"Alice!" June tried to reach for her, but she was surprisingly fast despite her old age. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded.
Alice ignored her friend and shuffled forward on the building. It had been torn down and turned over from the fighting, working almost as some sort of ramp she could climb and get above all the wreckage. With each step, she thought that the glass under her might give out and shatter, but that didn't stop her from walking forward. She had left her husband, Matthew, behind with the crowd, so it was just her and June now.
"Alice, we shouldn't be here! It's dangerous!" The Hero Branch agent finally reached her and grabbed the older woman by the wrist, stopping her.
Alice turned around and shushed him, holding a finger up. They were on a different block of the city from where they had started. She had noticed the sounds of fighting and the intense pressure and, instead of backing down, had marched right into it. Now, she was at the very top of that knocked-over building she had decided to use as a ramp. "Look," she said quietly. She pointed out, and June's eyes followed. His eyes went wide when he saw what she had noticed. "It's nearing the climax."
The air above them crackled with fire, a mix of gold and white, which split open and shattered. Two fast-moving objects came crashing down to the city below. Spider Street was in ruins, and all the heroes stood on what used to be the road. He saw several members of the Enforcers as well as team Pantheon, the group that belonged to Myth—the final stand against the thing that had torn down Oleander.
Alice pulled her phone out and clicked it on, pressing a button. The connection was surprisingly good, all things considered. Likely due to Boy Genius, who was also recording everything and keeping Oleander's internet running. She went live and held the phone out to June, who took it. He held it steady, seeming to get what she wanted, focusing the camera on her and the heroes down below. Her livestream didn't take long to get noticed by people, and it began to get flooded with views. Many people were recording and staying live with their phones, but only she was this close to the real heart of it all.
"My name is Alice Ward." She stated, once June flashed her a thumbs up. "I'm here at the scene where the heroes are about to beat the Beast."
"You still think they're going to win?" June asked.
"I do." She nodded her head and looked back down at the battlefield. "I still have hope."
Down below with all the heroes, Battery blasted forward at his top speed and threw his arms out just in time to catch Cinder, who dropped from the sky after her clash with the Beast. The drone he had been holding tumbled to the ground and burned out now. She didn't look all that hurt and actually had a large grin on her face. "Mr. Larison!" She stared up at him with stars in her eyes. "Did you see me? I flew! I really did it!"
"Good job, kid." Battery grunted and dropped Cinder flat on her butt. "Think you can do it again?"
"Um..." Cinder reached for her back, slapping at it, and shrugged. "I'm really not too sure how I did it!" She responded sheepishly. Her wings were gone now. "I sort of just copied what I saw the Beast doing. That thing made butterfly wings, and it looked like it might be made of fire, so I figured I could try something just like that. I'd rather be able to fly on my own like Victorian or Full Monarch, but beggars can't be choosers!"
"We'll work on your flying after this, then. I have some pointers I can give."
"Next time?" Battery turned when he heard the voice of Myth. The hero made his way over to them and folded his arms. "So, you're saying there will be a next time after this?" He questioned, his eyes scanning Battery's chest and focusing in on the hole that was through it.
Battery turned away, not answering. "The feathers, Mr. Larison!" Cinder said suddenly. She reached out and grabbed one. Around the time Paragon showed up, a steady stream of feathers rained down onto the city. High above the clouds, Destiny flew back and forth, offering his healing to all. "They can save you, right?"
Battery reached out for one, but it didn't even get close to his fingers before a spark of black lightning zapped out of his fingertips and burned the feather to ash. "Guess that's out of the question." Myth sighed. "Paragon could save you, maybe. Now that the shard isn't in you, could she overpower that black energy and fix you?"
Battery just gave a lazy shrug. "I guess it could be possible."
"What's up with that black energy in the first place, Mr. Larison!" Cinder demanded. "First gold, then blue, and now black. Are you trying to work your way through every color or something?"
"This is my last color change, trust me." The hero snorted. "That golden energy was something I stole from the Victorian. The blue energy is actually my power. I guess I never explained it to you. I can basically use my imagination to alter the properties of my energy. I use this to give myself a massive boost in speed and strength, giving me the stats of what I imagine something like a Giant from legends would be like. My black energy is that power Inverted. Instead of imagination, my energy gains real-world properties and creates actual things. In this case, actual Giants. My faithful soldiers."
"And you've just always had this in your back pocket? No wonder the Victorian is interested in you." Myth murmured.
"Should we actually be talking this casually?" Cinder suddenly asked. "I mean, the Beast is right over there."
None of the other heroes had dared to take a step forward. The Victorian was tired and beaten up from all the damage she took, and the others knew they wouldn't stand a chance against the monster. At least they wouldn't have been able to if the Beast had been at the peak of its power. It wasn't, though. Not anymore. Battery turned and cocked his head to the side as he eyed the alien up. He gave a slow smirk. It looked so pathetic.
It was covered in hundreds of cracks, which were slowly expanding and opening, showing the inside of its energy form, which was still empty. Its arms were gone, and its head had been nearly torn clean off. Cinder's punch had also put a huge dent in its stomach, and its legs were twisted in odd ways now, causing it to struggle to even stand. Cinder was strong, but she still wasn't on the level of one of his Giants or the power the Victorian held. The fact that her punch had managed to harm the Beast at all meant that its power was rapidly fading.
It had taken a lot of damage, delivering its massive blow to the Victorian twice, and the number one hero had turned all that pain and suffering into a single punch that had ruined the creature's body even further beyond. It was reaching its limit. Not even the Beast was unbeatable.
"Don't get cocky." Myth called out. "Just because it looks messed up doesn't mean it isn't still strong!"
As if he could sense something was about to happen, Myth proved to be correct, as seconds later, the Beast crouched down, and its form shimmered with a bright white light. Its body twisted, and it almost looked like it had balled itself up. All of them jumped back, ready for an attack, but it never came. The Beast just floated there, now morphed into some strange white orb that floated a few meters off of the ground. It was around the size of a large truck but began to quickly grow smaller and slimmer with every passing second.
"What's it doing?" Wyvern asked.
"Nothing good, I bet." Mister Man spat out.
