Difference between revisions of "MVR Round 2 P4"

Revision as of 08:00, 19 June 2021

With Guardian Merrow Rivenlight, Fury, Warchild, The Floating Man, and Sammy sent to Folia to rescue the hostages from Mogul, Remnant 9 Lucius "Brickhouse" Cassidy has been sent to the Champions Universe to investigate a potential Remnant. However, this Remnant is unlike any other.

R9

Marcel Franklin Soni.

According to the reports by Sammy and Merrow, Marcel is a super in Millennium City, currently working as a hero for UNITY as well as the Champions along with a large multitude of other heroes. The nature of Marcel's powers are healing based, and apparently, he's able to manipulate his life force.

Unique to Soni, is that he is an otherworlder, just like me. One who is not from the Champions Universe. When Soni arrived to Millennium City, he was whisked there along with his classmate, Cybil Chase. The two were given powers by a mysterious apparition, but at some point, Cybil's powers corrupted her. Marcel is now at war with Cybil, and from the looks of it, that war continued well on into the future, where Cybil tricked Marcel into making love, and ended up with Cybil becoming pregnant with two children.

Lena Soni and Fraser Soni.

And from there, my investigation of these two had begun.

I sat on Pariah, as the blade continued zipping across the country to Millennium City. It has been eight years since my fight against Prime Aspect Mogul, along with my brothers. We lost viciously. So hard, that Arman of all people abandoned who he was and left us to get stronger.

When Merrow told us that Arman had left, she was devastated. It hurt me so much to see her in that state. And it hurt me also to know that Arman, the guy who stood for righteousness and honour, the guy who was our moral backbone and was always true to himself no matter what, decided to turn a 180 into the darkness.

I clenched my fist as several black and red spikes protruded from my forearm.

From that battle, Mogul told us that he was interested in our power, and gave us ten years to prepare. Not like it mattered. We were all destined to be slaughtered. Even the seer at Corinth confirmed it.

But even so, even if we were going to fight a battle we could not win, we had to do our best to hit him as hard as we can.

Because if we aren't around, who will stop Mogul?

No Paladins.

No Guardians.

No Acadians.

Mogul would be free to rampage not just his world, but all the worlds, in all the multiverses.

Me and the other Remnants are all that stand between Mogul and ultimate destruction.

I noticed a big billboard, advertising a man called James Harmon. I was here.

"Pariah. Halt." I commanded, as the blade stopped. I leapt off of it as I held out my hand. The blade spun and I caught it, strapping it to my back.

Lena Soni and Fraser Soni. Sister and brother. From what my sources could gather, they were at war with each other. Despite being siblings. While Lena wanted to follow her father's footsteps in being a hero, Fraser decided to take after his mother, and become a villain.

Convincing Lena might be easy. But convincing Fraser will be a whole different story. I'd have to ruffle him up a bit.

I took a deep breath and focused.

APEX HUNT.

My eyes became bestial as my senses heightened and my heart rate went up. I began searching. Hunting. For Lena and Fraser's signature.

Weird. I wasn't sensing Fraser's signature anywhere. Or Lena's. Could it be that they were time displaced? I never honed down my Apex Hunt ability to that degree. It took two years to discover it, and another year to develop it to the level it is today.

If I could find Marcel, maybe I could pinpoint where Lena was.

I shifted my hunt, and pinpointed a young healer near Westside.

"Found you."

I leapt into the air as I calculated my trajectory. Closing in fast on a young man wearing a leather jacket and black goggles. He was in the middle of fighting a powerful foe alongside three other heroes.

I cocked my fist back, as I waited for the monster to raise its head.

Bingo.

I slammed my fist down, so hard that the creature's skull buckled and a shockwave blasted the windows around apart. The creature slammed into the pavement as it went limp. Marcel and the other heroes stared at me as I got to my feet.

"Marcel Franklin Soni." I said.

"Hero Name: Mason. Is that right?"

Marcel hesitated, as he cladded up into his armour and charged an attack. The other three heroes did the same.

"Who are you."

I raised my hands.

"I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk."

Marcel raised an eyebrow, but one of the heroes became cocky.

"You took our kill. And now you're making demands? Someone oughta teach you a lesson."

The man stepped forward. He was wielding two swords. A dual weapon user.

Just like Arman.

My chest hurt momentarily.

I kept my hands raised.

"I don't want to settle this with violence, sir. I'm just here to speak to Mason."

"Settle with violence? Are you threatening a hero?"

I narrowed my eyes.

APEX SCAN.

The Champions Universe follow a certain metric to gage out a fighter's abilities. HP. MP. Level. And Class.

Judging from this guy, he had around 15k HP. 120 MP. Level 40. And was a melee.

My battle intuition was telling me that this guy was geared to take damage, and to deal damage as well. Most likely the type to duel other heroes.

"No. That's not what I mea-"

The hero didn't give me a chance to finish my sentence, as he instantly ripped a chunk of rock from the ground and hurtled it to me. I dodged it, as he lunged forward with a flying kick. But I dodged it too.

