As a dinghy dock at the edge, there it was, a discarded Tower with only pieces of building remaining, as if standing on its hind legs, barely supported by the structure it was planted upon. A hand reached out to a young girl, dark blue eyes blinking at his red ones, devoid of hope, the light had vanished... and yet, even during this hopeless hour, he still managed a smile at his cousin. This hand had absorbed the darkness of her soul, though momentarily, the Ginger yanked her up from the boat so she could jump out the encasing edges of the vehicle. Standing beside her taller relative, he held her close, recognizing the purple skies above. What a horrific memory to be reminded of,
"This scenery..." Ace whispered.
This creeping dread like a devil's claws sinking into the naive and ignorant, it seemed they were the chosen few to be their prey today. Nevertheless, there was nothing they could do, just anticipating the inevitable, knowing they would be on the brink of death,
"Hey! Stupid! Katie! Come over here!" Yelled the redhead's baby sister, to which the duo of distant relatives followed their command.
They could only wonder what horrors laid behind this structure, but they needn't ponder any longer, for they were only deluding themselves into believing this was different. The moon's purple shine against their pale faces, the clouds enveloped by that same violet glow, the roar of creatures far beyond recognition resounding in the distance. As Ace and Katie finally caught up with their final comrades, they were met with a destination they were all too familiar with. The Remnant World before their eyes, June crouched as she admired the sights, Kima with arms crossed over her bust while Ace and Katie gazed.
With unbridled determination visible in their eyes, a new adventure laid out before them, with evolution infested all across the creatures of the night; they stepped forward into this new world with chaos laid before them.
Meanwhile, back in the past, 2011, in the moments before the Founder's ascension, there Rizia stood overlooking the horizon as the sun's rays shone against Hudson's watery exterior.
Their short hair moving with these summer winds, a calmed exhale followed out their pink lips, arms shoved into their pants' pockets, they turned their body. The thousands or so people they'd gathered to this new expedition, it seemed they'd all scattered around, some lucky ones seated at the curbs' edge, and others just leaning against the buildings galore around them. It seemed they hadn't even noticed, the amount of walking they did from the center of the City, leading them all, the night had peeled back to reveal the twilight's comforting sun illuminating their features. Popping out a packet of cigarettes, the lighter's cover clinking back, with a simple flick of a switch, the flame danced around like that a fantastical fairy from another world dancing with angelic wings.
Flames. How odd their existence truly was. The plethora of purposes for such an element; destroy, comfort, cook. For some reason, their eyes reflected this fire, rapidly moving following the heated winds of the season, moving ever so slowly, seeping into their leather clothing; sweat revealed itself from their pores. Their skin itched, the urge to scratch increased with each passing second, an indescribable want to just do away with their skin, return to their comfort level, and yet, they were stuck as this disgustingly uncomfortable version of themself,
'I choose to be by your side. I'll avenge my past and make it right helping you alter the world... I devote my heart to your cause,'
Those were the words they declared that day, right? Without a shadow of a doubt or an ounce of hesitation audible in their vocals, they stated that and they... they meant it. Out of all the purposes they could've chosen for them in this world where freedom was laid out before them, a neverending road, their foot had moved past it and crashed unto this one. A candidate for Evolution. The 'wrong choice'. In the end, that was always what this outcome was. 'Wrong.' Nevertheless, in the back of their mind, for some odd reason, though they'd already known the truth, they couldn't help but wonder- if they'd made the right choice.
"Hey, you okay?" A familiar masculine voice reached out to them, leading their head to gently slide back after being so dramatically hung, they could gaze into his signature eye. That dark blue variation of the normal azure shade, how comforting it was,
"You looked a bit sad... is that the right word? Maybe melancholic?" Azazel scratched at his chin with a curious expression.
Rizia chuckled at the question he seemed to ask himself,
"Heh, how do you even sound melancholic?" They questioned back at their partner, to which he shrugged at the inquiry, not even a semblance of a smile visible,
"Hell if I know! I couldn't really find the right word... sad seemed too basic," He whispered that last part sheepishly scratching his cheek with his nail,
"You're just an idiot, don't feel bad 'bout it!" Encouraged Riz of their comrade, patting his back, Karlo turned his head away, to which Kosuke grinned just a bit wider.