Battery frowned before it suddenly clicked in his mind. "It's patching itself up."
"I thought it couldn't heal." Cinder whined.
"It isn't healing."
"What?"
Myth nodded and folded his arms, coming to the same conclusion. "It can alter the form of its body. It's using that to patch itself up. That's why it's getting smaller."
"Yeah, I still don't get it..." Hope admitted.
"Imagine it like a skin graft. When a person's skin is damaged and needs to be replaced, the skin that is grafted onto them doesn't have to be from the same spot where it was damaged. So, if an arm was damaged, that skin could be covered up with the skin from someone's back." Myth explained. "It's doing something like that, right, Battery? Because it is an empty body, it's like one big layer of skin. All it needs to do is shuffle up its mass and replace its arms and head. Doing so is causing it to shrink, though. It isn't healing; more like it's fixing itself up by taking apart its height and body mass that it deems useless. It would have been clever if not for one small flaw. He's turned himself into one big target while he does this!"
Wyvern and Drake both fired at the white orb, shooting beams of fire out of their mouths that swirled together. The attack, however, was unable to leave a mark on the orb as the cracks were being sealed shut, and it focused on its durability. It would have worked if not for the fact that they had someone who could negate such things.
"Looks like it all falls to me. I'm the one that is going to save the day." Mister Man stepped forward and took his time reloading his gun. "I'm the one that is going to put this thing down for good." Rapidly, he raised it and fired. His bullet hit the orb and phased halfway into it, then became solid, putting a hole in it. Then he fired another shot, and another, and another, and- Each shot caused the orb to explode with holes as the bullets phased. "How many people have you killed?" He strolled forward, smoothly reloading his gun, and began to shoot at the orb again. "We lost team members today because of you. Some of which I even tolerated and considered to be decent coworkers." Dozens of holes filled the orb, each getting bigger, and they could hear the Beast groaning from the inside as more of its mass was reduced to nothingness from Mister Man's bullets. "This all could have gone so much simpler if you just died. But you can't, can you? You're more stubborn than the leader of the Immortals!" He threw his guns to the side once his bullets had run out, and he whipped out a knife, which he twirled, stabbing up and phasing it into the shell. More groans came from it, and a fast-moving tendril formed out, smashing through Mister Man with enough force to rip him in two. At least it would have if it hit, but instead, the tendril went right past him. "I'm going to do what Full Monarch never could!" He announced, stabbing and cutting away at more of the orb. "I'm finally going to kill you-"
That was when they heard it...
None of them had stepped forward, all content with letting Mister Man finish it off. It was doubtful that any of them could crack the orb; besides, maybe Battery anyways. As they stood on the sidelines watching, Cinder was the first to hear it. All at once, her senses grew and rapidly increased. She gasped, hearing all the heartbeats of the heroes around her, and nearly tripped over her own feet, being caught by Wyvern at the last second.
"Are you okay?" Wyvern asked, keeping the Lord steady.
Cinder gasped and shook her head, her eyes going wide. She knew enough about her powers by now to know her hearing didn't just randomly come on like this. She wouldn't go so far as to claim that her powers were alive, but there was something that directed them other than her. Something that was trying to warn her. "Something's wrong." She struggled to lower her hearing and did it just in time for all of them to hear the same thing. "Poseidon is coming."
A low hum filled the air. All of them could hear it now, even without enhanced senses. It came from all directions as if the air itself was trying to speak. It was clearly Poseidon's voice, and at first, it started slow. Then it began to pick up speed. It was a melody—one without lyrics that twisted through them all. Like a wave that was rising, it gradually began to get louder and pick up pace, and soon, it was a scream. Harsh like nails on a chalkboard, the air around them almost seemed to shake, and all of them stood frozen. Water-Gal appeared from a puddle, her face pale. Even the whine of the Beast had stilled, and Mister Man's stabbings had stopped.
Mister Man felt a small drop of water hit his wrist. He looked up as the sky above turned black and a shadow fell upon them all. It was a wave—massive in size, taller than even a skyscraper. A tsunami had appeared from out of nowhere. Water-Gal collapsed, her powers turning her into a puddle of water. As everyone watched, the puddle began to move, dragged forcibly towards the giant tsunami, getting absorbed by the giant wave.
"Look out!" Battery screamed right as the tidal wave came roaring down. Battery barely had time to flare his energy out, the black lightning taking shape into a massive pair of hands that folded around himself, Cinder, and Myth. He didn't have time to grab any of the other heroes, and thanks to how dark his energy was, he couldn't see past his hand. He felt it, though.
"What's happening?" Myth asked in shock.
Everything shook and turned around them, small droplets of water hitting them, and the hand struggled to hold everything back. An intense weight seemed to force itself down onto them, and Battery struggled to maintain his power, forcing more of one of his Giants out, arms finding their way onto the hands as a one hundred-meter-tall soldier was formed, which held onto them and began to swim up. They broke past the surface of the water, and the giant unfolded its hands, allowing them to see just what had happened.
"Oh my God." Hope trailed off in horror, her eyes scanning around them.
They were in the middle of a large lake. The entire city block they had been on had been flooded. The water wasn't stopping either. It had formed a strange dome-like shape over the area they were in. She could see the rest of the city, the part that had all the rest of the people, which was thankfully fine. The water had literally stopped right at the end of the city block and didn't flow out any further. All of Spider Street had been drowned, including their base, something that made a sting of sadness go through her heart. The Giant that Battery had summoned stood over one hundred meters tall, and yet its feet didn't touch the bottom anymore. The level of the water was so high they were basically above the entire city.
Shards of debris floated to the surface or were pulled further into the new lake that had been created on top of Spider Street. The force of the tsunami had shattered every other building left standing, meaning their base was utterly gone as well now. They didn't spot any other heroes, and the water was a strange inky black color, looking more like oil, not allowing any of them to see if any of them were below the surface.
"Poseidon did this?" Myth asked in shock. "How? Why? Since when is she this strong?"
Battery shook his head. "No. Not Poseidon. Something far worse."
