Holy High - The New U - IC I - Use This One

[Luminesa]

"Don't think so. I'd remember such a special little girl as you..." he said with a sly wink. "Mara... that's a nice name." He stood and made eye contact with Charlotte. "Hm. What's your name?" he said, an eyebrow raised. The girl wasn't Mara's sister, not even close. They looked far too alike for that.

That raised his respect for her instantly.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," he said solemnly, and turned away to go join Azazel.

Azazel

He really wasn't sure what to think of Lucifer, scowling as he walked over, and then proceeded to get into a brawl with what appeared to be a half-breed. Besides that, he wasn't sure why the two were fighting with each other now, of all times, when there was a being who was obviously stronger than any of them fighting, more than likely, to kill them.

He's gone soft on us. Strutting about as if he were secure, I can see right through him. Not that it matters no-

His thoughts were cut off as Filia was thrown off the body of their teacher, his arrow missing its mark, not that it was his fault, as he quickly shifted his bow into one hand, catching the goddess of thieves with the other, grunting slightly from the impact, but not altogether affected by it.

He's durable, that's for sure, but I don't want to kill him.

Had he not been a demon whose sole purpose was to do battle and commit heinous war crimes, he might have been disturbed by Tlaloc's body literally flaking off, revealing a ball of nothing but pure energy within.

"That's not good."

He saw his arrow clatter to the ground, the projectile still clinging to a bit of torn muscle, and smirked, seeing that it had done its job. On the other hand, it had also triggered their opponent to turn into this...thing before them now. "Move, girl." The demon pushed Filia behind him, it wasn't hard to see that she wasn't much of a fighter, and scowled. He'd been in this sort of situation before, one in which he couldn't be sure what his opponent's next move was. It wasn't something that happened often, but he knew how to combat it.

And so, when he saw the electricity building up, he had a plan already, extending a hand while Tetsu shrunk in the other, a long, thick bo staff constructed from some metal or another forming in his hand. Just before the waves of sheer energy let loose, he jammed the weapon into the ground in front of him, absorbing a good deal of the shock, while wings burst from his back, allowing him to take flight. Granted, the static in the air made it difficult to maintain flight, but his staff was managing to absorb most of that energy that was traveling directly towards him, channeling it back into the ground.

We need to escape.

Grimacing in discomfort, the demon looked to the exits, and, seeing as how he was still more than able to fight back, held his free hand up, as if he were going to hold a handle on a train, another staff of pure metal constructing itself in his open palm, glimmering in the glow of the residual sparks of lightning in the area, and, once his lance was finished, he hurled it forward, straight at Tlaloc's chest with enough force that it could sheer through sinew and bone before lodging itself in the wall, hopefully re-conducting its electrical power through the weapon to disturb its equilibrium and give them time to get out.

Folding his wings, Azazel scowled, unable to engage this thing as well as he would have liked, his head turning as he glared at Lucifer, "You! Enough of your petty conflict for now! We have a much bigger issue right now than your disgust towards the Nephalem, now either fight or step aside!"

Turning his eyes towards Lux, he growled, "That's all well and good, little sheep, perhaps that's how you were taught to solve your problems! Turn the other cheek, right? How about turn the other skull? It's going to kill us unless we either kill it, or get the hell out of here! Now I suggest you run!"

Ryujin

Lightning and a water god didn't go very well together, to say the least. Ryujin, after the last assault, was on a knee, breathing rapidly, heartbeat abnormally fast. Burns, already blistering covered patches of exposed flesh, a grotesque patchwork of swollen, deep red marks leaving very visible evidence of his injury.

As he tried to stand up, though, the muscles in his legs, already experiencing sharp pain, cramped up, bringing the dragon king right back down with a snarl, unable to so much as stand after the assault.

This mortal form is weak, worthless in combat. I can't even move, much less fight back.

Xavier saw that his teammate was wounded, and he flew over to his side. "Man, you are tore-up...Hang on...this may hurt a little..." He opened his hands, and small fireballs appeared in each hand. He then knelt down and searched for each of his wounds. When he had done so, he touched his fire to them, and while it would sting quite a lot, the wounds healed rapidly. "...Just hang in there...It looks like the fighting has mostly stopped for now, so just take a breath...We're gonna be alright..." he comforted his classmate, showing him a brotherly smile. Ryujin obviously seemed miserable where he was, and not simply because he was badly-wounded. He could feel the anger and loneliness rising off him, and as he healed his body, he wondered about this classmate he had been barking at moments ago. Did he know him from somewhere?..

[Ranoria]

Azazel

He really wasn't sure what to think of Lucifer, scowling as he walked over, and then proceeded to get into a brawl with what appeared to be a half-breed. Besides that, he wasn't sure why the two were fighting with each other now, of all times, when there was a being who was obviously stronger than any of them fighting, more than likely, to kill them.

He's gone soft on us. Strutting about as if he were secure, I can see right through him. Not that it matters no-

His thoughts were cut off as Filia was thrown off the body of their teacher, his arrow missing its mark, not that it was his fault, as he quickly shifted his bow into one hand, catching the goddess of thieves with the other, grunting slightly from the impact, but not altogether affected by it.

He's durable, that's for sure, but I don't want to kill him.

Had he not been a demon whose sole purpose was to do battle and commit heinous war crimes, he might have been disturbed by Tlaloc's body literally flaking off, revealing a ball of nothing but pure energy within.

"That's not good."

He saw his arrow clatter to the ground, the projectile still clinging to a bit of torn muscle, and smirked, seeing that it had done its job. On the other hand, it had also triggered their opponent to turn into this...thing before them now. "Move, girl." The demon pushed Filia behind him, it wasn't hard to see that she wasn't much of a fighter, and scowled. He'd been in this sort of situation before, one in which he couldn't be sure what his opponent's next move was. It wasn't something that happened often, but he knew how to combat it.

And so, when he saw the electricity building up, he had a plan already, extending a hand while Tetsu shrunk in the other, a long, thick bo staff constructed from some metal or another forming in his hand. Just before the waves of sheer energy let loose, he jammed the weapon into the ground in front of him, absorbing a good deal of the shock, while wings burst from his back, allowing him to take flight. Granted, the static in the air made it difficult to maintain flight, but his staff was managing to absorb most of that energy that was traveling directly towards him, channeling it back into the ground.

We need to escape.

Grimacing in discomfort, the demon looked to the exits, and, seeing as how he was still more than able to fight back, held his free hand up, as if he were going to hold a handle on a train, another staff of pure metal constructing itself in his open palm, glimmering in the glow of the residual sparks of lightning in the area, and, once his lance was finished, he hurled it forward, straight at Tlaloc's chest with enough force that it could sheer through sinew and bone before lodging itself in the wall, hopefully re-conducting its electrical power through the weapon to disturb its equilibrium and give them time to get out.

Folding his wings, Azazel scowled, unable to engage this thing as well as he would have liked, his head turning as he glared at Lucifer, "You! Enough of your petty conflict for now! We have a much bigger issue right now than your disgust towards the Nephalem, now either fight or step aside!"

Turning his eyes towards Lux, he growled, "That's all well and good, little sheep, perhaps that's how you were taught to solve your problems! Turn the other cheek, right? How about turn the other skull? It's going to kill us unless we either kill it, or get the hell out of here! Now I suggest you run!"

Ryujin

Lightning and a water god didn't go very well together, to say the least. Ryujin, after the last assault, was on a knee, breathing rapidly, heartbeat abnormally fast. Burns, already blistering covered patches of exposed flesh, a grotesque patchwork of swollen, deep red marks leaving very visible evidence of his injury.

As he tried to stand up, though, the muscles in his legs, already experiencing sharp pain, cramped up, bringing the dragon king right back down with a snarl, unable to so much as stand after the assault.

This mortal form is weak, worthless in combat. I can't even move, much less fight back.

Xavier saw that his teammate was wounded, and he flew over to his side. "Man, you are tore-up...Hang on...this may hurt a little..." He opened his hands, and small fireballs appeared in each hand. He then knelt down and searched for each of his wounds. When he had done so, he touched his fire to them, and while it would sting quite a lot, the wounds healed rapidly. "...Just hang in there...It looks like the fighting has mostly stopped for now, so just take a breath...We're gonna be alright..." he comforted his classmate, showing him a brotherly smile. Ryujin obviously seemed miserable where he was, and not simply because he was badly-wounded. He could feel the anger and loneliness rising off him, and as he healed his body, he wondered about this classmate he had been barking at moments ago. Did he know him from somewhere?..

