Souls of the Fallen

Vengeance

Inside the slum village, Shina and Reno are tending to the remaining Eons. Some lay on the floors of the huts and dilapidated buildings while others assist in keeping them stable. There are six that remain. They are the ones Sol has figured unable to be of assistance to the fight.

"They barely give us enough food to survive in this dump. We've lost a few to these shitty conditions," Sol says. He glares at the officer in the room with them. He grips him by the collar and throws him at the feet of a young girl. Her frame is tiny and her bones are visible through her skin. "There, Officer Macon... Tell her sorry for making her suffer!"

Macon lifts himself to his hands and knees. He locks eyes with the little girl. "I-I'm sorry..." he stutters. She stares at him without emotion. Allowing him to wonder what she may be thinking. She lifts her right forearm, revealing her shard that is a similar color to Reno's.

"Go on, Mac. Remove her seal. You could at least do that much for her," Sol says sarcastically. Macon looks back at Sol for a moment and takes a deep breath. He reaches for her shard and slowly peels the thin material from her skin. It holds tightly to her skin but eventually comes off. The child's eyes light up for a moment, scaring the officer at her feet. The air around the little girl swirls in a chilly mist.

Shina and Reno watch as she regains her power and controls it like she's been using it for some time. She practices by forming an ice crystal between her hands. It twists and bends its shape with increasing speed until she shatters it. The shrapnel stays within her palms as it disintegrates into snow then to mist.

"How old is she?" Reno asks as Shina returns her attention to the less fortunate Eons in this shelter. "For her to be able to control her power that well is amazing."

"Ten," Sol says. "She was eight when she was put in this hell. An orphan. She hasn't spoken much since she's gotten here. I named her Neve." He grabs Macon again and drags him towards the door. "I'm going to find the others. You two should have it from here." He shoves the officer ahead of him and they disappear from their sight. The little girl walks up to Reno and grabs his left hand. She caresses his shard. It glows slightly and hers does as well. She closes her eyes and Reno squints. He faintly sees a ghostly figure holding the Neve tightly like a mother would hug her child. Reno wipes his eyes and the figure is gone when he tries to focus on it again.

Neve looks up at him for a moment and smiles. A burst of energy erupts from his shard as it hisses. He flinches from the sudden pain, causing him to yank away from the child. As he checks the back of his hand, he realizes his shard is a different shape. "Don't fear her... She is only here to help," Neve says.

In the lobby, Weiss slowly rises from the sandy floor. He is joined in the room by Ein, Luy, and Taj as they walk through the hole in the wall. "You bags of shit ruined my suit," he says. The dark energy that surrounded him melts from his figure and fades away once it hits the floor. He tugs at his jacket and pant legs disappointedly. "I know you useless beings don't have the funds to repair it or purchase me a new one so... I'll just take your lives instead!"

Ein slaps his hands together. Sand splatters from them and spills onto the floor. "Shut yo shit, old man! I've got a few years of rage built up that I need to release," Ein says while approaching Weiss. He gets into a grappler's stance. Hands open in front of him and his feet spread apart. He flicks his hair and reveals a golden shard on his forehead.

Luy and Taj step back slightly. Taj, the silky-haired one, folds his arms while Luy, the one in the turban, sits on the floor. Ein lunges at Weiss and they lock hands. Each one holds the other off, trying their best to shift the other's weight to gain the advantage. They struggle for a moment until sand rolls from Ein's hands onto Weiss' hands and eventually forearm. Weiss realizes his opponent is gaining the upper hand and tries to break loose. He is unable to break Ein's grip. Sand continues to endlessly drip from his hands and hair.

Weiss gains assistance from his struggle from a swift slash from a dark claw. Ein releases his hold on the governor and wipes his cheek clean of blood. He looks at his hand then at Weiss. He finds a set of glowing white eyes glaring at him. The others join the lobby and behold the same interesting sight that has Ein confused.

An all black man the exact same body frame as Weiss stands next to him. Ein scratches his head and flakes sand out of it. "Where'd dat come from?" he asks.

Weiss tries wiping the sand from his hands but is unsuccessful. "What is this mess? Take it off, you filthy mongrel!" he shouts.

"You haven't even taken me ta dinner yet, Weiss... I'm not takin anythin' off for you yet," Ein says with a wink. "Now tell me who your friend is next to you."

