Post by Zuyuri on Jan 21, 2019 4:39:10 GMT
He had never so trapped in his entire life. The city of Bellerouge was below him bathed in the blood of not only innocent people but other fluids ranging from exploded vampire juice and the guts of demons. The Others Unit...his unit...was left scattered. They scrambled to try and attack demon nests that Disparion had planted within the cities. The first to go had been several churches, so those nests were larger and harder to attack. A few homes in Lieu Sanglate had been ripped open from fire or demons, scarring rich foundations that would take tons of money to repair. And all Shadow could do was kneel. If he tried even blinking, his mind was seized back into place. Disparion was taking advantage of his blood within the homunculus, smirking as the spiked figure bent in submission.
"I am impressed., Disparion crooned in a poisonous fatherly way, "I would have expected you to be trapped for a hundred years as opposed to three months"
Shadow gritted his teeth. Even his tongue had been forced down to keep him from saying something sassy to dear old daddy. But oh he wanted to say so much. This was worse than being locked in chains. He was bound by his own flesh and blood to a prison where his mistakes were right in front of him. This time, there was no one he could ask to erase his memories.
___
The one news stations Disparion's goons hadn't gotten to had been one on the outskirts of Bellerouge. The satellite was being adjusted by very small figures, and if the security camera was capable of such a zoom, he could see they were little dolls crafted from straw, maneuvering it to the dead center. When a broadcast would be set up, it would go to the entire city. It took effort, and even a few shadowy figures were helping adjust the satellite, but finally, it sat up like a kid's ice cream dish ready to be filled, or to send out a message that whatever they had was delicious.
Inside, the once dead computers were up. The bad news was they were only picking up snow. Jim was typing away madly at a computer. Behind him, Dimitri was glaring out the window with his com on standby. Something flew by, which he cocked his gun and shot at.
"Don't waste your ammo suga," Red muttered. She had joined the Others Unit at the this very spot with the disc they had discovered from the lost Arc laboratory. She was swiping at her phone to keep it awake. The professor's code had been deciphered, finally, and she was hard at work trying to encrypt the chip so it could be read by human technology. "Ya sure this Professor Gerald wasn't an alchemist?"
Sunshine shook her head. "No. He was someone who just wanted to save his dying granddaughter."
Jim growled in frustration. "Nothing. I've tried every code."
Sunshine sighed. She couldn't call Adrien for backup no matter how much she wanted to. He had innocent people to protect. That and if the police found out she was good friends with someone hot on police radar, it could get her in trouble. It was do or die. Disparion had sent out a disturbing message that morning. He greeted his "subjects" with his hideous eye flashing on news channels - which was how the team found this place to begin with - while his voice echoed in real time over everyone. A few disturbed people had started cheering and worshipping at the sound of his voice. Some quivered in fear. But the minute "his son, who shares the blood of the demons," was mentioned, she knew exactly who he was talking about. Shadow was back. She remembered that assault in the graveyard when Disparion controlled him like a puppet. It just proved Shadow's own stubbornness could even halt the Devil.
Here they were, trying to get the professor's final clue solved. It didn't make sense that a scientist was just a straight up Devil worshipper. He had been far too kind hearted, had too well-meaning of a motive. Sunshine approached Red and massaged her temples. "So? What have you got?"
Red winced as something scalded her hand. "Whatever's on here, it's sealed tight. I can't open it..."
The blonde cop lowered her head. No. There had to be a way around this. Yet she had tried every creative curve in the book. She had tried holding it up to ward away a demon. which had worked but the desired result of opening a protective whatever failed. They did a test run with demon blood. They threw a haphazard formula onto the chip. Nothing was working. Her bloodshot eyes started to water. Stressful days of being tired, working without sleep to protect the people of Bellerouge, running on nothing but coffee, was finally wearing her down. She had some sleep, but it had been plagued with nightmares. Her best friend was in the Devik's clutches, and nothing else mattered except getting him safe. The wall to reach him was higher than she thought she copuld climb.
"I'm sorry, Shadow..."
Finally, Sunshine let the emotiuon that was festering in her lose. If tears could flood plains, she would have conqured worlds. They were dripping onto the counter, dotting her jeans, her sneakers, and even falling into her slightly opened mouth. A customer in Nevermore had told her that some vampires were substituting human tears for nutrients in place of blood. She wasn't sure why that mattered. All she tasted was salt and regret. Maybe that was why they were so gloomy that even Pitch had been telling them to get their acts together.
A tear slid off the bridge of her nose and onto the disk. Red had stopped working on it to comfort the blonde cop. So much so that no one noticed the tear being sucked up like a sponge. As the water disappeared, the chip pulsed, almost like it had a heartbeat for the briefest of moments.
