting heavily. The tips of her fingers met his temples, ready to blast bullets strong enough to pierce the skin of any superhuman through his skull, so they'd enter his brain. He just stared, ready to accept his fate, into the eyes of his would-be executioner. Isn't it sort of fitting? He played into the ultimate demise of her father figure, The Superior, by not accomplishing the goal given to him by the Kingdom... he deserved it. The death he'd been longing for ever since he made that fateful decision in November- this was it. He waited, the seconds shifted into minutes, turning longer than he'd hoped, Ryder couldn't bear it any longer. The sun rising over the soft horizon, her head turned to admire it,
"What are you fucking waiting for...? DO IT! For once, in my life... PLEASE GIVE ME SOME SORT OF HAPPINESS!!" But how could she? The more she realized the truth, the more she hated herself for even attempting this quest. There was no way it would have ended any differently. But Death is a sleeping slave, seeping its influences, making you wonder about the truth, the answer to life's biggest question was dangling over his head. The trigger was about to be pulled, for the first time in her two years of living... her devoid of emotion apathetic eyes sparked tears. Her hand collapsed to her side, on her knees, she succumbed to her new-found emotions, tearing at the given skin hiding her metal interior proportions, she couldn't help but scream. The duo of adversaries felt the abrupt feeling of fingers, sliding over their dark and light brown mops of hair.
"Death is a sleeping slave. We all succumb to it, wondering if it would have been beneficial, should we die or face our problems. If we granted you the death you deserved, Ryder, there's no guarantee you'd experience the peace you deserve after all this time. After all this pain you've experienced, though your consciousness decided to do horrific things... you need a break," The Emperor had appeared, seemingly from the Universe of stopped time. Karlo's eye glistened with tears, sparkling in the rising sun, bouncing its rays off of the clean frosty ocean. Artemis couldn't help but try and wrap her arms around her savior, who reciprocated that feeling. His arms were warm, giving that feeling she'd been searching for all this time... her usual cold voice was replaced with a tear-filled one, attempting to speak through her depressed speech pattern,
"I understand now... he was corrupted. I should- I should have never come here, Father... I see now why you believed him to be... savable," His pupils widened at the mention of her new name for him, 'Father', his eyes glistened with tears. He'd been so busy with everything else, the mission, saving Ryder Karlo, he'd never noticed her. Artemis had sustained enough injuries for today, the power in her eyes started to fade out, in the arms of her new-found Father, the warmth of love surrounding her very being, she could muster out the final words,
"I wish to always stay beside you... thank you for helping me realize the answer to life's biggest question. Father... save him, please- for me," Her body fell over, limp, lifeless, eyes devoid of emotion, the last bit of electricity sparking out of her body. He was proud, her heart remained intact, the Emperor couldn't help but smile at the thought that she'd grown. If he hadn't picked up that hard drive with her Intelligence on it all those years ago... none of this would have happened,
"Stand up already, Rivera," There he was, that was what he'd been waiting for, The Outcast's final return, radiating with that energy he'd been known for. Eyes only visible through the shadow of his hood, glaring at his despicable enemy kneeling, the Emperor obeyed the instruction. Teleporting meters away so they'd be a safe distance away, this was... it. The final battle between The Moon Outcast and The Emperor. The former of which released his hands from behind his back, there was something odd about the way Rivera held himself. Different from before, like he was resonating with a Celestial power reminiscent of the Chaos'.
"I'm tired of hearing words like 'useless' from you, to me, nothing is futile. The energy in the air, coursing through our veins, gifting us the power we use for such devious means, am I so pathetic, as you say I am? The truth of this battle is plain, obvious, you are the evil I must vanquish from this normalized plain of existence. Are your actions born of truth, motivated by a sense of justice? Or are they merely superficial, born of evil? This test is to ascertain the truth behind your intentions. Can you avoid certain death... Moon?" Angered by his display of power, he tried to step forward, only for his limb to be frozen to the ground. The dark blue energy surging through the air sparked him all over, glancing around, he searched for answers. Was he going crazy- or was he seeing double?
