Leo paced back and forth, fiddling with his hands as he wondered what to do. The Tournament of High Schools was today, Glendale vs. Brikston. He'd have to fight, and Alex knew at least some of his capabilities.
His heart sank at the thought of the raven-haired girl, but he quickly shook his head and tried to forget the feeling. Emotions of that kind would do more harm than good. The hallways were empty, everyone gathering in a large colosseum that Brikston had reopened since it was their turn to host the games this year.
It was big enough to fit both schools and several thousand more people who bought tickets. The show would be broadcasted across the nation, and from he had been told, the world. It made him nervous.
Not nervous that he would lose in front of cameras, no, nervous that Jonah would have a stage like that to perform. To reach out to the entire world! It terrified him.
"Hey," He heard Ricky's familiar voice call out. Leo turned his head and saw the plain-looking teen approach him. "We're supposed to be at the Colosseum, what're you doing here?" Leo laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"I'm just trying to cool my nerves, I'm not ready to get by ass beat in front of the world just yet," Ricky snorted as if trying to hold in a chuckle.
"Yeah, I guess so. Just stick close to your teammate and you should be fine. Don't stick out and for the love of everything holy don't get in anyone's way." Ricky stated as he grabbed Leo's shoulder, pushing him slightly towards the exit. "Now let's get going, we don't have all day for you too, 'cool your nerves'."
"Y-Yeah, okay." The pair walked out the school and down the sidewalk, several people taking pictures of the two as cameras flashed over and over again, a crowd shouting words of praise, obscenities, or just questions for an interview.
Leo looked at them nervously. "This is really popular, isn't it?" Ricky rolled his eyes.
"We've established this. Stop fretting over stupid stuff and focus on how you're going to lose in the best way possible." Leo nodded, taking several deep breaths before they entered the Colosseum and through the doors that were labeled 'Brikston Contestants Only'.
"It's about time," Gregory muttered. "We were afraid you'd skip out loser," He said, sending Leo a pointed glare.
"Thank you, Ricky," The Principal said quickly before turning to everyone to address them. Leo saw Alex sitting on a chair nonchalantly, not even sparing Leo a look, which, for some reason, hurt a lot more than being openly insulted.
Being ignored was worse than any type of bad acknowledgment.
"Now, this is a whole new batch of students from Glendale, so we know nothing of their skill levels, so we're going out into the dark here." He said. "But, we can beat them. We usually do, I believe in every one of you, now, let's do this!" Conner grinned at the Principal's speech.
"It's gonna suck though, one of us is gonna have to carry dead weight," He spoke, pointing at Leo with his thumb. He glanced at Leo and met his stare with a glare. "You better wish that you're paired up with anyone else besides me,"
"Or me," Gregory put in. The Principal shook his head, but this was society. This was how the world worked.
"Anyways," He began again. "Good luck, and bring honor to your school!" And with that, the Principal left the room.
"Well," Alex began as she stood up, glancing at the group of guys before her. "If any of you hold me back from doing what I need to do, I'll make you wish you were never born." She then left as well.
"She's talking about you, Leo." Conner barked. "You're the only weakling here."
"Just leave him alone for god's sake," Ricky complained. "I swear my ears are gonna bleed if I hear weakling one more damn time. Cool, he sucks at fighting. Who gives a shit?" He asked rhetorically before walking out of the room.
"Arrogant bastard," Conner growled before he walked out the room as well, followed by Gregory, leaving only Hao and Leo in the room. Leo glanced at Hao, raising an eyebrow as the boy met his eyes.
"I don't think I've seen you here before, the names Leo!" He stuck out his hand, only for it to be smacked away as Hao walked past him.
"I don't care for those who have no value that take up valuable space." Leo winced slightly as the door slammed shut behind Hao.
"So much for making another friend." He muttered dejectedly as he ran a hand through his brown hair, only for his hand to be grabbed.
"Why hello there, Old Commander, it's been a while!" Leo yanked his wrist out of the intruder's grasp and jumped back, ready to fight as he saw who it was.
