Words burned on wrists, sealing fates. The Wings of Hades:his freedom, his flight: the freedom of change.
Change faced off against Time.
As the first battle was won.
Tremors began to shake the very ground beneath their feet. All for One's growl shook the walls, echoing against pipes and the snake's nest of wires. Abyssal eyes met that destroyed face.
Time rose from his throne. Change slowly glided back to the ground.
The tremors turned into quakes that rattled the dark room, stone began to fall, and pipes began to crack. So was the power held by these two beings.
They began to dance.
A clash of sheer power that held the world in it's midst.
There was little beauty in what was to come, as heavy feet shook the cement floor and light, lithe ones danced in concert, circling. Yet some could find the rhythm of power thrumming against the very ground they crossed; some could feel it. None could dance its tune.
Only Time, forever, long, and old. And Change, strong, overwhelming. Devastating. Beautiful.
Only they.
And as the walls shook and crumbled, and stone and metal fell, and was crushed. Their dance floor now opening to be viewed by all. The music began.
The melody ringing in the heads of Time and Change was beautiful, simple, clear as bird song. The fight was not.
Ebony wings lifted Change to the air, the arms of the beast of Time before him changing. And he swung.
A large, grotesque arm swung for Change's head, but bony wings propelled him out of the way. For all his agility, he was not fast enough to evade the second. Being pushed through the air, pressure popping his ears, he doubled over, clutching his bruising stomach, as Time's arm hang out as his last act. Waiting for Change's response.
This was a pas de deux.
The haunting tune continued ringing within the heads of the great, melody slipping into minor key.
The dance continued.
Pushing past the ache of his stomach, he pushed his wings to shoot him forward, faster than the naked eye could see, ramming into the head of Time. The ruined head snapped sideways, as the bruise of a fist against his neck faded as it appeared, and he turned to where Change had halted his movement, far passed him.
Chords began to join the sickly sweet, melancholy melody.
Throwing knives, hovering around the monster of a man, shot at the angel of darkness with rapid speed, tearing feather from wings, skin from bone.
Cuts littered Change, yet their sting would not deter him, even as blood dripped in rivulets, from the knives he could not avoid. He flew forward once more.
And slashed Time's suit open.
Yet the blood from the cut running up his chest evaporated, as it sealed and scarred, the blood upon the drawn blade of shadows bubbling and turning to nothing but gas. Yet Time's breath was quicker, something Change did not miss, as Time's shoulders sagged by the most miniscule fraction, only caught by the tunnel vision of anger and purpose Change possessed.
Time was not ready for this fight. Not this one.
And even if he was far from vincible, he was tiring quick.
And as the chorus began, came the flurry of blades and swipes, ringing through the field of rubble.
The blade of darkness, and one of steel clanged and clashed, filling the arena of their dance not just with the whoosh of air between their strikes, but the ringing, sharp note of their melody.
The melody of the dance of Life.
And as parry after parry was blocked and missed, then returned, blood began to fall to the ground.
Whose? No one could tell, as news helicopters arrived at the scene, beating their baseline of whirs into the air, and as heroes rushed to the scene.
Hades finally appearing.
Yet this was not Hades. This was not Hades' dance. This was not Hades' blood.
It was Change's.
As cuts oozed blood along bodies, Time's began to soarslower, and slower. But not slow enough. Change felt the ache in his muscles as a strong thrust was parried, throwing him open for a thrust of Time's own. Yet he knocked the blade away and pushed through.
As Change's cuts, did not heal, as they dripped ichor and blood alike onto the pounded ground, as his muscles protested, and as his swings slowed and tired.
Too quickly.
Neither was ready for this dance.
Neither was prepared as the second verse ensued.
Change propelled himself away from Time with torn wings, pants beginning to escape his aching chest: desperate not to show his weakness, how his body was coping, but failing. His sword of darkness hung in an aching limb as those ink black eyes glared up at that towering figure of Time from his crouched position.
Verse number two continued.
Change tossed away his sword.
As heroes gathered at the edge of the battlefield, the dance floor, picking people out of the remains of the building, watching. As Time glared down Change and Change stared through Time.
And the Chorus began once more.
New harmonies joined them as spikes of shadows shot towards Time and the monstrosity that Time's arm was blocked the piercing shadows. As the Shadows retracted from where they had speared Time's arm, Change found grim satisfaction is watching it bleed for a minute before healing up, already attacking once more, forcing Time to defend. And never letting up.
Attack after attack forced Time backwards, but soon, sooner than he wanted, Change grew tired once more, arms gaining a sluggish quality as hisses made it through clenched teeth. And Time could attack once more.
An enormous leap to Change shook the earth, and Change was flung against the walls of rubble surrounding them as a powerful fist landed its mark.
Blood welled up his windpipe and splattered over his front as he coughed it up, pain intense and powerful, distracting,piercing, his tunnel vision beginning to fade out into white. But he shoved it away as he felt every pipe stabbing through his body, every bit of dust caught in his cuts, every jagged piece of stone tearing his skin.
And before he could pick himself up through the haze of pain, Time was before him once more.
The music stopped.
"Change, you have gained my respect. But you must die. You have been a worthy opponent. But Change cannot beat Time.
Goodbye, Change."
Yet before Time could land his raised fist, mutated, before Change could deflect with a too weak shadow, formed from his dwindling strength, a new presence joined them.
A new dancer.
One to pick up where another could not finish the pas de deux.
A lone violin began to play.
As Zeus began to face off against Time.
"All for One. Time. You will step away from Hades. Your fight is with me."
All Might stood on the other side of the field of rubble, muscular form glowing in the darkness of the night.
"All Might. Zeus."
The bridge ended. Verse began.
And the dance began anew.
And as blow after blow was thrown, the tiring Time getting weaker and weaker, as punches made their mark and did not, as blood covered the two. And as All Might, Zeus, took all his remaining power to knock out Time, to defeat All for One, like his destiny told, ending a century long battle between Zeus and Time. Lightning finally outrunning Time. The chorus began and went. And as the dance finished, as dawn broke over the horizon, and the cheers of Japan filled the air,
Zeus did not point at his successor.
All Might pointed at Change. At Hades.
"He is our future, he is change. The time of Zeus is over. And Hades will rise to bring the next generation of peace, of change. This is only one battle of the many in their path, but they are closer to changing the world than they ever have been. The battles of old are closed. But the future is wide.Change the world, Heroes!"
And the barely conscious Change, hanging onto the thread of his pain now blending to cotton filling his mind, his dance done, his battle won. Another battle closer to winning his war. He slumped, and let the fog in his mind drag him under.
The music had finished.
The dance was done.
The battle was one.
And Hades, Change, with Zeus, were victorious.
There was not an encore to be heard.
A/N: phew, I wrote this like a week ago but I'm only publishing it now thanks to my semi-functional memory and constant procrastination. Anyway, this was once again beta read and edited by the wonderful mango-san (why no tag T-T, I'm sure they'll be in the comments tho). No the note is not beta read this time.
Only a chapter or two in this I'm afraid, then book 1 is complete, and maybe later, book 2 can start (if I want of course, or i get enough support). For now however, I am planning to write an original story that probably won't get posted here, I don't really know yet. You may not here from me for a while after this is published, maybe the occasional one shot.
See you guys in the next chapter I guess,
- Shadow-san out