Out of the blue, from the sudden power-up, there was a color change, Ben's signature brown hair had turned to white, the same with his beard. Glasses cracking, collapsing, and turning into a crisp as they touched the sand his toes were covered by, the Emperor's eyes opened to reveal his white aura. The Outcast couldn't help but stand there, terrified of the new abilities Rivera had unlocked, he listened to his other spout, of his motivations,
"I couldn't save my mother... back then, I was weaker. I couldn't use the strength I had dwelling within me, if I had known how powerful I truly was, maybe I could've saved her. But now, with my new-found abilities, I can do it. I can save Ryder Karlo. I can save everyone- RYDER! WHEREVER THE HELL YOU ARE, ASSHOLE! LISTEN TO ME! AFTER EVERYTHING, I FORGIVE YOU!! THERE'S NO NEED TO WANT TO DIE, TRUST ME! I... I WON'T LET YOU!!!!!!!" The Emperor used his powers to push him forward, leaping into the air, surrounded by the lightning in the air, thundering over Brooklyn. Over the beach, his knuckles starting to shatter. Shadowed figure by the sun, The Outcast watched in horror as he screamed the final words before dealing the finishing blow,
"I'M NOT LETTING YOU DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Using his true power, 100% of his full power, the truth circulating through his brain, his veins, he could prevent it! Everything! The Emperor breathed heavily, standing over his rival's unconscious figure, his white hair moving in sync with the chilly wind. Breath visible as ice snuck his way up the back of his ankles, digging his nails into his palms, the sweat dripping down his forehead. The clouds made by the winter season had faded from the punch he'd done to his opponent, Ben chuckled, sure of the future he'd created. Knowing he'd made a better tomorrow for everyone, he began to walk down the beach to the pier, the sun shining its brightened rays onto the left side of his face.
BWOOM. Time had been erased to the point where Ben was already at the end of the beach, hands in his pockets, sweat continuously dripping from his temples. The mineral technologically advanced heart of his A.I. companion, Artemis, he thought about her sacrifice. She had the resolve, the heart to leave, knowing she'd die in the process momentarily, to save Ryder. With the false intention of murdering him right then and there, whispering to her heart in his hand,
"Thank you, daughter. Your resolve is shining as bright as this rising run, illuminating the pathway down the road- that path we're meant to take. The future is in our hands and the truth is in our grasp. Mother- I hope I made you proud..." Proud of himself, at the end of the path Ryder was walking on, there was his only friend. The only one who believed in him, as he awakened, standing up, fully healed. He gazed down the beach, as the arising star that heated the Earth slowly floated in space, reflecting himself beneath his feet. Hands sliding into the pockets of his suit pants, Karlo walked, slowly. The past haunting him, still, realizing what he's done, the tears stream down his cheeks. His sister, she, who had loved him no matter what had her life taken. By him, not by The Outcast, by him. Ryder Karlo. Through the blurry tears, he'd heard the loud voice of his best friend... of her... her?
"Ryder!" El cried out, and he could see her. She wasn't running to punch him, her arms were open, using the speed she was gifted 7 years ago. To hug him, and the warmth of his best friend was the very thing he'd been wanting- craving. All this time. Her face covered in his chest, eyes staring into his emerald tie, her subdued sobs of happiness entered his ribcage.
"Ellie..." Whispered the adult male, he was back, and that was what mattered. The past, though twisted, can be made up for. As she reluctantly pulled her arms from around his waist, Ben had stepped up, the two friendly rivals shared smiles,
"Thank you for believing in me... we're gonna take down that asshole, yeah?" Chortling at the name given to the Outer God Messenger, the Emperor thought it for fitting for what kind of Being he was. They still had time, though, time to prevent the Future's destruction, and halt Nyarlathotep's planet-destroying plot. Saying to his new ally, gripping his metal hand, tightly gripping the alloy, gazing into his rival's eyes,
"Yeah,"
The minutes turned to hours, the shadow of his robe following him as it dragged through the pale sand. The Outer God Messenger kneeled on the material, chilled by the frosty winter air, blackened extremities lifting the torn-off limb. Nyarlathotep sighed at the new error in his plot, telling this to his Father would prove to be an... experience, to say the least. Nevertheless, the sun shining onto his towering skinny figure, the Crawling Chaos worked toward his goal. After all, he had exactly what he needed. Samples of blood beneath the artificial arm surrounded it, in a pool, nonetheless. Time went on as normal, about to vanish out of this life-supporting realm, Nyarlathotep noticed something... odd. Glistening in the rays of the sun, a specific part of the sand he was on had been turned to- glass. Now, this couldn't be Ryder or him, considering he just got here... the worst had occurred. The Outcast had been destroyed, that, he could handle. Remants of lightning surrounded that part of the sand, having transformed into a glass square-like area, sweat hit the grains below the Chaos.