"Hello again, Patrick. How's it going?" The teen shrugged as he inspected his fingernails, as if they were dirty just by touching Leo.
"Nothing much. Still boring without you, has been for the past five years, but whatever." Patrick Ceasar, the Brown Reaper. He was shorter than Leo was, around five foot six with dyed blue hair with grey streaks going down the middle of his scalp. He had pale skin that rivaled Leo's own, with several tattoos going down his arms, his light green eyes sparkled with slight insanity, but with control.
"Let me guess, the six Brikston is facing, it's all of you, right?" Patrick nodded eagerly.
"When I found out we'd be fighting the Old Commander, I got so happy inside! I've missed you so much, everyone has! Tannis got to see you first which wasn't very fair at all! But I guess you showed her who was boss, didn't ya?"
"I guess so," Leo said dryly. "What're you doing here Patrick?"
"Just saying hi, New Commander didn't want me to interact with you, but I just couldn't help it!"
"He'll kill you, Patrick," Leo said seriously. "You need to leave,"
"New Commander won't kill lil ole me, I'm too valuable now. I'm stronger than I was when ya last saw me." Leo rose an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Patrick didn't say anything, he just looked around the room, looking for something, anything that he could possibly grab. His eyes lit up further when he saw a steel pole. He ran up to it and looked at Leo, grinning.
"Watch this!" He shouted as he squeezed the pole, which gave under his grip easily as it was crushed in his hand. "You see? I have the same strength as New and Old Commander now, only temporarily though."
"What do you mean?" Leo asked in shock, not expecting this at all. "What do you mean you have our strength?!" He was panicking now. This could get worse, so much worse than he could have possibly imagined.
"New Commander gave us a pill, said it lasted for about two hours. We can't have your strength forever, or else we'd all die!" His expression then grew sad, as if he had heard terrible news. "I wanted to have the strength of the Commanders! But alas, I cannot. Master destroyed the research for you two, that he did!"
"How?" Was all Leo asked.
"Uh, something to do with shots? I don't know, creeps me out Old Commander," Patrick said, rubbing his face with his long finger, peering at Leo from between them.
This meant that Jonah was extracting his own blood and developing temporary enhancements and if everyone had one. . .
"Jesus Christ," Leo spat out, having a mild panic attack. "This isn't a rivalry, his plan is to kill them, isn't it? To kill Alex, Conner and them?" Patrick let out a crazed giggle, holding his hand over his mouth as he laughed.
"Smart Old Commander, but I can't tell you!" Leo glared at Patrick.
"Tell me,"
"Or what?" Patrick drawled out. "You'll hurt me? We both know I can't feel pain, and we both know you have no control here. How does it feel to be powerless? It's ironic, isn't it? The one who held all the power has been derived of it, funny right?"
The door slammed open, making Leo jump around.
"Leo if you don't walk out this damn door in the next five seconds I'm going to rip your balls off," Alex growled, glaring at the boy. Leo's eyes widened as he turned around, only for Patrick to be gone, as if he were never there.
"S-Sorry," He got out as he followed Alex outside, the shouts of the thousands of people could be heard, obviously excited. "Alex," He began seriously. She ignored him, speeding up as she tried to get away from him. "Hey!" He called as he grabbed her by the elbow, only to be instantly slapped across the face.
"Don't touch me!" She hissed dangerously. "I don't have anything to say to you, and you obviously have nothing to say to me!" His face had a handprint on it, his cheek stinging from the sensation.
"Forfeit!" He shouted. "Please, for the love of everything, forfeit when it's your turn to fight."
"And why would I do that?" She started, taking out a knife as she flipped it and caught it by the blade. "Why should I be scared of some Glendale kids?"