'Maybe this truly is the 'wrong' choice. But... maybe I'm okay with that. As long as these people are here, people that care about me, that which I can laugh and smile with; that'd be enough for me. Take away everything else, burn it all to ashes, but those faces, I don't... I don't wish for them to fade,'
As they pled silently in the regents of their endless mind, the duo together awaited, their legs dangling off the pier, side by side. The sunset once more, with the twilight shining its signature pinkish-orange hue over the Heavens, Riz could feel their eyes' weight increasing, second by second. In the end, it was unavoidable, delaying the inevitable, and so, with her male familiar by their side, their head dropped to their side. Just like that, the assassin known as Harbinger looked like a slumbering angel, someone so deadly they could rip out someone's throat without as much as a slight movement, and there they were, sleeping on his shoulder,
"Hmph..." He didn't hide his head that time, instead, he grinned without turning his head, and just stared at them, dreaming so soundly, snoring ever so gently.
The winds that summer night, he remembered them like it was just yesterday he was seated there, right on the pier, staring off the distance awaiting something. The clouds' pinkish glow dimmed, the sun submerged for a final time over the border, vanishing from his sight, the embers of light peeling off that star leaked onto his eyes, to which he grunted. Just momentarily closing his eyes, maybe for half a second, but the moment he opened them wide a second time, the atmosphere had undergone its usual change. But, there was something about this night in particular that stuck out to him. Maybe it was the way the stars seemed to twinkle so brightly in the apparent darkness of the night's obvious bottomless darkness. Or maybe it was the moon seen gradually rising over the river's edges to leave an everlasting glow beneath the water as if shining from below the riverbed, something from a dream.
Whatever laid ahead seemed to be something, it didn't matter, for it was the future, and if this present was the real here and now; then he would remain here, in this posture. With them by his side, being that board for them to lay on, hopefully, they wouldn't mind, as his eyes closed too, Harbinger, the Crow, two assassins capable of slaughtering nearly 100 people in a day, slept together, with their heads together in the dead of night. The stars twinkled overhead aligning for this event, the thread of causality just as its strongest, the maddening-yellow eyes of the Sea God had opened.
Emerging from the depths of the Island's waters, splashing waves all around their winged body as large as the Empire State, inaudible grumbles resounding endlessly like demonic growls echoed across the invisible dimensional shields. Digging his vampiric claws into that border for cracks to manifest around his extremities like a shattering window about to reveal its outer contents, Cthulhu began to break the boundary between reason. A phantom-reifying world would soon emerge out of the flickering embers of the old, that which laid on the foundation of justice, and for one, the Revolution driven by the Founder was moments away from reaching their location.
In the Captain quarters, there they all stood, within this confined area, Heidi was seated, legs crossed, head back against the wall. Eyes closed, the chimera of sleep hovered overhead for her- that was, until a certain Satoru Samurai sat right by her, unwrapping a granola bar. Teeth sinking into the crunchiness of the snack, loudness of the wrapper untangling from its rectangular shape, though she tried to hide it, Snow was unable to keep both eyes shut any longer. The second she peeked both eyes just the slightest amount so her pupils' shapes could reveal, he was there, making direct eye contact with his rival. Immediately, as if second nature to her, she pulled her head back so she could just look away... before long, however, another rustle from a cover entered her eardrums. Resisting the temptation was harder than anything she'd ever done before, the smell, the taste, it wasn't even the notion of not knowing what it was, it was that of submission. Eventually, it was pathetic, and her efforts were fruitless, for, in mere seconds, she snatched the second granola bar out his hand, and like a gremlin feasting on flesh, she gnawed the first bite like a predator feasting on the innards of their prey.
Being too preoccupied destroying the snack she'd been handed, the corner of her eyes hasn't even registered the prying pupils of her Samurai ally smiling at the sight of her. Eating away as if this were her very first meal, Satoru couldn't help but grin, remembering a past that would be better off forgotten. A family that deserved to perish in the most agonizing way imaginable, in all intents and purposes, they truly were bad people. However, that could never excuse them of their sins, so, while the gates of Hell's flames danced as chaotic as the roaring waves in an unpredictable ocean, they remained on this earth forevermore.
Life was too short to spend on inconsequential rivalries that whittle down your lifespan, so, as the wrapper was the only thing left of the snack she'd been gifted. Those who dared to cause despair on others would have to be punished, just for the sake of seeing someone turmoil and hate themselves, and abominable desire, one that must be extinguished. Neither of them knew it but Heidi and Ryosuke had the same belief twisted chaotically to turn inward at their sadistic wants. The desire to leave death in their wake for no other reason just because they enjoyed the taste of death on their blades, Satoru scratched at his chin and sighed.
The time for silence had passed, now was the time for action, however unnecessary it might be, his lips parted to spew words, then gathering the attention of his former enemy beside him,
"Do you mind if I ask… what you saw when you were trapped in there?" The Samurai inquired calmly with a hint of respect audible in his vocals.
