The Last Dance

"HUUFF" Michael appeared to return to his body in a state of confusion as he looked at Gravix, who seemed to sense something.

"Did you use Insight? Tell me what you saw," Gravix said with an intense look, gripping Michael's shoulders.

"SUUUUU" Once Gravix touched him, he felt himself being drawn back into that sensation, but unlike the previous time, he observed himself from a third-person perspective. Pictures and scenes flashed before his eyes, depicting events that had yet to occur, images etched in his mind. He witnessed a great deal of bloodshed, the Hunter arriving and purging the earth, an overwhelming amount of violence. The actions of Gravix were minimal in comparison to the feats of the Hunter depicted in the images he observed; it all occured transpired in mere seconds before everything concluded and he was returned.

"Hey! What did you see?" Gravix inquired, observing that Micheal had returned.

"Blood, destruction, so much murder, and death." Micheal muttered, recalling scenes from his memories, his expression revealing the horror he experienced. His eyes suddenly lit up as he recalled the first scene he had seen, "How are you related to my mother? How were you there when I was born?

"Huh, how did you...ARRRRG!" Before Gravix could grasp Michael's words, he collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in pain.

"Are you..." Micheal advanced to offer assistance, but Liam intervened, preventing him from proceeding.

"What are you doing? This guy is crazy, don't go any closer," Liam said with a frown; he didn't trust Gravix at all.

"Eliminate the boy....eliminate the boy…...ELIMINATE THE BOY!" Suddenly seized by a surge of madness, Gravix, who had been just a few feet away from Michael, lunged forward, lightning crackling on his palm as he thrust it ahead.

"URRGG!" Liam yelled in agony as Gravix's arm pierced through his back, reappearing from his chest, and

splattering blood across Michael's face and body.

"NOOOOOO! LIAMMM! Micheal roared in shock as he watched his brother fall to the ground, blood gushing from his chest. Glancing up towards Gravix, who was slowly regaining his senses, rage clouded Micheal's mind as his eyes glowed blue. In an instant, two powerful bolts of lightning shot forth, striking Gravix and sending him crashing through several buildings, leaving him unconscious. Just as he prepared to pursue and finish him off, a voice called out from below.

"Micheal, don't...URRRG," were the only words Liam could manage before he doubled over and vomited blood.

"No, no, no... Liam, please, no... It's okay... It's going to be okay...I'll get help, just hold on, SOB." Micheal fell to his knees at once, lifting his brother with shaking hands, resting his head on his knees as he fought to pause the flow of blood, but it was useless; the bleeding persisted relentlessly. With tears in his eyes, Micheal persevered and pressed down on the injury.

"Michealll..." Liam whispered faintly, his body trembling. He may have managed to survive until now, enduring numerous life-threatening injuries, thanks to his robotic parts. However, even he could not withstand a direct hit to his chest, which not only obliterated several organs but also caused lightning burns, worsening the situation.

"ROARRRRRR" In the distance, a vast horde of 

undead, reminiscent of the one that had nearly assaulted them upon their departure from the research facility, suddenly emerged, charging towards Michael with sinister intent.

"Micheal...leave...please….." Liam compelled himself to speak, yet that only aggravated his blood loss.

"Stop, please stop talking, you're only making things worse. I'll fix this, just wait. I'll heal you," Michael replied, unable to hold back his tears any longer; they flowed down his cheeks onto his arms.

"COUGH...It's…...COUGH....Alright…..Mikey," Liam managed a smile despite his poor condition and the deafening roars of the advancing undead.

"Please don't go...I can't bear to lose you as well, please, Liam" Micheal lowered his head, ignoring everything around him; nothing else mattered. He had just found his brother, yet he felt he was losing him once more. The anguish consumed him, a torment so profound it was beyond comprehension.

"Liam...Liam...please answer me Liam... no, please don't go, I can't bear to lose you once more." Micheal sobbed continuously, his tears falling onto the body of his brother, who was gradually losing consciousness.

"I....would.....hug…you....but….I'm….lacking…a.....few.....arms" With great effort, Liam forced out his final words, his vision gradually becoming hazy; he understood that his time had come to an end.

"LIAMM! NOOO! Please come back, Liam…."

Micheal cried out in anguish, holding his brother's body tightly, as if he could never bear to part with him. As he cried out in grief, his gaze fell onto a ring resting nearby.

Once he spotted this ring, Micheal's eyes brightened with hope. He seized it, attempting to steady his breathing, which had become uneven from all his tears. He swiftly laid his brother on the ground and then cast a glance to the left, where the undead were nearly upon them. He also looked to the right, where the undead were steadily advancing. He swiftly rose to his feet, directing his right and left hands outward, taking a deep breath. Flames erupted as he gradually turned in a circular motion, creating a barrier of fire around them." This would delay them and provide Micheal with sufficient time to complete his plan.

After completing that task, he set the ring on Liam's chest and positioned his hand above it. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly, thinking, 'Hang in there, Liam, I'll bring you back.'

"Go ahead, I'm prepared, a life for a life." Micheal closed his eyes and spoke, taking a deep breath and releasing it, repeating the process several times until he finally achieved some results.