"Because they're dangerous!" He reasoned with her, practically on his knees. "They'll kill you, they don't care for the rules! They'll kill everyone, and I-"
"Why should I believe you? How do I know this isn't some sort of trap for you to get back at me?" She asked rhetorically. "How do I know that this isn't some ploy for me to lose my honor? I've already lost some of it when I hung out with you, but now you want me to forfeit? Are you trying to sabotage my future?"
"I don't want you to die," Leo cried out. "You're my only friend, I care about you!" i
"I am not your friend." She replied, shattering Leo's heart in an instant. "And I definitely do not care about you. I'm grateful to you, for giving my father a job, but that's it." She turned around and began walking away.
"Alexis Rivers!" He shouted angrily, making her halt. "Do you want to die? Do you want to just leave your family behind?"
"Fuck you," She whispered venomously before she left. Leo grabbed at his hair, before slamming his fist against the concrete wall, or rather, through the concrete wall as it gave way for his hand easily.
"Damn it!" He shouted angrily, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Heh heh heh," He heard the familiar chuckle from behind him. "It seems your warnings were for naught," Leo didn't even turn around, he knew who was behind him.
What was behind him.
"Jonah," He whispered. "If you touch a hair on her head," He stopped talking, the anger stopping him from forming words coherently.
"You'll what? Make me wish I was never born? Kill me? What exactly do you plan on doing?"
". . ." Leo grit his teeth, sweat gathering on his forehead.
"You see, I gave the Crimson Cloak a little visit the other night, right after you left in fact. It surprised me, really, when I saw you had on a little fake get up. You spoke of us, and for a split second, I could've sworn I saw a hint of pride in your eyes when you spoke of us. The memories of our team, you were happy to retain those memories once again."
"Shut up," Leo spoke. "I hold nothing but disappointment for them, and hatred for you."
"You wound me with your words," Jonah joked as he stood next to Leo. "I remember when we were brothers in everything in blood. I still believe we are brothers, Leo."
"We are nothing but enemies on the battlefield of life," Leo responded as he took his hand out the concrete. "You threatened me by trying to take Hayden away from me." He glared at Jonah. "And that is unforgivable."
"You're exaggerating!" Jonah exuberantly said. "Number 3 would've just dropped him off at the firehouse! It was just a scare tactic!"
"That doesn't matter!" Leo whisper-yelled. "The fact you ordered your men to take my little brother away from me is wrong! This is your final warning, stay away from Hayden, or die."
"Hayden is the reason you left us right? Because the Union would've protected him better? Because you know Master would've ordered you to train him to be like us?"
"Exactly," Leo spoke. "We were wrong, and I tried so hard to convince you, yet you stuck to his teachings like a hawk. The New Confederacy was wrong, we were wrong."
"How so?" Jonah stated angrily. "Your father built it, Master refined it, and we were supposed to take over! We were going to take over the world and build one nation!" He pointed an accusing finger at Leo. "And you were supposed to be our leader, but then you went and turned traitor!"
"We've discussed this before. I've given you my answer. Now I have a fucking tournament to attend, I'll see you later."
"I'm going to kill everyone," Jonah spoke, making Leo stop in his tracks. "Gregory, Conner, Hao, Alex, Ricky, I'm gonna kill them all. You see, no matter how strong you think you are, you can't handle all of us at once."
"I can if I have to," Leo spoke.
"But then I win," Jonah spoke as he brushed past Leo. "The moment you reveal who you truly are, what you will become, is the moment I've won."
"This isn't a game," Leo growled. "These are people's lives, Jonah!" Jonah smirked as he glanced back at Leo, his eyes were filled with amusement.
"You really think I care?" And with that, he left the little hallway and was now into the open of the Colosseum. Leo furrowed his eyebrows, not happy with the situation in the slightest.
How could he save everyone?
"Welcome to the Annual Glendale vs. Briskton Games!" The Principal announced on the loudspeaker as the crowd roared with approval. "We know you've been waiting for what seems like hours, so without further ado, let me introduce you to our contestants!
