Mortality Chapter 12
#12 of Jason Wolfe: Mortality
Chapter 12: Without a Shadow of a Doubt
Day 21
Jason's world just seemed to crumble at that moment.
First Sam... now Brett...
It was...
...was...
There was nothing to describe it...
H2 pulled his claymore viciously away from Brett's body, letting the Rottweiler stumble forward. Brett fell to his knees, a dazed look on his face with soft, brown eyes looking up at Jason... almost... apologetically. All Jason could do was staggered forward and catch his mate in his arms before Brett could collapse forward.
Brett's blood dripped down his chest. Each breath from his Rottweiler was more and more ragged, heavy and laboured.
"Havoc!" Dan cried. "What the hell!? Why would you -"
"Brett Sykes Wolfe possesses a remnant of the Malefactor's power," H2 replied grimly. "While I will admit that he uses the power for 'good', it still severely unbalances this world. His mere presence can drive others into darkness. Furthermore, with no true source of pure light remaining, his darkness heralds another age of bleak blackness on this world."
"A world that you're already tearing apart!"
H2 closed his one exposed eye and turned away. "It was necessary to draw him out. With V10 barricading me from Newroads, I simply had to destroy much of this reality to eventually bring him into the fray. It is also a handy tactic to draw out the remaining sources of darkness."
Jason wasn't listening. He was holding Brett tightly, trying to plug up the fatal injury with his hands. Gently, he rested Brett on the ground.
"Don't go..." he whispered, hovering over Brett's expression. "Please... Don't leave me alone..."
Brett gave him a weak smile... but that smile just seemed to brighten Jason's world despite the situation. It was clear where Sam got his brilliant grin from. Slowly, Brett mustered his strength to reach around Jason's head, pulling them together. Their noses pressed against one another. In that instant, Jason just forgot about the world ending... forgot about his mate dying...
"You're never alone," Brett whispered back.
Eternity seemed to come and go as they just held each other. It wasn't enough, however. All too soon, Brett's hand slipped from around Jason's neck... and fell limply to his side.
"Brett..." Jason croaked. His mate's eyes were closed. "Brett!"
"You've gone too far, Havoc!" Dan shouted, lightning crackling at his fingertips.
"Don't make me fight you, Dan," H2 warned, lifting his claymore. "You won't win."
"What happened to K12?"
The Harbinger of Havoc scoffed lightly. "The problem with being the 'good guy' is that you have to protect people while protecting yourself as well. All I had to do was aim at any of you and she rushed to the defence without considering her own safety." H2 lifted his left hand. "She managed to severely damage my other claymore, however... Still, I can make do with one."
Jason ignored them...
He just kept staring at Brett's still features... Just like Sam... he just looked like he was sleeping. Some part of him thought that if just gave his mate one last kiss... Brett would wake up. Logic defied that... But Jason leaned forward anyway and wrapped his lips around Brett's, brushing in tongue tenderly, lovingly against his mate's still mouth. Tears were running freely down his cheeks... and he wasn't ashamed to hide them.
He had every right to cry.
In the last three days, he had lost two of the people he most cared about...
_"There's still hope,"_Reason whispered as if he was afraid H2 might overhear him.
Really? What?
"I won't let you hurt Warren!" Dan shouted.
H2 chucked darkly. "Then you risk perishing in this form and being confined to never seeing your son again. You'll have to protect more than just that one dragon, after all."
"Look, you've still got two - maybe three - No Ones on your side. L4 the Liaison of Life, I5 the Ingenious and Dan. Well... Not really Dan. But the point is, Dan has the power to alter the physical shape of all matter..."
Slowly... Jason was starting to catch on...
He can...
"Right. He can repair Brett's body... But only if we're quick. Brett's not dead. He's just in shock. His body is just waiting for outside help. He's_waiting for outside help."_
Jason slowly pulled himself away from his mate, a new grim determination filling him.
"There's no one else that were corrupted by the Malefactors!" Dan snarled.
"Count them, Dan," H2 replied. "There was Chris Thornton who, despite having perished and been made R3 Advocate, was still a creature of darkness. He could not be allowed to continue his existence here in Enria. Intention does not excuse nature. Thankfully, he has taken the liberty of sacrificing himself to stall the inevitable. If and when the crystal holding Devastation shatters, Chris Thornton will cease to exist.
"Then there was Brett, of course."
Wait...
Jason's cognitive functions were starting to return.
H2 said he was 'half done'...
But if the only other person he's after is Warren...
That would make three people...
Who else is he after?
"And Warren..." Dan growled. "Then who...?"
H2's belts unravelled around his body, forming a set of dark, red wings. "Who else but the child of a corrupt dragon?"
Jason's mind screamed in protest while his heart did a double-somersault.
Robin's kids!
"You wouldn't!" he cried, arms still tightly wrapped around Brett. "They're not even born yet!"
"The nature of all mortals is to be chaotic," H2 answered grimly. "Order is simply the dominant form of chaos. That said, the children that Robin Clearwater nurtures sustain a force whose very nature oppose that of Enria. It is either I remove all traces of this nature... or I destroy Enria."
"How will you know them if they haven't even gotten the chance to prove themselves!?"
"Intention does not excuse nature."
"What the hell is that suppose to mean!?"
H2 spread his wings. "Figure it out."
