//This chapter contains dark subjects, read at your own risk\\
Azriel hummed with a smile on his face as he side-eyed Kyle past the barrel of his handgun. "I have to say, I'm surprised at you." He said quietly as he stared into Kyle's eyes.
"No, you're not. There's no way you didn't expect this." Kyle said darkly before Azriel's smile grew wider and Kyle's brow bent down further.
"No, I'm surprised that you think you'll be able to stop me with that flimsy gun of yours." Azriel purred manically before a leg swung up and kicked the gun out of Kyle's hand, where it flew into the air and clattered to the ground a few feet away. Kyle looked over in anger before he saw it was Nyx who kicked the gun out of his hand. He took a few steps back and watched her as her bright pink eyes flicked and flashed to blue a few times as she grunted and struggled. "The connection may be shaky, but she is still under my control." Azriel said as he took a few steps back, he suddenly flicked his hand forward towards Kyle. Kyle's eyes widened before he rolled out of the way of another fast flying needle.
On the other side of the plexiglass wall, Damien's eyes quickly scanned the area for something that could be of use. Off on the far end of the room, near the throne, there was a panel on the wall that looked like it might raise the wall. Damien quickly took a few steps towards Danny and grabbed his arm firmly. "Come with me." He said sternly before Danny and Damien fell through Damien's shadow in the ground as the others watched in surprise. They manifested out of the wall next to the panel inside, without Azriel noticing.
"Get your hand off me." Danny said angrily as he roughly jerked his arm out of Damien's grip. He gave Damien a glare before Damien stepped out of the way and Danny could see the panel on the wall.
"It was the only way I could bring you with me, use this terminal and lift that wall." Damien said before he looked towards the fight and dashed forward to join it. He tried to send a tendril down to stab into Azriel but he noticed at the last moment and leaped backwards to avoid it. Danny watched for a moment, seeing Nyx attack Damien to protect Azriel against her will. He quickly turned to the panel to try and lift the wall as fast as possible to avoid the risk of Nyx getting hurt. He placed his hand on the terminal and his eyes started shimmering silver. He navigated through the menus before finding the security settings. Danny cursed under his breath when he saw that in order to lift the wall, the terminal required a handprint scan from Azriel. Danny turned around to check on the fight, he saw the look of confusion on Kyle's face that Damien was suddenly here and helping him. His eyes widened a bit when he saw how nimble and fast Azriel was while fighting. He saw the rest of his friends watching anxiously from behind the wall, that was when he locked eyes with Nate.
Danny, please tell me you can hear me?
Danny's breath hitched in his throat. Yes, I can hear you! He thought back in happiness. Nate smiled in relief before he heard Danny's response. I'm gunna get this wall up, then it's all you, dude. Danny turned back to the terminal and thought for a moment.
Realistically speaking, a person's handprint is a sort of password all on its own. One that is more than unique...and computers run from electricity, which I have control over as well...maybe I can...
Danny placed his hand back on the terminal and focused intensely, he blocked out the rest of the world around him and focused solely on the electric heartbeat of the inner workings of the bunker. His eyes began shimmering electric blue and he allowed a miniscule amount of electricity into the terminal. He kept the stream going so he would stay connected as he could feel information flow into him. Danny smiled as the screen began glitching and stuttering before two beeps sounded faintly from the terminal. The handprint on the terminal flashed green and Danny turned around in time to see the plexiglass wall lift quickly.
"Yes!" Danny whispered fiercely to himself before he took a few steps forward to observe the status of the fight. He was surprised at Azriel's physical prowess as he dodged Damien's shadows. He twirled and flipped like a trained dancer and it was starting to make Damien angry.
"Hold still, you freak!" Damien yelled in anger as he tried to send a sharped tendril horizontally in front of him. Azriel leaped into a backflip and perfectly dodge the tendril before Kyle suddenly manifested next to him and tried to throw a punch into his face. Azriel caught Kyle's wrist and his swing was cut short, Azriel then flicked his arm downward and Kyle yelled out in pain. When he looked down he saw one of Azriel's long metal pins stabbed through his foot, pinning him where he stood. Azriel flicked his wrist and another blade appeared in his hand. It was the small sharpened letter opener that he used to slash Nate's eye. He tried to stab Kyle in the abdomen but Kyle quickly grabbed his wrist and saved himself.
