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"she believed in the goodness of humanity. my mother, the noble. my mother, the naif..." you heard abel murmur.
"my gentle mother, gone forever." despite his monotonous voice, it was obvious that there was a tinge of hurt in his words.
"she was mistaken. they don't need our pity. the dregs of society are where they are for a reason. we can't live in harmony." abel stated his philosophic belief.
"i sought the best talent for my plan. abyss and others like him, dissatisfied with this world. and the one who could change it all... (y/n)." you perked your head up at your name.
were you that powerful in his eyes?
in everyone else's eyes, even?
the slightest hint of guilt plagued your heart. you could never be as great as the world had painted you out to be. everything you had done, thousands of years worth of accumulating strength, it was but a pathetic work of sheer spinelessness.
a fearful fraud with the face of strength disguising her cowardice.
you were nothing more than who you were.
"i dipped my hands into powers i never should have. all for my goals." he pushed himself off the wall, wobbling from the wounds he sustained against mash.
"you won't change my mind. the weak and the poor are a resource. they deserve to be pillaged." he stated.
"but there are bad guys at every level..." mash blankly stared at the third-year.
"the majority of them are at the bottom, which is why they should be cut off." abel said.
"that would be... a problem." the mushroom-head glanced at the ground.
"that would be a problem." he repeated.
"don't dwell on it too much." you sighed, finally walking into the room.
"you're back already, (y/n)?" mash tilted his head at you.
you only nodded, sliding your hands into your pocket.
"so, what's the verdict? still going to hand me over, abel?" you questioned the first fang.
"i don't care for that anymore. do as you wish with that organisation." he muttered, keeping his gaze on the ground.
you gave a satisfactory hum at his response, pleased with mash's knack for beating some sense into abel.
"anyway... could you tell me where lemon is? since you lost." mash piped in.
"you're right. i lost. i'll release the puppet students." abel admitted without another word.
"cool. oh, but seeing how you did all this for your mom..." the mushroom-head started.
"it seems you're not as bad as i thought. i'm relieved." the first-year sincerely expressed.
you amusedly chuckled at his words, sneaking a glance at abel who wordlessly lowered his head.
"marioness liberation!" he casted, releasing the captured students of their puppet forms.
it didn't take long for mash, lemon, and finn to regroup and rejoice, but you excluded yourself from the three, approaching abel's side.
"they're such fools, aren't they? mother." abel muttered to himself.
"but i'm more curious on how you let yourself mingle with said fools." he glanced at you.
"maybe i'm just not that great to be hanging around people on my calibre." you shrugged.
"there is no one on your calibre... you're an immortal." the third-year deadpanned at you.
"let's not go there. even i know people i consider capable of getting on my level." you scoffed, crossing your arms.
before abel could respond, your expression shifted to widened eyes at the approaching presence. you swiftly turned back the sight of lemon, finn, and dot on the ground.
'where'd mash go?' your eyes scanned around for the mushroom-head, but all you saw was a floating blond bowl-cut hovering his way over to you and abel.
"hmm? to think i'd find you here as well..." his gaze fell on you. "father would be greatly pleased. but that's not what i'm here for just yet."
"you again. esmeree isn't with you?" you glared at the blond.
you remembered him to be a core member of innocent zero. cell war.
"she's making preparations. now move." he seethed at you, a chunk of carbon spiking up from the ground beneath your feet.
you clicked your tongue, hopping back to where the three adler students were.
"where's mash?" you questioned, carefully watching the two in front of you.
"he's─"
"is everyone okay with orange juice and cream puffs?"
oh.
no surprise there...
"huh? is the party over?" mash obliviously asked, unable to read the situation.
"yeah. that bowl-cut guy is being a party pooper, go beat him up." you smiled, pointed at cell war.
"i see. he's ruining the par─ ahh.." a fly had made its way to mash's nose, ticklish feelers rubbing against his nostrils.
mash roughly sneezed, causing the cream puffs to fly off the tray and create a cream puff crown atop cell war's original crown of thorns.
"um, sorry to bother you but we're gonna eat those and party. can i have them back while you stop being a party pooper?" mash nonchalantly spoke.
a dramatic gasp left the mushroom-head as cell war smacked the cream puffs off his head.
"insolent boy." the blond sneered before suddenly lurching forward, holding his head.
'this pain in my head... is it resonance?!' he clutched his head in pain.
his eyes were glued to mash as his sharp headache quelled.
"fine... first to finish what i came here for." cell war spun back, extending an arm out. "killing abel!"
abel's arms were involuntarily raised, preventing him from guarding against cell war's next attack.
"cant you see how little of a match you are for me?" the blond looked down on the first fang.
"now die." he demanded, lifting his wand.
as he did, you found yourself wielding your blade, giving an upward slash toward cell war's arm. the blond barely dodged the lethal blow, pulling his arm back before you could sever it.
around the same time, mash had flicked over a small stone with such speed that it threw cell war's trajectory of magic off course.
the impact of the large chunk of carbon was taken by abyss, mercilessly impaling his torso as blood spewed from his wounds.
while abyss dropped to his knees, cell war immediately made distance between you and him.