"Stop!" Kevin shouted, suddenly stepping forward. "I was a host of a Malefactor too! Why don't you come after me!?"
It was true... Kevin was the first host that Jason had encountered... He remembered all too well their final encounter... Kevin had managed to turn a new leaf in the end, killing himself to weaken the Fear Malefactor, Bane Bloodbath.
Kevin! No!
The Harbinger of Havoc lifted into the air, back still turned to them. "That's cute, really is. But there's a difference between how you were infected by the Fear Malefactor and the others."
Jason thought back to when he first encounter the other Malefactors... He had been surprised that there was no possibility to separate host from Malefactor as they had fused into one. Getting the host to willingly expel the Malefactor from them had been a core tactic against the Fear Malefactor, Bane Bloodbath. But those he had encountered later... had completely merged with their hosts... or at least, merged to the point where they obviously left some part of themselves.
Like Brett... and obviously Warren and Warren's children...
"Chris Thornton was a Malefactor at heart and despite his 'reformation', he is still that creature by nature. Warren Bladebreaker and Brett Sykes were infected and had parts of themselves merged with those creatures. And now Warren has brought into the world another Malefactor-like creature in the form of his child. If they are allowed to propagate like that, this world will be saturated with darkness!
"That cannot be allowed." H2 floated higher into the air, bolts of red lightning coursing all over his body. "They must be destroyed." His one, red eye suddenly gained an edge of mirth. "But tell you what? I'm not unreasonable. You need one more vote to stop the Apocalypse Protocol, correct?"
Jason's heart froze.
He knew where this was heading... He knew what H2 was about to suggest...
"And you want Dan to continue existing in this reality, right?" H2 continued. "So here's the deal. I'm going to wait here. You have until this time in two days to produce either the corpses of both Warren Bladebreaker and the foetuses of his unborn children... or the living specimens so that I may eradicate them myself. Do that, and I'll switch my vote. Oh, and don't think I haven't noticed that there's a slim chance your little chocolate-obsessed Rottie can survive. He comes too.
"Really, I don't want this world destroyed. It's so blissfully chaotic as it is even without our interference. But as long as there are Malefactors around, it might as well be destroyed. I would just rather you are given the chance to deal the blow yourself and bid your loved ones goodbye instead of me having to do it."
H2's belts wrapped around him, encasing him in a dark cocoon. The belts quickly unwound, disappearing into space and taking the No One of Chaos with them. However, H2's voice lingered in his final words...
"I'll be waiting..."
****
Jason felt sick.
Back at the Riley Summer House, Brett rested in a private room where he quietly slumbered unaware of what was being asked of them. Dan had done some preliminary healing on the battlefield and more serious treatment once they got back. Brett was going to be fine...
... at least until their two days expired...
Jason wondered why H2 would give them two days... Then he realised Brett would probably be out for that long... It was a fairly serious wound. It would be enough time to say goodbye... but not enough time to fill eternity.
A terrible request...
... save the world but sacrifice the man he loved, a good friend and two unborn children...
... or fight to the bitter end and lose the world and everyone in it.
Mixed opinions were flowing all over the mansion. Most former-villains demanded Jason just sacrifice those that had been marked. Some other agreed with them. Others protested saying that Jason shouldn't have to make that decision.
K12 and I5 had been defeated... They were outnumbered after all. He wasn't sure where they were now... but it remained that the only No One still supporting Jason's side was L4 the Liaison of Life. She had opened doorways into other realms again, allowing those who would take them the opportunity to leave.
Strangely, only a few took that chance. Even a lot of villains stayed.
This was their home...
It's Brett's home too... Brett's, Warren's... and those two kids'...
Don't they deserve to keep living here...?
A knock came to the door. Jason barely registered it as he sat on the bed next to his prone mate, one hand gently rubbing Brett's hand. No one else was allowed inside. The only person probably at the door was L4 or Dan to make sure that Brett was still going to make it... or to see if Jason had made the decision to kill him already...
Can I... Do it...?
He knew that if and when Brett woke, his mate would undoubtedly, selflessly sacrifice himself... and... he'd ask Jason to kill him.
Could I...?
Another knock rang out in the room.
Jason ignored it.
"Brett..." he whispered softly, his hand shaking. "I don't want you to go... but..."
More knocking.
This time, whoever it was didn't wait for a response and opened the door.
"Jason?"
That voice surprised him.
It wasn't L4 or Dan...
It was Kevin.
"Kev..." he murmured, his eyes never leaving Brett's soft features. "I need to be alone right now..."
"Jason... It's almost ten in the evening," Kevin whispered softly. The big bear came up next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You should eat something. Or at least get some rest. You've been in here since this morning."
Time just seemed to fly... and Jason's stomach did protest to being empty.
"I've just got a lot on my mind..."
"Yeah... I can only imagine..." Kevin chuckled softly. "You know... I thought I had it rough when my best friend turned out to be gay and had a boyfriend. I thought, 'Damnit, I blew it.'."
"Yeah well... I was with Connor at the time -" Jason suddenly went rigid and spun to face Kevin. "Wait... What?"
The bear was smiling softly. "Come on, Jason. You'd think that after admitting you were gay at that dinner, I'd have been more shocked or something. I mean, seriously, me, Jen and Warren all knew or at least suspected but to hear that you had a boyfriend too... It would've shocked anyone. Maybe even made them a little angry... Weren't you surprised I wasn't?"