Okay. Fuck it. I'm not going to play pacifist any longer.

I spent many years learning to control my temper, but I guess some people were an exception.

I leaned back and continued dodging as the hero's swings became more and more aggressive.

"Stop dodging! Hey!"

There wasn't much he could do. Maybe if he was fighting me from eight years back, he would have gotten a hit in. But I doubt he would have been able to break through my invulnerability.

But now, I was a whole different beast.

My evolved reflexes continued to dodge the hero's strikes, as the other two joined in. But none of them were able to land anything.

I brought my foot back and slammed my fist into the ground, as I summoned my Quasi Organic Spike Clad to rip through the cement and send spikes into the air, piercing each hero and sending them hurtling into the air. The heroes crumpled to the ground one by one as they went unconscious.

Marcel aimed a blast of poison at me and fired, but I stopped it with the palm of my hand.

"Enough, Mason. You can't hurt me."

I closed my fist and extinguished the flame, as Mason stumbled back.

"What.. do you want. I'll comply, as long as you don't hurt my friends."

I sighed, trying to calm my nerves.

"Like I said. I just want to talk."

"Broken... builds..." One of the heroes muttered deliriously.

"Uh. Will these guys be okay." I muttered.

Marcel nodded. "Yeah. They'll come to eventually. If you want to talk, come with me. I'll take you to the Sanctum."

We walked through jungles and vines in an old arcane region of Vibora Bay.

"Where are you from, Lucius?"

"Classified. Sorry." I replied.

"It's cool."

Marcel continued walking.

"But I can tell you're not from this universe."

I paused.

"What gave it away?"

Marcel tapped his temple.

"You don't have a Level. When I try to see your stats, it just gives a blank. You're rated a Cosmic. Despite walking around like a hero. That's a dead giveaway that you're abnormal."

"Oh..." Shit. Merrow never mentioned this part of going undercover.

"But that's okay." Marcel smiled. "I'm an otherworlder too. So I understand. It usually takes a lot to make me surprised."

Marcel spoke too soon, as the moment he opened the door to his hideout, a beautiful young woman was standing at the table, inspecting some books. She was wearing thigh high tights which brought out her curvaceous figure and a leather jacket, similar to Marcel. A pair of dark blue goggles hung around her neck.

"D- Dad...?" The girl muttered, her teal eyes wide as she dropped the book.

Marcel froze at the door.

"Who the hell... what are you doing in my hideout?"

The girl put her hands in the air.

"N- No! It's not what it looks like. Oh god. I've made a mess. I'm- I'm-"

"You're trespassing. I'm calling the police."

"No! Please. You have to listen to me." The girl ran forward to try to latch onto Mason, but Mason pushed her back.

"What are you trying to do? You stepped into this place unannounced, trespassed on this sacred property. You're lucky I haven't decided to blast your head off!" Mason shouted, as the girl recoiled back.

"M- Marcel... I..." The girl's voice broke, as I noticed her eyes were starting to get teary eyed.

"And calling me Dad? What kind of sick joke is this? Are you accusing me of being unfaithful to Cybil?!" Mason's voice got louder, as veins began to appear on his head. He was getting really upset, and the girl looked like she was about to cry.

"Hey. Calm down Mason. I'm sure there's a reason why she's here-"

"You stay out of this Lucius! You have no idea how important this place is to me! To Cybil! To us... to..." Mason gasped for air, as he rushed forward and tried to dust off the books and realign them. The girl began to shudder, no doubt attempting to conceal her sobs.

Mason turned to the girl, as she gasped and jumped in terror. But I stood in front of her and put distance between the two.

"Mason. You need to calm down."

Mason's hands powered up with green energy.

"Don't. Stay out of this."

"Or you'll what, Mason? Attack me? You're facing a Cosmic threat, you said it yourself. Can you fight a Cosmic all on your own as a mere healer?"

Mason fell to his knees, as tears streamed down his eyes.

He was finished.

The girl and I watched as Mason walked back to the desk and dejectedly put the books back.

"Do what you want. But please. Just... don't touch these things. They're really important to me. I'm... I need some time alone."

I sighed, as I turned to the girl, who rushed out of the hideout in tears. I followed her as I found her sitting on the ground, knees to her chin as she sobbed.

I knew who she was. Just from how she called Mason "dad".

So that made one of the two I needed to investigate.

"Lena Soni?" I asked.

Lena stopped crying as she sniffled.

"How do you know my name?" Her voice was hoarse.

I knelt down in front of her and pulled out a tissue from my jacket pocket. Lena took it and blew her nose.

"My name is Lucius Cassidy. I know you're going through a lot right now. But I need to have a word with you."

Lena stared at the ground.

"What do you want? I never disclosed my name to anybody, yet you somehow figured it out. I'm guessing you're not from around here."

"No, I'm not. And neither are you, Lena."

"I know that." She muttered.

I stood up.

"No. I don't think you really understand what you are."

Lena shot to her feet, her eyes turning demonic as blue energy surrounded her body.