Snow's lip quivered ever so slightly, a singular amount of her sole nails making its way to lodge between her mouth, sheepish grumbles muffled barely. Utters of inaudible words somehow making out, indistinguishable mumbles unable to be told apart from crazed muttering, as time went on, and a hand reached on her shoulder, the warmth of his skin against hers sent her into a frenzy. Unable to be described, she searched endlessly through the contents of her memory vault, but just here, being with someone, somehow, someway, it felt calming.
'Maybe it was the death,' Heidi considered, 'It's likely because of everything that's going to happen, he wants to see it too so that's why- it's just leaking onto me; his excitement,'
But this sensation was so much more than anticipation for inevitable destruction, it was warm, but the warmth wasn't heated. It was just that, the warmth of that of a fireplace with flames implanted into a plethora of wooden logs, as if she and her reluctant comrade were scattered around there; warming up their chilled palms. It was inexpressible, how could she let these words she'd not let any other spew out… so easily?
"I… I saw my past. A bystander to someone being hurt, that I was powerless and I couldn't stop it. And after I'd been witness to torture, I'd be thrown back out into the real world, but no one cared. No one even cared enough to ask me how I was doing, how I felt. I never felt the warmth of a blanket over me or the loving embrace of a mother cooing me to sleep, telling me 'it'll be alright'. No one would care for me, so I want… I wanna kill as many of them as possible, even those 'innocent.' I guess that's just my… justice," Heidi stifled a nervous giggle after she finished speaking.
An uncaring shrug rolled off her shoulders, snuggling her cheek right into his arm, covered by the sleeve attached to his haori robe. In the end, she faded away from his vision, like a hazy memory locked behind the vaults of his mind, those flashing lights of blue and red… there they were again. At that moment, there was nothing more than a maddening feeling; the closest thing he could say to describe it was ecstasy. Inhaling sharply then closing his eyes with a smile over his pink lips, a chuckle escaped his mouth, leading Snow to turn her head and upturn a brow curiously,
"You and I are… one in the same," Was all he said.
And it spoke volumes, for she didn't show any remorse in her eyes or sheepishly pull his arm closer, instead, she couldn't help but smile. Standing up with a hop in her legs, Heidi pushed her fists against her hips and smirked. 'Charming,' thought Satoru, as she reached down her hand with her extremities extended as she happily declared,
"Then we form a truce! Whaddya say about that!" Asked the young woman… to which he examined her smile.
That which was not fueled by anything like bloodlust or hatred, something as smug as that. He of all people would know a genuine grin when he saw one, and as he took her hand in his own, contrasting skin tones and all, he couldn't help but agree with his differing voice tone,
"I concur…"
As they agreed to break their insolent rivalry, neither of them would figure out that name in the back of their mind. For it wasn't just the two of them that were alone witnessing the nightmare of their past, horrible tragedies they'd rather forget. Together, unbeknownst to the other, they couldn't help but ponder about the third of their ally, the one who'd suffered with them.
What exactly had she seen when she was under that thing's intruding influence? Their questions would never truly get an answer, but there was one person she'd enlighten about her experience. Unraveling his bandages to reveal his scarred-burnt fingers, Callum released them from his grip to let them hover in the air, witnessing as they vanished before his eyes… oddly enough, it was so wonderful. To see something so quickly fade away as if it were never even there, in the end, that was part of the beauty for Kelly as she leaned over the bow to witness the distancing sight of the ocean forever dimming out of sight,
"Enjoying the view?" The Founder's voice was as smooth as butter, the raspiness tantamount to an older man asking this of their wife or daughter, yet the younger remnants made for a soothing combination,
"Yeah… it's sorta breathtaking, ya know? We'd never get to see this type of thing just sitting in our dorms," Summers commented, drawing the sleeves of the clothing over her arms, shielding her from the nightly chill.
These feelings, the way the droplets of water emerged from the water as the engine drove ever deeper into the ocean's depths, the shine from the moon illuminating her face, the bottomless darkness that remains above, existing as the night sky; what remained was this feeling. A tear squeezed out her right eye's corner, extending further and stretching evermore to stream down her cheek like a rapid river pouring downhill between pockets of green. Soon, those pale lids disclosed the shade of her pupils, hiding them from the world, as she returned her consciousness to the back of her mind, Callum couldn't help but turn to stare at her, his arms, too, resting against the bow's edge,
"Another one of your mind poems? Ever thought about-" Cal was intruded by the softness of her feminine vocals, shushing him to silence.
