-RES NOVAE WAR-
White doves, black ravens, singing song of weak and strong.
Battlecry, imitating prayers for death and life.
Flying a never ending circle
till day n' night
Feet bloody by marching from South to North, exhausted breaths and sweats,
the smell of struggle and regret.
The look of a migration of people, everyone who would not join this raid, would tell their friends and families of it, instead.
The final day had truly started, at last:
-"Vice-president! Look!", a finger pointed skyward.
-"Hmm?", Daniel flicked his hat to take a look at what was a surprise to many of the positioned WM.
Some sort of smoke flew high into the clouds, high up into the sky of worlds, and when everything seemed to be expected, an explosion was not. A loud bang clashed through sound, making way through raindrops and the cold forest which were surrounding the soldiers' quarters.
-"Careful, everyone.", Daniel held out his arm and what seemed to be emitting from him were, too, sound waves of some sort and when the rivaling waves encountered each other, they clashed,
the air pressure ripped trees out of the soil to send them flying into higher levels.
-"Expect that they can use Will, too. Those who don't will die first", he lit a cigarette and secured it between his lips.
Nature was cold, but here and now, it would be manipulated to the utmost, in order to serve those who have mastered their Will.
Bend thy nature and make it thine
Gunshots, not one, nor two, but more than to have your ear's perception penetrated with disgustingly loud shots which were in fact no guns, but the cannons of the first enemy of the WM-
"IS THAT A FLOOD-" "BE CALM", Daniel exclaimed. "But Sir!" The sky darkened and cracked. A roar of thunder. "Holy fuck..", the green soldier's eyes saw the massive ball of mass destruction,
slowly descending onto them, some had their guns pointed at them, some at themselves,
the smell of dark dust drew nearer as the cannon balls were cut out of existence within one blink. The greens were saved- tears of joy and angst flowed. A heavy breath on those who wanted to pull the trigger on themselves, however was the battle long not over yet, as song roared from the three longships with dragon's heads which drifted through the forest as if it were the sea. And for ears wouldn't believe it, eyes were not fooling either,
three ships were carried by waves of Will, an actual flood was about to wash away the entire HQ. Shouts screaming "FOR THE KING, FOR THE KING" "Marlena, you're up, Greens, prepare our cannons and fire as soon as you're ready. NOW!",
Atrox demanded, punched Daniel's shoulder, drew his sword and slashed a wave of Will with his rapier to strenghten the WM's cannon balls' impact as the girl in the blue uniform willed the tide to dry out before it made impact with headquarters. Unexpected, truly, but which person could tell a tale of a crew that jumped off of their ships from such an impressive height- it would smash their bodies, yet still while chanting words rhythmically and as one mouth. "Well, shit, it's him.",
Daniel's eyes followed the single biggest and tallest man of their crew stretching his limbs,
landing on his two feet, squatting, and forcing everyone of his crew to land safely, as if there was no gravity seconds away from contact with the ground. In that position, he wouldn't get noticed well, now, would he? So he presented himself with the roar which could be compared to an guitar in overdrive.
A tall, muscular man, twice the size of the average human was standing there, making eye contact with the one he was actually acquainted with. Daniel was standing on one of the flat roofs on which the cannons were still shooting on the wrecked longships. While on the ground, the crew had been told to engage in battle with the Greens. Sounds of screaming steel clashing against flesh and blood, and metallic armor. A good thousand men was this band. "I suppose I was a bit too eager, eh?", the tallest man faced heavenward and with his sharp eyes, revealed the camouflaged airship, seconds before some of the remains of the longships scattered their way. The ones, that wanted to 'rock this baby up' were going to get rocked instead, had they not been actually on ground this whole time to scout the area. A team of assassins, confidant in their skill as professional bounty hunters, unlike the ones who were just arriving to this battle, were more than prepared: The airship combusted, marking the second huge impact already, swallowing the remains of the longships like a beast.
"He just made their ships fly into our airship, and he made it visible to, everyone?!
Does he want to provoke us, or what?"
"Well, team, technology does have its disadvantage, depending on the situation, we'll switch sides once things get ugly, until then stay hidden, got that?"
"Yes, boss. Over."
"DON'T STOP UNTIL THEIR JAWS ARE RIPPED OUT"
The wondering thoughts of a wet floor weren't only imagination, but were for true, as the small puddles of rain started amounting to actual waves which only hit enemy targets. They got washed away. "I gotta prove myself to become a white-rank", Marlena threw her waves at the enemies like knocking over chess pieces. One of the quarters got shattered by the impact of Atrox' clashing rapier against their Captain's speer. Daniel held the brim of his head, while noticing the impact had made him drop his smoke.
-"Ya'll are fine, right?"
"YESSIR!"
The building that got hit, was the one Daniel standing on, enforcing defense and offense of his soldiers.
-"Just keep shooting, I'm strengthening you're bullets by Will.", while bullets and tomahawks were missing his face by just a few centimetres. His attention focused on the voice on the ground, lowering his gaze he saw the soldier with hair blue like the ocean, thinking and regretting that the life of a teenager was put on stake.
- "Sir! Wanna bet how many I can take out by myself?"
-"Marlena, sorry. I'm bad at guessing, but go, make a good impression for Atrox, yes?"
-"Aye, Sir Daniel!"
Marlena fought off everyone who dared to approach her, swinging her left arm from right to left, as if she was pushing solidified air, controlling the water as if it were a furious viper. Their singing hadn't stopped, in fact, it went on, getting louder and louder but got intertwined by the sound of foreign drumming. Still unnoticed by the band but the sound became more aware of by them once the bunch of brutes became visible to the normal eye, carrying flags with them, impaling the soil with a roar, screaming to the heavens.
A circle with an A.
And one of them screamed:
"Where the fuck is this Rosebloo-"
*CRASH*
"WHAT??"
*RUMBLE*
"FROM BEHIND?!"
"THERE'S A TRAIN IN THE AIR!!"
All eyes were drawn to yet another thing that seemed too unlikely to happen under normal circumstances. A singular train wagon was launched into the air, high above everyone's head, having pushed through the defense which was set up for the northern entrance of the HQ.
Using their quarters as a ramp, they were here now.
The door was forcefully opened with a swing to the side, letting the sharp air enter the once comfortable inside of the wagon vanish. Seriousness and discomfort were now ruling in the minds of those battling. "GO, GO, GO!", she screamed at everyone, jumping out with a stern smile,
as she noticed how Walter had linked arms with her.
