Black Memory: Part 3

"Men! Seize her at once!" Xavier ordered.

One… two… three… there's 15 of them plus that core breaking maniac, that's 16… if I over exert myself even if I beat them, I'd probably die and end up with a single year left with my family. Loah thought.

The 15 soldiers all positioned themselves in the trees and on the  ground clad in light armored gear and some even had black masks covering their faces.

Seeing this, Jin's eyes slowly widened as he tried moving inside of the purple bubble that he had been captured in, but to no avail he was left moving as slow as a slug, no even slower. With the speed he was moving at it felt as if it would take hours just to move an inch.

"Jin, oh my good friend Jin! I hope you didn't think you would escape this. See, I told you that this day would come, the day when me and you would be on the other side of the battlefield facing each other, didn't I?!" Xavier laughed.

Jin's eyes fell upon Xavier once more as rage filled his spirit.

"Woah calm down there Jin, Ha! Trust me, you'd want to see what comes next." He said.

Three men jump at Loah but she swiftly dodges the three of them. She runs towards one of the masked men hitting them with her ragged fist technique. The man's chest compacts and twists as he gets launched through the trees in the forest.

One down. She thought.

The other two seemed to be angered as they both attack again simultaneously while another person joins the fray. Loah drags her right foot along the ground and extends her arms as her body ignites a ball of black flames, surrounding her. In the wake of these flames the men coming at her disintegrated immediately on impact.

She coughs blood once more as she can feel her core getting more and more unstable. While recuperating from the spiking pain of her core another masked man attacks her from behind. Just when the man was about to deal her the hefty blow a small hand appears and crashes into the ribs of the masked soldier. Once again a soldier gets blown away as Saikyo looks at his hand, covered in blood.

He starts to panic as the sight of the blood makes him want to puke. Cold sweats appear on the boy's face as he ponders what he did.

D-Did I just-. He thought

"Stay calm." Loah told him as she patted his head, her nose bleeding.

"Mom, you're hurt-!"

"I'm fine."

Loah starts counting the men again, some were still hiding in the trees staring at her, the others were on the ground, just watching. She concludes that there are ten soldiers left.

Xavier turns back to watch the fight after taunting Jin.

"Hey, man what the hell! I turn my back for a few minutes and five of my guys die to a weakened princess and a child, geez, this is what I get for gathering a bunch of low rank architects for something like this. Mages clean up this mess we need to get out of here before Hageshi finds out about this!" He says.

A mage aims a fireball toward Loah and Saikyo, but it wasn't for them. 

Loah looked at Saikyo and noticed that he wasn't holding Seicho anymore.

"Saikyo, where's your brother!" She said quickly. 

"I put him down to help you." He responded hurriedly. 

They both start running back to Seicho as the masked mage shoots the fireball. Loah swiftly gains a boost in speed which causes her to fall over in pain due to the strain on her core. Saikyo left with no time to help his mother, he focuses on his brother instead. The fireball zips through the air past Saikyo's head.

As it whistled past his head it was as if time had come to a still, an electricity jolted through his body. His mind enhanced as it felt like it gave him access to think of multiple outcomes and solutions to different possibilities, his body enhanced as though it felt like the surge of this electricity would give him immense speed, agility, and strength. It was his core vibrating with a much faster frequency and acceleration as to when he used the ragged fist technique.

He sped past the flaming ball of fire and grabbed Seicho. The surge of energy ended and the vibration of his core had stopped, but the fireball was still heading towards him. It was too fast to dodge so instead he froze. The only thing he could think of doing was hiding his little brother in his arms while his back was facing the fiery ball of flames. 

Loah jumps in the way of the blast, taking the hit right in the stomach. Saikyo's face transitions into one of unacceptance as he can't believe what he had just witnessed, the subtle tears falling down his face, still processing what had just happened were proof of that. Loah falls to the ground.

"Mom?"

"Oh man, look at how cool she was talking too. "That's a line you should never cross", geez, that was too hilarious. Isn't that right… Jin?!" Xavier shouted as he laughed.

