Chapter 20 – Shadow Invasion part 3
The past few weeks saw the rise of a hopeful new world with the introduction of Chaos Man, today all that hope was being stripped away by Wilfre’s darkness, spreading across the city like a plague, infecting everything with the despair and hatred Jason Dark kept bottled up inside him all his life. Nothing was being done to stop him since nobody had a will strong enough to combat him, nobody except Alex and Michael. What they were dealing with was something far beyond Aegis’ understanding, not the kind of threat you can shoot at. They were fighting the manifestation of a disturbed child’s inner turmoil.
From the pitch-black shadowy clouds hanging over New London, an army of shadow demons fall from the sky, dropping to the ground like giant black raindrops. Their job was to ensure that everyone was under the influence of Wilfre’s depression. He wanted everyone to know how he felt, first New London then the rest of the world.
Alex, Michael and Omnius were watching a news report of the dark plague, or what was meant to be perceived as such. Even the news anchor was feeling depressed and catatonic, unable to bring herself to put much effort into her report. They were shocked to see the people in the background infected by the growing darkness. Their skin, hair and even clothing were almost completely greyed out, showing them how they’re all feeling as people, hollow, emotionless, a shell of the people they used to be. It was like they were literally becoming shadows of their former selves. Perhaps that is what Wilfre had in mind all along.
Alex: Jesus… look at the people, they look like they’ve had all the life… joy… even their will to move drained out of them.
Michael: What the hell is Wilfre doing to them?
Michael asked Omnius who was wiping the base of his staff down with a cloth.
Omnius: The Umbra Ruby is draining their souls of their humanity, everything that makes a human being feel alive, emotions, memories, personality, it’s all being stripped away.
Michael: Almost like… like a lobotomy?
Alex: But why would Wilfre do that? I thought he wanted to kill everyone.
Michael: In his sick, twisted mind, he may think this is a much worse fate.
Omnius: People like Jason often have a hard time fitting into the world because most people look down on individuals like him. This is less an act of malevolence but more a belief that this is the only way the world can accept him. Unlike the Genesis Emerald, the Umbra Ruby twists the minds of its victims, filling their heads with evil thoughts, corrupting them. The same was true for the scepter’s original owner, Oculus Abyssi.
Hearing that name triggered a negative response from Michael, like somebody dragging their nails across a chalkboard. His body tenses up and his fists clench. He takes a moment to calm his nerves. Unfortunately, the sight of the darkness spreading through the sky didn’t help clear his mind, all it did was agitate him further.
Alex: Michael?
Michael: …As long as he lives, this nightmare won’t end. There’s no argument, Wilfre has to die.
Alex: But Jackson told me-
Michael: With all due respect to him, whatever he whispered to you… It-it doesn’t matter right now! Being a superhero doesn’t mean you are forbidden to kill an enemy who we know is too dangerous to be left alive, this isn’t like your cartoons or comics. If you don’t kill Wilfre then I will!
Omnius: Frost Fang has the power to harm Wilfre but it’s not enough to combat the powers of the Umbra Ruby. The only thing that can defeat a Gem of Creation is another Gem of Creation… Listen Alex, you have a good heart unlike any person I’ve met in recent years. The fact that you want to save Jason is admirable, but even you can’t save every soul on this planet.
Alex: But Omnius, you said that I must never kill my enemies, right?
Omnius: No, I said you must not take joy in taking a life, but there will come times when you have no choice but to kill them.
Omnius closes the gap between him and Alex and gently puts his hands on his shoulders to ease his conscience.
Omnius: When you face Wilfre again don’t think about Jason, picture him as the creature that wants to hurt you and everyone else you care about and remember that you have the power to defeat him. Do not show weakness or he will exploit it.
Alex pauses and glances at Michael on his left who was nodding in agreement to Omnius’ statement. There was no other way. Alex then glares up at the pitch-black sky. He knew that in spite of their past friendship he could not let this continue. Nothing the others say, no matter how logical they sound, can change the fact that he doesn’t want to kill his best friend. Even though he knew he had to for the sake of the world, it’s people and his loved ones. It may take a while before he can learn to forgive himself, but it was his only choice.
Without saying another word, he reverts fully back into Chaos Man, allowing his mask to reform over his face and his eyes and hair to change back into their new style. A small smile formed in the corner of Michael’s mouth pleased to see him finally onboard. Hopefully now there will be no more uncertainties. The time has come to put an end to all this once and for all. Though he didn’t like it one bit, Michael allowed his friend to pick him up and carry him like a damsel in distress for easy transport back to the city. However, Omnius refuses to go with them when Alex offered him a ride. He needed to stay and defend the monastery and the sacred land it stood on from the shadow demons.
When the boys arrived back in New London things were just as bad as they feared. The dark clouds above have seeped down to the ground, completely darkening the city, snuffing out every light in the streets, buildings, even the tiniest of flames from a candle. This wasn’t just dark it was true darkness, like they’ve stepped into a void. The whole city had been transformed into a realm of shadows. The city was also, for the first time in hundreds of years, completely silent aside from the ominous sounds of thunder and the zombie-like groans of the shadow demons occupying the streets.
It was so dark that the heroes couldn’t see anything as they descended. Fortunately, Chaos Man’s suit had the ability to glow very brightly and help light up the voided New London, at least the part of it they were inhabiting.
As they touched down on the ground, they were greeted by the disturbing sight of all the people that had been walking through the streets which are now lying in the road or leaned against buildings and parked cars completely frozen. Michael rushes over to the nearest person to check their condition. It was an adult woman dressed in suit with a briefcase laying next to her, a lawyer maybe. Physically she fine but mentally and emotionally she was empty.
Michael: Excuse me, Miss, are you alright?
The woman doesn’t so much as look in his direction. Her body just lies there motionless. Though she did respond to his concerns, she only did it with a short, uninterested utterance.
Woman: Nothing is alright, we live in a cruel world. Nothing matters. Life is pointless.
Michael: Hey! Snap out of it! Thinking like that will only make you easy prey for those shadow creatures.
Woman: I don’t care about anything anymore… I don’t want to feel anymore.
Michael slowly backs away from the woman and turns to Chaos Man with major worry. Whatever has happened to her has happened to everyone. They’ve all just lost the will to live. They weren’t even reacting to the shadow demons wandering around. Even Aegis were being affected by the darkness with most of their men either laying in the streets alongside the citizens or just standing around with their heads hanging low.
The only ones who weren’t affected were Magna Tech’s robots, but they weren’t going to be of any use since their weapons cannot harm the shadow demons. They don’t even register them as monster threats since they have no physical existence, being literal shadows. It was really just them left. Michael started feeling a little bit gloomy at the sight of it all. This big, modernised metropolis that was once filled with wonder and hope after surviving the wounds it suffered from the Monster War now be reduced to a gothic wasteland of despair, it was making him feel sad. Either he was genuinely upset by how things went, or the darkness was beginning to affect him too. Chaos Man assumed he was safe due to the Genesis Emerald’s power, but he can’t allow Michael to let the depression of the void get to him.
Chaos Man: Michael, don’t let the sorrow of the shadows get to you-
Suddenly, Frost Fang – attached to Michael’s back – started to glow a bright blue and a field of pure white aura forms over his body like a protective layer of positive energy to counteract the negativity. Its as if all the cynical thoughts going through his mind were suddenly silenced and he was now floating above the clouds in a bright blue sky.
Michael: Whoa, what was that?
Chaos Man: Huh?
Frost Fang: Aura Cleanse. I just purged the shadows you breathed in from your body. As long as I’m by your side it shouldn’t invade your soul again.
Michael: Cool, thanks.
Chaos Man: For what?
Michael: Not you, I was talking to my sword… That sounds so weird saying out loud.
Chaos Man: Hahaha, yeah, but I get it.
Michael: You do? Does the emerald talk to you too?