"abyss!" you called out, dashing toward him alongside mash.
"i'm sorry, mash. i might have to miss those cream puffs." he hoarsely apologised, a weak smile on his face.
you knelt down beside the male, removing his bloodied hand from cradling his wound. in place of his, your hand gently pressed against the injury. but before you could focus your magic into healing his wound, he tightly gripped your wrist, shaking his head.
"mash." you muttered.
the unmarked boy already knew what you wanted to say, turning to cell war with the coldest piercing glare. you left the blond in mash's hands.
"just let me heal you, abyss." you resisted against his hold.
"it's not lethal... don't waste your magic energy on it." he coughed out, crimson liquid splattering onto the ground.
"all right. how's 30 minutes sound? i'd say he's got that much life left in him until he's beyond saving." cell war announced, making sure that you heard him.
"and don't think i'll let you rest easy either, (y/n)! can you two save him in time?" he provoked with a grin before casting a downpour of carbon spikes upon both you and mash.
too deep in thought to defend yourself, you let the chunks graze you, slicing your skin and robes.
"what's wrong? were you all talk?" the blond laughed out at the sight of the lack of fight the two of you displayed.
you remained in silent anger, tightly gripping at your wand. you were closely familiar with innocent zero. their core members, the devil's quintuplets, and especially their leader.
perhaps you were a coward. transcending your mortality, escaping death... perhaps that had led the leader of that organisation to hunt you down for that power, the power to defy the gods' will.
you tolerated them for countless of years. despite their attempts on killing you, over and over again, even when it was clear you would not stay dead, they were resilient pests.
yet something you didn't take lightly for was their assault against people who should have nothing to do with them.
hurting abel, hurting abyss, hurting mash, you could expect them to head for the rest of your friends sooner or later.
they were really pushing your limits. if it was your wrath they wanted, then so be it.
let them have it.
"bad time to zone out, abel, (y/n)! carbo rain!" cell war's irritating laughter rung in your ears. before the sharp edges of the carbon chunks could graze you, mash shielded the attack.
"use this. i don't know how effective it is, but it should help a little." you lowly muttered, handing abel the bunny-patterned handkerchief you kept on you for good luck.
"mash, i'll deal with that mutt. thank you for holding him off." you placed a hand on the mushroom-head's shoulder, but he only shook his head.
"no. you're angry, and right now... you probably want him dead. don't you?" he kept his eyes on cell war.
"i don't want you doing something you'll regret. i know you're strong. even stronger than me." he lowered his head before momentarily glancing at you with consideration.
"you've done so much for me ever since i enrolled here. i don't know where i'd be at without you keeping me on track. but..." a look of determination flashed in his eyes.
"you can rely on others too, just like how i relied on you." he knocked off the tip of the carbon chunk in a single movement.
your words were caught up in your throat as you stared at the male in awe. people like him were a rarity in the current world. his words, his actions, his sincerity, they were all genuine. a human with the purest intentions, sought out to be removed from the system due to his inability to use magic.
it was an unforgiveable demand, and you were obligated to shield that innocence until he fell to his mortality.
"give up. if you're not going to fight, we're unquestionably inferior. we cannot win." abel called out to you.
"abyss was a fool. he had no reason to protect me. we might as well be strangers. who goes so far for a stranger...?" the first fang held the injured male in his arms.
"he was probably the happiest with you." you spoke over him, your words causing the first fang to perk his head up.
"i mean, i don't know much. but from the fact that you accepted him despite his evil eye, which he considered a curse, when no one else did..." you paused.
"he's willing to protect you. to fight for you. to serve you. he's happy that he was needed by someone... needed by you." you took out a stack of empty talismans.
"i can't take mash's spotlight." you gazed up at mash who was relentlessly deflecting the endless amount of carbon chunks.
"i'll be his backbone. but what will you do, abel?" you turned to the third-years before you.
"lord abel... please..." abyss coughed out, mustering whatever strength he had left to spare a final glance at the first fang.
"run.. while.. you... can." he gave smile that swelled with satisfaction in his successful attempt at protecting abel, even if it left him with a grave wound.
abel could only lower his head, contemplating on what to do.
"you poor, poor thing! you're nearly out of time!" cell war laughed, preparing for his next spell.
"carbo heavy rain!" he casted.
the carbon chunks increased in both size, speed, and strength, rapidly raining down upon mash who had nearly no chance to deflection.
however, before they could injure him, the carbon spikes penetrated large jointed hands, the impact being absorbed as their movements were forcefully halted. simultaneously, your talisman had homed down on the spikes, sealing them in their small confinement.
"even the weak... have the right to fight back." as he spoke, abyss was no longer in abel's arms.
"abel, what are you doing?" cell war's grin fell, grimly staring at the third-year.