The men in the trees and on the ground were all laughing maniacally at the trapped man as if they were taunting him for not being able to protect his family.

Jin saw Loah's body as she laid there. His face turned into what could only be described as what the very nature of what violence and animosity was supposed to be. A rainbow flashed into a white light around the man's body as his speed increased inside the purple bubble. 

"Light magic?! Liar! You said Gaia had only given you the power of wind! This is bad, men hurry up and finish it all, now!" Xavier panicked.

Jin was almost out, but Xavier slowed the time down in the bubble even more.

"Hurry!" He yelled.

The six architects on the ground rushed toward Saikyo. He only looked at his mother who's eyes had whitened, her body giving her not even the least bit of breath.

"Y-you bastards… I'll kill you all! Every last one of you-!" He yelled in anger.

A hand reached out to pat his head, ruffling his hair.

"Don't talk like that." Loah smiled as she rose up.

"But they-" 

"It will be fine. Listen Saikyo, I want you to run. Get out of here." She said standing to face the soldiers.

There's only one left. He thought as he saw her Zytion branding because of her tattered clothes.

"I'm not leaving without you-."

"You have to! No matter what, you have to live, you have to even if your father and I don't. That's what it means to love someone, to be willing and ready to give your life for them, remember that, when you're older think back and remember. And remember this, I love you." She said as she ran towards the men coming at her.

"Mom! No!" Saikyo yelled.

The first man to attack kicked at her head which swiftly dodged. She struck the second man, stunning him for a bit as she jumped up and kicked him, one side his jaw could be seen dislocated from the rest of his face. 

The man first to attack turned around to try and finish the job, not willing to forgive Loah for decimating his comrade, but in that moment a hand was already near his face. The masked architect evades the attack by barely a second. The two continued fighting, clashing, trading blows. It was apparent that this one was more skilled than the rest of the masked figures.

Loah lands a blow, kicking off the mask of the architect, revealing a young woman. The Zenoikian princess didn't care in the slightest, and tried to attack once more. A mage in a tree conjured wind and shot it at Loah in the form of a blade.

Jin saw this and the light around him became brighter and more pure. Xavier struggled to keep perpetually slowing down time inside of the bubble.

Screw this! I'll just use the remaining amount of my soul energy to activate… that. Xavier thought

"Jeffery, give me all the stored soul essence you have." 

[Sharing all the remaining (548/1000) soul essence]

[After transferring the essence into pure energy there is (274/1000) soul energy will be gained, Sir Xavier]

Small little blue orbs left the support system on his wrist and instead went inside of him, as he felt a surge of power meld into his very being, every cell in his body filled with energy and life.

"It's just barely enough but it's enough, thanks Jeffery."

To hold you Jin, it's a real pain in the ass, but not even the speed of light can overcome the complete stoppage of time itself. He thought.

"Get ready buddy, make sure you rest your eyes at a good point of view, because I'll make you watch every last second of it." Xavier grumbled.

Jin got his head out of the bubble and yelled out.

"Loah-!" as the man yelled out his lover's name it was already too late.

"Still-time." Xavier said as the bubble that was once akin to slime was now more loose and of a different texture.

Jin was completely stuck, unable to move, but he could still see everything happening in front of him. 

The slash of wind hit Loah across the shoulder; her screams echoing in reaction to the pain. Another architect had kicked Loah in the back, making fall to the ground. They all pounce on her, kicking her again and again. Her eyes whitened once more; she was motionless while the soldiers attacked her.

"Wait boys, It's the Zenoikian princess, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity." one of the men said as she had woken back up.

All the men had snickered as they ripped off Loah's clothes.

"Saikyo, run!" She yelled out from beneath the crowd.

Saikyo did as he was told and ran with his little brother.

Jin's light started to get purer and purer as his finger twitched with a hint of movement. The light around him kept getting brighter and purer until it eventually became translucent. Xavier panicked and cold sweats rolled down his face because the moment he blinked Jin had been outside of the bubble. Jin's eyes had nothing left but the whites, devoid of irises and pupils.