"Excuse me? I know why I'm here. I don't need some peasant telling me I don't-"

Lena's eyes widened as she stopped herself.

"S- Sorry. Old habits."

"It's okay."

Lena took a deep breath.

"Lucius. I know what I am. I'm time displaced. My father, Marcel Soni. I was whisked back to his timeline along with my brother. I'm here to save my Mom from herself and turn her back to the path of the light."

If only that story was all there was to it.

But as I looked at Lena more and more, I could see it.

It made no sense.

That day when Merrow assigned me to the Champions Universe.

It was because she spotted something. And during my eight years, I learned to evolve my senses past its limit. To the point where I had something similar to Lightning Reflexes. I could sense things no other human, being, Remnant could sense.

And with Lena, I could sense it.

I work with my brothers to find others of my kind. With the help of Merrow, Skylar, and Kyrael's Inquisition.

But when I was told there was a Remnant here, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It took using Apex Hunt to see it for my very eyes.

I looked at Lena's teal aqua eyes. So dazzling, just like Mason's. But her face, beautiful and kind. Innocent like an angel, just like her mother.

She looked nothing like them.

There was no way she could be like them.

She was a girl.

Who she came from, was it possible? Was it possible for one to be a different gender from its creator?

But that feeling. My senses. They all pointed to her.

"Lena Soni." I said, as I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder, as the last of her sobs went through her.

Lena looked at me, as I took a deep breath.

"You are a Remnant of Decen, Lena. You are my sister."

R9

She slapped me.

I hadn't forgotten that day. When Arman had told me that I was a Remnant. I had responded aggressively, violently, and threw him into the ring to fight. At first, I always thought that was just because it was who I was. An angry, temperamental, egotistical teenager who always had a chip on his shoulder.

Turned out being confrontational was a common trait thanks to Dad.

"Creep!" Lena exclaimed, as she leapt back and made distance. Her body began to emanate darkness similar to how Sammy used his powers.

"Lena. You need to calm down." I said, but she was not having it.

"Me calm down?! You're the weirdo who's claiming I'm your sister! What would that make Fraser?"

"It's hard to say." I said, as I bolted backwards, dodging several of Lena's Ebon Ruins as she began firing them at me relentlessly.

"There's a chance he could be a Remnant or not. Paladin Decen's soul could have entered him too. But if he wasn't, he'd still be your brother. Meaning he'd be a stepbrother."

"Gross!" Lena yelped, as she phased out of the darkness and slammed me in the chest.

"I- Yeah. You got me on that one." I muttered, as Lena continued her barrage on me. She didn't land a single hit, but I was not getting anywhere with her.

I let my power course through my veins, as my corrupted arm began to glow red at the cracks. Red electricity jolted from my body as I shot forward and grabbed her wrists, pinning them against the wall as Lena gasped for air.

"Lena. That's enough. There's no benefit in me trying to do anything to you. I have a fiancee and I'm happy. I don't need this."

Lena began to stop struggling, as she started to calm down a little.

"Can I trust you enough to let go?" I asked, as Lena reluctantly nodded.

Lena led me to a quiet sector in Renaissance Center, behind Club Caprice, as we sat on a bench. I watched as a couple of heroes took to the skies, others in flying vehicles, and some were straight up bounding around with their super jump without a care in the world.

"That's a... badass looking sword." Lena said.

"Yeah. Its name is Pariah." I took the sword out of the sheathe and inspected it.

"Can I hold it?"

"It's too heavy for you."

Lena smirked. "Bet."

"Your funeral." I said, as I handed it to her, but I didn't let go as she took the blade.

"Be careful, Lena." I told her.

"Lens."

"What?"

Lens looked at me with those teal eyes.

"My name is Lens. That's what Defender and Witchcraft call me. I don't... like being called Lena."

"Oh. I'm sorry Lens."

Lens smiled, as I let go of the blade. Immediately, the sword slammed into the ground and sliced through the concrete as Lens yelped in surprise.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed as I snickered.

Lens tried to lift the sword but she wasn't able to make it move.

"What is this made of?! Neutronium?!"

"Celestial Steel."

Lena let go as I walked up to Pariah and picked up the blade, mounting it back on my shoulder.

"Celestial Steel?"

"Yeah. It was a material made by the old gods. In the town of Amod, the sword was used to kill celestial beings. It belonged to my- our eldest brother. Until it broke in two. This is half of it."

I could tell Lens was still uncomfortable with me saying I was her brother. I decided to drop it for now.

"If half of the sword is that large already, I can't even imagine how large the full version is."

"It was a hell of a sword. It's seen some crazy battles."

Lens sighed, as she sat back on the bench. She was dressed casual. A black wool top, jeans, and a pair of brown fur boots. Her long brown hair sat neatly on her shoulders. In many ways I could see why she would automatically assume I was some pervert who wanted to try things with her. She must have gotten that a lot.

If she came back with us, I'd have to keep her away from Sammy at all costs.

"You okay?" I asked.

Lens closed her eyes as she ran her hand through her hair. A habit that I had too back when my hair was long.