Ryujin

He wasn't wrong when he said that it would sting, the dragon hissing in reaction to the healing flames leeched into his wounds, repairing the burnt and blistered flesh, almost as if he hadn't been injured in the first place, only slightly visible, pink scars left in their memory as he stood to his feet, the serpentine hiss quickly shifting to the growl of an enraged predator.

"Ariga-Thank you." He caught himself, his native tongue coming out more naturally, and switched back to the language he knew would be understood: English.

"This human body isn't the most durable of forms, unfortunately. You have my thanks," again, he took hold of the water around them, the fluid spreading out as to leave the others room to move without sloshing in it, while a thin ring swirled about he and Xavier, nothing much, but enough to defend himself if need be. "There's enough water in the school to flood this place a dozen times over, and being that whatever possessed our misguided instructor appears to be comprised of lightning for the moment," the dragon king didn't so much as move while he continued to exercise his powers, the aquatic ring drawing in more fluid in order to absorb any electrical attacks that came his way, "I doubt he'd be able to maintain his current state if I flooded this place."

The problem with this plan, which went without saying, was that everyone else was in here, too, and despite his very liberal views on the sanctity of human life, the majority of them were immortal, and there was no use in throwing their lives away for a plan that might not manage to so much as slow their enemy down.

[Luminesa]

Xavier saw that his teammate was wounded, and he flew over to his side. "Man, you are tore-up...Hang on...this may hurt a little..." He opened his hands, and small fireballs appeared in each hand. He then knelt down and searched for each of his wounds. When he had done so, he touched his fire to them, and while it would sting quite a lot, the wounds healed rapidly. "...Just hang in there...It looks like the fighting has mostly stopped for now, so just take a breath...We're gonna be alright..." he comforted his classmate, showing him a brotherly smile. Ryujin obviously seemed miserable where he was, and not simply because he was badly-wounded. He could feel the anger and loneliness rising off him, and as he healed his body, he wondered about this classmate he had been barking at moments ago. Did he know him from somewhere?..

Ryujin

He wasn't wrong when he said that it would sting, the dragon hissing in reaction to the healing flames leeched into his wounds, repairing the burnt and blistered flesh, almost as if he hadn't been injured in the first place, only slightly visible, pink scars left in their memory as he stood to his feet, the serpentine hiss quickly shifting to the growl of an enraged predator.

"Ariga-Thank you." He caught himself, his native tongue coming out more naturally, and switched back to the language he knew would be understood: English.

"This human body isn't the most durable of forms, unfortunately. You have my thanks," again, he took hold of the water around them, the fluid spreading out as to leave the others room to move without sloshing in it, while a thin ring swirled about he and Xavier, nothing much, but enough to defend himself if need be. "There's enough water in the school to flood this place a dozen times over, and being that whatever possessed our misguided instructor appears to be comprised of lightning for the moment," the dragon king didn't so much as move while he continued to exercise his powers, the aquatic ring drawing in more fluid in order to absorb any electrical attacks that came his way, "I doubt he'd be able to maintain his current state if I flooded this place."

The problem with this plan, which went without saying, was that everyone else was in here, too, and despite his very liberal views on the sanctity of human life, the majority of them were immortal, and there was no use in throwing their lives away for a plan that might not manage to so much as slow their enemy down.

"Yeah...no flooding. We don't need for this place to be sunk under the ocean on the first day of school," Xavier explained, as he finished healing Ryujin's wounds. He had continually hissed and made noises during the procedure, and he began to wonder what this student was. He certainly was not human, although his appearance signified such. He then stood and took Ryujin's hand, in order to help him to his feet. He then smiled at him. "...Rough first day of class, though, I must admit..." he joked, snickering slightly as he did so. He then turned toward his teacher and Lux, who was still trying to halt all of the fighting, in order to speak to the teacher.

[Luminesa]

Asura wasn't quite sure what to expect when he'd been informed that they were sending him to a highschool designed specifically for gods.

However, he could say with one hundred percent certainty that for the place to be partially submerged was not it.

"Maybe... it's for the aquatic deities?"

He realised as soon as he spoke just how stupid that was. It was nowhere near deep enough for anyone to actually swim in.

Just enough for it to be uncomfortable to wade through.

He sighed, frustration clearly evident on his face, as he tried not to lose his temper. The words of his precious little sister, Mithra, rang clearly through his mind.

"Remember, big brother. Try to keep your wrath in check. Please don't go on another rampage!"

It made it a little easier to bare. Not a lot, but a little.

It was only then, when he managed to suppress his wrath for a moment, that he heard a commotion coming from a little ways into the school.

"That shouting... Is someone in trouble?"

Frustrated anger quickly turned to nervous anger, and he sprinted over to where the shouting was coming from. When he arrived, he noticed he was at the edge of a large amphitheater, where a large number of students were surrounding someone, who appeared to be a teacher.

That man, taking everyone on alone... He'd been in that position more times than he could count.

"Hey!" He shouted with a glare. "What in Vlitras name is going on here?!"

Hamiri turned around and looked at the newcomer. "...Hey! Came just in time. We're in the middle of a fight with our teacher, who is possessed by...something. If he attacks the kid next to him, we need to strike him until he can't move. Then we need to get whatever is possessing him out of his body. Got it? I'll show you where you need to go, when the time comes," she ordered, glad to see that more students, and more help, were coming to the fight.

[Granis]

Asura wasn't quite sure what to expect when he'd been informed that they were sending him to a highschool designed specifically for gods.

However, he could say with one hundred percent certainty that for the place to be partially submerged was not it.

"Maybe... it's for the aquatic deities?"

He realised as soon as he spoke just how stupid that was. It was nowhere near deep enough for anyone to actually swim in.

Just enough for it to be uncomfortable to wade through.

He sighed, frustration clearly evident on his face, as he tried not to lose his temper. The words of his precious little sister, Mithra, rang clearly through his mind.

"Remember, big brother. Try to keep your wrath in check. Please don't go on another rampage!"

It made it a little easier to bare. Not a lot, but a little.

It was only then, when he managed to suppress his wrath for a moment, that he heard a commotion coming from a little ways into the school.

"That shouting... Is someone in trouble?"

Frustrated anger quickly turned to nervous anger, and he sprinted over to where the shouting was coming from. When he arrived, he noticed he was at the edge of a large amphitheater, where a large number of students were surrounding someone, who appeared to be a teacher.

That man, taking everyone on alone... He'd been in that position more times than he could count.

"Hey!" He shouted with a glare. "What in Vlitras name is going on here?!"

Hamiri turned around and looked at the newcomer. "...Hey! Came just in time. We're in the middle of a fight with our teacher, who is possessed by...something. If he attacks the kid next to him, we need to strike him until he can't move. Then we need to get whatever is possessing him out of his body. Got it? I'll show you where you need to go, when the time comes," she ordered, glad to see that more students, and more help, were coming to the fight.

"He's going to attack them?" Asura growled, white eyes glowing with anger. "Then what are we standing around for?"

In an instant, he leapt into the crowd, dodging and weaving between the crowd of students and into the centre, merely a few metres away from the apparently possessed teacher.

Admittedly, it took very little to get Asura angry enough to start fighting. This was especially the case whenever he saw someone with power abusing it at the expense of others.

"Why is there always some fool who wants to rule the world?"

And with that, he let loose a flurry of incredibly powerful punches, each one flying fast enough that even he could barely see them.

[Luminesa]

Hamiri turned around and looked at the newcomer. "...Hey! Came just in time. We're in the middle of a fight with our teacher, who is possessed by...something. If he attacks the kid next to him, we need to strike him until he can't move. Then we need to get whatever is possessing him out of his body. Got it? I'll show you where you need to go, when the time comes," she ordered, glad to see that more students, and more help, were coming to the fight.

"He's going to attack them?" Asura growled, white eyes glowing with anger. "Then what are we standing around for?"

In an instant, he leapt into the crowd, dodging and weaving between the crowd of students and into the centre, merely a few metres away from the apparently possessed teacher.

Admittedly, it took very little to get Asura angry enough to start fighting. This was especially the case whenever he saw someone with power abusing it at the expense of others.

"Why is there always some fool who wants to rule the world?"

And with that, he let loose a flurry of incredibly powerful punches, each one flying fast enough that even he could barely see them.

"Wait! Hey!" Hamiri shouted, rushing after the newcomer. She knew that he did not entirely understand the situation, partially because he was new to it and also because she had not explained it well. "The kid next to him has stopped him for now, don't beat him up!" she shouted. She got behind him just as he landed in the crowd, and she reached to pull him away. He was huge and powerful, but this did not perturb her. "Please, we have a chance to win now, since the other kid calmed him down!"