"H-how did you escape my still-time technique-?!" Xavier tried to talk but Jin appeared instantly grabbing his face. 

Jin slams Xavier's head into the ground with tremendous force instantly breaking his soul energy shield and knocking him out. 

"The only reason you're breathing right now is because I won't let your death be merciful and short, every last part of your body will break, bend, twist, and be mutilated. I'll make sure that your eyes are set at a good point of view because what was it you said? Oh, right, I'll make you watch every last second of it." He said coldly.

He turned around to see something he had missed due to him being blinded by his hatred towards Xavier overwhelming his thoughts and everything else. The stunning revelation made him filled with so much anger, rage, and bloodlust that even if there were words to describe it would still lack the true meaning and definition. 

That man who would play and joke around with his kids like a child was no more, what took his place instead was a being that only cared about one thing, revenge.

"You trash… how dare you." He grumbled.

As the men turned around they felt the man indescribable bloodlust, but not only that. Something much scarier stood over him. Jin was… the incarnation of Hades.

"You detestable demons… you defile my wife… try to kill my children!" Jin snapped.

Saikyo had snuck past the four mages while they were distracted with all the other continuous spectacles that kept happening. Not surprising since it is their job to lay view to the whole battlefield. 

As he ran he cheered them on to win the fight but he was quickly disheartened after he remembered what the soldiers began to do to his mother. His heart filled with rage and a thirst for revenge. The little boy who feared the sight of blood and thought of killing another living being dispersed, now, that was all he wanted to see.

Yet even at this moment, at a time like this, he knew that his mother would still smile for him and calm him down when he was angry. This turned what was once anger into something else, sadness. He hated his inability to do anything to help, he hated the fact that he was too weak to do anything else except run. His tears fell constantly and flowed endlessly.

"Hades, make sure that these men get the worst type of punishments in the underworld. Don't relent even after your spirit has left my body and I am no longer your incarnation!" Jin said coldly.

"Ha! I knew you'd be back. That family changed you but at last,  there's the man I chose to be my incarnate. Sir Jin the Relentless Tyrant!" Hades laughed.

"Shut up." Jin said coldly.

Hades quieted down and smiled maliciously. 

The spirit Hades walked out of Jin's body as the men were stricken with fear. Some fell to their knees while others ran away. The ones who ran didn't get very far. Jin zipped past them and stared them down.

"Get back in line." He said coldly.

As the group of architects all started crying, some even begged for forgiveness.

"Please, we're sorry."

"We truly sorry mister!"

"I didn't mean it, they made me do it!"

They went on and on while Jin just looked down upon them.

Jin looked up at the trees and realized that the mages had fled. His body was so fast that trees contorted in his wake and gathered behind his trail. The four mages' screams could be heard echoing throughout sequentially as Jin brought them back to join the group. Some of their fingers and legs were broken making the architects fear even more.

"Hades… slaughter them all." 

"With pleasure."

As their blood splashed into the air Jin ran over to Loah who barely seemed conscious.

"Loah! Lo!" Jin tried to wake her but she wasn't responding. 

Jin poured a huge amount of his soul energy into her, so much so that you could see his energy shield dispersing.

Loah woke up, she looked at her body with a blank face. One couldn't even begin to imagine the thoughts running through her mind or the feelings she is having.

Jin knew nothing he said would make it better, so he just hugged her. He hugged her as if she was the only thing left in existence that deserved to be loved.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you." Jin cried.

"Where's… Saikyo and Seicho." Loah said with an emotionless expression.

"Saikyo must've ran off." Jin said.

"Good…  he did what I told him." 

"We can go look for them." 

"I can't… my core is completely shattered…"

"No! No! That can't be true..."

"It is… I told you what happens when a Zenoikian's core shatters…"

"Loah. I'm not leaving you to die here alone, I'll be with you every step of the way."

"No! You have to stay with them, you have to be the one to guide them."

