Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Tassadar's Legacy: Chronicles: Dark Light ❯ Black, White, and Red All Over ( Chapter 4 )

Akira had gotten lunch from the floor, beaten three of her favorite video games, and had started a fourth before Abyssal Angel finally came back. “Welcome back.” She muttered, distracted. Angel stopped to stare at Akira for a moment as she continued to blast away at some Neo Nazi's in some game with a ridiculously large gun. Shaking his head ever so slightly, he sat down in the middle of the room, resuming his meditative stance, and waited.

Finally, Akira grew frustrated and dropped the controller. She could only handle so many game over's before she couldn't stand to play anymore. Standing up, she ordered the room, “Keep these items here. I don't want them disappearing.” She then went over to a ledge in the wall and ordered some pizza enough for two. Sitting back down on the couch, she started munching on pizza. After finishing her first slice, Akira couldn't take the silence anymore.

“So… where'd you go?” Angel stared at her a moment, before answering, “Here and there.” Akira bit back a groan at the answer that told her exactly what she expected; absolutely nothing. Shaking her head, she said, “Any luck in getting them to stop looking for me?” To her surprise, Angel visibly slumped at this and said, “No…” It's the most emotion she's gotten out of him so far considering his voice is bland enough to be completely unremarkable, or identifiable. He probably uses a synthesizer, she decided.

Changing her train of thought, she asked, “So what do you do for fun Angel?” Angel cocked his head slightly to the side and asked, “Haven't you heard the stories?” Akira bit her lip to keep from smiling and asked, “Which one's? The ones that say you ravish young women before sucking their blood out and turning them undead, or the one's that say you take your fun in just killing people?”

Angel shook his head slightly. Akira, however is ecstatic. I must really be learning how to read him, or he's starting to open up to me… probably the former. Akira thought. Angel responded, “Neither.” Akira waited a moment, but when he didn't elaborate, she prompted, “Well, what do you do then?” Angel seemed to ponder a moment before answering, “I meditate and I train. I don't have much time for fun.”

Akira frowned slightly and said, “What about the music from this morning?” Angel immediately supplied, “Part of my training.” Akira replied sarcastically, “You're training to become deaf?”

“The music at the rave was much louder.”

“It was also further away and in a much larger room.”

“I can make this room much larger if you like.”

“No thanks. Small and empty is enough for me.”

Angel shook his head again. Akira took her time thinking before asking, “So what do you do for training?”

Angel didn't respond for a moment. Akira waited, surprised at the amount of patience she was displaying for him. Or is Abyssal Angel really a she? She suddenly blurted out, “Are you a guy or girl?” Angel just stared at her for a few seconds before responding, “I'm male.” Akira felt relieved at the news, then bit her lip. Why would she be relieved? I'm not falling for him… am I? I promised myself I wouldn't fall in love again…

Akira's thoughts were distracted by Angel getting up. Before she could ask, he produced two blades out of his sleeves and loud techno music started. Suited men suddenly stepped through the walls and started opening fire on Angel. Akira screamed and covered her ears, trying to drown out the gunfire. She risked opening one eye, then opened them fully at the sight before her.

Dancing. That's the only thing she could think to describe it as Angel weaved and dodged his way close enough to slice each gun fighter in half. When cut, the men sank into the floor and vanished, but more came to replace each one he took down, with better and better guns.

Akira felt mesmerized. If she could spout poetry, she'd have written a sonnet of death personified and many metaphors on the grace and flow Angel expressed as he practically flowed around the bullets like water. It had to be the most enchanting, and dangerous, thing Akira had ever seen, and she loved every moment of it, excluding the noise of course.

Finally the last man was split in half and sank through the floor. In a flash, Abyssal Angel had moved back to his spot in the center of the room and resumed his meditative stance and the music stopped. Akira sat stunned, breathing deeply. She finally came to herself when Angel said, “That is my training.”

Akira shook herself and said softly, “So you do like killing…” Angel shook his head and said, “No. I actually dislike it. If I could do my job without killing anyone, I would. Unfortunately, the need defend myself is more often than not, inevitable.” Akira felt even more stunned at this declaration. Abyssal Angel the pacifist? The man currently holding a world record for most number of people killed and the largest bounty on his head than anyone in the entire history of humanity, is a pacifist?