The others followed. A second too late, and they'd be blown up together with that wagon which Ray had heated up so much, it would not act different than a giant bomb. As the Godsent hit the ground with good footing, she noticed, despite being afar from it, her father's statue in the garden. It did not even take her five seconds to send an electric wave which would crush the statue, sending bits of it flying into every direction. "WATCH OUT FOR THAT TRAIN!" "TAKE COVER"
Then, using her sword alike an electrified axe she smashed it against the ground to scare any idiots away who wanted to take her on, making Marlena feel a shocking jolt, aware of her presence.
Walter was still next to Leigh. Carefully, he whispered to her her mother's definite location.
-"Are you absolutely sure?"
- "Yes, my dear", as he closed in to kiss her hand, she moved it away to smash her fist against a brute behind her, breaking their nose.
-"Perhaps, we should resume this later", Walter thought.
Ray's flames only increased as he was in falling toward the ground, the spread blue wings of the Phoenix were intimidating a lot of onlookers. Charles was back to back with his nephew, facing away from everyone, only to smirk at Daniel while nearing ground and holding his hat. He stood on that flat roof, still holding onto his own brim.
The wagon hit the ground and crashed into people and exploded into a puddle of flames,
devouring even more of soldiers and brutes. Another open fire. "Captain, there's no sign of Roseblod!",
one of his crew members shouted, to which he, the tallest man here, only shared his laughter:
"CRUSH THEIR SKULLS!";
Resuming the battle and the noises of clashing weapons, singing and killing.
"Vikings?!", Ray had not expected to see a familiar face again. What were the odds, really?
"Maybe he won't notice us, for a little while longer, eh?", Charles encircled them with a ring of fire that was then expanded outward, making the enemy run away, or get burned up alive in screaming pains. Charles' flames were like lusting mouths of a beast, eating away at those who couldn't eat themselves.
You'd think that when Wills of two are equally matched, it would all come down to combat experience, and while that was true, it was also fact, that accumulated Wills of many could force collective change. "Oh fuck, not again. Vice-Pres!" T'was a wave of great height, building up high above the forest, carrying another three longships. "ANOTHER WAVE COMING IN!"
"Boss, what are we gonna do, at this rate, we will not make any progress-"
"Wait for the right moment, all of these people have some sort of godlike power. They're no match for us, unless they're completely worn out. I've heard it costs stress and pain to one's body for using a power like that."
"Ray, Imma take that wave, you take that water-girl over there,
she's been staring at you for a while." The nephew's gaze turned over to said soldier who had been staring at him. Ray hadn't even noticed her yet, but he wouldn't let that stop him from noticing her now.
The Blackwoods parted ways. Both going in separate ways.
Ray was following the stream of waters to it's owner;
burning through every one of his enemies: One black corpse after the other.
Ah, there she was, clothed in the blue uniform, having blue hair and power which didn't seem threatening to the blonde. His smirk uncovered his confidence he'd present via raging flames and bursting fire. On top water's surface a blazing zigzagging line made its way to the girl in blue in a speed which increased her heartbeat and filled her spirit with wariness. Too fast to notice for the commoners, the line stopped in front of her and out came a rushing sound of fire evaporating all liquid, and striking at her left arm as she drew back her body quickly. She felt the flames trying to burn up her arm which was also covered with a protective layer of water at the last second before impact. Out of the black smoke came an orange ball of fire at her, scarring all surrounding enemies with sharp flames and shouts; Ray had manifested himself within that ball that was intending to go through Marlena. Her eyes widened and her teeth clenched: "Was this the boy who burned down two churches? The leader of the Blackwoods?" Upward she launched herself with yet another wave to dodge the giant flame which stopped after having missed its target. Ray dissolved all fire and watched her touch ground again. Her left arm bled, while Ray had yet to feel some sort of exhaust.
It took her a couple of seconds to freshen up her mind and adjust her hair: "Well, well hello,
there, handsome",
Marlena was trying to catch her breath, behind her the giant wave at the southern entrance was turning into a layer of haze, raining down onto the battlefield: A wave of equal size and of fire clashed with the one of water, resulting in mist. Blanketed surroundings, no one knew where their allies were. You could hear unsteady steps, figuring out the positions of the others.
All cannons were on hold. The vapour even managed to blanket the giant Viking leader- Until, the senses of those trained in Will realized the best option here and now would be to jump instead of standing there, giving away your life for naught. The sharp sense of the dangerous grew too big to ignore,
last chance to warn: "MEN, JUMP NOW!" A deep red line, moving with sounds of thrusting through space and time, cut through the smoke, metal, flesh and bone alike all was air.
Such force removed even all of the blurring mist. A clean cut through everything he managed to get.
The leader of the Vikings was astonished by the number of men that slash had cut down in that short instant. Not only his own, but those of the Anarchists and soldiers, as well. Not everyone but the half of men present here, to say the least. The red line morphed into the body the tallest layed eyes upon while holding his spear with only his right hand, against the rapier of Atrox; for their Wills were equally matched, they could not move, yet weren't cut lethally. In the midst of the almost completely cleared battlefield was a figure of petite build, spiked brunette hair, off the shoulder top and black nail polish. Lines of blood ran down his arms as well, it was him, falling from above of All down onto Earth:
"Satanael Leo Roseblood"
The Viking grabbed his beard firmly and ran his thick fingers through it and an expression on his face which announced doubt.
"If you're wondering whether that's the Devil that you all have come for, then you are correct.",
Atrox tried to push his sword further against the Viking's spear which was double the size of that rapier.
"Old man, do you honestly mean to tell me, the mighty Devil which has all of us gathered is that frail girl?"
"Believe what you will, but make no mistake about it.
You saw his might just now, didn't you?"
Atrox enforced his stance and pushed against the spear. Unfortunately, the drops of sweat on his forehead did not mean his success as the wave of Will passed through the Viking's body,
destroying the trees behind him in half of which some had already been loose due to the waves of water.
"Haha, you'd make a fine writer with that much fantasy!
NOW, where are you, Satanael?! I will battle until all my men are sent to Valhalla!"
"Idiot! I just told you-"
"Silence!", pushing against Atrox' rapier so he'd move a couple of steps backwards. It was like pushing against concrete air.
The brunette turned around, finally.
All the cannonballs behind him were stopped metres before his body, then repelled by his Will.
"I'm right here!", spreading his arms left and right, exposing himself, embracing.
"Boys, take the soldiers and leave the girl to me", the Viking pushed Atrox away,
showing his true strength at last, arms above his head, steps forward, swirling the spear in circles then finally slashes down just centimetres before Leo.
Atrox observed them as he fights the Anarchists running toward him, which had been kept away from him and the Viking by Will, blowing them away with one strike each; the rapier's Will manifests into powerful punches in form of graceful swings of the elegantly forged blade.