The surface of the black lake rippled a bit, and something began to rise out of it. It was a pale white color and almost looked like a squid tentacle. It wrapped around the finger of the Giant's hand that they stood on and began to pull itself out of the water and onto the surface. There was plenty of room on the large palms, and the three of them all backed away quietly, staring at the thing that had used to be Poseidon.
Two years ago, the Beast attacked Chrysanthemum. This incident led to the creation of a new Calamity level threat as well as the death of the hero Legend. Despite bearing witness to all, Myth, still to this day, had no idea what had truly stopped the Beast. The high-ranking heroes had wanted to keep it secret. Despite that, though, a single name stood out. One that they were unable to keep hidden...
"Poseidon?" Cinder asked nervously.
"That isn't my name." It was the voice of Poseidon, but the tone was just off. Slowly, a giggle echoed around them, dancing in the air once more. "My name is the Tallest Wave. Hello, Brightest Star. It's good to see you once again."
Poseidon had changed. As the thing calling itself the Tallest Wave stood up, Hope got a good look at just what this thing was. Full Monarch, at the peak of his power, had been described as an actual star. He was constantly cloaked in harsh blue fire that could slaughter his enemies and protect his allies. Sky had told her that in the fight with Wish, she turned into something similar. She had been expecting Poseidon to follow suit and be made of water or at least coated in it, but she was wrong.
It was so much worse.
Poseidon had grown taller, reaching nearly twenty feet in length. Where her legs once were, they had instead fused together and became a long fishtail. Almost like some sort of mermaid or shark. Her flesh had lost all color and was a nasty milky white. Normally, Poseidon's hair was blonde, and in her Lord form, her hair was blue. Ocean Empress had used her own powers to also change her hair blue when she was in her hero costume as a way to mimic this. Now, though, Poseidon's hair was just as white as her flesh. Her eyes were bigger and pitch-black, and it was a wonder if the girl could even actually see. A shark-looking fin jutted out of Poseidon's back, and her left arm changed into one large squid tendril. Her right arm was almost human-looking but had become lanky, clutching her trident, which had tripled in length. Large cuts ran across her body, and they constantly spilled out more of that black liquid, which flowed out of her like a fountain. Most disturbingly, though, was the twisted smile that was on her face. It was longer than it should have been and filled with rows of jagged teeth.
This was a real monster.
Cinder suddenly understood why Max Lightning had described her as one. The true terror of the Beast wasn't the attack itself. It was always, and always will be, the aftermath. Every time the Beast arrives, planet Earth finds itself facing a brand-new Calamity.
Despite the fear that bubbled up within her, Hope took a cautious step forward. "Poseidon. Please. You need to calm down. Try to get a hold of yourself. You hate this power, remember?"
Poseidon let out another giggle. "Oh, silly. I am calm. Also, I'm not Poseidon. I told you I'm the Tallest Wave. This might have been a different body than we last saw each other in, but it's still me, your older brother!"
"B- Brother?" Cinder cleared her throat and ignored how Poseidon's 'assets' had also grown with the girl's larger body. It seemed whatever was in control of her hadn't started off as a girl. "Poseidon, please! You need to snap out of this."
"It's no use, kid." Battery spoke, stepping forward. "Poseidon's ego lost." Inverting was a dangerous art. It allowed Supers to alter how their powers worked, but doing so meant you lost more control. It was always a battle of egos. The control of the body came down to who was stronger. The more one Inverted, the more they risked a much bigger ego taking them over... The power itself. A living consciousness. One that was housed within them all. The essences of superpowers. "The Tallest Wave is the name of the first Lord of the Sea and Depth. This thing is that. Brought back thousands of years later because the will of the user, which lived on through the passing of his power, defeated Poseidon's ego."
She felt her face pale at Mr. Larison's words. She suddenly recalled everything Sky had told her about their fight with Wish. She had also blacked out and started to call herself something else. The Brightest Star. The same name that this thing before her just called her. Was that the name of the first Lord of the Sun and Cosmos? Had the very first hero that saved Earth from the Shadow really taken over her body? If Battery was right and the thing controlling Poseidon was the first Lord, then shouldn't it be on their side? After all, the Lords were the good guys.
Right?
The Tallest Wave let out another giggle, and its eyes flickered over to stare at Battery. "That's very good, mortal. There's just one small issue!"
"Oh yeah?" Battery asked.
"Yeah! I didn't say you could talk!" The Tallest Wave said cheerfully.
Red splashed down onto the palm of the Giant as Battery's right shoulder and arm were blown to bits from a swipe of the Tallest Wave's tendril faster than he could even think of responding. She found herself suddenly screaming Mr. Larison's name as it sank in what just happened. Battery jumped back, grabbing at his side, and Myth roared, about to transform but was stopped when Battery used his remaining arm to halt him.
"Don't. She'll kill you before you even take a step forward." Battery hissed. More of his blood flowed down his body, and his legs buckled, causing him to nearly collapse, but Myth caught him at the last second. "She's too-"
A yell of rage broke through the air, and Cinder jumped forward, smashing a fist in the Tallest Wave's face. Fire exploded out of her hand, and she smashed the fish monster down into the palm they stood on, landing on her gut and turning her shield on, which she used to ram into the Tallest Wave's face over and over again. She threw everything she had into every strike, fire blasting down her body as she rammed all her force into the monster's face. Finally, she collapsed, breathing heavily, and stared down at the Tallest Wave, which stared up at her blankly, not even hurt in the slightest.
"Careful, dear sibling. You don't want to hurt yourself-"
"Shut up!" She smashed her fist down into the monster's eye, trying to poke it out, but her hand simply bounced off of it. "Change back, Poseidon!"
"Ah. I see your vessel is the one still in control, right?" The Tallest Wave hummed. "You haven't fully taken this human over. I located our other siblings. The Loudest Thunder has recently found himself in a new body, so it'll be a while before he is reborn fully. Our sister has also finally found a host she likes. She's always picky. Her last one, that Wish girl, never sat well with her. She's much happier in her current body, though. I think she'll take it over soon."
Hope glared down at the Lord. "You're talking about Sky? Lily, that's your sister! Snap out of it! What did you do with her?"
