Chương 63: Episode 8: Alternates

Deep within the forests of the Lost World, moonlight cut through the canopy in fractured silver beams. Ancient trees towered like pillars, branches swallowing the starlight while the wind stirred thick leaves. Somewhere in the distance, nocturnal creatures shrieked and scattered. The forest was tense. The Chosen Ones stood back-to-back in the clearing, surrounded by the Disbanded Ones.

Archie's palms burned with restless fire, Prince's lightning crawled around his arms, sand spiraled around Ella's boots, and Demaurion gripped his trident until the metal hummed. Archie broke the silence.

"What did you do to Don? And while we're at it," he added, flames flaring around his fists, "who the hell even are you people?" Across the clearing, Azure stood with his arms folded. Blue fire danced across his fingertips, casting a cold light over his messy hair.

"Oh, that? Relax. This conversation isn't actually about your friend." Archie's jaw tightened.

"You'll understand why we're here in… about ten seconds," Azure added, tilting his head. Prince stepped forward.

"Or you could stop talking like a discount supervillain and answer the question." Azure smirked, uncrossing his arms.

"We're not from this universe. I'm an alternate version of you." He pointed toward Darn, who sat atop a fallen stone while crimson-black tentacles curled around his shoulders.

"That's Demaurion."

"Hello," Darn said. Azure motioned toward Rusty.

"She's Ella." Rusty blinked.

"…That explains why I know how to survive in forests."

"And that's Prince," Azure said, pointing to King. Prince bristled.

"Absolutely not." King stood tall, hands folded behind his back.

"I do not understand why this is upsetting."

"Because you stand like somebody's strict uncle," Prince snapped. Rusty nodded.

"He kinda does." Azure ignored them.

"We came from alternate timelines. Different realities, different outcomes. Xion found us." Ella narrowed her eyes.

"Dark Don recruited you?" Azure's expression sharpened, the blue fire around his fingers crackling.

"Don't call him that. To us… he was Xion. He traveled across collapsing universes gathering people like us."

"He called us assets," Darn chuckled, a tentacle dragging through the dirt.

"I liked that word." Archie's flames flared hotter.

"So you willingly joined him?"

"He gave us purpose," Azure said.

"We formed a clan during the war. Five of us. Ironz was there too. Constant missions, constant fighting. We never actually named it." Rusty pointed at Darn.

"Because his ideas were terrible." Darn looked offended.

"'Crimson Eclipse' had elegance."

"You also suggested 'Death Squad Infinity.'""It sounded intimidating."

"It sounded twelve." King sighed.

"We spent multiple meetings debating this." Prince stared at them.

"You people held team meetings during a war?"

"We attempted organization," King answered.

"It failed repeatedly." Azure's expression darkened.

"Then the Gatornites attacked, we fought them directly. Thousands of them. We thought Xion would arrive with reinforcements, but he didn't." Ella swallowed hard.

"What happened?"

"They tore us apart," Darn said, his smile remaining as a tentacle tightened around his arm.

"I watched my own ribs leave my body." Demaurion's trident crackled violently. Rusty scratched the back of her neck.

"One of them bit me in half." Ella recoiled.

"WHY ARE YOU SAYING THAT SO CASUALLY??" Rusty shrugged.

"I already died from it, sister. The emotional shock expired."

"The battlefield became unsalvageable," King added.

"Our bodies were mutilated beyond recovery." Prince stared at him.

"…how are you still breathing?"

"Because Xion refused to let us stay dead," Azure said, his blue flames brightening.

"He recovered what remained of our DNA after the battle. Blood, bone fragments, tissue. And on Planet Night… he cloned us." The jungle grew quieter.

"You're clones?" Ella asked.

"No," King said.

"We are continuations." Azure nodded.

"Planet Night rebuilt us inside underground laboratories inside tubes. All for memory reconstruction and genetic restoration."

"We woke up remembering exactly how we died," Darn said. Nobody knew how to respond. Rusty pointed upward.

"Honestly? Worst morning ever."

"You literally died," Prince said.

"Exactly." Azure stepped forward.

"For a while, things were stable. Then the Gatornites invaded Planet Night. They tore through entire cities. The Selenites evacuated. Everybody abandoned the planet." Archie frowned.

"And Xion?" Azure laughed, bitter and cold.

"He left. He escaped to Planet AZ while Planet Night collapsed around us." Darn's smile faded.

"He abandoned us," he said softly.