"Listen to your wife Jin, you better not die here, you're my favorite incarnate!" Hades said.

Shut up Hades

"It's starting…"

The broken fragments of Loah's core began vibrating and emitting electricity between the pieces. Jin though, was a stubborn man. He used the last bit of his soul energy to create a force field of light around the two of them. 

"It's ok, I won't die here… and I already made a promise to you. Till death do us part." Jin said.

"You dummy." She smiled as they held each other in their arms and kissed one final time.

"You Imbecile!" Hades yelled.

Saikyo was still running which led to him finding a city, and at the edge there was a black building with the title "G-18" carved along the head of it. 

Boom!

Saikyo turned and saw a yellow explosion, it was so big and powerful that Saikyo could barely stay standing even though he was far away. He slowly turned back around as he had already assumed what had happened, however that did not stop the tears from rolling down his face.

In the end, the boy couldn't accept fully and looked back once more, this time he saw something flying throughout the air. 

"Dad?... Dad!" the boy exclaimed with a hint of excitement and joy at the fact that he would see his father again. 

He ran over to the direction where he thought Jin had landed and searched the area. When Saiky found him, he had burn wounds all over. 

"Dad?..." He cried.

Jin reach his hand out to pat Saikyo's head.

"Not dead yet, son." he teased, but his wheezing breath made Saikyo worry.

Jin looked at Saikyo holding Seicho and realised, during the entire time the attack happened, that Saikyo did his best to make sure that his little brother saw none of it.

"You've done a good job Saikyo." Jin muttered exhaustingly. 

"Dad… get up. We can leave, we can get out of here." 

"You go on ahead, in this state I won't be able to walk on my own."

"Then I'll help you." Saikyo smiled as he reached out his hand.

"You're a spitting image…" Jin said as he thought of Loah.

They made their way into the black building.

"You fool! You were reckless to do that! You could've died, then I'd be stuck with some worthless incarnate!" Hades yelled.

Didn't I say be quiet, I don't have time for your nonsense. Jin thought as he hit himself over the head.

"Fine alright, just stop shaking the place around, it's annoying." Hades replied.

"Saikyo, once we get to a different planet we'll go into hiding, most likely that bastard wasn't supposed to do this. So I'll try getting in touch with an old friend and get this sorted out." Jin said.

"An old friend?" Saikyo asked.

"Yeah, his name is Hageshi Ryo."

Saikyo looked around and saw circular machines with glowing green, orange, and red lights inside of them.

Jin pointed at which one to go to and Saikyo helped him get there. Before entering the portals someone appeared behind them, it was Xavier.

He punched Saikyo over the head into a different direction and pulled out a small sword, using it to pierce Jin's chest. 

"Damn it, Jin. I can't come out! I told you, why did you waste all of your soul energy on something so trivial!" Hades raged.

Saikyo passed out from the punch as he and Seicho were flying into a portal of green light. His vision blurry and head fuzzy, the last words he heard from his father would always echo in his mind.

"Protect him Saikyo..." Jin said as he saw his son fall into the portal.

Jin fell to the ground looking at Xavier. Xaviar's blood leaked from his head, painting his ever black hair.

"Finally… something to match those decrepit red eyes."

"Merciful death?... That's what you said right?..." Xavier's breath was heavy and unstable as he  started to laugh.

"Yeah… I won't let you have one." Jin said with his breath unsteady.

"And how exactly are you going to do that if you're dead." He laughed as he put his sword to Jin's throat.

"Because I don't die, people like me, never truly die." 

Xavier sighed from Jin's response. 

"Enough talk." Xavier said coldly as he threw his sword away and brought his fist down on Jin. Again and again, over and over, If anyone else were there they would look away because it was such a disheartening sight to see.

Just before Xavier was able to hit Jin again he couldn't bring his hand down any longer nor could he move it at all. He turned to see a man standing behind him stopping him from attacking with just one hand, adorning an expression that gives off a sense of effortlessness.

The man was President Hageshi.