The days felt like seconds as they passed like strong winds, the cherry blossom trees regrowing their pink leaves on the bark of their branches. A plank of wood was dragged off from the stump engraved into the dirt, flying and taken by an invisible tornado of wind. The piece of nature ascending into the air over the peak of the Academy, the Emperor entered through the front of the school. Pushing the two metal doors wide, his boot pushing against the marble clean platform to the bottom of her soles. The bottom part of his palm against his face, Ben groaned with an irritated tone audible in his vocals, darkened brunet locks moving with the wind. Before, automatically, the mineral-laced doors closed and touched one another, seemingly forming a singular appearance. One singular line split down the middle appearing as a simple design choice, Rivera's heavy steps reigned over the platform as he made his way to his intended destination.
The medbay. Those who'd been wounded in the fight against the Aether treated by those superhumans who'd been gifted with specialized abilities. A particular student with red lengthy hair wincing as the stitches were implemented into her skin, Rose writhing dramatically,
"sTOPPP!!!! IT HURTS! AGH, IT HURTS!!!!"
These played-out screams all threw themselves out of her throat before the top was playfully chopped, getting her to cry and whimper. The bandage over his right eye blurring his vision, Edward demanding,
"Shush and take them. You're already making my ears bleed,"
Sitting at the edge of her bed, the white-haired Reaper handed the aids she used for her hearing back to the blonde. Sending a comforting smile to the adult August, who playfully ruffled her golden locks. Hazel giggled, that wide happy smirk over her lips brightening up her lover in the left hand corner of the room that held the doorway. Leaning against the right side of the entryway, the nurse and doctor superhumans flew out the doors. Times have changed, as the Emperor appeared, the children widened their eyes at the intimidating aura the old man resonated from his body. Alex and August shared that same knowing look as if expecting something from the man as he entered,
"So, how'd it go?"
Inquired Azazel to his rival's father, to which the older Rivera scoffed at the question, spotting a chair and sitting in the corner. Rubbing his eyes as he remembered the events of the hearing, their grey hairs, corrupt pupils staring down at him as though they were more powerful than he. A god.
"We were obligated to stream what occurred at the Training Event across the world. I informed the President last year after the Invasion that I'd enhance and enforce the defenses on the Academy so nothing else could happen again like the demons. Though, the Aether somehow returns after everyone believed It'd died. So, we're left with no hope of protection and despair among the masses. The deal I made with the President on the edge of being broken, and they're debating to replace the superhumans in the Extinction Force with artificially created enhanced versions of superhumans left over from Kuno's old days,"
Rolling his eyes at this news, the Fool Detective, previously seated at the side of his sister's mattress where she'd been resting- had risen with an angry stomp to his movements. Tendril pulling him back before Karlo could flee, August could sense it from his father; there was more,
"But..?"
Reluctant to share the following, he spared a knowing look to his son, nervously chuckling at the silent suggestion his old man had made. Grabbing hold of his face and shaking his head, he ruffled his hair and made it a mess. Screaming in frustration, fists making contact with a hole so it'd form a tiny crater- cracks spreading from the point of impact. Alex stepped forward, interjecting with his suggestion,
"Then why don't we just go attack Heaven now? The Government can't stop us, we're all too powerful... right?"
"Of course they can't stop us, but the thing is; how do we even get to Heaven and what do we do when we get back? They'll still put us under arrest for moving without a specific Governmental presence authorizing the operation,"
The answer to the first question was fairly simple, the Emperor and Requiem Reaper had known it for quite some time. The only thing wrong... was everyone else. Azazel was given a nervous stare, to which the Prince rolled his eyes, stepping forward to the Reaper, with a determined stare, punched his ally in the chest so he'd fall. The back of his head hitting the metal surrounding the bed, the World, with no other options, sighed longly. Extremities' bones snapping and cracking as they unnaturally contorted, they spread apart at his command, a tarot card radiating with the signature emerald and ruby Requiem energy that laid dormant inside his soul,
"This is the soul. Usually, our souls go to Heaven when the body dies and we lose the will to move forward. Though, it can easily be shifted and taken advantage of by using the right amount of Omni energy; the main source of Heaven's thriving nature. Charging the soul up with enough Omni energy will trick it into thinking your body is dead, so you're transported to Heaven. This will transport your body and soul at the same time so you'll disappear from Earth and go above the clouds. At the moment, there are only a certain number of people that can do this. Me, my dad, my aunt, my sisters, my uncle,"
"And so what? We've been doing this for nothing then? How the fuck are we supposed to get up there?"