"On Glendale's side, we have Jonah, Darius, Tannis, Timothy, Patrick, and finally Mari!" A loud collection of boos and cheers could be heard as each one of the Reapers stood up, bowing slightly before sitting back down, in their own little booth.
"And on Brikston's side, we have Alex, Ricky, Gregory, Conner, Hao, and Leo!" Another mix of boos and cheers were heard from the people in the crowd. Leo stood up as his name was called and gave his own nervous bow. "Now, onto the games!" He looked down at a slip of paper.
"Can I have Timothy and Darius from Glendale and Gregory and Hao from Brikston on the field?" The fighting arena was sort of plain in Leo's opinion, having only a bare ground with a few patches of grass here and there, five trees on each side of the circular arena. There was also a small area of sand, but it wasn't really big enough to hinder any movement.
"Good luck guys," Leo called out, only to get blown off by Hao.
"Shut up weakling, we're probably gonna lose now with your shitty luck," Gregory practically growled before the pair walked to the middle of the stadium. Leo looked at them as their forms got slightly smaller, the tiniest of smiles gracing his lips.
A referee dressed in the traditional black and white wear was talking to the four, making sure each and everyone understood the rule.
No killing.
They wouldn't follow that rule, Leo knew them. They would kill them both.
The referee then blew his whistle and in an instant, Tim and Darius rushed forward and almost untraceable speeds and both punched their own target in the stomach, lifting them up into the air.
While Gregory was in the air, Tim easily grabbed the boy's head and slammed him down on the ground, cracks rippling through the earth as Gregory now laid in a dent.
Hao didn't know what hit him when Darius slashed his stomach with a knife, blood crawling down his abdomen. It wasn't a lethal blow, but it was a well-practiced one. He could already feel himself slipping, his vision got fuzzy as he saw the dark-skinned boy tower over him, looking down at him.
"You really are a piece of trash, aren't you?" Darius spoke condescendingly.
"I saw you disrespect Leo, he may be my enemy as of now, but he is the one I respect the most, so your blatant disrespect is unforgivable," Timothy spoke with a wave of slight anger.
"Wha-" Gregory began, unable to think straight, his head feeling as if it were split in two. His incoherent speech was interrupted before Timothy's large leg crashed down on his own, snapping into two as he let out a scream of agony, the crowd cheering wildly at the sudden move.
"Now shut up, trash!" Timothy yelled before kicking Gregory in the head, knocking him out.
"You claim to be your school's strongest, yet you can't even beat our weakest member. Pitiful." Darius got out before slamming Hao's face against the ground, knocking the teen out instantly as blood came out of Hao's mouth slowly.
"Hao and Gregory of Briskton are unable to continue!" The referee announced. "Darius and Timothy of Glendale have won!" The crowd roared with cheers, the vibrations going through the air, shaking the ground slightly, as if a miniature earthquake had just hit the Colosseum.
"Now, can we get Alex and Leo from Brikston, and Jonah and Patrick from Glendale, down in the arena!" Leo felt all eyes on him as he stood up, his whole body numb.
This was it.
This was Jonah's plan all along.
He had no intention of killing Gregory or Hao, or even Ricky and Conner, no, he knew they had no emotional impact on him.
Jonah was going to kill Alex right in front of him.
Alex glanced at him, a twinge of worry in her eyes, though, he didn't wonder why, he looked like a mess.
He was shaking, unable to form words as he saw Jonah's smirking form, his arms crossed as he met Leo's eyes. This was happening.
The pair walked down to the arena as they stood parallel to Jonah and Patrick, Patrick was dawning a sick grin, looking at Leo like a piece of meat just waiting to be pummeled.
"Are you ready?" Leo wanted to scream no, he wanted to tell Alex to leave and just run away, but he couldn't, his voice wasn't working. All of his senses were shutting down. He couldn't feel, he couldn't hear, he couldn't even smell, all he could do was see Jonah's cruel smirk.
"Yes," Alex spoke confidently as she glared at Jonah.
"Of course," Jonah replied, his eyes never leaving Leo's.
