Shadows of Atlas

5- Nature Man Part II

"Christian!," a voice called out. "Don't you dare lay a hand on him you fiends," another said. *Gun sounds* "Mom... Dad... No!!!!," the child yelled and screamed as two men took away the lives of his parents. It all started to fade as he woke up.

"Hey! You're okay!," a strange boy exclaimed. "W-who are you?," the man asked groggily. "The name's Eto, you attacked me and my friend," Eto said. "I thought you were StriveCo. soldiers and there is no way in hell that I'm going back to that place," the man said. "So StriveCo. is behind your pain. Those bastards pretend to strive for the good of all Atlas, but in reality, they do horrible stuff," Eto said in anger. "Wait, how did you know I was in pain?," he asked. "I could see it on your face, you looked exhausted and acted aggressively," Eto half lied, he could never tell anybody about what happened, because if he did, no one would accept him. "Eto, is everything alright?," Zai asked as she ran into the room. "Yeah and so is our friend here," Eto said as he referred to the man. "Thank goodness. If it weren't for Eto's healer ability, I don't know how this would've turned out," Zai explained. "Is that true?," he asked Eto. "Yeah, same way I calmed you down in the forest. I healed your pain," he replied. "Hmph, whatever, it's not like I needed it," he said and tried to get up, but he felt a sharp pain through his spine. "Hey, hey! I might've healed you, but I can only do so much. You pretty much came in with broken bones," Eto explained while trying to hide a face of guilt. "You won't be going anywhere for a while, so relax," Zai added. "What if they come for me? Like I said before there is no way in hell that I am going back to that horrible place," he asked. "You're in a Coran base, that means they'll have to go through us," Eto tried to reassure him. The word Coran brought back a memory.

"Those pesky Corans keep delaying our progress. I wish the president would just wipe them out already," a scientist said. "I know. How can we do our jobs if they keep attacking our research facilities?," the other one asked. 'Corans, huh? Maybe I can join them and get revenge for what they did to my parents ten years ago,' the man thought from his cell.

"Uhhh, hello?," Eto asked as the man was adrift in his memories. "I got lost in thought," he sort of apologized. "What's your name?," Zai asked. "Its Christian, I was being used by the company as a lab experiment for genetic manipulation," Christian said as he heard Eto and Zai gasp. "I'm so sorry," Zai said. "It's okay. That being said, I wish to cooperate with your cause to get back at StriveCo.," Christian said with hatred in his eyes. "Well... I'll have to talk to my superior about that," Eto said as Ernie walked in.

"How is our guest doing?," he asked. Eto takes a deep breath and starts talking: "Well it turns out he's a genetic experiment from the StriveCo. labs, he was trying to escape the facility, and now he wants to be a Coran to get back at them," Eto responded to Ernie's question. "What?! We don't even know if he is a spy, what his mutation can do or-," Ernie was objecting until an explosion cut him off.

"Experiment number 2146, you are to be captured and taken back to the facilities. Do not resist capture or we will use lethal force," a captain ranked enemy said. "Another captain? Ernie, I'll take him on. You and Zai take care of the companions. I'll give this guy the show of a lifetime," Eto said, but Christian launched a vine attack and was deflected by the captain. "Foolish experiments, always thinking they can fight back," he said. "Don't forget about me," Eto said as he kicked the captain in the face. "Filthy Coran! Huh?," he asked as he saw a vine coil around his leg and slam him multiple times against the ground. "I am pissed off," he said as he crunched a Zyth Crystal.

"Oh no," Eto said as he was hit by a sonicboom. "Mwahahaha, you cannot beat the power of the Zyth Crystals," the captain said. Suddenly, Eto's blade started glowing and the green crystal star flew towards Christian. "Nature Star Power, Rank Up!," Christian transformed into a more powerful version of himself and shot a Seed Storm Cannon . "Chaos Star Power, Rank Up!," Eto did the same and launched a Shooting Star Barrage.

The captain was taken by surprise by the force of the attacks, but he still survived. "You fools, you had me with the sudden power up, but I knew it was all an illusion," he was saying until he saw Eto and Christian charging up two powerful attacks. "Power of the stars give me your might so that I may shatter this evil's blight, End of Universe!," Eto chanted. "Source of life and source of scourge burn my enemies and initiate the great purge, Solar Gamma Beam!," Christian yelled as they launched their attacks and they combined into the new and deadly "Nature's Galactic Wrath" attack, thus defeating and incinerating the captain.

"How did you know the transformation chant?," Eto asked. "It just came to me naturally (pun intended)...," Christian replied. "Woah, that was so epic!!!!," Zai exclaimed in excitement. "It seems the stars can grant power to the user of the same element, but why didn't it react to the other nature users?," Ernie asked. "Hmm, maybe Christian has some of Eto's DNA or by a bond?," Zai suggested. "I highly doubt I have Eto's DNA since my mutation is the result of the mixture of human and plant DNA," Christian explained. "That explains the vines that portrude from your body," Eto deduced. "Back to the original topic. These stars might hold clues to who I really am!," Eto added. "Then we can't let StriveCo. get their hands on them," Ernie concluded. "If they reacted to Christian, then he is also a piece to this puzzle," Zai said. "That means I can be a Coran, right?," he asked. "Yup, welcome to the Corans, Christian! Zai, Christian, and Eto, you are going back to the main HQ with me," Ernie ordered and then Zai & Eto jumped in excitement while Christian scoffed in relief.