That silence had stretched infinitely around their beings, enveloped by the chill of the summer's night. Sliding just a bit closer to her body, he tilted his head, that curious expression forevermore stained over his deformed features, the words performed carefully in her mind, vocals in unison with the way her mind so elegantly produced these words…
"As I wake from that dream, there's a hint of loneliness remaining. That, too, will soon vanish. With a single breathe, like the morning blending into the darkness… of the night," Kelly's voice added to the beauty of her words, the elegant way she pushed them together as if she were using tape to create a new amalgamation.
Her hands reached out, and as if pink flower petals flew out from nothing, the darkness was enveloped wholly by nothing but the light from these leafy fragments. That illumination shined not only unto her but onto the Founder, as well, that which reflected into the center of his crimson pupil, signature to only him. For but a moment in time, barely recognizable to any who'd care, it seemed the angry color had disintegrated, like that of an animal burrowing underground, the color that which replaced the irritating scarlet was one of an azure palette. This place, this moment… all a fleeting moment in the river of Time, however brief, however trivial, none of it mattered, for as they existed here, together, as individuals, then it would be well.
Somewhere, somehow, he'd felt this before, like it was on the tip of his tongue. Only pieces returned as he searched. Keywords like warmth, arms, love- all returning to the forefront of his mind, but just then, he'd felt it. The head of a woman against his chest, his fingers automatically knowing to slide through her golden locks, those black highlights… just hers. Flashes of the past when she was by his side, and the present now, it seemed things had changed, and yet, at the same time, Kelly believed nothing changed. As long as she was beside him, helping him, aiding him, making the world a better place than it was before; the one she'd helped in making so terrible, then it would be okay. This was okay.
The separation and rivalry between the Evolution Front had seemingly vanished with a single movement, as all it took was but a comforting arm for ahead to lay on, and while the Revolution transported the remaining members to their rendezvous, the very World they knew, defined by reason and reality, was about to break.
The dawn fell over them all, a wave splashing out from the dock to dirty their clothing, pouring over their cleaned attire, Azazel and Riz spat out the liquid on instinct. The slumbering bystanders just behind them were caught in the blast while others just had their feet dampened. Just with their feet dangling over the pier's verge, mere inches away from the depths of the Hudson, Azazel couldn't help but groan as his fists rubbed his eyes, upturning his head, and there it was, lying before him. As giant as the Moon if it were just above the planet, the mere size of it was astronomical; indescribable. Nevertheless, a hunch in his gut told him Cthulhu could still tower over this metal beast.
The ramp's metallic shape whirred out the ship's side to stab into the pier's wooden platform, Rizia yawning as their arms rose to the air above, Azazel grabbed their arm so the both of them could be first on. And just like that, meeting with the other four already standing on the Revolution, everyone gazed at one another, particularly, Heidi at Azazel pushing through Callum and Kelly throwing the duo to the side,
"JEEZUS! You two are nasty as hell… too bad, too, we don't have a shower on here," Heidi snickered with Summers following suit in the background softly, a hand covering her lips,
"Yeah, well, who asked you? Maybe find another motif to rip off, dumbass," Karlo shoulder-checked Snow, barging everyone guarding him so he could reach the vehicle's bow, and hang overhead, mouth just above the ocean,
"What's with him? I thought we were all cool now?" Worriedly asked the blonde Summers of the Crow's closest friend, to which Kosuke shrugged their shoulders,
"Couldn't tell ya, really; he was in a good mood last night. Maybe he had a bad dream or somethin'? Something about his kid..?" Suggested Harbinger to their allies, rolling their shoulders back, Cal patted their shoulder while Kel turned her head, Heidi mimicking her movements.
Even as Rivers grabbed their shoulder, Kosuke couldn't drift their eyes away from Azazel, as if they were locked, similar to that of a targeting system. The Founder quirked a brow, shifting his footing, and there it was, now all four of them had been staring at Azazel, seemingly sick with a head hung over the Revolution's bow. Squinting his eyes, a certain audio inaudible to any of those around him discharged out his colored-pupil, the irritated red revealing its claws to sink ever more into the previous calmed azure palette courtesy of the night before,
'What is this feeling..?' Thought Azazel covering his mouth with his palm, eyes bloodshot, stomach-turning… the second his hand shifted from his lips, there it was.
Blood. But how? Nothing had changed, it was the simple passing of night today, right? And yet, if it were that simple, would he be puking blood the first thing in the morning? Once again, he had to ask himself, as he wiped his bloody hand on his cloak, 'What the hell is this… feeling?' A sensation that seemed to enfold not only his body but his spirit entirely, not that of the comforting cold signature to that of Angels taking you above the clouds to the Golden Gates of Heaven. The hellish flames of the Devil spread wider than ever, but human life was fragile, insignificant- distant from those differentiating dimensions that governed over Life and Death, but it was here. The hellish enveloping nature of suffering had dug its dagger-like nails into his heart, but for what… what purpose?