The Tallest Wave's body squirmed, and it began to rise up slowly. She dropped off of it and landed on the palm, staring up as the Lord of the Sea and Depth towered over her, still smiling. "You want to know what I did with our sister? Oh, that's so wonderful! You're always concerned about the Prettiest Flower the most! I'm glad to see you're having an influence on your host-"
"You're wrong." She cut the Lord off and punched out with her hand, spraying her fire out. "I care about Sky because she's my friend! My name is Hope Lauren, and I'm not your sister! The real Poseidon only has one sibling, and it's the world's greatest healer!"
Myth stood off to the side, gritting his teeth as he tried to apply pressure to Battery's wound. Most Supers always had strange bodies, especially the Lords. Despite that, though, Battery's was the strangest among the strange. Even after having limbs blown off or his head twisted around, he would always find a way to at least shove things back into the proper spot. Not this time, though.
His entire right side, from the start of his shoulder down to his gut, was just gone. It had been hit so fast, and with so much force, it had popped and exploded. He could see part of the man's skeleton hanging out, and even with a body that could survive that which would kill even the best Super, Battery had reached his limit. His breathing came out in pained gasps, and he kept his left arm, his remaining arm, around Myth, using the man to stand. He had already been a walking corpse. Now, he was just a corpse that was nearing the end of its time.
'I can't believe she went and lost the battle to her ego. I guess that just goes to show you how dangerous the power of a Lord is. Aren't you happy you're not a Lord, Alpha? Me and you are buddies, so you have no need to worry about me trying to take you over!'
"Shut the hell up." Battery vomited up some more of his blood and rubbed his head. His power's ego was something he had begun to hear regularly when he saw the images of Full Monarch. It had taken up that man's voice. The more he used its power, the more it had started to speak to him, and now that he was also in a state of Inversion, the thing wouldn't shut up.
'Tallest Wave. What a dope ass name. No other ability gets a cool name. Hey, Alpha, give me a name! I want to be the Lord of Badasses and Bitches! The Baddest Bitch!'
"I will seriously kill myself if it means shutting you up!"
"Who are you talking to?" Myth asked, staring at his team member in horror. Jack had finally seemingly snapped.
"No one you need to worry about. Just get ready to follow my signal."
'Signal?'
"Signal?"
"What the hell did you do to Sky? Tell me already!" Hope yelled up at the monster in front of her.
The Tallest Wave let out a small hum. Slowly, the thing stabbed its trident down into the palm of the Giant and reached up, placing her hand on her stomach and giving an even larger grin. "I ate her."
Sky's eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at the black void she found herself in. Her entire body felt numb, and she didn't see any light around her. She was floating—or actually, she was sinking. She realized that she was underwater, but she didn't struggle to breathe. She couldn't see anything around her, though she didn't really try all that hard.
What was the point anyway?
River Sini was dead.
Her mom was dead.
She had made such a bold promise to the Laurens that she would save their daughter, and yet she couldn't even save her own mom. The world's greatest healer, blessed with powers most would kill for. She was the daughter of the Emperor and the Princess of Life. A cursed creation that had now become the newest Lord of the Land and Life. She was no better than Wish. Maybe she was even worse.
'That's right...' She could hear it now. A voice that had been in the back of her head, steadily growing stronger. It was a soothing, calm voice. She realized that it was her mother's voice. 'Just give in. It'll be as easy as closing your eyes. You've done so well, Paragon. Just sleep now. No need to fight. The world's such a scary place. Let mommy handle it all for you.'
"You're not my mom." Her eyes felt heavy, and she tried to move her arms for a second before giving up. "Mom's dead."
'I am your mom, sweetie. It was me who made you—my power. A former host of mine tapped into my strength, and I used him to create you. You're my baby girl. My child. I made you. So, you need to be a good child and pay your mom back. She wants a body. You don't need yours, right? You've given up. Just close your eyes. It'll be like you're dreaming. Poseidon already gave in. Follow your big sister's lead!'
That snapped her awake. Sky felt water feel her lungs as she finally twisted her body and stopped herself from sinking lower into the black void she is in. She gasped as her heart raced and her mind began to start up once again. She felt like such an asshole in that moment. She had been so torn up about her mother's death, and not once did she ever consider how Lily must have felt. Her sister must be just as torn up about it as she was. Her sister, whom she loved. Her sister, who was still alive. Her sister, who this thing was trying to hurt!
"I don't know who you are, but leave me the hell alone! What happened to Lily!" Sky demanded.
The voice in her head almost seemed to scoff at her. 'So, you still have some fight in you? Who cares? It won't matter. Big brother has already devoured your body. You're stuck in his realm until he decides to let you out. The Tallest Wave has only ever lost a single fight once, when he challenged our sibling, the Brightest Star.'
Sky let out a small snort and folded her arms. "Is that the case? Then I guess you fucked up! I have no doubt in my mind that Hope will beat this Tallest Wave-"
"Sky!" Sky turned just in time to see Hope ram into her as the girl suddenly appeared in the water. "Your sister ate me!"
"Damn it, Hope! I was trying to make you sound cool! Why did you have to get dragged in here, too!"
Hope unwrapped her arms around Sky and gave a sheepish shrug. "Well, actually, I came in here on purpose."
A few moments earlier...
"You ate her!" Cinder created a hammer made out of her fire and began to bash it into the Tallest Wave's gut. "Spit her out! Out, out, out!"
The Tallest Wave giggled a bit. "Sibling, stop. That tickles!" Its tendril slapped her lightly, though the force instantly knocked the wind out of her and shattered most of her ribs, causing her to drop to her knees and vomit up some blood. "Oh. Whoopsie. Sorry about that! I forget how frail mortals are! That's why you should go ahead and take over your vessel's body! You won't need to worry about that, then! You were the strongest thing in the Universe, after all. Not even the-"
"Give Sky back! Give Lily back!" Cinder slowly stood up, wiping her mouth. She glared up at the Lord before her. Its power was unlike anything she had ever seen. This wasn't just some human using the full power of their ability. This was an actual godlike being. The entity that had been one of the four first Supers, the thing that helped defeat the Shadow. It had been called a hero in all the tales, but this was no hero. It was just another villain. "Give me back my friend!" Her fire flared out and formed behind her, taking on the shape of a massive backpack. Baggy flexed his arms and then throughout a punch, but in an instant he was torn to bits by the tendril. "No! Baggy!"