"We waited for him too," Rusty said, kicking a rock into the darkness. King folded his arms.

"The cloning chambers remained functional after the evacuation, so we entered the stasis pods ourselves." Prince blinked.

"And you no-brained copycats climbed back into tubes?"

"We still had a mission," King answered.

"To find him," Azure said, blue fire spiraling around his body as he looked up at the stars.

"And after everything… we renamed ourselves—the 'Disbanded Ones'." Azure smiled faintly.

"Because abandoned soldiers eventually stop waiting to be rescued." Archie stepped forward again.

"So what does ANY of this have to do with Don?" Azure's amusement vanished.

"Because Don isn't just Don. Have any of you met Vironos yet?" When nobody answered, Archie's expression darkened.

"The wolf in the Forest of the Forbidden…"

"That's an alternate version of Eli," Azure said. The clearing froze. Demaurion gripped his trident.

"…WHAT?"

"In our timeline, Eli comes from a different planet, not AZ. The 'original' version of the planet is in this universe though, in this galaxy," Azure continued.

"And Vironos wants Don back. Back where he originally came from." Archie's flames crackled.

"What the hell does THAT mean?" Azure studied him.

"Your friend used to be something dangerous. He doesn't remember it now, maybe Don buried it himself, but Vironos remembers."

"And monsters usually recognize other monsters," Darn chuckled. Prince's lightning burst brighter.

"Okay, now you're REALLY explaining something." Azure ignored him.

"Vironos isn't chasing Don randomly. He's trying to return him to where he belongs."

"Nobody's taking him anywhere," Archie said as blue and orange flames clashed. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Azure smiled. BOOOOM. Something massive moved deep beyond the trees, making the ground tremble. Azure barely reacted.

"You guys are entertaining, but once the Heroes fall, Avangard falls with them. And when we recover our chief asset… we're taking him home." Archie marched forward until he stood inches away, orange flames exploding around his fists.

"You trying to burn this whole forest down?" Azure met his stare directly, the heat warping the air between them.

"I never said that," he murmured, a grin pulling across his face.

"But now that you mention it…" Archie bared his teeth.

"I'll leave scorch marks across your jaw." Azure's eyes glinted.

"Then quit talking. Start swinging." Blue fire erupted from Azure's legs. Azure light gleamed in his eyes as he dropped into a low crouch, one hand planted on the dirt, the other drawn back as massive sapphire flames trickled down his arm.

"Be quick…" He launched forward, slamming straight into Archie. The impact hurled them both deep into the thicket, unleashing a roaring shockwave. They tore through the timber, trading brutal, fire-laced blows to the face. Each strike landed harder than the last, grunts echoing between the shattered trees. Mid-air, Archie drove a fist into Azure's jaw. A massive detonation sent Azure hurtling through the canopy.

Trees blurred in his vision before he kicked off a trunk, flipping backward through the air to perch on a high branch, cobalt fire igniting around his knuckles. Archie launched after him, front-flipping onto an opposing bough. Both drew themselves up, facing off across the void. Archie glared through flickering embers, raising a burning fist.

"It's only a matter of time before I leave you in shambles!" Azure stood tall, energy racing through his veins.

"You talk a lot of trash," he said coolly, "but you don't back it up with skill." Archie roared, "BRING IT ON!" Azure vanished. He reappeared instantly in Archie's space, driving a kick into his chest. BAM! Archie hurtled through the grove. Azure ricocheted off trunks in blue streaks, intercepting Archie mid-air to land strike after strike, juggling him across the treeline.

Bouncing off a high trunk, Azure flipped over Archie and delivered a heavy axe-kick to the crown of his head, slamming him into the forest floor. Azure blurred around him in a dizzying ring of blue darts. Archie clenched his fists, his flames shifting from vivid orange to a fierce, crimson blaze.

"RAHHHHHHHH!!!!" A detonation burst outward, vaporizing acres of woodland in a flash of heat. As the smoke billowed, Azure was gone. FWIP! BAM! Before Archie could react, an unseen blow sent him crashing back-first into a trunk. Azure materialized before him, lazy coils of blue flame wrapping around his legs as he twirled a burning finger.

"Getting chaotic, aren't we?" Azure murmured, stepping forward.

"Lose control, and you lose focus…"

"GRAH!" Archie grunted, hauling himself off the splintered wood. Clutching his gut with flames whipping around his forearms, he staggered forward. He launched off the ground, burying a punch deep into Azure's stomach. An enormous beam of orange destruction erupted from the strike, shaking the forest floor and incinerating every tree in its path. The searing light tore a vast, empty swath through the woodland before finally dying down. Smoke curled from Archie's knuckles.

