Elementals

Chapter 23 - So this is how it all comes crumblin' down...

A black, vorpal void swirled high in the sky, chunks of the ruined Earth floating about, and Nicole's deadpan purple eyes looking down at him, this is what Aidan saw as he awoke from his conversation with Grim. Her scarf was wrapped behind his head, holding him up from the hard ground.

"You're awake." the tall woman stated.

"How long was I out for?" Aidan questioned.

"Three minutes and twenty-four seconds."

"You actually counted by the second, fuckin' course." Aidan sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "She's actually gone, right?"

"Angelina is no longer here. I believe Drew called her away to attend to other matters."

"Speakin' of other matters." Aidan turned to face Nicole. "What took you so long? I was fightin' for my life against that... that... absolute demon of a goddess!"

"Drew coordinated this attack with another, pulling us away. I could not answer your cousin's call until I was sure the problem was taken care of."

"And what problem was that?"

"Drew had sent a fake Angelina to another world, where she wreaked havoc upon the mortal populace."

"A fake Angelina? How does that work?"

"They are called 'Lovelies'. A Lovely is a being that was molded into Angelina's image by Drew's hands. Most gods that he captures and controls end up as Lovelies eventually." as the words left Nicole's lips, chills went down Aidan's spine.

"That's not gonna be fun..." he muttered to himself.

"What's not going to be fun?" Nicole asked.

"Don't worry about that." he waved her question away. "So, he tricked you into fighting a Lovely while I had to deal with the real deal."

"Precisely. Most Lovelies are easy to tell from the original. They retain their original hair and eye color, and their powers are untouched."

"So he made one specifically to trick you into thinkin' it was Angie?"

"Correct. Everything, down to the most minute detail. It was a spitting image of her, even her powers were similar."

"How did he accomplish that? I thought everythin' about the powers were kept the same?"

"Most likely a sacrificial pawn. I spared her the pain of being Drew's slave and came here as soon as I could finally pick up Dominick's call."

"So he told you his name?"

"No, I read his mind from over the phone. It was much faster than waiting for him to tell me everything."

"..." Aidan stared at Nicole. "You really shouldn't do that."

"If I hadn't, you would be dead right now."

"I'm a bit more hardy than you think, Nicole." Aidan stretched his left arm. "Though, I can't say I'm mad at you for helpin' me."

"You're lucky I stepped in when I did, and that the fight was stopped so soon."

"Lemme guess, neither of you actually used your full power."

"Correct."

"Yeah, I could guess. Neither of you used those 'All-Out' or 'Form' things."

"Yes, both of us possess All-Outs. Hers is significantly more powerful than mine, however."

"Really?" Aidan questioned.

"Her All-Out, dubbed 'White-Out' by herself, is one of the most powerful abilities I have ever seen a god use. She spreads her light across an entire dimension, and shreds everything in that light to nothing. You cannot dodge it, and you cannot block it. Everything you see is a blade sharp enough to sunder a dimension from reality."