Ben 10 Radiant War, Volume 4

The Freak in Every Ben

Bellwood looked different from how Ben had initially perceived it when he first came here. 

It was like looking at a very twisted mirror through which one could only see a distorted version of the truth. or looking at things through a concave lens that was just a little screwed up and made you feel drunk. 

Overall you could see the familiarity beneath the chaos, but overall it had changed for the worst.

"What the heck?" Ben muttered as he stared at the scene before him. 

The sky scrapers had seemingly twisted themselves into grotesque forms, starting out as normal buildings near the bottom before the stone, metal and glass twisted and sculpted themselves into the appearance of tortured humanoids, reaching their towering arms to the sky in pain, anguish on their barely legible featured faces. 

the color of everything seemed to be eroding into a blackish rot as if somebody had tried to put the city in a toaster and cooked it just a bit too long.  And then there was the ghostlike tendrils covering various areas like a sickness... and the massive purple eye staring down through the clouds.

As Ben and Erice followed Serena to the center of the city, Erice pointed at a few walls where strange writing in mysterious runes had been carved. "Look, it's R'lyehian"

"What?" Ben muttered.

"The language of the Outer Gods. Ophelia showed me a few phrases in the language." said Erice. What's that doing in your head?"

Ben narrowed his eyes. "That kinda looks like the language of Ectonurites."

"Ben.." Erice murmured.  "What do you think Zs'Skayr is? Really?"

"An evil alien overlord." said Ben. "One who got trapped in the Omnitrix."

"Or perhaps its just his Avatar that's trapped, and the rest of him is in the Dreamlands.." said Erice.

Ben stared for a moment. 

"It wouldn't be the first time an Outer God created their own race." said Erice quietly. "Worshippers for their throne. Ophelia mentioned this while you were.. taken over.. Zs'Skayr mentioned the Outer Gods like he knew them... Ben.. I think.."

"I know he is Erice." Ben said calmly.

"What?" Erice whispered. 

Ben grinned as sweat poured down his face and his hands began to shake. "This isn't like last time anymore. This isn't as simple as taking out a Sun Gun or pulling the curtains back on a window..  or even just saving an enemy's planet from ghosts...  he was always bigger than anything I ever faced before.. I was just naive enough not to believe it till he nearly made me kill Ophelia."

Ben looked at Erice, as if barely managing to keep his smile up. "I.. I wanna keep acting like everything is going to be okay.. but.. I'm scared this time Erice."

Erice smiled and took Ben's trembling hand in hers'. "Everyone's scared when they have to look inward Ben. Not knowing what's in there and fearing it, is part of being human. "

Erice pulled Ben along with her as Serena watched with slowly widening eyes. 

"But nobody needs to face what's inside alone. That's why I'm here. That's why the Omnitrix is here." said Erice. "We're all here with you.."

Ben's hand became firmer as he stopped shaking, and his face turned determined..  "Everyone is with me huh?"

Ben stepped forward, as he put one foot in front of the other, his hand holding Erice's, Serena followed closely.