"Look. I still don't believe you're my brother. I've lived my whole life being trained to hurt others by Mom. I know for a fact that we don't share the same parents. But... if such a possibility were true..."

Lens rolled up her sleeve, revealing a tribal black tattoo on her forearm.

"That would make Fraser family to you too. I know I'm not in the right place to ask you this, since we just met. But before you take me back to the Remnants, there's something I need to do first. And... I could really use your help, Lucius."

"What do you need my help with?"

Lena clenched her fist, as the tattoo on her arm began to glow blue.

"I need to defeat Fraser."

Beep beep. Beep beep.

Lens pulled out her phone from her pocket.

"Cosmic."

"Cosmic?"

Lens put the phone back and tapped a module on her belt, as her outfit changed to the gear she was wearing back at the Sanctum. A crimson leather jacket, shoulder pads and black tights. A pair of blue goggles appeared around her neck.

"Very Mason." I commented.

Lens smiled, but it looked pained.

"Yeah." She whispered.

"I'm sure Marcel didn't mean the things he said. He's probably been through a lot."

Lens straightened her back, her face getting a little brighter. "Yeah. He has. I'm not giving up on him. I'll become a hero just like he is and save Mom."

Lens and I made our way to Irwin to teleport to one of the Cosmic battles, but Lens stopped me.

"Wait. You're rated a Cosmic threat right?"

"Yeah. Is that bad?"

Lens nodded. "You'll stick out, like a sore thumb. I'm surprised you haven't been caught already, walking around as one."

"Are Cosmics really that bad?"

"It takes around forty to fifty heroes to take one down, and that's assuming we have a mix of hero types. So yeah. They're pretty terrifying. There's only three major Cosmics we fight since they seem to like causing trouble. Kigatilik, Qwyjibo, and Teleiosaurus. There's also other Cosmic threats like Grond, but he's been pretty tame lately. And now there's you."

Lens pointed at me.

"Great Lucius Cassidy. The Arbiter of Poor Fashion Sense."

"That's hurtful."

Lens laughed as we made eye contact. Lens stopped and looked away as she brought tapped on her phone. Instantly, my vision lit up with stats.

"I've never tried this before. But since you're friendly with us, there's a chance I could lower your power just by setting you as a sidekick."

"You can do that?"

Lens nodded. "Mm. But you'll be weak as hell though."

My stats began to decrease as the sidekick system changed my power, adjusting it until I found myself fighting at a small percentage of my power.

"There." Lens said.

"You're now a Level 40 like me. With less than average abilities."

"Thanks... I guess..." I muttered. I didn't like how the power that I spent so many years learning to grow was just suddenly chopped away like it was nothing. But at least now I could help out with Lens' issue with Fraser, without letting other heroes in on our business.

The first Cosmic we had to stop was Kigatilik. The moment I arrived, I was greeted by a large horde of heroes. I found myself clinging onto Lens to make sure I didn't get lost. It was a bit embarrassing, considering I was older than her, both from Remnant Normalization and even here. From the files Merrow had on her, she was 18 here. I'm 23.

I took out my sword.

"Do we engage?"

"No." Lens said, as she pointed at the four dogs that were by the giant being's side.

"Our first objective is to kill the dogs. Then we go for Kigatilik. But..."

"But?"

Lens frowned.

"Why is he looking at you like that? Do you think he knows?"

Kigatilik was glaring at me from his throne. The other heroes didn't seem to notice, as they were all getting ready for the battle.

"Maybe." I replied. "Only way to find out."

I lifted my finger and pointed at him.

Kigatilik acknowledged me, as his voice boomed in my mind.

You are an otherworlder. Just like this girl's father.

I nodded.

But no ordinary one.

"Yeah." I replied, in my mind.

I am the ancient being of the north. To many, I am considered a Demon Lord of Ice and Snow. To these worthless heroes, I am considered a god. But you do not seem fearful of my power. Cowardice is perhaps a possibility, but my intuition tells me you conceal your power.

"Yeah. I'm not fearful of your power. Because I happen to know a Demon Lord myself. And I can confidently say he'll kick your ass if he ever met you."

A fellow Demon Lord exists with power that possibly surpasses mine? How laughable.

"You doubt me? Kigatilik? Surely you've heard of the Devourer of Worlds."

Kigatilik was silent.

Come. We shall speak, away from the heroes.

Lens was peeking at me, her face confused.

"Um, Lucius? Is everything alright? You and Kiga have been staring at each other for almost five minutes."

I turned to Lens.

"Yeah. I've got something to tend to. Sorry I can't fight the Cosmic with you."

Lens looked disappointed. "Oh."

"I'll find you again. Don't worry, Lens."

Lens gave me a grateful look. "I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you around, Lucius."

I found Kigatilik near a mountain in a smaller form. I had to change regions to ensure no heroes were around.

Kigatilik had his arms crossed, as he regarded me from the distance. His demonic horns were detailed, and there was no evidence that snow was covering them despite the weather. Skulls lined his belt. If anything, he reminded me a lot like a Shaman.