The Tallest Wave cocked her head to the side and stared down at Cinder. "Sorry, but I can't let the one you call Sky out. Our sister, the Prettiest Flower, just got introduced into her perfect body. She's spent so long looking for one, and this Sky girl is almost perfect. I've taken her to my realm and will keep her there until she gives in and allows our sister to be reborn through her."
Cinder glared up at the thing, her mind racing. "Can this thing that's happened be undone? Like if you wanted, could you become Lily once again?"
"If I wanted to give control up, then sure. Why would I, though? The more one changes and uses the true power of a Lord, the closer they become to the perfect vessel, giving us more control over them. This body has changed and been altered so much. It's basically become the perfect vessel for me."
Cinder nodded her head. "Okay. And you said that Sky's in your stomach?"
"The vessel that contains our sibling indeed rests there!"
"Got it. Eat me!"
"Kid!" Battery called out with wide eyes.
She turned back and gave him a smile and a thumbs up. "Trust me. Please."
The Tallest Wave hummed. "Oh, are you finally wanting to give in and allow yourself to become who you are meant to be? I'm so happy for you, sibling! Very well, I'll send you there!" The jaws of the monster snapped wide open, and its head came down fast. In an instant, she suddenly felt like how a potato chip must feel as she was swallowed whole. Slowly, the Tallest Wave swallowed and then looked up at Myth and Battery. "Now. I think I should punish both of you for daring to look at me and my sibling."
"Run?" Myth asked in a cracked voice.
"Run." Battery nodded.
Inside the stomach of the Tallest Wave, Hope found herself appearing in front of Sky as she finished explaining what happened.
'You're an idiot.'
"You're an idiot."
Both Sky and the Prettiest Flower said in deadpan tones.
"Hey! I had a plan!" Hope huffed out, folding her arms. "That Tallest Wave person isn't very smart. Or actually, I guess it's more like they're way too cocky. They didn't view me as a person and didn't even bother to consider I could be lying. They just assumed I'd willingly give up control because they're so great and mighty. I hate things with God complexes!"
'WE ARE GODS!'
"Can you hear her, Hope?" Sky asked.
"No? Are you hearing a voice in your head? That's the Prettiest Flower, I think. From what I was told, she's the first ever Lord of the Land and Life."
"Well, she's a bitch."
'How dare you! Give me your body!'
"No." Sky said flatly. "Are you hearing a voice of your own? Maybe one calling itself the Brightest Star or something?"
Hope shook her head. "No. I think I heard something once or twice, but it's gone silent. I guess I know why my hair turned blonde though. From what the Tallest Wave guy said, the more we use our powers, the closer we turn into perfect vessels. Man, I really hope the Brightest Star is a girl and not some creepy old guy. I don't want something like that controlling me."
"So, you'd be fine with it if it was a pretty girl?"
"I'd be more tempted!"
"You're the worst."
Slowly she looked around the black void they found themselves trapped in. She couldn't tell how big it truly was, but it was clearly much bigger than the Tallest Wave's stomach. They were submerged in black water, though they could still talk and breathe just fine. It was almost like they had been sent to a different realm. As if the Tallest Wave's gut was just some gate to a pocket world. It sort of reminded her of Sky's own realm. Some powers, especially the strong ones, seemed to be able to create things like this. She began to swim out in a direction, and she could hear Sky following behind her.
She used her power and created a spark of fire that didn't seem like it was affected by the water, though it didn't even make a dent in the black liquid that was around her. She made sure to keep hold of Sky's hand so that they didn't get lost. Eventually, after swimming for about twenty minutes, she felt herself hit the edge of something. A wall. One that was pitch-black and impossibly thick. Just from placing her hand on it, she could tell she wouldn't be able to get through.
"What now?" Sky questioned.
"Now we check for a roof and floor."
Back in the real world, time flowed differently. While twenty minutes had passed for both Hope and Sky, it had been only twenty seconds for Battery and Myth. During that short amount of time, both of them had already lost to the Tallest Wave.
Battery created another one of his massive Giants in front of him, attempting to use it as some sort of shield. Myth had changed and twisted his body into that of a flying creature wanting to stay as far away as possible from underwater combat from the Lord of the Sea and Depth. Battery stood on his back, holding his remaining arm out as he threw his strongest warrior yet at the monster.
This Giant was nearly two hundred meters tall and actually stood on the surface of the lake the Tallest Wave had created walking on water. It wielded a massive spear, which it pulled back and thrust out as hard as it could, using so much power, it shattered space itself and formed large rifts in the air. The Tallest Wave blasted up on a mile-high wave, and with a single swing of her trident, she split the Giant in two, shooting out a powerful shock wave that rammed into Battery and Myth, blowing them out of the sky and sending them both crashing down to the waters below.
'Damn it! That bitch is cheating! No fair, no fair, no fair! If you were back at full power and in your prime, like when you fought Full Monarch, the two of us could beat her for sure! After all, I'm a-'
The voice in Battery's head never got to finish as they hit the black water, which rose up and wrapped around him and Myth, pulling them down into it. Unlike the water in the monster's stomach, this liquid quickly filled their lungs and began to drown them, forcing its way into their body. The Tallest Wave splashed down in the water and began to swim around them, her song filling the depths of the water as she hummed. Battery's aura shimmered and shifted back into his blue color as his power changed. The area around his right arm swirled as he felt the buildup of his power start once more.
He had chosen the name Battery because he absorbed and built up the energy the Victorian's shard held within it. Even with his own energy, he did the same though. His blue Imaginary energy allowed him to bring about things that shouldn't exist, and by building up the energy within his body, he could give himself the power of one of his Giants rather than just summon one of them! A massive blue arm the size of a building appeared where his shoulder was and grabbed out at the Tallest Wave. His fingers wrapped around her, but a second later she destroyed the hand and shattered his Giant aura.
"Did you really think that would work?" The Lord's voice bounced around the water they were in.
"Nope! Just buying us sometime!" That's what Battery wanted to say, at least, but it came out as a series of bubbles since he was underwater.
