The Story of Yeling Mah

I am Tidalflame

Mom's hands crumbled to dust in mine.

I was sprawled on the floor, staring at the ashes of my parents and sister, who had been burnt to a crisp. Blue flames all around me. Despite the scorching heat of the hellfire I was surrounded by, my tears glistened across my face.

"Mama... baba..." I whimpered, the scary lines that had scratched themselves into my left arm were pulsating blue. The same colour as the fire that had killed my family.

Rise. Yeling Mah.

The voice in my head boomed with superiority, forcing me to stand to my feet.

"You never said my family would be killed like this! You never said that! You liar! Liar! Give them back! Please give them back!"

I screamed, trying to claw at my forearm, blood trickling all over the ground.

Your family for the Hinokami. That was the exchange. That was the pact. An eye for an eye. A leg for a leg. For your family, the price to pay, I have granted you, with the power of Hinokami. The flames of the Great Akuma.

I stumbled out of the house, which was burning down as well.

"You killed them! You did!"

I gazed at the distance, then at my arm.

"I killed them..." I sobbed, falling to my knees.

For days I stumbled across the streets of New Ulysses. No one paid me attention. Most of them avoided me. At some point, I collapsed from hunger and exhaustion.

And that was when a man stood before me. In a black trench coat, shadows concealing his face.

"Little one, I sense loneliness from you."

I didn't answer, as the man knelt in front of me, pointing at my arm.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screeched, shuffling back and concealing my hand away from the man.

"I kill everybody I see. I killed the only people I had left. I kill kill kill kill kill!" I sobbed, my body shaking in a trance.

"You are a Dogma holder." The man said.

I stared at him from within the bangs of my hair.

The man smiled as he folded up his sleeve, revealing lines that looked all too similar to mine. But his were... even more intricate. Like it was a combination of multiple patterns.

"Hinokami. Is it wrong to want to kill? You wanted to kill even before you received the Akuma's Flames. You wanted everybody to die. Am I wrong?"

"Wha... what?"

The man held out his hand.

"Now. Your family, all that you held on to some semblance of value to this world, has been burnt to ash. By this world. You have nothing holding you back."

"Nothing holding me back..." I recited.

"Do you want to destroy the world?"

My heart began beating faster, until I could feel and hear my own pulse.

"Yes, sir. I want to destroy the world. But it isn't right. This world's laws make it not right. I cannot hurt..."

The man smiled.

"Then join me, Taras Pax. Join the Contingency Initiative. I will let you use your powers however you want. Unbounded by this world's rules. For we shall create another. One for people who deserve it. One for people like you to deserve to be happy. And those who this world has favoured, those who don't deserve the riches they flaunt so carelessly before your face. Those people. I will give you the opportunity."

"What opportunity..." I asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

Taras smiled sinisterly.

"The opportunity to eliminate them from the world. Yeling Mah. Join me, and you will become one to engulf this world in flames. Like a tsunami. Like an unstoppable torrent of vengeance. Like a tide."

I shook his hand.

Like a Tidalflame.

Elimination Op Code: CAMPUS

"Hey, why don't you leave your problems to yourself?"

Danny shouted at me.

"Are you saying my mental health doesn't matter?!"

"Everybody is suffering here. It's school. You're not the only one with problems. So stop acting like you're special. I don't care if you feel like you're dying. That's your own business. Now go and help out with this project."

My problems didn't matter.

That was what I was forced to believe.

Here.

I glared at the campus from the top of the highest building, my Contingency Initiative Darkwear cloak fluttering in the wind. The mask that covered half of my ruined face concealing the hatred I had for these people.

Did you like downplaying my situation?

All of you?

Did you enjoy it when you told me my suicidal thoughts meant nothing?

Did you enjoy telling me my physical health didn't matter?

Did you enjoy attacking me every time I messed up because I didn't get enough sleep. From overwork. From the endless thought of being ostracized?

"Student card, please." The man held out his hand with empty eyes.

I handed it to him, as he took it and inspected the sheet.

Squad Leader Matt had me arranged to take an exam at the scheduled time for this class. It was all part of the plan to get me to fit in and conceal myself, until my mission began.

When this mission was offered to our team at Squad Four, I was immediately the first one to accept.

After all, I held a huge grudge against this academic institution.

Correction.

I held a huge grudge against the people there.

No one showed me any sympathy that day, when I accidentally killed my entire family from my Dogma power. From when I initiated a Dogma Exchange for my first Level. My whole family died. My whole house was gone.

But the people at my institution didn't care.