...
Thinking back to that particular dinner when he came out to both Kevin and Chris... He remembered Kevin being rather dismissive of the fact... At the time, he had given it off to Kevin really not caring... But... was it something more?
"You... You liked me...?"
Kevin seemed to blush beneath his fur but it was hard to tell in the near-darkness of the room. He pulled his hand away from Jason's shoulder. "Well... You were buff... kind... and we've known each other for a long time. Hell, you even saved my life once. When I started having dreams of you and me together... I sorta knew... Why do you think I invited you to Descent and not Jen or Warren?"
Crack!
Suddenly, a whole new possibility entered Jason's mind... A possibility where he didn't end up with Connor or Brett... Where he had remained in the closet up until that time he had offered host a dinner with Kevin and Chris... Chris would admit to them that he and Dan had been partners... and in the oncoming confusion, Kevin would nonchalantly offer that he was gay too... and that he was after Jason.
Back then, Jason's hormonal side would've kicked in... and suddenly Jason would take Kevin to his room where they'd romp the night away. Maybe Kevin wouldn't even be the pawn of the Fear Malefactor... Descent could have ended differently... and Jason might have just ended up living with a rich, kind, loving boyfriend...
He suddenly felt sick again.
"Sorry," Kevin murmured, "I know this isn't the best time to tell you after... After H2 offered you that ultimatum..."
Jason swallowed loudly. "Yeah..."
"I thought I'd just be honest with you, Jason," Kevin continued, taking a seat right beside Jason but far enough that it was clear nothing could happen between them. "This is the path we took... your choices and mine... This is where we've ended up. We can't change that. All we can do is be content with what happened. Doesn't mean we have to be happy with it... but it means that we just have to keep moving forward."
"So... Were you and Sam... Serious?"
That made his friend chuckle. "No... Not really. I mean, I'll admit that it was a bit of a fantasy of mine when I learn he was your 'son'. At the time, I thought it was just 'role playing' and I'll admit that I got my rocks off a couple of times fantasising about me doing your kid. But then I learned he was your real son and... well..."
Kevin coughed suddenly and Jason couldn't help but laugh.
"Thanks for trying to protect him, though," Jason murmured. "I know you tried your best..." He turned to look back towards Brett. "I just... I just wish it could've ended differently... I don't want to have to lose Brett too... but at the same time, I don't want Enria to be destroyed... And Robin and Warren...? They just patched things up between them and now they have to lose each other...
"It's not fair."
"Nothing ever is," Kevin sighed. "But you know what? Just because life isn't fair, it doesn't mean we can just give up. Even when we're dead, there's still a future for us. I mean, I died and R3 offered me a position as an Advocate. You might still get to see Brett and Sam... one day."
Jason flinched and glanced back at Kevin. "So you're saying I should take up H2 on his offer?"
There, his friend's green eyes widened. "What? Well... Um... maybe...?"
He wasn't sure why but anger started flooding him. "You're saying that I should sacrifice my one true love, my childhood friend and his unborn children to save the world!?"
Kevin backed away, raising his hands in surrender. "That's just my opinion, Jason! You don't have to take it! I just figure that Enria can still be saved... Even after all this, the world can repair itself! I'm sure of it! Four people aren't worth the world."
"That's because they're not your world!" Jason roared.
He jumped to his feet and stormed to the door.
"Jason!"
"I'm going for a walk," he snarled, tearing the door right off its hinges. "Maybe something to eat too..."
There was a part of him that knew perfectly well that his anger was unjustified... because Kevin was perfectly right. All the people on Enria didn't deserve to die just because he couldn't let go for the people most important to him. In retrospect, if he wasn't so clingy, Dan could turn the tide of the battle...
But at the same time, why should he sacrifice something for the world?
For once, couldn't it be someone else?
Jason had to go through Descent, go through the Malefactors and now had to suffer through this.
Why did it have to be him?
Responsibility was a heavy burden... and Jason was feeling it.
He wasn't sure where he was going... All the hallways of the mansion-like home seemed the same. However, he was stopped when he heard an odd, melodic tune. It was strangely familiar... a lullaby if he remembered correctly. One that mothers hummed to their children to get them to sleep.
Jason glanced into a nearby room and noticed that it was the one of the room designated to the children. A few cribs were rocking gently in the darkness, lulling their little charges to blissful slumber. Other older kids lay on the ground in sleeping bags or mattresses pulled from other room. A solitary figure hovered over one of the smaller cribs, gently humming her tune.
"Robin?"
She looked up, her amethyst eyes bright and quite soft as opposed to the cold gemstones they had been not so long ago.
"Come here," she whispered, waving him over.
Jason waded through the sea of slumbering children to where Robin stood over a young, human child gently sucking her own thumb. There was something... infinitely serene about the image. As the dull light from the darkened sky drifted in from the window and tickled her pink flesh, Jason was struck by how that flesh seemed to sparkle like a beautiful, polished, pink pearl.
A little treasure.
He glanced around the room... at all the sleeping children... at the future of Enria...
"Isn't she precious?" Robin whispered, eyes firmly placed on the child. However, her hands were resting on her abdomen.
"Yeah..." Jason murmured gently, eyes flicking towards her.