Lux noticed Asura only as he broke through the crowd and rushed at the teacher. Without even a sigh, he elongated the ring of light and stars around his body, in order to guard the teacher. However, he did not seem angry at Asura. Instead, he continued smiling at the new being. "You are an ally...Hello. We are currently trying to de-possess our teacher. However, the spirit inside of him is in deep pain, and lashes out like a wounded animal at anyone who tries to attack him. Therefore, we must keep him calm in order to defeat him. At least for-!!!" He showed surprise for the first time, when Asura's punches cracked the rings around himself and the teacher. His eyebrows raised just a little, and he frowned. "...Oh...That will not be easy to repair..."

"Hey, be careful! Don't hurt the other kid too!" Patriah called, not quite as concerned for the teacher as he was for the innocent, angelic-looking student who had just been caught in the crossfire. "If we're gonna beat him up, we need for the kid to move!"

"...I cannot...I am sorry..." Lux answered softly, as he looked toward Asura with the slightest concern. This newcomer could probably take him in a physical fight. He only hoped things would not come down to that before they could clear the situation.

[Sky-TheLandOfNekos]

Theia

Fate is a cruel mistress.

That is a phrase I've heard on this world of my sister's from time to time, and I have not once thought of a sentence such as this that could truly portray just the full extent of my position. I am no longer a goddess, because that position has long since been taken from me, leaving only the hollow remnant that I am today.

Without my domain, I have been slowly fading until even my immortal essence dies in the flow of time. As the eons passed, I know that memories have left me with most of my divine power. I know this because I cannot remember before the incident, nor can I recognize the familiarity in many of the other celestials resting in the void. The one thing I can truly remember, however, is the pain, the suffering, the agony brought forth by my sister.

I can remember flashes of the moment I fell, colliding with my sister only to be overcome and consumed by her superior power and size. I felt my entire being be ripped apart, my core being ripped from my celestial body, and everything that I ever was or could be taken away from me in a single moment of her greed.

I remember how my kin stood back and watched as I became no more, choosing not to care out of the thought that my death would cause them no harm, nor was there anything to be gained by assisting me. They simply didn't see me as worth it.

I was betrayed and left to rot in the void.

I drifted there for eons, only able to watch as my sister became everything I ever imagined, achieved all of my hopes and dreams, and became the starting point of mortal life. I envied and hated her so.

Fate is cruel.

So very cruel...

I am even now forced to live among everything that I envy, that I hate, all for a single chance of vengeance.

I may attend this school for the divine and mythical, but I am not one of their friends.

I know that.

My life is now finite, and it is nearing the end as my heart withers away, so I must use the last of my time wisely.

I am here for one purpose, and that is to claim my justice for what has been done, and I won't let anyone get in my way.

---

Now standing before her and her fellow classmates is a teacher, one possessed by a powerful entity, with the intent to harm each and every one of them. It shed its skin to reveal a humanoid form comprised entirely of an electrical charge.

She could smell the ozone in the air and feel the electrons flowing around her. The power was horrifying.

If she didn't help, she herself could die along with everyone else.

She felt the small stone in her pocket, gently running her finger across its smooth surface. It helped calm her. It assured her that it was still there, that she wasn't going to die just yet. Once she mustered up what little courage she could when faced with imminent death, she stepped forward to the one who seemed most in charge, Hamiri, and tried to come up with a plan.

Gravity she could produce would have almost no effect on an a being comprised of particles with so little mass, and she knew nothing about discharging the electrical entity.

Finally, shocked when she found herself unable to formulate even the slightest idea of how to defeat him, she spoke to the girl, "I-I don't know what to do. My power won't help..."

[Syrixces]

Tal

He was inside the Crematoria. He was burning alive. He smelled Kerosine, and pain, and ash, and bones, and oh, god, the pain, it hut, and he burned, and he was burning, and as he burned, he inscribed one last word in the ashes, his final message to the world, as the fire and the pain and the ash burned him away inside that chamber of red and grey and pain.

Emet.

God had been silent while they suffered. God heard their prayers, but never answered them. So he would.

He would become his own savior.

The camp was liberated within the week, the chamber never opened again, his ashes sitting cold and dead within that chamber of death.

But his hate remained alive. His anger thrived. His spirit, lived on, ripped from the afterlife by that simple word. Emet.

Truth. God had ignored their calls. God let him die, let his people die. Let his Lina. Condemned his children to a death before life.

He would suffer for that. His children, would suffer for that.

So says Markus.

So says the Golem of ashes.

---

Tal's physical form, as not his own. Markus roared, the winds and rain lashing around them with an increased speed, as he changed tactics, electrical energy still surging out form him, he clapped his hands, Hurricane force winds flaring out from him, blasting out everything in his way with forces upwards of 200 miles per hour, hail and freezing rain thundering down around them, the sky within the gymnasium turning red, as Tornadoes swirling around them picked up flames, turning into blazing whirlwinds of death. The sheer wreckage was astounding, but was by that same account, draining it's creator as fast as he could create them. Markus could feel his body growing weaker the longer he exerted it, so weak, that he almost missed sight of his various advancing attackers.

He was everywhere at once, static and afterimages crackling behind him as he moved at speeds upwards of 220,000,000 miles per hour, nearly a third the speed of light. Azrael's staff found itself embedded within it's owners chest, as Markus deftly dodged the slowly moving projectile, and slammed into deep into Azrael's chest cavity.

Filia herself surely found herself briefly confused, when the being she was charging at disappeared with a smile, crackling behind her, and kicking her into the opposite wall, with the same speed at which he moved, turning his momentum into her's. All the while, he returned to his original position, catching the blows of the newcomer, a watery god by the name of Asura, and slamming his own fist into the deities chest, hitting with the force of Cat 5 hurricane, over 20 PSI in a single blow. All the while, he crackled around the room, delivering blows at all that stood in his way.

"Idyots! Idyots! Ikh kenen bavegn in di gikhkayt fun blits! Ikh kenen bavegn Faster vi bulats! Ikh kenen bavegn Faster vi gezunt! Tsi ir trakhtn keyn fun ir ken afilu iberrashn mir, lozn aleyn shlogn mir! Ikh! Bin! Di! Shturem! Aun ikh vel hobn meyn nekome! Ikh bin di golem fun ash!"

But none of them could hear what he was saying. None, except for the boy in his head. The one called Lux.

Get out of mine head, boychick. Your attacks do not cause mine pain. I am here to exact mine revenge. And I will exact mine revenge. I am the Golem of Ashes. I am Markus Bein Gulvt. My pain is the pain of six million, and more. My pain is the pain of my wife, and my children, who were given death before life. God took my children. I am here to take his.

Hyperion

Hyperion's head hurt. Hurt a lot. Not only was it frequently getting battered in, but it was getting pretty confused too, a reaction that was partly physical trauma, and part visual. Everything had gotten so ... chaotic, people not only fighting their professor, but each other as well. The electric energy fluctuating across the room wasn't helping either, sparks flying along the metals walls and rafters, while bolts of lightning sporadically flashed across the sky. His former teacher, his former friend, had turned on them against his will, the creature inside of him even forcing him to reveal his true self, a being of pure electric energy, the storm itself personified. Whatever was inside of Tal, it was going to drain him dry before letting him go.

Hyperion was less effected by the electrical energy, than he was by the chaos it had created. Lightning, while hot, while fast, is nothing compared to the heat of the Sun. The electrical surges tickled his fiery form, washing over him in waves, while the real hurt came from not his fore, but his friends. Their wild attacks and reckless attempts had created immense structural damage within the facility itself, resulting in a solid steel rafter to unlatch itself after one too many wild energy blasts, and land right on him. Now, I'm was durable, but that shit still hurt, he thought to himself.

Alright, that's enough of this. We're not doing anything to him. He's pure energy for Our sake! He's the personification of Storms in his true form! We've got to buy that kid...Lux, more time to get inside, and purge whatever's inside of Tal! Everyone, on me! We've got to contain him! Come on!

Launching himself forward, Hyperion, a being of pure energy, met his counterpart out there on the field, the Sun meeting the Storm. I can hold him, but not for long, he sad, teleporting behind Tal, and grabbing the being's wrists, holding them back.

Grab everything you can find that's non-conductive! We've got to bury him alive, if we want to have any chance to save him, and ourselves! Go, hurry! I can't hold him for much longer!

Hadryn

Hadryn sat up, groaning with pain. His head hurt. He'd do anything for the pain, for the thoughts to end.

