CRASH! BOOM! CLASH!
As their fists collided with parts of their bodies, they were pushed further back with their soles sliding against the wood of the floor. Ben's shoes skidding against the floorboards from the blow he'd immediately received on his chest, sending out a miniature shockwave, he widened his eyes. August rubbed at his nape for a moment stepping out from the hole he'd made in the sliding doors of the mock dojo. Thumb at the right arm of his shades hiding the coloration of his ocular technique, his hair flew above levitating by the energy flowing through his body,
"Alright, old man, let's end this quick. Don't hold me back just cuz I'm your son, I hate that shit," Admitted August, the Reaper pulling off his hood from over his hood, the color belonging to the lines on his suit fading to turn back to the darkened blackness.
Raising his fists, spitting out blood, Ben couldn't help but let out a smug chuckle from the side of his lips- the Emperor running right ahead toward his offspring. Smirking at the sight, August grabbed at his father's shoulders implanting his palms against his dad's skin, flipping right over his head and landing on his knees. Turning his head, Ben gazed at his son, the legacy he'd left behind, noticing the way that the tendrils were aiming at his face, ends as sharp as the blades used by the Crow and the Hunter,
"Trying to bring HIM out, huh? Smart!" Commented Ben, August keeping up his shades for just a moment hearing the lenses click against his face upon the touch of his extremity against the sunglasses.
Tendrils extending out further, expanding their reach, all the Emperor had to do was make his right eyelet out a spark at the center of his pupil. Everything turned to darkness, the environment obliterating around him, Ben stepped through the destroyed time skipping right through it so he could reach out and gain the advantage. Hands nonchalantly in the pockets of his pants, as the time skip ended, there his father was, right in front of his face, leading August to smirk. The shadow tendril ensnaring the wrist of Rivera right before he could land a hit to the side of his throat, the Reaper heard the audible gasp jump out his father's lips as he landed an easy to the side of his gut.
Crkkkk! His ribs creaked, spitting out blood, he was launched to the left, smashing a hairnet the wooden wall, destroying a board with papers… the elder Emperor couldn't help but groan in agony,
"This is rather odd. You're not usually so surefire and quick when you attack. Trying to end this swiftly, aren't cha?" Observed August, still with his hands in the pockets of his attire, cloak dragging against the floor. Eyes hid behind the darkness of the shades, Ben rubbed his shoulder feeling the life energy surge and regenerate his cracked ribs,
"Your blood pressure is up, not to mention your heart rate as well, usually, when I'm scared, I have to take a shit. Then again, I guess that's where we differ, Dad. Even with the new 'enlightened' state, you're at, you believe this to be beneath you, considering you're also dying, you want to train on your own. But you want to listen to Hana, as a sign of stupid respect, so you're just trying to get this over with quickly as possible," Observed August, yawning for a second, he patted his gaping mouth as Ben sat up, bum still against the floorboards,
"I don't want to put any of you at risk by unleashing him so I do wanna prepare on my own. You might be the strongest, son, but I'm the most destructive. Sometimes, I don't even feel human anymore," Admitted Ben, dejectedly sighing, to which August couldn't help but look sympathetically at his old man.
Through everything, the horrors and atrocities that had occurred over the past few years ever since Azazel went to recruit Rose during May of 2052, not only has humanity's purity been dwindling but so has the thought of it. Dear old dad needed a wake-up call, and who else to give it to him than his very own son?
"I think the problem lies with your future memories and the way they affected your mind. You still blame yourself, after all, that's happened. The Purge, Heaven's Ambush, the Government Overtaking, the Demon Invasion, all that shit. Even after learning that grandma was proud of you, you can't forgive yourself, I hardly blame you. What happened shouldn't have but it's the past and none of us could change it. Humans are imperfect beings, keep trying to be better and eventually, it'll get better. No matter what you think or how you act, there's only one unavoidable truth about strength in this world, dad.
No matter who you are and whatever power you have, you're just as human as the rest of us, old man.
Keep going the way you are now, don't worry about Hana or even Gramps. By then, you wouldn't even be able to measure up to even me. Risks are part of the game, I'm sure, more than anyone, you know this to be true. Bring it out, channel it, the point of coming here was to train and use the power of the Superior Emperor against Acheron. So, that being said-
Let's try this again, old man!"
Back at the right-hand area where Azazel and Kristina were formerly being trained, the sun had begun to set behind the mountains now, reaching ever closer toward the evening, yet the heat still ever so irritating against their skin. Planting his bottom against the wood of the bench, Azzy stretched out his arms into the air above, feeling his body shiver and shake. Crow soaring above the very clouds that protected the space and stars, Karlo played with his phone for a second leaning his head back against the edge of the stretched-out seat,
"They take too damn long…" Agitatedly stated the Fool Detective, fingers holding onto the cellular device, he flicked his wrist back and forth so his hand would swing that same area,
"Oi! You stay out in the sun too long, you're gonna lose the whiteness and look like those idiot Riveras!" Ryder teased at his son, hand in the pockets of his black trench coat, Rose to wave over to her big brother spouting out a happy giggle.
Unable to withhold the grin from his shaking lips, the smile curved up onto his lips, and he stood up holding out his arms to end hugged by his baby sister, Rose to throw herself into the arms of her sibling. Ruffling her ginger hair, sliding his gloved fingers through the smoothness of her locks, Azzy placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead. Temporarily closing her eyes to enjoy the company, the warmth of her brother with her right here, Ryder came over to tower over his redheaded daughter, cybernetic palm rubbing her head. Sliding back on her soles joyfully, she stood by her dad's side, Karlo's curls moving with the wind, Azazel gradually sat up with a tired groan feeling some of his bones crack,
"So, you called us to show 'the truth of our power'?" Questioned the Moon, Rosey moving her head from side to side as she searched for traces of Alex anywhere, knowing he was training somewhere around the Temple,
"Honestly? That was mostly me being dramatic, but I do have some new stuff to teach you both, which I doubt you two know. And it has to do with our demonic heritage," Said Azazel in a sure-fire way, leading to him stripping off his coat and revealing his muscles. His arms weren't huge but they sure as hell were beefy if that made any sense.