His fist was still buried in Azure's midsection. Azure hadn't budged an inch. His shirt was burned away, leaving charred stitches melted into his skin. Azure grinned, casually gripping Archie's wrist. Scorch marks streaked his torso, stinging, but not enough to make him break stance.

"It's depressing," Azure drawled, "that all that firepower only bought you a few surface burns. We might be the same age, but age has nothing to do with mastery." Archie's pupils trembled. Looking up at Azure, he felt small. His mind reeled from the fact that a full-power blast hadn't even thrown the guy off balance. Azure released Archie's arm and turned, strolling casually away.

"I guess that ends our little duel." He paused, glancing back over his shoulder with a sharp grin.

"Don't miss me too much. Please." BOOMTH! Azure shot skyward, cobalt flames spiraling around him as he vanished into the night. Below, Archie slowly lifted his head, staring into the dark. After what he'd just experienced, he knew one thing for certain: something far more dangerous was hiding inside Azure.

Conversations and discussions filled the mood, Iris Town just being Iris Town. Citizens from other tribes, or just Nomanites in general, strolled around Iris Park. Monumental hills of mint grass and lofty, stout trees cast a green, nourishing glow. The sounds of joy and animated kids having fun created a fun and rich atmosphere. People appreciated themselves on benches, and deer chewed on the glistening grass. Birds aviated in the evening sky, their squawks parroted as they flew in a "V" formation.

Heroes were in the middle of the town, calmly patrolling. Sammy wore a red skin-tight suit with an orange cape. The center of his suit bore an orange symbol—a stylized "S." With arms crossed, he stood near a wooden pole, smiling, as citizens transited the dirt road between the village. Rubi stood on top of a structure, examining the scene below with her arms fully stretched downward, wearing a full-body red and pink suit—her eyes a ruby red and her hair dark brown.

Shocker stood near a wishing well, wearing a light blue skin-tight suit with sharp, jagged blue accents. He wore visors and had large metallic nails pinned to his shoulders and knees. His hair was dark brown, and his eyes were a deep blue. He looked forward into the village and seemed to enjoy the fact that everyone was having a good time.

Brawler and Brawlin', on the other hand, worked on hauling bricks near the village, as construction workers needed their aid to construct a bridge over the broad river gap between two immense acres of fields. Everything went well and as planned. Their job was simple. Wake up. Go outside. And patrol almost every single continent in Avangard. Each category of Heroes had to do so, but since most of them were dead, there were only very few Heroes left. The Iris Town Heroes and the Additional Heroes.

They would patrol every single day until 8: 00 PM, which was a pretty solid schedule for Heroes as they worked. Don, who also worked as a new Hero, didn't fit into most categories. Don liked being alone as a Hero, and he was more comfortable being with his own group while doing Hero work. He was the one who fought off villains and saved people on his own without needing any help from other Heroes, so all of the Heroes left the job to him and made sure that if anything went wrong, he would have to call them.

But this isn't about Don, because little did they know… they would lose their lives the second they got back on patrol… Shocker yawned as he watched the Iris Town civilians, placing a hand against the side of the wishing well as he observed them.

"Today's going great, guys!" he shouted across the village"Just as always…" Sammy shouted from afar, "I'm liking this too, Shocker! It's even better when you don't create shockwaves for no reason."

"They're just fun, Sammy!"

"Ughhh," sighed Sammy as he turned away from Shocker. Rubi, from atop the building, shouted as she stretched her arms back into place.

"He's just a kid, Sammy, no worries!" She leaped off and hit the ground near Sammy with a grunt, turning to him with a smirk.

"You were worse when you were younger." Sammy muttered, "Don't remind me of those lava explosions…" Sammy grumbled under his breath, reminiscing about a past memory. Rubi noticed and placed a hand on his shoulder, facing him with reassurance.

"I know… we failed to save a kid and a mother, but… everyone makes mistakes." His eyes moved to the left, looking away from her.

"The father… I feel bad for the father… what if he hates us?"

"It isn't about whether society hates us or not, we're still Heroes!" Rubi explained.

"We're still the good guys, and they're still normal people… we can have our own opinions about each other, but that never defines us, Sammy." Sammy pushed her hand away from his shoulder, chuckling.

