For, it is that great being that extends a claw, to better those who cannot do so themselves."
- The Tale Of The Drowned Dragon
Claudius’ figure soared into the sky, hurtling hundreds of feet per second as he flitted past Astraeus’ watching gaze. The Judge and Anathema crossed eyes while the former’s momentum carried him up and beyond even the ascending blossom of the Inferose.
Winds curtailed his hair, pressing it upon his face and overwhelming his healing vision. But Claudius Vermillion’s eyes could peer through time. A blade of hair was hardly a blindfold.
Soon, the three approached the peak just as their speed faltered. However, once they neared the top, Hydro burst out from Claudius, attaching the man and his companions to the edge and pulling them over. His eyes shook with horror, though he knew what he would see.
Across his scanning gaze, he saw a battlefield worse than his imagination or foresight could conceive.
The cloaked figure pinned Rejo to the floor, cleaving away piece after piece of flesh with his weighted blade. The Araki regenerated with a frantic reversal as a collapsing field of mist ripped away flesh from Friday with each second.
Beyond their scuffle, Claudius spotted Lucius and Melody locked in a brutal melee. The Martian’s every punch held the solidity of an Executioner. With his experience and newfound powers, he stalemated even a veteran Anathema.
The jump in prowess was not what impressed him the most. Nor was it the Araki’s ‘skill’ in delaying Friday.
No matter how Claudius wrapped his head around it, Judas’ murder of Hana left his mind reeling. She was so skilled. So deadly. So... unbelievably dangerous.
Still, he had killed her in a single move. Furthermore... Claudius felt something between them. Well, not between Claudius and Judas, but between Judas and the Lightsea. For some reason, the Judge sensed this bridge of power, of significance.
It took him only a second to realize it was the same power he now held. That of a Lightless Pact. A Contract. The restriction upon oneself provides one with power in exchange for a piece of oneself. This being bore one, too. The only question was...
What is it!?
Dante stood foremost to the monster, his back held straight, while all others bowed in the presence. Talander and Rosa shrank back toward their Judge while Eight vanished, reappearing on the other side of the peak.
The teen kneeled, gasping, as his entire body shook. Even the sarcastic Cryo couldn’t bear this monster’s gaze.
Claudius shook off Joan and Sonna, the latter of whom crumpled, only to be caught by her doctor. He then strode forward, heading toward the two identical men.
“Who are you? Really. Tell me. Now,” Dante growled. The man’s fingers flexed into fists as if he was about to swing. However, it was clear to all that he wouldn’t. And that included Judas.
A laugh resounded from the pupil-less man as he noticed Sonna and Claudius arrive, “Right. The doctor. Dante was right. You are a miracle worker. Though... you seem to only dabble in curses. I wonder why that is. Past trauma, Joan Rafe? Such shame,” Judas’ gaze returned to Dante, ignoring him almost entirely. “Why should I tell you? You are the least interesting in this batch. Let’s see...”
From Judas’ abyssal iris, those that consumed all light, a wave of energy and malice spread outward at the speed of light. Without a beat of delay, all the battles ceased.
Lucius and Melody turned, their flowing blood matching the other as they stared at the dominating presence. Even Friday paused. His cleaver still sank into Rejo’s spine, but he didn’t yank it out. The Araki himself upturned his head to look from the ground.
The violence halted.
“Two Martians. One Necto and the other with an Inheritance. Then, there is the Anomaly. As bizarre as he is, I’m even more interested in his Seer, who has an impossibly high affinity for the Lightsea. Beyond them, there is still the genius Arido and the devilish doctor. So, tell me. Dante. Why should I care about you?” Judas’ face split into a grin as he stepped toward the one whose face he shared. “Why should I not just kill you?”
Dante’s mind crinkled beneath the weight of the being’s words. His knee bent at a slight angle, lowering him from their identical height. But before he lost his standing, a hand fell upon his shoulder.
The Judge knew what he was doing. He was trying to break Dante's spirit before the fight began. Why though? Claudius felt it through the Lightsea, “Because you can’t. You can’t kill him,” his head then immediately turned around. He decided to take things into his own hands. “Friday! Take the Fruit O’ Flame! We need to—”
A hand flew for his head, and Dante tackled Claudius to the side. The two men rolled across the Inferose as Judas spat with a wave of his hand, “Hmm... Clever. But that doesn’t matter. You are all helpless before me. Martian. If you take that Fruit, I will behead you and your entire lineage.”