"You're gonna to be..." Red touched the disk again, yelling "Shit!" when the disk burned her. "Well...I'll be....that's new."
"What's new?" Dimitri looked out.
"The disk is burning like a stovetop!" Red was fanning her hand.
Jim ran over. Not even wincing, he threw the disk into the slot. The snow on the screens started liting, revealing a face everyone was all too familiar with. The balding man with the white Theodore Roosevelt mustache was like an old friend. He was staring directly at the camera as test tubes bubbled behind him. chalkboard with half-finished equations sat nearby. Despite the age making his voice waver, he spoke with sincere worry.
"Shadow...my son."
____
"Shadow...my son."
What?!"
The TVs all through Bellerouge picked up the same image. The man in the lab coat was a stranger to everyone. The only people who recognized him were the agents that had dragged the professor away ten years ago.
"If you're listening, then you must know the truth. The government plans to cease every known trace of this project and will imprison or kill all who know about you. I committed a felony far worse than any other petty crime. I have brought about the end of humanity with your creation. It was my fault, summoning the Devil himself, whose blood runs through your veins. In ten years, you will be tasked with the unthinkable...destroying mankind as we know it, the mankind I have asked you to protect. I knew sheer force of humanity, and no amount of magic could stop him. The only thing that could stop him...is you. I turned the very power Disparion intended to use against him.
"I know you are listening, too, you devil!" the professor declared. "Shadow has been implanted with one final part of the formula. I used Seelie DNA, but I used one other thing. An extract of a flower given to humanity by the seelies. That same extract has awakened this message, and has let me have my final laugh. My wrongs will be righted by my creation. It's up to you, Shadow. The world's fate!"
A small, dainty hand appeared on the professor's lab coat. Next to him, perfectly healthy and smiling, appeared the image of twelve-year-old Maria Gerald. She smiled at the man who ruffled her hair.
"It's okay, Grandpa! Shadow will always be there to save anyone in trouble!"
As the video stopped, Disparion laughed. "Gerald, you've flown too close to the sun! Shadow is mine now...you've failed."
But the professor hadn't failed. The video had been part of his plan to go back against Disparion all along. The distraction of the Devil completely disrupted his grip on Shadow's mind and body. The red and black hedgehog stood. His clenched hands were tightened into fists. He had lost Maria, and seeing her healthy in the video had reminded him of the promise he made her. The memories he had had been of her asking to protect the city she loved watching from her personal bubble. He swore to protect it, and he had done that as a cop of the Others Unit. He probably took the job far too seriously for his own good, but it was why he had people to balance him out. Even Pitch, the demon he butted heads with, had saved him, by stripping away the memories of hatred that would have fueled him to openly become the weapon Disparion wanted.
"Clever little creature...you've managed to escape my control" he taunted.
Shadow glared at him. "You may have had control over me, but not anymore. The only person who makes my decision is me. The people of Bellerouge are my people. This is my home! This is my life! And you have no place in it; past, present or future. Maria tasked me with protecting the people, the professor tasked me with destroying you. I have a task for myself now. I'm putting the past behind me."
He felt it for the first time since he opened the portal for Disparion. It was the warmth of the ultimate power he held back with his inhibitor rings. He only lashed it out as an absolute last resort. If destroying the Devil wasn't last resort, he wasn't sure what was. But as he felt the power surge over his body, he got a glimpse. Before, his fur had always turned red whenever he charged his power. This time, the red was still there, but another color was being placed over top. A bright gold, like the sun.
Disparion glowered at the change. Have it your way, Shadow. I gave you life and you defy me still. The last words you hear will be your own screams"
If Disparion wasn't ugly enough, the bulging of his gray skin made it worse. The flesh turned the color of puce and stretched. The gray robe was torn asunder, and thank God there was no junk for Shadow to be staring at. Snapping bones ripped through the air. Skin covered wings, like bat wings, flapped and left a smell of must and rot in their wind. They were stained crimson with blood from being tucked away for so long. The one dominant eye took over the face, which had started to elongate. The unclothed arms were muscular and pulsing with red and black veins. The muscled upper half stood on skinny legs, which despite looking small, had enough strength to push him into the sky.
Shadow took a breath. No. Not today. The jets in his skates started to purr and roar. If he could channel enough energy, he could catch up. Chaos was a fickle thing. If he used too much, he'd be a splat on the concrete. Yet between his will and this extra untapped potential, he was soaring airborne, flying to intercept his father.
It was the first time Bellerouge saw the sun in three months. And the sun was fighting against the darkness.
