Grisha Astra - POV;
"CRASH!"
An ear-splitting sound echoed through the Coliseum as the magical barrier erected around it concaved significantly before shattering into oblivion with an outward force that knocked down and tossed aside the spectators below, haphazardly. The protective glass walls around our, the officials', reserved seats cracked and splintered before eventually giving way and launching a barrage of deadly projectiles at us. Luckily for the... less powerful among us, the stronger Vessels including myself acted quickly to defend the members of the Heirarchy along with the other dignitaries.
*"Lord Astra!"* one of my underlings' voice blared through my earpiece, *"There's something going on! Incidents are being reported in from all over the city!"*
"Shit," I cursed under my breath before turning to the members of my Squad and ordering them loudly, "I'm leaving you all in charge. Protect the officials with your lives, Enforcers!"
"Aye, sir!"
I bolted out of the back entrance which led to the roof and bounded across the rooftops and skies atop the bolts of my lightning as a million thoughts zipped through my mind. Could he have been making his move? Was this one final push of desperation against odds that would spell his certain failure? Or was this some other threat?
"BOOOM!"
"BOOOOOM!"
"BOOOOOOOM!"
I whipped my head around at the deafening series of explosions, only to see the Coliseum billowing thick clouds of surging smoke as it went up in flames. I didn't have much time to deliberate on that matter however as a second later, bombs went off interspersed throughout the city landscape beneath me and as far as my eyes could see. Panicked cries and frightened screams rang out from every direction of the dense, concrete jungle as the citizens scampered helter-skelter towards some percieved notion of safety; a notion that simply might not have existed. I swiftly went to work, landing amidst the chaos to render aid to anyone who would require it.
"Hello?! Hello?! Does anyone here me?! Enforcers, come in if you hear me! This is Regulus Grisha Astra reporting in!" I shouted into a communications device I carried on my person, in an attempt to reach back-up, "There are multiple simultaneous attacks throughout Fenix City! We need back up, now! Hello?! Is anyone there?! Damn it!"
I tossed down my arms, upset by my inability to get through to the channels of the other Enforcer Squads.
"Jean!"
"Yaaaaaaaaaah!" the man yelled as he fell with his broken fourth-storey balcony. I zoomed into the air at lightning speed, catching him by the jacket and, as I passed by, I tossed him back into his room with the woman who screamed his name. I let my momentum continue to carry me upwards and planted my feet into the bottom of the overhead roof's edge before launching myself back towards the plummeting debris. With an electrically charged leg, I proceeded to zap between the concrete slabs and pounded them into dust, thus allowing them to drift down harmlessly onto the crowd gathered below.
"Versailles! I know you can hear me!" I yelled into my device again, "You always have this personal channel open between us both! Fenix City is being assaulted! I need to get through to the armies of the World Heirarchy! Get them in here now! Versailles! Answer me for God's sake! Is this thing broken?!"
I shook my device violently but it seemed to be responding normally. I raised it to my lips once more, to call the the most trustworthy person I knew. This was my final hope of assessing the situation.
"Indira! Indira, are you there?! Indira!" I called for my daughter through the piece of technology but alas the response was the same as before.
"BOOOM!"
An unexpected blast followed by the sudden screech of tires pulled my attention towards the left where a fuel tanker had veered sharply in order to avoid the bomb but rapidly lost control of his vehicle which now hurtled towards a helpless woman.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!" she screamed as her life flashed before her very eyes but I wasn't going to allow her to breathe her last just like that. I shot towards her at full speed, picking her up with not even a second to spare. I even felt the wind pushing off of the bumber as it passed barely an inch from our bodies. I lay down the traumatised and confused girl gently before springing into action once more by blasting though the driver-side window of the truck, ripping the male out of his seat and spinning as we emerged safely through the other window, all in one continuous motion. It was pretty impressive if I had to say so myself.
I got us both onto the pavement for safety but I couldn't dwell on my victory as behind me, the massive tanker began to overturn at it's quick speed. This wasn't something I could easily intervene in as my electricity would ignite the flammable liquid inside easily. At the same time however, I knew that if it overturned, that alone would likely result in an explosion that everyone nearby would become caught up in and as fast as I was, I couldn't rescue all of them on such short notice. This situation needed someone with a much different skillset.
As if to answer my prayers an ocean of water rushed onto the scene, dousing many of the nearby flames and flooding beneath the truck as it flowed. It caught the truck mid-fall and lowered in gently at the centre of the street while also sweeping many of the by-standers to an appropriate distance away. There was only man that could have arrived on the scene; my hero, Regulus Damon Neptulus!
