Ion and Jessica turned to look behind them when they heard someone collapsed onto their knees. It was John. He was on his knees with eyes of disbelief. Josh also had the same expression. Jake couldn't believe it himself. "M-M-M-Mom...." John would reach out. He didn't get it. He didn't understand what was going on. Tears started to whelm in his eyes. Josh would grit his teeth and turn towards Ion and Jessica. "What's going on here!?" Josh demanded an explanation. He tried his best to keep composure, but there was a swirl of emotions going through him; it started to get hard to stay composed. "The World Government is attacking us..." Ion would reply with sorrow in his voice. Josh's eyes went wide. His attention shifted towards Avidity and Ego, who was simply standing there.
"Well, that's one piece of trash down." Ego would remark while tilting his head left and right to ease the tension build-up.
"We still gotta clean out the rest of the rats, though." Avidity would comment. "More showed up, it seemed." She would add, and they were both going to attack, but before they could, they found it extremely hard to move as if something was weighing them down; it wasn't just them either. Everything around John seemed to have an increased weight. As if gravity had tremendously increased out of nowhere. The ground slowly seemed to quake as well.
"So it was you..." John's voice came out without emotion at first. He had overheard everything Avidity and Ego said as well as what Ion told Josh. He wished he hadn't. He truly wished everything was just a nightmare, but... it seemed like this was real.
"We were a peaceful bunch..."
"We didn't harm anyone willingly..."
"We only wanted to go home..."
"But you..." John's voice was steadily rising as he approached them, and his teeth were grinding together. His anger was boiling, and the more it did, the more effective the pressure was laid out, which forced Avidity and Ego to pretty much kneel onto a knee.
"You felt the need to attack us for what!? Because of some orders? Because you were told to? Were we a threat!? WAS SHE REALLY THAT DANGEROUS!?" John's rage toppled over; a shimmering black glow was emitting from his body with a vicious black glow in his eyes. As John continued to approach Avidity and Ego, they feel fell onto their hands. They had dropped their weapons because of how heavy they were. Josh, Jake, Ion, and Jessica were able to move freely now. They were surprised by what was going on. "A Seed Power?" Ion inquired. "Looks like it..." Jessica would remark in turn.
"But... where did she come from?" Jessica felt grief build inside. She looked around only to see April was standing at the doorway in a sitting position with an expression of sadness and disbelief.
While Ion and Jessica had been caught up in the onslaught of Avidity and Ego, John's Mother and April were standing in the doorway. John's mother had her hands together in prayer. "Is there nothing we can do?" She asked with concern in her voice. "No... even I can't find the proper time to release a shot." April would remark since she had an arrow drawn back. Her eyes had this vivid yellow flare as well. Even when she was using her power, there was no opening. Avidity's boom-a-rang and cracked whips blocked any opening she could have gotten off on Ego. Ego's rapid movement and fluid swings prevented her from taking a shot at Avidity. It was then that April noticed something. With her Seed Power, she was capable of detecting a projectile coming towards Ion and Jessica. After the first explosion, John's Mother and April checked out what happened, but they didn't know what caused it. It was then that April realized what had caused it. "They are in trouble!" April exclaimed and tried to aim at the bullet that was coming for them. She released her arrow, but it did nothing. In fact, the arrow burned away from the power of the bullet alone. "I can't stop it!" April exclaimed. It was then, without a word, John's mother raced towards them.
Sure they were strangers, but they were still young. Even if they never wanted to go back home, she felt sad if they died at such a young age. Over the past three weeks, they had become a part of the large family that was created. They were a part of the hole that filled the void left after her husband passed away. She didn't need to think twice. She didn't want to lose any more family, and so her Seed Power activated and blossomed. A flare of purple overtook her entire body. Anyone that knew about Seed Powers knew that such a color had never existed before. Ego and Avidity were too caught up in their fight to even notice, but John's mother managed to make it just in time. She gave them a gentle shove, she wasn't a strong woman, but the strength behind it was enough to push them to safety. A gentle aura enveloped them, which was something Ion did not notice. It was protective and caring. Loving and sweet, like a mother was towards her child. She gave Ion a bright smile, and just as the explosion occurred, the aura shielded Ion and Jessica from the blast, but the force itself pushed them away.
