Kara found herself standing alone in the crystal city, facing the wall with a mix of frustration. Her blue eyes scanned the reflection before her, revealing the unexpected and rather comical drawings Zion had adorned her face with. The ink markings of an eye patch, a British mustache, a star-shaped mole, and an unfamiliar kanji stared back at her. Attempts to erase them only unveiled the harsh reality – Zion had used a permanent marker.
Fighting back the rising annoyance, Kara sighed, realizing that Zion's antics were escalating. Collecting herself, she turned away from the wall and observed the towering structure that dominated the city. The white exterior began to glow, intricate golden circuitry spreading across the city as the tower responded.
"He's starting the process," she muttered, determined to address the situation.
As Kara made her way toward the tower, the city trembled beneath her feet, and the winds shifted, carrying distant howls. The very essence of Planet Mars seemed to be undergoing a transformation.
Quickening her pace, Kara reached the tower within minutes. Passing through a grand gothic gate and traversing pristine hallways, she ascended to the top floor. There, she was met with a startling scene – a three-headed hydra, its scales black as night, facing off against three Martians, each with a distinct appearance – one bulky, one slim, and the other scared. They were on the verge of a clash when Kara intervened.
"What are you all doing?" she demanded, her tone a mix of surprise and irritation. The men froze at her question.
...
The unexpected intervention of a variable increased the chance of the Martians' defeat. They were struggling to fight the beast that sent shivers down their spines, and with their all at stake, they could only defeat him. But now, his friend, his backup, had arrived and they didn't want another unparalleled opponent who could blast through Earth with her eyes.
J'emm snapped out of his horror, blind courage rising. "You have betrayed our trust, Earther. We allowed you into our home, and now, you try to take that away from us. Is this how you repay our hospitality?" J'emm asked, his anger boiling.
Kara turned to J'emm, her gaze cold yet filled with question. She then turned to the monster standing opposite; she didn't need to inquire to know it's Zion. She could feel the monster's animosity toward her, which annoyed her, and its nonchalance as if it ruled above all. She didn't understand the reasons behind Zion's actions, but she would stop him. And if beating him inches to death was the solution, she was more than glad to.
"Step back," Kara declared, taking a firm step forward to slay the beast. J'emm moved back on instinct, not understanding Kara's intent, but he didn't need to. Kara moved, her feet kicking the hard floor with all her power. She cocked a fist and punched as she arrived near Zion in a blink.
But to her surprise, her fist failed to connect with his body, more like her body didn't connect with anything. The hydra had used Martian density shifting to make itself intangible. Kara flew through unimpeded and caught herself getting strangled.
As the first to react, R'ohh K'arr was the one to close the distance between him and the hydra. His massive form didn't slow him down. He thrust his Electrode (the electric staff) at the Hydra. The Hydra, who was materializing his form, noticed R'ohh's clear attempt and slashed him with his right wing.
Zyrra K'elthar used this chance to attack the hydra's right underbelly. He used the advantage of sudden accelerations to close the gap and stabbed with his Electrode. Yet to his dismay, the electrode connected with a force field that was covering the hydra like a protective layer.
The hydra, who was getting attacked on three fronts, evaded the Kryptonian by phasing and grabbed her with his tail and slammed her to the hard cold floor with a cringing 'Bam.' In her suffocation, Kara met the ground again and again, her nose breaking in the process, blood filling her mouth.
He then slashed the four-armed gorilla with his bony wings that were more flexible than they looked and slapped the insect with his telekinesis. R'ohh rocketed and crashed against the pristine walls, his arms stinging in pain. Zyrra K'elthar, under the psychic pressure, groaned in agony.
"ROOOARRRR!!!"
Suddenly, the beast roared, not in victory but in pain. Kara and Zyrra K'elthar felt the force that suffocated them loosened with the agonizing roar. R'ohh turned his attention to the one who hadn't fought, J'emm, who was now stabbing the beast with an Electrode.
R'ohh brushed his pain and flew toward the beast, his muscles contracting with power. R'ohh punched the beast's head, with all his strength, slamming one of its heads to the floor while evading the two remaining heads that tried to rip him with their teeth.
Hydra, angered, turned a third of its attention to the fly that bit him, using his wing to attack. J'emm, the young Martian, noob to a fight, got bitch-slapped by the wing. J'emm flew like a rocket and slammed on the walls, backing out for a moment.
Kara, tearing out of the tail's grip, slapped the tails away as she wiped the blood on her nose. She then caught the tails that were flying at her in a death grip and spat the blood in her mouth to the side. She then swung her hand under the tails and pulled it with all her strength, her tactical telekinesis spreading.
"Prince J'emm," R'ohh cried in rage as he saw J'emm bleed. He was sent to protect their prince and keep the guests in check, but he had failed in both tasks. And if the prince were to die, he would not forgive himself.
