Though Iconoclast insisted they call themselves Raindance, many still bore the mark of the Muharej to show their ultimate loyalty to the Great Secret Keeper, who had taught them to be merciless and compassionless. A few of their fighters manned the holy sites, but not too many, they didn’t need too many to capture Koro and keep the people under control. Not with those three there. Power, fury and terror, that’s how the three of them were known in Icon’s ranks. Total dominion over coercion, retribution and madness. Zoa, Revolt and Djinn. There was no escaping them, the whole world knew that. They had made their presence known, the Koro islands were hundreds of metres above the water thanks to Zoa. And it would take any one of them; Zoa, Revolt or Djinn to kill everyone and destroy everything there, but Iconoclast insisted on taking fighters. They sat atop Natcittira; Revolt taking in the beauty of the night, Zoa revelling in the awesome might of his power which had suspended entire islands in the sky and Djinn, not feeling very much at all. He more than anyone else in the Raindance uprising had taken Iconoclast’s call to abandon humanity to heart, or maybe he never had any to begin with.
Zoa was a young man from Antarctica, snow burnt skin and slender build, his physical weakness fuelled his rage and manifested in the the terrible fury of his power as a fragment, driven mad by the conflict in his home country, he couldn’t remember if he was Ur or Mu. Revolt was a young woman whose body pulsed in black and purple blood which hummed in her like lightening, causing blossoms of shadow all around her. Furious at the pain the world had caused her city of Incandessa, she had abandoned her humanity and joined Iconoclast’s brand of the Raindance. She would never say she was of the Muharej. Djinn was still just a little boy, not even a teenager yet, devoid of expression and hope, his nightmares ran deep and he would punish all the world for them.
“It’s midnight.” Said Zoa. “Shame they didn’t send Super Black. I’ve been dying to fight those guys.”
“They wouldn’t send Super Black, Icon threatened to start killing the population if any country interfered.” Revolt pointed out. “The New World, Middle Kingdom and Rossiya have backed down now too.”
“That’s awesome, when did that happen?” Zoa asked. Excitable and violent, he didn’t concern himself with the politics of their cause, all he ever wanted was to be a part of something that would let him run wild and destroy anything he could.
“Earlier today.” Said Djinn, something between sorrow and indifference in every word he said. “If they continued to attack, she was going to send me to the hospital district.”
“She’s changed.” Revolt said. “Killing innocent people, using Secret Keeper’s soldiers. Icon hates guns, that’s what she told me…”
“Oh don’t start. You’ve wrecked whole towns, killed how many enemies on your own and you still talk like you belong in Orion.” Zoa spat.
“I’m a Raindancer. I do not believe.” Revolt said, determined.
“Time is up.” Djinn uttered. “These people have to die now.”
“-Wait. What’s happening?” Revolt uttered as she noticed the streams, the chords of light - jade and crimson, sapphire and amber as they hummed in the star-burdened sky. Gun shots. The three of them turned to the ground as a scarlet blast of light rode across the water bridges connecting the various islands of Koro, burning rainbows into the world, gunfire following and falling silent in waves after it. Flowers blooming on the water and earth as the scarlet crossed Koro in a furious shimmer of fireworks and iridescence. She reached them, billowing rose smoke, wildflowers where she stands. No armour or guns, nothing but a dress the colour of day, skin that was copper-bronze and flowers at her feet. Her eyes blazing in rings of emerald galaxies.
“Well, well.” Zoa laughed. “Looks like you finally made an appearance.” “It’s you…” Revolt gasped.
“Come to die.” Said Djinn.
“Is this it? You’re the guardian? You’re just some Deepa Wali girl!” Zoa mocked. “You’re probably younger than me!” The guardian said nothing. “Do you know who we are? What could you possibly do against us? We know from the Great Secret Keeper that you’re not even awakened yet! WE ARE! What’s the point of a fragment if they’re not even awakened, what could you possibly do to us without an awakened form? Do you know who I am, I am Zoa! Zone of Avoidance! The blank part of the universe we aren’t able to map, no stars, no light! Just a great attractor, the force so powerful it pulls all celestial objects towards it. I have power over dark energy, the invisible force which propels planets and galaxies through the universe, the same force that Amazing used to get to Earth! You think you’re strong because you can tap into the life streams, you’re nothing compared to me. And Revolt, she has the power of the storm giants! And Djinn, well, I’ll let you figure that out. So what, you still think you can rescue these people, or are you just gonna hand yourself over?” Zoa grimaced, his eyes blazing a pale blue.