"I hope one day, my children will be just like her..."
Remembering something that Reason said, he replied, "You will. I'm sure of it."
She glanced up at him. "You mean... You're going to defy H2?"
That made him swallow hard. "I want to... but I know I really can't... I'm not strong enough to beat him... and I can't ask Dan to give up his life to save us... Not after he's sacrificed so much to be with us and to make my life perfect."
Robin smiled and turned her gaze towards the child. "I don't mind either way, Jason. Because if I've learned anything from this experience is that some No Ones can be downright jackasses... but there are others that look after you with all their being. Dan is a living example of that. So is T13 and A11... All of those that fought for us are. But I also bet that those that are fighting against us have their moments as well. They're mortal, right?
"Sometimes... just like us, they flip."
"They shouldn't," Jason grumbled, gazing out the window. He could see Devastation cutting through the skyline like a grim reminder that their time was coming. "If they're so concerned about us mortals getting our own realities, why are they destroying realities?"
Robin shrugged gently. "I don't know. But I do know that we have to cherish the time we have in the reality that we're in right now. We won't get another chance at it." She smiled softly, a tear running down her cheek as her hands gently massaged her abdomen. "I just wish that I could have seen their faces, you know? Just once. I have to believe that they'll get some future devoid of this suffering. Maybe I'll meet them again someday. But I know that if I'm ever offered my book, I won't take it until I'm with them."
"Your kids that special to you, huh?"
She chuckled. "My kids and Warren." Her eyes drifted up to him. "Just like you and Sam, right?"
Suddenly... He understood exactly what she was going through... and understood why she wasn't afraid of losing her children. Just like Sam promised that they'd be together again one day... Robin was holding onto the hope that she would be reunited with her children again... Her children and Warren.
"You shouldn't have to make that sacrifice..." he whispered. "No one should."
"I know," she answered gently. "But If I don't, then how many more will have to wait until they're reunited with their loved ones?"
...
The painful truth.
According to the system the No Ones had in place, if all of Enria were to be destroyed, some people would be judged fit to have their own realities. Others would not. Those that did might have loved ones that did not. So, the worthy would have to pain an unknown amount of time - possibly infinite - while those that were unworthy go through countless lifetimes trying to earn that right.
If Robin's children, Warren and Brett were sacrificed... That would just theoretically be three people who would have to be left waiting...
"You have a point..." Jason whispered, taking a step back. "I need to think about this..."
"Don't take too long," Robin joked, "the world might end."
That bought a small laugh from him as he quickly left the room... feeling just so utterly confused.
He knew he had to let go...
... but at the same time... How could he?
In retrospect, he could kill himself...
... but he wasn't sure he could go through with that... or that if he would be found worthy after such a selfish act...
Again, that anger boiled up inside him as he hated H2 for forcing him into this corner. Either way, he lost. But on one hand, a lot less people died.
Jason's legs suddenly couldn't keep walking anymore and he just collapsed against a wall, staring up into the high ceiling and whispering, 'Why me?' Some diplomatic part of him said to just throw it to the vote. He could wash his hands clean of this affair and try and comfort himself knowing that he ultimately just did what everyone else wanted. But it was what everyone else wanted... not what he wanted.
He slowly slid down the length of the wall until he was crouching down on the floor, head buried in his hands.
"Hey buddy."
He didn't need to take his hands away from his eyes to know that was Warren.
"Hey..."
The big dragon sat down next to him.
"So... Big decision, huh?"
"Epic," he grumbled.
"What's the consensus?"
"Two for, none against."
"Ah...Wanna get my vote?"
Jason sighed, lowering his hands and gazing at his friend intently. "Sure..."
"Fight it."
That surprised him. He expected Warren to be one of those guys that would selflessly sacrifice himself for the masses. He had been a soldier before, after all. Essentially cannon fodder. Hell, the government experimented on him with the chances of success being highly variable.
"Um... Why?"
Warren folded his arms and grinned. "Because if we're going to die, we do so on our own terms."
What...?
"Listen, if we've learned anything from the No Ones, it's that the way we write our stories is up to us," Warren said. "Now I don't want Enria destroyed but I sure as hell am not going to let some bastard tell me if and when I can die. I'd willingly sacrifice myself for Enria, don't get me wrong, but I sure as hell am not going to do it because some insane, chaotic mummy told me to do it."
... and that made odd sense...
Jason realised he was feeling very much the same way... He was more vexed that H2 was telling them to sacrifice someone instead of them just performing the sacrifice of their own accord. He had no doubt that if H2 hurled the sun at them and the only way to save the world was to throw Warren, Brett and Robin's unborn children at it, none of them would hesitate.
But because H2 was calling the shots...
"So I say," Warren continued, jamming a finger into the ground, "that in two days, we march up to H2 and give him the fight of his life. Even if me and Brett go down, at the very least it'll because we were fighting not because we were served up on a silver platter."
"What about your kids?"
...
Warren paused, lowering his eyes. His bravado suddenly ebbed and his eyes took on a soft, paternal edge to them. "I... I don't know about that, Jason... They're... They're my kids, you know. I don't want to lose them despite them being... you know... unborn."
Jason chuckled. "Yeah... I heard pretty much the same story from Robin."