That question originating from Whitney had earned him a punch across the face, the gust of wind sending August's hair back for a moment. The steam leaving his knuckles, Rivera continued to explain with the final most important portion,
"You all can do it, dumbasses. The very reason most of you have powers is that your parents had been experimented on by Kuno and their cells had been infused with Omni. Evolving the human genome beyond its basic form to be on the match with basic angels. There's no way basic human genetic manipulation in the 2030s can make actual superhumans with the power to level buildings,"
Puffing out some wind so the lone strand over his right eye could fly back up to remain with his snowy locks, August went to leave. Glancing at his father before fleeing the premises, skeleton lacing with teleportation energy warping away to god knows where. Ben, standing straight, watched as Karlo rose, his broken cheekbone healing at a swift pace as the Emperor sighed,
"There's nothing I can do to help you all, you must learn to control the very fabric of your souls on your own. The Training Event was to test the limits of your body and seeing as how some of you lasted against the Aether, I'd say... your souls do hold more power than these feeble pieces of meat we inhabit. Remember, Alex let the energy flow through your body. Feel at peace, the harmony in your brain. That's the key. Keep moving forward; dedicate your hearts,"
The Major Arcana inside were left pondering, no doubt the other students were being trained at a quickening pace to trick their souls. They needed to catch up; they needed to avenge the past. The Emperor's face shrouded in shadows, phasing through the wooden doors, and there he stood, his white-haired son leaning against the wall with his hands stuck in his pockets. As smug and laid-back as ever, Ben took the position behind the desk, his nail sharpening to the point where it stood as a claw,
"So, you're gonna do it, huh? A year after I come back, the tables turn? You're taking after me somehow?"
"If I knew this was the cost of our freedom; I'd never have paid it. But, we're too far ahead now. Even going back wouldn't change the future for us. Not truly, anyway. We're fated, August,"
Looking down with a saddened look on his face, the slice slid across the open palm of the Requiem Emperor, not even a wince or a breath through teeth. He sat. Staring without a care, the blood leaking quickly, then watching as it evaporated to steam. Wrapping the bandage around it, using the same nail to slice off his ear, August caught it quickly. Back now against the entrance, turning the lock so no one would interrupt, the Reaper stared. Hopelessly, to the ground, with no sense of determination for the future. To keep moving forward, if this was truly the cost; did any of them deserve to keep... moving?
"There's not such a thing as fickle as fate, you old piece of shit. You know that, better than anyone. Mom told me the stories, I saw you come back drenched in his blood. You took back the future you thought was lost... with hope for your future. Didn't you?"
"The future I took back wasn't the future I thought it was. It was a possibility ad infinitum, in another world. One twisted by hatred and corruption, to the bitter end. Where my mom told me her final words, where she died surrounded by everyone she loved and the charred grounds of the Kingdom's destroyed city. Your grandmother told me to make her proud... and as long as I keep going, moving forward to justice and freedom; I'm sure she'll understand,"
Watching with no sense of care in his eyes as his father mutilated himself without regard for his health- August reluctantly let his head fall. Steam emitting, skin about to reattach itself to one another as the cut began to heal, Ben wrapped his hand in the white paper bands that soaked up the blood,
"You're truly going to do all of this for her? For Grandma? Though she died, what, 50 years ago-?"
"Out of all the people in the world, August... I thought you'd understand the most. They didn't take away just my mother. They took away my future with my family. They took away the chance for me to let my mother see my kids for the first time, for her to be at my graduation, or see me open the company for the first time. They took away my chance at a normal life! I can't just let it go, they keep taking away everything we've worked so hard for. No one is innocent in this universe. Not anymore. And if they've truly committed no sins... then I'll be freeing them from this twisted place we call our home. It's the cost, August. To save... no, not to save humanity. To save my family. I can't turn away from the future, no matter how much I hate it-"
Grunting loudly, sticking out his hand so his father could halt the words that were spewing out of the garbage truck he called his mouth. He began to speak on his own, demanding loudly and strongly as he gazed into the Headmaster's eyes,
"Oi, oi, oi, oi! Say that shit again and I'll kill you right here. Maybe then... Mom won't have to deal with your pain in the ass. And you'll finally be reunited with dear old Grandma,"
Raising from his seat, the Headmaster felt the flesh in his right arm replaced with a cybernetic replacement. Mimicking Ryder's unfortunate style, the Requiem Emperor watching as the skinned fleshy previous version of his limb hit the ground. Discomposing rapidly so the bones would rot to nothing, Ben and August began to raise their heads so they could stare at one another.