Kyle looked up at Azriel's manic face. "Enough of this shit, Azriel. Tell me how to break the connection." He said quietly as Azriel pushed harder to try and stab him.
Azriel giggled, "Wouldn't you like to know." He sang out playfully before his eyes flicked down swiftly and Kyle yelled out in pain louder again as Azriel stabbed one of his metal pins through Kyle's forearm. Before Azriel could stab into his abdomen, Azriel was forced to break the grapple and leap backwards to avoid Soul's slicing shadow. Kyle kneeled down to relieve the pressure on his foot that was stabbed into the ground, clutched his bleeding forearm and looked at Nyx. She was on her knees with her head bowed in front of her, she wasn't actively attacking anyone, it seemed like she was pouring all of her energy into maintaining control, but that left her not able to do much else.
"Kyle!" He heard Nerissa's voice before he saw her sliding up next to him. "Shit, I don't have a lot of water. I think I can only heal one wound." She said in a slightly panicked tone.
"Heal my arm, I can deal with a hole in my foot." Kyle responded without hesitation. Nerissa looked at him for a moment before she swiftly nodded and swirled her arms in a circular motion. The last of her water surrounded Kyle's bleeding forearm as it began to glow. The wound closed and the pain in his arm stopped, but the pain in his foot remained. Kyle reached down and tightly gripped this metal pin keeping him stuck to the floor and inhaled sharply. He swiftly pulled out the pin and groaned in pain before standing up and tossing the pin away. Nerissa stood up next to him just in time to see Azriel leaving the ground again, but this time it was because Soul had used her shadows to restrain him. He was finally still.
Azriel grunted and struggled as Kyle approached with a subtle limp. Soul shifted her shadows down so Azriel was forced onto his knees so he couldn't kick Kyle when he got close. "Azriel." Kyle said coldly as he kneeled down in front of him, but his voice was oddly calm as well. "I don't know why you thought that you could take us all on."
Azriel looked up at him with a mad grin and glowing pink eyes. "Because I know more about you all than you could ever know about yourselves." He looked at Danny first. "I know that you still feel a crippling pit of inadequacy in your heart, that'll never go away." Danny's eyes widened before Azriel looked at Jaya next. "I know that the only reason you betrayed me is because your brother's dead, you probably would still be under my thumb if it were the contrary." Azriel said with a smile and Jaya looked down in shame. Nerissa placed a hand on Jaya's shoulder and Azriel looked at her. "And you...Oh, Neri, Neri, Neri...you were, and still are, nothing but a fragile little flower. Except now, you're a fragile little flower who slaughtered innocent people." Azriel's manic smile grew wider and Nerissa tensed. Orion and Jaya both guided her away from Azriel's gaze as he got bored and looked to Damien, who was glaring daggers at him with crossed arms. "And then we have Damien. The wolf in a wolf's clothing. We both know the truth though, don't we?" Damien's eyes narrowed. "You're nothing more than what your daddy made you..." Damien's grip on his own arms tightened. "Now here you are, trying to play the noble hero and save the city from me. But without daddy, you're just a docile...little...lapdog." Damien growled in rage before he began stepping forward to end this brat once and for all, but Soul's arm stopped him.
"Damien, wait." Soul said sternly but quietly. Damien halted and looked at her. "Think, why is he trying to rile us up like this?" Soul asked him and Damien raised an eyebrow.
"I assume that his Gift created such a strong connection that, if we kill him now, everyone who he had made a doll of...will drop dead as well." Danny interjected as he stepped forward, his eyes locked on Nyx, who was still focusing greatly to remain in control. Damien gritted his teeth in irritation before he turned away as he rubbed his jaw, not willing to look at Azriel for another moment.
