Mortality Chapter 13
#13 of Jason Wolfe: Mortality
Chapter 13: They're Chaotic by Nature
Day 23
There was definitely something different about Jason... A deep, strong power that Brett had never seen before. It was like his mate simply shone now. He stood tall, proud and there wasn't a single shred of doubt in his eyes anymore.
Brett had slowly seen that doubt creeping in ever since Sam had died... He knew that a part of them both had died along with their son but it had affected Jason more. Brett had felt the same heartache and emptiness inside him that he knew Jason must have been going through... but he consoled himself in knowing that his mate was still beside him. That he still had Jason...
... and he would fight for that.
As the days went by, Jason didn't share that same hope...
He held onto something more fragile... and with every trial that was thrown in their way, Jason kept faltering...
But now... Whatever was revealed in the Pathway of Awakening... Jason obtained a radiant power that almost seemed to make his eyes glow.
As he stood on the ruins of their home, beside his mate staring down H2, Brett felt a wave of confidence flood him. He could see both Robin and Warren feeling basking in the same warmth that Jason exuded. Suddenly... facing off against the No One of Chaos didn't seem so crazy anymore.
"I take it you're not going down without a fight," H2 stated, his dark claymore in hand.
"This is my home, H2," Jason replied confidently but almost with a hint of an apology. "I can't just abandon it. Even with my ties to the No Ones... I'm Enrian through and through. I have to defend it and its people."
"Even if those people hold the seeds of corruption inside them? While they may maintain their benevolent facade for now, their offspring might not. I would be irresponsible not to destroy the weed now while it has yet to bloom."
Brett watched his mate's reaction carefully.
Jason smiled and nodded. "Yeah... I know. You have your job. I have mine."
H2 sighed heavily, reluctance clear in his body language. "I see... I don't take pleasure in ending your life Jason... But I have my responsibility. As much as I love seeing the world in Chaos..." H2 lifted his claymore, levelling it straight at them. "... too much of a good thing just ruins the world."
Brett grunted and activated his own dark powers, letting the shadows creep up over his body and seeping into his very being. These weren't the same dark tendrils that he felt when Envy had infected him, whispering dark promises into his ears. These shadows were his shadows, darkness that he controlled and commanded. He felt his shadowy wings unfurl and a soft growl rising from his throat.
Robin lifted her sniper rifle up, crouching and getting ready to fire when given the opportunity. Warren bared his fangs, fists tightly clenched.
Jason made a slashing gesture with each hand. A flurry of white feathers and brilliant, sparkling stars erupted from his right hand, forming a glorious, white and gold blade. Dark energies coalesced around his left hand, surging with red lightning to summon a familiar, inky-black blade.
Brett recognised both.
They were R3's weapons that Jason had recently claimed.
He recalled when he had first seen them... Back in the battle of Descent, R3 had predominantly used those blades.
There was something significant in that... he just wasn't sure what yet...
"Zenith and Nadir...?" H2 asked, slightly baffled. "How...?" The No One shook his head. "No matter. This is your last chance, Jason. Surrender now and your world may yet survive. Even should you defeat me here, I'll just come back. I won't go easy on you."
"Funny," Jason chuckled, readying his two swords. "I was about to say the same thing about you!"
Faster than Brett had ever seen him move before, Jason bolted forward, a blur of black and blue. Sparks flew everywhere as Jason's swords clashed with H2's. There was a moment of surprise in the No One's one eye before he swept his blade around him, sending a titanic wave of wind that threw Jason back.
Brett instantly allowed himself to melt into the shadows around him, his form slipping into the ground as the wave of wind crashed above him. He wasn't sure what happened to Warren or Robin but as soon as the gust passed, he resurfaced.
"Let chaos rule!" H2 cried.
The No One's ribbon-like belts wrapped around him, forming a thick, red and black, spherical cocoon.
WHOOOSH!
A huge red belt shot out of the ground mere millimetres from Jason, its sharp end cutting through the air with deadly speed. A bolt of panic shot through Brett and he instant spread his wings, leaping into the air as countless dark belts erupted from the ground in rapid succession, turning their battleground into a pincushion.
SHOOOM!
He banked to the right, barely missing a belt that almost tore into his right thigh.