The people in my class didn't care.

They didn't care at all.

No chocolates were sent to me.

I spent my days wandering the streets, then I would show up to class, in rags. And I would be avoided by everyone.

I was just expected to just show up to class and act like everything was okay. I was expected to show up to team meetings for my project classes.

And bottle it all up inside.

Because everybody was struggling.

My problems didn't matter.

I began writing as a couple of students kept giving me looks.

My wig covered half of my face. The face that was ruined from my Level 2 Dogma Bargain.

By the time I wrote the exam, which of course was a bunch of bullshit because I had no idea what this stuff was, I made my way to the front of the class to hand in my paper.

"Finished." I said.

The professor took the paper. I recognized him instantly. That scumbag.

"S- Sir?" The professor asked.

"Is something the matter?"

"No." I replied.

"You are smiling... very unsettlingly."

I was.

I was smiling sinisterly. The biggest smile ever. Because I was the last person to show up to the exam. And I used Hinokami to weld the doors shut.

These people in this exam hall were all my classmates from when I was still in college. These were all people who should have recognized me as the guy who had lost his entire family.

But I was forgotten.

And now, they would remember.

"I am just very grateful to you, prof." I said, my voice low.

"Excuse me?"

I took his hand, and shook it.

"Thank you, prof. For those two hours which you spent rereading pointless slides that had nothing to do with the exam. For throwing me endless assignments without any regard of our workload. For not responding to our emails. You know, it's strange."

I turned to everybody in the exam hall, who were all staring at me.

"Hey!" I shouted, waving my hand.

"Who here finds this exam easy?"

Everybody was silent. No one dared say a word. Until one person slowly raised his hand.

My smile widened even more. Not from humor. But from pure rage.

It was Danny.

The people around Danny looked at him, then more and more people slowly raised their hand.

Of course they found it easy.

They were all so smart.

And I was just far too stupid to be here.

That was how it always was.

I turned to the professor.

"Yes. It's so easy to everybody here. Isn't that great. Well, come to think of it. It was never easy for me. After all, how could it? Since I watched my whole family burn down along with my house."

The professor's eyes widened.

"You... you are the boy who's family-"

I tightened my grip my hand began to glow blue, the tattoos on my left arm illuminated with a devilish blue light.

The professor yelled in agony as everybody screamed, rushing towards the exit, which was welded shut.

I brought my face closer to the man.

"Hey. Don't feel so bad. I know you didn't mean it. You probably put your family first right? It takes too much time to make my lectures better. So you decided, hey. These students are smart enough. Fuck the ones who actually have to work hard and study to do well. I just won't give them anything. So they can fail this class and retake it for the fifth time in the row! Their financial situation doesn't matter. Their sleep doesn't matter. It's none of my business!"

The professor screamed as he became engulfed in the Akuma's flames, his body crumbling to dust before me as I turned to everybody, who was banging at the doors.

"My name, is Yeling Mah. I'm sure you've all seen me at least once. Well, most of you probably forgot about me. But that's okay. You will remember."

I held out my hand, as blue flame began to aggregate.

"Yeling! Don't. Don't do this, please." Danny begged as he fell to his knees, prostrating himself before me.

"Hey Danny." I muttered.

"Y- Yeah?"

"Do you remember when I used to tell you about my problems? About how I felt like killing myself back then. And my inferiority complex?"

Danny nodded violently.

"Y- Yes. Of course I do. I reassured you that it was okay. We were friends, right? You wouldn't do this to me. Or our friends here. We're going to graduate together. Right?"

"Yeah." I murmured, as Danny continued nodding, his breathing hysterical.

"I remember. Of course I do, Danny."

The flames became more violent as Danny looked at me frantically.

"Wha- Why? Why are you doing-"

"I remember you telling me my problems didn't matter. I remember you constantly bringing up the fact that I couldn't show up to class. I remember it all. I remember you ostracizing me away from everybody else with Duncan. Oh Duncan. Blessed with so many smarts. Man. A girlfriend too! Amazing!"

I threw my head back and laughed.

"Duncan actually thought about destroying this world too. But why? Why, tell me."

Danny blinked.

"B- Because he didn't like this. He was always pessimistic. He loved-"

"No." I snarled, causing Danny to cower.

"Duncan didn't deserve to have the same wishes as me. The audacity of that guy. COME OUT." I roared, as a shorter man stumbled from the crowd, reluctantly.

"H- Hey... Yeling..."

I tilted my head, as the wig melted off, causing my old classmates to scream even more as they stared at the scarred tissue on the right side of my face, the look of horror and fear consuming their eyes.