The tall man before Leo smirks at him, hard blue eyes meet the sweet magenta orbs of Leo. One look into that blue of his told you many a tales of battle and warfare. There was experience kept in that thick skull of his. Gazes locked onto each other, no one of them blinked, you wouldn't dare to look away as even one instant could prove to be fatal and so Leo was not expecting to get hit by that spear the second after thinking just that. It sent Leo flying into the woods, everyone's eyes followed his frail body crashing into the trees' crowns- It left splinters and abrasions on his arms- Some expressed sympathy. "Sheesh, you could call that spear a mast. Look how thick that wood is,
vice-pres!" "You should be thankful that ya a blue-rank, still", Daniel's eyes faces the Viking's.
His attention immediately reacted, turning around to see-
"Charles?", the Viking looked at Charles Blackwood. Charles pointed his index finger upward in a childlike manner with a smirk: "Above you". His face turned heavenward and the only reaction his body managed to get out was to hold his mast-like spear above his head as a shield for Leo's leg slowly kicked downward, like pushing solidified air downward- the result of that was phenomenal:
The spear of massive wood was broken in half and the tallest man was pushed, pushed along with the ground he was standing on several metres down into the Earth. Charles had to step back as it wasn't a fine geometrical form that was pushed down, but a rougher piece. The Viking leaked blood from his mouth, as there was nothing protecting his head nor body anymore and was completely exposed to Leo's Willpower. He tried to endure it, somehow.
"CAPTAIN!!"
The Anarchists who had battled with Atrox, had their thinking turned against their initial belief,
now they were fighting on the WM's side and rushing toward Charles and Leo. Leo and Charles stood before the hole in the ground.
- "Are you holding up, Leo?", asking him while he saw him spitting blood.
- "Hah, I can keep going, my right leg hurts just a little is all"
-"He forced a whole new railway from New Angelus all the way to here to the HQ,
caused blackouts all over the place, made the engine of the train work for us, and launched it into the air for us", the uncle thought, "And the operation's just started, too.."
"FOOOOR. THEEE- KIIIIIING!!!!!"
They didn't flinch when that scream came up jumping all 50 metres and knocked back all of the mind-controlled fools and a few of his band.
The big man landed on his feet with a tremble that made it seem as if there was a sudden earthquake.
Upon sight, he swung his giant fist at the brunette who had been hit were it not for Charles stopping that punch. The Viking told him to get out of his way but Charles wouldn't budge an inch. Well, he had been stopping only his right hand, the left one was still free and smacked Leo in the face, knocking him down onto the ground. "Shit", Charles couldn't move as the Viking locked their Wills.
"You're pretty strong, I didn't expect such a feat from someone looking so weak!"
Leo got up again, catching his breath: "I expected more of that punch", he spit blood and touched the spot under his right eye where he'd been smacked, "Try harder to kill me", tongue poking out.
Charles was knocked back with brute strength, unlocking their Wills. Coming for Leo was the one he provoked. In the middle of a thousand individual battles, this one would stand out the most:
A giant rivaling a small. Ripped open eyes of the mad staring at the fragile, ramming his fists into that small face. Leaks and drops of blood flying in the air alike a swarm of flies, turning into sharp and thin needles which pierced the thickest muscles of the Viking, passing through it completely and fixing him on the ground like a tent to the ground. A good twenty of them.
"Are you flirting with me?", Ray asked Marlena, enveloping his left arm's wounds with orange fire.
"If you win, you'll get a date with me, if I win, you'll go on a da-?"
Ray just laughed at her, he couldn't hold back, his flames ate up some of the trees of the forest next to them, for they were located in the west side of the HQ. Leo and Charles were in the South. While Leigh had been in the North, to be more specific underground, where the captured prisoners were held. "Oh man, I'm taken", the blonde spoke and sent his flames after her, chasing. Marlena was intimidated and launched water's waves at Ray as she tried to get away from him, hoping he wouldn't notice the Greens behind him ready to shoot their bullets collectively, and got a bullet of blazing fire shot at them instead. Screams. Turning blue, the corpses were incinerated in an instant's moment.
Wings. Marlena had tears in her eyes, she feared Death, she didn't want to die, she didn't want to see Ray come flying at her like a Phoenix.
But this wasn't another bad dream. It was a reality's war, the result of personal interests interfering with another's and violence, as always, was the easiest solution to resolve that matter, wasn't it?
Some quarters, along with the one Daniel had been standing on, had been damaged so bad, they collapsed, shattering.
Walter dodged a soldier's bullet, scraping his left temple, wrapped his chain around the firearm, pulled it down, having the tip of his pistol against the soldier's throat, pulled the trigger and stained the wooden walls red.
Daniel stood there alone, the only soldier left, after seeing all of his Greens and Blues get killed by Walter's chain and pistol. Atrox was rushing toward the quarter but was hindered by radical Anarchists;
Diagonal cuts made humans fall to the ground, anyone who tried to stop the leader was falling via a single cut across their torso.
The beds were smashed as well, the wooden floor drenched in cold blood. Puddles running in lines toward Daniel who tried to keep himself standing, using the wall behind him, pressing his back against it with a husky breath. The room smelled of burned wood, alcohol and gun smoke.
Poor lighting- left arm covering the open wound across his stomach. Solely focusing at Walter's cracked smile staring at his terrified eyes. Then, a scream made him snap out of it.
As Leigh screamed at the top of her lungs, the sky's clouds came closer together and flashed in a black-white pattern, reflecting change onto the events on the ground below it.
"I told you it'd be futile, Godsent."
The white haired girl had been on her knees, in front her was a prisoner's open cell. The rusty metal carried dried blood. Behind her countless dead Greens, prison wardens. Silence.
"Are you listening-"
"Shut. Up.", her tone was demanding, bitter.
"You should not convert your anger to your strength. It will be your fall."
Bruce was a tall man of strong body and elegant dark skin, dressed in a white uniform,
carrying two katanas on him. His hair was actually worn in longer dreadlocks, tied together in a traditional warrior's fashion. He resembled a proper samurai, whilst Leigh wore the look of a maddened beast. Hair rumpled, enemy's blood on her face and blade, her green tee was rough,
metallic chain around her neck.
"I'll cut you to pieces", she slowly stood up, turned around to face him,
"MAN, fuck this world and everyone in this shithole! ARRGH!"
The confrontation of two katanas echoed through the long hall, drowning out the howling of the miserable prisoners clothed in rags. He stood there, looking first at the Godsent, then into the cell behind her.
