Why is everyone being so cryptic lately?28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHCvebs5tM
Abyss had gotten 3 notes in the last week. Achlys etched a note in the ground telling Abyss to wait for further instructions and to not tell anyone about her.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyJ3vWE6ob
This was followed by an infuriating letter from his brother , telling Abyss he was leaving after everything28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSW30Hd1yy
Abyss didn’t know what to do anymore! He felt like the one person he could trust in the world abandoned him without so much as a goodbye.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aMLmNJlNc
That same night, he got a letter from Achlys saying she was getting settled and gathering information. As if he cared!28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyYivBTZdS
Now, 13 days after Volt left, the commander had a pained expression and silently handed Abyss a letter.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkMEq8DyKM
He didn’t want to open it.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANoWW5Wcgo
He was fed up with cryptic notes, and this time, he could tell something was seriously wrong. A week ago, a pit fell in his stomach and since then, all he could think of was Volt.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCYhXfi6ec
When he finally willed himself to read the note, his worst fears were realized.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZKPiQ0GVq
Volt was... dead.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhO11JGj8i
...28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAk2pTNIYf9
How is this possible?28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVT63VUk3PN
...28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUjwOtMS3K
No. Volt’s okay.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvwHFXoU77
...28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4R8gGKkqk
It can’t be true. They’re lying.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCReY7uoJuG
Abyssal’s heart felt like it was about to explode as his breathing quickened. From inside the confines of his room, Abyss realized he was alone in the world.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUH7QsHTTG
After a long moment of painful silence, he let out an angry, agonized yell.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkO824oYNNO
* * *
Abyss didn’t leave his room for two days after that, not even for a meal. He didn’t shower; he didn’t sleep. The most he did was walk from his bed to the toilet and stare into the void that consumed his soul.
But then, she came.
“Why the doom and gloom, Sol?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJixGCK6h9
For a moment, his wishful mind played her voice as his brother’s. He looked up; at the window quickly, but his expression turned sour when he saw the dark hair and strip of green.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyRb18A9iA
“You don’t get to call me that. Nobody calls me that...”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgJguLUJB8
“That’s what your brother called you just last week, wasn’t it?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZHDcbFhbL
Abyss felt his fists clench as he ground his teeth together and squeezed his eyes shut. He just wanted to shut her out.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUOcLcI22I
“Volt is gone,” he said, voice breaking.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1e5N1ACEi
A long moment of agonizing silence. He thought for a moment that she did leave.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOtFQqI2UR
“Is there a way I can help? You need to get out of this Tartarus. ”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnc5CNUKtwu
Abyss shook his head. “There’s nothing to be done,” Abyss whispered. “He can’t be brought back.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWAfuBYakF
“Who knows? There might be. There are a lot of cartridge holders out there nowadays, aren’t there? A few are wandering around here thinking they were given gifts from aliens. They might be part of Kronos’s grand scheme, but like I said, destroying the cartridge holders isn’t out top priority. There might be one out there who can bring him back.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZswCjlH4W
“Don’t get my hopes up.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6edYsOOPWq
“But without hope you can never move on. Do you really want to be stuck here like this?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKc1Ty7Mu7n
Abyss didn’t respond. Everything she said seemed so strange coming from her.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xzuVWAxv4
“Why are you here?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZQmreBLtw
“Because it’s time to carry out the plan.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBcqvAhN5X
Right... that... “I don’t feel like it.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YBQYIF3ww
“What do you feel like? Moping like a looser?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGqtZXZgAg
“I didn’t stop him.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVYn2kafm0
“You wouldn’t have been able to.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41Rix6qAEK
Abyssal’s heart stopped. He knew that was true, but it was so much easier to blame himself than to just let Volt go. He gripped the telegram in his pocket, crumpling it. “You don’t know that.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQZ9fEWyyG
“Do you know where you are? I mean, really. They held me for a decade and nobody came looking. If they did, they never found me. PISTOL is an underhanded group of self-righteous rebels. They wouldn’t have even let him leave a note if they weren’t confident, they could still depart him without issue. They’re too cautious for that. If they have a plan, they’ll go through with it. And they have plans that will ruin ours.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IKjA63En3
“You mean yours.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4hpONZ4ll
“They’re going to kill the queen.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCTaXLWUPy
“I know.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0BVFQpVKO
“You don’t understand, do you?” This caught Abyss off-guard.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxGE1McdMq
“Why does it matter? I don’t care.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXOoBAzRQ1
“I’ll tell you why it matters and why you should care, darling.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTo6w4nnd6
Wait, what did she just-28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuBh8s8Mml
“For starters, if they kill the queen, it will get in the way of our plans.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6f3gk7KvIm
“I thought you wanted to go after the queen.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YnkNYIimx
“So that we can utilize her power. They want to destroy it, and she has a power that I’m not even sure could be replaced. The reason for her ascension to the throne was vague. Did King Herold die? Did he run away? Did he commit suicide? Nobody seems to know. He’s just gone.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyij0YLlSSL