"Answer me. Duncan. Do you want to see the world burn?"

"I... You..."

I smiled.

"Look at my face. My scarred and destroyed face. And answer me, Duncan."

"I do?"

I aimed my hand, as Duncan became consumed with flame, releasing a massive fresh wave of screams as I heard banging. The people were trying to free my classmates from the outside of the exam hall.

I glared at Danny.

"I killed your best friend. How does that make you feel?"

Danny began heaving as I fired two massive torrents of flame at the horde of scum before me.

Level 1 Hinokami: 5% Double Inverse Tsunami Release

The screams cut off abruptly, as the bodies were replaced with char and ash. I went up to Danny, who had indirectly suffered burns from the sheer temperatures of my blasts, and dragged him up the steps.

"Y... Ye..."

A voice croaked as I turned around. I knelt down.

"Oh my god. Is that you, Sherry?" I cackled at the balding, decaying charred body of the girl who had made my love life as miserable as possible.

"I'm.... so sorry..."

"Aw, Sherry. I'm sorry too." I replied, sarcastically.

"I'm sorry I didn't humor you back. When you pretended to be nice to me and then ghost me. When you and your girlfriends all ganged up to make me look like a total freak in class. I'm so sorry. I'll put you out of your misery."

I took our my Contingency Initiative Combat Mask, which was designed for me, as I plucked at her skull, causing her to begin falling apart.

I put the mask on.

"Have fun in the afterlife. Bitch."

I dragged Danny, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and put on my cloak, approaching the doors, where numerous people were trying to break through. They all stopped upon seeing me, jumping back.

Level 2 Intangibility: Hellfire Embrace.

My body instantly turned into a wisp of flame, causing Danny to disintegrate, his screams passing through my ears, which no longer perceived sound.

I walked through the doors, and regained shape, my hands bursting into flame, as a fresh wave of screams erupted.

I smiled maniacally.

"My name is Tidalflame. I serve Squad Four of the Contingency Initiative. And I'm here to begin work."

Level 1 Hinokami: 100% Inverse Tsunami Release

* * *

"Contingency Initiative's Tidalflame destroys entire campus. Thousands dead. No survivors reported in the vicinity."

Whitney read the news highlight, with a sick grin on her face.

"I like it. Mmm... that gets me going. Say, don't you think, Matty?"

Squad Leader Matt glanced up from his paperwork, which he was filling out at an impressive pace. For someone who claimed he hated doing admin tasks, he was damn good at it.

"I don't give a shit if that mission gave Yeling a hard-on. As long as the mission is completed, then that's all that matters to me."

Classic Matt.

Matt was the leader of our Squad. As part of the Contingency Initiative. We were assigned as Squad Four, under his command.

Well, "command" wasn't really the right term. He really didn't give a shit about us at all, letting us do whatever we wanted.

As long as we go the job done, that was what mattered in his eyes.

From what the rumors said about Matt, he apparently never wanted to be a Squad Leader. But Taras threw him the role after he had Lewis recruited.

Squad Four. An elimination squad of the Contingency Initiative. One of six squads.

Our mission? Was to advance the resurrection of The Great Akuma. An ancient demon that had terrorized the world a long time ago for the purpose of remaking it in the image of one where each person who deserved life, and those who had too much wealth and riches to be wiped from the world.

But of course, that was a lot easier said than done. Because when The Great Akuma terrorized the world, another force stepped in to stop him. Vala, the Spirit of Hope, who reasoned that to kill humanity was wrong. The world was the way it was for a reason, or some bullshit like that. The two spectral beings battled, along with their followers, leading to the events of The First Great War.

Just as we were trying to resurrect The Great Akuma, there were those who were trying to resurrect Vala.

Our greatest adversary.

The Realmwatch Collective.

My mission was to destroy the entire campus, to eliminate any potential meta humans that could be scouted by Realmwatch.

After all, according to one operative in Squad Two, who was a mentalist, she had predicted that the candidates of meta human ability would definitely turn down CI's offer, and accept Realmwatch's.

Of course they would.

This campus was full of fake, toxic, scum.

And it was my pleasure to eliminate them off the face of the planet. After all, this mission was important to me.

It was personal.

Suddenly, I paused.

But...

Was it really right? To kill them all like that.

I knew it was too late. What was done was done.

But if I was suffering in this campus... so long ago... I couldn't have been alone.

I had wiped them out along with-

"It never would have worked out for them." Matt said, as he filed the last of the paperwork.