And they did.

They did, the minute Markus put a steel bar through his head, smiling down, and crackling away, faster than bullet, and stronger than a Hurricane.

Markus had claimed his first child.

[Luminesa]

Tal

He was inside the Crematoria. He was burning alive. He smelled Kerosine, and pain, and ash, and bones, and oh, god, the pain, it hut, and he burned, and he was burning, and as he burned, he inscribed one last word in the ashes, his final message to the world, as the fire and the pain and the ash burned him away inside that chamber of red and grey and pain.

Emet.

God had been silent while they suffered. God heard their prayers, but never answered them. So he would.

He would become his own savior.

The camp was liberated within the week, the chamber never opened again, his ashes sitting cold and dead within that chamber of death.

But his hate remained alive. His anger thrived. His spirit, lived on, ripped from the afterlife by that simple word. Emet.

Truth. God had ignored their calls. God let him die, let his people die. Let his Lina. Condemned his children to a death before life.

He would suffer for that. His children, would suffer for that.

So says Markus.

So says the Golem of ashes.

---

Tal's physical form, as not his own. Markus roared, the winds and rain lashing around them with an increased speed, as he changed tactics, electrical energy still surging out form him, he clapped his hands, Hurricane force winds flaring out from him, blasting out everything in his way with forces upwards of 200 miles per hour, hail and freezing rain thundering down around them, the sky within the gymnasium turning red, as Tornadoes swirling around them picked up flames, turning into blazing whirlwinds of death. The sheer wreckage was astounding, but was by that same account, draining it's creator as fast as he could create them. Markus could feel his body growing weaker the longer he exerted it, so weak, that he almost missed sight of his various advancing attackers.

He was everywhere at once, static and afterimages crackling behind him as he moved at speeds upwards of 220,000,000 miles per hour, nearly a third the speed of light. Azrael's staff found itself embedded within it's owners chest, as Markus deftly dodged the slowly moving projectile, and slammed into deep into Azrael's chest cavity.

Filia herself surely found herself briefly confused, when the being she was charging at disappeared with a smile, crackling behind her, and kicking her into the opposite wall, with the same speed at which he moved, turning his momentum into her's. All the while, he returned to his original position, catching the blows of the newcomer, a watery god by the name of Asura, and slamming his own fist into the deities chest, hitting with the force of Cat 5 hurricane, over 20 PSI in a single blow. All the while, he crackled around the room, delivering blows at all that stood in his way.

"Idyots! Idyots! Ikh kenen bavegn in di gikhkayt fun blits! Ikh kenen bavegn Faster vi bulats! Ikh kenen bavegn Faster vi gezunt! Tsi ir trakhtn keyn fun ir ken afilu iberrashn mir, lozn aleyn shlogn mir! Ikh! Bin! Di! Shturem! Aun ikh vel hobn meyn nekome! Ikh bin di golem fun ash!"

But none of them could hear what he was saying. None, except for the boy in his head. The one called Lux.

Get out of mine head, boychick. Your attacks do not cause mine pain. I am here to exact mine revenge. And I will exact mine revenge. I am the Golem of Ashes. I am Markus Bein Gulvt. My pain is the pain of six million, and more. My pain is the pain of my wife, and my children, who were given death before life. God took my children. I am here to take his.

Hyperion

Hyperion's head hurt. Hurt a lot. Not only was it frequently getting battered in, but it was getting pretty confused too, a reaction that was partly physical trauma, and part visual. Everything had gotten so ... chaotic, people not only fighting their professor, but each other as well. The electric energy fluctuating across the room wasn't helping either, sparks flying along the metals walls and rafters, while bolts of lightning sporadically flashed across the sky. His former teacher, his former friend, had turned on them against his will, the creature inside of him even forcing him to reveal his true self, a being of pure electric energy, the storm itself personified. Whatever was inside of Tal, it was going to drain him dry before letting him go.

Hyperion was less effected by the electrical energy, than he was by the chaos it had created. Lightning, while hot, while fast, is nothing compared to the heat of the Sun. The electrical surges tickled his fiery form, washing over him in waves, while the real hurt came from not his fore, but his friends. Their wild attacks and reckless attempts had created immense structural damage within the facility itself, resulting in a solid steel rafter to unlatch itself after one too many wild energy blasts, and land right on him. Now, I'm was durable, but that shit still hurt, he thought to himself.

Alright, that's enough of this. We're not doing anything to him. He's pure energy for Our sake! He's the personification of Storms in his true form! We've got to buy that kid...Lux, more time to get inside, and purge whatever's inside of Tal! Everyone, on me! We've got to contain him! Come on!

Launching himself forward, Hyperion, a being of pure energy, met his counterpart out there on the field, the Sun meeting the Storm. I can hold him, but not for long, he sad, teleporting behind Tal, and grabbing the being's wrists, holding them back.

Grab everything you can find that's non-conductive! We've got to bury him alive, if we want to have any chance to save him, and ourselves! Go, hurry! I can't hold him for much longer!

Hadryn

Hadryn sat up, groaning with pain. His head hurt. He'd do anything for the pain, for the thoughts to end.

And they did.

They did, the minute Markus put a steel bar through his head, smiling down, and crackling away, faster than bullet, and stronger than a Hurricane.

Markus had claimed his first child.

The wind and lightning whipped around the students like the wrath of an angry god. It pulsed and shoved them around, jarring them and rattling their very bones. Even as Hamiri ran to the side of the student who had just been killed, she had to cover herself with her shadows to avoid being hit. She picked his body up carefully, and she stared down at it in horror. She could not move the steel bar. There was no use. He was simply dead. Beyond dead, even. His cold body and unmoving eyes told her that themselves. Wanting to preserve his body, however, she hurried to the far side of the cave and laid him there, placing her jacket over him to protect him.

She then turned back to the battlefield, and she summoned creeping shadows from around her. She then shot them toward the god, constricting him and then holding them tightly without touching them. "...Everyone! Join in!" she shouted, above the wind and lightning.

Patriah nodded, and he tried to think of something he could do with the wind. He decided that he would help to better the god, to weaken him and to keep him from attacking. Thus, he moved forward, and began to thrust his sword forward multiple times, sending sharp slices of wind at the god and pressing the merciless shadows into him.

Xavier himself grabbed some of the tiles on the ground, melted them until they were malleable, and began to wrap Tlaloc's body in them. Given that lightning and fire both resulted from incredible heat, he was not as badly effected by the lightning around him. In fact, it almost felt comfortable to him. He still had to make sure Lux was safe, however. This spacey, pacifist angel seemed to be the only being who might have a chance of reaching their teacher. Come on, kid...pull through...pull through and all of this can end...And we can save our teacher... he thought.

Lux continued to float quietly next to Tlaloc, not bothered at all by his true form. The wind and lightning around him seemed to be nonexistent, in his mind. He just looked sadly at the teacher, and continued to speak to him. "...Six million...and your wife and children...such a heavy burden that you carry on your own shoulders...But you cannot bear so much alone...That is why you are in pain...and that is why I will not fight you...Those who wish to fight...often wish they were not fighting...You merely want peace and happiness for those poor souls...I can see it when I look at you..." He moved just a little closer to him, and his hair began to be whipped around by the wind and static. Nevertheless, he stood his ground, and he offered his hands to him. "...Come...let me help you bear your pain, so that you may finally rest, my friend..."

[Luminesa]

Theia

Fate is a cruel mistress.

That is a phrase I've heard on this world of my sister's from time to time, and I have not once thought of a sentence such as this that could truly portray just the full extent of my position. I am no longer a goddess, because that position has long since been taken from me, leaving only the hollow remnant that I am today.

Without my domain, I have been slowly fading until even my immortal essence dies in the flow of time. As the eons passed, I know that memories have left me with most of my divine power. I know this because I cannot remember before the incident, nor can I recognize the familiarity in many of the other celestials resting in the void. The one thing I can truly remember, however, is the pain, the suffering, the agony brought forth by my sister.

I can remember flashes of the moment I fell, colliding with my sister only to be overcome and consumed by her superior power and size. I felt my entire being be ripped apart, my core being ripped from my celestial body, and everything that I ever was or could be taken away from me in a single moment of her greed.

I remember how my kin stood back and watched as I became no more, choosing not to care out of the thought that my death would cause them no harm, nor was there anything to be gained by assisting me. They simply didn't see me as worth it.

I was betrayed and left to rot in the void.

I drifted there for eons, only able to watch as my sister became everything I ever imagined, achieved all of my hopes and dreams, and became the starting point of mortal life. I envied and hated her so.

