Then, the blue star burst —
Crystallized haze scattered, and the blue particles illuminated the entirety of the server room. The silent shock wave sent Harbinger slamming through several servers.
With slow aching steps that lifted up the rubble around him, Felix approached the man with a fierce glare. The blue haze that enveloped his body was dispersing and fading away.
Once again disheveled, Harbinger tilted his head up. Standing before him was the man he had taunted, wrapped in cold, silent rage.
"P-please… spare me…" Lying atop the broken black pillars, he pleaded, "I'm just doing what they told me to..."
"By who? Who ordered you to do this? What are they after? Why did you disappear from the agency?" He grabbed the old man by the collar and shot out a flurry of questions.
"He took everything… He said he'd give her back… He said he'd give her back if I did what he told me to…"
"Who is he?!"
"... Julius…"
"Julius who? Full name, from where, what does he look like?" His grip tightened.
"He has blond hair… wears a suit… and hides his eyes… I don't know anything else." He mumbled in a barely audible voice.
"Give who back?"
"Her… her, her! HER! HER! HER! GRAAAAGH!" Felix let go as Harbinger began to violently convulse, "…I can't… even remember her face… My beloved… please forgive me…" The broken man sniffled.
"I see." Slightly disturbed, Felix picked up his gun and sneered, "If that's all you can offer me…"
"Please… don't… don't kill me…"
"No hard feelings, but no loose ends." Felix echoed.
But as he reloaded his gun, Harbinger cackled, "I remember…"
"Huh?"
"Julius, I see it now…" He looked up at Felix with tears in his eyes, reflecting the glowing aura that he emitted, "...that power… the Fallen Sun… It's you, child of stars… you're the one he's afraid of! Felix Aster!"
Blood splattered out of Harbinger's mouth as he laughed out maniacally and fell to the ground.
Felix stepped back in disgust and shock at the sight of the broken man.
"Please… don't kill me…"
His hand trembled as he aimed his gun at the man's head, but before he could pull the trigger, a memory intruded in his head. One with a soft smile, and a warm ember glow. The words echoed in his ears, "You're a good, kind person, aren't you?"
The blue haze that enveloped him dispersed, and his smile faded along with it. He looked to the side and clicked his tongue.
"You're an Elite Agent… have some pride, damn it." With a disappointed sigh, he fell to the floor and glared at him with pitying eyes.
Harbinger let out a soft chuckle and closed his eyes, turning completely silent.
Felix sat on the floor and let out a deep exhale, exhausted from the battle. He pulled out the broken pendant of a four-leaf clover, and stared at it longingly.
After all this time, I didn't know what to expect… But I guess I was hoping for something different. Like those battles Luna used to have.
Blood dripped down his nose, and as he stared at his arm, his veins appeared to be glowing, lighting up his flesh from within.
"Urk…" He winced. His expression quickly changed to panic, as an uncontrollable blue fire burst out, crackling into streams of electricity, "Huh?!"
"Why is it— " He shot back on his feet, a sharp pain came from the gash in his arm, "— doing that?!"
As he frantically waved his arms up and down, a pair of arms wrap around him from behind, "Calm down, just calm down!"
He turned around, and saw the black-haired woman holding him, "Huh? What?! Marie?!"
"Don't worry. It's healing you. Your powers are healing you." Her voice calmed him down.
"M-Marie…? You're alive?" He asked with complete confusion, sweat pouring from his face.
"Alive and kicking, no thanks to you." She released him and took a step back.
A relieved sigh escaped his lips, "But you're… you were shot in the… I don't know what to say. I'm just… glad that you're… Sorry, I'm exhausted." He scratched his cheek.
"I know. I saw everything. Your eyes, your speed, and your look just needs a splash of oomph to it." She suddenly covered her mouth, letting out a giddy squeal.
His eyebrows furrowed, letting out a nervous laughter, "I just tore a man's arm off, why do you sound so… excited?"
"I just sliced a man in half a few hours ago… but your eyes… they're not something I see everyday." She watched with a proud smile.
"… Eyes? Both of them?" He echoed back as he slowly placed his hand under his right eye, which was shimmering with the same azure glow as the left.
His attention shifted to the blue haze emanating through the torn flaps of his black coat.
Professor Tetsuya's words echoed in his head:
The other one will also turn blue in due time. And when that happens, your gifts will finally… oh my, I can hardly wait.
"Wait, no, we don't have time for this. We still need to escape. Can you still move?" His voice raised with urgency.
"It'll take more than a bullet to put me down for good." The dark-haired woman placed her hand on the back of her head, and with an uncomfortable expression, clawed something out.