Friday’s figure shook beneath the coercion. He struggled to move, but two others didn’t.
Dante rushed for his antithesis as his mind hit the same connections as Claudius. Some restraint kept Judas from killing him, even if it was only temporary. He knew he had to take advantage of it.
“Joan! Wake up, Sonna! Lucius! Get that Fruit to Friday, or protect him! Rejo! Get your ass over here!” Dante’s orders rang out as he and Claudius were of one mind. Their opponent was not Friday. It was not Hana. It wasn’t Melody.
This man. Judas. He held far more potential than any one of them for destruction. He could kill them all with little effort.
While Dante staked his life, the others started into motion, awoken by their captain’s words. Similarly, Claudius danced with death, heading toward Judas himself. While the human was protected by forces beyond their understanding, the Tianshe was not.
His vision spun with a bloody, fetid nausea, but this was his mission. Claudius' body was wracked with pain and fatigue from their first bout, but his mind never lost its way. Praetor Sun had sent him here for this very explicit purpose.
If I do not stand at the forefront with such a man, then who am I? I am a Judge. Judge Vermillion. Praetor Sun’s Judge. I will not let this monster steal all her hard work! All of my shed blood!
Praetor Sun’s Judge. Such a title was not given lightly. Thousands worked beneath the woman as a Judge. Nearly a hundred Centurions, too.
But only one was called ‘Her Judge’ amongst them all. His grandfather taught her most of his remarkable knowledge of Tides and bestowed her with Gaius’ boundless insights. Most of which she had already passed on to 'Her Judge' without restraint.
Both of Claudius’ eyes bled as he pushed his Lightless Pact and visual prowess to its absolute maximum. Visions overlaid with reality, and he fell into line. With the sight of the future, he called out to his Jury, “Rosa! Help Joan! Yue, Talander! Protect Eight with your lives! Eight! Take the Fruit O’ Mirror! AND GET THE FUCK OUT!”
Claudius’ most trusted ally nodded and turned from her position. With all her speed, she sprinted for the doctor and her patient, passing straight by the unmoving Anomaly. They brushed shoulders, and the brief connection woke Eight.
The youngest combatant for the Inferose closed his eyes. What he lacked in age, he made up for in traumatic experiences.
In a single moment, both leaders rallied their forces, and they met their shared enemy for the second time in their lives. It would not be their last time, but it would be the one that mattered the most.
Judas scoffed, sidestepping Dante’s roundhouse kick. Then, he raised his arms, conjuring water as he deflected the human’s Tide. Behind Judas, a blade of water sang for his head, blocked by a sudden burst of crunching snow.
Claudius didn’t stop for a beat and ran around Judas, but Dante’s eyes widened. Thanaris had mentioned that mastery of other Tides one wasn’t born into was possible. Yet, he hadn’t seen it until now.
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The flurry of snow hurled for the Judge, but the future-seeing man evaded it all. A flash of water sang from Judas, and Dante’s eyes widened. He leaped to the side before realizing the bisecting wave would have missed him by an inch.
But to their chagrin, Judas had continued sauntering toward the remaining Inheritances. Their attacks hadn’t slowed him in the slightest.
Claudius and Dante shared a look, the former’s a bleeding red and the latter’s a calming azure. They would have to take more significant risks. Dante would have to test this ‘invulnerability’ he had against Judas.
The human ignored his safety and conjured flowing Hydro along his arms. His headache screamed out of his mind while blood spilled freely from his nose. It told him how he had long surpassed his limits. Nevertheless, he didn’t mind the pain or the price.
Just as Dante slashed at Judas’ throat, Rejo arrived with a dropkick. His timer was approaching its end, and Judas eyed the Araki as he caught him by his ankle with a firm hand.
Then, he tossed the man straight at Dante, forcing him to halt his attack. The captain caught his man yet left Claudius on his lonesome.
Again, Judas scoffed with annoyance as the Judge hadn’t moved an inch, spouting, “Seers. Always so pretentious. Do you really think the Anomaly can escape? I’ve already got my hands in this place. Space is locked down.”