Fate is cruel.

So very cruel...

I am even now forced to live among everything that I envy, that I hate, all for a single chance of vengeance.

I may attend this school for the divine and mythical, but I am not one of their friends.

I know that.

My life is now finite, and it is nearing the end as my heart withers away, so I must use the last of my time wisely.

I am here for one purpose, and that is to claim my justice for what has been done, and I won't let anyone get in my way.

---

Now standing before her and her fellow classmates is a teacher, one possessed by a powerful entity, with the intent to harm each and every one of them. It shed its skin to reveal a humanoid form comprised entirely of an electrical charge.

She could smell the ozone in the air and feel the electrons flowing around her. The power was horrifying.

If she didn't help, she herself could die along with everyone else.

She felt the small stone in her pocket, gently running her finger across its smooth surface. It helped calm her. It assured her that it was still there, that she wasn't going to die just yet. Once she mustered up what little courage she could when faced with imminent death, she stepped forward to the one who seemed most in charge, Hamiri, and tried to come up with a plan.

Gravity she could produce would have almost no effect on an a being comprised of particles with so little mass, and she knew nothing about discharging the electrical entity.

Finally, shocked when she found herself unable to formulate even the slightest idea of how to defeat him, she spoke to the girl, "I-I don't know what to do. My power won't help..."

"Use your powers and whatever does not conduct electricity, and hold him down," Hamiri answered, pointing to the teacher, "That kid behind him, and the kid beside him, the angel-looking one, need our help to stop the teacher from attacking everyone. He's possessed, and the only way we will be able to free him is by weakening him and then extracting the spirit. So use your powers to do so. Give it your all! We're all a team now!" Hamiri called to her.

[Ranoria]

Azazel

"Damn, he's fa-" He was cut off when their enemy slammed into his sternum, sending the demon crashing into the stonework floor with a gasp. For all his mastery of combat, he wasn't able to compensate for the absurd difference in speed between the two of them, the lightning that had seared his chest only making it all the worse. "Damn it all..."

Managing to get to his feet, he heard the Titan's plea and smirked, knowing that there wasn't much he could do if that was the plan, even if it made sense, wings folding tight to his body in order to prevent his being blown off canter, rec coat whipping in the gusts, watching curiously to see just what exactly they would do to keep him contained, keeping one hand on the ground, the other readied with Tetsu, just in case he needed it.

This wasn't like anything he'd fought before, and it wasn't something that he had necessarily wanted to fight, but at the same time, his blood was boiling with excitement, even if there was very little that he could do to fight back.

Leviathan

In the midst of this battle, the prince of hell leaned on the wall for some support, crouched down to avoid at least some of the wind, watching as the others fought against the aggressor, to limited success. But he could tell at least one thing. This creature, whatever it was, did not appear to be a god, at least not in its mannerisms. And so, why couldn't it be a man? Man, whose will could be bent to his every whims should he desire it.

Standing with some difficulty, Levi managed to get closer to his intended target, lowering his hood, revealing his eyes, red as the morning sun as he stared right into those of his target, hoping to have at least some success, enough to restrain the monster, at least. And so, once their eyes met, his mind focused, with razor sharp clarity, on a single command that transmitted straight to the other being, be he man, spirit, god, or otherwise.

Be still.

He didn't know if it would work or not, but it was at least worth a shot, right?

[Sky-TheLandOfNekos]

Hyperion

Hyperion's head hurt. Hurt a lot. Not only was it frequently getting battered in, but it was getting pretty confused too, a reaction that was partly physical trauma, and part visual. Everything had gotten so ... chaotic, people not only fighting their professor, but each other as well. The electric energy fluctuating across the room wasn't helping either, sparks flying along the metals walls and rafters, while bolts of lightning sporadically flashed across the sky. His former teacher, his former friend, had turned on them against his will, the creature inside of him even forcing him to reveal his true self, a being of pure electric energy, the storm itself personified. Whatever was inside of Tal, it was going to drain him dry before letting him go.

Hyperion was less effected by the electrical energy, than he was by the chaos it had created. Lightning, while hot, while fast, is nothing compared to the heat of the Sun. The electrical surges tickled his fiery form, washing over him in waves, while the real hurt came from not his fore, but his friends. Their wild attacks and reckless attempts had created immense structural damage within the facility itself, resulting in a solid steel rafter to unlatch itself after one too many wild energy blasts, and land right on him. Now, I'm was durable, but that shit still hurt, he thought to himself.

Alright, that's enough of this. We're not doing anything to him. He's pure energy for Our sake! He's the personification of Storms in his true form! We've got to buy that kid...Lux, more time to get inside, and purge whatever's inside of Tal! Everyone, on me! We've got to contain him! Come on!

Launching himself forward, Hyperion, a being of pure energy, met his counterpart out there on the field, the Sun meeting the Storm. I can hold him, but not for long, he sad, teleporting behind Tal, and grabbing the being's wrists, holding them back.

Grab everything you can find that's non-conductive! We've got to bury him alive, if we want to have any chance to save him, and ourselves! Go, hurry! I can't hold him for much longer!

Theia

She was surprised to say the least with the Sun Titan rose from the chaos to take action to save them all. He restrained the possessed teacher, now in a state of pure energy, and shouted for someone to cover Tal in an insulator to prevent him from causing anymore havoc, and that was a task that she could certainly help with.

They were surrounded by stone, and from what she understood it didn't conduct energy very well.

So, she raised a palm toward the two interlocked entities and unleashed hell. The ground around them started to shake and rumble as an invisible force acted upon them, ripping chunks of concrete from the ground and flinging them toward the two interlocked figures.

He better be able to get out of this himself...

Piece after piece, the two were consumed by the growing mass of stone until it was sufficient to hold a being of such extreme power.

"If you can hear me, Solar Deity, you better work fast!" The goddess shouted, visibly and audibly straining herself to maintain a gravitation field strong enough to prevent the storm god from blasting away the stone.

[The Flutterlands]

Tal

He was inside the Crematoria. He was burning alive. He smelled Kerosine, and pain, and ash, and bones, and oh, god, the pain, it hut, and he burned, and he was burning, and as he burned, he inscribed one last word in the ashes, his final message to the world, as the fire and the pain and the ash burned him away inside that chamber of red and grey and pain.

Emet.

God had been silent while they suffered. God heard their prayers, but never answered them. So he would.

He would become his own savior.

The camp was liberated within the week, the chamber never opened again, his ashes sitting cold and dead within that chamber of death.

But his hate remained alive. His anger thrived. His spirit, lived on, ripped from the afterlife by that simple word. Emet.

Truth. God had ignored their calls. God let him die, let his people die. Let his Lina. Condemned his children to a death before life.

He would suffer for that. His children, would suffer for that.

So says Markus.

So says the Golem of ashes.

---

Tal's physical form, as not his own. Markus roared, the winds and rain lashing around them with an increased speed, as he changed tactics, electrical energy still surging out form him, he clapped his hands, Hurricane force winds flaring out from him, blasting out everything in his way with forces upwards of 200 miles per hour, hail and freezing rain thundering down around them, the sky within the gymnasium turning red, as Tornadoes swirling around them picked up flames, turning into blazing whirlwinds of death. The sheer wreckage was astounding, but was by that same account, draining it's creator as fast as he could create them. Markus could feel his body growing weaker the longer he exerted it, so weak, that he almost missed sight of his various advancing attackers.

He was everywhere at once, static and afterimages crackling behind him as he moved at speeds upwards of 220,000,000 miles per hour, nearly a third the speed of light. Azrael's staff found itself embedded within it's owners chest, as Markus deftly dodged the slowly moving projectile, and slammed into deep into Azrael's chest cavity.

Filia herself surely found herself briefly confused, when the being she was charging at disappeared with a smile, crackling behind her, and kicking her into the opposite wall, with the same speed at which he moved, turning his momentum into her's. All the while, he returned to his original position, catching the blows of the newcomer, a watery god by the name of Asura, and slamming his own fist into the deities chest, hitting with the force of Cat 5 hurricane, over 20 PSI in a single blow. All the while, he crackled around the room, delivering blows at all that stood in his way.

"Idyots! Idyots! Ikh kenen bavegn in di gikhkayt fun blits! Ikh kenen bavegn Faster vi bulats! Ikh kenen bavegn Faster vi gezunt! Tsi ir trakhtn keyn fun ir ken afilu iberrashn mir, lozn aleyn shlogn mir! Ikh! Bin! Di! Shturem! Aun ikh vel hobn meyn nekome! Ikh bin di golem fun ash!"