Leigh's mother, she had been searching for her so long, she came all this way, escaping that hell,
escaping death and all Leigh found was the corpse of mother?!
"I'm going to be honest to you, I was instructed to kill your mother, Godsent." Her golden eyes widened, teeth bit into her tongue, her pupils shrinked to the size of a corn. As the arms of the prisoners, extended between the bars of their cell, tried to futilely grab onto one of them, she prepared her blade again. Charging and recharging it with lightning. The dust particles lit up in yellow and blue, alternating. There was more than enough energy charged up to slash through a hundred now.
"I'm sorry-"
"Fuck you!"
Singing from outside, screams coming from being cut or dying.
"I take it you know just why I'm here, Cherry?", Walter closed the distance betwixt them.
"I can't believe you fucker actually made it", coughing,"You don't seem do get it, really, what's the point in doing this, huh?
We'd only have one year to live anyway. 'Can't change that- You could have spent it, reading your books, or something-", coughed up blood. Only a few steps more. It was so dark beside that one spot in the room. A crack in the ceiling which light used to make its way in.
"I'm afraid to disappoint that idea in your head, but insulting me, means insulting yourself."
"Just go away, let me live that one year in peace!"
Gunshots from outside. Screams.
"By going blind every day? Oh, but I'd hate for me to live with that hassle, be it just for but a year."
"DANIEL! Are you in there?! Respond!", Atrox kicked in the door,
"I-", his eyes stared at Walter who wrapped his chain around his throat, squeezing his vocal chords so much, it hurt for him to breathe.
"Daniel?!", Atrox' gaze fixed at Walter pointing his pistol at Daniel's forehead, while turning his face toward him, pressing his index finger against his own lips and going: "Shhh. Hush, now."
An exploding bulled shattered through the skull, as both bodies dropped onto the floor with a loud thud and the sounds of chains. Leigh's sword smashed against Bruce defending stroke, she was under his blade, screeched her anger out, she could feel her lungs bleeding in that scream and pushed upward, summoning a lightning from not the sky, but from below them, a vibration which made stances unsteady and prisoners screaming. It gave her momentum to go for a swing that launched them both through the layers of the underground prison. The lightning resembled a dragon of electrical energy and flew up from underneath ground. Bruce was still defending it but was amazed by her brute strength, crashing through layers of the Earth. A wide humming underneath them indicated the collapse of the prison, and most likely, the death of those in their cells, as well as her mother's burial.
"WHY YOU, LITTLE-", Atrox reached for Walter's neck which felt like a hollow body to his surprise. A couple more seconds and the body felt like sand, like mud, liquid like-"What the- the hell, is this magic?", he stepped back, let go of Walter's body which was dripping a black liquid. Was it black blood? What was that?
"This what you want, you fucker?! You want war?!", Leigh smashed her sword onto the ground,
splitting it, making a bright light to blind Bruce. In addition to the image of lightning a roar of a dragon emerged- Only a couple of seconds were what she needed to cut through his sword, afterwards she'd cut his neck, his groin, his back, his chest- He was so close? But he was at least eight metres away from her, her breath sped up, it cut ahead of itself-
how did he get so close so fast? Her eyes followed his blade's motion coming for her body.
Shaky blurr in her eyes: "Dammit!" She could feel her brain buzzing, disorientating.
A cut through her, her Will.
She got knocked back, almost let go of her sword but she wasn't even yet back on her feet when he reappeared and kicked her with a powerful kick in mid air, into one of the houses of the West. The seconds before impact she saw the wooden wall closing in too fast to comprehend what just had happened. Time seemed to slow down when she was getting hit, cut or kicked by him,
not even the amount of times could she comprehend- perhaps the fear of Death. Crash. With a loud crash her back rammed through the house. A smashed ceiling, broken wall, rubble buried her body partly. The empty grip of her hand, yes, she had let go of sword, after all, it seemed. "Pff, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, ughh." There were small wooden splinters in her back, she was laying on and pressing them further in with each second she wouldn't get back up. A moment to take a breather had finally dawned on her. Throat hurt from that great scream she had let out. "Owww" Honestly,
it was such a cold feeling her body felt right now. A shiver which crawled, told her to close her eyes, brawled, buried underneath the house's pillars, broken wall. All of this seemed for nothing now, anyway, now, with her mother being dead..
And the few moments in which her eyes were closed, she expected but Bruce to follow her and deliver the final blow. She awaited death. She felt hot, too hot as the cold crept up from her feet to her heart. The reaper's fingers around her pumping muscle-
"That guy's lookin' tough." "Huh-", her bloodshot eyes slowly opened to see Ray whose flames had devoured the garbage burying Leigh. He held out to her his hand and she stood up again.
"Here's your sword, but I don't know if you can manage fighting like this." Leigh should have understood that she wasn't alone anymore. She was about to fall into a false image of the world again, letting egoistic visions overpower truth. She took the sword, took a look at Bruce who was standing in the plaza, still, still standing there. Balanced herself by throwing her arm around Ray's neck until the feeling in her legs would return shortly after. She spit on the ground a mixture of saliva and blood and picked out the blood in her eyes. There was a horizontal cut across her nose and laceration on the right side of her forehead.
"Ray."
"Leigh?"
"That guy over there, you see him? The samurai-guy, over there?", dried voice, her trembling middle finger pointed at him.
"What's with him?"
"He killed my mother.. couple of moments before we arrived at this shithole, too.
I wanna fuck him up.."
Ray's green emeralds fixated at their enemy.
That stare was likewise shared by just that enemy.
"Godsent Lucifer Leigh, and... Ray Blackwood?", Bruce silently thought to himself,"Both are friends of Roseblood", holding the katana upright in front of him, using it as a mirror.
"Who's this King you keep yelling about, big-man?", Charles asked the Viking who had his upper body exposed due to the ripping of his clothes and blood running over his face which did not seem to bother him in the slightest. They were fighting off people running at him, after Leo had reales him. His tanned skin carried a lot of scars across the strong the muscles, Leo shyed away from. Muscular arms crossed. A heartfelt voice while knocking out 100 humans by Willpower:
"My King is different from yours. Mine isn't as small or as frail as yours, no, mine is the King of Mare. He is a King of power, of influence and Will. He could challenge the entire World and still win! He's at the very top of the-"
Charles' brows rose in response as Leo cut into his words and soul:
"Watch me kill your king, then", Leo's eyes turned a sinister red when he faced him,"After this war, watch me become your next-"
A rumble. So great, even the grounds of continents started shaking, albeit coming from above.
Three golden crashes within clouds opened like portals to the heavens.
And when a creature of that golden illumination passed through flying gracefully, it shook the world each time a little harder.
