(ＡＲＣ １) Chapter 8- The King Of Nothing and The Mansion.

scene cuts to the present, end of flashbackThe monstrous transformation of Normand Ariston was dissipating, and he returned to his usual self—bloodied and broken.I stood up and came back to my senses. The forest was now a wasteland, barely recognizable. Only a few trees remained here and there, stubborn survivors amidst the destruction.I glanced back toward what was once my home. Most of it was obliterated, but the backyard somehow remained untouched, Keito's grave standing unharmed amid the chaos.Raijin appeared out of nowhere, crouching down next to Normand and shaking him, trying to wake him up.Cathy floated closer, her forcefield sparking faintly as she moved. I stepped in front of her, raising a hand.James Karawei: "The battle is over, Cathy. No need to fight anymore. Please, just calm down."Her gaze burned into me, her fists clenched at her sides. I thought she might snap, but instead, she sighed and perched herself on a fallen log, watching the scene unfold.Jack Daniels walked up behind me, clapping a hand on my shoulder.Jack Daniels: "Yo, bro, what the heck do we do now? Do we... keep fighting, or what?"We moved closer to the kings. Raijin, acting like a damn guard dog, immediately placed himself in front of Normand, glaring at us.Raijin Hogo: "You... you aren't normal. We weren't briefed about this, but mark my words, James Karawei! We'll meet again very soon..."Normand groaned, coughing up blood as he blinked himself awake. His eyes landed on Cathy, and his face crumpled. Tears streamed down his bloodied cheeks.Normand Ariston: "Sister, please... I didn't mean to. Th-they stabbed me, and I had t-t-to fight... They were going to hurt me, hurt us... hurt you. Please don't let the man in red take me! Please, sis!"Cathy flew to him, kneeling down beside him, her hands trembling as she tried to touch his face through the flickering forcefield. Both of them began sobbing uncontrollably.Cathy Ariston: "I'm sorry I was such a bad sister. I shouldn't have stayed in that stuffy club, that stupid classroom in the first place! If we had hung out more, you... you wouldn't have been bullied, Norm. I love you! Please don't go... don't leave me..."I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. To my surprise, her forcefield let me pass through. She didn't even notice. Time seemed to stretch as the five of us stood there, our differences blurring in the weight of the moment.The people working for The Syndicate weren't all bad. At the end of the day, they were still just that—people. And people tend to have problems.Normand Ariston: "I can't... hold on much longer, Cathy. Promise me you'll stop Dad? Find Yoshio, bring him home... Don't let yourself get controlled by this power. Promise me! You have to stop The Boss. As much as I respect him, he's as evil as they come."His coughing grew worse, blood spilling from his lips. Jack and Raijin both sat down beside the siblings, while I stood frozen behind Cathy. She wept harder than I'd ever seen anyone cry.Cathy Ariston: "I promise... I'll find Yoshio, okay? Don't leave me—not you too! Please?! I need you."Normand Ariston: "Ha... ha... It's so ironic. In the end... I really am The King of Nothing... because I can't even have you anymore, Cathy... I love—"Normand raised a trembling hand to touch her, or at least her forcefield, in a final, loving gesture. Then, his body went limp, his eyes closing as he slipped into the eternal slumber.Cathy froze, staring down at him as her tears began to fall faster. Then, in an instant, her grief exploded into raw fury. The ground trembled as nearby gravity flipped. Trees, rocks, and debris began floating into the air, drawn upwards.I stepped forward again, placing a hand on her shoulder. The moment I touched her, everything stopped. The chaos around us fell back to the ground as her forcefield flickered out. She turned toward me, her tear-streaked face full of anguish, before burying her head in her hands and breaking down completely.Raijin watched silently, his gaze heavy.Raijin Hogo: "You may have won the battle, but you haven't won the war, Ariston."Suddenly, Normand's body began to glow. A sickly green light radiated from him as his essence—his holiness—seeped out of his corpse. It was disgusting to watch, the glowing orb of his soul visibly dripping with corruption.(A/N* Basically this but imagine that tree is Normand's corpse, i legit cannot get these prompts to work brooo + wattpad doesn't like gore.) Jack Daniels: "Whoa... is that a holiness? More like an un-holiness, ba-dum-tss... T-too soon? Sorry..."The orb pulsed violently, and Raijin's eyes widened in fear. Without hesitation, he bolted, tearing through the forest as if his life depended on it.The orb exploded.I acted on instinct, creating bubble spikes in the ground. Cathy grabbing both Jack and I instinctively, I jumped onto the spikes as they burst, propelling us toward what remained of my house.James Karawei: "Oh man... I'm homeless now."Cathy broke our fall with her forcefield as the orb violently exploded, sending trees and other debris our way, along with remnants of the now nonexistent cop car.The result of killing one with a holiness is, put simply: a curse, a plague on the land if you will... And the result of killing the one with the 'Undead Holiness'? A giant 5 km² crater where a part of the forest once was, his body being infused with the earth as it turned a sickening green hue, rotten arms popping out of the ground and the trees turning into zombies, it was something out of a bad horror movie.Cathy Ariston: "Norm... I'll never get to hug you again. I— We have to get out of here. I don't want to look at this anymore, please..."The three of us fought off the horde, sprinting along the road that snaked through endless wheat fields.James Karawei: "Your house? Sounds great! Where is it exactly?"Jack Daniels: "Ah... well, about that... it's in the western part of the city. You know, where