Chaos Man: Well, I mean… sort of? It’s more like I just know what it’s feeling since our energies are connected, like hearing a single instrument out an orchestra. This gem is one of seven pieces of the original emerald that fell from space, I absorbed most of its energy, but my powers aren’t complete according to Omnius. When I first touched this one it felt like I just got back a missing piece of myself.
Michael: Fascinating. Have you come across any other emeralds yet?
Chaos Man: No, but it’s best we keep our eyes peeled after we’ve dealt with whatever this is… All these people, they’re all acting like how Jason did when he was a kid, drained of any life.
Michael: He wants everyone in the world to know how it feels to be him. People who are stripped of their humanity are easy to conquer, to kill. None of them even have the will to move… This is no way to live! Acting like they’ve been through hell, but they don’t even know the meaning of the word! I know what hell feels like, yet you don’t see me wallowing over and feeling sorry for myself!
Chaos Man: You’re talking like they had a choice.
Michael: I know, I was referring to Jason specifically.
The eerie silence of the blackened city was suddenly interrupted by the faint echo of Wilfre’s evil, mocking laughter who Alex and Michael barely picked up. Until the laughing started getting louder forcing them to look up at the black sky. To their shocking surprise, a giant pair of white scowling eyes and a large toothy grin appeared in the sky. It was a giant version of Wilfre’s face looking down on this tiny world with its tiny people being consumed by his shadows.
Wilfre: Do you see me now, people of Earth? All my life you’ve been looking down on me, invisible to your blind eyes. Now here I am looking down on all of you. Now you know how it feels to be me! To have no one who respects or cares about you. Get used to it because that’s how you’ll all feel for the rest of your miserable lives!
Chaos Man and Michael: Wilfre!
Somehow the shadow being was able to hear them in the streets below his enormous face and focuses on them.
Wilfre: Ah, Chaos Man and former lieutenant Mercer, what a dreadful surprise to see you in my new and improved London. If you’ve come to try and stop me, you’re too late. My shadows have already spread all over the city and it won’t be long before I’ve completely consumed the UK. From there It’ll spread to the rest of the world, recreating it in my image, and who knows, maybe that’ll be enough. Full disclosure? You won’t live to see it!
Michael: Enjoy this moment while you can, you piece of shit, cuz we’re gonna put a stop to this, then I’ll be the one laughing as I stand over your corpse!
Chaos Man: Michael stop, you’re not helping… Listen, Jason, I am gonna give you one last chance to end this.
Wilfre: Oh really? And what happens if I don’t?
Chaos Man: Then what happens next will be your own fault.
Wilfre only laughed more intensely at what he assumed was a threat, it was hard to tell with someone like Alex.
Wilfre: Threats don’t work when they come out of your mouth. At least Michael sounds convincing, but deep down we both know that you ain’t got it in you. Those stupid superhero cartoons you forced me to watch with you have ingrained their rules into your tiny little brain… Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a world to transform and conquer. Try and stop me if you can, hahahaha!
His giant face slowly fades back into the clouds as he laughed at the heroes. In its place a hole manifested. Michael and Chaos Man take up a defensive stance expecting some kind of attack, but nothing happened. It took a few minutes to realise that the hole was an invitation to wherever Wilfre was hiding. It was obvious to them that it could be a trap, or maybe Wilfre had grown so cocky that he believes he stands a chance against the two of them at once, when he doesn’t know that Michael is armed with a new Aura Blade and Chaos Man had unlocked a new destructive power.
Regardless of whatever horrors they may encounter up there, they’ve got to get to Wilfre, the source of all this misery and destruction, and stop him for good. Michael gives Alex a thumbs up, letting him know he’s ready to go and the two of them fly high up into the air, making a beeline for that swirling vortex of darkness with no clue what to expect once they come out the other side.
They were ready to expect the unexpected but when they made it out of the hole, they didn’t expect to find themselves at the entrance of a very tall, distorted, medieval-themed castle with twisted towers, sharp pointed roofs, glowing stained-glass windows and a statue of Wilfre himself sticking out of the centre of the castle like he’s crawling out of its surface like one of his portals. The castle itself was also very tall, taller than any other castle they’d seen on some of the field trips Jackson took them on when they were kids.
Leading up to the castle was a long cobblestone path with a row of twisted, halloween-ish looking lampposts lit up with his purple flames. With them and the lights emanating from Chaos Man’s suit, they were able to get a look at their surroundings though there wasn’t much to see, just a black shadowy cloud surrounding them and the castle. The whole setting felt like they’ve stumbled into gothic horror fantasy film, a fitting genre for someone like Wilfre.
Chaos Man: Whoa, look at that. Wilfre made all this? It feels like we’re on the set of a Jim Curton film.
Michael: I know what you mean, feels like it was pulled right out of a nightmare. Only a sick mind like Wilfre can dream up something like this.
Chaos Man: (sigh) Let’s go.
Chaos Man and Michael race down the black brick road, following the light of the lanterns to their destination. Given how big the castle looked from a distance on the outside, they can assume that it’ll be a maze to navigate inside and likely full of traps and more of his shadow demons. Wilfre isn’t going to make it easy for them to find him, and when they do find him, he’ll have at least bought himself a little more time to execute his mission.
When they reached the entrance designed to look like a mouth with sharp teeth and a tongue drawbridge, they were expectedly ambushed by three shadow golems and six regular shadow demons. Chaos Man summons the cyan emerald to his hand and transmutes it into his chaos blade whilst Michael draws Frost Fang.
Michael: Alright, Frost Fang, lets see what you can do.
Chaos Man decided for both of them that he should deal with the big guys while Michael tests out his new weapon on the smaller enemies. One of the shadow demons lunges its elongated arms at him with the intent to grab and throw him around, but Michael doges under its reach and swings the blade upwards, severing its limbs with ease. The shadow demon roars in agony and stumbles backwards, flaying its nubs about. Michael briefly looks down at the icy blue sword and smiles proudly. Now he actually has a fair shot at killing these things. With that in mind he easily dispatches the rest of them using the training in blade combat he obtained from Aegis, slicing the creature in half and finally putting it to some good use.
At the same time Chaos Man finishes off the huge shadow golems three times his size with a coordinated Chaos Spear to the face – if they had faces – and a Chaos Slash down the middle, cutting them in half like they were made of butter.
Michael: Nice!
Chaos Man: I was just about to say the same for you. Glad to see you’re able to swing around that big sword so easily.
Michael: It’s surprisingly light for its size- hey! That was a compliment! (Him talking to Frost Fang) Anyway, we’re wasting time standing around here, let’s head inside and find Wilfre fast.
Nodding in agreement with his statement, the two of them quickly head inside the castle. Chaos Man blasts the huge wooden doors down with a large Chaos Spear that was launched with two hands. The position in which he fired it in reminded Michael of that fighting game Alex used to play, Road Boxer he remembered it being called.
They slowly wander inside the castle and take a good look around the inside, surprised by the architecture. The walls were made of stone and were dimly lit by rows of torches with purple flames. There was a red carpet underneath their feet that started from the entrance leading to a huge staircase in the middle of the entrance hall. Huge portraits of Wilfre in various poses adorned the walls, adding a touch of elegance to the castle. Each painting showed specific moments from Jason’s journey from being abused and abandoned by his parents to the becoming the sinister shadow supervillain he is now.
Looking at them filled Alex with sadness and guilt for allowing things to go this way. Maybe if someone else had become Chaos Man instead of him he could’ve been around more to look after him and help him turn into a better person. He could’ve prevented Andrea’s death, which led to the Crimson Nightshades kidnapping him, which led to him obtaining the scepter, and then inevitably the birth of Wilfre. But then again, what would happen if someone else inherited the Genesis Emerald’s energy? Would they be a great hero like him or just another villain? There aren’t many pure-hearted people in the world, anything could’ve happened.
Chaos Man: Y’know… nobody at the orphanage ever acknowledged how good at art Jason was. I’ve seen some of the drawings he made when we were kids and some of them could’ve put a professionals work to shame... It’s not too much of a surprise to think that he could dream up something like this.
Michael: Stop that.