The singing, the clashing and now made it seem that two great rivaling Wills were competing against each other.
Angst and Anticipation
among mankind.
Golden dust splattered around the air, shining with their light alike little stars in the night's sky.
Everyone was taken aback for a short moment.
"Leo, watch out, those are Angels.", Charles stepped close to Leo as all three of them watched the three Angels swirl around alike vultures awaiting the Death of their prey, however would they not wait but go hunt them down instead. Beasts. Sniffing, thirsting and lusting after to-be victims.
"Impressive, even the heavens are involved in this battle.", the Viking pulled on his goatee with thinking and curious fingers.
"So I was right, someone actually became God with their Will and is playing against us", Leo said,
"Mr. Viking, what's your name?" Charles understood Leo's diplomatic approach; placed a hand on his exposed shoulder.
"It's okay, he belongs to me, no need for any more unnecessary hostility, T."
"So you do remember my name, Charles, I'm honoured.
I thought you also came for the 4.5 million but now I see you protecting the loot from me?"
"Damn, didn't know Leo was worth so much."
"Same here", the brunette added.
"But no, no, I'm with the Roses."
"The 'Roses'?", Leo and the Viking asked simultaneously.
"Well, we gotta call us something, right?", to which Leo shrugged his shoulders, but then listened to words of introduction and might:
"Perk up, your ears for the mightiest warrior of Mare stands right here before you! You'd best remember the name of Tharius-"
"Tharius, do you have a minute?"
The short-haired blonde Viking looked into the red eyes, thinking with a scoff, ending thought with a wide smile:
"You've got balls, little girl. Interrupting my speech with your cheeky tongue."
"I learned from the best on how to annoy people, thank you", Leo gave his response quickly,
"Now, if you'd be so kind as to answer my question: Do you think you're free? That you're actually serving your king by your own Will?"
"I'd lie if I said I hadn't ever considered the idea of there being someone above my king-
Wonders and Gods and the like, humans rebelling for their life, ahh the strife for eternity and adventure and freedom. However, you propose the idea of there being one mighty being that ruled the world however they wanted to? May the Gods bless you with a blissful youth, should you survive this battle, little girl. You shall be cured of this mental sickness"
"Same to you, old man. Because once I crush this reality, nothing will be the same, and maybe you won't be a Viking, maybe I won't be a Devil anymore and all that we've known for so long, may perish into the past. The world's structure will be different, maybe there will be no WM as the ruler of that World. Kings will be released as they will show their Will to rule over their own lives"
Tharius' eyes grew with interest and his hairy ears listened to his every word carefully.
"To make things short, we've been trapped in his fake reality-"
"Hold on, Charles", he raised his hand to signal stop,"Those are the exact words, that were given to me as well- In fact, those are the very words that were used to spread news of this raid-"
"Do you know who it was?"
"Unfortunately not a single soul knows, who started this all."
The bodies melted, the drops of black liquid formed a big puddle which Atrox quickly got away from by fleeing from this horror. He thought of his wife, he thought of his two children, hoping they were all safe and sound, doing better than him.
By God, I would have never dreamed of such horror to exist in the real world.
Is Daniel dead? Who was it that killed him? Is he dead, too?
Did they even die, by God, I'm going crazy.
Maybe-
"There he is!"
!
"Daniel?!"
Out of the remains of this house came nothing.
How cruel to be betrayed by your own ideal. Oh shattering dream, fleeing from real- No such thing as hope for those who love the unreal.
There were more than just a few Anarchists running toward Atrox, all screaming, shouting, raising their flag and pointing their firearms at the World Military's leader who didn't hesitate.
Even if his own Will had given up, the one forged into the rapier was yet to be defeated, and surely it wouldn't falter against a couple of amateurs, now would it?
And so, without falter in his heart for the WM, he sliced them apart with well swung strokes against their bodies and limps. He did not slash, but cut through the enemy's body and spirit. Will forcing the antagonist to fall before Atrox and his trustworthy blade.
Even if Daniel Cherrywine had died, there still was the rest of the soldiers he had to protect.
But suddenly, before he Atrox was to finish the remaining few, all of them were shot and Atrox had to turn around in surprise. Friend? Or foe?
A group of black-suited people oh which a man came closer with a pistol in his hand,
coming closer, aiming at the head of the last of still breathing, one step and another, a pulled trigger and another one dead. Screeches from above, high up. "Mr. Atrox? I believe we have yet to introduce ourselves.", he put away the gun, took off one of his dark gloves to expose his bare hand for a respectable greeting,"Pleased, to meet you, my name is-"
"Fuc-", coughing up blood, Leigh had her stomach cut, thankfully Bruce's blade did not cut into the actual organ. Leigh was pushed away again, yet did not crash into another house, but landed on her feet by using her screeching sword as a brake, splitting stone from road. She let out an annoyed scoff, Ray looked at her beaten up body from afar, in the sky, he was there, wings flaming aloud, Marlena had spread her water across the entire battlefield. She had been preparing a large-scale attack ever since running away from the blonde. The teens were not hesitant in their acts. They struck once chance would let them: Leigh looked back at Ray and gave a nod. The water had risen to her ankles, starting to fill the plaza and its houses.
The mirror of water looked like dirt, like mud, reflecting the unaesthetic split sky
Her breathing was irregular already, but she kept pushing herself, "There's only the here and now", in her head words of encouragement tried to lift her spirit for another attack. She had to get only one slash at him. For Katherine, for her mother. The sword lit up, it was white before but now it glowed as if carrying lightning within it- And it did: "Only one swift strike" She dashed forward, a big leap, jumping with arms behind her, elbows facing upward, sword against her back now, but it slashed forward when there he was, Bruce, unable to move as the electricity spread across the water with high voltage
And Ray coming cashing down with a giant flame to empower Leigh in any way.
"I really don't care about who started this mess, but I need the aid of everyone here. I need to get everyone to help me with breaking this reality, please Tharius. Will you and your men aid me?"
"Little, girl if you're serious about your mission and do seek my aid- You will have to-",
his fist punched in the nose of someone breaking it,"-achieve something. Show me, what you're really made of. Only then will I help you."
"He's not taking me seriously..?", Leo thought, "Listen-"
An explosion of blinding light and loud, swallowing chrashes repeated itself until it stopped.
"That's where Leigh and Ray are..", Leo whispered, red pupils growing smaller and weaker.
Bruce held in his right hand Ray by the neck, in his left, there was Leigh who had his sword in her left shoulder, both were being choked.
The Angels started flying downward to start their hunt and oddly enough there were targeting raiders only.
RUN!!