"Requiem..."
The waves crashed, moisturizing the sand seeping its way through the gaps of his feet, remants of a time long past lifting from the depths of the beach. Engravings of his soles visible as he levitated from the air, snarling with the hate dwelling and charging within him,
"Requiem abomination,"
Across the World, in the western hemisphere, Ryder Karlo couldn't help but feel some sort of feeling. After these past few months, after their abrupt acceptance of him just a time before he decided to gaze at the stars, had he changed? Or was he just the same Outcast, holding onto every piece of hate inside of him as an excuse to murder countless innocents? Squeezing his fingers, their nails digging into the softness of his pale palm, a sigh, filled with disappointment exited the crevice of his throat...
The glistening distance of a bright star, further away than any of humanity could ever realize, some semblance of control stood with them. Karlo could feel it, the sense of dread inching closer, not due to his intervention, The World around them was about to change. The wings of a butterfly could take them anywhere, the destination they pleased, was to him. It was different, though, altered to his liking, somehow. It glowed, not a vibrant shade of blue, red, or purple. Instead, it was green... sticking out his index finger, the small creature landed on the extremity. They did not make a sound, instead, it silently moved from side to side of his skin, gazing at the kind human who gifted them this soft perch to stay on.
"How're you feeling?" It was her, the Priestess, bright azure lightning evaporating into the dark blue of the night sky. His heterochromatic pupils stayed locked onto the beauty of the creature, watching their emerald wings flutter, and move to the shoulder of his blonde best friend. The palette of the butterfly's wings changed to her signature aura, dark blue, as El chuckled at the unexpected development,
"Fine, I guess. Everything's just a bit overwhelming and so sudden... one second, I was trapped in this sort of Void. The next thing I know, the voice of The Outcast had perished, and I could no longer see out a window of my mind. I have Ben to thank for my return- had I known he was so devoted to saving me, I would've tried harder," Their thoughts collectively shifted to their ex and rival, the Emperor, his location was currently unknown to them.
But in Manhattan, where the bodies of guards laid about, some with their limbs cut off, some rendered to piles of ash, his watch-covered wrist flicked to the side. And a snap! emerged from the flick of his pointer and thumb.
"Hm..." Though he'd finished with the small FBI army given to guard his home, his aura still radiated off of his soul, that being a new white, his eyes still glowing that signature blue-violet. And his hair color returning to brown, he watched as cardboard boxes filled to the brim with nostalgic items vanquished into thin air. Shifting the soles of his boots, he lifted his foot from a pool of blood he'd stepped within and turned to exit through the front door.
Though the senseless violence he'd believed in prior had been dropped, this was different, they were trying to take his memories. Remnants of a time where only he had peace, and love around him with his wife, his daughter... it was perfect. The bullets passed through his white after-image, created from the speed he was going at, simply by weaving from the firing of the weapon. In the reflection of the guards' eyes, the very last thing they would be able to witness was his flat palm, the tips of his extremities sticking out as their heads were sliced off with ease.