Eight shared a glance with Claudius, but the Judge only spurred him on.
A moment later, a young man and a towering Martian stood before their respective Inheritances. Without hesitance, Friday chomped into his. However, Eight just slipped it into his blazer. Then, he Dived.
But he didn’t vanish. With a stutter, he manifested mere feet away. Now standing above Sonna instead of in another realm, the Anomaly collapsed. Sweat fell, beading down his scalp and onto the peak.
Rosa scowled with a shout, “What are you doing!? Teleport, you little gremlin!”
“I fucking can’t! He’s not bluffing! I don’t know how, but space is like... a fucking swamp. It’s... I can’t breathe! I can’t walk! I can’t do anything!” Eight screamed at the top of his lungs toward the Miro as she tended to Sonna with Joan’s expertise.
Yue and Talander fell into line. They two stood between Judas’ scowl and Eight’s curses. Joan gazed up from the battle, her clockwork mind taking in each detail. While her specialty lay in biology and chemistry, she had spent long enough with a Penance to see one of their building schemes.
Dante and Claudius fought against Judas, failing with each step. However, they managed to slow him just barely by combining foresight and restriction.
Rosa said something else to Eight, but Joan wasn’t listening. Her eyes stared at Lucius and Friday, who stood beside each other. The two hulking Martians held bottomless malice toward the other, but each had a higher goal. A greater purpose.
Lucius had bound himself to his captain, and without that safety net, he would be alone here. Similarly, Friday would not survive on his own against a creature such as Judas and had his own master.
Joan’s eyes caught all of these details, and then she met Dante’s fleeting gaze as the man was beaten back into the ground. Not lethally struck, just with the force to immobilize him. As such, he stood once more to help Claudius prolong his life.
What is the plan here? He has one. I know he does. Dante is baiting Judas to hit him. As much as possible. Why did he ask us to prioritize Sonna? She can’t—
The doctor’s eyes bulged in sudden understanding while her hands continued working.
Her Stigmata. She can order him to attack Dante! With lethal intent! I don’t know why he wants that... but that is the only answer. It has to be. Which means... he’s putting his life on the line.
Claudius and Dante burned their lives, joined by Rejo’s ticking time, to harry the monster. Both Martians quickly raced to join, one with measured steps and trickling shadow and the other with weighted, violent bursts.
Eight stood over Joan, guarded by two that would do little to stop Judas. Joan’s eyes shifted down to the only other woman in her small crew. The scientist had known Dante the longest of all his companions.
Of all his living acquaintances. Even his ex-fiancee, whom she knew better than to mention, owed time to the doctor.
There was simply no other person in the cosmos who knew the human better.
Dante doesn’t put his life up for grabs like this. Never... except... If he’s willing to be the bait, this is the only way out. Hmm... I better get serious. This is no time for experiments anymore. He can’t handle this without me. Time to wake up, then Sonna. This won’t feel good.
“Rosa. Focus your Miro on her heart and brain. I’m going to force her awake. She only needs to be able to speak,” Joan ordered aloud, without glancing at her partner. Rosa shifted her face in surprise, but the doctor had already begun to move.
Serums flew into her hands, and in a second, half a dozen chemicals were flowing into Sonna’s veins from her arms, neck, and thighs. Joan tallied the mixtures in her mind with careful calculations. She needed Sonna to be awake and lucid. Moving? Comfortable? Happy?
Not so much.
A shriek howled from the Weren’s mouth as her eyelids burst open. Sonna’s pupils flew in every which way, her panic starting to set in. But before she could break down, unable to move her body, Joan patted her cheek and brought their faces close until only they could hear each other’s breathing, “Use your Stigmata on Judas. Make him kill Dante.”
Sonna struggled against her bindings, but they were not of the physical kind. Her own body refused to move, forcibly awakened from Joan’s concoctions. Such a cocktail of serums would leave behind sequelae, but the Harenlar was confident she could deal with it later.
“I can’t... Kill Dante? No!” Sonna fought back the only way she could, with her voice.
Joan sighed. Then, she lowered her voice to that of a reptile’s hum. It was the cold calmness of a serial killer, that of a murderer with no heart, “If you do not. We all die. Wake up to reality. This is what he wants. Do you really think he can die in one of his ruses? Moreover, can you bear the consequences of inaction? If you wish to step up, like I know you do, this is it. This is the moment. Show me you have the guts to follow a Penance to their bitter end.”