"READY THE CANNONS AND SHOOT THEM!!"
Golden beasts tore off heads with their fangs, turned people whom they flew through to golden dust of nothingness, one after the other. A nightmare, a hell let loose. A painting in which it was declared that rebellion shall always falter by the Will of God, as no one above them shall reign supreme over the humankind which was once a welcome guest in Paradise. The sky turned red, clouds coming together as if scared of itself: A sinister shade which suggested threats of an apocalypse,
the anger of God.
"Leo, keep at it", patting his shoulder,"You'll eventually persuade him. I need to take care of the angels before they attack any of us." In that instant it was Leo being grabbed by golden talons which pierced through his chest. That Angel came flying too fast for Charles to react, Leo was being dragged into the sky, airborne, his name was shouted from down below but he couldn't react to that now. In a mere couple of seconds he would die, a miracle his body hadn't yet pulverized into golden dust.
Truly, it was the Devil within him. But the pain was a sign of him being humane. Higher and higher we was being carried so far up while the claws tore deeper into his flesh. It was God. It was all his fault, whoever had declared themselves as God, Leo knew it now for true. His feelings were swelling up, he had to impress that Viking to get everyone to stop fighting and join Leo's side. Leo transmitted his thoughts to everyone in that moments via sheer Willpower:
If he was be able to pull off the salvation from this reality, they would have to stop going after themselves, at least for now. But if Leo failed, he'd let them fight over his bounty.
"I swear, to every life you've caused me to take and every life that has been taken by you, God.
I Will your Death."
The touch of those talons were burning Leo's pale skin, leaving marks of fire like those left on Bruce's body by Ray who was suddenly able to cast a fire strong enough to catch their enemy by surprise, letting both of them go, Leigh pulled out the blade stuck in her shoulder and tried to get away, the water being reduced to nothing but fog again, was enough for Marlena to quit and search for Atrox. She didn't want to die. And that was fair. Leo drew his left thumb's nail into his right arm, biting his now bleeding lip, he moved the thumb all the way up to the hand, the line of blood being forced into the shape of an apical line, almost a rose's thorn, which was willed into the space which seemed to be between the Angel's torso and head. It shot right through it, but nothing happened and Leo was taken higher and higher into the sky; a singular hole had been made, air getting thinner and thinner. "Boss?!" "What?" "The dead are alive again?!" Perhaps the attack was futile for he used part of his Will to strengthen Leigh and Ray who were now escaping from Bruce at full speed on foot. Another noble feat of Leo was to make sure not one life taken here was going to either Heaven, nor Hell. Those who were made to come back to life by him were people of weak Will. Reviving the mother would have been impossible. The other two golden beasts were surrounding Charles with deadly intent.
Of course, they had come to claim the head of a Blackwood now. Tharius was helping his crew with effortless swings of his fists which would transform into waves of willpower, pushing soldiers away, as well as the fired bullets of the assassins, the newest alliance of the WM.
"I will not chase after them. It's wiser to destroy the reason why they were getting increased Will.",
Bruce stood there, thinking menacingly. He turned and used his Will to find Leo quickly. "Roseblood… a single cut should suffice for someone in your condition" Although on the enemy side, his voice sounded gentle and neutral when thinking warfare. A prepared stance, still air breathed in through nostrils and clenched teeth, and like a calm roar at the speed of light,
in a swift motion's second, a slash of willpower traveled from the blade's surface outwards,
like jumping over the stairs to heaven, reaching an Angel which Charles had thrown up into the air to shield Leo. The Angel was not dead yet, but carried now a major wound- Bruce hadn't expected such a feat.
Purple rains of fire and ashes smoked the air a heavy flavor whoever dared to inhale. Charles was burning everything in a circle apart from the battlefield, only focusing on the Angels which attacked him by moving through him every couple of seconds. "This is getting us nowhere, unless I do this, huh?"
Charles cracked a smile, and his hat started flying upward as it was no longer held down by his hand, no both of them were openly spread, facing the Angels' open, beast-like mouths which screamed at him at a frequency that was to make him deaf in a matter of seconds. A fierce Will those creatures carried, but nonetheless, the brunette did not commit to his fate:
The apical line had not deformed but had been used to force a line of blood, a sturdier kind rope and alike snake it was wrapping itself around the head of Leo's Angel. It was clashing with the heated surface of the golden skin. The rain, the wind, the fire, all those particles the bare eyes could see were moved, it was a split vision for everyone's gaze in a mere second, it felt like the world had been split into two parts, a thin, diagonal line separated two halves of which the upper seemed to have been displaced for it looked like, it was inverted- or to say the least, a parts of it.
Leo on the ground, holding onto the rope cutting sharply into his bloody hand. Right in front of him, a hanged Angel, dead. The golden illumination ceased and a tall, thin humane figure was revealed. The wind was playing a rageous violin to spur on every other encounter with those beasts, battle against fates of misfortune and bad luck.
There was no gibbet, no death of asphyxiation. Leo had turned the World upside down, or rather themselves, pinpointed the highest height he had been taken to in order to fasten the rope and instead of dropping the body toward a bottomless ground to hang them, Leo reversed heights.
Being pulled from both, Leo trapped by the talons and by the sky, the Angel died and the grip around Leo's body, loosened up once the pale head fell from the body. Leo took deep breaths, his body was hurt, he was still upside down, his head was hurting for the mental strain had gotten a lot worse then originally planned. "There… sure is- Someone who wants me dead, huh?", the frail boy had just gotten up, only to fall back on his bruised knees. Scratched up, he wanted to cry, his body was hurting so much he thought he was decomposing, next to him the Angel's body sure was decomposing, letting off an awful smell which added to the already sickening view. But Leo's red eyes weren't fixed on that tale, there were fixed on what would be a firestorm in the middle of an already raging battlefield, several sized bigger than the field itself. Charles was burning with purple flames. Trembling like flags getting pushed around by the arrogant whims of the wind. His tired eyes noticed then, two figures running towards him. Leo smiled, he wanted to close his eyes and wake. That's right, maybe this whole situation could vanish by simply waking. But, death was real.
No matter what your reality was made of, your truths, your experiences, your dreams and ideals, your facts, there was yet to be someone to surpass the ultimate obstacle.
"Ray!" Leigh and him were running past Charles to get to Leo. Ray's eyes met with those of his uncle's, the one who taught him how to will his fire. And through these flames and shapes of fire and ashes he heard those words:"BE FREE!"