Disparion was a dirty player, to say the least. He lifted debris from the city up and hurtled it like they were baseballs. Shadow grimaced. He had to take this fight out of the city where innocents wouldn't get hurt. He fired chaos energy at every piece he could muster, rendering it into dust. One spear ended up striking Disparion in the eye. The monster writhed in pain. Shadow flew ahead, staying in the sight so Disparion would be prompted to chase him. The tactic worked. He could hear the leathery beating of the heavy wings and glanced down through the red fog. The city limits were gone, and all that remained below was a thick canyon.
Disparion exhaled a pillar of fire. Shaodw somersaulted out of the way, smelling the burning trees. He fired again at the eye and went for a sucker punch to the gut. The Devil winced at the pressure hit him.
"That untapped power...I underestimated it."
Shadow managed to work in an uppercut as he dodged a claw swipe. The claw was close, grazing his cheek. He would have killed to have some beryl bullets right now. One to shoot him right in the ugly heart. Shooting him in the eye was getting tiresome. Blinding him would only do so good, and it wasn't like he could summon something from the sky to pierce him on the spot. Okay, focus Griffiths, focus on your environment. Nothing can help you now. He's above you, and he's bigger...
Bigger. That might be it.
Shadow held a hand in the direction of the Devil's heart. Disparion was too fixated on destroying paths or swiping to keep his bare heart protected. Shadow took and breath and focused. This would be the strike he wanted to end it all. For Maria. For the professor. For the Others Unit. For everyone in Bellerouge that was sick or dying because of him. He wasn't just amending the professor's wrongs, he was amending his own. It was the end of Disparion...and the end of his relentless hunt for memories. He knew who he was. He was created by Professor Edgar Gerald to save lives. He made a promise to his closest friend, who had died trying to save him. As such, he was risking his life to save others. By killing Disparion, he would have fulfilled all the promises he made.
The chaos spear lit up the sky in a beam of yellow light. It made impact directly into Disparion's heart. The demon made a grunt of pain. "No...I am the ruler of the world! I am ultimate life form!"
Shadow smirked. "Bullshit."
The Devil fell from the sky. Shadow might have been blurred from the light shining from his own body, but he swore something swallowed him up before the darkness took the body over. The homunculus landed on a nearby crag and exhaled. From where he stood, he heard noises he didn't think he would hear in a while. The noise of crickets chirping. He looked skyward and had to blink.
Bellerouge, in ten years, was finally getting a blue sky. The red sky was clearing, making away for the sun that was shining despite it being winter. The yellow on his fur discharged and h sat back down, catching his breath. He stared up at the blue sky, and he swore he saw her face smiling at him.
"Maria...this is what you wanted, right?"
"I am impressed., Disparion crooned in a poisonous fatherly way, "I would have expected you to be trapped for a hundred years as opposed to three months"
Shadow gritted his teeth. Even his tongue had been forced down to keep him from saying something sassy to dear old daddy. But oh he wanted to say so much. This was worse than being locked in chains. He was bound by his own flesh and blood to a prison where his mistakes were right in front of him. This time, there was no one he could ask to erase his memories.
___
The one news stations Disparion's goons hadn't gotten to had been one on the outskirts of Bellerouge. The satellite was being adjusted by very small figures, and if the security camera was capable of such a zoom, he could see they were little dolls crafted from straw, maneuvering it to the dead center. When a broadcast would be set up, it would go to the entire city. It took effort, and even a few shadowy figures were helping adjust the satellite, but finally, it sat up like a kid's ice cream dish ready to be filled, or to send out a message that whatever they had was delicious.
Inside, the once dead computers were up. The bad news was they were only picking up snow. Jim was typing away madly at a computer. Behind him, Dimitri was glaring out the window with his com on standby. Something flew by, which he cocked his gun and shot at.
"Don't waste your ammo suga," Red muttered. She had joined the Others Unit at the this very spot with the disc they had discovered from the lost Arc laboratory. She was swiping at her phone to keep it awake. The professor's code had been deciphered, finally, and she was hard at work trying to encrypt the chip so it could be read by human technology. "Ya sure this Professor Gerald wasn't an alchemist?"
Sunshine shook her head. "No. He was someone who just wanted to save his dying granddaughter."
Jim growled in frustration. "Nothing. I've tried every code."