The Weren’s eyes closed in an internal battle before they reopened. With a curse, Sonna said, “Fine. Stand me up, at least. I hate this fucking thing.”
A smile bloomed upon Joan’s face, and she pulled Sonna straight to her nerveless, dangling feet. The Harenlar’s secondary hands stabilized her crewmate while her other two took measurements, ensuring that her patient wouldn’t just drop dead.
Rosa’s surprise held no bounds. A woman who was upon death’s doorstep mere seconds ago was now wide awake. Once more, Joan forced the failed Judge to reconsider Dante’s crew.
Truly, not a single one was normal. In fact, in her eyes, the human may have been the least unique as she witnessed Sonna’s Stigmata for the first time. It had been months since Sonna used the terrifying Dominate, both fearful of its abilities and its repercussions.
But now, at this moment, as everyone else pulled out their aces and tossed away their inhibitions, Sonna knew she had to use everything she had. That included her neglected Stigmata.
Her words entered the air, raw and shaky, yet they held a shivering power that forced its target to bow against Sonna’s will.
“Kill Dante Penance.”
The three words soared across the battlefield, striking Judas’ mind in but a moment. The figure stilled. His hands shook, the blade of snow hovering inches from Claudius’ chest. A near-lethal wound had been halted.
Dante stepped closer to Judas with a knowing grin as his crewmate dragged Claudius away. Rejo, with his timer ticking to zero, held the Judge with trembling muscles. Both collapsed, one with bloody eyes and the other with endless exhaustion. Lucius staggered back as his wounds rushed to keep up with Judas’ uncaring attacks. Friday remained the only one to stand alongside the human.
Arms spread out from Dante as the human met his pupil-less copy. He welcomed the attack.
Streams of blood surged from Sonna’s nose as Judas’ eyes went past Dante and met her. Their souls met in a contest.
Who would win? The anxiety-riddled Arido or the ancient master of multiple Tides?
Sonna's mind flashed to her childhood. The hours, days, weeks, months, and years she spent in the sewers. She was born in that eternal darkness where the sun never shined. Like all the others, she was forced to steal, hurt, and betray others.
But she never caved. She starved and starved, surviving on the tiniest of scraps. Even for a Weren, she was petite. It was not her blood that deemed it so. The darkness made her small.
It made her weak.
Until... one day, the light came. A beautiful, colorful, and resplendent hand offered itself to her.
Sonna regretted taking that hand, for that which arrived was not true light. It was simply a lighter shade of black.
And now, she witnessed a color more vile than any other in her whole life. She held her ground, even as her mind tore apart, as she wanted to see light. True light.
Judas stole one more staggering step, forced to halt as blood dripped from his nose. The first blood was drawn on the man while he attempted to supplant his dominance. While he stood frozen, Friday snapped his fingers. Fire emerged upon his index finger, and he pointed it directly toward the monster before him.
The Martian spoke simply with pure confidence, “I don’t know who you are, but I have some theories. Regardless, you made a critical error here. You should have killed me first down there. Now, you will never get this Fruit.”
That line of fire spread from Friday’s hand like a bullet shooting straight toward the pitch he had gathered across the entire peak of the Inferose. A laugh sprang from Friday as he leaped back and dived straight off the ledge. A line of darkness stuck to the wall as he swung to the ground, leaving the expanding explosion for the rest.
Dante stood the closest to the detonation’s core, Judas. The fire enveloped them both while Rejo, Claudius, and Lucius dove further away. Water sprang from the Judge and protected the three while the raging ball of fire continued toward the others.
Sonna’s eyes reflected the cruel light until a pale wall placed itself between them. Astraeus knelt between the explosion and Claudius’ Jury, Joan, and Sonna. The final arrival had made his appearance at last.
But all the worries were placed inside the fires that ballooned off the sides of the Inferose, stretching far out into the sky. The entire Inferose shook with the force of the explosion, knocking several people off their feet.
As the fires died down, however, those on the end of the peak found on figure curled on the ground and another burnt. Judas stood as he shook his body, puffs of steam curling from his flesh with a humid glow. The tell-tale sign of a Miro’s rejuvenation.