But none of them could hear what he was saying. None, except for the boy in his head. The one called Lux.

Get out of mine head, boychick. Your attacks do not cause mine pain. I am here to exact mine revenge. And I will exact mine revenge. I am the Golem of Ashes. I am Markus Bein Gulvt. My pain is the pain of six million, and more. My pain is the pain of my wife, and my children, who were given death before life. God took my children. I am here to take his.

Hyperion

Hyperion's head hurt. Hurt a lot. Not only was it frequently getting battered in, but it was getting pretty confused too, a reaction that was partly physical trauma, and part visual. Everything had gotten so ... chaotic, people not only fighting their professor, but each other as well. The electric energy fluctuating across the room wasn't helping either, sparks flying along the metals walls and rafters, while bolts of lightning sporadically flashed across the sky. His former teacher, his former friend, had turned on them against his will, the creature inside of him even forcing him to reveal his true self, a being of pure electric energy, the storm itself personified. Whatever was inside of Tal, it was going to drain him dry before letting him go.

Hyperion was less effected by the electrical energy, than he was by the chaos it had created. Lightning, while hot, while fast, is nothing compared to the heat of the Sun. The electrical surges tickled his fiery form, washing over him in waves, while the real hurt came from not his fore, but his friends. Their wild attacks and reckless attempts had created immense structural damage within the facility itself, resulting in a solid steel rafter to unlatch itself after one too many wild energy blasts, and land right on him. Now, I'm was durable, but that shit still hurt, he thought to himself.

Alright, that's enough of this. We're not doing anything to him. He's pure energy for Our sake! He's the personification of Storms in his true form! We've got to buy that kid...Lux, more time to get inside, and purge whatever's inside of Tal! Everyone, on me! We've got to contain him! Come on!

Launching himself forward, Hyperion, a being of pure energy, met his counterpart out there on the field, the Sun meeting the Storm. I can hold him, but not for long, he sad, teleporting behind Tal, and grabbing the being's wrists, holding them back.

Grab everything you can find that's non-conductive! We've got to bury him alive, if we want to have any chance to save him, and ourselves! Go, hurry! I can't hold him for much longer!

Hadryn

Hadryn sat up, groaning with pain. His head hurt. He'd do anything for the pain, for the thoughts to end.

And they did.

They did, the minute Markus put a steel bar through his head, smiling down, and crackling away, faster than bullet, and stronger than a Hurricane.

Markus had claimed his first child.

Filia Umbrarum

Filia Umbrarum was indeed confused when her target disappeared and froze in place. She looked around a moment before crying out as she ended up kicked into a wall, yelping and upon collision. Groaning in pain and shaking herself back to focus, the young goddess looked back at Tal and glared as a sudden solution came to mind as she watched his chaos. She was the Goddess of Darkness and Patron Saint of Thieves, capable of stealing anything she desired, even things seemed impossible by mere mortals. However, she did consider the possible danger of doing so, but made up her mind anyway upon seeing the possesed teacher kill

Filia, her eyes now flaring with hellfire of hatred towards Markus for killing her friend exented her hands and unleashed shadowy tendrils of pure darkness upon the teacher, wrapping them around him. "Get out of our teacher you fuck!" the goddess commanded as she yanked heavily on her tendrils in an attempt to tear Markus Bein Gulvt out of Tal's being as an act of theft and claim ownership over it, "You are mine now!"

[Syrixces]

Tlaloc

It was quiet inside of Tal's mind. He was floating through darkness, through cold and heat. He was barely aware of his surroundings, but he was ... not exactly in control. He floated through memories and thoughts, not all of them his. There was something inside of his mind, that much was clear. Something old, and vengeful. A being ... called Markus.

Yet there was someone else inside of him as well. A lighter presence, struggling to reach out, and touch the mists of darkness entangled inside of his mind. An angel. One of his students ... Lux, was it? Tal focused, pushing the memories of ash and fire aside. Those were not his memories. That was not his pain. But still ... it was so vivid, so real. He had to push on. He had to push through.

Lu-Lux? Can you ... can you hear me?

This is ... this is no ghost.

This is ... is a dybbuk. Markus ... Markus is a dybbuk.

Find the box.

FIND THE BOX!

---

Markus could not understand. How was the fiery one holding him? He was a being of pure electrical energy, he had burst his skin, and laid waste upon his foes with his hosts' true, frightening form. How could anyone stand before him now? But still, they tried. The fiery one, who's own form must have been naturally hot enough, and fast enough to grapple him, was holding him steadfast, while the others shredded the gymnasium around him, burying him and his captor alive inside a mountain of rubble. He screamed, the winds howling in time with his lungs, lightning and hail flashing through the sky in a mosaic of power.

He couldn't lose them again, not after this, not after so long, so much time spent in the dark and cold, waiting for this day. He wouldn't not again. God had damned his future, damned his love. Now, God took his revenge, his fire, his hope. The hurricane thrashed as he did, the storm lashing out in a final gasp of power. But slowly, minute by minute, he could feel his power draining. They were starving him, suffocating him of things he could manipulate, burying him alive, literally.

Until, finally, it was over.

Markus took in a breath, falling to his knees, tears streaming from Tal's face, electrical energy crackling along his body, illuminating the small cavern he had been buried under. Wind s howled, thunder flashed, but there was too much. He was alone.

"Ir genumen meyn kinder. ir gehrget zey. Ikh gegloybt in ir. Aber ikh gegloybt in a lign.

Es iz keyn got.

Damn you.

Damn you all."

But then, pain. People inside of his, no, Tal's head, too many voices, angry voices, calm voices, commanding voices.

And his voice. A voice like a cold mist, like a shiver in the morning, like frost's kiss.

Go. Away.

I still have one more life to take.

My pain is my own. You are not my therapist, angel.

You are my victim.

Hyperion

Hyperion stood back, shaking. He was drained, emotionally, and physically. His fiery form dimmed, lighting up the now dark gymnasium around him. He shivered, despite the heat he himself was radiating.

So that's it then. It's almost over. Now, it's up to you guys, he said, gesturing to the psychics among them.

Help them. Please.

[Ranoria]

Azazel

"Looks like I'm not going to be able to kill this one." The demon warlord twirled that switchblade in between his forefinger and thumb, frowning, "I do hate being cheated out of a battle, but I don't suppose this is one that I could have won."

He wasn't talking to anyone in particular, wings folding back underneath the folds of his coat, his free hand resting in a pocket, troubled. It almost seemed to easy, this couldn't be the end of this little feud, there had to be something else going on here, and so he didn't let his guard down, not yet. There was no way that an opponent as mighty as the one that had just thrown a dozen or so gods and assorted similarly powerful creatures around like they were toys was going down as easily as this one had.

"Don't get too close, you saw what it did to the teacher," the switch blade flicked out, pointing towards their possessed professor, "If it takes one of you, believe me, I'll I won't hesitate to cut you down as long as there's a chance that the spirit goes with you. So watch yourselves."

Even as he said it, he brushed a stray band of bleach-white hair from his narrowed eyes, trying to figure out just what was going on here, but to no avail. As far as he could tell, this was just a berserk spirit, but even berserkers had their reasons, and very rarely was it purely insanity.

He's holding some vendetta against us, or maybe someone else. But what of?

A woman? Perhaps it had been a scorned lover, or even if she'd been murdered in front of his eyes. It could even be an unjust death at the hands of some regime. Maybe he'd messed up bad somewhere down the line and had never been forgiven.

But whatever it was, Azazel knew as well as anyone that revenge was a powerful motive. Perhaps the most powerful of them, but that depended on the circumstances.

These fools are accepting this as absolute victory. They honestly think that they've won.

How in the hell did I get myself into this?

[Luminesa]

Tlaloc

It was quiet inside of Tal's mind. He was floating through darkness, through cold and heat. He was barely aware of his surroundings, but he was ... not exactly in control. He floated through memories and thoughts, not all of them his. There was something inside of his mind, that much was clear. Something old, and vengeful. A being ... called Markus.

Yet there was someone else inside of him as well. A lighter presence, struggling to reach out, and touch the mists of darkness entangled inside of his mind. An angel. One of his students ... Lux, was it? Tal focused, pushing the memories of ash and fire aside. Those were not his memories. That was not his pain. But still ... it was so vivid, so real. He had to push on. He had to push through.

Lu-Lux? Can you ... can you hear me?

This is ... this is no ghost.

This is ... is a dybbuk. Markus ... Markus is a dybbuk.

Find the box.

FIND THE BOX!