John, Josh, and Jake were coming back from an expedition when they heard the first explosion, so they raced to the scene. Unfortunately, they only arrived in time to see the figure of John's mother just before the explosion, along with her bright smile. The dread that filled them was immense, and despair overtook John, so he fell to his knees. Emotion had overwhelmed him. The memories of his time spent with his mother and how happy she always was started to shatter. The seed in his heart slowly taking shape and form. The more the memories shattered, the more the seed became nurtured, and once it completely shattered, the seed would bloom. That was when he started speaking, and his rage boiled over.
John would look towards the blade that Ego dropped and bent down to lift it off the ground. The thing itself was weighty, so he had to drag it and heave it over his shoulder. "I lost my father... and now my mother... Tell me, was it necessary to kill her?" John questioned with his teeth grit tightly in anger, although his voice came out calm. It just didn't seem right.
"Mother? Bah... mere scum that is all you people are..." Ego would remark. John would take the blade and slam it down against Ego's arm, which caused him to groan in pain when his arm was cut into. The burning of the blade sizzled the armor, but the cut didn't fully go through. John would leave the blade there and move towards Avidity. "Is it necessary to kill innocent people who just want to go home?" John asked as he picked up her boom-a-rang, careful not to touch the plasma parts just as he was with Ego's blade.
"God damn it, Lax, Do something!" Avidity shouted through the open comms.
"A gravity user, eh? Hmm..." Lax would muse through the comms before taking aim then fired the shot. Once again, the loud sound of a plasma cannon echoed throughout the city, and the bullet flew towards them. "JOHN, LOOK OUT!" Josh called out. John shifted his eyes towards the bullet, and once the bullet entered a certain field space of at least ten meters, the bullet stopped in midflight. The bullet would flip only to face towards the direction it was sent in. Then it was fired with the same amount of force... actually, no, it was even more powerful. Lax was extremely surprised, but he didn't have to think about what to do. He gathered his equipment and ran towards the building edge before leaping off the building. The bullet clashed with the building, and the entire building exploded. Lax was pushed by the force of the explosion, but no damage was done to his body, thanks to his armor. His armor did have some dents, though from the explosive force behind the debris. He did have to pick himself out of another building, though with a groan.
"I'll have to switch my gear around. Give me a minute. I am going to deal with him directly." Lax would remark over the comms. "Hurry the fuck up!" Avidity exclaimed. Everyone was surprised by John's Seed Power. The situation was changed entirely, and they were now on the advance, but... they couldn't celebrate. They had lost someone in their group, and that someone was dear. It was John's mother. John must have been the one taking it the hardest right now. John would squat down in front of Avidity and slam the boom-a-rang into her arm, but he didn't let it go all the way through. Instead, he just left it there to burn away at the woman's armor and flesh which caused her to scream in pain.
"I'll only ask once more. Was it necessary to kill an innocent person?" John would wait for an answer as he stared at both Avidity and Ego. No answer came. Ego didn't feel like repeating himself, and Avidity didn't care to give John his answer. After about another moment of waiting, John decided to just put an end to this. The usage of his Seed Power came naturally to him. How to change the gravity around him. How to increase certain parts and decrease certain parts. He could even affect certain equipment if he wanted to. Still, his mind was solely focused on these two that he hadn't thought about lessening the gravitation pull for the others. He would narrow his eyes, and the gravity for Avidity and Ego increased. They were now forced into the ground, and a crater began to form around them. They felt like their body was going to implode or something, which caused them to groan in pain.
However...
A large cut appeared on John's chest, which caused him to shift his attention towards Lax, who steadily made his way towards him. Lax was about five meters away when John felt the cut. A sigh escaped Lax's lips. "Looks like the gravitational pull is affecting my cut." Lax would mutter. "I was hoping to just cut your head clean off."