Chaos Man: Stop what?
Michael: Stop talking about Jason as if that’s who we’re fighting, I’ve told you time and time again that it’s not him anymore.
Chaos Man: I-I know, I was just making conversation… I just wanted to keep the good things about him alive in my head so that I don’t have to think about all the bad things he’s done when I look back on this day… The day I had to kill my one of my best friends.
As they started heading up the stairs at the end of the hall, they were startled by Wilfre’s voice suddenly speaking out, echoing all around the castle. They continue climbing up the stairs as they listened.
Wilfre: Aww, how sweet. Poor widdle Alex wants to treasure the good times with his best friend. Too bad Jason doesn’t have any good memories worth remembering… Glad to see you both finally made it, welcome to my new home. I hope you enjoy your stay, cuz neither of you will be leaving here alive!
Michael: The only one who won’t be leaving alive is you!
Wilfre: How original of you, Michael, you don’t even know where to find me.
Michael: Alex can easily tear this castle apart to find you if that’s what it takes, right Alex?
Chaos Man: I will do whatever it takes to stop you, Wilfre.
Wilfre: Well would you look at that; he finally got the name right, about goddamn time! You want your ultimate hero vs villain showdown so badly? You’ll have to earn your way up to the top, literally.
Wilfre snickered. As they were nearing the top of the middle staircase Michael casually glances behind him over his right shoulder and noticed out the corner of his eye that the whole room was starting to fill with a strange black liquid and was rising scarily fast.
Michael: Oh shit, move it dude!
Wilfre’s laughter echoed all around them, enjoying the show of them rushing to higher ground, deciding on the fly which staircase they should take next, the one on the left or the right. Chaos Man of course didn’t have to worry about the rising liquid darkness as he could just hover off the ground, but he voluntarily chooses not to because he didn’t want to leave Michael behind.
But the rising darkness wasn’t the worst obstacle in their way, it was what’s inhabiting the black goo. With the aid of Chaos Man’s glowing suit, they catch a glimpse of a massive shoal of gigantic shadowy anglerfish, with long sharp teeth, white eyes like all the others, and a bioluminescence bulb hanging over their heads. All of them poke their grotesque faces out of the black water and snap their jaws like a swarm of piranha fish.
Michael: Fuck the stairs! Fly us straight to the top, Alex!
Chaos Man: Uhh, I think that might be problem, mate.
Chaos Man points above them, and Michael’s eyes widen with shock when he saw a swarm of shadow bats flying around the upper levels of the castle close to the ceiling going round and round in a circle like they’re expecting them to cheat the game by flying straight up. The walls were covered with hundreds of giant spiders, with eight glowing white eyes, around the size of a fully grown pig.
Michael: Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! This place is a fuckin’ house of nightmares!
Chaos Man: There’s too many of them to take out alone. Can’t use Chaos Blast either without the risk of bringing the entire castle down on us and potentially New London. Just keep climbing and kill anything that gets too close!
Michael: I can work with that!
With their swords pointed up in their trembling hands, Alex and Michael race up the stairs on the right without time to decide which way to go and going on gut instinct as well as constantly scanning the walls, floor and ceiling for any of the shadow beasts making any moves. With every flight they ascended they get attacked by either the shadow bats swooping down from above, the shadow spiders spitting black webs at them to stop them in their tracks, or the shadow anglerfish leaping out of the rising shadow goo to bite at their ankles.
Michael was struggling with his new sword. Though he’s had training with a blade at Aegis, it wasn’t always his go-to weapon for combat, guns were much easier to use, but his bullets were useless against these creatures. It mostly fell on Chaos Man to clear out these pests with a barrage of Chaos Spears and a couple swings of his chaos bade whilst hovering off the floor by a few meters to avoid accidentally tripping over a step and falling down into the rising goo.
He looks up ahead and sees that they are reaching the top of the staircase. Standing there were two big doors that looked exactly the same. With all that was going on around them there was no time at all to decide which door would lead to Wilfre.
Chaos Man: Crap, which one’s the exit?
Michael: Just pick one and I’ll choose the other.
Chaos Man: You want to split up?
Michael: No, that’s a terrible idea, but it’s the only one we got! Better than going down the same one if it ends up being wrong. Hurry and choose one, we’re getting swarmed!
Michael covers Alex’s back as he barges through the door on the right. When it was his turn to go through, Michael plunges his sword into the top of the stairs and an icy mist radiated from the blade. The black shadow liquid freezes over, stopping it’s rise and trapping the anglerfish inside. But the the bats and spiders weren’t as affected by the first freeze over and there was no time to do it a second time as they all targeted him at once. Panicked, Michael goes through the left door and shuts it behind him, pressing his back against it to keep the two swarms out. He waited a couple of minutes to get his breath back and for the noises outside to quiet down. It seemed he was safe for now, but there was still work to be done. The chances of Wilfre being down this long dark hallway are 50/50. He needs to keep his guard up for whatever he’ll be facing moving forward.
Michael: Good call with that ice move, Frost Fang, I wasn’t sure if it would work on those shadow creatures.
Frost Fang: Oh please, my cold breath can freeze anything, even space itself.
Michael: How the hell does that make sense? You, Alex and Omnius have a strange habit of denying logic.
Frost Fang: If you’re serious about being a part of our world, you’ll have to learn to open your eyes and grow accustomed to the supernatural. Nothing about our powers exactly follows how you think the world works.
Michael rolls his eyes and barricades the door behind him, freezing it over with ice by pressing the tip of his sword against the wooden surface, just in case the swarms of bats and spiders attempt to break the door down. From there he continued on slowly with his eyes peeled and Frost Fang clutched firmly in his grip, ready to take on Wilfre or whatever he sends his way. If he’s lucky he’ll get to him first before Alex does. He still fears that Alex would hesitate despite being told over and over again that there’s no reasoning with him. He’d rather have Alex hate him for killing Jason than see him die at Jasons hands.
He continued on through the hallways, taking a chance on every crossroads he came across and went with whatever his gut felt was the correct way to go. It felt like he was going nowhere with the direction he was taking. He groaned with annoyance once he realised he’d gotten himself lost in this god-forsaken maze of a castle.
Things only proceeded to get worse from there, as if Wilfre were mocking him, he found himself locked in a pitch-black room after the torches went out the instant he entered. Michael uses the flashlight on his phone to give himself some light in order to see where the exit was located, but he was not prepared to discover that he wasn’t alone. Dozens of glowing white eyes appeared all over the walls on either side of him. Judging by the angry canine growls and the shapes he could make out with his light, Michael discovered that he was stuck in a locked room with a pack of shadow wolves, almost a hundred of them, and their attention was all on him.
Michael: Wilfre has a sick sense of humour, locking me in here with a bunch of wolves. Is this his way of mocking me about being part of Wolf Squad at Aegis? He is SO dead when I get out of here!
But Michael refused to let fear get the better of him. He stands his ground and holds Frost Fang up high, ready to take on these wolves even though they’ve vastly outnumbered him and there wasn’t a lot of room to manoeuvre around in. He’ll have to improvise. At least he had Frost Fang to guide him through the blinding darkness, so he wasn’t entirely alone.
Michael: Bring it on, you mangy mutts! I’ll take you all on!
The wolves snarl at him and get ready to pounce, waiting for the pack’s alpha to give them the signal to attack, which it did with a long, bellowing howl. The wolves all charge at him from all sides, quickly closing the gap between them, but Michael still stood firm and readied his sword for the fight of his life.
On the other side of the door Chaos Man went through he found himself inside a large hall with rows of thick stone pillars holding up the ceiling. At the end of the hall was an open balcony. The whole room was dimly lit by the many, purple-flamed torches hanging on the walls and around the pillars, the bright colours of Chaos Man’s suit, the large stained-glass window over the balcony. It looked like he just stepped into a dark and twisted version of a chapel. The red carpet beneath his feet had drawings of Wilfre’s long slender arms with his claws stretched outwards, lightning sparking from his fingertips.