Charles carried his biggest smile:
Colossal. You couldn't tell what shape or form it was, nor could you tell how impossible that created heat was. It felt like a meteor had hit Earth all of a sudden. Ray stopped running but Leigh grabbed his arm, Leo was kneeing in the grass with his mouth open. His pupils shocked at the sight of the meteor coming down from above. Hitting both Angels and those that were about to spawn from these gates, no those golden rings which seemed to be portals of some sort, they vanished as well, a rock so great it hit both Heaven and Earth, landing on the WM HQ. Charles eradicated the Angels and destroyed the HQ, while not one of the humans go hurt by this wonder..
Leaving behind a message of teenage spirit and a smoke so black and thick all over the field.
.
.
.
Silence emerged as the sounds of the massive crash faded out into nothingness. And nothingness was where he would be met with a dear friend.
-"Yeah, it's been too long, Cherry"
-"I'm so sorry, I couldn't make it sooner."
-"Ha", he looked at his charred body,"It's good... to see you again."
- "If Leo pulls it off, you'll be alone. Imma get to live again. This time, as one person, like before.
These were long 17 years."
-"17? I didn't even realize it's been that long. Oh? You're even wearing the cap Jack bought you-
Making me feel nostalgic, now of all times.."
.
.
.
-"I just wish we could have been spending time together again as the whole crew."
-"Don't worry about that, Charlie. I'll tell Shanna I met you. Maybe she'll even admit her crush now, who knows, eh?"
-"Ugh, just- Try not to make her sad.
I feel sorry, though… I couldn't be a proper dad for Ray."
-"You've done more than enough, in my opinion.
Way more than Christopher!
But uhh.. that meteor was you final Will, huh? You sire went out with a bang.."
Charles noticed, looked at Cherry sitting next to him, crying in silence, a cracked smile.
A bittersweet emotion.
"D- did you really have to go that far?"
Charles took another look at his charred body.
How surreal, observing his mortal body as a dead.
.
.
.
"I'm sorry."
Cherry's tears dropped to the ground just like Ray's. Leigh rammed her sword into the ground. Anger. Leo was speechless. All fighting was stopped. The weapons, as if stopped by time, were tightly gripped in mid-air. Nothing but silence interrupted the madness of the killings.
There was need to act. Leo knew that. No time to let the momentum Charles had created go to waste. No heavenly beasts, no fighting among them. They had come for something, and it was necessary to get that. Freedom. Charles had died, that was a reality, that was true, an undeniable fact but there were still those, who could be saved. Leo got up. Walked and walked Forward. If his right leg would give in- No, there was no such thing as that, not any longer. No more ifs. He walked,
his friends next to him. He walked by the charred corpse of Charles. Walked right up to Tharius. "Tharius." "For the KING!", he swung at those cannonballs coming at Leo and himself, repelling them. "Leo, was it? I'm sorry but taking out one Angel is not much of an accomplishment-" Leo grew a blank expression, a serious tone as his friends walked up behind him. "You want me to prove myself even more, then?" Tharius rose an eyebrow:"I'll admit, you sending me into the ground was not something I had expected from such as you." "You need to shut that fucking mouth.", Leigh said in a dead-serious tone. Tharius glanced at her but followed her blade's tip pointing at Leo himself. He walked right into the battlefield, his back was exposed, the three long scars which were carved into his pale skin by the torturing church was seen by everyone.
They were bleeding again, opening, almost pulsating, a deep red and fresh blood leaking out. The Viking was anticipating. The brunette looked at the ground, fleeing prisoners, blood, weapons, the ruins of the HQ, the souls, the damage which had been done- it was all too, too much.
"Stop fighting against yourself.
Start fighting for our freedom."
The ashes came together.
"Don't you get it?! All of this right here", his damaged hands were drawing circles in the air,
"It's not real. We're trapped. You're trapped. I am trapped.
All of us are in the same boat. I beg you all to to share my dream of escaping from here.
Fight. FIGHT. Fight for your freedom for all of us deserve to be.
I don't want to see one soul here trapped, anymore.
And trust me, I was imprisoned for almost 17 years in a building where I was tortured so much I thought death was my only escape.
But I was wrong!
Someone with the a greater Will created this reality, this fake of the world,
made us be what we are today.
If you want to know your true self, your free self and live like you were supposed to until Death decides otherwise, I ask you:
To fight for your freedom."
As these words were listened to by everyone, even soldiers of any rank, everything Leo looked at was used to build a spiral staircase, one that led up to the skies themselves. Suddenly the urge to shout emerged from the tallest man here:
"EVERYONE! Everyone who wants to be FREE, climb those stairs! Follow ROSEBLOOD!!"
Moved by the courageous Leo's words, he finally acknowledged him.
Everyone against the WM decided to follow him.
And so the hunt began. The stairs were wide enough to fit twenty people in a single row. At the very start of the chase were Leo and Ray, behind them were Tharius and the assassins who were trying to shoot them by order of Atrox who was running behind the people in black. After him came the Anarchists and Tharius' vikings, chased by the Greens and remaining soldiers of the WM. Everyone was running while Leo kept building the steps for the staircase and elevated it even further into unknown heights. Leigh was preventing Bruce and Marlena from joining the hunting march.
Her eyes pointed at them with a fierce intent: "Fuck outta, here, bitch!" "Marlena, please leave this matter to me."
"Huh??", the blue-haired girl was dumbfounded, but she obeyed Bruce as he was her superior.
"Huh, Ray?", surprised by the blonde to carry him with both hands. "I can't believe I let uncle Charles die just like that, I feel so stupid", he turned his head,"All these people were after you,
and I'll be damned should I let another one of us die" Leo held tightly onto Ray's shirt.
"I won't let anyone have you", Ray's fingers were getting stained with the blood leaking from the reopened scars. Leo was is in a critical state to begin with but he wouldn't stop. Leo's Will was truly worthy of being called a King's. The singing and shouting, the pistols and clashing, the running, the sounds of a thousand feet running up these stairs. "Roseblood?", Tharius closed in on them,"I want to apologize for my rudeness toward you. You've earned my respect as a warrior,
little one."
Leo gave a weak smile, he was about to faint from exhaustion. It was all too much. But he had to act. Act like no other human had acted like in history.