SHOOOM!
"Damn!" he cursed, a second bolt rising all the way up to his hundred-metre altitude and grazing his left shoulder.
SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM!
He had no time to think, weaving and dodging in midair as those belts came speeding out of the ground.
"Brett! Above you!"
He knew that to look was to die so Brett just plunged to the left. A belt came shooting out from above him, plunging down to the earth and smashing through the already broken asphalt. In the moment of reprieve, he glanced upwards and noticed a swirl of chaotic energies had spawned the belt. Another swirl appeared right above him and he dove to the right as another belt rushed towards him. Its pair rose up from the ground mere inches from his nose and he suddenly found himself breathless.
There were too much!
Two others belts rose up from his left and right, effectively trapping him.
A swirl of chaotic light appeared directly above him just as a belt surged out from the ground below him.
"No!" he cried.
There was a flash of white and the belt in front of him suddenly crumpled.
Brett didn't think and just lunged forward -
WHAM!
He barely missed the two colliding belts.
Jason was bolting through the forest of belts, his two swords flashing in the air and slicing easily through each of the thick, leather-like appendages.
Taking courage from his mate's strength, Brett focused his power into his right arm, reforging his arm into a large, black sword. He lunged forward, a cry pouring out of his muzzle as he swung the blade, cutting through the belts as he dove towards H2.
He and Jason dove at the sphere at the same time, their blades swinging out in tandem.
There was no resistance when their swords cut into the cocoon. The structure of the ball crumbled but there was nothing inside its confines.
"It isn't that easy," a voice beckoned from behind them.
Brett spun -
... in time to see H2's belts suddenly merged into one, titanic, vertical mass and surge towards them like a huge, red-black spear coming to impale them.
He instantly dove to the right as Jason dove to the left.
H2 appeared above them while his first spear was zooming past them. His belts twisted around him and surged forward in another spear. Brett called the darkness around him, letting himself slip into the shadows, melting into the darkness and sliding across the ground and into safety.
His heart gave a painful jerk of fear as he saw Jason dodging attack after attack from H2. The No One of Chaos was throwing more and more belt spears in all directions, trying to pin Jason down. At the same time, those spears were also barring Warren and Robin from aiding Jason.
Whatever Jason had learned in the Pathway of Awakening had truly given him incredibly abilities.
As H2 unleashed his tenth belt-spear, Jason somersaulted backwards, dodging it the attack as it ploughed into the ground in front of him. Not wasting a second, he suddenly_ran up_ the length of the spear as it was still driving into the ground and came level with a shocked H2.
CLANG!
Brett emerged from the shadows, gawking as H2 collided with the asphalt. He saw his mate flounder in the air and he quickly lunged after him, catching Jason in his arms before the big wolf hit the ground.
"Thanks," Jason chuckled in relief.
"Anytime," Brett replied. "What did you get in that Pathway of Awakening? I gotta try my hand at that."
"Trust me, you don't."
He set Jason back down on the ground. Robin and Warren were nowhere to be seen.
Hopefully they weren't dead...
"Impressive."
H2 emerged from the rubble, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. Brett tensed, growling softly.
"Been a while since someone actually hit me," the No One chuckled. "But the kiddy-gloves come off now. Try not to scream too loudly. These bandages don't muffle sound that well."
*****
The pain was excruciating...
Warren grunted, his arms shuddering from the effort of keeping the huge slab of concrete pressing against his back from pushing him down onto Robin. The woman who carried his kids and he future wife - yes, he was sure he'd propose to her - lay beneath him, gazing up at him with her mouth half open.
"Go..." he grunted, his arms shaking.
"But -"
"Just go! I'll be fine!"
Robin nodded grimly and scrambled from underneath him, slipping out from the rubble that H2's latest attack had left. Warren had thrown himself over Robin, catching the huge concrete slab against his back. The impact had crushed his wings. He couldn't feel them anymore. It wasn't like dragons could fly anyway.
With a heavy grunt, he tried to shove the slab off his back but the effort severely drained him. He ended up giving an inch to the slab, his muzzle coming closer and closer to the cracked ground. A small drop of blood ran down his scales and hit the concrete.
He would've sworn but that would just waste more energy.