Their looks shared so much more knowledge than any more words could state, the duo of father and son sharing a gripping final hug. Before leaving for the final time, the Reaper wiped a tear and chuckled to himself, whispering as he pushed the scarf over his face,
"Stay safe... old man,"
With Azazel having fled the med bay, Whitney felt the bones in his cheek reattach and attach back to one another. Sucking the air through his teeth, wincing and audibly moaning at the anguish. Ruffling his messy parted hair, Lynn sent him a comforting wide smile to which he nodded in understanding. The look on her face giving way for Myers to rest his cheek on her waist, her soft skin extremities flowing through his dark raven-tinted locks. Rose's words filling the area, debating with her allies the matter at hand,
"So... what are we supposed to be doing in the first place? The thing we fight for keeps changing. What are we..." A dejected sigh exited her mouth, pushing back her hair so it'd fall back to the rear of her body and cover her nape. Inquiring to them all quizzically, "What the hell are we fighting for?"
Alexander couldn't answer, the world around him kept changing with the years moving forward seeming as if they're going to alter the way he viewed life at an astronomical rate. The fusing of the Truth, the Invasion, the revelation behind his parents. What was the world coming to..?
"Didn't we come seeking control for our powers? Why in the hell did we get dragged into any of this anyway?"
The question that came flying out from the mind of the Star sent Justice's eyes to dart downward, examining the floor and carpet. Remembering the battle with the Aether, and the energy that'd sparked out from his arms... his broken arm. It was never truly about such a simple goal, they were destined for this future. This was their purpose; the cost of being cursed with such 'gifts,'
"This was never about something so simple. We all came here for our reasons, but there's denying what we agreed to that night. We learned the truth of this world and all others beyond it, and we agreed to fight for the future when the Headmaster gave us the option. Whitney gained his freedom from the choices his parents made and decided not to blindly believe one simple thing. Lynn found freedom from her father as well, free of the guilt from the decisions and knowing herself to be different from how he wished her to be. Ed was taught that it wasn't right to keep going on believing the ideologies of others forced unto him, and began to love himself and others, again. Haze learned to trust men again when she came here, trusting herself, finally when I showed her kindness and affection. Rose kept running away from the truth of her heritage all along until Detective Karlo had to confirm it for herself, though she'd known it from the very beginning all along. That was when she knew that she didn't have to be alone anymore, and accepted her brother and her lineage as part of the Karlos. And me..."
Everyone went silent at these truths, Amara continuously spouting out their names and referencing the past. Everyone was driven here looking for something. Whitney and Lynn for freedom. Edward for validation. Hazel for guidance. Rose for acceptance. And Alex, most of all, for warmth,
"I'd never known how special I was until I saw that vision the Superior showed me. That my parents never loved me, and that the thing I'd been fighting for was a lie this whole time. Though, I have gifted this blood; this power. I wasn't special, yet I had the blood of a special man... and that was enough for me. Then, I realized that none of that truly made me special. But the people that surrounded me and helped me through everything. Normally, I'd want to leave after so many horrible things have happened over the last year. Yet... now, more than ever before, my determination keeps me going. To see the end of this journey for us all, so we can reach the freedom we so truly desire. I want you all- to truly live long happy lives,"
No one was shocked by his words, rather, flustered by the flurry of continuous embarrassing confessions that flew out from the lips of the Justice. Blushes spreading over their cheeks, Hazel used her pigtails to hide her face, as Whitney had pushed his full features into the side of Lynn. The Sun and Star make eye contact for a moment before shaking off the feeling of staring away from one another, as Rose just tightening her grip over her leggings. Alex chuckled at them all, palm hiding his lips behind the tanned skin as he gazed at the Major Arcana,
"DON'T LAUGH! YOU MADE US GET LIKE THIS!"