"Otherworlder." Kigatilik said, as he approached me. His footsteps melting the snow around him as we stood face to face.

"How do you know Demon Lord Samael."

I smiled. "He's my brother."

Kigatilik's body began to hum with power.

"No. This is impossible. Unless..."

Kigatilik's eyes glowed, as he unleashed a blast of frost in my direction, completely levelling the mountain as the entire lands shook violently. Snow blasted all over the place. Kigatilik watched as the destruction cleared, revealing me standing in the middle of it, unharmed.

"You are a Remnant of that accursed Paladin."

I brushed off my t-shirt, as I made a fist.

"Mason gaged me as a Cosmic threat. But I don't think that's accurate. For one thing, I'd say I outclass you a fair bit."

Kigatilik's face contorted in anger.

"You dare make a mockery of a Demon Lord?"

"I don't care about your antics, Kigatilik. I've got shit on my plate right now, and I don't have time for this. If you want a fight, I'll finish it quick. Best to leave your ass whooping to the heroes. At least that would be a longer fight."

Kigatilik roared, as he blew me back. I smashed into another mountain as my body flopped, creating a crater along the side.

"Remnant or mortal. You are just a man. No greater than the millions of Shamans I have slaughtered for amusement. And I will kill you."

Kigatilik materialized in front of me and slammed his fist into my chest, smashing me deeper into the mountain as we levelled it, creating a massive avalanche.

"You dare put yourself on my level, mortal? You shall regret your words today. For they will be your last!"

Kigatilik reeled his fist back and landed a devastating uppercut under my chin, launching me violently into the air. I broke through the clouds as I soared up high. The Demon Lord then blasted above me and slammed me back into the ground, as I created another ginormous crater.

"This will be your final moments, Remnant."

Kigatilik powered up another frost attack, and blasted it right at me, but I lifted up Pariah, intercepting the blast and absorbing the magic.

"For someone who gets beat up by heroes regularly, it's a little hard pressed to claim to be a god, Kigatilik." I replied, as I emerged from the debris. Kigatilik stared at me in disbelief.

"You-"

I jolted to his position, reeling Pariah back.

"Just my luck. If you're a Demon Lord and a self proclaimed god, that would make you a celestial right?"

Kigatilik clenched his teeth.

"What are you saying, Remnant. That you possess a weapon that can defeat me?"

"Yeah. Kigatilik..."

I slashed down, the blade cutting right through the Demon Lord's chest, severing him in half.

"Meet Pariah. The Celestial Slayer."

Kigatilik exploded into numerous ice shards as his mouth opened, his voice escaping him.

"Great Paladin Decen..." He muttered, as he disappeared.

I stood at the top of the mountain, overlooking the lands of an alternate Canada. I remembered the conversation I had with Merrow just before I was sent to the Champions Universe to investigate Lens and Fraser.

"Merrow, I really think we should reconsider. How is it even possible for a Remnant of Decen to be a girl? Isn't a Remnant a part of Decen? I get Kanade. Decen wanted to be a good person moments before his death. But Lena? Isn't that pushing it a bit?"

Merrow shook her head.

"Lucius, we can't risk her being captured by Mogul. Even if it is the smallest possibility, Mogul will take that as an absolute."

"I still think you should send me to the Remnant 2 and 15 retrieval mission. We need more people over there. There's no guarantee Sammy will be able to make it back given it's such a time displaced ravaged universe, and if Mogul sends the Acolyte Heracles, I don't know if Deacon can hold him off, let alone protect the fifteenth."

Merrow silenced me with a glare.

"Lucius. Mogul will hurt her if he finds her. Are you really going to say you are going to let that happen?"

"No, but this is ridiculous! Think about it, Merrow. A female Remnant of Decen. Does that make any sen-"

"And what if that girl was Sophia, Lucius? What then, will you do?"

I stopped, as my eyes widened in surprise.

Merrow sighed and got up, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Lucius, this isn't about the mission, is it."

"I..." I was at a loss for words. I was under a lot of stress at the time. It was just everything coming at me like a train at once.

Merrow chuckled.

"No matter how old you are, how mature you claim to be, you'll always be the same delinquent Lucius Cassidy who tried to hit on me when we first met. I've known you for so long, you don't think I can't figure out what makes you tick?"

I sighed.

"Okay. You got me, Merrow."

Merrow patted me on the shoulder, as I felt a sense of sisterly warmth.

"I'm proud of you, Lucius. We all are."

"I know, but I don't know if it was a good idea. I know I'm not going to live-"

"But Sophia agreed to it, didn't she?"

I paused. She did. She accepted right away when I revealed it to her that day.

Merrow laughed.

"Sophia agreed to marry you, Lucius. Because she knows everything will work out in the end. You can't keep putting yourself under fire so much. You may be the most durable of the Remnants, but you're still a man. And in my eyes, you're still a kid."

Merrow ruffled my hair as I squirmed away.

"Cut it out, Merrow. I'm twenty three. I'm old enough to handle these things on my own."

"Oh. Watch out everyone! He's getting married! He's better than all of us!" Merrow teased, as I pouted instinctively.