He felt pathetic... he barely did anything...
... and now he was about to get knocked out of the fight!
Warren just prayed that Jason would kick H2's ass and save the world.
"Warren!"
He glanced up. That drained another bit of his reserves and caused him to collapse a little more. It was the most excruciating push-up he ever had to do. His muzzle was pressed right up against the floor. Another inch or so and this would be his tomb!
A pair of hands slipped beneath the slab and tried to lift it.
Little help.
"I told you to go!" he cried.
"I'm not leaving you!" Robin protested. "You are not going to leave our kids without a father!"
'Father'... it still sounded weird to him. Hell, up until a few weeks ago, he had practically settled in on being gay and never having kids. He'd be the muscular, hot, dragon that went to all the gay bars, got laid and then moved on to the next best thing. Then, when he got older, he'd use the funds he got from all his books and public appearances to buy bar - maybe repair the old Sea4 Club - and run it. He'd still get laid and see fresh new gay faces everyday...
But then Robin had dropped the bombshell...
Well... At first it was a bombshell...
... but then...
It turned into hope.
He wasn't sure why... but just the thought of having kids sparked something in him...
He was going to be a father.
"Goddamnit!" he cursed.
The slab got about another half an inch on him and he had to twist his head slightly so his muzzle wasn't crushed.
"What!? Did something break!?" Robin cried through her strained efforts.
"No! My life is flashing before my eyes!"
"You're not going to die!" Robin insisted. "I won't let you die! You're our child's father!"
No... No he wasn't... But...
"Robin... Come here a second..."
She poked her head under the slab, staring into his eyes... God, her eyes were beautiful. Sparkling amethysts... So full of expression and light... Love... It was little wonder she had been the last bit of pure light in the world... Light that he had corrupted with his darkness...
He shook that thought out of his head. "Left jacket pocket..." he grunted.
"What?"
"Reach into my left jacket pocket!" he shouted desperately. With all his strength, he pushed against the ground, pressing his back against the mighty weight and managing to gain a good couple of inches.
Enough for Robin to reach down through the gap and slip her hand into the named pocket.
He sensed her hand grasp a small, velvet box.
And her eyes widened.
"Warren..."
"Take it out... Open it."
Robin did... and her eyes filled with tears when she saw the glistening diamond ring sitting on that small, velvet box.
"Robin Clearwater..." Warren grunted, the weight of the concrete mass returning and pushing him back down an inch. "Goddamnit! What the hell is on me!? A building!?"
"Actually... yes..." Robin replied with a faint, sad smile.
"That explains it," Warren replied with a grim grin. "But... Robin... Will you..." He forced himself to lock gazes with her despite his muzzle almost getting crushed. "Goddamnit... This isn't the way I wanted it to go..."
"Doesn't matter..." Robin whispered.
He drew confidence from that and smiled.
"Robin... Will you marry me?"
Her eyes wavered... and she suddenly dropped her gaze.
"No..."
Warren's heart broke and he almost dropped the building on himself. He wanted to... This was probably the only woman he ever loved... and she had rejected him. The woman who was carrying her kids! He wanted to scream, to yell!
But all he ended up saying was, "Why?"
Her eyes flicked back towards him, full of determination and anger.
She was probably going to tell him she wasn't going to marry a gay man...
... which, in retrospect, was reasonable. They'd stay married for maybe eighteen to twenty years until their kid was old enough to move out...
... in which time they go their separate ways again...
They would only stay together for their child...
Warren waiting for those words, never letting his eyes leave hers.
"Because I'm not going to marry a corpse."
...
"What?"
"You are not giving up on me, Warren Bladebreaker!" Robin shouted, poking his muzzle painfully. "You listen to me! You're going to pull yourself out from under there! You are going to fight in this war and you're going to stand right beside me when we win and kiss me! Then, when all our friends are around us, you're going to get down on one knee and do this right! You're going to propose to me properly!
"We're going to have a fairytale wedding! I want a castle! A castle or a waterfall! Brett is going to be your best man!"
Warren was still too shocked to say anything except, "But Jason was going to be..."
"Jason is going to be my bridesmaid!"
