Act 3 - Chapter 1, Part 2

"Damnit! I won't let you close the gate!" Iris shouted as she ran for Bruno.

Alexander threw his greatsword straight at Iris. She tried to block it, but the steel clashed and she was knocked off her feet once more. 'Almost... We've almost done it...' Alexander huffed. He looked to the right, Blaize was crawling for his other sword, and Iris rolled onto her front. Banhu slowly rose from the ground as well. Each brawler was ready for another round.

"Give up, you're all going back to prison or dying here... I don't care which," said Alexander. "You can tell me where the other resistance members and Geral are as well, I'll kill him next."

"Geral... Will never be defeated by the likes of you angels," Blaize huffed as he got to his feet.

A sudden rumbling transitioned to a bellowing roar echoed through the sky. 'What the hell was-' A massive skeletal hand rose out of the hole, and slammed into the ground, pulling up the rest of its body. Bruno stepped back in shock as a giant skeleton with strange, black, flesh-like tentacles surrounding its body rose from the gate. The tendrils seemed to come from within the darkness, latching onto the skeleton's spine and around its shoulders.

"What the..." Iris stuttered.

"Huh?! Now the damned want to come out of the hole?! What the hell!" Blaize cursed.

'What did he say?! The damned didn't escape into Hiria from here? What are they talking about?!' The giant skeleton let out a wailing cry into the sky, it didn't sound hostile, but it sounded more like it was suffering. Alexander felt like the skeleton was asking for help. It turned its head to Bruno and whipped its entire body towards the lieutenant.

"Bruno look out!" Yami tried to fly in to save him.

However, a red slash flew through the sky at Yami and cut him. Yami grunted in pain as he hit the ground, the skeleton's massive hand grabbed Bruno. Alexander was about to run forward, but he felt a blade pierce through his stomach. He turned to see Iris behind him, she pushed the sword even further through him. 'Damnit! Why did I get distracted!' Alexander tried to grab her, but she placed her foot on his back and kicked him off the blade.

"This fight isn't over yet!" Blaize shouted.

"Sir!" Vivian cried.

A javelin flew through the sky and embedded itself in the head of the skeleton. It exploded and blew the giant cranium to pieces. However, to everyone's shock, it kept moving. Another hand reached out of the darkness, and another giant skeleton began to pull itself out of the depths. This one had a similar look of panic to the last. Its head looked like it was being dragged around by a body that moved on its own. However, Alexander could only look up as he heard a war cry echo out. Banhu ran forward, spinning his weapon. Alexander tried to get up, but the blood leaked out of him and he felt his strength drain. He slowly got up, conjured his armor, then his sword, all the while a steady stream of red liquid splashed onto the stone.

"Where are you looking!" Iris charged forward and clashed with Alexander.

Alexander's feet dragged against the ground, as Iris jumped up. Blaize's feet dragged against the stone as he took a stance behind Alexander.

"Roku's Array! First Form!" All three commanders shouted.

Alexander's eyes went wide as he realized there was no chance to dodge any of them. All he could muster was the strength to raise his great sword and ignite with as much green flame as he could. Alexander looked up briefly, the necropolis was directly above him. 'Jealous Flame!' Alexander swung the sword down.

"World Splitter!" All three of them yelled at the same time.

Blaize slashed at Alexander's back with a single downward swing with both swords, Iris performed a similar motion. They both slammed their blades into the ground, leaving considerably deep slashes in the stone which withstood most of the attacks till now. Banhu swung the bell downwards at the same time Alexander swung his blade down. Alexander engulfed all of them in a pillar of green flames, however, the toll of the bell smashed him straight down, through the gate.

***

Alexander's eyes opened slowly. All around him were rubble and green flames, the crashes and cries of destruction, and a scent of burning wood and asphalt. The bones in his body twisted as he pushed himself off the ground with a bloody hand. 'What happened... I was just fighting the resistance... How long was I out...' Alexander rose off the ground and heard drops against a puddle. He looked at his stomach as he got up to see a hole in his abdomen, dripping blood into a pool underneath his stomach. 'Wasn't I... Stabbed...' Alexander looked at the gaping hole inside of him, it didn't resemble a stab wound. He looked up, the sky was blood red, but he saw two figures standing nearby.

"So long as he is dead, none should stand in the way of our salvation," a man huffed.

"This isn't right... Who are we to meddle in their affairs..." another man spoke, he had a much deeper voice.

"Enough Abaddon! There is no room for morality! Not with these- things! They are powerful, they are the driving force of this universe! It happened with Jalrog and it would have happened here too!"

"We provoked Ragnarok-"

"We had to!"

"No, we did not! The Celestial didn't give us power for this! The harbingers never wanted this! Look at this! Open your fucking eyes Ymir! Nothing but death and destruction surrounds us! It surrounds us everywhere we go and we refuse to learn!"

"You are blind Abaddon! This is what we, the angels, must do! If we don't, it'll be our end!"

The two men hadn't noticed Alexander rise. He walked forward over the rubble, he couldn't lift his groggy head, he could only look at his pale and bloody hands wave back and forth. He stopped as he noticed a body in front of him.

A frail woman lay on the ground, Alexander dropped to his knees over her body. Tears filled his eyes. 'Why am I crying...' He touched her neck and didn't feel a heartbeat, moving his hands up and feeling the softness of her cheek. Her blue hair was soaked in the puddle of blood she rested in. Alexander looked at her stomach and felt himself lose control of his emotions. 'She's... Pregnant...'