Who followed next was Ryder, after glancing at his daughter, she sighed in an annoyed tone, angrily muttering, "Stupid female parts, stupid boobs… never wanted to be a girl anyway," as she made her way to find a bathroom so she could change into her sports clothing. Seconds later, the duo of daughter and father were across from their brother/son, the latter of which had his arms crossed over his chest revealing his arms. The left one matching the artificial muscularity of the cybernetic replacement for the right, but he wasn't insanely ripped like, say, the Original Rivera Triplets. It was the same shape as it was over forty-something years ago when he was still an immature 'villain', his mental state had aged but his body was physically still in its prime, leading Rose to examine his father's shape,
"Hey, how does… well, THIS work?" Inquired the ginger Karlo to her older father as she gestured to his body and younger-looking appearance, to which he thought for a minute with his finger on his chin, contemplating the physics and a proper explanation so she didn't get confused,
"Whenever something's in the Temple, their body isn't there, it's their mind and souls. But since we can't walk around as a weird-looking soul, we use our physical forms as mediums for our spirits and walk around so we don't feel anything when we walk along the floor of the Temple. I don't age and neither do any of the other attendants of the Temple, like Uraku. Too bad the Temple was brought forth into reality, though, I feel like when the time comes for the Advent, I'll be split with Uraku when we take it back," Ryder informed Rose of the technicalities behind the Temple's aging and all that stuff, leading for Azazel to smile at that lady detail.
The thought of taking back the Temple, where Uraku had been stationed ever since the beginning of time, having aided preserving the Karlo bloodline, all of them were truly in the debt of that old man. For though he was the one that started this story, to begin with, he was one of those people that made it worth continuing down this road, to see it through to the end of the destined path, so all of them could have- the deaths they properly deserved. But that was just Azazel's train of thought, shaking his head out of his mind, he noticed that his sister and father had both been talking about something else entirely having steered off about the Temple,
"Both of you! Stop being idiots and get your heads on the right so we can talk about this, the chaotic flow of demonic Takyr," Demanded Azazel, whipping both of his 'learners' into shape so Rosey could mimic a soldier saluting their lieutenant. Ironically contrast to Ryder smiling and just staying with both of his arms by his sides, awaiting proper instruction and staying there, standing like an idiot. Without any further ado, Azazel went to explain, flicking his fingers together so a Snap! Would enter the air just then for half a second, generating black and red sparks of lightning, that being Takyr in its purest, closest physical form,
"This is Takyr. The demonic energy carved out from the depths of Hell made possible and incarnated from the despair and suffering of mankind. The only way we can harness and utilize Takyr in a battle is by controlling negative emotions, like a horrible memory of something, but instead of getting somber about it, you channel it through your body and direct it out a part of your body. Say, your finger, you could blast a beam of it at someone, like an Angel. Aiming for their core would instantly destroy their being, spreading throughout their soul like a virus. The key to utilizing Takyr as a weapon comes with the weaponization of negative emotions, to which we can let the energy flow through our bodies, and charge it outright at the moment of our veins bursting! Like… SO!!" Yelled Azazel, both of his relatives to his front splitting apart from one another's sides so they could watch as the stream of Takyr slid between that crack between their beings.
Chaotically moving, cracking rapidly and sparking as it bounced around to split off into other bolts that hit against mountains it passed by. Rose turned her head for a second in astonishment at the fading away from the sight of the demonic energy moving further and further away, Ryder didn't even bother to face it, instead, he just stared ahead. Instead, he raised his cybernetic hand, Takyr crackling, starting from the tips of his blackened metallic fingers down to the end of his artificial limb,
"I know this stuff, kid. I spent half my life at that godforsaken Temple, learned a lot of things- also hurt Uraku a bunch of times, but we don't talk about that. This is just for Rosey to learn about channeling Takyr… in ten days?" Questioned Ryder, devoid of hope as he realized and registered the task at hand, later on, groaning agitatedly knowing it would be draining,
"Guess so," Azzy added, noticing Rose playing with one of her stray curls away from her two male relatives.
Not to mention the way that Alex was in the way too, so she'd likely get distracted. This was what it was like, despite her not being a teenager anymore, none of them had a chance to flourish, considering all the trauma coming with entering the Academy, she never had a chance to be a real teenager and be superhuman at the same time. But, neither did Ryder and Azazel, for their teenager's lives were being forced to kill others for someone else and abused for the guilty pleasure of his horrible parents.
As the reflection of Rosalyn mirrored into their eyes, both Azazel and Ryder shared a look, smiling… the son of the Moon went to the bench, the gradual pace of his father following. Now leaning against the wooden seat, it was clear that as the time went on and it was inching closer toward nighttime, they would save the training for tomorrow. Nevertheless, the very thought of having to force Rose to train her skills while also being a girl, made him think of her more as a daughter than a sister,
"I hope that when Blaire and I have kids together, I don't have a girl… that'd just be a pain," Azazel confessed, resting back against the frame of the bench, he rubbed at his nape moaning tiredly, but that comment that his son had made had led to Ryder's eyes darting quickly from side to side. Nervously chuckling, he turned to his son, leading for him to open an eye in curiosity,
"Funny that you mention that…"
"Hm?"
To Be Continued.