"John!" Josh exclaimed when he saw a large cut wound appear on John's chest. John would increase the gravitational pull around Lax, but it seemed to do nothing. Lax continued to steadily make his way towards John. John had no choice to back away, but as he did, another long cut appeared along his chest, then another on his left arm and the another on his right thigh.
"I see... the closer I get to the denser the gravity is. Even with my Voidless Slash, your Seed Power deflects the slash down. Still... You are just a human." Lax would remark, and with one final draw, a large wound going down John's stomach caused him to fall onto his knees. The gravity around the area suddenly returned to normal, and John collapsed on the ground. Avidity and Ego were finally free and could remove their weapons, but their limbs were pretty much mangled now. They didn't really want to keep fighting, so they just sat there. "Take care of the rest, you fucking slacker..." Avidity would remark. "I planned on it." Lax would comment as he looked towards the others; however, before approached them, something told him not to move another step.
"I've already lost another member of my family... I refuse to lose my brother." Josh would growl while pushing up his glasses. His eyes flared a solid orange. Yet again, another color that wasn't known to those who knew of Seed Power. "What is this...? Again, another different Seed Power...?" Lax would mutter as he looked around. He didn't understand it. Nothing was there, everyone was just standing around, but his gut feeling was telling him not to take another step.
"What the hell are you doing, Lax? God, you are so fucking useless!" Ego shouted and pushed off the ground with one of his weapons. "I'll fucking do it!" He exclaimed. "No, don't!" Lax tried to warn Ego, but before he could, a 'click' sound went off where he stepped, then came a loud explosion that sent Ego flying. His arm finally broke off thanks to the force, but his armor seemed to keep him intact. Avidity saw this then quickly looked around. "The hell!? Was that some kind of mine or something!?" She was confused because there was nothing around them.
Josh would steadily make his way towards John. He was careful and went a long way as to not get near Lax. "If you move a single muscle, you will be blown clean off your feet. I can't say you will survive either. I don't know the exact range of your attack, but I know you need to be within a good distance of them. So... stay there." Josh would remark with a chill in his voice. He would check John's pulse. John was still alive, but he knew if he didn't get him to Natalie fast, there would no saving him. "Ion, Jessica! Come help me!" Josh called, and both of them were jolted from their surprised expression. April had an arrow drawn, her cheeks were stained with tears, but she refused to lose anyone else. She was aiming her arrow right at Lax. She doubted the arrow would pierce through their armor but knew she could use it as a distraction if need be. Ion and Jessica moved to help Josh collect John, but Josh didn't go with them; instead, he told them to take John to Natalie.
"Jake... I know you already awakened to your Seed Power. Even if you didn't want to tell anyone, I think you should use it." Josh would remark, which caused Jake to look towards him with surprise. His Seed Power was bizarre; in fact, when the day he saved Josh and John was the day he awoke to it. "A-Are you sure?" Jake asked, and Josh nodded. "They don't deserve mercy." Again, Josh would remark, and Jake would nod.
A vivid gray color began to glow in Jake's eyes, and the undead slowly began to make their way from out of nowhere. "Another one!?" Lax would growl out. "Undead? Didn't we put up the repellents!?" Avidity exclaimed; it was then she noticed something odd about them. They didn't look like your usual undead. Instead, they had this visible gray aura coming off them. They were beginning to make their way towards Avidity and Lax. When they got close enough, Lax would use his Voidless Slash to cut them down. What Lax found weird was that none of the undead happened to activate the supposed mines. Avidity was using her whip to mince any that came close to her. In hindsight, the undead seemed weak, but their numbers were overwhelming.
Jake and Josh regrouped and just watched. April was surprised by everything. Soon Avidity and Lax would be overrun by the swarm of undead if nothing was done. "Scerw this. I'll be damned to all hell if I let some measly undead and stupid mines kill me." Ego's voice came out with anger. He was no longer holding a sword but instead had a single yo-yo. The yo-yo and string alike had a glow to it. The glow was a vivid bright color, and the dark green lights along his suit were just as bright. The brightest of them all was his core. Lax and Avidity saw him use his yo-yo with swift, sure and prideful efficiency that he could take out many of the undead.