At that... Warren couldn't help but laugh. Predominantly because he couldn't imagine Jason in a bridesmaid outfit but also because it was obvious just how close Jason and Robin had become. Then... there was the fact that Robin did love him...
"You know what?" he grunted, pushing up against the building with all his might. "Every marriage is built on teamwork." He winked at his wife-to-be. "Can't do this alone."
Robin nodded. "Wait here." She ducked out of view only to return a second later with her sniper rifle.
For a second, he wondered if she was going to shoot him... Then she proper her rifle up against the building, forming a sort of stand. He wasn't sure how much the rifle could hold... realistically, it shouldn't be able to hold much but as his arms began weakening, he found that the rifle was capable of holding up the building's weight quite well...
"What the hell is that thing made of...?" he muttered with a tinge of relief as he slowly lowered himself enough for the rifle to take the weight. Robin held the rifle at an angle to the ground. It was a precarious grip and he knew he didn't have much time once he left the building's entire weight on the rifle.
"It's a weapon given to me by R3. If it's anything like Jason's weapons, it should be nearly indestructible."
"Something to be grateful for..." He nodded to Robin. "Okay... On three... One... Two..."
"Three!"
He instantly lunged forward scrambling past Robin as he let all the weight of the building off his back.
BOOOM!
The building slammed down on Robin's rifle, burying it beneath its expanse and Warren rolled onto his back staring up at the structure that had almost crushed him. He was a little surprised to find that it was actually The Riley Corporation Building... The tallest building in all of Newroads!
While the entire weight hadn't been on him, it was still a lot of weight.
He felt a different weight fall onto his chest and he gasped a little as Robin lay atop of him, a smile of relief on her face.
She bent down and kissed him tenderly...
... he returned the gesture, pressing his tongue against her soft, velvety lips. He was still too injured to move but that small contact was enough.
Gently, she pulled away and took his stiff hand, pressing it against her belly.
"I love you," she whispered.
****
Across from the battlefield of Devastation, another battle was taking place.
One between Kevin Riley, Dan Wolfe and W7 the Blade of the World, No One of Order.
Dan didn't understand W7's motive for attacking. He would've suspected that W7 was one of those No Ones to oppose an attack on Enria. It was very seldom that H2 and W7 agreed on anything since they governed opposite aspects of existence.
And yet here he was, standing with cuts all over his body next to Kevin as the sleek, silvery woman floated before them.
"Why are you doing this!?" Dan demanded. "How can you govern Order when you're bringing Chaos to Enria!"
"Because it is necessary."
W7's form suddenly shifted, her entire body folding upon itself to become a huge sword. The blade lunged at them of its own accord. Dan quickly planted his hands against the ground, summoning his ability to manipulate the shape of all matter. A thick, iron wall erupted from the ground in front of them-
SSSSHING!
A wall that W7 easily cut through.
Kevin growled, his body becoming encased in green flames as he lashed out, seizing the hilt of the sword-like No One and hurling it into the air. W7 easily unfurled in the air and hovered once again, unaffected by their attacks.
"How is bringing the death and destruction of all these people 'necessary'!?" the bear shouted. "It's crazy!"
"High praise from one who sought to reorder the world by first destroying it."
Then Dan understood...
"You want to destroy Enria so that you can fix it..." he whispered softly. "Start off with a clean slate..."
"This world has become saturated not only with evil but also with No One interference. Our influence as warped and twisted the fate of this world. The future of this reality has become so unbalanced that they will destroy themselves within a few generations. Their lust for power, their desire to obtain our abilities and understand us as 'gods' will lead them to annihilation.
"It is best to annihilate them now and reincarnate them in other realities with a new life and no memory of us to prevent their suffering."
"You don't know that!" Kevin shouted, shaking a fist at the No One. "You don't know what people will do!"
"No, I do not. But I do_know the state of order this world will be in within a few years. Do not stand in my way. This world must be destroyed!"_
Dan growled, metal starting to coat his arms. "I'm not going to let you destroy my home, W7!"
"You will have no choice."
Before he could ask 'what', a blinding flash erupted from W7, blinding him. Dan staggered back and lashed out blindly, hoping he wouldn't hit Kevin in the process. He shut his eyes as his retinas began to burn -
Someone seized his hands.