"That's fine." Kyle said, drawing Azriel's attention to him. Kyle was already glaring into Azriel's eyes with a blank gaze. "We have a way around that." He said before suddenly, pink streams began to crawl across his skin, the visage breaking away in clumps, revealing Nate underneath. His eyes were already red and Azriel's breath hitched as his eyes were suddenly red to match, the real Kyle walked up next to Nate, watching the situation closely.
"You." Nate said in a hushed rage, "You've been pulling the strings that you've been attaching around this city for years, haven't you? You're the reason Oliver is dead. You're the reason that I watched the woman I love drop dead in front of my eyes. You're the reason Damien lost his home. The reason Kyle was put into a coma. The reason Jaya lost his brother. The reason I have the entire Gifted underground after my head. The reason that this city was put in flames." Nate stood up as he remained in eye contact with Azriel, who lifted his head to meet his eyes. "No more. It ends now, with you. Release your Gift." Nate growled out his order angrily before Azriel's eyes flickered between neon pink and red a few times. They all looked over to the pile of dolls next to Azriel's throne and the dolls all crumbled into a massive pile of dust and stuffing. They whipped their heads to the far right when they heard Nyx sigh loudly in intense relief. Nerissa was over there in an instant and helped her to her feet.
"Are you okay, Nyx?" Nerissa asked her quietly as Nyx held her head for a moment.
"I think I'm okay...but we're...not done here." Nyx said in a stern whisper before she left Nerissa's grip and walked towards Azriel. He was still restrained, but now his head was hanging in front of him. Nate didn't release his grip on Azriel's mind, which is why he was so confused to see Azriel raise his head up to look around. His eyes were blue, and not red. Azriel looked confused...and afraid.
"What...what's going on...?" He said quietly before it looked like he just now noticed he was restrained by shadows. He struggled violently before he looked back up at everyone's confused faces as they stared back. "Who are you people?! What's-" Azriel looked to his left and saw Kyle standing next to Nate. "Kyle! What's going on?! Where's mom?!"
The room was silent as everyone's eyes whipped to Kyle, who just looked down with a somber sigh. "You killed her, Azriel." He said quietly, ignoring all the eyes on him for the time being. "You killed her, my sister, and my father, and your father too." Kyle looked deadpan but everyone in the room knew that he was internally distraught. "You're Gifted, and unfortunately, you have absolutely no control over it. It completely consumed you after your dad took you away from our house. I...only survived because...I was out when you attacked...but what I came home to..." Kyle couldn't finish his sentence before he averted his eyes. Nyx looked over at him with a concerned look, Kyle had never mentioned anything to anyone about his past. Now she knew why.
Azriel stared back with a horrified look on his face before his eyes started misting. "Kyle...I'm so sorry...I didn't know! I couldn't..."
"I know you couldn't. That's just...the life of Gifted..." Kyle responded in a shaky whisper before Azriel said something that shook him to his core.
"Kyle...you have to kill me...I...I can't continue on like this! I know I'm just going to lose control again...I'm going to hurt more people..." Azriel paused for a moment and looked down. "I don't want to hurt more people..." He said in a shaky whisper as Kyle stared with wide eyes. The room was silent for a while as Azriel let out quiet restrained sobs. All while Kyle was frozen in an ultimatum, save his brother and doom a city, or save the city and kill his brother.
"Kyle?" Nerissa's small voice called out, although Kyle could barely hear it, he looked over at her. "Our job as agents of Sanctuary is to save Gifted, it seems to me like someone who can't control their Gift-" A soft chuckle from Kyle cut off Nerissa's sentence.
"Neri, I admire your willingness to try and save him, and I know you're only doing this because he's my family but...the fact remains, he can't be saved. If his Gift consumed him enough to cause him to murder his own family, and continued to consume him for years after the fact...killing him...is saving him." Kyle admitted quietly, but no one could tell if it was pain or relief laced within his words.
"Kyle." Danny spoke up as he walked next to Kyle and placed a hand on his arm. "I can stop his heart with little to no pain...if you want. You don't have to be the one to do this. No one should have to kill their sibling." Danny said rather bluntly, but his genuine tone was hard to miss. Kyle took a moment to think before he looked over at Nate.
