Child of Omens Ruination: Aftermath

Chapter 16: Purpose in Strife

Hawk slowly opens his eyes as he begins to push pieces of rubble off himself. Prying himself free from underneath a large pile of concrete. He looked around to see the vast wasteland-like area around him as patches of fire and burned furniture surrounded him. Spotting a knocked-out Falke, Hawk begins to try and stand up, but he feels an immense pressure of demonic energy. Falling to his knees, he watches as two figures make their way through the smoke and fire. His eyes narrow as he recognizes the two, the first being Winter. She may be older, but he could remember her cold glare and natural look of superiority. The second is one Hawk thought he'd never see again, Cinder. She wore her original red and black dress, but it had additional pieces of armor that covered most of her open areas. She sparked with demonic energy as though it took dying a second time for her power to acclimate to her fully.

The two seemed not to notice Hawk, but they did see Falke, who was beginning to stir awake.

Cinder: "What a sorry sight to see. And to think I let you kill me...twice." Anger welled up in her tone.

Winter: "Surprising to see he changed so much. But so have we. But don't think of dying just yet. Your death is going to be slow and very...VERY painful."

Falke: "I...fuckin'...hate this place." But Cinder quickly knocked him out with a kick to the head.

Cinder: "I can't believe you want him alive. We can kill him now."

Winter: "No. You know what I had to sacrifice to bring you back from the brink of death. You and I deserve to make him suffer. Now grab him. We're leaving."

Cinder huffs as she picks up Falke and follows Winter as they enter a military bullhead. Hawk tried to get up, but he couldn't handle the strain of using his Devil trigger to survive the initial explosion, and the stress of prying himself from the rubble took its toll on him. He was too late as he watched helplessly as the bullhead flew away from the destroyed remains.

Hawk: "N-no...dammit!....V...V! Are you still here?" He said as he used the summoned Yamato as a makeshift crutch.

V: "Hawk...is that....you?" Hawk could barely make out his voice as it was extremely weak.

Hawk struggled to make his way over to V. Horrified to find that to defend its master, Shadow had wrapped itself around V to try and protect him, but it couldn't stop the piece of rebar from skewering into V's stomach.

Hawk: "V! No, no, no! You gotta stay awake, please! I don't want to lose you too!" He pushes past the pain as he cradles his old friend.

V: "Please...don't weep for me...we always knew it would end like this. You...you were always the strongest in your family...I'm just glad I got to be a part of it...Even if I wasn't always able to be there. Please, Hawk, I know they're still...alive, save them. Tell them...tell them I'm sorry, for not protecting them. Promise me."

Hawk: "Okay, V. I will. I promise."

V: "Wait...Hawk. I think...I think it's time you make yourself whole. Please...take this-" He hands Hawk the cane he had always had. "-use it to open the chest...with your family's symbol....My final gift....Goodbye, my old friend."

As Hawk watched the only bit of family he had left, die in his arms, he felt an overwhelming energy flow into him. It felt familiar, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.

Hawk: "It's good to know you are still around...Vergil."

Vergil(mental): "It was one of his final wishes. But I cannot say this is something I begrudgingly do...it is good to see you changed for the better, Hawk. Now then, let's go find the others."