"Let go of me!" he roared, sending a punch -
WHAM!
"Ow! Dad! What the hell!?"
Dan blinked.
The white flash had gone...
... and he was standing at a doorstep... a familiar doorstep...
The doorstep to his home...
... and Jason was standing on that doorstep, rubbing his cheek and with confusion across his features.
"Geez, is that your idea of an Endyear present?" Jason asked. "Not funny, dad..."
"Jason?" Dan whispered, utterly confused. "What...?"
His surroundings were... alien and familiar. Everything was covered in snow. Endyear decorations were everywhere. The neighbourhood was a light with the fairy lights and Endyear lights. Endyear carols were being sung and played over and over... A chill ran down his spine as a wintery breeze wafted through the air.
And in the far distance... Newroads... Brilliantly illuminated by its own lights. Complete. Untarnished. Undamaged.
"What happened to the No Ones...?" he whispered. "What happened to H2...? W7? D8 and Devastation?"
Jason just blinked at him in surprise. "Erm... What? What are those? Are a kind of sunscreen?"
Dan's confusion was mounting... as was his fear. "No! The No Ones! The rulers of all existence! H2 the Harbinger of Havoc! W7 the Blade of the World and D8 the Derelict! You were fighting H2!"
His son gave him a wary look and glanced over his shoulder. "Erm... Mom! Dad's drunk!"
Dan's heart stopped at the word 'mom'.
A stunning jet-black wolf slightly shorter than himself and Jason came into view from down the hall. She looked cross but that didn't mar her essential beauty. Arrayed in the warming lights of the house, she just seemed angelic. Her mismatched eyes - one green and one blue - were alive with life and love.
"Dan, you promised me you wouldn't drink until the guests arrived!"
Dan had forgotten the sound of Serena Wolfe's voice... and he felt his heart flutter.
"Erm..."
She rolled her eyes and reached past their son, taking his hand and pulling him inside. "Wipe your feet. I just had Jason polish the floors for the dinner."
"She wouldn't let me cook," Jason whispered from the corner of his mouth.
Dan wiped his snow-covered shoes on the rug and numbly watched his wife rant on about how everything wasn't prepared and their guests were due to arrive in a few minutes. He had forgotten what she looked like... had forgotten that he loved her dearly...
"Dad, you alright?" Jason asked worriedly. "You look sick..."
Dan gulped loudly. Something was wrong. "Jason... Who's coming to the dinner?"
"Everyone of course!" his son laughed. "Kevin, Warren and Jen! Some of mom's relatives are coming too. Why aren't any of yours coming?"
He shuffled slightly on his feet. "They were... busy."
Jason clapped his shoulder cheerily. "Well, it's still gonna be great! Come on! You can help me set the table!"
Dan paused as Jason headed into the all-too-familiar dining room. "Jason... Are you gay?"
His son turned his head with a look of complete innocence in his eyes. "Huh? Of course not! I mean, I know I've been bouncing from girlfriend to girlfriend lately but, come on. Doesn't make me gay, right?"
A part of Dan just died.
"No... I guess not..."
He entered the dining room and helped set the table. There was an amazing spread of food ranging from a nice, roasted turkey, several festive pies, honey glazed ham and lots of pudding. Despite all that, Dan felt a deep emptiness in his stomach...
It didn't take him long to realise what it was...
This world was fake.
It was all an illusion.
There was his wife, yes, but... it just wasn't his world anymore.
It wasn't a world he would willingly choose to live in.
If give the choice to live in the No One-saturated Enria or this one... he was sure he would return to the half-destroyed reality that he sought to save. It wasn't just that his son was straight either... He felt like he was abandoning an entire reality that had been plunged into chaos because of his choices.
From the beginning, it had essentially been his fault.
He had admitted to Serena his true origins... and it was because he expressed his love to her in his true form as a No One was Jason born with his powers. Because Jason was born, D8 unleashed the Malefactors... it was because of the Malefactors that Serena died and formed Chris from her remnants...
If he just lived in this world... then... he would be abandoning the consequences of his actions.
He couldn't do that.
"W7..." he grunted. "Stop it."
Ding-dong!
Jason rushed past him, heading towards the door while announcing he would 'get it'.