"Who gave you the orders to use your Sin Weapon!?" Avidity exclaimed.
"To hell with the order! If we don't, we'll end up being lunch for some sorry undead!" Ego exclaimed as he took out more undead. Whenever he heard a 'click,' he jumped away and used the force of the explosion to propel him elsewhere while using his yo-yo to kill more undead.
Lax sighed heavily and joined in on the killing spree. Even at the cost of being pushed around by the explosions whenever he stepped on supposed mines, it would be better than being eaten alive. Avidity managed to get onto her feet and defended herself. She preferred to deal with the ragdoll explosions, so she used both her boom-a-rang and whip to defend herself.
Whenever one supposed mine was triggered, Josh would create another. As more of the controlled undead were killed, Jake brought in more from seeming nowhere. No one had time to question where all of the undead were coming from. April didn't know what to do, so she kept watch. That was when she saw Don and Rose returning she fell exhilarated. She could only see them thanks to her Seed Power. "Don is back!" April shouted, which drew Josh and Jake's attention. "Don?" Avidity noticed how they felt relieved. "Must be their leader..." Lax would remark. "You mean Ire didn't kill him!?" Ego exclaimed. They had been too busy to hear Ire's message, so they missed the part where Ire said Don was on his way towards them.
Jake and Josh were relieved for many reasons, but the most were because they felt like they would pass out if they continued to use their Seed Power. A few more moments and Don and Rose pulled up. They saw everything and saw Jake and Josh were using Seed Powers. Jen and Boss would have been delighted to see them if they didn't notice what was going on. "Well... that explains all the undead." Don would mutter before riding towards the home slowly. "Jen, Boss, get inside. Rose, go see what's going on and report back to me." Don's eyes still had a vivid deadpan look to them. Jen and Boss decided to just do what Don said, and Rose nodded. Everyone hurried to the house, and Rose asked April what was going on; meanwhile, Jen and Boss hurried inside.
Don would walk up behind Jake and Josh and place a hand on their shoulders. "Go ahead and rest up. I can tell you have used up a lot of energy. I'll handle the rest." Don would remark, and both Josh and Jake stopped using their Seed Power. The flare of color in their eyes faded out, and both of them started to feel dizzy and sick to their stomach.
"Don... they..." Jake would mutter but couldn't finish his sentence since he felt like hurling. Don motioned for him to head to the house. "They killed John's mother... They won't spare us. Do what you have to do. No one will stop you." Josh would mutter when he turned towards Don. Don could see it on Josh's face. It was plain as day that something happened. Josh didn't even need to tell him, he figured something terrible happened, but still.... he didn't expect to lose someone.
"I see..." Don's eyes now held that look of The Abyss, and Josh moved towards the house. Once Avidity, Ego, and Lax finished dealing the undead, they noticed no more were coming out, and the supposed mines seemed to stop going off. Ego looked at Don and scoffed. "A mere human is going to stop us? Ha!" Ego snickered. "Sure... we are weakened, but you alone are going to kill us? I doubt that." Lax would remark. "Yup, and once Ire arrives, we will slaughter all of you." Avidity would add.
"That so...? Guess I'll have to kill you three before then..." Don's voice was emotionless. Everything was slowly becoming grayscale, and just like before, he had activated the evolution of his Seed Power.
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The Author here:
Hello again everyone! Just a brief announcement in case some of you don't read the Author's Thought.
Due to all of your recent support, I am planning a special gift for all of you. A mass release! YAY!
Instead of the usual 5 chps/wk, you will get 10. I won't tell you when it'll be released, that'll be a lovely little surprise. (Only reason is that I gotta build up chapters for the mass release. I am writing in my free time when I get off of my full-time job.) So, look forward to that!
As always thank you for supporting my novel and I hope you continue to support and enjoy my novel!