"I'm sorry..." Apologized for the blonde Speedster, her right cheek pressed on the grey hoodie he wore over his chest, the chillier winter air seepings it way through her skin. Frosting over her body, sending chills down her spine, Ryder's green and grey retinas snapped down to look at her. As confident as ever, she didn't even blush while she was like this, surprising, to say the least. But, that was part of her charm, then he witnessed the blush engulf her cheeks, as he stroked his skin fingers through her hair. Tears threatening to spill at the edge of her eyes, Ryder's artificial fingers slowly moved, before reeling back, tightening his miniature extremities into a fist. The energy pulsing through the limb before her strength came to wrap around mineral-layered alloy in the form of his right arm,
"You..." She sniffled, pulling back the snot attempting to run down her nostrils, her fingers interlocking with his- the Outcast's FORMER metal palm. Altering her response, she gave a question as a follow-up, "Why did you keep this arm... why didn't you tell Ben to make you another human arm? Why not a replacement human eye?"
He didn't know how to respond, part of him believed it to be right, that he'd had those parts of him for so long. That they became part of him, for real, and not just replacements that he'd been given to sustain his injuries. His gaze shifted, from her, too quickly glancing at the butterfly's beautiful wings, spreading out and then his hand. Her frail human fingers laid gently in his palm, Karlo realized, though he hated these parts because of the corruption he allowed, he let them be,
"Don't let the past shape who you are today, Ry. Make who you are better than you were then- it might be hard by yourself, but... maybe someone could help you?" He wasn't oblivious, from the way she phrased that, it was clear what she wanted. Eyes gazing off in the distance to watch the snow circulate the mountains in the distance, while the rays of the moon shone brighter than ever before, and Ryder inched closer.
"I-" She didn't get to blurt out the remainder of her statement, before his hand wrapped around her throat, gently holding and twisting her head. Momentarily gazing into his eyes, catching the truth of his feelings, and the touch of his lips upon hers. Their life was not just shown physically, though it was a simple gesture, it meant as much as a thousand words. Their fingers intertwined together, locking their hands in one, the duo of lovers sharing a collective aura, their color combining momentarily. To create a cyan energy circulating through their souls, together. That night, for the very first time in Ryder Karlo's life, in 24 years… he was happy. With her.
In Manhattan, a dilemma faced the Emperor. Dropping a remaining soldier to the ground, finished with the search of his person and sighed as he returned to his normal standing position. Manifesting his existence back in his Penthouse apartment, he searched through the cardboard boxes for nostalgic memorabilia. Photos, clothes, items that held significant emotional or sentimental value, the works. As he expected, all of that was hidden inside of them, pointless memorabilia that meant something only to him. Back turned to the box behind him, scrummaging around through the plethora of items he'd left four months ago, he could see a golden light reflecting onto the walls beside him. Spinning around, he infused his consciousness with 100% of his power once more.
Hair bursting into white strands, the same color aura projecting from his soul to surround his exterior figure, fingers already shifted into a fist. Witnessing the very thing that created the radiation, Ben's aura dissipated and his hair shifted to the natural dark brown. Kneeling to examine the origin of the glow, he was greeted with the very thing his rival had been searching for months prior, when attempting to shatter the 'chains' that bound him.
It was the Necronomicon itself, whispers of creatures and demons beyond this realm echoed from the book. But Ben was resilient, he wouldn't let his dream go unaccomplished, using the training given to him by his mentor, the white aura once more surrounded his body. Preventing his mind from being corrupted by any of Hell's monstrosities, the very next page he turned was another atrocity.
Created from the Great Old Ones when Cthulhu and his brethren ruled the Earth millenia ago, a structure that would pierce the Planet's skies would rise from the ashes of the Old World. And create a new one, that is the prophecy written by those who roamed this planet. This structure, the name was written in a scratchy text, as though the author of this writing had been going insane, it was dubbed easily by the crazed man, 'The Tower of Chains.' For it to truly rise, there were certain requirements needed… the Emperor's eyes widened.
A simple drop of crimson liquid slipped its way from the container it had been held within, seeping its way continuously through the Tower. Buried in the forgotten landscape underneath the Earth, the Crawling Chaos witnessed the slow rising as the sharp tip of the Tower pushed its way from the roots of Terra. His blood was the key to it all, and as he stood sleeping with his blonde girl around his arms, the fabric of the World… changed around them.
To Be Continued in Chapter 19 - Moon's Rising