With a pained grunt, she showed Felix a metal shard between her fingertips. It was the bullet Harbinger had shot her with.
"But damn does it hurt… like… hell..." Her voice weakened as she nearly toppled over, but Felix caught her as she fell, holding her upright with his wounded arm.
She noticed the flesh and muscles in his arm slowly weaving back together.
"We need to get to the hospital…"
"Looks pretty deep, but like I said, nothing leaves a scar on us." She giggled weakly, before turning into a fit of violent coughs.
Felix stared blankly at her, muttering, "We still need to get out of here."
"Before that…" She wobbled over to where Harbinger was, and got the drive back from his pocket. "What do we do with him, then?" She asked.
"He's no longer a threat. Just leave him be." He leaned on one of the servers that were still standing.
"I still think we should get rid of him."
"I'd rather not kill…" He lowered his gaze, "Not when if it's unnecessary…"
"He might survive long enough for the guards to interrogate him." She argued.
Before he could formulate a response, he heard the distant sound of footsteps and doors opening from the lower floors.
"…Fine. We don't have much time. They're almost here." He conceded.
"Right." Maria kneeled down to Harbinger's level.
He looked away, opposite her direction, and stared out the window wall. He watched the fireworks pop from the skyline, hearing the distant thud and crackle that came after.
From beneath his feet, he listened to the footsteps of guards getting closer. Unable to catch his breath, his face grew increasing impatient.
But as the light from the firework faded away, and his glowing blue eyes reflected in the window wall, he saw Maria's reflection, holding a pistol.
He quickly turned around to see her kneeling down, with the barrel of a gun placed inside Harbinger's mouth.
The dark-haired woman coldly whispered as her own blood slid across her cheek, "A bulletproof vest gonna save you from this."
"Wait, no! Don't use a—"
With a loud crack, Harbinger's blood painted the servers. But the sound of her gun echoed to the lower floors, drawing the attention of the guards below.
"I heard a gun fire!", "It came from up there!"
The voices of the guards flurried in as they rushed towards their location.
"Why didn't you use your knife? I thought they were your specialty!" He shouted in a low voice, trying his best to keep himself not signal their location.
"This just seemed easier!" She yelled.
"And you didn't think to use a silencer?!"
"It was the only piece on me!"
While the two of them bickered, Felix could hear footsteps rushing to their direction.
He shifted his pistol towards the door. His hands barely steady. The adrenaline pumping through his veins was dissipating. He could barely stay awake, much less continue to fight.
"I can't fight… Did we get what we came here for?"
"Yeah, everything's in this drive."
"Then we have to go."
"Right!" She thoughtlessly wobbled towards the exit.
But he stopped her by grabbing her by the arm, "We can't go through that door, they're on their way."
"Then what if we jumped through the hole?" She pointed to the blast mark left by the explosion.
"No, there are still guards climbing up. We'll be surrounded."
Felix's glowing blue eyes scanned the room, looking for a way out. But there were no other doors, nor any vents they could slip in through. His attention noticed shattered remains of the onyx table, and slowly shifted his gaze to the shattered servers, and to the gaping hole down the middle.
"Oh… Bollocks." He cursed the current state of the server room, turning around. His gaze then focused on the shattered window as he had an idea.
Felix pulled out his pistol, shooting the window several times, "Get your grappling hook!"
"It blew up with the grenade!" Maria shouted back.
Outside the door, the remaining guards stood in horror. Frozen and sickened at the corpses Harbinger left in the hall just outside the server room.
"Men, get ready!" The head guard ordered, and the men lined their rifles towards the door. With a nervous expression, the head guard slowly moved towards the door with a key card.
Felix's heart pounded, the heavy sound beating against his ears. He holstered his gun and picked up Maria in his arms.
"Wh-what are you—?" Her expression was flushed with a mix of both shock and fright.
"How high could the top floor be?" He nervously laughed, taking a few steps back.
"No, no you aren't!" She protested.
"Hope we're still keeping the damages to a minimum!" With Maria in his arms, he began bolting towards the broken window.
The door opened, and the head guard immediately spotted them, "There they are!"
Bullets started flying in the two agent's direction, destroying what remained of server room.
"After them!" They chased after the two agents.
"Hold on!" Felix shouted, kicking the window with his iron-clad heel. Maria clinging tightly to him.
But as the guard's ran through the ruins, the head guard nearly fell into the hole into the center, "Whoa—!"
Shards scattered through the air, and as they all looked forward, all that was left to greet them was the blue firework that decorated the sky.
~