The guardian didn’t move. She didn’t speak.
“I thought she was supposed to have red hair.” Djinn said. “Do we take her back to Iconoclast?” Revolt asked.
“No. Kill her.” Djinn ordered. Zoa’s eyes grew wide, grinning as he gagged and the street on which the guardian stood warped and bent, as street lights curved and the air itself grew heavy and strained in preparation for some terrible eruption. And it all erupted, the roads, nearby building, street lights, earth and air exploded in a rush as it all shattered and sped, raced into the sky, hailstorm of comets and air which sped so fast it exploded in waves of burning, incandescent plasma- the guardian hurtled into the sky, catching her balance and sprinting alongside the chaos which burned and cascaded and exploded as the streaks of white heat caught up with it all - Zoa hurtled into the empyrean after her and the sky itself changed direction, the world spun and the stars sped by in streaks of racing scars as the guardian found herself thrown into the infinity which changed direction again, quaking the heavens themselves and striking her down - she plummeted like a comet and crashed vertical into the ocean pillar which suspended the main Natcattira island- she skid across the rainbow bridge, which shone and flared as she raced with it, the world spinning undefinable in colours and noise around her, she clapped her hands together, spun and fired a heavy stream of gleaming star-breeding scarlet at Zoa which he willed to change direction sharply before hitting him - the guardian rode the stream, pacing towards Zoa, who again tilted the sky and threw the guardian up into infinity, where burning in black and violet, Revolt waited - lightning, a torrent of black lightning struck the guardian- but before it could force her to the water, the air raced and quivered and erupted from where Zoa suspended himself in the sky, a skyquake rifle - the guardian twisted and burnt and forced herself in a different direction to avoid it but as the air increased speed and burned again into plasma, it met Revolt’s black lightning, they merged into a beam of pure rage and retribution, shimmering in fantastic violet and quaking in pale blue and white it shattered the sky and burst after the guardian who raced, raced, paced to outfly the cannon- she was hit- what followed was a blinding flash which annihilated the air and created a vacuum, she was pulled
through it and smashed against the force of it all, she was falling, parts of her body blown clean off, a stream of crimson bleeding from her, then fire, she caught ablaze and billowed in rose smoke as she fell, and neither Zoa, nor Revolt could believe their eyes as her body healed and she changed trajectory, hurtling towards them- Revolt again fired wave after wave of black lightning but the guardian caught it, shook it and converted it into bolts of scarlet energy which transmitted themselves back to Revolt, where her shadowbloom warped and malfunctioned, causing her to fall into the water below- Zoa responded again by changing the trajectory of the sky - but Sem burst into flames and vanished, bursting into being directly in front of Zoa as they hurtled through the sky, her palm on his chest- the universe rippled and bloomed in flowers, and Zoa was blasted into the water, skidding across it, before burning a path across the roads of Koro and coming to a halt where Sem dives into him - a crater in their wake.