I was shunted back into reality, to see Matt critically regarding me with that one eye of his that was not in an eyepatch.

"Squad Leader...?"

"That face. It reeks of hesitation." Matt stood up as I began to sweat.

"Everybody there deserved to die. You said it yourself. So why are you having second thoughts?"

"I... the ones who were suffering..."

"Deserved to die. Don't you remember what your old friend Danny said? He was also suffering. But everybody was. He just chose to stuff it all down and act like it was natural. If someone feeds into that, they don't deserve a place in New Ulysses once The Great Akuma reawakens."

Matt stopped at the door, as red lines appeared across the right side of his face, his missing arm forming a shadow tendril which wrapped around my throat.

"Just so you know, I don't tolerate weakness in my squad. You either serve the CI with all you got. Or you don't. And if you don't, you're no use to me. I will kill you."

"Yes sir." I replied, quickly, as Matt removed the tendril.

"Good. See you after lunch for briefing."

Elimination Op Code: ANTI-CAPITAL

Whitney was all over Matt as Matt tried to concentrate on getting his paper work done.

"Matty.... want to come try out this new restaurant with me that opened up down the block?"

"No."

"Aww, don't be such a buzzkill. Come get a drink with me." Whitney purred into his ear, as Matt's eye twitched in annoyance.

"We both know our definition of drinks are completely different."

"We can still enjoy them together. While I feast on everybody's souls."

"Dammit Whitney! I'm trying to work! Get the hell off of me!" Matt growled, throwing Whitney off as she yelped in surprise.

Lewis rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Thot." He grumbled.

Whitney shot to her feet and went up to Lewis.

"Well excuuuuse me, Mister Incel, but not everyone shares your distorted views on women."

"I'm not an incel. I just happen to think that women fall in love with the wrong type of guy. Then complain about it. The whole idea of it is stupid. If you're gonna like someone toxic, expect it to be toxic."

"Sounds like someone's never kissed a girl before."

"The hell are you trying to say you thot?! Want me to burn you up?!" Lewis shouted, his eyes glowing a deadly purple.

"Oh my god! Shut the hell up!" Matt roared, as the two of them sat down in their chairs.

Matt got up from his chair and put the papers away.

"Where the hell are the rest of you idiots."

Lewis shrugged his shoulders.

"Maika said she was going to the new store. Flint went off to the casino to blow his paycheque. And the others all went out to go help the other Squads on their missions. It's just us three."

Matt put his hand behind his neck as he took a deep breath.

"Doesn't matter. You, Whitney, and Yeling will be enough for this mission."

Matt placed a piece of paper on the table, as we huddled in front of it.

"This is the CAPITAL headquarters. I'm sure you recognize it, Lew."

Lewis' eyes went wide with rage.

"Yeah. I do."

Matt nodded.

"The mission will be an elimination mission. The target is the board of directors, who have scheduled a meeting at the top floor at exactly 9:00pm. Doesn't matter how you kill them. Just get the job done, and bring back a proof of kill for me to file."

Whitney licked her lips.

"Can I suck them dry?"

Matt gave Whitney an exasperated look. "Do I even want to know what you mean by that?"

"I don't mind telling you, Matt."

Matt got up from his table.

"Do whatever the hell you want."

"What if I... torture them, then kill them."

"I just said do whatever you wan-"

"Or I kill half of them instantly... then... wait no. That would make it too easy... unless..."

"Dammit Whitney! Just kill them!" Matt shouted, as he left the planning room, muttering something about useless subordinates and being a parent.

Matt was feeling real nice today and decided to drive us to the location.

All the while, Whitney spent the whole ride trying to guess what Matt's type for women.

Spoiler alert. All her guesses were her.

I glanced at Lewis, who noticed.

"What? Is it that surprising that I'm outside for once?"

"No." I said quickly.

"Just didn't expect you to react the way you did is all."

Lewis gripped the car door handle until his knuckles turned white.

"The CAPITAL is home to the biggest corporate giants in New Ulysses. In other words, the greediest of the bunch. It's no surprise that this world is messed up beyond repair. Everybody knows it. Almost every joke out there on the media points out how stupid this system is. And I'm sure these billionaires know how scummy they are. But they do it anyway."

Lewis' eyes glowed purple.

"All this attention. All the messages in the media. It should be so obvious by now that they should change. But they don't. This shit is still here. They're aware. Yet they still screw over the poor. They still turn down the people who need money. That's why I want them dead. Which is why I'm gonna have to ask you to keep your flames down for this mission. I want the chance to incinerate them with my eye beams myself."