Climax Pt. 2

Echo knows he's right in front of him, with his eyes wide with shock.
"How-"
With one punch Neptune knocks him out, smacking his head on the floor.
Still however the sound continues, until Neptune picks up the book and rips it apart, causing all the runes to fade and the sound to stop.

He turns towards us and starts walking.
"Pitiful, your strongest too tired to put a dent in me, and your best chance coming from a blind nobody."
Slowly he walks, and then I realize, he's walking towards me.
"But you have shown me something quite interesting."
Gaia speaks up.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
He pays her no mind and keeps walking.
"Familiar even... Though I can't quite remember where."
"LEAVE HIM BE!"
Tarou stands up, ready to face Neptune.
"I'll stop you! One way or another."
Neptune pauses, looking momentarily at him.
"Oh?"
I look at Gaia, her eyes are wider than I've ever seen them.
"No... TAROU STOP!"
"Sorry coach... It's the only way."
"It can't be, please!"
Neptune interjects.
"Laughable, relying on a mere infant that barely knows magic, planning on blowing himself up."
The moment he says this, Tarou hesitates, then, in a blink of an eye, with one movement of Neptune's head and both of Tarou's legs were broken.
Tarou screams in agonizing pain, as Gaia cries out.
"NOOO!"
Yet, Neptune ignores it all, he simply keeps walking towards me.
"I'll have a lot to learn about you."

I close my eyes.
'...This is it, this is the end.'

I feel him getting closer, but then.
"Holy command, drop."

A huge wave crashes over everyone, as a magic circle is created around the whole area, with gravity suddenly feeling a lot stronger.

'I can't... Stand up?'

I open my ways to look, and notice Neptune on his knees.
"This... Magic..."
Slowly however, he stands back up.
"Hm? Interesting, to defy my magic like that... I see.
Holy command, DROP."
Another magic circle is created, this time circling only the area with Neptune, no doubt enhancing gravity even further than before. Still, he's able to endure it, which is when the source of this magic walks closer to him, and it completely catches me off guard.
"...Mom?"
"Holy command."
Neptune sees her and speaks.
"SO... IT REALLY WAS..."
"DROP."
With a third magic circle created directly around Neptune, he's now feeling three times what everyone else in the area is, an incredible force of gravity pulling him down. Yet, perhaps driven by fury alone, he somehow is able to grab mom by the throat.
"YOU... DARE... PUT ME... ON MY KNEES?"
"It's you... isn't it..."
The moment mom speaks, his grip gets tighter, with suddenly one of moms legs getting broken out of nowhere, as Gaia screams out.
"NO! LEAVE HER! SIS GET OUT OF HERE!"
"I WILL END YOUR LIFE... HERE, AND NOW... FOR DARING TO EVER..."
"Holy..."
"HA, TRY WHATEVER YOU WANT... IT WON'T WORK. THINGS ARE IN MOTION!"
With another flick of his neck he somehow controls moms arm to take hold of an ice shard he created and has her point it at herself.
"Order..."
"Huh? Sis...?"
"E-"
"NO!
PLEASE DON'T!"

'Why is Gaia acting so desperate? What is mom doing?'

"PLEASE, WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER!"
"Extinguish."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Gaia screeches as suddenly all three circles disappear in an instant as a blast wave sends everyone back except for Gaia who was still stuck to the floor, and me who held onto the barricade.
Then two magic circles form, each around Neptune and mom. Moments later, they turn red, and Neptune's grip is loosened, causing him to drop mom.
Gaia then forcefully breaks off the spike, slowly standing up, and limping forward with tears in her eyes.
"Why... Why did you do this? We could have helped."
She reaches me, and mom turns to speaks.
"Take care of both of them for me."
"..."
"Mom?"
"I'm sorry... I really am."

A white flash. That's all I see as it suddenly appears. Where she stood, a mere shadow, as the magic circle around Neptune turns black.

'...?'

Then, a white beam shoots upwards from the shadow, and from the heavens above, another white beam of pure concentrated energy comes blasting down right on the magic circle around Neptune, charring everything nearby.

'Huh...? There's no sound?
...Have I... Lost my hearing?

Is she... Gone?'