"Lavera... Lavera!" Alexander cried out in anguish.

His scream echoed into the air. Ymir and Abaddon turned to him.

"What the..." Abaddon uttered in disbelief.

"How... How are you still alive!" Ymir shouted in fear.

Alexander grasped the skin under his eyes and pulled down, 'What is this...' His fingers pulled through his skin as he slammed his fists into the ground, engulfing his arms in a green flame. He pulled his hands out of the flame and drew his great sword in hand. 'What is this feeling...' His eyes were wide with rage, he swung the sword violently as he took a stance before he jumped through the air and cleaved downward. Alexander's roar started to fade. 'It feels so real, this anger, this rage...'

***

Alexander slowly opened his eyes, he was flat on his back looking up at a crack of light that flooded through the shattered ceiling in the distance. Multiple crashes and thuds echoed throughout the cavern. Alexander slowly rose and looked around, 'I was fighting... Abaddon and Ymir Lightbringer? No... No no, I was fighting those scum from the hybrid resistance... And I got knocked down here...' Alexander looked up, there was a large hole in the ceiling.

"Give them back!" Someone shouted, Alexander, recognized the voice.

The sound came from up ahead, Alexander looked over to see a large flash of blue light. 'That's... Yami?' Yami breathed heavily and could barely stand, his staff in hand and his wings spread wide. Alexander looked in front of him to see a massive, horrific, and unfathomable monster. It leaned forward on massive arms thicker than its entire body. Its legs were tiny and seemed to be the regular size of a man, with pale skin and torn beige pants. However the further up its torso, the larger it became. Oddly enough its head was a regular-sized skull lacking a lower jaw, with two bright green eyes peering down at Yami.

"I said... Give them back!" Yami shouted.

He swung the staff towards the beast, it raised one arm and blocked the strike. Yami flew up and kicked the beast in the head, and it stumbled to the side with its hands. The massive beast swung the back of its massive arm at Yami, knocking him into the wall of rock and sending him spinning toward the ground.

"Agh!" Yami coughed, blood dripping from his head and arms.

"You ask for them back, as if they were yours..." A croaking old voice spoke up. "Unacceptable!" A deep, guttural voice, different from the other shouted. "Unacceptable!"

"Shut up... Freak! Give me back my squad!"

"Freak? Freak?!" The guttural voice snapped.

'What is that thing... Where is that voice coming from... Why is it... Familiar...'

The large beast slammed its hand into the ground and jumped forward at Yami who could barely move. Yami blocked the fist with his staff and held it back. He flew back into the wall. The beast lunged forward once more. Alexander felt a power swell in his chest, he kicked off the ground, conjuring his greatsword, and cleaved the massive beast's arm off. Alexander landed, and lowered his greatsword, engulfing it in a green flame and swinging upwards, setting the massive beast ablaze. It writhed as it fell backward and burned.

"That flame! It can't be!" The old voice echoed through the cave, shaken at the sight of Alexander's fire.

"Yami... What's the situation?" Alexander asked.

"Sir-" Yami sniffed.

"Focus... What is that thing? How long have I been out?"

"I don't know... We came down to help you after that guy with the bell hit you... Bruno was dragged down too... Vivian and I got down here and found you, but then skeletons covered in black tentacles came from that darkness..."

"From the darkness?" Alexander looked up and noticed a pitch-black path, it seemed slightly off.

"Yeah... We were fighting and suddenly that... Thing showed up," Yami pointed past Alexander.

Alexander looked at the massive beast he just defeated, however, it seemed to turn into a black liquid that entered a small man's shadow. The small man walked forward, his mouth hung ajar. Alexander's eyes widened as he got closer. 'What the...' He wore a strange green robe, with golden triangles lining its edges. Alexander didn't recognize the design, however, that isn't what confused him. The old man only had half a face and on that half, a pitch-black, empty eye socket. The other side just looked like lumps growing off of his face. He slowly walked forward with a bright gold staff in his right hand, the staff had a triangle at the end of it. The left half of his body and face were covered by black tentacles that didn't come from the shadows.

"That guy... Whatever he is... He summons weird creatures, he said something about... Vivian and Bruno having the essence of envy on them, they were taken somewhere deeper into that darkness..." Yami explained.

"How long was I out?" Alexander asked.

"It's been an hour... the resistance retreated afterward..."

"Yami... Go to Dorad, and warn them of the resistance. You can get there with your gift."

"But- What about you!"

"I'll get Vivian and Bruno back... And join you shortly after," Alexander said sternly. "Go to Dorad and warn them... The resistance will attack Dorad and Andurill. They didn't succeed in releasing the Damned... I don't know why... But they'll definitely target those cities next..."

"I won't leave you and the others-"

"Yami. You said you wanted to be the king of the angels, right?" Alexander huffed.

Yami stopped, tears flooding out of his eyes.

"I'll be there to see you take the throne..." Alexander said confidently with a grin on his face.

Yami whimpered as he clenched his teeth and rubbed his eyes.

"So stop crying, be strong, go! I won't die here, none of my squad will."

"Right..." Yami sniffed.

His blue wings sprouted out of his back, and he jumped up and took flight into the sky.

"My lady did not say you could leave!" the strange old man raised his staff.

Out of his shadow, a giant hand stretched upwards for Yami. Alexander ignited his sword in green flames and cut straight through the arm.

"You will die for laying a finger on my lieutenants!" Alexander threatened.

"You... It's you... The god of Envy!" the old man rambled.