"Sophia is going to be part of our family now, Lucius. And you know how important family is. We can't leave Lena and Fraser out there to Mogul. You know that."

Merrow pointed at my chest.

"Your heart knows. In the end, it was your heart that helped pull this group of Remnants together. And it will be your heart that leads us. So trust your heart, Lucius.

"Bring Lena home."

R9

I found Mason in the hideout.

I knocked on the door cautiously.

"Mr. Soni? Can I come in?"

Mason was quiet for a few seconds.

"Yeah."

I opened the door as I stepped inside. The place looked like a sanctum all right. It had druidic decorations all over the place. It kind of reminded me of the old seer's place back when I frequented it a few years ago.

"Nice book you're reading. Is it good?"

Mason smirked, as he closed the grimoire.

"I shouldn't have yelled at her."

"It's okay. She understands."

Mason sighed, as he ran his hand over the grimoire's cover.

"This is confidential, but I feel like I can trust you."

"For what?" I asked.

Mason gestured me to sit, as I propped Pariah against the wall.

"I'm an otherworlder. From another Earth. To the people here, it's an alternate Earth, but to me, it will always be my home Earth."

"How did you end up here?"

"I was whisked away. Along with Cybil."

"So you knew Cybil, for a really long time."

Mason nodded.

"I knew her, even before we came to the Champions Universe. Before we got our powers. She and I were classmates in high school."

A faint echo appeared in the Sanctum. Arcane whispers which illuminated the room with an ethereal environment.

"I loved her, and I still do." Mason said, quietly, before clearing his throat and continuing.

"On the day I decided to have the courage to confess my love, a magic circle appeared before our feet. And before we knew it, we were in a countryside. The Champions Universe. When we arrived there, a voice appeared in our heads. It called itself the Apparition, and it instructed us to choose between two powers to begin our new life. I don't know if you've watched anime before, but it's kind of like an isekai."

Thank god Thomas wasn't here. He would definitely not have been able to shut his trap upon hearing anything anime related. But I kept my calm demeanor.

"Yeah. And you ended up with your powers and Cybil got hers?"

"That's not the entire story."

"How so?"

Mason stood up and looked out the window. From his reflection, his cyan eyes glowed in the dark.

"We were supposed to choose. One of the powers was the ability to control the heavens, but only for good, as well as bending the laws of the world. The other power was to manipulate life force of oneself."

"Controlling the heavens for good doesn't seem that bad."

Mason managed a weak smile.

"We both wanted that power. But the Apparition said only one of us could choose. I saw it in Cybil's eyes. She looked so longing for such a cool ability. Even when she played videogames, she always loved celestial based characters. I wanted to make her happy, so I chose the lame power."

"That's really sweet of you, man."

Mason shook his head.

"I thought so too. For a time, Cybil was so happy. The look on her face whenever she used her powers to help others. To heal. To defeat the bad guys and save townsfolk. She was like an angel, and she always made sure I was never forgotten, despite being her sidekick due to having a weaker power. I loved her for that.

"Seeing her happy made me happy. Of course I wanted to be able to do something so cool, so awesome. To have followers and to be a hero to the townsfolk. Everybody wanted to be one, anybody who wanted to be isekai'd all wanted to be a hero. But what I wanted more, was to see the girl of my dreams have the best time of her life.

"But over time, I realized Cybil was becoming darker and darker. Her methods had become more and more ruthless. She went from sending the bad guys to the guards or police, to beating them up and injuring them severely. I wanted to say something, but Cybil was so happy. I didn't want to ruin it for her. So I let it keep happening. Until one day..."

Mason went up to the desk and pulled out a scarf. It was stained with blood.

"This scarf belonged to a man called Leon Belladonna. He was a man who committed theft to make money for his family.

"Cybil killed him."

Silence hit the room, as I could tell Mason was struggling to keep it together. But he took a deep breath and continued.

"She said that it was because his kids could not find out what he was doing. They had to live free from their father's sins. Otherwise, at some point, the father would snap, and he would lash out on his own family one day. Just like how her father did to hers."

Mason put the scarf away.

"When Cybil killed the man, I was in shock. I couldn't stop her. Then she went even further, and killed his kids in cold blood. I can never forget the look on those children's faces. Or what they said. They asked Cybil where their daddy was. And Cybil told them that he was free, and soon they would be too."

"And you couldn't stop her from doing it?"

"No. After the kids and wife were slaughtered, I finally lashed out on Cybil. I demanded why she would go so far as to kill, and that was when she revealed to me her past. Her abusive father, and how he abused her every single night after a stressful day. At some point, her mom died from heartache, watching her own daughter get abused by the man she loved and there was nothing she could do about it. I never knew. I never knew Cybil was hurting so much, and that was when I realized it."

Mason clenched his fists.

"The Apparition tricked us. It didn't tell us about Cybil's true power. The ability to bend the laws of the world were never under her control. They were under the Apparition's, and he made her bend the laws of her own celestial powers to allow her to use them to kill. I told Cybil to stop, but she didn't listen, and accused me of betraying her, saying that I was all she had, and now I was dead to her. We fought and I lost, then hid for nine years.

