Abyss looked at his brother’s unconscious body in horror. He looked up at the strange woman that just knocked Volt out. He clenched his fists and teeth. He wanted to strike back and rescue his now vulnerable brother, but a bizarre strip of green in her black hair began to glow. Abyss was worried that this was a bad sign that he didn’t want to test. She was still on top of Volt and looked ready to react at any moment.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoJ9FlQdWM
He began to relax as he picked up on her scent; she smelled sweet. It was to a point that Abyss wanted to trust her, but as he reminded himself of the threat, she just revealed herself to be, it quickly became sickly.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpk3b3UwEtV
“What brings you here, human?” She demanded.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKW1swX694
Abyss knew he had to provide her with an answer if he wanted to ensure the safety of him and his brother. “Exploring.” That was the truth. He didn’t know how else to answer anyway.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4g831bCXdR
“Who are you?” she hissed.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpW66VyUcM
Abyss didn’t understand why she was being so aggressive; there was no way he’d even think about lying to her. Not that he wanted to just tell anything and everything to a random stranger, but this was his only choice.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszB0FGvBza
“My name is Abyssal,” he answered. He measured his tone so as not to aggravate her further and answered everything politely. The constant sound of the alarms also added to his air of caution. Whoever this girl was, she was clearly bad news.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIgm3d9Ndi
The girl began to look around frantically. Abyss realized she was likely looking for an escape. Abyss didn’t want her to off before he could get his own answers, but part of him hoped she would leave.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiehCtj8Qo8
His whole perspective changed when he noticed her hands start to grip Volt’s shirt tightly.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jQQzSunV1
Abyss had to speak up and slow her down.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzywOAusti8
“Who are you?” Abyss forced out.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RE77GMXCF
She froze; her hair faded quickly as she tried to compose herself18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7ygo5oeSg
Slowly, she looked Abyss up and down, eyes narrow.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgXvnCa1qa
“Achlys,” she answered carefully. “My name is Achlys.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjhulqXX72
Abyss nodded. He panicked. He didn’t know what else to say. That’s when he heard the faint ding of the elevator. He only needed to hold her attention a moment longer.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEAObHQKZJ
“Be careful! She could be hiding anywhere! She’s extremely dangerous!” a voice called out from a little way across the room. The soldiers couldn’t be seen from the trio’s position, but they could hear the soldiers clearly and see a few beams of light.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAYdTBm96z
“Why not announce our presence to the world, then?!” another shouted.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBALD2FzzR
Achlys instantly became aware of her time frame as they heard the commotion, now joined by the sound of several loading guns. Her hair glowed again and she tore off a portion of her shirt, using it to cover Abyssal’s mouth.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7D4Yp0xgu
His eyes widened in panic as she dragged him away. Volt!18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHbR1GHfzH
Abyss reached out to his unconscious brother and tried to struggle, but Achlys caught him in a headlock and quickened her pace. He couldn’t leave Volt like this! He didn’t want to be separated in a situation so dire. Abyss’s adrenaline-fueled thrashing wasn’t enough to save him.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBWYBKWnWw
The cloth slipped off of Abyss’s mouth and he took a deep breath in to call out for help, but the air he breathed in was different, and before he knew it, Abyssal’s mind began to shut down. His body went limp and his vision went black before the world went quiet.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCEVJWZYkN
* * *
The alarms and soldiers were long gone before Abyss woke up. He was pinned to a large machine by scraggly wires. They seemed to have been ripped from their original places to be used as rope substitutes. The very thought made Abyss shiver as he imagined electrical sparks flying out of control.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPunLfQETkU
When Abyss tried to absorb the energy using his ability, he found himself relieved that any voltage they held had dissipated long ago. He began to struggle in an attempt to break free, but these chords were something else. They held fast.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaFloQ9ifk
“Volt! Volt! Where are you?! Are you okay?!”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLiZiKAZCg
“Those people with the guns carried him away around 20 minutes ago. They’re long gone.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOHwKFc2xR
Abyss became aware of his heavy breathing as he looked at his captor.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijuSwh6UmE
“Achlys. Remember?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgNtycqbKb
Abyss clenched his teeth and nodded.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mTare1yuk