Myth came down into his biggest form that he had his lava snakes spewing out magma that instantly turned to stone as he boiled the water around them and boosted himself forward, ramming a foot into the Tallest Wave. It didn't hurt her, but it did shove her down further into the depths of the black void they floated in.
"Oh, little mortals I find it so cute how you struggle." The voice boomed around them. "Keep dancing."
Battery gripped his sword. "Come on, Kid. Hurry up and save me."
Back in the stomach, Hope placed her foot down on the bottom of the void that they found themselves in. "So, it has a roof, four walls, and a floor." She hummed, rubbing her chin.
"We're in one big box." Sky sighed. "What now? I doubt there's a crack in here."
"It's fine. This is about what I expected."
"It is?"
"Yep!" She crossed her legs and sat down, folding her arms. "I had a feeling we'd find out it was something like this. These things call themselves gods. We gave them the title of Lords because of how powerful they were, being able to slay the Shadow. That said, there has to be a limit to their power. If they were truly godlike beings, they wouldn't need us to snap or give them control. They'd be able to take us over themselves. They also wouldn't have all died. If the stories are to be believed, then the Shadow stalemated them all on its own, killing them as they killed it. That means there is something out there that was able to match their power. Superpowers usually come in many forms, but they all have a limit. The more they can do, the bigger their limits are. For example, before you became a Lord, your power to heal was strong, and your ability to create your own realm was also strong. That's because that was the only two things you had. This thing, though, can do a bunch of stuff, so I figured one of its areas has to be a little crappy, and this realm we're in is it."
"Are you saying we can overpower a Lord and bust out of this thing?" Sky asked, frowning.
"No." Hope shook her head. "Even if it sucks at making realms compared to you, it's still a Lord, and its realm is too tough for us to bust up." She rammed her fist down into the floor, not even denting it in the slightest. "That did make me think, though. We're inside of it."
"Yeah?"
"So, these walls are the Lord then, right?"
"I guess?" Sky shrugged.
"So then if you touch this wall, you're touching the Lord."
"What are you trying to say?" Sky asked, shooting the hero a look.
Cinder gave a cheeky grin. "Pull the Tallest Wave into your realm."
Back in the real world, the Tallest Wave blasted up toward them at her top speed, appearing in front of Battery before he could even blink. His throat was still filling with the black water, and she pulled her trident back, thrusting it forward, ready to tear him in two. Then all of a sudden, her arm stopped mid-thrust and her eyes went wide.
Inside of her, Sky placed her hand on the wall and focused her power. She grasped hold of her soul as well as the soul of whatever this thing was and pulled.
In the real world, the Tallest Wave dropped her trident, and her hand went to her stomach as her eyes twitched.
Sky didn't really know much about how her realm power worked. She didn't even know where she got it from. After all, neither the Emperor nor the Princess of Life, or any previous Lord of Life, could create such a place. What she did understand about it though was that it was a land created from her thoughts, and she could only ever bring in one person at a time. That was the first of many issues in doing something like this. A series of issues that all piled together in the Tallest Wave's stomach.
The Tallest Wave also had a realm, one which she had created in her gut that housed the two girls, yet it was still connected to her, as she served as the gate, able to pull them in or out at any time she wanted. This meant that touching the walls was in a way touching her. One of the requirements for Sky's power was to touch someone so she could pull them into her realm. Yet the thing she was pulling was the entirety of Tallest Wave's stomach. That was followed by a second issue. Hope Lauren. In the fight with Wish, Wish was able to bring herself to Sky's realm thanks to her connection. Sky could still only bring one person, and since she hadn't brought Wish, she was allowed to bring Hope. In this case, though, she was trying to bring the Tallest Wave, and thus could not bring Hope. But Hope was within the Tallest Wave. If the Tallest Wave were to be moved to a pocket realm, it would mean that Hope would also need to be moved. But Sky could only bring one person. But Hope was—and so it created a cycle. The third issue was that they weren't on Earth anymore. Her power always transported herself and her target from Earth into the pocket realm. But while the Tallest Wave might have been on Earth, Sky was in the pocket realm the Tallest Wave had created. The last issue was one of size. She had never once attempted to force something so big into her realm.
And thus, reality broke.
Sky's realm was unable to move her, or the Tallest Wave; thus, instead, her power decided to change and come to a new conclusion. Her power, the power to create realms, was not an ability she had from the Prettiest Flower, and thus its own Ego, its wants, its hopes, and its desires were all its own.
It Inverted.
Sky's realm forced itself into reality, coming to her.
The Tallest Wave's ability to create a realm made a large box that was roughly five miles by five miles. It was large for sure, but Sky's realm was a planet, a small one, but still a planet, and one that had a void of space and its own star. In an instant, that massive realm filled the Tallest Wave's stomach.
In the real world, Battery raised his blue energy to its very max. His power came out crackling like a thunderstorm, and he formed a massive, long sword, which he thrust out with. The blue energy swirled around his arm, forming a massive hand carrying its own sword, which stabbed down into the gut of the Tallest Wave. It was unable to leave a dent though. That was before Myth dropped down on top of it, weighing himself down with as much stone as he could, causing him to thrust the blade just a tiny bit further and leave the smallest stab wound on the Tallest Wave. In an instant, Battery Inverted his power, once more shifting it into his black aura, and he spawned his two hundred-meter Giant directly in the stab wound of the Tallest Wave's stomach.
Everything exploded in a bright burst of colorful lights that seeped out in all directions. Battery felt himself get flung back, and he crashed into the arms of Myth, who caught him. Myth shrunk back down into his human form and felt himself begin to fall as all of a sudden all of the water that they had been in simply vanished from existence. He landed on his feet, feeling his legs snap, downing him, but he made sure his body took the brunt of it, keeping Battery safe.
The Tallest Wave landed on her back, her eyes wide. Cinder and Paragon, both appearing next to her as the light shimmered down. Slowly, the Tallest Wave shook her head and glanced down at her stomach, which had...
A paper cut.
All of that had left the smallest hint of an attack on her body. She giggled a bit and winced. "You made my tummy rumble for a moment there. I guess I'm still not quite at full power yet. Maybe this vessel isn't ready for-"
The Tallest Wave went silent as Sky's hand pressed down into her face. Sky's eyes glared up at the entity in front of her, and her power flared to life. "Give me back my sister, you bitch."