"But why?"_the No One responded in his ear. _"Is this not a world you would prefer? It is entirely possible it still can be you world. Or similar anyway. A clean slate can produce many possibilities. Help me clean Enria completely... and you can start again. Knowing your mistakes, you will not make them again... and who knows... This can be your reality."
"My reality is the one where I live with the consequences of my actions. I am not going to escape to some personal paradise while other people suffer because of me!"
"Mom! Dad!" Jason exclaimed, coming to the dining room. "My friends are here!"
Kevin, Warren and Jen all came pouring into the dining room. It was a little odd to see Kevin as a human, Warren not so big and Jen a little rounder.
"Perhaps so... But what reality would others_prefer? Think of Kevin, for instance. If it were not for the Malefactors, he would never have driven the world to near-destruction. He could be celebrating the same Endyear as you not as an Advocate fighting for a lost cause."_
"You're making a grave assumption," Dan growled.
Everyone around him seemed to act and move as if they were ignoring him. Pretty much like a three dimensional movie playing. Serena came jumping out from the kitchen, laughing her greetings as she embraced each and every one of Jason's friends, giving them a tiny peck on the cheek. She commented on how beautiful Jen was, how big Warren was getting and how handsome Kevin had become.
"And that is?"
"That everything that happened to us was bad," Dan replied, smiling gently. "Sure, people suffered. Sure I had a rough patch with my son and my wife died but I also discovered more about myself. I learned I was gay. Jason did as well. Jason experienced true love with Brett, finding his other half. If he keeps playing this 'straight card', he'll never find that. He'll never have met Connor either and learned the lessons he learned when they were together.
"Kevin would never have broken out from beneath his father's shadow. Warren would still be a grunt in the army and Jen would still remain a passive enabler, bottling all her problems into herself. And most of all...
"Sam would never have been born."
W7 scoffed. "All of that would be moot in a reality that could be yours."
"We aren't the masters of existence, W7!" Dan shouted, spinning around. No one was behind him. "We're mortal just like everyone else! It's our responsibility to guide people to their realities but that doesn't mean we've stopped living ourselves! We live, we're mortal. We're still one of them with more power, yes, but we don't have the right to seize their realities for our own!
"So let me out of this illusion! I'm going to help save Enria!"
W7 began laughing at him. "Your heart will eventually sway. A few decades in this reality will change your mind. It will become your_reality. Slowly but surely, you will forget the world that you left behind and embrace this one. This will become your_ new_order."_
Dan growled, gnashing his fangs together and looking around frantically... There was no escape... As he was, he was powerless against W7...
The only way to escape would be to...
His eyes fell on the sharp knife on the table...
Jason...
He would be leaving his son... permanently...
But at the very least, he'd be saving him...
Determination flooded him as he picked up the knife -
A hand lashed out and seized his wrist.
It was Kevin.
Slowly, Kevin took the knife from his hand. "Allow me."
Dan blinked...
SSSSHING!
... his heart stopped...
...
... and restarted.
The knife was still shaking from where it was embedded in Serena's chest, her eyes wide. A brilliant burst of light erupted from behind her.
"What!?"_she asked in W7's voice. _"How could you have known!?"
"Lucky guess," Kevin growled. He glanced at Dan. "Go! I'll keep her busy!"
Dan glanced at the light... then back at Kevin who quickly crash tackled W7 to the ground.
With a grim nod, he turned towards the light and jumped through.
****
The power was astounding...
Jason was moving faster than he had ever moved before, feeling stronger than ever and power simply radiated from Zenith and Nadir. The weapons felt like an extension of him... like they were part of his very soul.
H2 charged at him, swinging that claymore madly in a completely random swirl of steel. Jason easily blocked one blow with Zenith and lashed out with Nadir, the black blade shifting into a sharp, whip-like form and slashing H2 across the chest.
The No One of Chaos leapt back, unperturbed.
With a wave of his hand, H2's belts lunged into the space around him, vanishing in swirls of darkness. Jason instantly released Zenith in his left hand, the weapon shattering into ten separated, shards. Nadir split into ten tendrils, each one grasping a shard of its bright counterpart. At that moment, hundreds of H2's belts erupted from the air around him, lashing out at him mercilessly. Nadir swung Zenith's shards in a dizzying swirl of blades, slicing each of the belts before they could so much as come within an inch of him.
