If You Can't Take My Sass, Fuck Outta Existence

Epilogue

"You combined our blood," Death X repeated, eyes staring into Atalanta's. She was being interrogated by the champions she had salvaged, and she was currently having second thoughts on their recovery.

Atalanta nodded nervously. "Yeah. It seemed to save you both."

Shizuko frowned. For once, she was serious. When it came to deathly matters of her blood, it was no joke. She might be all for collecting and pillaging new deadly weapons, but healing remedies such as natural blood wasn't something to be talked over a cup of cappuccino. It could change the world, for the better or the worst.

"It shouldn't be able to save me," Shizuko deadpanned. "My blood can't heal me."

"And my blood can't heal wounds," Death X preceded.

"Do you have a sample?" Shizuko questioned.

Atalanta handed her the vial. Only a quarter remained. The rose gold swished hypnotically as the vial was relocated.

Death X and Shizuko peered at the vial. Their expressions were of curiosity and of grievous offence. It seemed to not only cure someone who was incapable of accepting healing, it revived a demon that had been shot dead. The power of this one vial could be limitless.

Instinctively, the two of them turned towards their cuts they'd created deliberately. However, they had vanished, as part of the mysterious liquid's effects. For the first time, Ata had seen Death X without his bandages and Shizuko without injuries. Their skin was smooth, as if someone had slathered them in a coat of silk.

To this, they looked mildly uncomfortable.

Shizuko turned to Death X. "Stab me in my hand. I can't stand to see it so clean." She grimaced.

Death X obliged, but was halted by Atalanta who used her powers.

"Are you crazy? You're not doing that," Atalanta scolded. "Anyway, if we can make a perfect dose of your bloods, we won't have to worry about us dying. If it healed you, it shouldn't pose a problem for it to heal the rest of us."

Shizuko slammed the table in dissatisfaction. Death X rewrapped his bandages out of habit.

"First of all, if you want to find someone the same blood type as me, by all means—go for it. Second of all, you can't expect us to use this as a side door to keep the inevitable form arriving," Shizuko flared. "If you haven't noticed, it was a vision from the future. The war we experienced was the closest to that visionary. If that wasn't it—I don't see how you lot are going to make it to tomorrow!"

"The criteria provided aren't met," Atalanta calmly stated. "Both of you died. Not one. When you did, the universe hadn't ended yet. I have a theory, but it's more of a hypothesis, since the cost of the experiment is too large of a gamble."

Death X raised an eyebrow. "Spill, flowerpot."

Atalanta promptly ignored the nickname.

"When Ainya died, the universe didn't end." Atalanta stared at the two resurrected teammates. "Time stopped. At least, that's what you told me. When Shizuko died, everything started to malfunction. When Death X died, lights started to go out."

Death X crossed his arms. "Are you saying...?"

"Only one of us dies and takes the universe down with her," Shizuko finished. She moaned in disappointment. "Oh, come on! I hoped it was me!"

"It could be," Atalanta agreed. "But I had Lara run that vision again. I took close notes of the proximity of the silhouettes, and the only person missing from the last frame is you."

Shizuko jumped. "That means I'm the one? Hell yeah!"

Death X sat her down by shoving her shoulder to make her sit on her chair. She punched him in the jaw, but he didn't flinch.

"How?" Death X said. "She died once. I can't say the universe ended."

Atalanta shook her head. This assumption was large, but it was their best bet. She wasn't willing to commit suicide and revive herself just to see what destruction her death would bring.

"No." Atalanta stared into their eyes. "What I'm saying is, that the person who dies and takes the universe down with him or her, isn't in this crew at all."

"What?" Shizuko demanded. "Is it Hope? It has to be her!"

Atalanta sighed. "No. Since you're missing, it has something to do with you. Someone that you know personally."

Shizuko's back was drenched in cold sweat. The person that Atalanta had mentioned was not someone that she would discuss openly. She'd seen him jump with his boyfriend, and it was a real tear-jerker. 

She frowned. If he was the one, why would any of this be happening?

Reverse.

If her memory served her correct, he was supposed to be erased from this universe, along with Fang. She hadn't left this universe since she wanted to conquer the drinking area before she left. She'd met Death X and Lara shortly after Reverse and Fang's erasure of this universe.

But if he's the one that was supposed to die... why was he not supposed to exist at all? Reverse was a mistake from another universe, which is another can of worms that she wasn't willing to open.

"You must know something," Death X noticed. "Tell us."

Shizuko burned bright red. Fortunately, her skin color obscured her anger. "Of course not! What I can tell you is that the person hadn't existed yet! Don't ask how I know. I know because I'm smarter than both of you. So if one of us dies, an element of the universe dies. If we all die, the universe won't end just yet, but if The Chosen One dies, that's goodbye for all of us!"

Death X frowned. "But-"

"I can finally get some peace and quiet!" Shizuko paraded, heading towards the control room. "I can dump y'all at the nearest planet and be free of all of you!"

Atalanta blinked. "What? How can you be so su-"

Alarms blared outside. The ship quaked, spiking Shizuko's instincts to balance herself. The three turned towards the windows, and there were ships outside. Ships from both APSHU and TAPOPS. 

"At least they're not fighting anymore," Atalanta murmured.

Shizuko piloted her ship for hyperspace. "Fuck you. Spoke too soon. Give me the fucking coordinates of your primitive planet! NOW!"

* * *

And that was how they ended up on earth, living in a fiftieth floor apartment and Atalanta's completion of being Mama Tanah reborn.