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Neptune and Nova both carried Merid to a forest. "I feel like she'd be here.." Neptune stopped, laying Merid down in the grass. "But, we should really take a break." Nova nodded, before saying something. "I'll keep an eye out in case anyone tries to attack us."
"Sounds good!" Neptune sat on the ground, "I'll keep watch on Merid."
Merid laid there, unconscious as Neptune watched over them. "Their bleeding seemed to slow down, that's good, right Nova?" Neptune turned to Nova. "Should be." Nova answered, looking through a bit of bushes.
"Ah! I see her!" Neptune pointed to Andromeda in the distance. "And..Mike? I thought I-"
Nova turned around. "No. Eztli's wife must've brought that guy back to life, and Nix must've mind controlled him after." He continued. "Look, I am alright with Nix. But, if he figures out I'm with you guys I'm done. We need to get rid of Mike."
"But he's Andromeda's brother! I can't kill him again!" Neptune raised her voice, looking Nova straight in the eye.
Nova began to walk away from the two, adjusting his limb attachments. "Then I'll gladly do it myself."
Andromeda overheard the two, immediately turning in the direction of their voices. "Neptune, Merid? And..Who?"
"Nova. Just Nova." Nova took off one of his arm attachments, holding out that hand for a handshake.
Andromeda accepted the handshake, replying with her name. "Andromeda." She looked up, seeing Nova had vanished.
"Listen, I don't know who you are. But you're dead." Nova was seen holding Mike by his neck, aiming a rifle towards his head. Andromeda quickly summoned a boulder, hitting Nova with it. "WHAT do you THINK you're doing!?" She yelled out, clearly angered as she teleported the boulder away.
"Ggh-" Nova winced in pain, looking up at the angered Andromeda as he was laying on the ground.
"Pff-!" Mike chuckled. "AHAHAAHAA-! You really thought I came back to life normally? That I wasn't planning to kill you all?" Fear struck Andromeda's eyes, as she fell to her knees. "After everything.."
She was soon cut off by Nova. "I was right! He.. He is being mind controlled by Nix!"
"Aww, took you a while to figure that out, huh?" Mike laughed, without a care in the world.
Neptune dropped Merid, waking them up.
She charged towards Mike, balling up her fists as she began to attack him.
Even with the speed of Neptune's kicks and punches, Mike still managed to dodge nearly all of them. Neptune had aimed a punch towards Mike's face. As he blocked it, Nova fired a clear shot into his side, causing him to fall over.
"M-Merid, Neptune! Finish..him off!" Nova shakily cried out, before passing out as his limb attachments started to heal his wounds.
Neptune grabbed Mike, throwing him up and towards Merid's direction. Merid summoned the pole of their scythe, hitting Mike towards Neptune. As the two went back and forth hitting and slashing Mike, he was slowly dying.
And soon enough, the two would stop, letting Mike's body hit the ground.
"Let me see.." Neptune kneeled down, and checked his heartbeat. "Yep! He's dead, alright."
"Good.." Merid sighed, turning towards Andromeda. They walked over to comfort her.
Andromeda would then push Merid away, crying but also laughing. "Aha, it's pathetic.. is it not? Everything I try to do, to protect you all or not.. It's useless! It's useless! It's all just useless! Aha!-" Her voice cracked as she sobbed.
Merid hesitantly put a hand on Andromeda's shoulder. "Andr-"
Andromeda pushed Merid's hand away, getting up and distancing herself away from everyone else. "There's nothing I can do..! No matter what you all will have to suffer, so why should I even try at this point?" She raised her hand, preparing to summon something above her.
And in her last moments alive, she felt regret. Was this a bad choice? Could she have still done more? But it was too late now, that boulder was already inches away from crushing her.
Right before the boulder fell on her, she spoke one final sentence. "See you soon, Merid, Neptune."
And the boulder fell, and blood splattered everywhere.
Merid fell to their knees, their jaw wide open. "Wh-." They had a look of pure shock, horror, and disbelief. "Huh..? Wha.."
Neptune stood for a moment, before bursting out into tears, screaming as she fell and hit the ground.
