His Only Hope

End of the World: Take Three

"Five!" your heart began pounding in your ears, true fear registering in your mind for the first time in a while. You spun in a circle, the ground still quivering slightly but gradually coming to a rest. There was now an odd yellow light shining through the ceilings and walls. 

Somebody must have rung the bell.

"Shit," you whispered, quickly striding down the hall and turning the corner, trying to be as quiet as possible. Whatever the Guardian was, it had been strong enough to cut off two of Diego's fingers with ease. And now that your power was getting weaker... it could kill you easily. And what about Five? You needed to find him.

Suddenly, a loud crash and scream echoed from around the corner. Your eyes went wide and you froze, unsure of what to do.

"Allison!"

That was Viktor. They were in trouble. Without thinking twice, you darted around the corner, jerking to a stop when you saw what was going on. A large, humanoid, armored creature was swinging a sickle of some sort threateningly. It wasn't facing you - instead, it was stalking after Allison and Viktor, the first of which seemed to be injured. You darted after the three of them on silent feet, desperately trying to gather electricity.

You finally caught up just as it burst into the bathroom, readying a weapon you knew to be called a flail - it was going to chuck it right at your two siblings. With a gasp, you thrust your hands forward, trapped it and its weapon in a glowing (f/c) forcefield. The flail slammed against it and you dropped to your knees, letting out a silent sob as black dots filled your vision. You were somehow able to register that Allison and Viktor had left through separate doors - you needed to follow them, before the Guardian killed you. You stumbled to your feet as it spun on you, slamming against the forcefield. This time you were more prepared, and it hardly hurt. You ran to follow Viktor, leaving the force field up as long as possible, the angry Guardian roaring.

Finally, you staggered through the doorway and dropped the shield, looking around for your brother desperately. "Viktor!" you called, spinning in a circle. You were about to keep walking when a horrible, aching pain shot through you. You gasped, eyes going wide, and fell against the wall, leaning heavily on it for support. It felt as though a limb had just been torn from your body. When you closed your eyes, a vivid image flashed to the forefront of your mind - Five burying an axe in the back of the Guardian. When you opened your eyes again, the throbbing ache was still there.

Swallowing hard, you slowly straightened up and looked around again, stumbling around the corner and running straight into Viktor's chest. You blinked at him in surprise, your mouth opening slightly in surprise. "Oh. Found you."

"You saved us back there," he said in relief, looking around nervously. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," you said, wincing when another flash of pain hit you. Why was this happening? Was it from when the Guardian hit your force field? But you'd gotten that under control. Was it because you were connected to the Kugelblitz-

"We should move," Viktor said anxiously, his eyes darting around the hall. "I lost Allison. We need to find everyone else."

"You're right," you said quickly, nodding your head and trying to convince yourself that you weren't in pain. "Stay close, though. If we lose sight of each other for even a second this place will separate us." 

Just like you and Five. At least the vision had showed you he was okay.

The two of you hurried through the halls, close enough that your arms brushed against each other. "Five!" you called, as Viktor shouted for Allison. 

You spun around as a loud bang echoed behind you, a door crashing to the ground. You automatically formed a shield around the Guardian - nope, Lila.

"Finally, people with powers worth mimicking," Lila muttered, looking around at the bubble surrounding her before you quickly lowered it. 

"Wha - why were you in a closet?" you asked in shock, your eyebrows pressing together in confusion.

Lila sighed tiredly, as though the story frustrated her, but then her eyes landed on something behind you and Viktor. "I'll explain later," she said distractedly, and you turned around, groaning when you caught sight of the Guardian. 

"I thought he killed it," you muttered, and Viktor cast a concerned glance at you.

"Who?"

"After this," you said, struggling to form a ball of electricity above your hand. It was just getting harder and harder.

"Shit," Lila said, and you glanced at her. She looked so fed up.

"I'm tired of running," Viktor said, glancing at the two of you.

"Me too."

"I'm not," you said hopefully, but Lila just shoved your head lovingly before speaking.

"We'll need time. Shield, please." 

You groaned, but formed a force field around the Guardian, confusing it for a moment. To your left, Viktor and Lila's chests began glowing blue as they built up power. 

"This feels oddly familiar."

"At least this time we're not aiming for each other."

"Just hurry," you pleaded as the Guardian began pushing against the shield. 

"We're ready," they said in unison, glancing at each other. With a grunt, you released the shield, watching anxiously as the Guardian ran at you, its large feet shaking the floor with each step.

With a high-pitched ringing tone, Lila and Viktor released their hold on their power, sending a blue wave at the Guardian. The second it touched him, you fell backward, your back smacking the floor painfully. The air whooshed out of your lungs smoothly, and you stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes, your ears ringing shrilly. 

You felt like you were going to die. You could hear Lila and Viktor laughing triumphantly above you, but then they turned and saw you. Through hazy vision, you could see them looking down at you in confusion.

"(Y/N)?" Viktor asked, quickly dropping to his knees and helping you sit up. Everything sounded muffled, like you were under water. You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment before opening them again, your surroundings slightly clearer. Lila was speaking.

"...connected to the Kugelblitz." She leaned down and frowned at you worriedly. "You must be connected to the Guardian, too. But hey, it's dead, and you're still here."

You swallowed thickly, finally finding the strength to nod. "I feel like shit, though," you croaked, and she grinned, grabbing you under the armpits and hauling you to your feet. "Ow."

Every part of your body was throbbing, blood pooling under your skin, in your eyes, your ears...

"Are you okay to walk?" Viktor asked, placing an arm around your shoulder and helping you stay standing.

"I'm fine," you said, nodding quickly. "I'm just... It's getting better."

It wasn't.

But somehow, you found the strength to walk on your own. You would be fine once this was over - you were just tired and drained. 

"Everyone in," Lila said cheerfully when you reached the elevator, and you sighed in relief, stepping in and leaning heavily against the wall, closing your eyes. 

It finally felt like the end of the world.

Again.