Akira shook off her disbelief and said, “IF that's true, then why did you kill those men just now?” Angel answered, “They weren't real. Think of them as holograms if it helps. Didn't you notice they spilled no blood?” Akira shook her head, and thinking back, realized he was right. Akira shook her head and said, “Is there anything in the history books about you that IS true?” Angel seemed to think for a moment then answered, “Very little, though my part in helping to unify humanity during the Clan Wars is true.”

Akira shuddered at the memory. The Clan Wars were a dark time for the human race. It had only lasted two years, but it had to be the most frightening period in all of history anyone could think of, and most historians actually agreed with that. The fact that that time period was only a couple of years ago didn't help any. Akira had been lucky to avoid most of the fighting by hiding out with refugees, as the original nations tore themselves apart as individuals rose to power thanks to the brand new discovery that the Hundred Shards granted unbelievable power to those who wielded them; the power to create simply by willing it.

The destruction had been immense. It was a full out free for all as new alliances were forged and broken in days. Country's were dissolved as individuals betrayed their fellows for power left and right, mafias, gangs, mercenary's, you name it, they were part of the fighting. It was a Yakuzo warlord that had obtained two of the pieces who coined the phrase, Clan War. He described humanity as clans vying for power, being broken, made, and remade every day. The term stuck and soon every group that rose to power referred to themselves as a clan. The neutrals who wanted no part in it, like Akira herself, stayed safe through hiding, watching as the very laws of physics were broken around them, and humans died everyday in ways barred only by one's imagination.

Then everything changed. Six months towards the end of the war, that same Yakuzo warlord, leader of one of the most powerful clans, The Shizu, or Clan of China, was betrayed by one of his most trusted lieutenants. This same lieutenant assassinated and stole the two shards and disappeared. Soon afterwards, one by one, each of the most powerful warlords were assassinated and their shards stolen through various creative, and brutal, means. Worse still, no one even knew what he looked like.

Many had tried to rally behind this dark warrior, to create a clan with him as their leader. Most of these found themselves exterminated by rival clans vying to keep this wraith from rising to power, not that it mattered. The only thing the would be clan did was give Abyssal Angel his name. Angel himself never made himself known to take over the clan. In the end, only five of the original clan leaders were left.

Desperate, The Five, as they came to be called, formed an alliance of sorts to defend themselves. But the dark warrior never showed up to kill them. Slowly, the Five found the alliance they had formed to be more beneficial than the original clans had been, they began to work together and rebuild the world they'd helped nearly destroy. Thus they became the first Builders, changing their focus from fighting to science and progress. The Five lead the building up of the Earth, transforming it into Metropolis One, as well as colonizing all the rest of the planets through great ribbon like corridors dubbed planetary elevators, connecting each planet together in a web, with two way stations built above and below the sun to keep the ribbons from intersecting with the star.

This feat could not have been accomplished without the five last pieces of the original hundred meteor fragments. Through study, scientists working for this new government discovered that the mineral of the entire fragment actually has no atomic value. Each atom is capable of morphing, replicating and destroying itself at will, though why it reacts to the touch and will of human beings remains a mystery. They also discovered that the objects the mineral creates is actually extensions of itself, though for some reason, this replicate had become impure and poisoned the builders who used it for longer than thirty minutes. Due to this ability to replicate itself, scientists dubbed the newly discovered mineral `Replicate'.

But the Dark Warrior was not finished with his work. He stole the last of the shards that the Five had. He didn't kill the last of the clan leaders though. It was determined at that point that Abyssal Angel's goal had been the end of the Clan Wars the entire time. Bereft of Replicate, the Five and their apprentices had to relearn how to be builders through the use of the objects they'd already created and Due to the need for this expansion, the great planetary elevators were created, connecting the planets in long ribbon like corridors like great interstellar highways that moved with the planets.

As for the Dark Warrior, he stayed on Metropolis one, terrorizing crime lords, corrupt officials, and keeping things running smoothly from the background. If it weren't for Abyssal Angel, the peace that the solar system and humanity enjoys wouldn't be possible. But that doesn't stop the rumors circulating of his abilities or the ever rising bounty on his head or his death count. Akira had even heard about a cult dedicated to him, similar to the clan that wanted to form behind him during the war.

Akira knew this like the back of her hand. Everyone knew these things. It's in all the history books, it was on the news. She wondered what take Angel would have on the past. Akira cleared her throat and asked, “Would you tell me about the Clan Wars?” Abyssal Angel seemed to think for a moment before responding quietly, “I will tell you some if you wish.” Akira nodded and leaned forward eagerly.