His friend smiled. "Heh... I guess it's pretty stupid... I'm the big, tough, army-slash-Malefactor guy and I get all googly-eyed when I'm around kids. I just don't know what it is... When I'm around kids nowadays... It's like a little switch flicks on in my head and I'm in 'daddy' mode. It's crazy..."
Remembering how he tended to coddle Sam... Jason said, "No... I think it's perfectly normal. We're parents, Warren. We worry about our kids. I'm guessing you don't want to give them up, though, right?"
The dragons shook his head. "No. Never."
"But you're still up for fighting."
"To the end, man. To the end."
A new idea was creeping into Jason's mind...
One that might just work.
"I need to talk to Dan," he announced, rising to his feet. "See ya later."
"Get some rest, man. You look half-dead."
Jason gave Warren a grim smirk. "Half isn't enough to keep me down."
He hurried over to where Dan and L4 were patching up those injured during the battle against D8. They had lost a lot of people during the failed battle. Having lost I5 and K12 only killed morale even further. As the hours went by, more and more people were taking the portals that L4 had opened, dwindling their numbers.
There was no telling how many people were left on Enria but it seemed that L4 had projections of herself all over the world trying to evacuate everyone. Despite the tremendous amount of energy it must have cost, she still looked strong and proud.
"Dan?" Jason began, cutting through the crowd of injured and healing.
Dan turned and suddenly looked grim. "You've made your choice?"
"Not yet," he answered. "I've got a question first. How hard will it be to beat H2?"
"Impossible," Dan replied grimly. "N9, W7 and D8 are still there outnumbering and outgunning us. No doubt H2 will be around Devastation so that if we do decide to go up against him, he'll have D8's support - however little - and the others."
"But what if someone were to distract the other No Ones?" Jason asked, raising a finger. "What if L4 were to keep W7 occupied and someone else keeps N9 busy. Will Brett, Warren, Robin and me be enough to take down H2."
"You are suggesting the impossible," L4 said, interrupting their conversation. "H2 may have had his weapon damaged but he is still more powerful than all four of you combined. You will sooner die than defeat him."
"That's why I'm asking if there's any way to beat him," Jason said firmly. "Besides, even if we do fail, he'll still end up killing Warren, Robin and Brett. He'll sway to votes in your favour and we can stop this."
Dan's eyes went wide in horror and he seized Jason's shoulders. "Jason! No!"
He gently pushed away his father's hands. "I'm not going down with a fight and if I do go down, I'll do so beside those I really care about. I'm not sacrificing anyone. But I'll die beside them."
"This is insane!" Dan snapped, stamping his foot. "You are not going to go out there and challenge H2! You're not even strong enough! You've barely gotten used to those two swords you were given and you don't even have any superpowers!"
L4 let out a pondering sound. "Or does he...?"
Jason and Dan turned to her, Jason in curiosity and Dan in disbelief.
"L4... You can't be serious!" Dan exclaimed.
"I've been curious about Jason's 'powers'," L4 continued. "He has the basic qualities of any super on Enria. Faster reflexes, strength, speed and agility. However, I doubt regeneration is his only ability. If anything, one could argue the regeneration is merely another part of the 'basic' qualities of a super. He's had to make do with Genesis... but I can't help but wonder if he actually has some... hidden power..."
Dan threw his hands up into the air in frustration. It was clear he didn't like where the conversation was going. Jason was touched that his father cared about him so much but he was also curious about what L4 was suggesting. It was true that without his swords, he was pretty much the worst super in the world. It was a wonder he had gotten out of all those tight situations...
Most of his victories were attributed to the presence of others... either R3, Brett, Robin or Dan...
"What are you suggesting then?" Dan growled.
"The Pathway of Awakening."
There, Dan went rigid. "You can't be serious! The Pathway is only for Advocates! If he fails in there, he'll die! And die for good!"
Jason had never heard of the Pathway of Awakening before. "What's that?"
"Before an Advocate can obtain their incredible powers," L4 said, "they must undergo a trial. The Pathway of Awakening is this trial. The Advocates of course bind themselves to a No One first so they cannot actually die during the trial. Plus, they're already dead anyway. However, the Pathway is always unique to every person who takes it. It's a very personal experience. Sometimes it is merely a single question that needs to be answered, other times a figure from their past appears that must be confronted and other times still... it is something else unexpected.
"We can't say what the Pathway will hold because even we No Ones can't see it. Only R3 can since he has access to everyone's realities and he doesn't share that with anyone to preserve people's privacy. However, it is known that upon completing the Pathway, you unlock the power of your very existence. You receive a key or a power that is tied with your destiny to such an extent that manifesting this power essentially manifests yourself into a weapon form."
More power was welcome... but Jason was more interested in balancing their odds against H2.
"You think this Pathway will help?"
"I do."
"I don't!" Dan snapped. "I am Jason's father and I -"
Jason reached out and seized his father's hand "Dad. Listen. I have to do this. I'm going to do this whether you like it or not. I'm not going to lost Enria or the people I love because I didn't give this a shot."
Dan regarded him pleadingly. "But you could die! Jason... You'll be going in there not bound to any No Ones... If you die there... I don't know what'll happen... Unless you want to die here and now... They're no guarantee you'll make it back."
The risks were great.
Jason could kill himself now, bind himself to L4 as her Advocate and then undertake the Pathway of Awakening... Or he could just plunge right into the Pathway and risk complete and utter annihilation. Either way, if things went bad, he'd never be able to return to Enria.