Nova slowly awoke, seeing the others in terror and shock. He slowly turned his gaze to that blood covered boulder, knowing exactly what had happened. He trembled, trying to let out a word, but with no success. All he let out was a wail. If only he could move and at least make an attempt to heal what was left of Andro, but for all he knows she could very well just be a pile of crushed up organs and blood.
Merid eventually let out an agonizing scream, one of both dread and hatred. All of this, this war, has caused this. All of it. That's what they thought. That's why they want.. no, need, to end this. They stood, breathing heavily, shaking in anger, and in tears.
"Merid? Andro? Neptune? Anyone!?" A voice cried out. Delta walked towards the others, with Archer, Pandora, and Summer following.
Delta then paused, looking at the blood covered boulder, and then to Merid. "Did she.."
"Yes." Merid sharply replied, walking over to Mike's corpse. "Now leave me alone, I need to destroy this guy's head."
"Oh.." As Merid was destroying Mike's body, Delta sighed, and looked behind him to Archer. "Andromeda's dead, Archer."
"What..?" Archer looked at Delta with disbelief. "She can't be..!"
"She is, I apologize." Delta frowned.
"But-" Archer was cut off.
"SHE'S DEAD OKAY!?" Neptune cried out, still in tears. "ACCEPT IT! OR WE'LL DIE TOO!"
Both Archer and Delta froze in place, processing what Neptune had just shouted out. And while Summer covered Pandora's ears, Merid stopped. "Well, Mike's corpse is taken care of. Let's go." They would then turn to Nova, covered in Mike's blood. "I'll help you up."
Merid wandered over to Nova, pulling him up. Nova limped, trying to speak at a normal volume but it only came out as a whisper. "Thank..you.."
"You're welcome." Merid coldly replied, not seeming to show much emotion. They would then begin to carefully pull Nova along, aiming to exit the forest. Merid signaled for the others to follow, still seeming like an emotionless husk.
As the others followed slowly, Merid stopped and let go of Nova's arm. "You!" They had a slight glare. "You're working with Nix, aren't you?"
Nova looked at Merid, confused. "I thought you knew I withdrew.."
"Lies! You just said you were okay with him, and that if he figured out you were with us you'd be dead!" Merid glared even more at Nova, a small purple glow emitting from their eyes as they did so. "You don't care. You don't care about any of this!"
"I feel nothing towards him, but he's still deserving of respect-"
"NO! He is not!" Archer raised his voice, slightly stuttering. "He- He killed Merid's parents, and even his own! All to frame Neptune's sibling, and get them killed so this all would happen!"
Everyone looked towards Archer, who was expressing anger instead of sadness, a rare occurrence from someone like him. "What?" He then got anxious with all the eyes on him.
"You're right." Delta said. "You're.. dead-on correct."
Nova perked up, still in pain. "Oh.."
"Yeah, yeah, well quit it. Clearly words won't work for this kid here." Summer walked towards Nova, looking down at him. "Kid? I'm not a kid." Nova replied.
"Well you clearly act like one. So why don't I teach you a lesson?" Summer took off one of her gloves, readying her hand. "Mom, don't!-" Pandora yelled.
"Pandora, do not interfere." Summer resumed, swiping her hand across the left side of Nova's face. As she swiped her hand, an acid way weaker than the one she used on the guard, hit the area around his eye, yet still causing Nova to cry out in pain. "Have you learned your lesson?"
"Who the.. hell do you think you are?" Nova grimaced in pain, sharpening his voice. "I'm Summer. Summer Velanova." She replied, adjusting her monocle and taking off her second glove. "Now, young man. Have you learned?"
Nova didn't reply, instead he just nodded and stood up. "Good." Summer put her gloves back on, backing up from Nova. "We should all leave this area."
Merid nodded, glaring at Nova once more. "Keep an eye on this guy, I have a bad feeling about him."
"He could be another jerk under Nix's control for all we know!" Neptune spoke angrily, seeming like a totally different person. "Right.." Delta replied. "Now let's get out of here."
"Yeah.." Archer quietly answered, followed with Pandora. "Alright…"
Summer would keep Nova beside her as everyone else followed without an idea on where to go next. They went with the flow, still dealing with Andromeda's death slowly.
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