The whole room was dead quiet which was off-putting for the hero. He was expecting some kind of ambush to occur the moment he stepped further into the chapel, which he did. Taking very careful steps whilst keeping his fists raised and his eyes opened, scanning the room for anyone or anything hiding in the shadow corners of the room.
The instant he hears a noise he turned in the direction it originated from and aimed his left hand at it, chaos energy charging up into a ball in his palm. But there was nothing there. The sounds of demonic growls and faint roars echo around the room, Chaos Man desperately tries to find its source, but it was nowhere to be found, he looked everywhere… except down.
As he ventured further into the middle of the room his shadow was becoming visible as he stood under the flickering lights of the candlelight in the chandelier directly above him. Behind him his shadow slowly morphed into the silhouette of Wilfre, and his bright white eyes and devilish grin manifested over the facial area for a moment. Suddenly, Wilfre lunges out of his shadow and grabs Chaos Man from behind, grabbing the side of his head before tossing him high into the air like a rag doll. As he came back down again, he was met with a roundhouse kick to the face, sending him flying towards the entrance to the balcony.
Wilfre: You are terrible at countering sneak attacks, you know that?
He taunted him as he slowly closes the gap between them. Chaos Man immediately gets back on his feet and stares down at his greatest enemy. He remembered what Omnius told him, choosing to see Wilfre in front of him and not focus on the person underneath the shadowy skin.
Wilfre: So, this is it, huh? The climatic battle between the hero and his villain to determine the fate of the world?
Chaos Man: I didn’t want it to come to this, Wilfre, but you leave me no choice.
Wilfre: Oh? You’re not gonna give me another speech about wanting to help me. Try to appeal to my better nature?
Chaos Man: You’ve had plenty of chances to get help, but you always threw it in my face. This time you’re getting what you deserve.
Without hesitation, he draws the cyan emerald and summons the Chaos Blade to his hand, pointing it at his former best friend.
Wilfre: Wow, looks like someone finally developed a backbone. So much for being like a brother to you.
Chaos Man: You were like my brother, Jason, you still are. I still don’t want to kill you, but I must do what must be done to end your reign of tyranny… You say we ruined your life, but the truth is you did that to yourself. Your anger and lust for power have made you into this. You have allowed the Umbra Ruby to twist your mind, turning you into the very evil I’ve sworn to destroy.
Wilfre: Spare me the lecture, Alex. Nothing you say will make me feel guilty for the things I’ve done. What do you think will happen if I did agree to stop all this? It won’t change how the world sees me. We both know that being enemies is all that’s left for us… after what i’ve done. So, I might as well embrace my new existence and learn to be at peace with who I am now. I am Wilfre, the bringer of darkness, arch nemesis of Chaos Man, born to destroy all who oppose me! Soon this world will become my dark empire! And you and Michael will be cast aside, forgotten, despised, just as I once was.
Chaos Man: (deep sigh) I’m not going to let that happen… This nightmare ends tonight!
Wilfre lets out a rage-induced battle cry as he charges towards Alex on all fours like a wild animal, but instead of moving in a straight line like the hero would expect, he instead leaps onto the pillars, crawling up its surface and leaping from each of them to close the distance in an jagged, unpredictable pattern, until he makes one final leap towards Chaos Man. His claws sparked dark energy from his fingertips as he made contact with the Chaos Blade. The hero was quick enough to easily block his incoming attack, forcing Wilfre to back off and let loose the lighting from his fingers.
Chaos Man leaps over the point of impact and unleashes a chaos slash from his blade, sending the wave of chaos energy crashing into Wilfre’s midsection, which sends him crashing into one of the pillars. Enraged, Wilfre recovers and morphs his hands into long scythe blades and takes a couple of swings at him. Chaos Man dodges under them so he could get up close and personal with his former friend and throw a few energy-charged punches at him. Wilfre counters him with his own dark energy punches, both of them constantly countering the other until the shadow lord pulls a fast one on Alex by summoning a dozen tentacles out of the shadows covering the ground, binding his arms and legs and throwing him out onto the open balcony.
Chaos Man quickly re-centres himself and hovers in place, but he was suddenly startled by Wilfre who quickly closed the gap between them. A large pair of shadow bat wings formed out of his back, allowing him to fly. This time he had the scepter in his grasp and takes a swing at Alex’s head, but he blocks it with the Chaos Blade. With every clash of their weapons, sparks of the combined energies of the two Gems of Creation flashed outwards, lighting up the dark void the’ve been isolated in. In a moment of distraction, Wilfre manages to stab Chaos Man in the side with the blade end of a long tail that spawned out of Wilfre’s back, causing him to drop his guard and allowing the villain to grab him by the throat.
Wilfre: How does it feel, Alex? To be stabbed in the back, like how you’ve stabbed me!
Chaos Man grunts in pain and responds by unleashing a Chaos Slash from his blade. Though Wilfre manages to dodge the full force of it, his left wing ended up getting sliced off, causing him to yell in agony. Chaos Man then charge-tackles him, grabbing him by the face and using him as a battering ram as they come smashing through the stained-glass window and crash land back into the chapel. Wilfre kicks Chaos Man in the stomach, sending him hurtling to the ground, but he sticks the landing and readies himself for another attack.
Wilfre: You- (coughs) … you’re actually taking me seriously for once. However, I can’t let you win when I’ve come this far. I will destroy you, even if I have to bring the entire castle down on our heads!
Wilfre roared as he raised the scepter and his free hand high and to the side, channeling his Umbramancy. The entire castle begins to shake under his force. Already pieces of rubble have broken out of the high walls and the ceiling, dropping to the ground all around them, catching Chaos Man off guard. This provided the perfect opportunity for Wilfre to close the distance once more and unleash his wrath upon him.
Back with Michael, he was surprisingly holding his own against what felt like an endless wave of shadow wolves, slicing up the ones that got too close whilst keeping the ones furthest away frozen in ice. He can feel his bones aching, his stamina draining with every wolf he cut down swinging that big sword around. He can’t tell if he’s even making a dent in their numbers.
If he keeps this up, he’ll only end up tiring himself out and put himself at Wilfre’s mercy. In this moment of desperation, the wise words of his father softly voice itself aloud in his head.
Chase: A true soldier knows when it’s the best time to retreat.
Those were words he could live by. He would only disgrace himself and his family name if he allowed himself to die here the same way one of the bullies did, mauled to death by a bunch of shadow wolves. Alex was counting on him to help him put a stop to the world-ending threat he had a part in creating.
He uses all his skills he obtained from his months at Aegis to push through the wolves, dodging and countering them as he went, and made a dash for the other end of the hallway where he prayed the exit was. But then the entire castle started to rumble, knocking him off balance and forcing him to come to a standstill.
Michael: Now what is it?!
He complained to himself only to be interrupted by a large chunk of the ceiling falling a few feet in front of him.
Michael: Shit, the whole castle is coming down! It must be Alex, he’s in trouble! I gotta help him.
Unfortunately for him, the shadow wolves weren’t going to let him go that easily. A huge amount of them clumped together, blocking the exit, snarling at him as if they were daring him to try and get past them.
Michael: Out of my way!
Frost Fang: Wait, Michael, you can’t go charging into that many wolves.
Michael: Well, do you have any better ideas? Any surprise powers you have that can take them all out at once?
Frost Fang: I most certainly do, but you’re still a beginner so I will have to assume control for this.
Frost Fang suddenly comes alive in Michael’s grip and moves itself around, positioning itself upwards over Michael’s head. A huge build-up of aura swirls around the blade as it started glowing brightly, lighting up the whole room. The shadow wolves cower and whimper at the bright light.
The icy blue blade then swings itself downwards, unleashing a huge crescent wave of blue energy that cuts through the large group of wolves, obliterating them into nothingness and then blasts through the doors, unlocking Michael’s way out of this ghastly place.
Michael: Whoa! What the hell did you just do?!
Frost Fang: Crescent Symphony, an aura blade’s most common power. I can do more than just freeze things y’know.