Is this such a good idea...?
His eyes wandered away from Dan's... across the crowd that was watching them all expectantly... Hope... There was hope in their eyes...
Slowly... He smiled grimly.
"I'm going in."
L4 nodded very slowly. "Very well..." She lifted her hand towards an empty space in the hall. A swirling mass of brilliant, bright lights appeared, causing the crowd to step away in surprise. "Step through the portal whenever you're ready, Jason. Good luck to you."
Jason steeled himself, straightening his back and marching purposefully towards the twisting colours. He felt a hand seize his wrist and knew it was Dan.
"Be careful, Jason... I don't want to lose you again."
Smiling, he turned back towards his father. "Don't worry. I'll never leave you dad."
With those words, he turned and jumped into the portal...
*****
Day 22
Seal of Naught
It was a bizarre world.
A realm of dark, swirling clouds, booming with thunder and flashing with lightning all creating a perfect sphere around a large, glowing symbol. The symbol appeared to be three huge concentric circles made of only of mysterious arcane runes. At the very centre of the three circles was a large 'X'-like design but it was hard to tell what it truly was.
For the symbol seemed to form some sort of hundred-metre wide platform that Jason stood upon.
Through the gaps in the symbol, Jason could see more of the swirling mass of clouds. He dared to tap a foot against the see-through segments and watched the air ripple upon his touch. A soft, music chiming sound followed the rippling. His eyes turned to the rest of the scene, catching sight of hundreds if not millions of differently shaped doors hovering all amidst the clouds, all pointing towards the symbol.
Soft chiming met his ears, making him swivel them to the end of the symbol-platform directly opposite to him. As he turned, he could make out a figure... very distant... coming towards him. The figure was walking across empty space purposefully. With the second ticking by, Jason could slowly make out that the figure was dressed in a long, white overcoat that was zipped up across the chest but left the long, floor-length tails billowing out around him. A pair of black pants wrapped in belts concealed his powerful legs. The figure's features were hidden by the thick hood of the coat and for a second, Jason thought he was looking at S-Zero...
However, the figure was definitely different.
If anything, the figure's coat was white... and he was wearing a pair of blue and white sneakers beneath the pants instead of black boots. That, and an odd cross shaped symbol was sewn against the torso of the figure's coat in black. Similar symbols were sewn onto his arms. Also, where it was possible to see the S-Zero's eyes in the depths of that hood, it was impossible to see this figure's.
With each step the figure made, a small platform of translucent, reddish-pink light appeared before his feet, making short stairway-like steps for him to cross to the edge of the gigantic symbol.
Jason tensed when the figure reached the end of the symbol.
"Who are you?"
For a moment... the figure said nothing.
Then...
"I am a Distant Destiny," the man replied in a familiar voice... It was a voice Jason knew... but it held a different... edge to it. One that was more... confident. "Another side to a story that has already been told and but yet to be read."
Slowly, the figure raised both his hands to his sides. Jason noted that they were covered in gloves that had bright, blue discs against their palms and wires running from the discs all over the glove. Bright light burst from the discs, forming two blades. The one in Distant Destiny's right hand was a long, crystal blade with a metallic core. The hilt was shaped like a star with a delicate wire mesh rising from the hilt to make its way halfway up the crystal blade. The left-hand weapon was a long, wicked, serrated blade that looked more like a massive combat knife than anything else.
Distant Destiny held his right hand blade forward in the classical sword-like grip while the left-hand blade he held reversed like a dagger. He lowered his swords, striking an offensive position, knees slightly crouched, left-hand blade pressed against his back and right-hand weapon pointing towards the ground by his side.
"Our existences are tied undeniably but our futures are not set in stone. Your future is my past while my destiny is your history. Defend yourself and your destiny!"
Jason panicked.
"Wait!"
Too late.
Instincts screamed and Jason instantly dove to the left. Distant Destiny crossed the hundred metres between then in half-the-blink-of-an-eye, thrusting forward with his right-hand blade. A thick, beam of light shot out from the sword, cutting through the storm clouds and emitting an ear-splitting boom. Destiny was relentless, swinging around with his left-hand blade in the next instant.
Jason barely managed to scramble to his feet and somersault backwards as that silvery edge sliced through the air where he had crouched. A crescent-shaped blast of energy erupted from Destiny's left-hand blade, passing right through the symbol that served as their battle grounds and disappearing into the clouds.
To his horror, Distant Destiny unleashed a mercilessly combo, swinging those blades expertly and with such speed that Jason was one millisecond from getting decapitated. That right-hand blade shot blasts of light with every swing while the left-hand unleashed curved light-blades in all directions. One such blade grazed Jason's shoulder, making him gasp and stagger back.
Destiny didn't pause. "You can't stop." He launched high into the air, leaping over a hundred metres. That right-hand blade glowed and he pointed it downwards, shooting a rainstorm of short lasers down upon Jason.
"Whoa!" Jason cried, scrambling for cover when he realised there was none. In desperation, he summoned Zenith and Nadir, swinging wildly and hoping the swords could somehow defend him from the barrage of lasers.
Twang! Twang!
His arms began ringing as the two swords reflected the lasers but left him shaking from head to toe. Distant Destiny landed a few metres away and charged-
CLANG!