"I was ready five minutes ago, start it already!" Patrick shouted enthusiastically. The referee nodded, not even bothering to hear Leo's answer.
"Then, begin!" He shouted. Almost instantly Alex was seized by Jonah, all her attempts to kick and free herself were futile. He had his left arm wrapped around her throat with a dagger in his left hand, threatening to pierce her heart.
Patrick jumped into the air and practically landed on top of Leo, pinning him to the ground as he muttered incoherent words that Leo couldn't hear under his breath.
"Die, she has to die, die die die die die die die die die die die, they all have to die Old Commander, all of them, all of them, sorry not sorry!" He whispered into Leo's ear. Leo tried to struggle, trying to push Patrick off of him but he couldn't, he could barely move.
"Welp, it's come to this Leo. You have two choices, you can let your little girlfriend die, your one and only friend, or," Leo's eyes widened as the knife hovered over Alex's heart, ready to pierce it at any second. "You can reveal who you are to the world." Murmurs broke from the crowd, talking about the boy's ultimatum.
"It's a bluff, he's not allowed to kill." One man said as he sat with his family.
"Who would the weakling be that it was so important to threaten the whore's life over?" A snotty girl spoke to her friend as she glared at Alex.
"If he touches my daughter with that knife, I'll kill him and his buddies," Alex's father, Matthew Rivers, threatened loudly.
"I wonder what he wants from Leo," Matthew's wife said in a somewhat sad tone.
"Nothing good," Matthew muttered before Jonah began shouting.
"You have a choice, and you don't have very long to choose! Tell the world who you are, or I'll kill this bitch!" Alex looked alarmed, her red eyes wide as Leo had tears running down his face.
"Hey, calm down the talk about killing her!" The referee began, only to be instantly held back by Timothy and Darius, their faces calm and collected, making Leo realize this was truly and utterly real.
"The clock is ticking!" Jonah shouted again, a crazed grin on his face, his blue eyes wide with madness. Leo met Alex's gaze, his heart feeling as if it were being crushed. Leo's hazel eyes hardened.
"Fine!" He screamed, his voice echoing throughout the Colosseum. Patrick loosened up his grip for just a split second and Leo threw him back, standing on his own two feet as he glared at Jonah. "I said fine," He whispered.
"L-Leo?" Alex said her voice in a confused tone, like a lost puppy trying to find it's mother.
"I," Leo began, taking a deep breath before he clenched his fist. "I'm the Red Reaper!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, the entire stadium got quiet. "My name is Leo Apollyon, and I'm the Red Reaper!"
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it now?" Jonah asked as he let go of Alex, pushing her forward as she stumbled forward, looking at Leo in disbelief.
"Y-You're lying," She whispered. "This is a lie, you're not the Red Reaper, you can't be him! You can't be the one who murdered my brother! Please tell me it's not true!" Leo looked at Alex with sad eyes.
"I'm sorry," He whispered. Alex felt tears run down her face, tears of betrayal.
"You son of a bitch!" She screamed as she forward, only to be restrained by Tannis, who shook her head.
"You will get your chance at fighting him, not now." Alex's eyes widened as she saw Jonah take a step forward, two swords in his hands.
"This has been a long time coming, Leo." He spoke, his blue eyes seemingly glowing. Leo put his hands over his eyes, taking out his contacts and throwing them on the ground, his natural red eyes glaring at Jonah.
"I hate you," He whispered fiercely. Jonah shrugged.
"I don't care," He stabbed the ground with his swords, the two blades sticking out of the ground. "Let this be the first of our last battles."
"I don't want to kill you," Leo warned. Jonah scoffed.
"As if you could," The two dashed forward at the same time, their fists connecting as a shockwave rippled through the entire stadium. "Then again, the only way you can stop me is to kill me, I'm too dangerous to be kept alive after all!"
"I know," Leo said as he blocked Jonah's kick with his forearm before trying to punch Jonah, but the teen easily dodged it by ducking and delivering his own punch to Leo's abdomen, making Leo lose all the air in his lungs.
