Lightning and Starlight

War is Over

The battle was dwindling down. Villains and heroes lay dead on the battlefield. The remaining fighters were fighting around them, doing their best to stay focus while not tripping over the corpses.

The battle was becoming a standoff. The heroes stood amongst the villains, resting and waiting to attack. Vincent moved away after downing a man coming at him. He set his eyes on Neera and walked over. He crouched down and gently pulled stray hairs from Neera's face. "Baby? The heroes need strength. They're tired, and it's getting hard to keep fighting for both sides. Their leader is dead. Our hero is not. I wondered if I could carry you out there? Not so that you're in danger, but that they know we have you back? I think it'll uplift them."

Neera nodded. "Yes."

Vincent gently reached down and lifted her into his arms. Neera did her best to pull her arms around his neck, but a wave of nausea hit her hard. She took a few deep breaths, trying to keep herself upright in his arms.

"Are you okay?" Vincent asked, glancing down at her with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yeah," Neera breathed.

The heroes and villains paused their standoff and shifted their focus to the edge of the battle as Vincent moved closer to them with Neera. The heroes cheered, yelling and hollering. Neera felt a smile tug at her lips. The villains slowly shifted together, each scattered individual trying to get to another one of their own.

When Vincent paused at the very edge of the group with Neera in his arms, the villains stopped moving and the heroes quieted down. The White Waters glanced at each other. 

Murmurs filled the White Waters' ranks. Neera noticed the heroes relax, shifting their weapons to the ground and letting their powers dim. Words drifted through the White Waters, some loosing from the ranks and drifting into the hero ranks.

"Koen—"

"—no leader—"

"What do we do now?"

"—stop? Or wait—"

"—retreat—"

"—kill us anyways—"

"—battle?"

The White Waters settled and closed in together. They turned to face the heroes, and their powers hummed. They were going to try to fight, their leader present or not. The villains' faces were grim, but determined. 

The villains stopped abruptly. Not a single one moved. Then they shifted. They looked around, acting afraid and shocked. Vincent shifted Neera in his arms, breathing heavily. His body shook slightly, and Neera wished she had energy to give him. She was struggling to even stay awake. The pain was calling to the darkness, but she fought it. The vibrations from his chest soothed her as he begun speaking.

"Your leader is dead. I tore apart his brain with my mind."

The White Waters shifted again, more nervous and more shocked. Vincent had confirmed what they had assumed when Vincent carried Neera out. Their leader was dead.

Vincent paused for a moment, letting the villains murmur amongst themselves.

"White Waters," Vincent started again. "Your leader took someone that is powerful and precious and strong. I killed him. I hit him with my starlight, burning through the blood in his veins like a treasured pastime, and then I ripped through his mind like cheap fabric."

As Vincent spoke the last word, the villains' started organizing, conversing quickly and starting their powers up again.

Vincent's body thrummed. Neera took a deep breath as the vibrations shifted through his body. The vibrations avoided the parts of his body that touched her. When the villains saw Vincent's power start up, they stepped back, shifting their abilities off.