Crimson Heart

18

As the fight intensified, Psylocke suddenly drew a weapon of her own—a tessen, a bladed fan with a sleek, black frame. Its sharp edges gleamed in white, and intricate, beautiful flower patterns adorned its surface, giving it both an elegant and lethal appearance. In her other hand, she summoned a radiant, glowing, purple psi-blade, formed entirely from her psychic energy, casting a fierce glow over the battlefield.

Psylocke moved swiftly, her psi-blade and tessen slashing through the air as she aimed to take down Kafka while attempting to capture William. But Kafka was ready. Her katana crackled with mysterious purple electricity, each swing humming with energy. As Psylocke attacked, Kafka retaliated, her electrified slashes creating an explosive web-like pattern in the air. The purple web expanded and detonated with force, sending Psylocke flying back from the sheer impact.

Kafka: "You're not getting him that easily."

The explosion from Kafka's strike gave William a much-needed breather as the two women locked eyes. However, before William could relax, Hawkeye appeared from the side, his foot connecting squarely with William's chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

Hawkeye: "Don't get too comfortable, kid."

As Kafka rushed to William's aid, the two were quickly cornered by both Psylocke and Hawkeye. The tension thickened, but Kafka's fingers twitched. Around her hands, thin electrical wires began to form—this time glowing a vibrant magenta pink. They crackled with intensity, charging with power.

In an instant, the wires shot out like vipers, wrapping tightly around Psylocke and Hawkeye. Both heroes were immobilized, frozen for a brief second. Suddenly, their eyes glazed over, and they turned on each other. Psylocke swiftly switched back to her katana, her focus now locked on Hawkeye. Meanwhile, Hawkeye transformed his bow into a bo staff, gripping it tightly as he prepared to fight Psylocke.

William, barely regaining his strength, noticed Psylocke's tessen lying on the ground, abandoned amid the intensity of the battle. As he made his escape, he couldn't resist the urge to grab it. Clutching the bladed fan tightly, William decided to keep it as a souvenir, a memory of the intense battle he'd just survived.

As William and Kafka dashed through the shifting battlefield, the sounds of Psylocke and Hawkeye clashing behind them echoed in the distance. William's breath was ragged as he clutched Psylocke's tessen, his mind racing from everything that had just transpired.

William: "What was that move back there? How did you make them fight each other like that?"

Kafka glanced at him briefly, her expression unreadable but calm despite the urgency of their escape.

Kafka: "It's a story for a different time, kid."

She smirked slightly, her voice cool but with an air of mystery. "Right now, let's just focus on getting out of here in one piece."

They continued to run, the tension lingering in the air, but William couldn't shake the curiosity. Yet, he knew better than to press for more answers in that moment.

As they turned the corner of the narrow alley, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled. William glanced around, sensing danger.

William: "Uh, are we going the right way?"

Before Kafka could answer, a group of bounty hunters emerged from the shadows, their weapons trained on the duo.

Bounty Hunter Leader: "There they are! Stop them!"

Kafka cursed under her breath, already preparing for another fight. She drew her katana, its electric crackle making the hunters hesitate for a brief second.

Kafka: "Guess we don't have much of a choice, kid. You ready to make it out of here?"

As the bounty hunters closed in, William's gaze hardened. He reached deep into himself, summoning his chaos magic. With a quick flick of his wrist, glowing red orbs appeared around his fingers, pulsating with raw energy. He hurled them forward, each orb smashing into the hunters with explosive force, sending them sprawling in all directions.

William: "Stay back!"

He yelled, thrusting both hands forward. His telekinesis surged, lifting one of the attackers high into the air before slamming them down onto the ground with a bone-rattling impact.

Beside him, Kafka was a blur of movement, her katana slicing through the air in arcs of purple lightning. Her blade crackled with energy as she moved swiftly, cutting down any hunter that came too close. Sparks flew as she effortlessly parried a strike aimed at her side, the electricity on her blade leaving scorch marks on her opponent's armor before knocking them out cold.

Kafka: "Not bad, kid!" 

She called out, her voice sharp with approval as she deflected another attack. Her katana weaved through the air like an extension of herself, taking down two more bounty hunters in a single, fluid motion.

Another wave of hunters charged at them, but William was ready. He focused his telekinesis on the debris around him, lifting chunks of rubble and broken weapons, launching them toward the attackers. Both of William's hands began to glow as twin chaos orbs formed in his palms, crackling with energy. Without hesitation, he hurled them toward the bounty hunters, one after another. The orbs streaked through the air, slamming into his enemies with explosive force, sending them flying or leaving them stunned in place.

William: "I've got this,"

He muttered, as he launched more orbs with growing confidence, releasing bursts of concussive energy that knocked out the hunters instantly, sending them sprawling to the ground unconscious.

Meanwhile, Kafka moved alongside him, her katana crackling with electric energy as she sliced through any who got too close.

Together, he and Kafka pushed through the wave of bounty hunters, their movements perfectly in sync. With each passing second, William could feel his confidence growing, mastering his powers more with every fight.

Finally, with the last bounty hunter collapsing to the ground, Kafka sheathed her katana, eyeing William with a faint smirk.

Kafka: "You're more useful than I thought. Let's keep moving before more show up."

William nodded, still catching his breath. His hands tingled with energy, but a sense of accomplishment swelled inside him as they continued to escape through the battlefield.

As William and Kafka finally reached the Stellaron ship, the adrenaline from their escape slowly faded. The hum of the ship's engines provided a brief moment of calm as they stepped aboard, safely away from the battle.

Still breathing heavily, William pulled out the tessen he had grabbed during the fight and held it up. "Check this out. I picked it up from some fighter in the middle of everything." Blade glanced at the weapon, his eyes narrowing in recognition.

Blade: "You mean Psylocke. That fan's hers."

William looked confused. 

William: "Psylocke? Who's that?"

Blade crossed his arms, his tone serious but amused.

Blade: "You'll learn soon enough. Just be careful with that thing. It's sharper than it looks. Try not to cut yourself."

William nodded, folding the tessen with newfound care, sliding it into his pockets. Though he still didn't know who Psylocke was, the weapon felt like more than just a trophy—it was a reminder of the fight he had survived.