Ashes and soot cracked off his flesh as his eyes turned downward. Judas took a step toward the shivering cover of a blanket over Dante. A blade of oscillating water grew from his palm and stabbed into the cloth.
Blood spurted out just as Dante tossed the cloth aside, revealing himself to be utterly unharmed by the flames. The skin of a Roseman had shielded him from the heat of Friday’s Tide.
Judas’ abyssal eyes widened in surprise, and Dante looked straight into the man’s eyes before grabbing onto the sword of Hydro that had pierced his chest.
“You stopped resisting her. Why? Because you thought I was already dead? Or close? Did you think that would work as a loophole? Is that a Lightless Pact? Hmm? I wonder... what are the ramifications for breaking one?” Dante’s voice, despite his injuries, gained momentum as he stood with leaking blood.
Judas stepped back, and some change occurred throughout his body as his face splintered and broke. Behind Dante, Claudius smiled, yet he knew things were not over yet, even as he felt that connection he sensed earlier grow hostile. He shouted to his Anomaly, “Eight! Get the fucking exit open! NOW!”
The Cryo’s head shook with shock as he broke free of his amazement. Then, he immediately closed his eyes and got to work with the Fruit O’ Mirror in one hand.
Meanwhile, Dante raised his hand toward Judas and drew nearer to the retreating figure, “I doubt it’s death. In most cases, at least. But this injury you gave me... it would kill me. And I will let it. I have no intent to stop my bleeding. So... what will you do? Judas? It’s your move.”
Blood streamed from the human’s gut in an unceasing flood. It was, indeed, as he said. He would die. Everyone recognized such and shrank further away. They did so as the instant he did pass, Judas would no longer be restrained.
Dante’s eyes peered forward without a hint of hesitation or fear. He had long conquered the fear of death. Another step brought him a foot away from Judas.
The two embraced the other with only a gaze.
Judas’ whole figure shuddered as it shattered apart like porcelain, revealing another person beneath. They were slightly shorter, a few inches below Dante’s height, but they boasted the same hair. The pupil-less eyes remained, only adding to Dante’s surmounting fury.
“You are retaking his form? Why? What is your connection with my brother!?” Dante struck out, punching Judas across the face. However, the man didn’t react as if he had been attacked. He stood still.
Nevertheless, the consequences of the Lightless Pact forced his lips to move, “You still don’t know? Are you that blinded by your familial ties? No matter. Losing some accumulation isn’t too bad, I suppose. I just have to...”
Dante’s mind lit up like a parade of fireworks as he finally reached the only possible conclusion.
If Judas took my form after hiding within me... then... he...
“What is your name! Who are you really!?” Dante howled in desperation as Judas’ eyes torched with a pure, resplendent paleness. They burned as twin suns.
The sight brought Claudius’ stomach to the depths. There. He sensed it again. The Lightless Pact. Judas was making a new one.
Claudius glanced around. His red-tinted vision showcased Eight opening the rift in space. Joan was the first through, hauling Sonna out as several more continued. In just a moment, only the Judge, Astraeus, Eight, and Dante remained. Even then, Eight had tossed his Inheritance over with Rosa to carry.
He’s trying to offset the repercussions! I can’t let him. It’s obviously hurt him significantly! If he heals or recovers... then we’re all dead without that restriction anymore! It would be great to kill him here, but I doubt we can. He just ate that explosion with minor burns. No way I kill him even if he merely stands there.
The Judge patted Eight and Astraeus as the two tried to take him back. He ignored their help and strode forward.
Then, he stood between Judas and the Lightsea with a firm, intangible fist. A noiseless howl rang out, leaving Judas misstepping rearward in astonishment, “What!? How can you intercede on another’s Pact?”
Claudius’ vision swooned and became dotted with darkness, but he didn’t fall. He raised a hand toward Judas and said, “Because she likes me. Isn’t that obvious? And no one... not even the Inferose likes you. Why else were you so slow in getting here if not for its interference? It’ll let Friday out before you can get him.”
A hum of approval echoed throughout the world they lingered within. The Inferose shook and shuddered in agreement. Then, the Judge, having finished his job, allowed Eight to toss him into the rift.
Whatever happened next mattered not to Claudius.