the villas are."James Karawei: "You're rich, huh? Should've figured... Anyway, what's the fastest way to get there?"Cathy Ariston: "Fly. I'll take you both—I don't care anymore."Before either of us could respond, Cathy raised her hand. I felt the familiar sensation of being wrapped in her telekinetic hold as we ascended into the sky. The ground vanished beneath us, and the wind rushed past as we hurtled toward the city. What would've been a three-hour drive in Dad's old sedan took less than ten minutes with Cathy.When we landed on the rooftop of some massive corporate building, I could barely breathe. Jack and I were gasping for air, but Cathy? She looked... shattered. And honestly, I got it. I couldn't imagine watching someone I loved die in my arms.Jack Daniels: "Look over yonder! That's the one—the big white mansion with the huge lawn!"I stepped closer to the edge of the roof and peered down. The city stretched out before us, glittering with lights. It was beautiful. For a moment, I just stood there, taking it all in. After everything I'd been through, it made me question why I'd forgotten everything for so many years. Seven years of memories... wasted.Cathy suddenly collapsed, curling into a ball and resting her head against my thigh. Her face was buried in her arms, and she looked smaller somehow, like she'd folded in on herself.James Karawei: "Cathy... can you—Look, we have to at least get to safety first. Then, if you want to talk, we'll talk, okay?"She didn't reply, didn't even look at me. But after a moment, she grabbed us again and launched into the air, carrying us over to Jack's house. We hit the front lawn with a dull thud, her forcefield softening the impact. The ground cracked beneath it, though, leaving a noticeable mark.Jack Daniels: "Aw, damn it, Cathy! My parents are gonna notice this, you know... Anyway, come on in. I'm sure the maids won't mind."The front doors swung open, revealing a foyer so lavish I felt out of place just standing there. Polished marble floors, chandeliers, ornate furniture—it was like stepping into another world. Standing at the entrance was a maid who looked straight out of one of those luxury dramas Mom used to watch.(A/N* Ignore the weird staircases + it's supposed to be night time + imagine the room is 5x bigger + the non-connected cross necklace) The Maid: "Welcome home, Master Jack! Oh? Are these your friends? Why are you floating—never mind that. Should I prepare a bath for you or inform the mistress of your return?"Jack Daniels chuckled, brushing past her and gesturing toward us.Jack Daniels: "Relax, Amelia. I'll explain everything later. For now, can you get these two some spare bedrooms? And, uh... maybe a bath. Oh, and we might've... accidentally destroyed the front lawn. So, uh, maybe don't mention that to my parents, yeah? Ha... you won't tell them, right?"Amelia smiled, shaking her head with a soft laugh.Amelia: "No problem, Master Jack. If you would follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."James Karawei: "Nice to meet you, Amelia. I'm James, and this is Cathy. She's... had a rough day and could really use a bubble bath."Cathy glanced at me, her eyes still clouded with frustration and sadness, but she didn't say a word.Amelia led us through the house, her steps light and graceful as if she was floating. The place was huge—practically a palace. When we reached the guest bedrooms, the three of us parted ways with a quiet, almost somber "Good night."I collapsed onto the bed in my room, the mattress so soft it felt like I was sinking into a cloud. For a moment, I just stared at the ceiling, trying to process everything. The destruction of my school. My house. My life.Everything had changed. And not just the world around me—I had changed, too. I felt more confident now, more sure of myself. I had to be. There was no other choice. It was either adapt or die.But even that newfound confidence couldn't hold back the flood of emotions that hit me. Tears streamed down my face as the weight of it all crashed down. So many people had died. Teachers. Classmates. Neighbors. All gone. And we got away.Like criminals.No. It wasn't our fault. It couldn't be. The Boss had sent those people after us. It was on him. He was the one who deserved to pay for all of this. Not—Not Cathy.Not Jack.Not me."I don't want to ever see Cathy cry again," I thought, the resolution burning in my chest. At least that was something I could hold onto, something I could fight for.Eventually, exhaustion won out. My thoughts blurred, and I drifted into a restless sleep. But one thing was clear: my life had changed forever.And in the worst way possible... I was happy.My one goal?Defeat The Boss.ＥＮＤ ＯＦ ＡＲＣ １: ＧＥＮＥＳＩＳ．________________________________________________________________________________Author's Note:yooo~ It's me, the weirdo, back at it again with another banger(at least i think so...) Anyway, um... hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, these Syndicate boyos keep on dying sadly, and yes this marks the end of ARC 1: Genesis.Woo! We did it, and this also marks the beginning of a new arc, ARC 2: Taured.Won't tell you guys much but it will be peak... and also probably 50 chapters.FUN FACTS!Fun Fact: There are over 10 maids in the Daniels estate, can you find them all? ✍️(what was lil bro cooking...?)Fun Fact #2: All 'holies' behave in a similar manner to Normand's, and the effect they have on the land upon exploding is permanent... James's property is now forever cursed.Fun Fact #3: The Daniels Family have at least 5 mansions, the biggest one being in America.Fun Fact #4: This whole arc took place in the city of Havok, Piasu, Ryomania (Piasu being the state and Ryomania the country, the continent is simply called The Eastern Continent)Fun Fact #5: Amelia is at least 20 years old, that's all i need to say...Well... thanks for reading this chapter! Cya later! ✍️👁️________________________________________________________________________________