That was when it hit him…! The speed equivalent to that of a supersonic plane soaring through the clouds to make its way to its destination, his head snapped at breakneck speeds, just to turn all the way around: and there it was. One man, one red-eye, donning that 'normal' black-white suit, and yet, it was the oddest thing. They were all there. Callum in the middle, Kelly to his right, Rizia to the right of her. Ryosuke to left of Rivers, then Heidi- and then… himself?!
"WAIT!!!" His cries were that of silence, as he was but a transparent spirit crying out to those who could never be granted access to hear a begging soul warning allies of a coming tragedy.
They all had the same pose, thumb against the forehead, index pointed to the sky… but as their hands drove downward with a gradual movement to it all, their lips parted as well, for Mankind's Evolution Frontier to mutter but only one phrase. One word as loud as a scream to break the ears of a thousand men, spoken at just the right volume to shatter the foundation of not only this world but the universe itself,
"Unchain."
With that, it all came rushing back to him like this were but an illusion, an invisible chimera destined to occur, to exist in a New World where he had no voice. The boundless spirit ran right over to the Founder, throwing a punch that held no weight, and simply faded through his person, leaving not even a flinch in the wake of his attack. The shadow of a fantastical entity seen overhead to send Heidi's hands grabbing at the edge like an amazed child, Azazel's eyes widened… there it was, laid out before him,
'The next thing I knew, it was something out of a nightmare. I'd seen 'im before, but just there, standing atop all those buildings, towering over them all as if they were nothing but ants. Disconnected from my body with no vessel to hold me, even then, I felt a chill run down my spine. In mere seconds, he took one step, and thousands were dead. Their agonizing screams and pleads for mercy sent reverberations not only through the waves, for even those in Japan, Russia, Australia, I'm sure, that day, they looked back. Back in horror but not at a monstrosity that had not yet come, but back in anticipation for fear… fear of their lives. Dreams, that day, were taken, stolen from sleeping children across the world, elders who'd wished to spend their final moments with their family surrounding them had that taken from them. From that point on, we were free from the clutches of the Government, and the shackles of debt hovered over our heads. The Evolution Frontier was at the forefront of governing the New World with Callum and Rizia forming ANZEN together… it was only five years before the Island was operational as Manhattan itself.'
The horrors that took place that day were witnessed reluctantly through the eyes of the Crow, as Cthulhu's feet sent shock waves that which sent apartments to ashes, shells of their former selves, tearing off flesh from the bone of its victims… his hands, too, were busy. Invisible slashes too quick for the naked eye to process cut apart buildings at the centers, scrapers losing their piercing foundation; the rubble no doubt crushed thousands more.
And for the grand finale, after it had its fun tormenting the survivors of this once-great civilization, the Revolution docked at the Island… and from then on, it was predictable. Mankind's evolution had gone underway, skeletons charring at just the appearance of the sphere between the Older One's claws, something akin to a black hole manifested from out of nowhere. Maybe an interdimensional pocket hidden in space, yet the darkness of the entity replaced by white, with rainbow-colored illuminations appearing throughout every side of the circle…
Needless to say, the human genome had undergone an immense transformation that day, as a wave had burst out that ball when it exploded that day, on the foundation of the Remnant World where fragments laid aplenty. Those who'd lived with the sky blue overhead witnessed a legendary change that altered the way they viewed life, and just as a Japanese woman was carrying her babe to the bedroom, her hand shifted to that of… an Ant's.
ANZEN was formed soon after Riverton's construction was finished in 2017, with buildings and cars produced mostly of Konpeki metal, the Evolution Frontier's name vanished from the public eye. However, unbeknownst to them, as the gears were slowly turning for the ending of this story to reach its abrupt climax, there stood a hovering body entirely swimming in a stasis chamber. With his eyes opening, the glass returned to shards, and his palms aided him just before his face could smash against the Castle's tiles. Alexander Amara had awoken from a slumber, panting, in search of breath, a man with white hair and red-eye turned his head walking down a white corridor.
"Something wrong, Cal?" Questioned Kelly of her partner, peeking out just over his shoulder to see him, staring at the ceiling, transparent to reflect the colored view of the bright blue sky…
"No, no. If I'm being honest, Kelly- everything's gone exactly according to plan…"
And with that, the rest is history.
Righteous Uprising Arc - Fin.