Michael: Amazing! I think you and I are going to get along well.
Frost Fang: I will be the judge of that. You have potential, Michael Mercer. But you better prove your worth if you wish to keep wielding me. Being an Aura Wielder is a big responsibility.
Michael: Aura Wielder? Is that what you call those who use aura blades?
He asked rhetorically only to just remember that there were still plenty of shadow wolves behind him that weren’t taken out by the Crescent Symphony.
Michael: …In that case I better get a move on. Once we kill Wilfre you can tell me your thoughts then. Oh, and by the way… Please don’t ever move my arms without my consent again.
He tells her. Frost Fang giggles mischievously inside his head. Michael grunted with annoyance but decided to maintain his focus on the mission. He dashes through the broken apart door and down the hallway, running away from the wolves chasing him.
Back with Chaos Man, he and Wilfre were continuing their battle within the confines of the dark and twisted chapel as the castle was crumbling apart around them. Chaos Man had to dodge the falling debris as well as Wilfre’s attacks, making the task of defeating him much more challenging. Right now, he was hovering around the room firing rapid-fire chaos spears, trying to land a hit on him, but Wilfre was making it difficult for him by using the scepter to portal hop.
Every time he comes out the other side, he would bombard him with concentrated dark energy blasts from the scepter with enough punch to knock Chaos Man off balance. The last one knocked Chaos Man into the path of a large falling chunk of cobblestone, smashing into his back and bringing him crashing back down to earth. He lets out a painful gasp as he cushioned the rock’s fall with his own body.
To add insult to injury, Wilfre breathes purple fire onto the rock until it was completely consumed by it. Alex could feel the dark flames burning into his back. His suit provided some protection, but it won’t last long. Wilfre slowly descended to the ground a few feet in front of him, drinking in his misery.
Wilfre: You have nobody but yourself to blame, “buddy.” I gave you my friendship and you spat in my face!
Once he got close enough Wilfre takes a swing at Alex’s head with blunt end of the scepter, hitting him so hard that he spat blood. Chaos Man desperately attempts to stretch his right arm out and charge up another Chaos Spear, but Wilfre steps on his wrist, pinning it down, letting another pained cry to escape his bloodied lips.
Wilfre: This battle’s over, Chaos Man. Looks like the villain has won this time… but that’s only because you made it too easy for me!
He stated angrily before taking another swing at Chaos Man’s head with the scepter.
Chaos Man: What are-
Wilfre: I’ve seen the way you fought monsters on the TV. You gave them everything you got because you felt nothing for them. But as we fought, I could tell that you were STILL holding back! You’re STILL not taking me seriously, and THAT really pisses me off!
Chaos Man: Jas-
Wilfre: Don’t even think about it! Just when I thought you were finally starting to see me as a real threat, a true enemy, you go and pull this! Just what will it take for you to finally fight me with the intent to kill?! …Wait, maybe Violet will.
Alex’s head instantly perked up at the mention of her name. His body ignored the pain of the flames burning his back and the blunt force trauma he’d gotten from the scepter. Wilfre smirked, knowing that he got to him and figured out what really pressed his buttons.
Wilfre: You need to get it through your thick skull, Alex. I LIKE being evil, it’s the most fun I’ve had since I was born. Michael was right, I do enjoy killing. Originally, I planned to make your little girlfriend’s death quick and painless. She never did anything to hurt me, I had no reason to make her suffer before, but now… Now I am going to make sure she dies slowly and painfully.
The way he said those words so casually awakened a deep rage within him he never knew he had, which began to grow larger when Wilfre started going into graphic detail on how he plans to kill her, starting things off by breaking every bone in her body, mangling her pretty little face like how he did his own father, all the while her screams will ring out throughout the city and he promises Alex that he will have a front row seat to the whole show. Chaos Man clenches his fists tighter than he physically can. Red chaos energy started building up within him instead of the standard blue. A flicker of red flashes across his eyes, very briefly turning blood red before changing back to emerald green.
Wilfre: …Violet and I, we’re gonna have a hell of a time!
Chaos Man: Grrr- AHHHHHHHH!
Chaos Man’s anger gives him more than enough strength and motivation to start taking this fight seriously. In a fit of rage, he pushes himself back up onto his feet, blasting the flaming rock far back through the door he just came through, and grabbing Wilfre by the throat, choking him before punching him several times in the face and ribs, this time he didn’t hold back. The scepter dropped to the floor as he tried to use both hands to pry himself free, but right now Chaos Man’s strength was far exceeding his own.
Wilfre: Hahahaha, finally!
Chaos Man then throws him back through the balcony archway again, only so he’d have both hands free to charge up a big and powerful chaos spear to blast him with, hopefully to death. The chaos spear forming in between his hands was also changed to red in response to his emotions and it only continued to grow in size, almost as big as him.
Chaos Man: Chaos Spear!
He thrusts both hands forward, letting loose the powerful ball of unstable chaos energy towards Wilfre who was struggling to regain his balance. Wilfre barely managed to avoid the blast, grazing the side of his head as it blew past him and impacted the shadow dome he encapsulated his castle in. The negatively charged chaos spear blasts away all the black clouds in its way, allowing the morning sun’s light to shine through the large gap, completely enveloping the castle.
Michael catches a glimpse of the bright light as it seeped into the hallway he was in. All the shadow wolves chasing him were instantly evaporated into tiny black flakes when it touched them. The full force of the sunlight shines on Wilfre, causing him intense burning pain.
Wilfre: Ahhhhh! That light, it burns!
Chaos Man: Good!
Chaos Man takes advantage of his biggest weakness and uses it to give himself that desperate edge he needed to turn the tables on this monster. He grabs Wilfre by the back of his head and brings him closer to the hole he made, making sure he felt the full force of the sun’s rays on his shadowed layer of skin. Wilfre screeches like a demon as he can feel the shadows covering his body start to come apart, revealing small parts of his true human form underneath.
In a desperate attempt to escape, a bunch of spikes burst out of his back, stabbing Chaos Man and forcing him to let go. Wilfre quickly drops into a portal that opened up underneath them, reappearing back in the chapel. But Chaos Man’s enhanced speed allowed him to catch up to him and fire another chaos spear at the hole he made in the dome, making it even bigger. The entire chapel is engulfed in sunlight, forcing Wilfre on his knees as he desperately tried to block it out.
But Chaos Man wasn’t done with him yet. He attacks him again while he’s down by bombarding him with multiple chaos spears. The shadow demon was completely powerless to fight back. The sun’s rays combined with Chaos Man’s attacks was too much for him that he hadn’t had a moment to counteract him. Wilfre screams as he can feel his powers start to go haywire, randomly changing between Jason and Wilfre multiple times.
Jason/Wilfre: Grrrrr! That’s it! NOW PREPARE TO DIE!
He could only muster enough strength to charge at him and hopefully pick up his scepter again. Alex’s body began charging up another chaos blast as he closed the gap between them.
Chaos Man: Chaos Blast!
He unleashes the blast at point-blank range the instant Wilfre was close enough to almost reach out and grab him, blasting him back into the closest right pillar so hard that he made a deep dent in it, cracks formed all over its surface, before inevitably dropping to the ground critically injured. The shadows fade away completely, reverting him back to the regular and powerless Jason Dark. The sunlight may not hurt him anymore, but his pride had taken a major beating along with his body.
Jason: …Damnit! I was so close to making a perfect world that would accept all of me. Once again, you’ve taken everything from me. Should’ve known it would always end like this. Evil always has to lose, that’s just the way this cruel world works… Just get it over with. Better it was you than Michael.
Chaos Man slowly approached him and aims his hands at him, preparing to finish him off once and for all with one final chaos spear. At least that’s what it looked like from the frightened Jason’s perspective. Something changed. Instead of killing him, Chaos Man instead disperses the chaos energy building within his palms and kneels down to his level. His mask pulls away, revealing his true face to him.
Jason: What are you doing? You’ve won, take your revenge and kill me already.