"HELP!!!" a shrill shriek sounded to the south. One of the buildings had been severely compromised by the ongoing mess and its base had given way, causing the mass of concrete and steel to collapse in upon itself. I rushed to the site immediately, scanning for any survivors amongst the dozens of fatalities.
"HEEEEEEEELP!!!"
My eyes fell on the spasming arm that peeked out from beneath the rubble and it quickly became clear than there were people trapped underneath. I leapt over to them and instantly slipped my fingers beneath the impossibly large conglomerate of debris. I pushed against the ground hard with my legs, grunting as I struggled to lift the entrapment.
"Haaaaaaah!" I let out a battle cry as I unleashed my elemental prowess and used it in combination with my raw strength to raise the deadly, fifteen hundred pound mass off of the ground.
"Are you badly injured? Can you move on your own?" I pressed them.
"We can!" a man responded as he and a female partner dragged themselves out from underneath with only minor scratches and bruises.
"Hurry to the nearest shelter! The police will be there to guide you! Go!" I instructed them as they scampered away gratefully with words of thanks.
"Grisha! What's going on?!" Damon enquired as he landed beside me.
"I have a few guesses but I'm not sure!" I huffed as I let the heavy weight drop, "All I know is that all hell has broken loose! This is too perfect to be a coincidence! This is a coordinated attack! Where is Horus Fenix?!"
"The bastard took off the moment everything went off and we left to aid evacuations. I think he's headed back to hole himself up in his fortress!" Damon told me scornfully.
"Damn it, the coward! This is HIS city and HIS people!" I spat.
"Even so, I can't just stand by idly while they suffer. I'm going to lend my aid and get to the bottom of this!" Damon insisted.
"Of course! I share your intentions," I agreed as we dashed further into the city, "I've been trying to get in touch with the Fifth King Versailles, the World Heirarchy and the Elite Enforcers but I can't get through to them. They are sure to notice this eventually and send help but until then we have to pull through on our own and minimise casualties where possible!"
"Aquarius and Indira should still be at the Coliseum! We need to get into contact with them!" he suggested.
"I've been trying, but my daughter won't receive a signal either. I'm not too worried though. They are both highly capable and Xyder is there with them. No matter the circumstances, they will know the best course of action!" I proudly declared.
In my many years as a leader of an elite militant group I had seen my fair share of just about any incident and conflict imaginable. In that time I picked up more than a few combat tricks. By assessing the damage and patterns of an incident I could pretty accurately guess the intention behind it and from what I was seeing, Fenix Cuty wasn't merely suffering collateral damage in a battle between two others. No. This was direct and it was aimed right at them the intention was to attack them. To kill them. Fenix City was plunged into an all out war against someone who wanted them to feel his actions. That much was certain.
No matter where we turned to, the madness ensued. Limbs, blood and gore dotted every corner and the emergency personnel was working overtime to guide, protect, save and mitigate both the people and the destruction.
"Officer!" I hailed as I ground to a stop beside the policeman, "What's the situation? I can't get into contact with anyone!"
"Regulus Astra! Sir!" he saluted, "We're scrambling to figure it out as well. Our respurces are spread thin and a number of our squads are going unresponsive. We're fearing the worst!"
*"Lord....... Astra......* my communicator crackled.
"I'm here, agent. Have you all secured the officials?" I responded to the member of my squad.
*"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"* she shrieked in agony before going silent.
"Rurina?! Agent Rurina!" I shouted her name in a panic.
*"Fee. Fi. Fo. Fum,"* the familiar male voice hissed from the other side, *"I smell the blood of a scared old man."*
My blood froze over spontaneously as i recognised his distinct, mocking tone.
"Rex... Blaze..." I murmured.
*"How're things with ya Grisha? It's been a while since I heard from ya,"* he sncikered.
"Rex Blaze?! How can you still stand?!" Damon exclaimed.
*"Ahhh! Damon! Aww, the whole gang's 'ere. You, Grisha and Seraphim sure did a number on me the last time we met. I had t' throw myself in the lake t' run away with my life..... And I'm still fucking pissed,"* he growled, adopting a much more formal tone and manner of speaking, *"I was expecting more from soldiers who train directly under you though. They were a pity... these members of your Squad. If you want the three of them, they're at the North Exit of the Coliseum. Can't miss them. Oh, but the girl is in a bit of a mess. I swaped her oesophagus with her rectum. A tiny change, but hey! I'm just repaying the favor for last time."*
"You bastard! How dare you touch my allies!" I screamed.
*"Don't lose ya cool, Grisha,"* he chuckled, *"It's not good fer ya. And one more thing. When I said I smelled a scared old man, was it you? Was it Damon? Or could it have been....."*
Rex trailed off into psychotic laughter before the line went dead completely. What was he instigating? What was he trying to say?