"And here I am now. Trying to find her again, but while I got stronger, so did she. And her followers have been attacking me ever since. Lucius, I don't know what to do. Cybil's too strong, but I want to save her."

I had an idea now of Mason's circumstances.

"And this Sanctum, I'm guessing it's really important to you because it was shared by you and Cybil, right?"

"Cybil and I used this place to bug out. But eventually, we called it home. Just the two of us, living together. We had our ups and downs in this place. So seeing her... just waltzing in and touching our stuff like that..."

"She didn't mean to, Mason."

"I... I know. I'm sorry. And to have her claim I'm her father? I just... It's too much, Lucius. I'm trying to get Cybil back. I will always be faithful to Cybil and never choose another woman in my life. Never."

I glanced at Pariah. I remembered how I got the blade. It wasn't because I was being honorable. Or heroic. Quite the opposite, actually.

I got Pariah because of a mistake I made. I chose to leave alone, and Arman had to bail me out.

By fighting Prime Aspect Mogul alone.

"You feel guilty, don't you. You made a choice, and it resulted in all of this."

Mason raised his eyebrows.

"How... how did you know?"

I smiled.

"I went through something similar." I got up, as I took Pariah and strapped it on my back. Then I held out my hand to Mason.

"I'll help you get Cybil back. But first, we need to help Lens. I know it's hard to believe, but she isn't lying. She's time displaced."

Mason took it as I shook his hand.

"Lena Soni is your daughter from the future, Mason. And right now, she needs her father to stop her brother, Fraser. Let's take it one step at a time. Alright?"

Mason took a deep breath and gave me a smile.

"Yeah. Thanks Lucius. For everything."

I nodded, as we made our way out of the Sanctum.

"Oh good. You two losers are finally out." A young man greeted us from within the shadows.

We stopped, as the man stepped forward. He had similar tattoos to Lena, but were bright cyan like Mason's. A bright strip ran down the side of his face, as they were complemented by snow white hair streaked with purple.

His purple eyes glowed through the darkness, reminding me of the photo of Cybil from the report Merrow had compiled.

In his arms was a girl who was unconscious. She was bleeding and injured from a hundred places. My heart raced as I quickly realized who that was.

"Lena!" I shouted.

Fraser chuckled.

"Dear sister. She thought she could beat me, after finally achieving her fortieth level. She thought she could defeat me after working hard to become dear old dad. God. You're such an annoying little bitch."

Fraser spat at his little sister's face, as she moaned in agony. The entire right side of her jacket was soaked crimson.

Mason's eyes were wide.

"How could you do this to your own sister? She's your family!"

Fraser glared at his father.

"You don't know shit, old man." Fraser snarled, as numerous zombies appeared from all directions. We were surrounded.

"What do you know? Huh?" Fraser grabbed Lens by the collar and dragged her across the ground. She must have lost a lot of blood, because her whole face was completely pale.

Mason tried to keep calm.

"Look. I don't want to fight. Lucius told me everything. You two. You're both time displaced right? As your father, please. Just stop this."

"Shut. Up." Fraser said, as the zombies began to prepare to fight. I took out Pariah but didn't attack. Not when Lens was in this condition. I couldn't risk her getting any more hurt than she already was. It didn't take much to know she was in critical condition.

"As my father? You were never around. Mom told me everything. Your sick tricks. From the very start, you were against her. She was trying so hard to escape her past. All she wanted was to make sure no child would suffer from the mistakes of their parents. That was all she wanted. But no. You had to fuck it all up for everyone! Where the hell were you when we were born? Where the hell were you when I lost my first tooth? Where the hell were you every time I felt like shit because I wasn't living up to mother's standards?! And now, you're telling me you want to be a father?!"

Fraser's voice was getting louder and louder until he was practically shouting.

"Fraser. The Mason here isn't the Mason from the future." I said, calmly, but Fraser glared at me.

"Oh no. And now there's also you. Lucas Cassidy."

"Lucius Cassidy."

"I don't fucking care what your name is! It's bad enough Lena got influenced by Mason. Now she's being influenced by you. I've seen how she looks at you. Her little subtle blushing. It's like every time I run into her, she's got something new to piss me the hell off. But I've had it. All I'm doing is ranting. If I wanted to rant, I'd do it during the last few moments of your dying breath. Marcel Soni. Lucius Cassidy. I'm going to do to you, just as I did to Lena!"

I brandished Pariah, as the zombies closed in. One swing sent them all hurtling into the air, while Mason charged forward to get Lens. But Fraser intercepted his father and landed a kick which sent him flying into a building.

"That all you got? You're nothing compared to mother."

"I never said that was." Mason replied, as his armor began to crack with teal lines, shattering and revealing his glowing tattooed figure. Mason flew into the air and blasted Fraser with poison bolts, but Fraser's tattoos began to glow as well, as he held out his hand, creating a conical funnel which siphoned all the poison out of the air.