"Oh, I guess you're right… the younger generation of Heroes will rise—" he gently grabbed Rubi's hand, genuinely smiling at her kindly.

"And they'll be our only strength… that we'll ever have left…" They wrapped each other in a soft hug, with Rubi patting Sammy's back, comforting him. Sammy's eyes swept to the side, thinking about the slaughtered Heroes during "The Day."

"AH—!"

"SHOCKER!" both of them yelled as they whipped their heads around, facing Shocker and the wishing well. He was already on the ground, his body sprawled and blood pooling from his chest. Panic erupted as citizens sprinted, running and bolting past each other, pushing aside as they saw the dead body, horrified by it. Rubi clenched her fists, and Sammy had lava crawling over his back toward his arms, shouting, "GET THE MEDICS!" Their feet pounded against the ground as they bolted for Shocker.

Sammy slid across the ground as he looked down at Shocker's body, crouching as he lifted his head up. His head was sorrowfully covered in blood, and Shocker's eyes were entirely shut while his expression remained frozen in shock. Sammy snapped his head around as he heard another shriek come from Rubi—his heart pounding faster as he realized that Rubi was already flat on the ground, her blood leaving her body—a hole punched through her head. Sammy got up, backing away as fear began quivering throughout his body.

It suddenly felt cold, even though the temperature wasn't cold at all. People ran past him, urging him to help, begging him to do something—but he just stood there, wide-eyed, looking back and forth at the two bodies of his dead friends.

"H-HOW?! N-NO!" He turned around once again after a swift whoosh from something. He immediately turned back to run away while lava crawled over his body, but the figure flashed in front of him, causing him to halt instantly, lava forming around his fists. Rack, in his leopard form, motionless—lean and muscular—as he stared down at Sammy, his face utterly coated in shadow as people ran past him in dread, crying and wailing.

Rack's fists were shrouded in blood, and a smirk crept across his face, his slitted eyes immobile as he scrutinized Sammy cowering in a stunner.

"MARIE JEFFERSON!" Sammy lunged forward, lava stirring around his fists and body, reeling in for a punch.

"SARAH JEFFERSON!" BAM! He struck, and Rack caught it with a single claw. Sammy felt Rack's potency as he froze in place, the strength of Rack's hand crushing his delicate fist. Rack's golden eyes stayed locked on Sammy's faltering body.

"You failed… to save two people at once…" Sammy lamented and winced as pain discharged through his nerves, Rack seizing onto his fists harder, nearly crushing them altogether. He looked up at Rack, one eye open and the other wincing as he quavered.

"You—your family?"

"WHO FUCKING ELSE WOULD IT BE?!" WHAP! A backhand chucked Sammy through a house, absolutely obliterating it in an outburst of lava as he crumpled across the ground. Rack flitted in front of him and landed an uppercut directly to his chin, swiftly wrenching around to grab the arm and bang him on the knee, then elbowing his back and throwing him to the dirt. Rack gradually ambled around him as blood started pooling, "I've had to watch them get crushed, and watch you and your team DO NOTHING but FUCK OFF!"

He pivoted and bashed a foot on top of Sammy's back. WHASH! Sammy cried in pain, screaming, loud enough for Brawler and Brawlin' to hear. Rack glanced down at him as blood dripped from his fists, tall and mighty, eyes beaming through the fading sunlight as Sammy moaned below.

"The Admirals will find the Tree of the Lost Gem of Zeriath… only so I can bring my family back… and help them with their own tragedies.

""I'M—" Sammy managed to choke.

"SORRY—" His head was crushed under Rack's foot, bursting in blood as it splashed against Rack's chest. He looked down at Sammy with no emotion whatsoever and sensed Brawler and Brawlin' dashing toward him. He spun around with both fists, reeled back, and then blinked through them, as the two detonated into a mess of blood, their bodies falling to the soil as it showered red against Rack's fur.

He unhurriedly pivoted and glanced down at both bodies, his eyes then sweeping toward the deceased bodies of Shocker and Rubi, then overseeing the entirety of Iris Town panic and sprinting around like maniacs. His straight face said everything. Then, as he surveyed everyone running in complete fear, he turned and blasted forward, sprinting across the valley of green grass while the blood burned off his body.

His legs moved like instantaneous wheels as he raced, rushing over hills and bounding across them as he jumped into the air with both arms stretched out. Then blasting straight through the sky, he hit the ground again, his feet tearing into the earth with every light-speed step, before boosting forward toward the huge ocean near Iris Town, escaping the chaos he had just started.