“N-nnn-no way…” Zoa manages to utter as the guardian delivers a final, definitive blow to his head. With Zoa defeated, the islands of Korro de la Galaksio fall, crash into the Great Lakes of Polis Earth, causing the world to hum and waves of rainbow rings to emanate from their fall. In the silence that follows the downing, the copper-bronze guardian breathes, she falls to her knees. She grows weaker. It hurt more than prayer. People were dying. She forced herself back to her feet, covered in burns, her dress the colour of day now crimson with her own wounds. Natcattira temple before her. She begins to walk in, but each step now takes all her might. The kid, he was murdering people… She took another step- and fell- she stood again, again- again- barely- she entered the temple. Her ankles drenched in blood. Not a soul was left standing. No less than a hundred people, lying on the ground. The feeling of one hundred machetes cutting into her body- she gags, vomits and collapses to her knees and as she does, cold, bitter metal digs itself into her. “Zoa was awakened, and as far as I know you’re not, but even so…” The little boy who named himself Djinn began, pulling the machete out of her. “...I expected you to win since you took on the Great Secret Keeper. So if you draw your power from life, then the solution was simple. I just needed to start killing people.” The boy looked at her with the blankness with which he stared at all things. “Raindance etiquette says fragments need to announce their abilities before fighting as a matter of pride, but it really wouldn’t have made a difference. Right now you’re probably wondering why you can’t fight back, why you couldn’t see me coming and why you couldn’t overpower some kid half your size. You’re wondering how a little kid like me managed to kill all these people without any resistance? My ability is called ‘Ghost Story’. I have the ability to affect the parameters of human imagination. So as I stabbed these people, they couldn’t imagine me being a threat, even after seeing me start killing people, they couldn’t even imagine defending themselves. Only two people have ever been immune to me and noticed me when I didn’t want to be noticed, the only two people to ever recognize that I exist are the Great Secret Keeper because he’s a god, and Iconoclast, because she was never really human. But you, you’re nothing, you’re just another human and you’ll die with them. All of them. They call you maiden of revolution, but it's Iconoclast whose changing the world, you, your way failed. It's over for you. No one is coming to help, now lie there and know what it feels like to live in a world where no one notices you. Where no one cares. There’s no such thing as heroes. No such thing as Amazing. No such thing.” And with that, Djinn, crimson with blood began to make his leave. No such thing. The words echoed in Sem’s mind and heart.
Maybe it was better this way, maybe it was better if she died. Maybe the Eclipse King was right and life really was just a mistake. It was just so hard, so painful. Nothing like the comics. And darkness swelled over her as she drifted into terrible, eternal sleep. And as her eyes drifted shut for the last time- she saw her- Ashti. Ahsti was there, among all the stabbed people, she was lying on the floor. The guardian swelled with grief which burned her awake- then she could hear it- a ka- thump, her heart. Ashti’s heart, it was still beating, it was dying, but it was still beating- then many others, hearts, so many of them were still alive, their hearts still beating- lights, she could seem them, pale, dying, but still living lights. They weren’t dead yet, she had to- had to do something-
Orion wasn’t there anymore, Amazing was long again, she had to stand up - she had to. She has to. Up. Up. Up. UP! She beats and breathes and roars and quakes and beats- up, - up, she beats and roars and up! She roars and cries with all the might of a hundred souls wishing to live. Djinn turns, unable to believe it as the guardian’s bronze hair burned scarlet and her skin pulsed an aura of iridescence and amber which filled the temple and elevated the lights from each person’s heart, stars, stars fill the fires- fires and waves and winds of galactic radiance as she roars and hums and there is symphony. Song. As it all fills with allcolour which torches perfect black with the light and might of all things, like the beauty of the evervast universe. Her ringed emerald eyes become lined in cosmic black and her hair burns with the fury of ten billion stars which turn the universe pitch and dark. Black. Allcolour, iridescent black. A shadow, full of secrets she becomes, secrets and might and wonder as galaxies and planets and stars emerge and radiate through her awesome darkness. She closes her eyes. And when she opens them, they are perfect, sublime black, as black as endless possibility and infinite hope.
“Monster…” Djinn utters as Asem awakens. The guardian in awesome, cosmic black, filled with stars and fires turns to him. He runs. And she breathes as the hundred pale lights siren and flare and burn bright and return to their bodies. Their wounds close. And Ashti opens her eyes, the colour of camellias once again in her cheeks. It is then that I and members of Pandef burst into the hall, in wonder of the hundred lives spared, in horror as a hundred blade wounds open across Sem’s body and she falls to the ground. Copper-bronze and red, once again. I race to her and hold her with all my might. Praying with all my might that all my might is enough. She opens her emerald eyes, if only for a moment to see me and I smile. Tears burn her face. Asem closes her eyes and I pray, I swear I pray. Wildflowers all around us.
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