Sunshine sighed. She couldn't call Adrien for backup no matter how much she wanted to. He had innocent people to protect. That and if the police found out she was good friends with someone hot on police radar, it could get her in trouble. It was do or die. Disparion had sent out a disturbing message that morning. He greeted his "subjects" with his hideous eye flashing on news channels - which was how the team found this place to begin with - while his voice echoed in real time over everyone. A few disturbed people had started cheering and worshipping at the sound of his voice. Some quivered in fear. But the minute "his son, who shares the blood of the demons," was mentioned, she knew exactly who he was talking about. Shadow was back. She remembered that assault in the graveyard when Disparion controlled him like a puppet. It just proved Shadow's own stubbornness could even halt the Devil.
Here they were, trying to get the professor's final clue solved. It didn't make sense that a scientist was just a straight up Devil worshipper. He had been far too kind hearted, had too well-meaning of a motive. Sunshine approached Red and massaged her temples. "So? What have you got?"
Red winced as something scalded her hand. "Whatever's on here, it's sealed tight. I can't open it..."
The blonde cop lowered her head. No. There had to be a way around this. Yet she had tried every creative curve in the book. She had tried holding it up to ward away a demon. which had worked but the desired result of opening a protective whatever failed. They did a test run with demon blood. They threw a haphazard formula onto the chip. Nothing was working. Her bloodshot eyes started to water. Stressful days of being tired, working without sleep to protect the people of Bellerouge, running on nothing but coffee, was finally wearing her down. She had some sleep, but it had been plagued with nightmares. Her best friend was in the Devik's clutches, and nothing else mattered except getting him safe. The wall to reach him was higher than she thought she copuld climb.
"I'm sorry, Shadow..."
Finally, Sunshine let the emotiuon that was festering in her lose. If tears could flood plains, she would have conqured worlds. They were dripping onto the counter, dotting her jeans, her sneakers, and even falling into her slightly opened mouth. A customer in Nevermore had told her that some vampires were substituting human tears for nutrients in place of blood. She wasn't sure why that mattered. All she tasted was salt and regret. Maybe that was why they were so gloomy that even Pitch had been telling them to get their acts together.
A tear slid off the bridge of her nose and onto the disk. Red had stopped working on it to comfort the blonde cop. So much so that no one noticed the tear being sucked up like a sponge. As the water disappeared, the chip pulsed, almost like it had a heartbeat for the briefest of moments.
"You're gonna to be..." Red touched the disk again, yelling "Shit!" when the disk burned her. "Well...I'll be....that's new."
"What's new?" Dimitri looked out.
"The disk is burning like a stovetop!" Red was fanning her hand.
Jim ran over. Not even wincing, he threw the disk into the slot. The snow on the screens started liting, revealing a face everyone was all too familiar with. The balding man with the white Theodore Roosevelt mustache was like an old friend. He was staring directly at the camera as test tubes bubbled behind him. chalkboard with half-finished equations sat nearby. Despite the age making his voice waver, he spoke with sincere worry.
"Shadow...my son."
____
"Shadow...my son."
What?!"
The TVs all through Bellerouge picked up the same image. The man in the lab coat was a stranger to everyone. The only people who recognized him were the agents that had dragged the professor away ten years ago.
"If you're listening, then you must know the truth. The government plans to cease every known trace of this project and will imprison or kill all who know about you. I committed a felony far worse than any other petty crime. I have brought about the end of humanity with your creation. It was my fault, summoning the Devil himself, whose blood runs through your veins. In ten years, you will be tasked with the unthinkable...destroying mankind as we know it, the mankind I have asked you to protect. I knew sheer force of humanity, and no amount of magic could stop him. The only thing that could stop him...is you. I turned the very power Disparion intended to use against him.
"I know you are listening, too, you devil!" the professor declared. "Shadow has been implanted with one final part of the formula. I used Seelie DNA, but I used one other thing. An extract of a flower given to humanity by the seelies. That same extract has awakened this message, and has let me have my final laugh. My wrongs will be righted by my creation. It's up to you, Shadow. The world's fate!"
A small, dainty hand appeared on the professor's lab coat. Next to him, perfectly healthy and smiling, appeared the image of twelve-year-old Maria Gerald. She smiled at the man who ruffled her hair.
"It's okay, Grandpa! Shadow will always be there to save anyone in trouble!"
As the video stopped, Disparion laughed. "Gerald, you've flown too close to the sun! Shadow is mine now...you've failed."
But the professor hadn't failed. The video had been part of his plan to go back against Disparion all along. The distraction of the Devil completely disrupted his grip on Shadow's mind and body. The red and black hedgehog stood. His clenched hands were tightened into fists. He had lost Maria, and seeing her healthy in the video had reminded him of the promise he made her. The memories he had had been of her asking to protect the city she loved watching from her personal bubble. He swore to protect it, and he had done that as a cop of the Others Unit. He probably took the job far too seriously for his own good, but it was why he had people to balance him out. Even Pitch, the demon he butted heads with, had saved him, by stripping away the memories of hatred that would have fueled him to openly become the weapon Disparion wanted.