"figuring out what is right with my own hands." he answered without hesitation.
"really? have it your way." the blond scoffed.
the large three-headed puppet speedily crawled toward the bowl-cut male, being impaled with numerous carbon spikes along the way.
it was being torn apart faster than it could attack, one of the heads being sliced off. it rolled by cell war's feet.
"how sad. this kind of magic can't..." before he could finish his sentence, his eyes widened at the rattling that emitted from the doll's severed head.
the doll's mouth fell open, revealing the hidden mash. with his fist balled he crawled out of the mouth.
"hi."
his knuckles wasted no second on digging into cell war's face, cracking loudly being sounded from the pressured impact.
however, the sound did not come from bones breaking, but rather a carbon shell cracking. cell war revealed himself to be unharmed as the carbon shell he had made took the hit, crumbling off his face.
"you're the first to break through my epidermis. that's what i get for letting my guard down." he admitted, picking off the rest of the carbon remains.
"what magic do you use?" he asked.
"huh?"
"uh oh."
"what do you call your personal magic?" cell war reworded his question, a curious smile on his face.
"uh.. um." the boy stuttered, trying to think of a response.
"mash, don't ans─"
"power."
"oh my god."
"...so you refuse to answer me. whatever." cell war brushed off his half-assed response, reaching into his sleeves to pull something out.
"what the-?! that's... the spellflection mirror!" dot exclaimed.
the spellflection mirror. to keep it short, it literally reflects whatever spell is casted at it and parries it.
'wobbuffet?'
"it's one of the most powerful and feared magical items in the world. i thought the bureau of magic was guarding it. so why...?"
'i should have never lent it to mr. egotistical.' you shook your head, a remorseful smile on your face.
"mash, don't! we magic users don't stand a chance against that thing!" dot yelled out, cautioning mash.
"yeah. it took me 90 attempts to seal that thing just to unseal it. you have no idea how many fingers i lost and got back dealing with that thing." you pointed to the mirror.
"but then again... you can just easily shatter it without magic. it is still just a mirror." you mumbled under your breath before shrugging.
"you just had to get in my way. now you all get to suffer." cell war said, confidently holding up the mirror.
but mash being mash, sent a kick that pierced right through the mirror, shattering it while crushing cell war's face.
to say the least, the entire group, as well as abel, were left speechless.
"haha. fuck." you half-heartedly chuckled.
"gaslighting it is." you painstakingly smiled. mash could really be troublesome at times.
however, not even such a powerful kick could take down cell war. the male only stumbled back, dusting himself before noticing an engraving on the back of his palm.
he momentarily stared at it before licking his lips in amusement. the space behind him started to crack. as it shattered, dark hands extended out of the portal he created.
"today was surprisingly productive thanks to meeting you. my name is cell war." he grinned.
"do you think you're leaving just like that?" you stepped forward, wand in hand.
"yes, i have an errand to run and must be going. but i will come back for you." he gazed down at you.
"no, you don't." you stated.
cell war's eyes widened as a chime sounded, echoing throughout the silent walls. he found himself stood right in front of you, his spell nowhere in sight.
"you sealed my spell...?" he chuckled in disbelief.
"you won't have any errands to run when i send your head back to your father." you coldly glared at him.
"this is perfect... but i won't be fighting you." cell war's grin grew, excited to see your expression as he pulled out his trump card.
you raised an eyebrow, watching as he extended an arm out. a shadow pooled beneath on the ground beneath his palm.
your blood ran cold as you picked up the magic energy.
someone had emerged from the pool of shadows.
no. it was something─ whatever it was, it wasn't human. it simply could not be.
"you can deal with her. come on out... our rogue prince." cell war darkly chuckled, finding pleasure in your twisted expression of disgust.
the distress was eminent on your face. every single thought and memory resurfacing all at once. you couldn't move. you just couldn't. you denied every possibility of what could have happened, but your senses had not once lied to you.
not even now, in such a time of impossibility.
"how- no, why...?" you could only breathlessly utter.
you blinked.
that single millisecond with your eyes off the thing that was before you, was as well his opening to get right in front of you in the next moment.
his was sword driven down your body, diagonally slashing you, nearly slicing you in half with the depth his blade had cut through.
and yet, he missed none of your vital spots.
was it a subconscious move?
it couldn't be. he was fully conscious. he wasn't under any sort of control.
your vision blurred as you blinked once more, on your knees the next second, clutching your fatal wound.
you couldn't even think to heal.
your surroundings darkened, your hearing became muffled, your consciousness slipping from you.
and soon, it was just you and him.
both enveloped in an abyssal darkness.
both without words.
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just how far does that man intend on going?
even as far as reviving you...
alistair?
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ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
proofread.
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ᝰ.ᐟ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎AUTHOR'S NOTE
；don't let ryoh hear
about this 😹😹 i really
loved writing this chapter!
chapter 21, interlude &
we're finished for s1 !!