I sit next to sunny, I cant help but look at that empty chair. Winter died, just like that. Only 3 of us are left and.... sunny nearly died as well and I could do nothing. He even so tired had fought a corrupted devil alone and it could fight as a shadow as well.
My cohort is mostly fine, just some injuries, J's cohort was half wiped out and all heavily injured, sunnys was hurt and one lost both of his legs. I... she's dead. I can't believe she's gone. I almost lost sunny, maybe... maybe i really should have talked him out of this... something hits the wall, its a chair, a chair j threw.
"....We're just wasting time here. Go rest, Sunny, ■■■■… you deserve a break. Gods, we all do…"
I walk around. I can't.... I just.... I probably shouldn't be alone but.... ill lash out and i don't want that. If.... if i had sent one of my echos to help her then winter would have lived. I don't doubt it, I'm.... am I taking this seriously?
I think i am, I'm putting myself on the line. But I've never once fought anything I wasn't at least pretty sure I could win. Doesn't that in a way prove I'm not going all in? I feel two tiny hands grab mine. I have to make myself not move, to not hurt the young boy.
"Ascended, its you!"
I put on a smile
"Yup it is, how are you doing little one?"
I kneel down
"I'm doing really well! I heard there was a big battle!"
I nod
"Yup I helped a saint kill a corrupted terror isn't that cool?"
His eyes light up
"Really!?"
I nod
"Yup I even got a memory from it"
I lift my hand summoning a beautiful pure black halberd, the memory i had gotten from singers.... kill steal, thats what it was
"Oh my god, thats so cool!"
He almost jumps up and down
"Dont worry if you ask your mom i could let you hold it"
I'm not fully serious but still. I look up and his mother is smiling clearly happy her son is so happy
"Really?!"
I go to that tiny corner store. I just feel like something... well not sweet but still. I get a bag of chips for myself
"Well still coming i see."
He laughs
"Yeah... hey I've got a hypothetical question"
He nods acting serious, in a more playful way
"Really what is it then oh great master"
I sigh
"If... if there was a evil ruler who's actions caused countless deaths and there was someone strong enough to kill said ruler but didn't, is part of the blame for the death caused by the tyrant on the powerful person?"
He gets actually serious thinking for a while
"No. Its not that person's fault the tyrant made those decisions."
I run, it doesn't feel fast enough. Doll had been with sunny and.... she lost. Tyris lost. I make it to the clan headquarters as they do.
"Is she alive?!"
J grimaces
"I don't know. Thats what we are going to find out."
I feel almost sick. We get escorted by that woman who had fallen from the sky to a door. She glances at it a look of pain then she moves out of the way. When it opens, I bite the inside of my mouth. No, I won't gasp or anything like that. She's so injured. There's the sound of static over everything. Every word said doesn't quite reach me. Shes.... she's so injured.
I run. I run to my cohort
"You all.... your all leaving. I wont hear anything else."
They look over, they had been playing another game of cards
"Ascended Heat seeker... might I ask why?"
I shake my head.
"She can not hold back the winter beast any longer. Everyone... everyone is going to die. You all must leave. I will stay to try to hold it back but you all will not be of help."
They all stand up in a flood of noise. All.... all of them refuse.
"I will not tolerate insubordination."
They look at each other all communicating silently. Fighter speaks
"I'm sorry to say ■■■■ but.... no. Im not leaving."
Soon they all start refusing
"....Fine. but only half can stay. No more then that. And ranger, you can not stay, the army needs it healers."
He opens his mouth to argue but shuts up.
They talk among themselves as we move to the docks. As we move i make two stops taking a old man, a young boy and his mother, turns out they live close together. I put them all on flame and I send them off with doll when I get a clear sight of the boats.
I then turn around, and I move to the walls. The blizzard its.... its picking up. I can.... thats my domain, ice and snow. I can... I can counter it right? If my army attacks it all at once then maybe we can overwhelm the winter beast. Or, or hold it off. I can. I swear I can.
I stare at the wall of white. Their all going to die. I'm going to fail. A titan, maybe a awakened one i could beat but a fallen one? A corrupted one? I'm not able to beat it. And ill survive. I know it, i can't die due to a lack of heat. I don't glance back at the army behind me, at portal, fighter and rogue. I don't look at sunny, or jet, who I'm not sure will survive this.
"Get ready!"
I won't cry, I can do that after. For now I have to look strong even if its a vain comfort for the walking dead of the army behind me.
"Advance!"
I feel as they fall. As each soldier falls to the cold. I can't stop it. No matter how hard I try it doesn't matter. I can hold it off but in the depths of its domain, I can not hold it off well enough. First the weaker mundane fall, then the stronger, then the great machines humanity spent so long making, then the weaker awakened, soon the stronger fall.
"■■■■"
I stop at fighters voice, its clear without that fog it always has. Her hand grabs mine
"■■■■ don't go"
I look back at them. Fighter hugs me
"I'm... I'm not warm, your only making it worse"
She sighs
"Don't fight it, you'll lose. Please just run"
She let's go wobbling back to portal. Rogue was holding onto him clearly close to death and... the three huddle together. Doll hesitates to help them up. Soon they fall as well.
I run. Not away but towards it. I jump into the air doll follows after. I don't make any noise. I have to kill it, I have to do something, anything! If I had helped her... I would have done something. I can't really be that weak. I follow where the cold is deepest.
I find it too I don't think. I just move. I almost get hit almost instantly. Doll manages a small cut shaving off a piece of ice with my new halberd. See i can hurt it! I put everything into moving forwards. But it doesn't matter as two hands grab me shoving me behind them as its icy hand slams into them with a crack of porcelain. I finally get close enough to see its name only for a second.
[Corrupted titan: Vile thief of the snow crown.]
I go flying back. Two arms wrap around me moving to take the brunt of the damage from the fall to the ground.... the snow crown? The.... that.... that was.... I'm.... the winter beast is the person I was during my first nightmare. It was me in a way. I look down at doll who lifts a hand and knocks the helm off. Looking me in the eyes and finally breaking.
[Storm has fallen]
One more saint. If even one more saint was here. Then this wouldn't have happened. If song, if valor hadn't been so preoccupied in their own little war. It may not be my fault they chose to abandon Antarctica. But it is my duty to kill the tyrants who hold humanity back. The sovereigns must die. Its their fault after all. I feel two hands grab me, I turn my head to see sunny. He doesn't say anything but he simply hugs me, and cries. I'll kill them both, not just for today, but for each day that more die due to their inaction. Is that not my duty as a awakened, to kill tyrants?