“Good. You haven’t lost your memory from the fumes. I wish you hadn’t struggled so much. I waited for hours for you to wake back up.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhn4NF4zbkG
“Hours?” Abyss breathed the word out. He was out for hours? How come Achlys didn’t pass out. Was Volt okay? Abyssal’s mind spiraled before Achlys snapped him out of it.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡds7ntFeNAQ
“If you try anything, I have multiple means in which to kill you before you can even scream, not that it’ll help you down here... I would know...” Achlys shook herself and continued, “What are you doing here? And I mean in this building. I have a hard time believing you got through.... his forces and down here simply by exploring.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt30PYsjFy2
“I- I’m a member of PISTOL.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl40mod7r7v
“PISTOL? What does that stand for?” Achlys’ eyes narrowed.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHZLSUnFD9
Abyssal’s brows furrowed in confusion. He wanted to make a quip, but held it back. I have a hard time believing you would be down here if you don’t know what PISTOL is. Regardless, Abyss swallowed his remark and answered, “Purging Inhuman Species To Overthrow Leadership.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJKukG2cuB
Achlys seemed taken aback by this response, she was quiet for a long moment, processing this information.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JV0PZeiqr
“That’s what it stands fo-”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDi7VPmzNV
“I figured that out, thank you,” Achlys snapped, grabbing Abyssal’s shoulder and bringing her face uncomfortably close to his face. Abyss flinched at the sudden show of ferocity. He realized he shouldn’t have spoken and his mind lingered, replaying the moment in his mind even after she pulled back. His shoulders were tense and breathing shallow. He felt suffocated by the situation itself.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99vpxNLzwA
“Who is in charge here?” She asked slowly.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKfWd1EKPd
“Uh.. Commander... H?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTKS9ZtZb6
She took in a short, stifled breath of air before narrowing her eyes. “H... Does that stand for anything?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrIFayg5XH
“He... didn’t say.” Abyss hoped she would believe the truth, but her eye twitched.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZmcX4CfBs
Achlys’ hair began to glow again, and the original smell wafted back to Abyss. Is she creating some kind of gas?18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vjJGtT9Ui
She looked back at him and asked again, “Does H stand for anything?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitSoOeKIMZ
Abyss didn’t know what kind of answer she was searching for, so he tried once again, hoping against hope that she would let the topic- and him- go. “Probably? Like I said, I don’t know.” He was surprised how stern his own voice sounded. Abyss began to worry Achlys would snap at him again, but she didn’t.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVX1sDaTZ6
Achlys sighed in annoyance. “Fine... You said something earlier about having powers. What kind of powers could a human possess?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrinOvrsMXk
Abyss always took for granted the Crystal Cartridges. He forgot that not many people had one, but when one of the biggest powers happened to be a second-generation mutant with her own Cartridge, it was surprising that anyone might not know about them.... especially when she had powers of her own. Was she... not human?18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0PvNHGb0N
“I was implanted with a Crystal Cartridge when I was young.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eeAScCwMu
“You possess a Crystal Cartridge? But how? Human vessels get destroyed when exposed to the energy in those cores.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHFADiywRr
“Don’t you know that? The advancement in science reached that point in 2049.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdbgwE05GU
Achlys went quiet for an uncomfortable space of time. “What year is it?” She asked uneasily.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMKwpDeFfd
Abyss was stunned. Was she trapped down here all that time? “2055 ,” he answered slowly.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BbwfoaFUn
Achlys’ eyes widened it what seemed to be fury and distress before dark swirls surrounded her clenched fists and she struck the machine behind Abyss with enough power to break a hole in the metal and send sparks flying dangerously close to Abyssal’s face. He ducked in panic do dodge both the strike and the after affects. His breathing quickened again, heart thundering. The chords prevented him from leaping out of the way and reminded him of how dire his situation was.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHveuAk2L5
Achlys’ voice was broken up as she spoke softly, “9 years... Almost half my life... How did I not notice?... Why am I surprised? They were never going to beat him... not after Zeus... I had no chance of freedom.” Tears glistened and fell to the floor, until a spark of realization flashed in her eyes. “Until now.... You saved me. Unwillingly, but regardless...”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVcRLjfk4E
“What are you talking about?” Abyss asked.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxCvVhyLjD
Achlys glared into Abyssal’s eyes, their noses almost touching. “What power does your cartridge provide you? You must have figured out I have one too. We are one in the same. Created as tools for the world’s destruction, yes?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDlnluWkHr
Abyssal’s eyes were wide. He didn’t dare blink. She has the same goal? She was.. created for destruction? Abyss didn’t know how to respond. “Y-yeah... I can.. absorb powers and energy by touching the source.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYauyD2ILPz
Instantly she pulled away out of his already limited reach. “You have his power. Devour. Are you Kronos’ successor? Are you his descendant? Blood convoluted by human breeding?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYjppTQvo7
“N-no. He... he is my master. I don’t think I’m the successor of anything.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs281KK0RVD
Achlys furrowed her brows. She began to speak in Rosorken as if she didn’t think he could understand. “Why would Kronos grant his power to a human like this? Unless.... this human is the key to his plans.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWStEU72Hu1
“I’m a weapon and a living battery. For all I know, I’m expendable.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqUTXxq0VD
“Yes. You are. But the cartridge you hold inside is valuable. Legends speak of the destruction it could bring.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wvaoqHfmr
“Legends?” Abyss muttered in Rosorken. Achlys’ eyes narrowed as she realized he knew her language. It was his first language, so his thoughts, as well as when he thought out loud, would be Rosorken. He didn’t even think about it. He did have to think to speak English. After this, they would continue to speak in the alien language, to the hidden relief of both ends.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEB1d1RLaG
“I know it sounds strange, as the technology is still new, but when I was young, my father told me that Grecians prophesied of our generation. When they spoke of the titan Kronos, they spoke of... your master.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGD3zybXb7
She paused before she addressed Kronos as such. Abyss began to wonder if she knew him in some other way.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMDdtac37T
“He said that we may have to use false names for a time to avoid confusion and suspicion. I never even considered what my human name would be before I was brought here. Either way, that is not my standard. My father will never dictate my life again. I will execute my own plans for taking down Kronos. His methods are clearly ineffective.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VvD8oyLnO
“Take him down?!” Abyss blurted unwittingly.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUTMWGW57Z
Achlys’ expression darkened. “Kronos plans to harvest the lifeblood of every creature on this planet. Humans and animals will suffer to fuel his machines and the planet will die. Do you want to be the person who causes this suffering? Do you want to follow him? I say put them out of their misery so that Kronos can’t win and move on to another planet. The Morbitor is stranded without significant fuel which will be used to move on to the next living planet and repeat the process.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG10fS4fHXu
Abyss shook his head; he couldn’t believe it. He thought the plan was to harvest just enough energy to pay back humanity’s debt to the Rosorken. He didn’t ever plan to hurt beyond the forces that stood in his path. “I didn’t think I would be hurting anyone with my power. I’d collect what we needed and leave.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWepJLNJvW
“Have you ever used your power on a person?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBty78UyHF
“A few times on my brother. It never hurts more than some stinging on occasion or a small shock.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPT5YX6gXF
“Did you ever drain all his energy? Leave nothing but a dying, unconscious husk? Does he have a cartridge or are you dragging out his lifeforce?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkZTvzdtcy
“H-he has a cartridge. I guess I only use it to borrow some of his power.” Now that Abyss thought about it, he never even borrowed enough of Volt’s power to be affected by water.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fsOaNCB7u
“It isn’t the same. I have seen the full extent of your power. Draining lifeforce is different from borrowing an ability. The amount of power Kronos needs far exceeds the limits this planet could take. Not only will he force you to use your power to kill the planet, this project of his would push his own abilities. It might even kill you. And if you refuse him, it won’t be long before he’ll come for you. Kill you and recycle the cartridge. He has both time and patience. He’ll live at least four human lifetimes. Your power will bring prolonged agony to every living being before leaving the planet as nothing but a rotting husk. The only way to stop him is to destroy his fuel source in totality.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8vYE2uo5z
Abyss was stunned. Every inch of him shook, thinking of the things Achlys foretold. “Are you going to kill me?” he whispered.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXDi7zrHPp
“No. Not yet at least. If you die, even if I rip out and destroy the cartridge in your heart, it won’t stop Kronos. He’ll make another as soon as he learns of the predicament. It would be nothing more than a minor setback, a mere annoyance. Our best bet is to destroy the entire planet before he can.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisxtzJ4F0n