Alex: “There are no winners with revenge,” those were the last words I heard from Jackson before Wilfre killed him, like how he killed May Li.
Jason: Then why don’t you stop me before I kill everyone else?
Alex: Because I was told that I needed to kill Wilfre to save the world, and I just did that. With him gone all I see before me is my best friend.
Wilfre: Wh-what?
Alex: Make no mistake, you’ve done some unforgivable things too, but I won’t kill you for them… Jackson’s dying wish was for me to save you from yourself. You still need to answer for what you’ve done, but you won’t be doing it alone. I will be there for you from this moment on, I’ll visit you every day and do what I can to get you the help you need to get better.
He takes hold of Jason’s hand and looks deeply into his eyes, showing him that he still cares a great deal about him even though he has every right not to. He can’t help it, it’s the kind of person Alex is, too pure-hearted and good for this world.
Alex: You’re more than just my friend, Jason, you’re like my little brother, and a true brother looks out for their siblings and loves them no matter what they do.
Jason: Alex…
Alex: Whether you want to or not, I’m saving you. It’s what I do. But in order to do that I must get rid of the scepter for good. I’ll take it to Omnius, he’ll know what to do with it.
Alex turns his back on Jason and walks over to the where the discarded scepter lay, determined to get it away from Jason and back to Omnius so he can decide what becomes of it. He doesn’t care if people over the internet give him hate for not returning it to the museum, the Umbra Ruby is far too dangerous for anyone to have.
He was so focused on the scepter on the ground that it took him a while to notice that the sunlight was fading due to the shadow dome repairing itself. The instant the light faded from Jason’s body the shadows quickly consume him once more, transforming him back into Wilfre. His white eyes shot open as he can feel the power and adrenaline coursing through his veins again. He then blasted Alex in the back with a large burst of dark lightning, causing him to drop to his knees, allowing Wilfre to summon the scepter back to his hands.
Wilfre: You fool! You thought you could kill me?! As long as Jason Dark exists, so does Wilfre!
Wilfre grabs Alex by his hair and forces him to turn around and face him so that he could smash his knee into Alex’s face so hard he rattled his jaw, knocking him onto his back. Wilfre pins him down with one foot on his chest and points the blade end of the scepter at Alex’s throat.
Wilfre: You really had me there, I thought for sure you were gonna kill me. I should’ve known better. You’ll never have what it takes because you’re the “good guy”, and good guys never have the guts to kill their enemies.
Michael: But I do… Crescent Symphony!
Wilfre had the scepter raised above his head, ready to kill this ignorant fool for thinking he could weasel his way out of breaking the superhero code, only to be interrupted by Michael standing behind him. As he turned to face him, he was greeted with a crescent symphony to the body. The blast hit him so hard and fast that it blasted him out through the balcony, resulting in him falling to his death.
Alex: Jason, nooooo!
Alex desperately tried to reach out and catch him, but he was already too far away to reach. All he could do was watch as he and the scepter fell into the deep, dark void he created, fading into the darkness. Now that Wilfre was gone, whatever ounce of power he had to keep everything he created standing was now beginning to fall apart.
Michael: Alex, we gotta leave, now!
Alex: Jason…
Michael: He’s fucking dead, as he should be! It’s over! Now get us outta here!
Michael shouted as he slaps some into Alex, snapping him out of his grieving state. He picks Michael up and the two of them fly through the broken window, leaving the castle to crumble to dust behind them, erasing every trace of Wilfre’s wasteland.
The darkness begins to fade away, allowing the light of the rising sun to shine down on New London and the rest of the UK. Not only the darkness in the sky, but also the darkness that had festered in the souls of its people. All the shadow demons left roaming the streets instantly evaporated into ash-like fragments that blew away in the wind. All the people who’d been affected by Wilfre’s despair slowly started getting their humanity back, leaving almost everyone to wonder what just happened, why they were all lying in the street and why they were having such negative thoughts. Only those who personally knew who Wilfre truly was knew the truth and believed it was for the best they didn’t know that all this happened due to the actions of one mentally ill boy who had an unjust beginning to his life.
Chase, Violet, all the soldiers that came with him, and all the people in Fordwich had also recovered from the shadow plague. Everyone seemed fine for the most part, but the general instructed his men to give everyone a check-up just to be safe.
Violet: They did it!
Chase: I knew they would.
Chase butted in, choosing to check up on her personally, all so he could ask her some questions about her connection to Chaos Man and his son and why Wilfre kidnapped her as well as the children.
Chase: Forgive me, young lady, but who exactly are you?
Violet: I’m Violet Smith, technically my last name would’ve been McLoughlin if my father hadn’t taken my mother’s last name.
Chase: That’s not what I meant- I mean why were you involved in all this? Wilfre kidnapped you to use as leverage against Chaos Man and my son, but I fail to understand why. I – and I say this with all due respect – don’t see what’s so special about you. Again, no offence.
Violet: None taken, sir. And to answer your question, it’s because I’m a friend of your son. He’s become one of my dad’s best customers.
Chase: You sure that’s all it is?
Violet: I’m pretty sure… Sir, what’s going to happen to all those children now that the orphanage is gone?
Chase: My men have taken them to a safe house where we will keep them secure until repairs can be done to Hillside. However, it’ll be a real problem to find someone capable of taking care of them all. I handpicked Jackson myself because I trusted him, he’d always loved children because he couldn’t have any himself.
Violet: He was a good man, like you.
Chase was slightly surprised to hear some girl he’d just met call him a good man even though he knows deep down she’s wrong. Still, it was a nice gesture whether he felt deserving of it or not.
Chase: Believe me, girl, I am not a good man… I’ve done some things in my life that I still wish I could take back to this day.
Violet: What do you mean- Oh look! They’re back!
Thankfully, before Violet could push him for questions about his past, Chaos Man and Michael have returned. Their timing was impeccable. Upon touchdown Michael runs to his dad and hugs him tightly like he hadn’t seen him in years or believed he was dead only to see him appear on his doorstep alive and well.
While they were having their moment, Chaos Man holds his arms out for Violet who practically leaps into his arms, wrapping hers tightly around his neck as he lifted her off the ground.
Violet: You did it! You saved us all!
She almost blew the whistle on Chaos Man’s true identity to Chase who was only a few feet away from them, but Alex quickly covers her mouth before she had the chance to.
Chaos Man: Not so loud, Violet! Don’t go telling everyone my secret identity.
He whispered. Violet innocently giggles and her cheeks blush red. Alex gently puts her back down on her feet so that they could talk properly.
Violet: Hehe, sorry, I’m just glade you made it back. You won.
Chaos Man: Yeah, but it came at a price.
Violet: …I’m sorry about Jason.
Chaos Man: It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I could’ve been a better friend to him.
Violet: You were a good friend; he just failed to see it.
A small smile formed in the corner of Alex’s mouth at her kindness even though he didn’t fully believe her. He so wanted to kiss her right now but that would only draw a lot of attention and Chase was already questioning Violet’s connection to Chaos Man. If he knew she and him were a couple, he would also know that she knows who he really is. She knows he wears a mask for a reason and she will respect his wishes.
Chase and Michael break off their father/son embrace so that they could converse.
Chase: You did a great job, Son, I’m so proud of you.
Michael: It wasn’t just me, Dad, it was all Chaos Man. He saved us. I just offered him my help… Look, I know you still think he’s a threat, but I’m more convinced than ever that he’s a hero and this city- No, the world needs him.
Chase’s smile fades in response to that statement. He was right, he still doesn’t trust Chaos Man. What happened here today only proved he was right about meta-humans and how dangerous they can be. But he cannot deny that he did in fact save them all when Aegis was completely under the effect of Wilfre’s despair. Had Chaos Man not been around the whole world would’ve been consumed by darkness. He glanced over at Chaos Man for a moment before turning back to Michael.