"Do better. Dad."

Fraser fired a force bolt which caught Mason in the chin, launching him away from the battlefield.

A zombie tried to bite my neck, but its teeth shattered against my skin. I turned around and swung my fist, as the sheer force of the strike blasted a whole legion of minions away.

I couldn't use my spikes without hurting Lens. I had to use my other abilities. Thankfully, I didn't just spend those eight years honing down one power like an idiot.

I concentrated, as red electricity discharged from my body. I jolted forward and grabbed Lens and zoomed across the other side of the battlefield while Fraser was distracted with Mason.

Lena's head rested against my chest as I carried her to a nearby shelter. Her head lulled as she tried to wake up from her daze.

"Fraser... I just... want Dad to be happy. And I know Mom will be too..."

I sighed, as I laid Lena on the ground. She was delirious from taking such a brutal beating from her brother.

"Lena. Get some rest."

Lena's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she lost consciousness again. I felt terrible for letting something like this happen to my own sister. But I had to get back to the fight.

Fraser needed to be stopped. And I knew for a fact that Mason was no match for this guy.

Mason and Fraser faced off on the roof of the Sanctum. Mason was doing surprisingly well, and I realized why.

"God dammit. You're supposed to be a healer. You're not supposed to take a hit!" Fraser muttered, as Mason flipped and retaliated with poison blasts of his own. Fraser was starting to lose his advantage as his body began to weaken from all the poison in his system. But that wasn't enough to prevent Fraser from launching Mason everywhere with his force attacks.

Mason finally lost his edge, as Fraser had secretly wound up a surprise of his own. Mason leapt in, as I reached out.

"Wait! Don't!"

Too late. Fraser let loose a devastating force cascade which blasted Mason point blank. I watched as the healer hero went through two buildings and crumpled into the debris. His armor destroyed and blood was spilling all over his face.

Fraser smiled as he walked up to Mason, powering up a finishing force cascade.

"Damn. Like daughter like father, eh?"

Fraser fired, but this time I was close enough to close the distance. I jolted to his position and caught Fraser's FC with one hand. The ball of force was vibrating violently in my palm as Fraser's face was shocked.

"What the hell?!"

I clenched my fist, bursting the ball of force, then opened my palm, striking Fraser and causing him to slide back.

"What are you?"

I took out Pariah, and slashed at Fraser's consecutive force blast attempts and closed in again, materializing in front of him.

"It's over, Fraser. We can talk once you're properly restrained." I gently struck him in the midsection, but I guess I didn't know my own strength, because Fraser's eyes rolled backwards and the kid slumped into my arms like a ragdoll.

"Oops. Shit." I muttered, as Mason managed to get to his feet, his healing topping him off instantly.

"Lens." I told him, as Mason nodded quickly, rushing to Lena's side and healing her.

I regarded Fraser's unconscious face.

So much anger and hatred. And resentment.

I knew that look all too well.

"Sorry kid. But this is the only way for me to get you to listen. You're gonna have one hell of a migraine, but at least you're not dead."

R9

I'm never having kids.

Not even if Sophia is the one who asks for them.

Because it's just not gonna happen.

No one told me that this mission was going to involve looking after two siblings who did nothing but fight. But here I was.

Sitting in a room with Fraser and Lena, who were both glaring at each other.

"Well isn't this great. Now I've got both of you in the same room together."

Neither Fraser nor Lena said anything, as the air was tense. I had to lighten the mood up a bit.

The only problem was, I was usually the one who made things tense. This was way out of my alley.

"So... uh..."

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.

"Which one of you is the older twin?"

Lena and Fraser both raised their eyebrows.

"What?" Lena asked.

Fraser crossed his arms.

"This is a waste of time."

Lena looked away.

"Agreed. My phone has been pinging me this whole time alerting me of another Cosmic invasion attempt. And I'm missing out."

"Come on." I said. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Come now. Who's the older twin. Spill the beans guys."

Lena and Fraser looked at each other, then at me.

"I am." They said at the same time.

"Huh?!" Fraser said, his face contorted in annoyance. Lena's face scrunched up too in irritation.

"I'm the older one."

"What the hell are you talking about? With your baby face? I'm clearly the more mature brother."

"If by mature you mean a petty kid who started this whole war just because mommy didn't give him kisses at night."

"You're one to say. Look at your taste in men." Fraser pointed a finger at me.

"This guy? Seriously? No. Absolutely not. I'm not letting you have sex with-"

"Excuse me?!" Lena squeaked, her face beet red.

"Who are you to tell me who or who not to date? And Lucius? He's not even that hot! I can't believe you just said something that disgusting. Ugh, I think I'm going to throw up."

"Hey!" I protested, but neither twin gave me any sympathy.

"You're insufferable, Lena."

"You're irredeemable, Fraser."

"Ignorant."

"Petty."

"Delusional."

"Childish."

"Oh my god! Shut up! Shut the hell up!" I roared, as the two twins instantly went quiet, sitting back in their seats. I facepalmed as I tried to calm my nerves.