And with that, Sky forced her power out using not the gift of the Lord of the Land and Life but her original power, the one she had honed herself.
Her realm power and her power to heal were all her own and came from the same source, so by learning to Invert her realm, her healing also Inverted itself. She felt Hope's hand on her shoulder, and she pushed forward, using everything she had. Everything around her broke and changed, twisting around. In an instant, Sky found herself alone, no longer at the side of her friend. Now she was in the mind of the Tallest Wave. She was in the mind of her sister. The Emperor had used his power to forcefully drag memories out of Hope's head, and she did the reverse of that, forcing herself into the entity.
She found herself submerged in water once again, but this time it was clear. Down below, she saw her city. Lillian. Submerged yet the people went about their lives as if nothing was wrong. A memory. She felt something pull her as an unseen force dragged her. Then she saw it. One of Lily's memories. The one that Poseidon thought back to the most.
Chrysanthemum was in ruins. The entire city was basically gone. Scorched and flooded beyond belief. Grove walked behind Myth and Poseidon as the battle with the Beast finally ended.
"Dad!" Myth called out.
"S- Son."
Myth ran forward when he heard the voice. His eyes were wide and filled with shock. His dad had gone toe to toe with the Beast and lived-
Myth stared in horror when he saw his dad. Black cracks were all along the man's skin. He was laid up on a pile of rubble, his guts hanging out, both his legs were gone, and his flesh was badly burned. His eyes were filled with utter pain, and there was much blood.
"D- Dad."
Legend looked up at his son and reached out for him. "K- Kill me." He begged quietly. "Please."
Myth's arms shook, and tears streamed down his face as he let out a hellish scream to the heavens. Poseidon stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to move. As for Grove, he found himself looking away. He had seen enough. He walked off, not able to bear the sight of a son putting his father out of their misery.
Sky stood off to the side, silently watching the scene. Her sister never talked about it. Never liked mentioning it. This was her biggest mistake after all. Legend was in so much pain, yet he wasn't dying. No matter how badly he was hurt, his body seemed to cling to life. The battle with the Beast still hadn't ended. The Victorian was fighting it on the other side of the city, and it constantly shook the memory world.
"Please, s- Son... It hurts." Legend gasped out.
Slowly Myth wiped at his eyes. "Poseidon."
"Y- Yeah." The girl gulped.
"Can I see your trident?"
"Mister Myth... W- We were told not to do anything." The true horror of the Beast wasn't the monster itself. It was always the 'gifts' it left behind for the world. Gifts that mankind brought on themselves when they tried to deny destiny.
"Please. Just give me your trident and look away." Myth held his hand out.
Shaking, Poseidon gave the weapon to him. She turned around. Sky followed. She didn't want to see what happened next. She heard it, though. The way the weapon impaled into the throat of the man and Myth beheaded his father, killing him instantly. "Damn it." Sky cursed. She knew what happened next.
A new Calamity.
One that was brought forth the moment Legend truly died.
It happened in an instant. The rubble around his corpse began to shake, and Myth suddenly stumbled back, staring in shock. Sky watched in mild horror as something began to pull its way out of Legend's corpse. A tendril of what looked almost like a person's shadow... Legend's body was dead, but his power wasn't. The ego that kept it in check was gone. It came surging out, grabbing the severed head and pulling it back on. A wave of darkness crashed out of the corpse, black energy spilling forth and blowing Myth and Poseidon back. Skintight, like living darkness, it hugged Legend's body as he slowly stood back up. Then a voice came booming out.
"Did you really think I would let you die so easily?" It twisted in the air and shook the city.
Sky felt her stomach flop, and she could hear the voice of the Prettiest Flower screaming and hissing.
"I didn't say you could die yet. Rise, my Ruler. My Ash. My Ruin. Wake up, Osmondo." The voice hissed using Legend's real name. And just like that, shadowy eyes opened across Legend's face.
The newest Calamity to face the world had been born.
A Ruler.
The Ruler of Ash and Ruin. The God.
"D- Dad-"
Myth was cut off when the black, shadowy figure suddenly appeared in front of him, striking out with its fist. At the last second though, Poseidon shoved him out of the way, taking the attack. The punch tore through her, and in an instant, she was torn in two.
Blood spilled out of Poseidon's mouth and waist, and her eyes went wide as her upper half dropped further away from her lower half. "Lily!" Even in the memory, she found herself shouting out to her sister as she stared at her injured form. Then she heard it.
'Aw. Did you get hurt?' It had the same taunting tone as the Tallest Wave. It bounced around the air, though only Lily could hear it. Well, Lily and Sky, who viewed this memory. 'Looks like you're going to die.'
"I- I don't want to die- I don't want to- I don't-"
'Would you like me to save you?'
"I- I want to live." Blood and tears flowed out of Lily as her body became cold. "Please... Save me..."
'Yay.'
That was how the Tallest Wave was able to first take over Lily's body. It was what also allowed the Tallest Wave to fight back against the newly born Calamity and defeat the Beast, saving Chrysanthemum. Despite that, though, her body had been too damaged for the Lord to keep control of it for too long. It had been forced to give the body up. It had planned to let the body die and find a new host, but fate had other plans.
'Ah... What's this?'
Sky watched as everything changed, and she suddenly found herself within a hospital room. "Lily, please don't die!" It was her voice. A younger version of her. One who had just awakened her powers. As soon as the Lord had given the body up, Lily had gone back to being torn in two. Currently she was on the hospital bed bleeding out. There was nothing any of them could do. At least that's what they thought. But on that day, Sky had just awakened her powers. "Lily, you have to live! Please!" The young Sky sobbed.
Sky winced, stepping away as she watched the scene play out. "I don't want to see this."
Lily was unconscious and, in her bed, hooked up to dozens of machines that struggled to keep her alive. The young Sky gripped onto her hand and sobbed, and sobbed, and-
"Can you be more useless!" Sky hissed out at her younger self.