"You've lost your speed, your instinct!" Jonah called out as he took a sword out of the ground swiftly and swiped at Leo's head, who rolled below it and grabbed a sword out of the ground as well. Jonah clashed against Leo's blade as sparks flew everywhere.
Leo got a kick on Jonah, sending the blonde flying backwards as he landed on his feet, drifting on the ground slightly before he jumped at least twenty feet into the air and took out several throwing knives before hurling them at Leo, who used his sword to deflect them all, not even fazed by the attempt.
"At least your skill hasn't diminished as much with a sword, but," He landed on the ground softly before he suddenly appeared in front of Leo in a burst of speed, making Leo's eyes widen. "You are still a shell of your former self," He pierced Leo's stomach, the sword going through Leo's back as Leo looked down at the hilt of the sword that had pierced him.
He felt something in his throat as he coughed up as a thin line of blood streamed out of his mouth, blood slowly pooling in his mouth.
"I've seen that happen a lot to the people I've killed over the years, but it's so much more satisfying that it was you and not some nobody." He took his sword out of Leo's stomach as Leo fell to his knees, falling onto his forearms as his ragged breathing became heavier.
"You'll live through this, your advanced healing can attest to that." He pulled out a small device, a lone button on it. "I plan on seeing you again, it'll be fun." And with that, he pushed the button as a gas erupted from the ground around Leo and the stands, instantly knocking some out, while some were smart and covered their noses.
"It's not a harmful gas," Tannis shouted over the hissing sound of the gas leaving its confinements. "It'll just knock everyone out so we can disappear without a trace. We're already immune to it!" She placed a gas mask on Alex's face, her eyes filled to the brim with fury and hatred never leaving Leo's body.
"Let me kill him," She murmured. "Please." Tannis shook her head.
"No, I don't know why Jonah insists on keeping him alive, but he will live."
"I need him alive," Jonah began. "Because he needs to suffer more. When he has lost everything, then and only then can we take his life."
"Heh heh heh heh heh," Leo rasped out, laughing as he looked up. "What were those words you told me all those years ago? Kill me now or I'll take everything you love? I'll make you regret the day you ever became a Reaper, was that it?" Jonah adopted a thoughtful look.
"Yeah, right on the spot to be honest. I remember you clearly saying 'you're too late for that', did you regret what you've become? Or rather," He leered at Leo with a grin. "Do you regret from what you were?"
"Of course," Leo got out as he slowly stood up, his vision getting slightly hazy as the blood rushed to his head. "B-But that doesn't mean I'll just let you get away." Jonah rose an eyebrow as he walked over to Leo, grabbing the teen's brown hair and yanking it slightly, making Leo look up at him.
"Almost there," He muttered to himself before he let go of Leo's hair. He suddenly crouched down and almost instantly his entire arm was going through Leo, making the boy let out a scream of pain, blood dripping from Jonah's fingers as they came out of Leo's back.
"Interesting," He murmured before he suddenly took his hand out of Leo's stomach, blood pooling on the ground as his arm was completely stained with red. "I thought there'd be a tad bit more resistance." Leo fell on his back, not being able to feel anything.
Was he dying? No, Jonah said he had plans, he wouldn't let him die so easily.
"Pitiful," Jonah commented as he saw Leo's own blood get on Leo's hair, making dark red and sticky as it stuck to the ground. Leo's white shirt was completely red with several cuts and holes littering it. "The greatest warrior on earth, reduced to a heaping mess on the ground." He turned around. "Perhaps I'm mistaken, maybe you're not worth the effort."
"I'm not sure he can hear you," Timothy called out. Jonah shrugged.
"I don't know if he can either. But I do know one thing," His bright blue eyes darkened slightly. "That the old Red Reaper would've gotten up from such a petty wound."
"C-Commander," Mari Scott, a small girl with blonde hair and grey eyes began. "A-Are we gonna push him more?" Jonah smirked at the almost seemingly innocent girl.