Jason was pushed back to the edge of the symbol-platform, the force of their blades impacting just that great. He teetered over the edge and managed to regain his footing.
"You have no reprieve."
Crap!
Distant Destiny charged again, leaping into the air.
Jason did the only thing he could think of.
He dove forward as his opponent unleashed another merciless barrage of light and crescent beams. A gasp escaped him with a beam sliced through his left calf. Thankfully, his regeneration was kicking in and he managed to get up.
"No mercy."
Distant Destiny's right hand blade glowed and he dropped it, the blade shattering into about a dozen bright, orbs of light.
Uh oh...
Each orb began spewing lasers.
Jason held up Zenith and Nadir to block...
... when he saw Destiny lash out with his left-hand blade, sending a crescent beam in his direction.
Shit!
He ducked the beam -
Only to have several lasers bite into his body. He grit his teeth and rolled rapidly out of range. He just kept rolling, feeling the lasers mere inches away from his body. Knowing the edge of the platform wasn't so far away, he quickly switched directions and kept rolling, feeling like a compact furball holding onto a pair of swords. He sensed Destiny's crescent beams also chasing him down but he just kept rolling.
"Run."
Jason stopped his escape and glanced up as Distant Destiny lifted his left arm. A bright, translucent square of bluish-green light appeared in front of Destiny like a barrier -
Crap!
Suddenly, Destiny charged and Jason felt the breath get knocked out of him as that barrier slammed into him. His feet dragged against the glowing, symbol platform, screeching loudly as Destiny pushed him towards the -
No! The end!
He saw the end of the platform...
Gotta fight back!
Jason crossed his blades in front of him and planted his feet as best as he could.
He stopped Destiny's charge mere inches away from the edge of the circular platform.
"I'm not giving up!" he shouted, shoving Destiny back.
The barrier shattered and Destiny quickly leapt back, landing on the far edge of the platform with one leap.
What's up with this guy!?
"Mere words."
Distant Destiny suddenly leapt backwards, landing on a translucent platform a hundred metres away from the edge of the platform.
Jason's shoulder sagged. "Oh that's just that fair."
Destiny began running, circling the edge of the platform and unleashed a barrage of lasers and crescent beams far out of reach. Each step he took, another translucent platform appeared at his feet. To Jason's horror, he was moving at an insane speed, so fast he was leaving images of himself with every move.
CRAP!
Jason ducked, rolled blocked and leapt as best as he could but with every dodge, he was punished somehow by a strike from a laser or a cut from a crescent beam. He was lucky it wasn't anything serious.
Advocates go through this!?
Goddamnit!
"There is no surrender," Destiny said, leaping back onto the central platform. Quickly, Destiny swung is right-hand blade and latched it onto some hidden compartment of his left-hand blade, unifying it into a single, long sword. "Bright Blade!"
Jason's heart practically stopped when he saw the sword become encased in a brilliant, shining light that extended the weapon to the far reaches of the platform and beyond. The sword had to be at least a hundred and fifty metres long!
"Oh crap..."
Distant Destiny swung and Jason barely managed to dodge it. But Destiny was lightning fast. He brought the sword coming back almost the same instant finished his first swing, coming crashing back towards Jason.
Gritting his teeth, Jason crossed his swords against him and -
CLANG!
The titanic blade crashed against the two swords, sending sparks against his fur and burning his flesh. Destiny pulled the blade back and sent it crashing down -
CLANG!
Pulled back
Damnit!
I've got to stop going on the defensive!
I'll never win like this!
Jason grimly leapt into the air, somersaulting over the swinging blade and shot towards Distant Destiny. That blade came sweeping back towards him but he ducked, sliding underneath its length and bringing himself two metres closer to Destiny. The sword can down from an overhead slash and he rolled to the right, taking two steps forward. It came swinging towards him and he somersaulted over it, taking a good ten steps forward.
Before long, he was close enough to lash out and -
Destiny leapt back and instantly vanished in a burst of darkness.
What the -
Jason flung around as Destiny reappeared in another surge of darkness on the other end of the field.
You've got to be kidding me!
Then Destiny did something else...
He pulled his two sword apart, switching their order, the left-hand blade on top while the right-hand on the bottom. He held the combined swords in a reversed-grip.
"Sonic Sword!"
Uh-oh...
Destiny surged forward but he was a lot slower.
Jason grinned and managed to easily dodge the blow but was well within striking range. He brought Zenith crashing down -
BOOOOM!
A blast of pure sound struck him, sending him crashing to the ground and leaving his ears ringing. It took him a second to realise what Destiny meant when he said 'Sonic Sword'. He didn't have a second to think about this as Destiny came zooming towards him again. Jason jumped to the side -
BOOOOM!
And was knocked down again.
CRAP!
Destiny came lunging forward -
That's it!
Jason lunged forward straight at the guy, unleashing his own spectacular combo of blows.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Each blow struck Destiny's combined blades, pushing the figure back with each slash.
Sideswipe, uppercut, double-cross, overhand blow...
... and finishing with a crushing lunge -
That Destiny dodge by merely erupting into another surge of darkness.
For crying out loud!
Distant Destiny appeared on the other end of the platform again.
This time, he dropped both his weapons, the swords erupting in a burst of light and combined with his body, giving him an eerie, glowing halo.