H2 straightened when he realised his attack was useless.
"Very impressive," the No One began.
A burst of darkness erupted behind the No One and Brett surged forward, lashing out with an arm-blade. H2 leapt into the air, dodging the attack and casting a surge of red lightning down onto the shadowy Rottweiler. Brett exploded into a burst of darkness and reappeared beside Jason.
"Damn... He's tough..."
"Eh... The guy I faced in the Pathway was tougher," Jason replied with a shrug.
H2 chuckled as he gently landed on the ground. "Ah... So that's it. You underwent the Pathway of Awakening... It's why you're a lot stronger now. That was a crazy risk. You could've died. Now I'm actually a little worried..."
"Damn straight," Jason replied, readying his two swords again. "When you attack a wolf in his den, he's gonna fight back!"
Before H2 could answer... a fourth voice cut in.
"Then you simply destroy the den."
All three of them turned upwards where a pair of black wings descended to the ground, quickly reforming to a black cloak wrapped around an armoured feline with a distinctive tiger's pattern.
N9 the Neutral, No One of Death.
The No One appeared as a strong, powerfully built feline whose fur-pattern changed every time he was seen. His features were hidden by a black masked shaped like a feline's features with black-tinted lenses for eye pieces that prevented anyone from seeing his eyes. His weapon was his cloak. Simply touching it lead to instant death.
Oh great... Now we're up against two_of them..._
Wait...
He remembered that they had sent L4 to deal with N9...
If N9 was here...
Crap...
L4 had fallen... He sincerely hoped everyone had been evacuated... If not, his gamble would've been for nothing... especially if they lost.
"You're forgetting that we're here to destroy this reality, H2," N9 said impassively. "Destroy the planet and they won't have anywhere to fight."
H2 chuckled. "Straight forward as always, N9. You certainly know what you want." The No one of Chaos shrugged. "Very well... What do you suggest then?"
"Do as you wish. Leave Jason Wolfe to me. Not even a world renowned superhero and the son of a No One can overcome death."
"And the others?"
"You deal with them. Jason Wolfe is my concerned."
What...?
What have I done to him?
H2 shrugged. "Alright then."
WHOOOSH!
Suddenly, H2 shot past Jason, zooming into a nearby building and taking Brett with him!
"Brett!"
Jason froze...
He felt a dark, chilling presence looming above him.
When he turned, he saw N9 hovering above him, wings spread menacingly.
"If I were you, I'd be more concerned about myself."
****
L4 the Liaison of Life bolted through the vast, circular chamber known as the Empty Throne.
It was the central hub for the realities of the No Ones and she was hurrying to get back to Enria. She had been stupid and let N9 get the best of her when he had threatened to destroy the people she was seeking to save. Just a feint towards the Riley Summer House and she had stupidly thrown herself in the way of the No One of Death... letting herself get taken out of the battle by mistake.
Of course, that didn't stop her from getting back in the battle.
She could sense the other No Ones were already making their own preparations. Some were engaged in struggles across Realities, trying to prevent one another from re-entering Enria. A11 had suffered the most and wouldn't be able to return. W7 was somehow occupied. The others were engaged in some way shape or form.
V10 had gone ahead of her. They would get back to Enria and stop H2 and N9.
That should give Jason enough time to get up to Devastation and appeal to -
She froze.
Someone was sitting in a throne she hadn't expected to be occupied.
Her eyes turned to the throne wrapped in chains... There was a figure sitting there... a figure dressed in white-gold armour and with a billowing cloak of stars. A helm concealed his features all but a pair of sapphire-blue eyes... Oddly enough, those eyes didn't have their trademark eight-pointed stars for pupils...
"R3?" she exclaimed, her heart beating rapidly.
"Hello, Gwen."
She ignored the use of her true name. "What are you doing here!? You've got to stop D8!"
"Sorry. My hands are tied."
Rage and frustration built in her. "How can they be tied!? You're the Writer of Reality! You can change reality itself! You can stop D8 from turning Enria to dust!"
"I just can't."
"Can't or won't!?"