"Of course we are, this wasn't enough if his reaction was to say anything." He didn't even glance at the body that was Leo's, which wasn't moving in the slightest. "We're just gonna keep moving forward with the plan."
"Of course, yes," Mari said as she looked at Leo sadly before the group of Reapers and the Crimson Cloak walked away from the body, sirens echoing in the distance.
The first thing Leo saw was white. Why white? Why was it always white that he saw? He looked around, and saw the plain was white, the ground and the ceiling was completely white, and it seemed to go infinitely.
Except for what looked like a storm of pitch blackness coming from the distance, lighting erupting from it as if Zeus were having a party. Leo didn't say anything, for there was nothing to say at all.
He was dreaming.
He had lost.
He blinked and saw the storm of black was suddenly no more than fifty feet away from him, as if running to engulf him from this pureness. He turned around and ran off as fast as he could, his heart beating through his chest.
As he ran, he looked back and his eyes widened, the storm was on his heels, nipping at them as if it were alive, like it would swallow him alive if it caught him.
And he believed that darkness would.
Leo sat up, breathing heavily as sweat trailed down his face, it feeling like someone had poured a bucket of warm water on his face.
"Ah good, you're up." A female said next to him. A voice he recognized. He looked to his right and saw General Brister, her brown hair had grown down to her shoulders, framing her face nightly, bags were quite visible under her green eyes. She had a couple more stars on her shoulders than she did the last time he saw her.
"Brister," He greeted. She nodded. "What're you doing here?"
"Well, first off, I'd like to say that you lost. Badly. The whole world saw you lose. The whole world also heard you say that you were the Red Reaper, and the government was put under pressure to announce it officially." Leo held his breath, awaiting her to continue her sentence.
"And we did. The world now knows you as the Red Reaper, or rather, they choose to either look at it with disbelief. Your entire school doesn't believe it except a few who doubted Alex, who left with our problem."
"Shit," Leo muttered. He pushed the sheets off as he stood off his bed, ignoring the feeling of dizziness plaguing his head as he put on his clothes that sitting next to his bed, not caring about the general seeing his behind.
"It seems your wish is not my command anymore, Leo Apollyon." He let a small chuckle escape his mouth. It was weird, she called him Red back when he was fighting. But now she knew his name, so he guessed that's what'd she call him now.
"That's fine, those two years I had with my family was bliss," He took a deep breath as he put his shirt on, still a little sore, his wounds all but gone. A plain black t-shirt and white shorts. "But I suppose bliss ends when you leave loose ends."
"That Jonah kid? That's your loose end?" Brister questioned. "And all of his groupies? Who are they? I know the Jonah kid, the guy you thought you killed three and a half years ago?"
"Other Reapers," He said as if it were nothing. Brister's eyes widened considerably. "But, they don't have the enhanced genetics, but they are still more dangerous than any of your men."
"Capable of taking down an army?" Leo nodded.
"Almost as easily as I did," A low whistle escaped her mouth, standing up as she looked Leo in the eyes, now being parallel with him, no longer taller than him.
"Can you beat them?" Leo paused as a sigh erupted from his mouth.
He looked down at the marble floor. "One on one, yes. When they're paired in two or more? That's a totally different story."
"Fine, same question, different context." He looked at her weirdly. "Could you beat them two and a half years ago?" He frowned. Of course he could.
He hesitated before nodding. "Yes. I could definitely beat them."
"So, rusty huh?" Brikster asked as she chuckled slightly. "Whatever, we can fix that."
"We?"
"We," A bald man said as he emerged from the hallway, coming into the room, followed by two overly large men that looked like bodyguards. Leo recognized them immediately.
"President PeePee?"
"A fineable offense," President Platt stated as he pushed his glasses up on his nose, a tired sigh erupting from his lips.