Hydra, looking at the rage-filled Martian, roared in mockery. "ROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!"
R'ohh enraged, punched the hydra, uppercutting its roaring head. The hydra retaliated by slashing with his wings. R'ohh with swift movements avoided the attack, closing in to deliver another punch to the other head.
But his hands were caught by telekinesis, and next he saw was the devouring abyss of Hydra's mouth, ready to lunch on him. The jaws snapped shut, inches away from R'ohh's face. R'ohh felt the certain death inches away.
The hydra, however, clawed at the ground as it felt itself being lifted, but its claw found no grip on the smooth, undamaged floor.
"Ahhhhhh!" Kara screamed as she pulled the hydra's tails with all her power, lifting him. She had unknowingly saved R'ohh from certain death. She then twisted her body, swinging the massive hydra over her head.
~BOOOOM~ With a deafening boom, the giant crashed to the ground, and Kara wasn't done with it as she lifted the hydra again, ready to give it a fine beating of its life. The hydra, having a slight concussion, used its decreasing awareness to strike at Kara. Its wings morphed into vines that shot toward Kara, trying to poke holes in her. Kara turned and kicked the veins away in a blur of motion.
R'ohh, not letting up, moved in and stabbed the hydra with his Electrode. The hydra cried in pain as it used its mouth to bite him, but the experienced M'hontrr dodged his attack and kept striking him with the Electrode. The hydra's cries of pain increased as Zyrra joined in with his Electrode after checking up on J'emm.
While the Martians used their staff, Kara just pummeled the three heads of the hydra. She hit three of them up, and when they came down, she hit them back up and repeated this process. After being battered by the trio, the hydra started to decrease in size.
Kara took a step back, noticing the hydra was de-transforming. The Martians kept electrocuting the hydra as it de-transformed. Finally, after a moment, the Hydra returned to the Martian form, laying face down.
"Ugh," a groan escaped his lips, "You know... I am..."
"What?" R'ohh questioned.
"I am... done," Morph repeated.
Kara, feeling a bad premonition, moved forward and punched down. A shockwave exploded as the punch connected, making Morph groan.
"Stay down, Zion," Kara warned.
Morph turned his body using the little bit of the remaining strength, only to get electrocuted but succeeded. He now laid facing up, looking at his high ceiling, his eyes focusing on something that existed beyond the perception.
"I wanted to end this the easy way," he muttered to no one specific.
Zyrra, angered by his words, stabbed Morph, "Stealing our home?!!!"
"No," Morphed answered through gritted teeth. "Ugh."
Zyrra removed his Electrode, stopping the electrocution. Morph took heavy breath, pain covering his body.
"You will be taken to the Martian council and be judged for your action!" R'ohh declared.
"I won't be," Morphed replied.
"You will be judged for your insolence," Zyrra stated in anger as he got ready to electrocute Morph.
"Lightning," Zion muttered in a calm voice and a buzz of electric charge.
Some Martians had the gift of magic, and Zion, now the epitome of Martian physiology, also had, you know it, magic.
A yellow lightning, made of pure magic, descended on the trio in a blink. The Martians felt the intense heat and the burning electricity course through their bodies. While Kara on the other hand, managed to avoid getting zapped.
The now fried Martians fell to the ground, charred. The experienced M'hontrr got handed, with magic. Zion still feeling sore turned his body to stand up; he used the taxing telekinesis to lift himself up.
"What are you-"
"Freeze," Zion cast another spell, freezing Kara in mid-sentence.
He twisted his limbs, his sore spots vanishing as Martian healing kicked in. He walked up to J'emm, who was shocked at what happened. Morph pulled J'emm to him with his telekinesis, his eyes meeting the young Martian prince.
"I want you to go inform your king, queen, and your council. I will bring war, and be prepared to face it," Zion stated in an absolute chilling voice, making sure that the young prince would never forget.
"Now leave," he released the prince from his clutch. "Run, run to save your race."
J'emm, understanding his task surprisingly quickly, got up and flew away, quickly vanishing through the door. He didn't look back nor did he stop; he had to inform that kingdom of the war was coming, and it was against one man.
But J'emm felt how wrong he was the minute he exited the crystal city. The rusty grounds of M'arzz were nowhere, only pitch-black ground with golden circuitry lines adorned the grounds as far as the eyes could see.
When he crossed the darkened land, he saw golems rise from the darkened ground, bipedal beings with golden lines adorning them. They looked up with their circular eyes, sending chills down his spine.
The war was coming, and they had an army of unknown to fight.
...
Zion back at the tower, looked at the charred bodies of the Martians that were slowly beginning to heal. He had not killed them. He touched the Omnitrix on his chest and spoke his command, "Imprison them,"
A crystalline structure rose from the ground and covered the three and teleported them away.
"Start the extraction."
With those words, the world rumbled into a new dawn.
{Rest your rage on me, and live your life free of your curse.}