“How will that do anything? I thought the goal was to stop Kronos from doing that! Not push it along!”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjS4ej3h1ZK
“I’ve suffered 10 years doing nothing but thinking about my hate for Kronos. Worrying that the planet would be destroyed and that when I was found, I would suffer the same fate as Zues before I had a chance to fight back to try and stop him!”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXKzPCUKlF
Zues? Like the god? The same god meant to kill Kronos? Is that why he was never worried when he heard the name? Zues is already gone? “If Kronos killed Zues-” Achlys flinched, clearly a painful memory, “-how are we supposed to stand in between him.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpFaMbKYXg
“The truth is, I don’t know for certain, but he won’t stop here. As soon as he’s finished turning this planet into an empty shell he’ll move on to the next living planet and do the same thing. If a planet must die to spare hundreds, so be it. And if you’re still so worried about hurting people here, he’d make you do it anyway. It would be slower, and he would take pleasure in watching each individual person suffer, including you. And for my plan to work, I’ll need you. My family always talked about a more obscure part of this mythology. Kronos’s brother, Hyperion was the embodiment of light, the old Rosork Emperor.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmYJtNspSk
“How did I never hear about him?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNL04xiPrYt
“Kronos banned any and all mention of his brother after he died one night mysteriously.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLk6HoLdDCz
Something about how she said that told Abyss she didn’t believe it was so mysterious.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNb37qLbdu
“But before he died, he had a son, Helios. Helios had the power of a thousand suns but disappeared one day. For some time, everyone was convinced Helios had somehow given the power to his cousin, Apollo. Apollo eventually... came clean and admitted that Helios had asked him to make such claims, and came up with a plan to convince everyone that such was the truth. Instead, we believe Helios had run off with some human woman.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVZvfRhEaT
“How does that work? How do you know?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPTqypxmO9
“You have heard of the sun chariot, yes? Phony. A literal trick of the light. Shortly after I received my cartridge, a blank cartridge vanished. Now there is a princess my age who has a power dubbed Sol Fire. The family learned of this development around two months before I was sealed away.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzON2H6f82
But why was she sealed away?18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2A9GyNoVUW
“We have theorized the end of times would be brought about by the power of pure darkness combined with the power of divine light . I need you in order to fulfill this biblical event and spare humanity it’s suffering and the death of countless other planets . Desitny has brought us together, and if you refuse, I’ll have no choice but to kill you and re-house the Devour Cartridge myself. Which is a shame considering I don’t hate you. What do you say?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJnTPVzWWf
Abyss was quiet for a long time trying to gather his thoughts. “How do I know I can trust you? You said you were sealed away for almost a decade.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCH7sM9ZUq
“You don’t know.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLynGWuYa9
That was the exact answer Abyss didn’t want to hear.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4bcLWFtm6
“But my two points still stand. I don’t hate you, and I can and will kill you if you don’t cooperate.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUPy4kMXdo
“That’s comforting.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PcecIVFWS
“I do hope we can build some form of mutual trust.” 18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklQr7lObJi
“ABYSS?!... ABYSSAL?!.... SOL! WHERE THE XOUYA ARE YOU?!”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zTzhxDUQJ
That was Volt! Abyssal’s heart leapt with hope that was instantly squashed.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdADlxOMDFE
Achlys’ hair began to glow again. Whatever drug she was trying to use, he didn’t want Volt to breathe it in. “I’M FINE! JUST GO!” Abyss roared. Abyss held his breath to avoid breathing in the toxin himself as he struggled against the chords holding him.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGRjH4mN7S
“Oh, calm down. You’ll be fine. Just breathe,” Achlys instructed. She bent over and gently pressed against Abyssal’s chest, forcing him to breathe out, coughing. He couldn’t draw her power through his shirt. He needed air. He tried to avoid drawing in a breath, but he didn’t last long. He gasped for oxygen and a sweet formula filled his lungs. He recognized this gas; she used it earlier when the soldiers came.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsVGfYUhIp
Abyss did his best not to breathe in anymore, but Achlys had other plans. She continued to force the breath from his body without making direct contact with him. He was regretting telling her the limitations of his power, but for all he knew, she could have already known them. Not many lungfuls later, Abyss felt himself slip away into unconsciousness again.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pPrmgmpM5
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