Whitney began with a creepy slow laugh building up from the ground at the yell Sunni had let croak out from her throat, leading to crazy maniacal cackling as he held his face. Though the vocals held a layer of insanity, as soon as he removed the fingers shielding his features, it was there. The happy soft smile, ecstatic and filled with glee, thanks to the friends he'd gathered. It was true, and it was here... he loved it, truly. The laughter that filled the room was pure, filled to the brim with love and affection for the small family that'd been created a year ago. Alex's smile then faded, remembering a blue-haired girl that Whitney had been talking to before the beginning of the Event,
"And there's another we need, right? That girl with the cute blue buns... in her hair, right?"
"I heard that paus!"
Cried Adams, to which Amara nodded with a small laugh, walking over to his blonde lover. Pressing his bottom against the mattress, the Hermit scooted over, her head on his shoulder. Skinned lids closing over her emerald pupils, Hazel listened to the conversation, beginning to gradually drift to a slow slumber. The Hunger remembering the time he spent conversing with Nova, chuckling, an index finger sticking out and pointing to her unconscious body across from him. Short hair sprawled out onto the pillow to the back of her tanned skull,
"I could feel the tension radiating off of her... she was keeping something locked up, I could tell. She's not free of it just yet. We need to help her,"
Alex cracked his head back at the whispers and self-hatred, the strengthened emotions sending him a sharp headache before he slowly rubbed his temples. Sliding his index and middle finger off his skull, Amara inhaled sharply,
"Maybe I can help her... she seems to have been feeling something like... reluctance. She's actually in a coma,"
The pink pupils of the Explosive Star widened in surprise, realizing and remembering the feeling all too well. Small pops bouncing off from his palm, Amara began to stand and raise from his seated position. Words from this physical plane of existence where only the body could act seemed useless. Rolling a bed over that could be planted beside the lax body of the Fortune, Alexander inquired of his roommate,
"Sure you wanna do this, Eddie?"
"Do it before I regret offering anymore than I already do,"
Demanded the Star, closing his eyes, the flutter of energy engulfed the area, a small blast of telekinesis sending the girls and Whitney back from the crowded area. Lengthy untied hair levitating, the consciousnesses belonging to the Justice and Stars were transported to the deep mind belonging to Arabella Nova.
In the Void of the Mind, everchanging and obeying the perception belonging to that person, the vastness of the brain for Arabella Nova was a sea. Those who did belong in this body and soul standing above the chaotic water, the duo of Edward and Alexander searching endlessly for their girl. Widening his eyes at the discovery, Singh knelt, pushing one finger through the transparent liquid and pointing,
"Over there!"
There she was, her shortened locks moving with the calmed water in the depths of the endless ocean. Arms stretched out, breath slowly fading as her lungs gradually became filled with water, abruptly, Nova was caught into the arms of the Star. Fingers holding onto her pale soft arms, Ed was overwhelmed, inside of his eye and into his mind, temporarily, they were connected. Experiencing every horrific memory that'd she was there to see, Edward Singh was but an invisible spirit beside the material physical Wheel of Fortune. A multitude of voices entering his ears, all belonging to different voices, though he'd only heard one thing...
"Forgotten,"
A girl with unnatural hair watching as the people who'd called themselves her friends abandoned her, having fun as they laughed and giggled together. From the outside bars of the playground, Arabella was but a bystander, invisible to their vision as they walked by. And didn't even recognize her. But how? They'd just walked home with her yesterday...
But even that day? All she did was remain in the back, listening to the mixes she'd created on her own time, music filling her ears. And it was all she ever truly needed, in the end. Staying behind a desk as the rain hit the window, the satisfying audio mixing with the previous silence of the chamber... earbuds plugged into her ears. Humming along with the tunes she'd created, the darkness had surrounded everything. It was all she ever truly needed, in the end, right? The light from the moon reflected off the steel from the grey blade...
If no one had truly loved me- if no one would notice me while I was alive... or cared for the things I love and create, then why would it matter if I was gone? I was truly a bystander, a lone spirit wandering a field surrounded by crowds of people. They all favored the others over me anyway... didn't they?