His hands suddenly ignited with white lightning that gradually flowed from his heart within his chest through his hands into the ring, and from there into Liam's body, which soon illuminated, undergoing a remarkable transformation as the robotic parts fell away, replaced by skin, flesh, and bones. The injured parts were rejuvenated, while the destroyed ones, such as his organs and arms, were regenerated. Micheal, the one accountable for all this, appeared to be suffering, his skin having taken on a gloomy hue, yet he persevered as the process unfolded.

The undead roared in anger, as if infuriated that Michael had sealed them away.

"KUGGHH" Michael collapsed to the side, blood spilling from his mouth, his body weakened from the exertion. He looked over at the fully reconstructed body of Liam, a smile crossing his face as he heard the sound of his breathing, signaling that he was alright. He had forcefully transferred his lifeforce to Liam, a perilous process that would ultimately lead to his demise; his complexion had turned quite pale, indicating a grave injury.

"If I am going to die anyway, I might as well make it count. I have a few minutes left, and I know exactly how to use them." Micheal rose unsteadily to his feet and made his way to the spot where Liam had dropped his sword. After picking it up, he returned to his brother's unconscious form. A smile illuminated his face as he observed his brother smiling serenely, caught in a gentle sleep trance that would endure for a few minutes. By the time he awoke, Micheal would be gone, but it was for the best; Micheal wished to spare him the pain of witnessing his departure, knowing it would be too much for him to bear. He wanted to protect him from that heartache.

He could only envision the torment his brother had endured at the hands of Gravix, being mind-controlled to carry out horrific acts would surely leave scars. Thus, Micheal chose to offer him a second chance, an opportunity to embrace a better life.

"I will miss you, brother." Coughing up blood, Michael weakly lifted the sword high into the sky, its blade directed downwards. He drove the sword into the ground with a downward thrust, just a short distance from his brother's feet. As the sword struck the ground, a surge of lightning erupted, forming a protective shield that enveloped his brother's body, securing it within safely. This barrier would safeguard him from any danger until he awoke.

"KUGGH." Michael fell to his knees, blood gushing from his mouth, worsening his condition. He didn't have much time left; he needed to act now or it would be too late.

Struggling to regain his footing, Micheal looked up at the sky, a broad smile emerging on his scarred face as he took in the stunning night sky. Despite the furious roars of the undead around him, painful memories flooded back, accompanied by a wave of nostalgia. As he felt the suppressed pain rising within him, Micheal remembered James' words.

"Release the pain you keep suppressed; only then can you find true peace," James had said to him.

Micheal took a deep breath, pausing for a few seconds before letting it out. With that release came a flood of memories he had tried to suppress: his mother's death, the news of Liam's passing after the apocalypse began, the friends he had lost along the way, Anna's death, Greg's suicide, and countless others.

Taking a step forward, Micheal glanced back down, tears welling in his eyes. He had finally embraced all of the pain, and his heart was at last at peace. Those who had died were gone, and he had come to terms with it. He couldn't bring them back, but he had finally avenged them, and that was enough.

"Wheww, it feels wonderful to be liberated, hahaha!" With a melancholic sigh, Michael's body was suddenly illuminated by arcs of lightning that danced across its surface, giving him the appearance of a celestial body. He ascended into the sky with a deliberate grace, casting a glance downward at the undead, their faces twisted in fury. Yet, he remained unfazed; for the first time, he felt a profound sense of peace within himself, having released all the pain and guilt that had burdened him.

"If this is the last dance, then I would love to go out with a bang." Micheal muttered his final words as a fierce wave of lightning erupted from his body, radiating in all directions. Everything it touched was reduced to ashes—chairs, buildings, and even the undead army could not withstand the onslaught of energy; they were incinerated in an instant. Yet, the lightning did not relent; it pressed onward, ensuring it reached every corner of the zone, obliterating everything in its path. All of the undead, structures, and every single mother worm and worm were completely disintegrated.

In the sky above, Micheal's body trembled and convulsed in pain, yet he continued to unleash the lightning. He endured the agony with a smile, even as his eyes turned bloodshot. Cracks spread slowly across his skin, but the smile remained. When his organs burst apart from the energy, he still smiled, blood flowing down his lips. Even when his heart ceased to beat from the surge of excess energy...he continued to smile. He departed with a smile on his face.

"CRACK CRACK" As the cracks ultimately extended to every corner, his body could no longer bear the overwhelming energy that had been confined within, and then....

BOOM

An explosion unlike any ever recorded erupted from Michael's body, unleashing a violent wave of energy across the already battered base, obliterating everything in its path that hadn't already turned to ash.

"NO! NOOOOO!" Gravix, who had somehow managed to endure the initial surge of energy, could only observe as his body disintegrated and was reduced to dust by the force. At long last, the man responsible for the deaths of millions was finally eliminated, along with his army and ambitions of world domination. The world had achieved safety, all due to the efforts of a single individual, a man who perished a hero and would eternally be honored as one.

In the sky above where Michael's body had self-destructed, a ring could be seen descending to the ground, accompanied by specks of lightning that surrounded it as it passed through the barrier erected on Liam's chest. A few moments later, the barrier vanished, and Liam's eyes gradually opened.