Chase: …You’re right, Michael, he did save us. The threat we faced today was beyond anything we encountered during the Monster War. Aegis was completely powerless against it. I admit it, Chaos Man is-
Before he could finish, Chaos Man unintentionally got in the middle of them and extended a hand of gratitude towards Michael, pretending they don’t personally know each other.
Chaos Man: Thanks, Cadet Mercer, for backing me up.
Michael: No problem, A- er- Chaos Man. And that’s former lieutenant to you.
He replied, almost messing things up with his name. He accepts his hand and shakes it respectfully. Chase soon cuts in and takes this chance to have a proper face-to-face talk with the hero himself. To him this is their first official meeting, but to Alex this was their second.
Chase: Chaos Man, I was wrong about you, you are a hero. You’ve defeated a threat that Aegis stood no chance against. That action alone has convinced me that you are indeed on the side of humanity. I-I just wanted to say, “thank you.”
Chaos Man: My pleasure, General. Hopefully next time I see Aegis around they’ll throw me a better party.
He teased as he shook Chase’s hand. Chase speaks to his son again, addressing his future and where he will go from here.
Chase: Michael, I know you didn’t want to be a soldier anymore, that you wanted you find your own way in the world, but I do have a new special position to give you if you’re interested. From now on, you will be a representative of Chaos Man for Aegis. You will be free to aid him whenever anymore threats like this arise. But only if that’s what you want, Son, and if Chaos Man will allow it.
Chaos Man: Sure, that’d be great for both of us. Michael here has shown me that Aegis can be a valuable ally, and he’s shown you that I can be trusted. Don’t you agree, Michael?
Michael: Oh 100%. I accept this position with honour!
The three of them share a laugh. Chase was undeniably proud of how much his son had grown up since the day he took him in. Leaving Aegis was perhaps the best decision he allowed him to make. His mother would have been so proud of him too. A small tear was building up under his only remaining eye.
Chaos Man: Anyways, I gotta get going, there’s someone else I need to see.
Michael: I’m coming with you. I’ll meet up with you later, Dad.
Chase clears his throat and wipes away his tear, regaining his composure, remembering not to show too much vulnerability in the presence of his men. But he still had more to say to Chaos Man, and he couldn’t let him leave without making himself heard.
Chase: Listen, Chaos Man, in spite of what you’ve done for us I still don’t fully trust you. But I know my son does and I trust him so I can live with that. Just answer me this, if a threat like this comes again, can Aegis count on your help?
Chaos Man stops and slowly turns himself around, facing the general with a reassuring smile.
Chaos Man: The world can count on us, Sir.
He replied with a respectful salute. Chase smiles and gives him one in return. He then watched as Chaos Man carried Michael off the ground and headed in the direction of the monastery, but not without giving Violet one last look. The general and the young Irish girl watched them fly off into the sunrise, inspiring hope in them and all the people below.
Chase and Violet: See you around, Chaos Man.
Omnius was sitting cross-legged in the middle of his meditation room, or the living room now that Alex had moved in and changed things around. He never scolded him for making changes to his home. Omnius made it clear that his home was Alex’s home now and he had the freedom to make it feel like one. He can never wrap his head around technology and why young people these days are so engrossed in them.
What he did know was that Alex and Michael would save the day; he didn’t have to rely on his smoke visions to see that. He opened his eyes and gazed out the window to see the morning sun rising over the mountains, shining its warm light on a world that feared would never get to feel it again. He leans down to blow out the candles and incense in front of him before standing up, picking up his staff and walking outside to welcome back his student and his friend, catching them just as they gently touched down on the ground.
Chaos Man: It is finished, Omnius.
Omnius: I know. I am proud of you, both of you…
He slowly approached the two of them as Alex let go of Michael and retracted his mask in order to look upon his mentor with his true face. Omnius can see a great deal of sadness in his eyes. He gently places his hand on his shoulder, comforting him.
Omnius: I know how hard this was for you, Alex, but it was the only way you could save the city and Jason from himself.
Alex: I know… It doesn’t make the pain any more tolerable though.
Michael: When I lost my mother, I felt the same way.
Alex: Did your pain eventually go away?
Michael: No… But in time it gets easier to deal with. I learned that there are things even more powerful than pain, the love we felt for each other. Alice, Jackson, May Li, they all may be gone but they will always live on in our memories.
Omnius: Well said, Michael, well said.
Michael casually thanks Omnius as he unsheathes Frost Fang from his back and attempted to hand it back to him.
Omnius: What are you doing?
Michael: Oh, I kinda assumed now that I’m done you’d be wanting it back.
Omnius shook his head and pushes the sword back towards him, showing that he had no intent on taking Frost Fang away from its new chosen master.
Omnius: What makes you think its task is done? You think because you stopped this single threat that no more would arise? You should know by now that peace does not last forever. When the times comes to face the next threat, you will need all the power you can get. In other words, Frost Fang is now yours until the day you die.
Michael: I… can keep her? Do you trust me?
Omnius: If Alex and Frost Fang can see great potential in you then so do I.
Michael: Wow, this is… thank you, Omnius.
The wise middle-aged man smiles and nods in response before focusing his attention on Alex now.
Omnius: This is only the beginning, Alex. You will make a lot of enemies. People will get hurt, especially those closest to you. That is the price of being the hero.
Alex lowers his head and exhales a deep sigh. He was right, it’s what always happens in the life of a superhero. Wilfre came so close to taking away everything that meant so much to him. He may’ve stopped him today, but there’s always the possibility that something – or someone – worse could come along and finish the job. Even the most powerful superheroes like Captain Cosmic couldn’t save everyone all at once. Michael noticed he was having doubts and decided to give him some words of encouragement.
Michael: You don’t have to face them alone, Alex. I will be by your side every step of the way. Ever since I left Aegis, I’ve been searching for my true purpose like Alice told me to before her death. I think I’ve finally found it. I want to protect the world my way alongside you. Use my skills in ways Aegis never could… No matter how many threats we face, no matter what they are or how powerful, I’m with you to the end.
Alex smiles, feeling overjoyed to hear that he won’t have to face the unknown alone. Having Michael as a partner would be a big help, especially when it comes to making the toughest decisions. But he doesn’t intend to let him make the choices he can’t forever, just long enough for him to grow stronger and be a better hero. Deep down he’s still a growing boy and his training was far from complete. He still had more to learn and so did Michael.
Omnius: I am pleased to hear that, Michael. Allow me to officially welcome you into our coalition. We are both happy to have you. But if you are serious about joining us you have to respect our ways. We do not use killing as a first resort, only our last. We do not fight. We defend, we protect, and we survive.
Michael: I understand, Sir.
Omnius: And you Alex have more training to do.
Alex: Aw, what?
Michael: Haha, unlucky for you, dude.
Omnius: I meant both of you. If you wish to continue using Frost Fang, you need to learn how to use it properly to become an Aura Wielder.
Michael: Yeah, she said the same thing too. Damnit!
Alex: Do we have to start training now? We’re tired, we’ve been fighting all night long and it’s now morning.
Omnius: Hahaha, no. ou two can rest for today, you’ve earned it. You can bring Michael to the training course tomorrow once you’ve recovered.
Michael notices a devilish grin forming in the corners of Alex’s mouth when Omnius mentioned the training course and he started to wonder if he should be worried about what to expect tomorrow. He starts rubbing his hands together in a menacing manner.
Alex: Oh, this is going to be good, for me, hehehe
Michael: Alex, why are you smiling like that? What kind of training are we doing? Alex? Alex?!
Omnius chuckled with amusement as he watched Michael follow Alex inside the monastery begging him to share more details about the type of training he’ll be doing tomorrow, but Alex remained silent. He had no idea what he’s in for and he for one cannot wait to be in Omnius’ position for a change and watch someone else struggle to get through the Warrior’s Road as he once did.
Once they were gone from his sight Omnius walks over to his lawn chair by the lake and gently sits down in it, letting his staff drop to the ground beside him, taking in the view around him. After everything they’ve been through, he wanted to sit back and enjoy the beauty and resilience of nature.