"Lord Grisha, sir! This is terrible!" the officer exclaimed behind me, "News just came in that over thirty of our dispatched teams have been neutralized or killed! But that's not the worst part! From what we're seeing, they were all encountered in a specific pattern that leads further north! Whoever is killing our men is travelling a straight line towards the Fenix Residential District!"
"Fuck!" I bellowed as the pieces aligned completely in my head, I took off sprinting down the main road with Damon in hot pursuit.
"Is it.... can it really be what I'm thinking?" Damon questioned in disbelief.
"It definitely is!" I confirmed before bringing the minute microphone to my lips once again, "Indira! Come in, Indira! Indira!"
****
Dagan Zephyr - POV;
"Are you girls okay?" I enquired, looking at Indira and Aquarius, both of whom lay flat on the floor of the hollow, sapphire sphere I'd created to prevent the overhead rubble from squashing us entirely. I held the hand of Aquarius, who was much closer, and lifted her to her feet as I stood up myself.
"Y-yeah," Indira answered me as she sat up and scanned her surroundings, "Dagan... this is your element isn't it? You saved us."
"Don't worry about it. I acted on impulse. Besides, we're not safe yet. Once you dig us out of here, we'll be even," I assured her as I pointed above us to direct their attention to the fact that we were buried.
"Oh, sure. That no biggie! Stand back!" she grinned.
"You might want to look away," I sighed, turning my back to the Astra Heir and twisting the Neptulus Heir in a similar direction before guarding our backs with a sapphire shield, "She's going to go full overkill."
Aquarius seemed confused for a moment but a moment later the sounds of Indira's lightning pillar made her jump as it tore through the mess and left a clear passage for us to escape through.
"Told ya. No biggie," Indira winked.
"As Aquarius would say, an unnecessary show of immature pride," I shook my head.
"Huh?" Aquarius lit up, looking at me in surprise.
"Hmm? What's up?" I questioned.
"How did you know I was going to say that?" she asked curiously.
"Oh I... how did I? I guess great mind think alike," I joked.
"Indeed. Perhaps that's why Indira didn't have even a single one of those words passing through her mind," Aquarius smirked.
"Oi! We're free aren't we? Now don't push your luck before I leave your asses down here!" she hissed.
Figuring that she wasn't entirely joking, we flew up to the surface behind her. I took a moment to asses the extent of the damage to the Coliseum and though most of it had been compromised, the integrity of its base frame remained largely intact.
"Indira, your father's going to call us to update us on the situation. See if you can get your communicator up and running," I told her.
"He is? By the way, who told you about my... com..." her voice trailed off as she pulled a broken chunk of metal and glass from a pouch on her hip, "Oh no, it's ruined!"
"Dagan... how exactly were you aware of her... high-tech, spy phone apparatus... or whatever she called it?" Aquarius interrogated, giving me a caution side-eye glance as she did.
"Oh... well... huh... I'm not sure actually. Maybe I overheard her talk about it?" I suggested.
"She only got that thing three days ago... and I only know because she couldn't stop gushing on and on about it to me. The only way you could know about that is... if you were eavesdropping on our conversation," Aquarius muttered.
"Eh?"
"Stalker!" the Neptulus heir accused me as she recoiled in disgust.
"EH?!"
"Oh come on, Nep, I probably did just mention it without realising," Indira assured her, "I doubt Dagan is some weirdo who-"
*".............ra................dira......."*
"The fuck?!" Indira exclaimed as her father's voice crackled through the sparking remains of her gift, "How the hell did you- What did- Stay away from us, weirdo!"
*"Indira!'*
****
Grisha Astra - POV;
"Dad?!" my daughter's voice finally came through, "Dad can you hear me? What's going on?"
"Get out of there now, Indira! Warn Aquarius and the other and run! Things have gotten out of hand! This is too much for you all to handle! Rex Blaze is in there and he's seriously bad news! It's far too dangerous for you all to stick around here. Help out whoever you can along the way but you need to evacuate now! They are attacking the city in its entirety! They've gone mad! Blaze has made their move! Duran Blaze and the rest of his clan are here! They're targeting the Regulus and everyone who gets in their way! Did you get that? Indira? Indira?! Damn it! The line's dead again!" I snapped, throwing the device aside and turning to Regulus Neptulus, "I'm going ahead, Damon! Meet me there!"
I rocketed skywards, my body crackling from the discharges of lightning around me, before I zoomed in the direction of Regulus Fenix' mansion. The last thing that I could allow to happen was the assassination of the Regulus and his bloodline. My mission was simple: extract Horus and get him as far away from here as possible... or atleast it should have been simple.