The clouds danced in dark colours, loud sparks, thunder and lightning., the ground was cracking open: Tempest, feet marching strongly against the Will of nature "We meet again, handsome!",
Ray looked to the side and saw Marlene being carried by waves of water. "I quite literally have my boyfriend in my arms right now!" The clash of two swords. Bruce and Leigh were silent, no other stimuli than themselves would guide them. Leigh did not get blown away this time, for she used a stance which was befitting for defense, pushing back the other sword, she turned and swung her sword from below upwards. "Go ahead and use your second katana!" Bruce ignored her remark and defended her strike by striking downward. Leigh and him were putting their spirit into their swords, trying to push the other away from them to cut flesh. "Your boyfriend seems pretty dead to me, won't you take me as you sweetheart!" "Don't let her provoke you, Ray." "I know, Tharius.. But Imma go a bit further ahead, try to catch up.", Ray knew Marlena was going to try to knock over this pillar of a staircase with her waves. So holding tightly onto Leo, he jumped to the side, off of the pillar, nearing the ground with every second, and turned the wonderfully clear blue water into a standing sea of flames. With each second the flames got closer to the blue girl. Panic. She was panicking while Ray was flying with his largest wings yet. There it was, his Will manifesting finally. The sea of flames became the shape of a Phoenix rising skyward. From 0 to 100. Marlena's body got partly burnt but she got away by letting the remaining bits of waves carry her into the forest's direction. With a few strong wing beats Ray flew to the top of the pillar, burning away the golden portals spawning in front of them. One by one, the wings degenerated, but it did not matter as long as his heart would beat for love. Agsint wind, rain, force and will. The tap of their shoes on the pillar's top.
A circular platform.
The rest of the people were to arrive in a couple of minutes.
"What are you going to do, now?", Tharius voice reached them, as he climbed the last steps.
"You're already here?", Ray asked as he lets Leo down.
"Think youngster! I used the waves to push back the WM and carry me and my band forward"
"We need everyone on here but I need- this short break, I'm sorry", Leo began speaking and coughing.
"So, what is it what you'll do?"
"We're so high up, I can touch the cloud with my own hands. This height should be enough to shatter everything."
"What did the kid say?!" "The hell??"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTHS", all sound among his crew and the Anarchists died.
"Listen up, everyone who came for my bounty. Everyone that was called here for whatever reason. You can continue to hunt me down, but consider this, if you use your Will in unison with all of us here, we can be free. Free from the World and fake belief. This Will is proof of our rebellion, someone made us the way we were, and I for one do not want to be caged. I want freedom and this will be your and my first step toward it!
.
.
SO I ASK YOU, WILL YOU BE FREE WITH ME?!"
All Wills present atop the pillar united. Shouts and cheers. Drums and Claps, Singing and Crying.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Collision Course: A crash followed by many more to come. The first one, The platform was pushed by everyone. EVERYONE PRESENT.
Like a loose escalator they descended like the maddened from the highest of clouds, downward, the crashing against the stairs, against the WM's soldiers. A sound of crashing through space and time, the wind current against their faces. Uncontrolled laughter, and surprised faces as something like the structure of tower formed around them, fading in and out of reality but then finally:
It was a tower, in which a circular platform carrying a thousand raging humans, was falling toward the ground, realities clashing for existence.
Shouts and singing.
Doves and ravens flying along.
Ray and Leo were holding onto each other.
"LEO! I FUCKING LOVE YOU"
"I LOVE YOU RAY!"
The structure of the tower was collapsing, it was the sky itself being dragged downward, causing a rapture of real excitement.
The rush of blood was nothing compared to the actual ride downward below.
Multiple cracks in reality were now visible, the sounds of cracking, Leo did not make this up,
the final push toward freedom was here.
Leigh ran toward Bruce, smashing her katana against the enemy's, then splitting herself into two images of herself coming out of her back, facing away in opposite directions, turning and revealing the swords they were holding, closing their turn and trying to stab Bruce from left and right who was still defending the initial Leigh's attack. He lost his composure in that moment, he screamed at Leigh, at his sword and sliced right through her blade until almost reaching the handle of her sword; she was shocked, never did she think her sword would be cut, it was like having her soul split in half, now that it was the only thing she could think of as her mother's memento, but she pulled it away, putting the handle between her teeth, to protect what was left of it. Another cut from above, Bruce put Will into it, Leigh blocked it with her bare arms, letting out a bloody scoff, she could feel the blade cutting into her arms' bones, forcing her Will to stand against Bruce's, it felt like battery acid being poured over her brain. But she stood there, not being knocked back but pushing against the strong sword and jumping to the side, escaping that attack, however did he follow up quickly with stab through her left shoulder. Now her body's left side was completely useless. Blood around her mouth from coughing. She looked behind Bruce, noticing the tower nearing the ground rapidly. The feeling of her friends being there comforted her. All pain seemed to be unreal and should it be, she'd embrace it, for those who were alive with her, for herself and her mother. She smiled and Bruce was confused as to why she would smile when she was clearly at a disadvantage-
She slowly moved her right arm up while poking out her tongue.
The people were singing in unison, chanting melodies,
holding up their weapons as a sign of victory, fists and arms with smiles so big they could rival Death's scythe.
Nothing in the big, wide world and people who have constructed societal norms could hold up against the free spirits of these renegades:
"NA NA NANA NA NANA NA",
that big viking was laughing like a maniac alike having lost all of his reason, Leigh was pointing her right middle finger, holding it high, at Bruce to declare that they had won,
Leo got a big smooch from Ray
and the platform, with the might of another planet, finally made contact with Earth.
The glass wall shattered and with it the fake reality. The dream everyone had awoken from, finally.
"Get the Laylas!", a sudden voice of the WM shouted; well, of course there would a WM, but Leo had won this war, even if the enemy would get their backup. The roses had their own backup.
Even though, his body felt hollowed out, there was nothing to be feared, for the
Layla-Tribe was there to rescue them, as instructed by Shanna beforehand. A tribe of notorious strength and affairs with the World Military was joining the war as its last party.
Hunted by the WM was a group of mostly dark-skinned, professional warriors everyone was advised to avoid. The Layla-Tribe lived in the wild of the southern regions, self-sustaining themselves. If anyone dared to attack them, they would pay with their lives. Needless to say,
if they were instructed to rescue someone and would have to fight to get to their targets, they'd do it. The art of Willpower was not a foreign one to them. Amaris was leading the small group which decreased the number of WM-soldiers significantly in a short amount of time, pushing through black smoke, small fires, leaking oil, and gunfire. Smooth as traceurs, they skimmed and looked for a blonde, a brunette and a white-haired, understanding that the two adults had died.
Kneeling on the cold ground with bare legs, freezing, watching the artwork of war:
A lot of things were happening around Leo. The cold wind hitting against the spots which weren't
covered by Ray's hands, the fighting and escaping from the WM. Oh right, there was actually no one attacking Leo right now. Somehow, everyone was focusing on escaping-
"That's right, we're free, hey Ray..", Leo sleepy hands grabbed Ray's shirt loosely,
"I changed the world for us", a big smile formed on Leo's pale and bloody face, tears running down his face.