Omnius: I have done my part. The balance has been restored… for now.
The following afternoon the people of New London were trying their best to put everything they’ve been through behind them and carry on with their lives. It was easier said than done though. What Wilfre did to these people, forcing them to feel the emptiness and pain he’d known all his life, it had various effects on the people. Some felt inspired to grow stronger as an individual now that they’ve had experience being a lost soul. Others felt sympathy for Jason and anyone else like him and gained a greater understanding of what people like him go through mentally on a daily basis. But most saw this as a sign that maybe this planet they live on may not be as indestructible as they once thought; that human beings aren’t the most intelligent and strongest lifeforms to exist in the universe.
To this day there are many people who still couldn’t recover from the terrible events of the Monster War. Many people had died, lost their homes, their loved ones, everything they’ve built with sweat and tears. Wilfre’s invasion only made things worse for those struggling souls. Their world was becoming a whole lot bigger, and it dawned on them that those two world-ending threats were only the beginning. Some people saw hope in these dire times with the appearance of Chaos Man, who had managed to save them all before the shadow plague could spread beyond the UK’s borders.
But there were still those who saw opportunity in the destruction of the old London when the monsters came. Amidst all that chaos there was a beacon of liberty that helped end the war way before Chaos Man, yet the public were more focused on him as the world’s only saviour and not the giant set of towers standing tall in the heart of New London whose resources were used to rebuild it into the city it is today. The company whose robots have been patrolling the streets, driving people to their destinations to keep the economy going. Whose technology had not only restored but evolved their nation into a greater version of its former self. Magna Tech.
And the one standing at the top of the corporate ladder was the founder and current CEO of the company, a man who had a mastery over technology, justice, and business. A man who despises meta-humans with every fibre of his being and views them as part of the problem, not the solution. He, of course, had the best-looking, spacious office within the main building of Magna Tech, complete with a shiny marble floor decorated with a fancy carpet that housed the company’s logo. To the right was a massive set of shelves that held various items such as books, small statues, and other items of significant value. On the left wall was the latest and thinest flatscreen TV with proper 8K graphics. Next to it in the corner by the entrance was a mini bar with a counter, a couple stools and a bunch of shelves filled to the brim with alcohol. And hanging above the entrance was a large oil painting of the CEO himself sitting within a fancy, golden frame with a plaque at the bottom that read “Our Founder” on it.
At the centre of the room was a large hand-carved wooden table imported from Italy, sitting atop it was a laptop computer that was currently closed, a pile of paperwork neatly placed on the left side of the table, a small cup full of fancy black and gold pens next to it, and on the right side was half empty bottle of bourbon and a full glass next to it with a couple ice cubes in it. Sitting at the centre of the desk was another plaque that spelled out the name of the CEO “Richard Magna”, who was sitting in his big, black leather chair facing away from the desk and turned towards the wall of clear windows, giving him probably the best view of all of New London. He could see all the monumental landmarks the city’s known for from here. It made him feel truly important as a man, like he was the one running this city, which he was in a way.
He needed this moment to enjoy the view and relax as he occasionally took a sip from his glass to help get over a recent phone call he just had with his old friend, Chase Mercer. But that moment was rudely disrupted by a sudden knock on one of the two doors. Without turning around, he permitted whoever it was to enter and speak whatever it was that was so important that they felt the need to disturb him. The person who entered was a man wearing a thick brown trench coat, black leather gloves, a fedora, tinted sunglasses and a red scarf that covered his face. Whoever it was did a very good job hiding his appearance. Not even an ounce of his skin was visible underneath all those layers of clothing. When he addressed the CEO the first thing he focused on was his right arm which was revealed to be cybernetic underneath the sleeve of his fancy suit.
Richard: What is it, Adrian?
Adrian: Forgive the intrusion, Sir, but I’ve made a breakthrough with the special project we’ve been working on. I thought you should know immediately… Is everything alright?
Richard: I just got off the phone with Chase. It appears even he has become convinced that Chaos Man is a hero the world so desperately needs after he stopped this “shadow invasion”. Apparently, his son, Michael, is acting as a representative of Aegis for Chaos Man, formulating an alliance with the “hero” … As much as I respect the man, he’s a fool for thinking that immature freak can be trusted! He is a threat to humanity, and I will prove it.
Richard slowly turns his chair around to face Adrian, revealing himself to someone who wasn’t so keen to do the same for him. He looked just like his portrait. A man in his mid-forties like Chase but had slicked back brown hair and a thick moustache, wearing a fancy black suit with thin white pinstripes on it and a red tie. Leaning against his side of the desk on the right was a sleek black cane with a curved silver handle. He rests his chin on both his only flesh hand and his cybernetic one as he focused his attention on Adrian.
Richard: People need to be reminded that it was MY company that saved them after the Monster War, not him. Without Magna Tech the entire United Kingdom would’ve crumbled to dust… You say you made progress?
Adrian: Yes, that green emerald we found is providing unlimited power, more than enough to keep the cities’ power grid running infinitely and certainly provide more than enough for the amount of energy we need to begin phase two of Project Leda.
Richard: Excellent news.
Adrian: There’s more, Sir. It’s about the emerald. I’ve analysed it using every device imaginable and can confirm that the energy it produces is the same kind of energy that Chaos Man produces. The same energy as the meteor that crashed near Fordwich a couple months ago. He also has an emerald in his possession. We can’t deny that there could be more of them out there.
Richard: Really? Then it is imperative that we obtain the rest of the emeralds first before him, then we may begin preparations for Operation Chaos Breaker. But for now, I want all your focus to be on completing Project Leda and ensuring it’s success. We will allow Chaos Man to continue playing the hero for a little while longer.
Adrian: Yes Sir… By the way, I’m very sorry to hear about your daughter.
Richard: Chaos Man announced himself to the world way before that tragic series of events that took Alice away from me! If he really were a hero, he would’ve saved her, but he didn’t! All the more reason why he must be eradicated!
Richard raised his voice as he raised his cybernetic arm up ready to slam it down on his priceless table, only to stop himself at the last second and take a moment to calm himself down with a couple of deep breaths.
Richard: Sorry about that. I need to be alone. Return to the lab and keep me updated on the project. The instant you make a breakthrough you will notify me immediately, understand?
Adrian: Yes, Mister Magna.
Adrian bows his head respectfully before turning himself around and taking his leave. As soon as the door clicked shut, Richard stood up from his chair and picked up his glass of bourbon, deciding to stand right by the window and get a proper look at the city below, watching his robots patrolling the streets. This was his city. He is the reason London hasn’t been wiped off the map, and he will do everything in his power to maintain the order he built from Chaos Man or any other meta-human threats.
Everything seemed bright and hopeful now that the dangers passed, but there are some corners of the world that remain in the dark. Places no form of life can inhabit without losing themselves. One such place is a small, deserted island completely consumed by looming dark clouds. The ominous sounds of thunder and the violent waves crashing into the rocks.
Further along the shore of the island, the coming tide washes over the soft grey sand, stranding clumps of seaweed, some plastic trash that had been dropped into the sea from who knows how long ago, and something shiny. As the water retreated back into the ocean the golden scepter washes up on shore along with a body blackened by shadow. The body of Wilfre. His claw-like hand slowly, but shakily, reaches out, digging the tip of his claws into the soft sand and clawing at the ground, trying to pull himself from the water.
Wilfre: A…lex…
He was barely alive, struggling to breathe with the wounds he sustained after his fight with Chaos Man and Michael, let alone the fall. He wasn’t alone. The faint sounds of the bushes rustling around a couple feet away from him was all his pointed ears could pick up. What followed was the appearance of a mysterious figure emerging from the jungle and slowly closing in on Wilfre’s position. All that he could see of the figure was a pair of black shoes that seemed too fancy for a beach. But what really shocked him was the familiar voice that seemed to be coming from the mystery person’s mouth. A voice he knew all to well. The very one that plagued the deepest reaches of his unstable mind.
Dark Voice: Hello again, Wilfre