For a second, R3 paused.
"Hmmm... little from column A, little from column B."
"Damnit, R3!" she cried, stomping her foot. "This isn't a game! Jason could die!"
"You know what? For some reason, I don't think he will. Just call it a hunch."
L4 let out a frustrated shout and stormed over to the ruler of the No Ones. "Okay, mister, I know you've done some pretty shady things in the past but this is not right! This reality is being unjustly executed! You have to do something! You're R3 the Writer of Reality."
R3 held up a finger.
"Actually... If you look a little closer, I'm not."
L4 blinked... and stood back... her anger suddenly subsiding...
She looked at R3 closer... saw beyond the physical manifestation... and saw emptiness... The figure looked like R3... but was empty inside... a shell...
"What have you done with Jacob...?"
"Nothing."
She clenched her fists. Despite knowing this being was nowhere near the real R3, she could still sense his power. It far outgunned her own. Engaging him now would mean certain demise and with Jason's world hanging in the balance... she couldn't risk that.
"Where is he...?"
The fake R3 chuckled.
"In the last place you'll look."
*****
Jason ducked and rolled as N9's wings came sweeping over him, barely missing him by inches.
He knew touching those things was instant death.
Problem was, N9 was way faster than H2.
The No One of Death also had an insane range. N9 spun in the air, sweeping outwards with his wings in a black cyclone filled with dark feathers. Jason scrambled away, ducking behind broken down car as the dooming gale swept over him.
Crap!
The ground beneath him suddenly turned black. Jason rolled to the right just as N9 came bursting out of the concrete, spreading his black wings and spraying feathers everywhere. Those feathers instantly pointed their sharp quill-like ends towards Jason and shot towards their pray. Nadir formed a black shield in front of him, the feathers peppering the shield relentlessly and shaking him to the very core with every impact.
Jason grit his teeth and glanced down...
The ground turned black.
Damnit!
He jumped back just as N9 erupted from the darkness once more and once again peppered him with more of those black feathers.
Okay... Okay!
New strategy!
Jason gripped Zenith tightly in his right hand and as he sensed the ground beneath him turn black, he jumped backwards - Nadir still in shield form - and hurled Zenith over the shield at where he thought N9 was just as the No One erupted from the ground. He saw N9 easily dodge the blade but on some unspoken command, the white blade shattered into its ten shards.
N9 balked in the air as all ten shards suddenly shot towards him.
The No One concealed himself in his wings as the blades cut into him.
Yes!
BOOOOM!
N9 unfurled his wings, sending the white shards out in all directions, some even over entire buildings.
No!
The Neutral landed on the ground and reached over his shoulders, gripping the tips of his wings. With a loud cry, he pulled the wings right off his back. The wings themselves exploded into a shower of black feathers that dissipated to reveal a pair of huge, black scimitars with a black feather-motif across its blades.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
N9 surged forward in a flash, black blades swinging out in rapid succession.
Jason brought up his shield -
WHAM!
And had it knocked out from his grip with a single swipe.
He didn't let himself stagger to the ground and somersaulted backwards, dodging back and leaping away as best as he could. N9's attacks were vicious and wide.
_At least they don't give off shockwaves,_Jason thought grimly.
Wait...
An idea suddenly hit him...
N9 swung at him horizontally...
Jason jumped up and over the blades -
... his feet landing on the flat ends of the sword!
"What -?" N9 gasped as Jason quickly ran up the length of the sword and -
WHAM!
... delivered a bone-shattering kick straight to the No One's face.
Jason somersaulted off the blades...
... A soft clattering met his ears.
N9 had dropped his blades...
... and his mask.
The No One had his hands over his face...
"Damnit!" N9 cursed.
For some odd reason... it was only at that point that Jason realised he recognised that voice... It was a voice he hadn't heard in a long time... And even then, it was only in his dreams and his memory... A voice that belonged to a lover... a dear friend... and a dead comrade...
No way...
It... It can't be!
Jason's heart stopped...
N9 saw his mask and picked it up... But the mask was shattered in two... and the No One glanced up... staring at Jason with familiar, bright, emerald-green eyes...
No...
N9... the Neutral...
Was none other than...
...
Connor Stark.