En route, a curious scene caught my eye. Laid about a broken street, which was laden with mangled materials and signs of combat, were the corpses of at least two dozen armed members of Fenix's law enforcement units. At the centre of the mess, a muscular male stood triumphantly as, with one arm, he held up a struggling soldier by the neck.
I nosedived, snatching the male out of his assailant's grasp and I dropped him to the floor, a safe thirty feet away. He coughed and sputtered in an attempt to catch his breath and return his body to some degree of normalcy.
"Report back to your superiors officer! Go!" I ordered him as I turned around to face the dark-skinned culprit, whom still remained atop the burning frame of what was once an expensive super car.
He turned his face towards me slowly, his white hair only slightly darkened by soot as he locked his intense, golden irises onto me. The enemy had shown his face!
"So you've finally resurfaced," I spoke to him, "Time to turn yourself in, Duran Blaze."
****
Dagan Zephyr - POV;
'Dagan, it's up to you now! You have to save Xyder,' I thought, a picture of Indira appearing in my mind as I did.
"Dagan, it's up to you now! You have to save Xyder," Indira told me bluntly.
'We're trusting you with this, Dagan. Now, are you prepared Indira?' I murmured under my breath, Aquarius' name floating through my brain all the while.
"We're trusting you with this, Dagan. Now, are you prepared Indira?" Aquarius pressed her comrade.
What the hell was going on?! For some time I'd been having an odd feeling as if the current events had already happened. However, this was far beyond any mere déjà vu. It was as if I had already been a complete part of these experiences... as if I'd lived them entirely. With my brain trained entirely on solving my unremitting premonition of something being out of place, I hardly afforded much thought to the moment that the Regulus Heirs clashed against Blaze's Dolls.
"Dagan! There's no time for daydreaming! Get in there!" Indira shouted as she and Aquarius took to the heavens with their foes hot on their trails.
Brought back to reality, I glared at Blaze's barrier as it swiftly diminished in strength, having lost the source of its power. Despite their leave however, one final layer remained; a layer that was easily just as strong as the shield that Xyder and Evelynn had to pool all of their strength and more to shatter during the battle against Blaze.
"Idiot! There's no time for me to be lost in my imagination," I insulted myself before locking eyes with my target, "Xyder! I'm coming!"
I threw myself at the magical wall with a level of determination that I never knew I had in me. To break something that Xyder and Evelynn could barely touch together? That was an impossible feat for someone like me. There was no way I could put even a scratch on something like that. Those two were leagues above anything that I could have hoped to be. I should have felt hopeless. I shouldn't have held a shred of belief that I could do this... but I did. Something inside, spurred me onwards. Something screamed that I would get through this.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaah!" I erupted in a battle cry as I leapt into the air and brought down my stone-covered fist onto the barrier with all of my might. I began to grin as it rippled violently but my smug expression was wiped off instantly as I found myself being shot backwards with twice the force. I hurtled directly into the concrete steps of the seating area and I laid in a daze as I coughed as a result of the raised sand and dust. Damage to my body had been minimized by the earthen armor I had formed around it but the imoact was still an effective one. I wasn't entirely sure if I could take another one like that... actually I knew I couldn't.
What had come over me? I was being a fool and severly overestimating myself. Something was wrong with me today. Something wasn't right with my head. I knew my boundaries. The limits I could achieve yesterday were the very same ones I could achieve today. There was no way it could have suddenly grown overnight. I was the same old Dagan; I could never match those destined for the spotlight.
*"That isn't true."*
There it was! That voice again! That sweet, gentle voice. Wait... but where had I heard it before. This was the first time I'd heard it, right? So why? Why do I feel like it's spoken to me like this before?
*"Because I have."*
I jumped to my feet with widened eyes and sweating profusely. I looked around wildly in a mixture of fear and curiosity for the owner of the voice. This wasn't normal and I knew it.
*"You've always been on top. You always took charge when no one else could. You proved as much when you led the survivors of Tenebrae's war."*
"What are- gah!" I was cut off before I could question the voice by a sharp pain in my skull accompanied by a flash of a terrifying image; one which showed Fenix City in a state of utter ruin. This wasn't the first time I've been here. I knew want was happening and what was to come because I lived through all of this before. This was just like then... like that time from so long ago!
*"You did not fail but as I anticipated, you grew. You evolved into someone much greater than I could have been."*
I rushed towards the barricade one more time, pushing my body to one hundred percent from the get go. I jumped over it as my skin metamorphosed entirely into impeccable sapphire which I fired at maximum velocity into the shield.