“And you think Helios is Herold?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6o7Ocws8S
“I’m certain of it. All these fake names are painstakingly obvious. The rosork don’t seem to know much about human names.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRC7fek6Gcg
“I get it, but I still don’t really care. All I can do is think about how I wasn’t there for Volt. I’ve failed him as a brother. I don’t even know how he died. If Greek Mythology is real, do you think I could see Volt again if I followed him?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd91lmubWSv
Achlys drew in a sharp breath. “We only know that certain symbols are similar. There’s no way to know what’s beyond the grave...” It seemed like there was more to what she was about to say, so Abyss pushed for it.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZPGkLokLt
“Unless? There’s an unless, right?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYymqlLALu6
“Unless you did what can never truly be undone,” she whispered. There seemed to be another meaning beneath her tone. It wasn’t threatening like it was. It seemed to almost resonate with Abyss felt now.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJmskN5965
“I know there’s no going back, but if there’s a chance, I could see him again-”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAwieFmgDS
“Then that time will come when it comes. You’re so broken by his death; would he want you dead?” Her tone was harsh. “Or would he want you to live life to the fullest in his place? ”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUwDQfRYoB
Abyss thought for a long time. He didn’t think it would be possible to live life to the fullest with this hole in his heart. “But you said there might be an ability to bring him back.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNmEjGpTsg
“If we found it, you could use it to bring him back. And I might know where to look.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiarQys95lD
“Do you?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3yq9JFh2a
“One way to find out. Come with me, swear yourself to me completely. We’ll find a way, and we can live the rest of our lives with the people and things that matter most. We’ll carry out the plan together, and Kronos will have nothing left to fight for. We’ll have won.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7PrLmdeaZ
Abyssal’s expression hardened. “You’re certain?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEfOpv2Cad
“If nothing else, you can get revenge on the people who killed him.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOu0ocxBGee
Abyssal’s eyes widened.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP3FO2jTWT
PISTOL... PISTOL killed him. If they hadn’t sent Volt on a dangerous mission by himself, Volt might still be alive. If PISTOL didn’t continuously try to separate them... Volt said something about how PISTOL wouldn’t let him go searching for Abyss when Achlys was released. They took Volt away before they could ever make up for their fight.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBclrjpKjSG
Their last exchange...28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVapx5iO9n
Abyss told Volt he didn’t care about the lives at stake or the control Kronos had on him.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdSenCrEpY
Volt cared more than anyone.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgiOGhfWP4
Abyss still knew nothing about what PISTOL was making Volt do. All he knew is that it killed him.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCqUiVZh7O
Achlys could have killed them both multiple times, but she only seemed to want to help. She wanted to save the universe even if it meant sacrificing more than anyone else could bare to.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2Why54hPr
“Okay,” Abyss said quietly.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLJBRYyoqV
“See? All you need is a push in the right direction. I’ll be your guide. All you have to do is listen to me and everything will be okay.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02K8e6CNCl
Abyss nodded. “I’m leaving PISTOL. You’re my only master. What now?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLK87JAG93
Achlys smirked as she felt a surge of pride and power burn in her chest. “Now? Make sure you go out with a bang.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2LonhyhXY
She touched his hand, “share my immunity, watch and learn. All we need is a little Chlorine. ”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVV1vaM7wQJ
“Chlorine?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYpkDxYuvq
“You’ll see. Got a light?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6ajivi4Lx
“What?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sVFUvsSdF
* * *
Achlys was gone by the time his room was filled; Chlorine Trifluoride. She said to be cautious; her power wouldn’t protect him from the explosion, just the effects of breathing in the gas. He had to act fast either way. His ability wouldn’t hold another’s power for long. If there was a cartridge the power could return to within range , it would slowly leak back to the source after he broke contact.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5yMWUMJ68
She came back around halfway to hand him a box of matches, so Abyss quickly escaped the room, carefully pushed aside just enough of the blanket sealing the crack as he needed, struck a match, tossed under and made a break for it as the room blew up, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the building.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGurXhUrUbB
Abyss was blown forward several paces and all he could hear was ringing. His vision was temporarily blurred, but he was able to see that the two adjacent rooms were also half destroyed, leaving the occupants half alive, buried in rubble.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Fasg2peZ4
People began to run out, flooding the halls glancing around until they registered the source.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriw4lUJJiG
A couple men ran forward to restrain Abyss, but he channeled his energy, eyes turning black as he absorbed their lifeforce.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XOn99edes
They screamed in agony and Abyss almost stopped, but he continued forward.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwQQnMSGeQ
This was revenge, and even if these men weren’t directly responsible, they were getting in the way of his revenge.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Zgu4HlOpq
After they collapsed on the ground, their screams continued to echo in Abyssal’s mind for the next five minutes. Or maybe it was the hordes of soldiers fighting to get away from Abyss after watching their comrades fall.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEj9ZeECYv