But in the end, I couldn't even get a cut in. All I did was solemnly stare out the window and wish I wasn't such a pussy. And there, stretched out before me, in the sky above the window. I could see it. The green northern lights, glowing and reflecting onto my face. I can remember it so clearly as if it were yesterday. The world was such a horrible place, with bad people, though, with sights like this- did I truly need to die so early? I accepted that people were the worst, I just wanted... to not be such a freak. I came to the Academy so I didn't have to worry about being an unregistered secret for all my goddamn life.
"You... had come to live. Normally, you could see the sights for yourself, and travel the world. That's why, after Whitney had talked to you, you tried to kill him and Lynn. Because he'd helped you give hope back to the humans, but you didn't want that... did you?"
Nova's motionless standing body, with those words, and that final question, had snapped her out of her baseless trance. Turning around at a slowed pace, she could stare into his eyes, and see that emotion. He'd experienced the same thing as she did, and the tears had been flowing ever since he'd seen the first memory. Clearing his throat, fist hitting against his chest, Ed rubbed his nape with a nervous chuckle, asking of the azure-haired girl,
"And even after he helped you, so you two could fight fair with one another; you didn't want to believe it. You didn't want to get hurt again, so when you fell unconscious- you went to sleep. For good this time so would make up your wondrous sights. Without anyone to bother you, so you could be alone forever in this beautiful Void. I... tried the same thing. Because of my powers, I was an outcast, thought to be a weapon of mere destruction. But, these people. Alex, Rosa, Hazey, Lynn... Whitney. They taught me to love myself no matter what, no matter what anyone else says,"
That day, I couldn't believe my ears. I'd been alive for 16 years, living in this horrific world and experiencing the hatred all of them held for me. I didn't have any time to think, my body lost its strength, all that I could use were my arms. It felt like I'd been stabbed, the dagger's grip grabbed and yanked out of my heart... I was free. The pain was free, yet the bandages absorbed the blood, the next words that came into my ears; the same words I'd been waiting for years to hear:
"You... don't have to be afraid anymore,"
With that, everything had ended, and the Void's darkness was destroyed. Alex didn't have to disable their connection, as if the minds took on wills of their own, and the control he held over them had fizzled out. Her eyes fluttered wide, tears evaporating and sinking back to the glands she had on her face. And there they were, the girls whispering and loudly greeting Arabella back to the 'land of the living' though Whitney remained silent. The Hunger gently asked,
"Are you okay?"
And the Fortune's azure pupils searched curiously, head moving up and down, a smile curved up over her lips. As she rose, now sitting up, Ed had been seen sitting as well. Their eyes meeting, the girl threw herself onto Edward, and finally, Arabella Nova... had begun the healing of her heart.
But this chapter in the story wasn't over yet, with Azazel Karlo rushing quickly, skidding across the hallway before his nails dug into the left side of the entrance. Panting heavily, sweat dripping down from the glands on his temples, the Detective's loud echoing pleas for air were audible to all the teenagers momentarily experiencing some sort of happiness. Following a sharp inhale, the Fool demanded strongly,
"You all need to come with me!"
Brought to the metal walls of Samantha Riley's classroom, the teens were scattered about in the classroom, all witnessing the reflection of the news on their shiny glassy eyeballs. A press conference held by none other than the infamous President of the United States, announcing publicly and declaring proudly,
"Ever since the failure of containment that the infamous CEO Ben Rivera had done last year during the demonic invasion, we've been hesitant at accepting and allowing him to remain free on US soil. A god with such power to wipe out a whole other planet? And yet, there are more of those same sorts of species in the vastness of space above the clouds. His promises are nothing short of lies and empty truths. I, President Leon Parkki, with the power bestowed upon me, demand that the three Requiems be handed over to the US Government so that we may utilize the freedom and security for good. Benjamin Rivera, Augustus Rivera, Alexander Amara. You have one week to turn yourselves personally to me at the White House so we can negotiate a plan of attack before you are seen as public enemy number one for the remainder of the world. Thank you, that will be all,"
To Be Continued...
Synopsis for Chapter 55: With the Requiems and their allies hunted by the Government, the groups discuss their options between what they should do. Debating whether or not they should come to a temporary ceasefire between the Government, everyone makes a shocking discovery.
Next Chapter - Advancing Forward