Maybe it would have been better in a way if Lily died that night. Maybe things could have gone differently. Sometimes, this thought would go through her mind. She always hated it. Watching this scene reminded her of how horrible of a person she was sometimes. It was a disgusting thought to have. One that was gross and foul, yet it constantly remained with her.
"Would you like me to save her?" A new voice asked. Sky felt her blood boil when she heard it. She could never quite remember this part. In her mind it was always a blurry figure, one who spoke in riddles, yet here and now she saw it for what was really happening. The hospital room had been filled with dozens of doctors and nurses, yet now it was empty. All of them had been removed by the man. "I can save her if you want."
Young Sky looked up as a man loomed over her. One in a black suit with messy blonde hair. Nier gave a grin, placing his hand on the head of Lily. "Y- You can save her?"
"Of course I can." The man's grin grew. "It's my job to save her, after all."
"Your job?"
"Yeah. This is what a father does."
"Father-"
Nier snapped, and the past version of Sky blacked out, not remembering what happened. When she woke up, though, Lily was healed...
"S- Sky."
"Lily!" The younger Sky perked her head up as the trance that had been cast on her faded suddenly. "Lily, you're alive!"
She didn't know how much time had passed. How long had that Nier guy taken? Not even the present Sky knew as everything had skipped forward. What she did know was this was the moment. Lily was fully healed. Her arms and legs were back. There was just one issue. "W- What did you do to me-" Black blood spilled out of Lily's mouth. The girl could tell something was wrong. Her body was wrong. She wasn't human anymore. She didn't know how, but she did.
"Lily!" Sky yelled.
'Well, well. It seems the Prettiest Flower's old vessel was good for something after all. Even after being returned to the world of the living, he was smart enough to create a body perfect for me.'
"W- Who said that?!" Lily thrashed around shaking her head and vomited up more of that black blood.
"Lily, calm down!" The young version of Sky tried to hold her sister back, but she was thrown back as Lily screamed.
'I'll enjoy taking you over now. You can handle it, I bet!'
"S- Stay away from me!"
Lily's arm slapped out, and it changed and twisted, becoming a long white tendril. Her power acted up without her consent. An ability to control water. 'I don't recall giving you permission to look at me!' In an instant, Sky's eyes popped as the water within them attacked her.
The present version of Sky that watched all of this gritted her teeth and looked away. "Why are you showing me all of this!" She called out.
'Why not?' The voice of the Tallest Wave echoed around her. 'It serves you right for invading my mind. You should have never let your vessel get this far out of your control, sister.'
"I'm not talking to you." Sky folded her arms and flexed her power, shattering everything around them. "Lily. Why are you doing this? Why aren't you fighting back? Why have you given up?"
Silence hung in the air. Then she heard her sister's voice. It was barely above a whisper, but it was there. "Because I failed."
The scene changed again, and she saw it.
Her mother.
Dead.
River's corpse rested on the ground where Battery had placed it gently down. Sky stared down at it and felt her heartbeat grow faster. She could feel tears in her eyes once more, but she wiped at them. "Lily-"
"Don't talk to me." The space rumbled. "You did this to me. You let that man work on me. You let him turn me into a monster. I'm not human anymore. I'm fair game for that creature that lives within me to take me over. One day I won't be able to fight back against it. Why wait for that day to happen? If I'm going to die anyways, I might as well do it when I want, right?"
"Is that why you aren't trying to take control back?" Sky asked sadly. "Lily, mom wouldn't want this-"
"Don't call her mom! She's my mom! Not yours! Don't forget who your real family is-"
"You're my real family, you idiot!" Sky shouted, and this time it was her who shook the realm. "You're my sister! I love you! You can't give up like this! I still need you! I didn't get to tell mom how I feel! I didn't get to tell her all the things I should have said! We still have that time! We still have a chance for all of those moments!" She held her hand out, and this time she selected the memory.
River held the hand of a young, red-haired girl. "Lily." The woman stared ahead, where another young girl stood at the entrance to their manor. "This is Sky."
The young blonde girl cocked her head to the side. "Sky?"
"That's right." River nodded her head, giving a small smile. "She's your new sister. Go on." River gently nudged the red-haired girl. "It's okay, Sky."
The young girl took a nervous step forward, looking around. Slowly though, she extended her hand to the blonde girl. "M- My name is-"
The blonde girl gave a large smile and eagerly took the hand, shaking it. "Hi! My name's Lily! Your name's Sky? That's so cool! Oh wait! I need to show you your room if you're staying here, Sky! Come on!"
"H- Huh?" And just like that, the red-haired girl was dragged into the manor.
"Why do you care about me so much?" The memory shook as Lily's voice came out once again. "You have others, Sky. You have Hope. You don't need me anymore-"
"And you still have me, and you have Ken, and Myth, and Wyvern, and Hope, and Battery, and so many others who cared about mom and care about you!" Sky took a deep breath.
"I- I'll turn into the Tallest Wave, eventually. I know it. It'll take me over again sooner or later. I can't fight it. I'll hurt you. I could even kill you!"
"Then I'll just pull you back every time."
'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?' The voice of the Tallest Wave rumbled around them. 'DO YOU REALLY THINK I'LL LET YOU ESCAPE SO EASILY!'
Sky took a deep breath, her hand still outstretched. "I'm a superhero. Please. Let me save you."
She felt it. A hand grasped hers. Lily stood in front of her. "Sky."
"It's okay."
"Mom-"
"I know." She wrapped her arms around her sister, and the world around them faded and broke away. She stood back in the real world, her arms around Lily as her sister hugged her and began to sob. "I know."
Cinder stepped away, giving them a moment. Hope took a second to glance around the ruined block they were at. All the damage the Tallest Wave had caused was still there, but all the water had magically vanished, leaving everything dry. Lily was back. Myth sighed, folding his arms before giving a smile. She couldn't help but smile as well and turned to look at Mr. Larison.
He also cracked a smile. "You did good, Kid-"
Red spilled down onto the streets as a hand impaled itself through his chest, coming from behind him. He gasped and stared as the Beast stood behind him.
"Mr. Larison!"
The Beast had finished compressing itself down...
Faster than any of them could move, it brought its other hand up and sliced out, cutting Battery's head clean off.