---

Markus could not understand. How was the fiery one holding him? He was a being of pure electrical energy, he had burst his skin, and laid waste upon his foes with his hosts' true, frightening form. How could anyone stand before him now? But still, they tried. The fiery one, who's own form must have been naturally hot enough, and fast enough to grapple him, was holding him steadfast, while the others shredded the gymnasium around him, burying him and his captor alive inside a mountain of rubble. He screamed, the winds howling in time with his lungs, lightning and hail flashing through the sky in a mosaic of power.

He couldn't lose them again, not after this, not after so long, so much time spent in the dark and cold, waiting for this day. He wouldn't not again. God had damned his future, damned his love. Now, God took his revenge, his fire, his hope. The hurricane thrashed as he did, the storm lashing out in a final gasp of power. But slowly, minute by minute, he could feel his power draining. They were starving him, suffocating him of things he could manipulate, burying him alive, literally.

Until, finally, it was over.

Markus took in a breath, falling to his knees, tears streaming from Tal's face, electrical energy crackling along his body, illuminating the small cavern he had been buried under. Wind s howled, thunder flashed, but there was too much. He was alone.

"Ir genumen meyn kinder. ir gehrget zey. Ikh gegloybt in ir. Aber ikh gegloybt in a lign.

Es iz keyn got.

Damn you.

Damn you all."

But then, pain. People inside of his, no, Tal's head, too many voices, angry voices, calm voices, commanding voices.

And his voice. A voice like a cold mist, like a shiver in the morning, like frost's kiss.

Go. Away.

I still have one more life to take.

My pain is my own. You are not my therapist, angel.

You are my victim.

Hyperion

Hyperion stood back, shaking. He was drained, emotionally, and physically. His fiery form dimmed, lighting up the now dark gymnasium around him. He shivered, despite the heat he himself was radiating.

So that's it then. It's almost over. Now, it's up to you guys, he said, gesturing to the psychics among them.

Help them. Please.

Lux nodded to Hyperion. "The teacher is still conscious. He says the spirit inside is a Dybbuk, not a ghost. He has also asked us to find a box of some sort...It will remove the spirit from within his body and return him to his normal state..." He then turned back toward the teacher. His eyes were streaming with tears. He wanted to reach him and to wipe the tears, but Tlaloc was still buried under the rubble. He frowned slightly. "...Teacher...where is the box you are asking about? And what does it look like? Please, I do not know what to seek..." he implored, though his voice remained steady and serene. It almost seemed that he was incapable of true emotions. This suggestion aside, however, he did worry for the teacher, and he wanted to obey his command as quickly as he could.

[Ranoria]

Tlaloc

It was quiet inside of Tal's mind. He was floating through darkness, through cold and heat. He was barely aware of his surroundings, but he was ... not exactly in control. He floated through memories and thoughts, not all of them his. There was something inside of his mind, that much was clear. Something old, and vengeful. A being ... called Markus.

Yet there was someone else inside of him as well. A lighter presence, struggling to reach out, and touch the mists of darkness entangled inside of his mind. An angel. One of his students ... Lux, was it? Tal focused, pushing the memories of ash and fire aside. Those were not his memories. That was not his pain. But still ... it was so vivid, so real. He had to push on. He had to push through.

Lu-Lux? Can you ... can you hear me?

This is ... this is no ghost.

This is ... is a dybbuk. Markus ... Markus is a dybbuk.

Find the box.

FIND THE BOX!

---

Markus could not understand. How was the fiery one holding him? He was a being of pure electrical energy, he had burst his skin, and laid waste upon his foes with his hosts' true, frightening form. How could anyone stand before him now? But still, they tried. The fiery one, who's own form must have been naturally hot enough, and fast enough to grapple him, was holding him steadfast, while the others shredded the gymnasium around him, burying him and his captor alive inside a mountain of rubble. He screamed, the winds howling in time with his lungs, lightning and hail flashing through the sky in a mosaic of power.

He couldn't lose them again, not after this, not after so long, so much time spent in the dark and cold, waiting for this day. He wouldn't not again. God had damned his future, damned his love. Now, God took his revenge, his fire, his hope. The hurricane thrashed as he did, the storm lashing out in a final gasp of power. But slowly, minute by minute, he could feel his power draining. They were starving him, suffocating him of things he could manipulate, burying him alive, literally.

Until, finally, it was over.

Markus took in a breath, falling to his knees, tears streaming from Tal's face, electrical energy crackling along his body, illuminating the small cavern he had been buried under. Wind s howled, thunder flashed, but there was too much. He was alone.

"Ir genumen meyn kinder. ir gehrget zey. Ikh gegloybt in ir. Aber ikh gegloybt in a lign.

Es iz keyn got.

Damn you.

Damn you all."

But then, pain. People inside of his, no, Tal's head, too many voices, angry voices, calm voices, commanding voices.

And his voice. A voice like a cold mist, like a shiver in the morning, like frost's kiss.

Go. Away.

I still have one more life to take.

My pain is my own. You are not my therapist, angel.

You are my victim.

Hyperion

Hyperion stood back, shaking. He was drained, emotionally, and physically. His fiery form dimmed, lighting up the now dark gymnasium around him. He shivered, despite the heat he himself was radiating.

So that's it then. It's almost over. Now, it's up to you guys, he said, gesturing to the psychics among them.

Help them. Please.

Lux nodded to Hyperion. "The teacher is still conscious. He says the spirit inside is a Dybbuk, not a ghost. He has also asked us to find a box of some sort...It will remove the spirit from within his body and return him to his normal state..." He then turned back toward the teacher. His eyes were streaming with tears. He wanted to reach him and to wipe the tears, but Tlaloc was still buried under the rubble. He frowned slightly. "...Teacher...where is the box you are asking about? And what does it look like? Please, I do not know what to seek..." he implored, though his voice remained steady and serene. It almost seemed that he was incapable of true emotions. This suggestion aside, however, he did worry for the teacher, and he wanted to obey his command as quickly as he could.

Azazel

"A dybbuk? It's been a good while since I ran into one. I've only ever seen them possess humans." He didn't add that he'd killed the humans in question, not wanting to frighten them. "It's the spirit of someone who's died, and it has a goal in mind. As far as I know, it only departs the body after that goal has been accomplished. This one seems set on some sort of revenge."

The demon caught his knife, stopping its constant spinning, and growled, "I wouldn't doubt that it's one who was killed back in the forties. Jewish, usually. The boxes are usually some sort of cabinet, or cupboard, or something of the like. Probably old, and I'm willing to bet that it has something weird in it. Now, the first kid who was possessed, the one who died," he nodded towards where the ball of ice had been, "It's probably in this vicinity, if anyone's got an idea where it is, speak up. If not, start looking. I'd rather not be torn to shreds when that thing escapes."

[Cruxa]

Lucifer crawled out of the void Mason had opened, and looked up to see complete and utter chaos.

The colosseum had caved in. It was just a pile of rubble, dust, and gods. Lucifer flipped his sword in his hand, and flapped his wings a few times to hop over to the others. His nose still bleeding and broken, he heard something about... a dyubbuk? "Okay, we need to find the box," he said to himself. As Azazel came to the same conclusion, he bristled. Who was this lesser demon to command he, Lucifer, Satan himself, around? ...Never mind... I'll settle this later, he thought as he began to search.

[The Flutterlands]

Lucifer crawled out of the void Mason had opened, and looked up to see complete and utter chaos.

The colosseum had caved in. It was just a pile of rubble, dust, and gods. Lucifer flipped his sword in his hand, and flapped his wings a few times to hop over to the others. His nose still bleeding and broken, he heard something about... a dyubbuk? "Okay, we need to find the box," he said to himself. As Azazel came to the same conclusion, he bristled. Who was this lesser demon to command he, Lucifer, Satan himself, around? ...Never mind... I'll settle this later, he thought as he began to search.

Filia Umbrarum

Filia, realized that her own last attempt to save Tal failed, but kept her grip on him in order to help. She watched as the possessed teacher finally drop down and buried with the help of the teachers and students, leaving the entire place in ruins. It all seemed to be over, but Filia wasn't sure if the teacher was okay. Heading Azarzel's warnings, though, she kept her distance, dispite pretty close to being impossible to kill.

Filia then saw Lucifer, his nose broken and bleeding, and scurried to him in her shadow form. By the time she reached the devil, the subject of a dyubbuk came up. "A debook-what now?" she asked, hinting that she never heard of such a thing in her life of over ten thousand years, "What's a dyubbuk? ...And are you okay, Lucy? What was that fight about?"