"Clever little creature...you've managed to escape my control" he taunted.
Shadow glared at him. "You may have had control over me, but not anymore. The only person who makes my decision is me. The people of Bellerouge are my people. This is my home! This is my life! And you have no place in it; past, present or future. Maria tasked me with protecting the people, the professor tasked me with destroying you. I have a task for myself now. I'm putting the past behind me."
He felt it for the first time since he opened the portal for Disparion. It was the warmth of the ultimate power he held back with his inhibitor rings. He only lashed it out as an absolute last resort. If destroying the Devil wasn't last resort, he wasn't sure what was. But as he felt the power surge over his body, he got a glimpse. Before, his fur had always turned red whenever he charged his power. This time, the red was still there, but another color was being placed over top. A bright gold, like the sun.
Disparion glowered at the change. Have it your way, Shadow. I gave you life and you defy me still. The last words you hear will be your own screams"
If Disparion wasn't ugly enough, the bulging of his gray skin made it worse. The flesh turned the color of puce and stretched. The gray robe was torn asunder, and thank God there was no junk for Shadow to be staring at. Snapping bones ripped through the air. Skin covered wings, like bat wings, flapped and left a smell of must and rot in their wind. They were stained crimson with blood from being tucked away for so long. The one dominant eye took over the face, which had started to elongate. The unclothed arms were muscular and pulsing with red and black veins. The muscled upper half stood on skinny legs, which despite looking small, had enough strength to push him into the sky.
Shadow took a breath. No. Not today. The jets in his skates started to purr and roar. If he could channel enough energy, he could catch up. Chaos was a fickle thing. If he used too much, he'd be a splat on the concrete. Yet between his will and this extra untapped potential, he was soaring airborne, flying to intercept his father.
It was the first time Bellerouge saw the sun in three months. And the sun was fighting against the darkness.
Disparion was a dirty player, to say the least. He lifted debris from the city up and hurtled it like they were baseballs. Shadow grimaced. He had to take this fight out of the city where innocents wouldn't get hurt. He fired chaos energy at every piece he could muster, rendering it into dust. One spear ended up striking Disparion in the eye. The monster writhed in pain. Shadow flew ahead, staying in the sight so Disparion would be prompted to chase him. The tactic worked. He could hear the leathery beating of the heavy wings and glanced down through the red fog. The city limits were gone, and all that remained below was a thick canyon.
Disparion exhaled a pillar of fire. Shaodw somersaulted out of the way, smelling the burning trees. He fired again at the eye and went for a sucker punch to the gut. The Devil winced at the pressure hit him.
"That untapped power...I underestimated it."
Shadow managed to work in an uppercut as he dodged a claw swipe. The claw was close, grazing his cheek. He would have killed to have some beryl bullets right now. One to shoot him right in the ugly heart. Shooting him in the eye was getting tiresome. Blinding him would only do so good, and it wasn't like he could summon something from the sky to pierce him on the spot. Okay, focus Griffiths, focus on your environment. Nothing can help you now. He's above you, and he's bigger...
Bigger. That might be it.
Shadow held a hand in the direction of the Devil's heart. Disparion was too fixated on destroying paths or swiping to keep his bare heart protected. Shadow took and breath and focused. This would be the strike he wanted to end it all. For Maria. For the professor. For the Others Unit. For everyone in Bellerouge that was sick or dying because of him. He wasn't just amending the professor's wrongs, he was amending his own. It was the end of Disparion...and the end of his relentless hunt for memories. He knew who he was. He was created by Professor Edgar Gerald to save lives. He made a promise to his closest friend, who had died trying to save him. As such, he was risking his life to save others. By killing Disparion, he would have fulfilled all the promises he made.
The chaos spear lit up the sky in a beam of yellow light. It made impact directly into Disparion's heart. The demon made a grunt of pain. "No...I am the ruler of the world! I am ultimate life form!"
Shadow smirked. "Bullshit."
The Devil fell from the sky. Shadow might have been blurred from the light shining from his own body, but he swore something swallowed him up before the darkness took the body over. The homunculus landed on a nearby crag and exhaled. From where he stood, he heard noises he didn't think he would hear in a while. The noise of crickets chirping. He looked skyward and had to blink.
Bellerouge, in ten years, was finally getting a blue sky. The red sky was clearing, making away for the sun that was shining despite it being winter. The yellow on his fur discharged and h sat back down, catching his breath. He stared up at the blue sky, and he swore he saw her face smiling at him.
"Maria...this is what you wanted, right?"