"Light Wave!"
What now...?
Jason realised he shouldn't have asked.
Distant Destiny lifted his right hand -
SHOOOOOM!
"WHOA!"
A huge blade easily the size of the field surged out of Destiny's hand, a blade Jason barely managed to dodge -
BOOOOM!
Jason felt searing pain erupt from his side as Destiny surged past him, lashing out at him with his hands which were encased in light shaped like a sword. A sonic blast send him crashing to the ground again. Another huge sword came surging towards him and Jason rolled -
BOOOOM!
Only to be send sprawling to the ground by yet another sonic blast!
It was the last two combinations rolled into one!
"Keep up," Destiny warned. Several images of himself erupted from his glowing body, spreading across the circumference of the platform.
"Oh no..." Jason moaned, rising to his feet.
The Destinies thrust their palms forward, huge swords shooting forward and cutting across Jason's back before they surged forward, slicing him at short range while sending sonic waves that threw him around like a rag doll. Pain exploded from his entire body and Jason suddenly felt like he was being tenderised. His feet actually left the ground as he was constantly bombarded.
"Not good enough."
He hit the ground as the assault ended...
But Destiny was up to something else.
Not back to a single figure again, Destiny began dashing upwards, translucent platforms appearing under his feet to form a spiralling staircase as he rose higher and higher. As he left each platform, the platform itself transformed into a glowing, sword.
There had to be a thousand swords!
Crap...
... this is it...
I've lost...
Jason shut his eyes... feeling so helpless and... so weak... His regeneration wasn't repairing his body quick enough and he could barely move his limbs.
Suddenly, Distant Destiny reached the top of his ascent, his path taking him to the centre of the spiralling staircase. He lifted his hands into the air above him, a brilliant bright light erupting from his palms and forming a sparkling, sword of shimmering colours.
"It ends now!"
Jason prayed...
... and apologised...
Sorry... I'm just not strong enough...
He imagined Brett getting up only to learn of his death... Warren and Robin comforting each other as their hopes died... and all those people succumbing to the fate Jason had handed them... He apologised to them all...
I'm just... Hope just isn't enough...
There was a flash before his eyes and he guessed that was Destiny ending him...
... in that light, he saw Sam smiling at him.
And that sparked something...
...
Thousands upon thousands of swords descended upon the prone figure on the ground, raining down upon him mercilessly. Distant Destiny leapt into the air, somersaulting and bringing his sword crashing down, sending shockwaves out as he crashed to the symbol-platform with an ear-splitting boom!
The crash actually washed into the storm clouds, pushing them all back and revealing a clear, blue sky beyond.
The hovering doors remained hover...
Distant Destiny sighed... and slowly rose...
SHING! SHING!
Only to have ten white blades land around him in a perfect circle.
"What -?"
Lightning fast, Jason Wolfe came leaping from under the edge of the platform, Nadir lashing out. He sliced right through Distant Destiny's torso but didn't stop. He sped towards the first white blade-shard of Zenith, swiping Nadir at it. The black sword hooked onto the white shard, before he spun and bolted right past Destiny once more, lashing out viciously with his enhanced blade. He crossed another shard of Zenith, attaching it to Nadir and crossing Destiny once more.
Ten times he sped around Distant Destiny, combining Zenith and Nadir into a single, long, powerful sword of black and white. The tenth time, he lunged into the air and brought his sword crashing around in a devastating spinning slash -
SSSSSHING!
...
Jason landed... gasping... The huge, heavy sword in his hands - Horizon - tapping the platform with its tip.
Distant Destiny remained standing... not moving...
...
Slowly... Destiny lifted his hands.
Jason's shoulders sagged.
You've got to be kidding me...
After throwing himself off the edge of the platform, shifting Nadir to a hook to latch onto the underside of the platform and then unleashing an attack... right after Destiny was distracted from his own assault...
...and the guy just barely had a scratch on him!
Any normal person would be ripped to ribbons!
Destiny reached for his hood... and pulled it off...
Jason froze.
"Good job, dad," Sam Wolfe said, smiling over his shoulder.
...
"S - Sam...?" Jason gagged.
Sam gave him that brilliant smile and turned around, reaching out to Jason and giving him a firm kiss on the lips.
"Just bring that kind of spirit to your battle with H2 and you'll be fine," Sam said. His hands drifted out and cupped Chronicle around Jason's neck. "And keep my heart safe, okay dad? I'm gonna need it back later."
Sam took a step back and winked at him. "Good luck, dad. I'm rooting for you!"
****
Day 23
H2 the Harbinger of Havoc waited at exactly the same spot as he had promised two days ago...
It was about that time...
Just the turn of the new day...
It was ironic... a new day that would be the last day of Enria...
He had no doubt what Jason Wolfe would choose... In fact, he would choose it himself if given the choice. However, as a No One, he had to make tough decisions not based on his own emotions and opinions but on the situation.
It was either the Malefactor taint was destroyed to prevent it from spreading... or Enria was destroyed.
He heard footsteps behind him...
... determined footsteps.
At least they were devoted to their cause.
Slowly... he turned around...
... There was Brett Sykes... Warren Bladebreaker... Robin Clearwater and...
His heart suddenly froze...
A small smile crossed his features beneath his bandages.
"Dang... I might actually lose..."