"It's his shadow," Taj says. He points at the floor next to Weiss lit by the setting sun. There is no shadow under him. The governor smiles at Taj and gives him applause. "That isn't something a human gains the ability to do naturally. A gift from The Underworld, I'm guessing?"

"Boy! This one is pretty smart. I might just spare him and make him work under me," Weiss jokes.

"Smart people don't thrive under others. They need to grow on their own," Taj says.

"Then why are you working for this sandbag," Weiss asks.

"Taj is his own man. He just doesn't mind helping a friend," Ein intervenes.

"I'm the dumb one that you need to worry about, Weiss! I've got nothing to lose!" Luy says.

"He's right about that," Myra mumbles to the younger Eons.

Luy continues, "Your cops killed my wife trying to capture me. I swore that day I would avenge her."

"Sounds like your fault for being around her, knowing you were wanted," Weiss says with a smile. "How selfish can you be, boy?" Luy's face fills with rage and he slams his fists into the ground. He cracks the tile and bounces to his feet. After letting out a painful roar, he charges at Weiss. "Sick'em," Weiss whispers. The shade shrieks and intercepts Luy. It slams its claw into his stomach. They both stop halfway between Ein and Weiss. Luy grabs the creature's wrist and smiles as chunks of rock crumble on the floor at their feet. He spins around and flings the shadowy beast back to its owner. It phases through Weiss and lands behind him. Luy rips the tattered shirt to reveal a buildup of rocks on his stomach.

"Not going down that easily!" Luy shouts. "Sorry guys, but this fucker is mine!" He continues his rush at Weiss. The shade rolls over and attempts to run back but slips on the sand on the tile. This allows Luy to reach Weiss. A rocky armor builds around Luy's body as he dashes at the governor. He fails to avoid Weiss' reaction though.

Weiss extends his arm. A black tendril pierces him in the chest before it has the chance to cover his vulnerable organ. Even through the sand dripping from Weiss's hand, the darkness punctures the Eon's heart. Luy is halted once again, inches from his target. He looks down at the extension of Weiss' arm then looks up with a bloodied grin. "Perfect..." he coughs. Blood spits onto Weiss' face. Luy grips the governor's arm. He makes everyone in the room cringe as he slowly pulls himself closer. The black tendril penetrates his back. Weiss palms Luy's face in an attempt to keep him away but the Eon is forced forward by Ein's sand hand. A hand that formed from the sand pooling on the floor.

"You fool! What are you doing?" Weiss screams. Luy's body continues to encase itself in stone. The rock formations grow onto Weiss as Luy wraps his arms around him. The shade claws at the Eon but to no avail.

"Thank you for understanding, Ein," Luy says as his face is covered by the rocks.

Ein nods and points to the party behind him. "To me!" he yells to the others as sand rises before him. Luy's rocky body glows brightly. Ein creates a shield large enough to cover the other Eons in the room with him.

Weiss panics as he feels an intense heat rising around him. "You wouldn't! Your Eosoul will-" the governor is unable to complete his comment as Luy's body detonates. Shards of sharp, bloody rocks scatter across the entire room. Riku attempts to prevent the unconscious from getting hit by the shrapnel. He overexerts himself again and joins them in their unconscious state, but thanks to his efforts, they are safe.

Ein lowers his shield and chunks of rock settle in the falling sand. Weiss' body is a burnt and bloodied mess with similar shards embedded in him. "Damn, kid... Stole all of da fun," Ein mumbles. "You did it, Luy."

The others recollect. Taj is still in his position on the wall with his arms folded. Lucas frowns after realizing that he didn't join them in the shield. Taj points at the floor again. "This fight isn't over yet," he says. The shade rises from the floor and looks down at Weiss' body. Its form is smaller and appears more fragile. Weird clicks and chirps come from that side of the room as its head rolls towards the unconscious officers Riku saved. It screeches as bolts at the two at the desk. It sinks into the floor again and swims around the officers. Once it rises again, it is no longer as frail as it was a moment ago. Its mass has more than doubled and it no longer glides across the floor.

The shade stomps as it pulls its feet from the pool of darkness on the floor. Deeper clicking and grunts come from the creature this time. "A shade without a master..." Myra mumbles. "This vile beast holds the life essence of anyone's shadow it devours. Unconscious targets are the easiest prey..."