*"Under your leadership, the others banded together as one cohesive unit, inseparable in even the most trying times. Together you became a group well beyond the expectations of any other."*
The sapphire sunk inside just barely but that was enough for my means. I flattened and widened the heads of the gemstone stakes and attached it firmly to my calves, anchoring me to the surface and preventing me from being repelled as I launched a flurry of unending strikes into the defenses.
*"You've already found it. Now the time has come to unleash the power which sleeps within you."*
Vivid pictures flocked into my head; pictures of death amidst ruins, pictures of grief from uncertainty and separation, pictures of betrayal atop a blazing hill, pictures of endless strife and iron wills....
*Remember the past... and change the future!"*
I bellowed at the top of my lungs and drew my fist back for what was decidedly my final strike. My voice began to tremble and echo like a boom from a hollow cave as my body, morphing into Earth, expanded exponentially until I found myself towering far above the roof of the Colosseum.
Under my breath, I hissed, "Mythical Vessel: Behemoth," as my mountain of an arm plummeted towards Blaze's barrier. It tore through practically upon impact, exploding outwards in destructive waves of energy which ripped entire walls and sections out of the already battered building. My gargantuan frame crumbled into nothingness, ejecting my human form from it and leaving me in a freefall. I leaned forward, causing myself to spiral towards the arena even more quickly, but at the last second, I jerked upwards, flipping myself over and landing perfectly on one, sapphire-reinforced knee.
As the dust settled, an all too familiar scene greeted my eyes. Xyder stood tall, his perfect posture accentuating his unrivaled musculature. The crimson pattern etched to his forearm outlined the shredded appearance of his flexors and, much like before, Evelynn's injured corpse lay quietly at his feet.
Now, I was certain: it had happened again! Like before I was sent to the past and this was my chance to change things. Before Xyder could capture our friends and train himself to an untouchable level... I had to bring him back to his senses. I had to stop him here!
"Quite the power you have there. We'll have to take you out first," a coy, deep, mocking voice murmered behind me. He was so fast... I hadn't even seen him approaching. He circled infront of me at lightning speed but though it was only a blur, I could clearly make out the flowing white hair and glowing red eyes of the hulking man whom had introduced himself to Tenebrae as Zephyrus.
I could see his movements; the moment his elementally charged fist flung towards me. Despite that however, I couldn't defend myself. Time had almost seemed to slow down for me, while for him it only accelerated but beyond that, the tremendous amouts of energy bursting out of him was nauseating to say the least. I was petrified, unable to overcome a direct encounter with one whose prowess greatly exceeded what I could muster.
I stood my ground nevertheless, refusing to so much as blink as his knuckles closed in on me. The sound of the impact was tremendous, echoing far and wide with the force of a small missile and raising a thick cloud of sand around us... however he hadn't impacted with me. Though I could not see through the fog, my body remained upright and unharmed and a single question raced through my mind: What did Zephyrus hit?
My answer came quickly as the dust settled to reveal an all too familiar male standing over me. With one palm, he held tightly onto Zephyrus' clenched fingers, stopping them only a few inches from me. His face remained obscured by his scarlet hair but between that and his build, I was certain of my saviour's identity.
"In a moment of weakness and pain, I allowed myself to be swallowed by the wicked elements of this Earth," Xyder whispered sadly, "I betrayed my people... I betrayed my family but worst of all, I betrayed my friends. I caused pain to you that I cannot even imagine and caused strife that no young adult should ever bear to each and every one of you. I abandoned you when you needed me most, so I understand if you will never forgive me. This may be incredibly selfish, but can I ask you for one thing?"
Xyder trailed off subtly before turning to glare directly at Zephyrus' confused expression. In a single motion, almost too swift for me to even comprehend, his arm lit up in a myriad of colours as the nine elements enveloped it. He pivoted to the right as he drove his punch directly into Zephyrus skull, generating enough power to leave the powerful Vessel reeling across the length of the battlefield.
As he straightened his posture and extended his arm towards me, he finished his request, "Even if for this war alone, will you stand beside me, Dagan?"
I glanced at his gesture for a moment and chuckled as I held onto him and was lifted upright, "You don't even have to ask. After it's done, I have nore than a few ass kickings waiting for you though."
"They're well deserved and a long time coming," he laughed.
"You bet they are," I agreed vehemently, "Although I don't know how, it's good to have you back Xyder. Now, for old time's sake, let's kick this asshole back into the hell he came from!"
A distance away, Zephyrus rose up prominently, cracking his neck into place as he did.
"Impressive, you hide quite a bit of power behind your youth," Zephyrus congratulated, "Unfortunately for you however, this is as far as you go!"