The clamor attracted more attention as people shouted about the occurrence. The newcomers began to understand the situation, but in the fight to escape, they unintentionally created walls, trapping themselves and any stragglers.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODN60One4s
Abyssal’s face darkened. The only way through to his destination was draining their energy, at least enough that they couldn’t move for a while.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeBB03ofof
He approached one of the barricades slowly. The crowd was stressful, and Abyssal was losing motivation as his own energy felt drained. Was this a side effect of his power? It felt natural, more like training. Regardless, he knew he’d draw in more energy again if he pushed through.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnriH2hnTb
Abyss touched several people on the necks. They screamed in pain until their legs gave out from under them. As each person fell, Abyssal stepped over them and continued forward.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqahDUVTVi
Eventually, the crowd separated, and people began to stay close to the walls, allowing Abyss the clearance he needed to get to the elevator.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJzb7hcptH
Each time he used his power, the screams of the people he killed moments ago replayed overlapping with the people in the halls and the others he took away.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtelKtTdmp
Something about what Achlys said when they first met echoed in Abyssal’s mind. Draining lifeforce is different from borrowing an ability. He realized now how true that statement was.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOkOEfBB81
When it came to borrowing a power, it was always casual. It benefited him in a significant way. Now, he was absorbing someone’s energy to use as his own. The lives he took were like caffeine. It shocked him awake, snapped him out of the daze he’d been living in.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafWoHjl5BV
Abyss craved more. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdEbwbTCcL
On top of the quickly-fading energy, this lifeforce seemed to have another benefit. Though it didn’t last long, this energy seemed to act as a barrier or caulk preventing Achlys’ power from draining from his body.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrE2zOliv3L
Abyss had significant time to move down into the halls he’d seen Volt fear on their first day.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqj6m8r3RkC
The holding chambers.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2zUaS27DH
Each room was designed with a one-way mirror, pure white walls, and a programmable barrier. These forcefields could be adjusted to repel certain cartridge abilities.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoc48WUMKP
Achlys’ abilities, on the other hand were not taken into consideration for these cells. So long as they didn’t have someone capable of explosive destruction, Abyss would have an easy time initiating a jail-break. The chaos would be perfect for taking down PISTOL and going out with a bang .28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3VvcdMRLO
Abyss filled the room with gas before summoning the elevator. As he pressed the button, he prepared another match. Whether this worked or not, Abyss wasn’t planning to go down to watch.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzL2D8Lo7Pf
The elevator opened to reveal Hades.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUIZWDXW84
Abyss stared, but he shook off the paralysis and struck the match, throwing it back while looking Hades in the eyes. Deliberate disobedience. Abyss wouldn’t bow down before some rebel leader that wanted him dead regardless of cooperation.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKbiXHZQSg
The elevator closed behind the match.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7r5RGBBz6b
A loud explosion shook the elevator, denting the door and snapping the cables.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxL4jJn6gQ
“So, you chose betrayal,” Commander H stated. It wasn’t a question, “and you plan to kill us all at once.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsa2hmkH5Gw
Abyss didn’t answer.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrgrv3d2Fc
“I can only assume this is because of your brother.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLThnFNL0Z
Why is he still talking? Does he think he can salvage the alliance, or does he simply hope to save his own neck?28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8reURaMIt
“Was there another source of influence? Perhaps a new ally, risen to destroy everything?” Now he was searching for answers; answers he would not receive from Abyss. “Was this the plan all along?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWoXPX4cSR
“Why do you sound like my father?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9F0SjT6cVs
“You knew your father? I supposed you were Kronos’ slave for as long as you can remember.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjaeJPn0YV
“I know some things, not that it’s any of your-”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZ3dwL697g
Suddenly, Commander H grabbed Abyss by his collar and jumped. The boy’s eyes widened in surprise as the elevator crashed below them. The metal box crumpled like a tin can leaving only a foot or so above the commander’s head.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFrMo26gce
Abyss pushed away the moment their feet touched the ground.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nUJucN3ZN
Did he just save me? Abyss was unsure whether to be grateful or offended.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1NX6sxLJR
Abyss scrambled away in confusion and frustration and turned to try and pry open the broken door. He pulled at the cracked and bent metal on the door where holes were made in the sides. He was barely able to manage a couple inches of clearance until Commander H came up and reached above Abyss to grab a dent further up . The door pulled away easily.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKPdVng8yQ
Abyss struggled to understand Hades’s actions but shook it off as the last remnants of Achlys’ powers were fading. Just as Abyss was kicking off to bolt, H grabbed the boy’s hand. Abyssal’s head whipped up to look at the commander’s face a foot above his own. The commander looked down at Abyss, as if thinking of something to say, but the angry and confused boy pulled his arm away the moment he noticed any hesitation in H.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAsywtMQcC
“Don’t touch me!” Abyss snapped. He went to run off again with clenched teeth before stopping a few yards away. “And don’t follow me! All of this is your fault. You sent him away to die!” Abyss’s voice was so loud and angry that Alexandra and Aaron could hear him at the end of the hall.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGlNc1NfbX
As Abyss ran off again, the two began to run after him, but Commander H stepped out of the elevator and held up a halting hand as he watched Abyss run out of the building.
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