The beam ceases, a black mark left where the villain previously stood as the last trace of him. Then where the shadow was I see mom collapsed, her hair drained of colour.

Slowly everyone starts to wake up, but staying silent.
I stare at her for the longest time. She wasn't moving.

'She's...'

Suddenly rocks start crumbling. At first some smaller ones, with only cracks on others, then those too start changing position.
"WHAT THE?! WHAT'S GOING ON?"
"What's happening?"

'Gone.'

Thunder starts getting closer, worried about the sudden turn of events.
"Hey kid, let's get-"
Suddenly he gets teleported away.
"What the?! What happened?! Gaia!"

Gaia looks all around, crumbs and rocks are starting to teleport all over the place, with strange purple streaks appearing in cracks.
"Oh no... KAZU!"

"Gone."

As others attempt to get closer, they too start getting teleported without control all over the place, as containers and rocks start being torn apart.
White screams out and Gaia answers.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
"It's Kazu, he's losing control of his magic!
The stability of anything nearby is quickly degrading!
KAZU!"

"..."

"KAZ-"

...

Suddenly silent, the previous chaos now gone, as well as everyone.
'Huh?'

'"K-"'

'Is that someone? Or am I losing my mind...'

'"I'm sorry..."'

'NO! NOT THAT!'

I start running, I run as fast as I can, yet I feel like I'm standing in place.
I look all around me and see... Nothing. A void.
'Where am I...'

Moments pass, it feels like an eternity, and as I'm about to accept this new reality, another voice appears.

'"Where else?"'
'Huh?'
'"You already know where you are"'
'Who... are you?'
'"You know that too, don't you?"'
'...'
'"She's gone."'
'I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT!'
'"That's what you believe, right?"'
'Please stop...'
'"You don't want me to continue, but you can't run away from reality."'
'...'
'"You don't know for sure if she's gone."'
'QUIET!'
'"But if you check, you're afraid of the answer you'll get.
Your powers are impressive, to be able to reach this place... Well, in a way."'
'...'
'"You can't stay here."'

"K-"

'What was that?!'
'"The reality you must face."'
'But-'
'"The longer you stay here, the more you're putting them in danger."'

"-AZU!"

'"Don't throw away the life she saved, no matter the answer you get."'
'...'
'"Heh, you never could tell when she snuck right up."'
'What?'

"KAZ-"

...

"KAZU!"
I feel someone's embrace, suddenly awaking me from what felt like a dream, one that I can't recall.
"PLEASE!"
I look at her.
"Aya?! What... What are you..."
'She's hugging me?!'

"I came with-"
Gaia suddenly stops her.
"Kazu, pay attention! Look around!"
"Gaia? HUH?! Wait, what's happening?!"
I look at the chaos happening all around me. Tomo is here too, watching from a distance, afraid.
'Is this... Me?'
"You're losing control, focus on me ok? On us! Aya cares for you, as do I.
We all do."
Aya embraces me tighter, tears are rolling down her eyes. No doubt afraid.
"Please! Stop."

'My hands... glowing purple? Is this my magic?
It's spreading up my arms!'

"I... I can't! Gaia I'm trying!"
"..."

'I'm trying so hard, but it won't stop! It's starting to hurt... Like my hands are on fire!'
"It hurts so bad... No matter how much I try..."
"I understand, everyone get back! NOW!"

Upon saying it, she uses her magic to summon vines to get everyone out, among the mass of vines I spot a body also being carried away.
'...!'

"IRON DOME!"

Suddenly, like once before, pillars upon pillars erupt from the earth, slowly curving inward, stopping before uniting, creating a presumably impenetrable wall all around us with no roof.

"What are you doing?"
"Giving you an out, let it free."
"What?"
"Let it all out."
"That's dangerous! Haven't you seen what's been-"
She suddenly hugs me.
"Stop. Just do it. You won't be able to hurt anyone past these walls.
Now let it all out. I'll deal with it all, personally."
"But-"
"I can take it, who do you think I am? Trust me!"
'She said that with such a bright smile...'

"...I'm scared."
"I won't leave you."
'...Letting it all out...?'
"...Ok."

I loosen my grip on the magic, and let it out.