His voice came out quiet and slightly hoarse.
"Can you-"
"Yes." Nate responded bluntly, already knowing what he was asking. Nate looked back down at Azriel, who had calmed down but was still shaking. "If you really don't think we will be able to help you...I can just...put you to sleep, there will be no pain." He said quietly with a deadpan expression, but Nyx could see the melancholic look in his eyes.
Azriel sniffled, "O-Okay...thank you for this..." He said in a croaky whisper. Nate nodded before his eyes flashed red again and he took control of Azriel.
"I want you to know, you're a real hero for this." Nate said to him, knowing Azriel could hear him. "Go to sleep, hero." He said quietly before Azriel's eyes fluttered shut and he fell forward onto the marble floor. Nate closed his eyes with a soft sigh before he opened them again, and his eyes were their normal shade of green again. "You're up, Danny."
Danny nodded subtly before he stepped forward and kneeled down. Danny moved Azriel so he was laying on his back and took a deep breath. He started rubbing his hands together faster and faster and everyone could see a charge being built up and surrounding his hands. Danny then separated his hands and hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could really do this. He quickly steeled himself before planting his hands on Azriel's chest, the charge was released and Azriel's body jolted before laying still again. Danny moved his hand to feel for Azriel's pulse on his neck, after a moment, he pulled his hand away.
"That's it..." Danny said quietly as he leaned back onto his knees. Kyle let out a long sigh, releasing years of pent up pain.
"5 years..." Kyle said quietly. "5 years of searching...and just like that, it's done." He sounded like he almost didn't believe it.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Danny asked Kyle in a soft tone.
"Because what difference would it have made? Really? He killed who knows how many people, and threw the entire city into complete chaos. He would've been executed when we brought him back to Sanctuary anyway. At least this way, he went out on his own terms, in a sound mind." Kyle said with a hint of annoyance in his tone before pulling out his phone. "I'm going to call Elizabeth for extraction, I'll meet you all out front." He said before he started walking away as he dialed his phone. Everyone watched him go before Nyx turned to the group.
"Is everyone okay?" She asked everyone.
"Physically or mentally?" Rhys asked quietly, clearly he was well enough to make another joke in poor taste.
Nyx snickered anyway, "Physically. I know we're all fucked up mentally."
Nerissa looked around at everyone, "It seems like it's just minor injuries, we should go out front and meet up with Kyle. I imagine Elizabeth will have...a lot of questions for me." Her tone changed to somber near the end. The group started to walk out of the room before the familiar whooshing of Erebus shadows sounded through the room and everyone turned around. They saw Damien, using his shadows to gently lift and wrap up Azriel's body into a small backpack, much like he did with Nyx's corpse.
"What are you doing?" Nyx asked him.
"Did you want to just leave this kids corpse to rot away down here? He's family to one of your agents and you claimed he was a hero. Doesn't he deserve a proper burial?" Damien responded with a bit of attitude, but the gravity of his words still left everyone surprised. Nyx couldn't help but smile subtly, maybe Damien was really changing for the better.
Finally, their greatest challenge had come to an end. It was dark outside when the group left Azriel's bunker, seeing Kyle standing there already and flipping his phone shut. "She sent a van for us, they should be here in a bit. What the hell is that?" Kyle said as he noticed the backpack of shadows on Damien's back.
"It's your brother. I'm bringing him back to Sanctuary, where he will be getting a proper burial." Damien responded coldly and Kyle's eyes widened slightly. He did not expect this type of selfless behavior from someone he had been told was the devil himself.
"Oh, uh...thanks, I guess." Kyle responded, a bit guilty for not thinking of that himself. He cleared his throat softly. It was mostly silent while they all waited for the Sanctuary van to pick them up. Nyx had ended up falling asleep laying her head in Nate's lap on the grass. Danny and Nerissa were silently chatting with Jaya, Danny wanted to give Jaya a real chance, seeing how Nerissa trusted Orion so quickly off of Danny's word. The woods were silent, apart from the subtle chirping of crickets and other small critters. The longest day of their lives was finally over.
It was time to go home.