President Michael Platt had a bald shiny head. He was a tan man, hailing from the Southwest of the Union in the district of Arizona. He had on fancy business suit, completely black with a white dress shirt on the inside of his jacket,
"You wouldn't fine me Mr. President, I'm the only one who treats you like this," Leo said cheekily, getting a tiny smile from the President of the Union, but his demeanor completely, getting completely serious, making Leo get serious as well.
"This boy, Jonah, your rival and responsibility along with his little group. It concerns me, their actions could change the entirety of the country. Do you know if they're trying to tear down the Union again?" Leo walked over to the window, and to his dismay, he saw a large crowd, holding up signs and protesting.
'Free the Red Reaper!'
'Thank you for saving us!'
'Murderer!'
'Fraud!'
'President PeePee is great!'
The last one got the tiniest of smiles from Leo. He then turned around and spoke.
"I have no idea what Jonah wants to do," He answered honestly. "All I know is that he's targeting. He hasn't targeted the Union at all, has he?" President Platt shook his head.
"No, he has not. But, we're ready for when he does."
"No, you're not." Leo whispered, barely audible.
"Excuse me?" The President demanded.
"He's stronger than I am, than I was. I don't think I can stop him this time." The President suddenly felt weak, helpless, something he hated feeling. He was the President of the Union, he was one of the strongest, he couldn't feel this way! It wasn't good for a President to be feeling this way!
He regained his composure as he coughed into his hand.
"Then, the previous strongest in the land, what shall we do?" Leo shrugged.
"I haven't a clue."
"You answer clearly!" A bodyguard shouted, only to freeze in place as Leo glared at him.
"Do you have any ideas?" The bodyguard looked at the groud in shame, he didn't think the Red Reaper would reverse it on him like so. Embarrassed, he held his mouth shut. "Didn't think so."
"Perhaps we can put your through a training regiment that can get you back into your prime, and hopefully surpass it?" Brister tried to suggest, but Leo shook his head.
"I appreciate all of your concerns, really, but, this is my problem. Until he threatens the Union, I'd like to request that you stay out of this." The President was about to protest, but Leo grinned, closing his eyes tightly. "Don't worry, I took care of this guy once, I can do it again!" The President smiled sadly at Leo.
"There's only so much one boy can do," He whispered before patting Leo on the shoulder. "Thank you, Leo. We are in your debt yet again. If you need any help, don't hesitate to call. Anytime, and I mean anytime." He extended a hand, a card containing his contact info printed on it.
Leo took the card, glancing at it before stuffing it into his pocket.
"Of course, thank you for stopping by, I appreciate it." He walked them out the hospital room before they proceeded to leave, leaving Leo alone once again. Then, a timid nurse walked into the room, seemingly shocked that Leo was standing and she immediately moved away from, acting on instinct.
"R-Red Reaper sir, uh, a-are you okay?" Leo sighed as hand ran through his hair.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, but I'll be taking my leave." He strolled past her, not missing how she inches away from him as he walked out the door. It hurt. It hurt that people were scared of him now. But, that's the consequence of his action.
The action of letting Jonah live. Would he have it in him to take another life? He didn't know, and he certainly hoped it wouldn't come to that.
Hoped being the keyword.
He walked out the hospital and was immediately bombarded with questions and cameras flashing, messing with his vision as he tried to push past the crowds.
"So after all these years, what is it like revealing your identity?"
"Why did you murder all of those defenseless people?"
"How have you recovered so quickly from such a brutal injury?"
"How do you feel about the people who have tried to take your indentity?"
Over and over and over again, they just kept asking questions, not letting him leave in peace. Is this what celebrities felt like? Didn't they know he had better things to do? Apparently not.
"How does it feel to be a piece of shit used by the government?"
"SHUT UP!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, and almost all the chatter in the area stopped. "Just leave me alone, I need to get ready."
"Ready for what?" A brave reporter asked, holding the mic at Leo's mouth. He inwardly shrugged. It wouldn't hurt.
"I'm preparing for war," He spoke calmly. "Now get out of my way!"