[Syrixces]

Tlaloc

Tal sat, shrouded in darkness. Whatever they had done to stop his physical rampage, it had worked. He could no longer feel the silent thrum of electric current flowing through him, he could no longer hear the whisper of winds at his beck and call, the storm incarnate at his beck and call. They had done it, they had smothered the storm. He breathed, as much as he could, in this state, a sigh of relief.

They had buried him. But that wasn't quite the end of poor Tal's problems. After all, he still had a malignant spirit controlling his every action. He sat in the dark, his only hope resting upon Lux, and his semi - responsible students.

His name, not Markus...his true name, should be inside of the box, if this is a dybbuk.

You need him to say the name.

We need him to say it.

For his sake, and mine.

---

Markus took in a deep, ragged breath. Only then, did he notice the pain in his chest, the errant stillness of his body. He had exhausted his powers. He was mortal once more, naked flesh and blood, glistening with sweat starting back up at him. Along with something else.

Jutting out right above the bottom left rib, sat a piece of metal re-bar, piercing through his back, and coming out his front. He laughed, spitting out light drops of blood and phlegm. The pain was real. It felt good. He hadn't felt pain like that in nearly 70 years. Markus laughed again. He had faced death before, he could face it again. As for the being he inhabited?

He would leave that to fate.

Ikh vet nemen zeyn lebn. Far aoyb ikh ton afilu az, Ikh vet hobn avenjd zey.

Foyln, godling.

Foyln.

Do you hear me?!

He is dying! Send me back to the box! Give me peace! Because I have won.

I may have lost the battle, but I have won the war."

Hyperion

Hyperion sighed. It appeared, that he was, per usual, one of the few people who seemingly had no clue what the hell was going on. Shaking, he snapped his fingers, ash and dust fluttering around him, as his flames and heat shimmered, and flashed outwards, disappearing in an explosion of light and ash, revealing an almost naked young man beneath, everything but his fire proof shorts burned away. Running his hair back, he leaned over and vomited up blood and bile, gasping for air.

"Look," he said, shaking, back in his mortal form, "What the fuck are you guys talking about? What the hell is a dybbuk? And why the hell are we looking for a box? What does this have to do with Tal? WHAT ARE WE DOING AND WHY ARE WE DOING IT SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME.

I mean, I'm pretty sure this thing came from that dead kid. Where did he go? Normally they can't move. Hamiri? Did you move the body? Because we need to find that thing, I'm guessing. I don't know. Maybe. I'm going entirely off conjecture at this point."

[Cruxa]

Flitting down next to Filia, he explained. "A dyubbuk is a spirit which inhabits a body until it gets what it wants. In this case, it seems to be vengeance. But it always leaves its true name behind, usually sheltered in some kind of box that it keeps with it...." He brightened up instantly. "Filia! Can you frisk Tal down and see if he's got anything like that on him? I'll keep looking." All this talking was obstructed by the blood flowing from his nose. "Thanks!"

He jumped up again, flying far above, and began to search again, peeking under rubble and piles of dust. Where could it be? Lucifer had no earthly idea. Smirking at his joke, he continued to look (to no avail).

[Luminesa]

Tlaloc

Tal sat, shrouded in darkness. Whatever they had done to stop his physical rampage, it had worked. He could no longer feel the silent thrum of electric current flowing through him, he could no longer hear the whisper of winds at his beck and call, the storm incarnate at his beck and call. They had done it, they had smothered the storm. He breathed, as much as he could, in this state, a sigh of relief.

They had buried him. But that wasn't quite the end of poor Tal's problems. After all, he still had a malignant spirit controlling his every action. He sat in the dark, his only hope resting upon Lux, and his semi - responsible students.

His name, not Markus...his true name, should be inside of the box, if this is a dybbuk.

You need him to say the name.

We need him to say it.

For his sake, and mine.

---

Markus took in a deep, ragged breath. Only then, did he notice the pain in his chest, the errant stillness of his body. He had exhausted his powers. He was mortal once more, naked flesh and blood, glistening with sweat starting back up at him. Along with something else.

Jutting out right above the bottom left rib, sat a piece of metal re-bar, piercing through his back, and coming out his front. He laughed, spitting out light drops of blood and phlegm. The pain was real. It felt good. He hadn't felt pain like that in nearly 70 years. Markus laughed again. He had faced death before, he could face it again. As for the being he inhabited?

He would leave that to fate.

Ikh vet nemen zeyn lebn. Far aoyb ikh ton afilu az, Ikh vet hobn avenjd zey.

Foyln, godling.

Foyln.

Do you hear me?!

He is dying! Send me back to the box! Give me peace! Because I have won.

I may have lost the battle, but I have won the war."

Hyperion

Hyperion sighed. It appeared, that he was, per usual, one of the few people who seemingly had no clue what the hell was going on. Shaking, he snapped his fingers, ash and dust fluttering around him, as his flames and heat shimmered, and flashed outwards, disappearing in an explosion of light and ash, revealing an almost naked young man beneath, everything but his fire proof shorts burned away. Running his hair back, he leaned over and vomited up blood and bile, gasping for air.

"Look," he said, shaking, back in his mortal form, "What the fuck are you guys talking about? What the hell is a dybbuk? And why the hell are we looking for a box? What does this have to do with Tal? WHAT ARE WE DOING AND WHY ARE WE DOING IT SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME.

I mean, I'm pretty sure this thing came from that dead kid. Where did he go? Normally they can't move. Hamiri? Did you move the body? Because we need to find that thing, I'm guessing. I don't know. Maybe. I'm going entirely off conjecture at this point."

Xavier and Hamiri began to remove their holds over Tlaloc, as they saw him return to his normal form. He could not electrocute anyone now. When this was one, Xavier turned toward Hyperion. "A dybbuk is a demon. It inhabited our teacher, and the only way to get rid of it is to make it say its real name. So somehow we need to force it to do so. That will reveal to us the location of the box, it seems, and then we can exorcise our teacher. Better?" He smiled understandingly at Hyperion, as he saw how tired he was, and he flew to his side. He put a hand on his shoulder, and spread holy heat from that spot on his skin, all through his body. This would help Hyperion to heal properly.

Meanwhile, Hamiri kept an eye on Tlaloc. "...The kid who died was attacked by Tlaloc. I moved him away from the battlefield so he would not get hurt further. He's not possessed from what I know, and I don't know anyway why a spirit would want to inhabit a dead body. There's nothing to use or to torment if someone's bodily functions are all shot," she suggested.

Lux remained near Tlaloc, and he stared at the rebar in the teacher's chest. Such a severe wound could leave him bleeding-out and even dead, if it was not treated properly. They would have to worry about that later, however. For now, they needed to get rid of Markus. "...Very well...if you wish to be gone, say your true name, and we will put you away...Our teacher is in good hands and will be well. You will not. I am sorry," His eyes glittered calmly, as he did not expect for Markus to respond favorably.

[Ranoria]

Tlaloc

Tal sat, shrouded in darkness. Whatever they had done to stop his physical rampage, it had worked. He could no longer feel the silent thrum of electric current flowing through him, he could no longer hear the whisper of winds at his beck and call, the storm incarnate at his beck and call. They had done it, they had smothered the storm. He breathed, as much as he could, in this state, a sigh of relief.

They had buried him. But that wasn't quite the end of poor Tal's problems. After all, he still had a malignant spirit controlling his every action. He sat in the dark, his only hope resting upon Lux, and his semi - responsible students.

His name, not Markus...his true name, should be inside of the box, if this is a dybbuk.

You need him to say the name.

We need him to say it.

For his sake, and mine.

---

Markus took in a deep, ragged breath. Only then, did he notice the pain in his chest, the errant stillness of his body. He had exhausted his powers. He was mortal once more, naked flesh and blood, glistening with sweat starting back up at him. Along with something else.

Jutting out right above the bottom left rib, sat a piece of metal re-bar, piercing through his back, and coming out his front. He laughed, spitting out light drops of blood and phlegm. The pain was real. It felt good. He hadn't felt pain like that in nearly 70 years. Markus laughed again. He had faced death before, he could face it again. As for the being he inhabited?

He would leave that to fate.

Ikh vet nemen zeyn lebn. Far aoyb ikh ton afilu az, Ikh vet hobn avenjd zey.

Foyln, godling.

Foyln.

Do you hear me?!

He is dying! Send me back to the box! Give me peace! Because I have won.

I may have lost the battle, but I have won the war."

Hyperion

Hyperion sighed. It appeared, that he was, per usual, one of the few people who seemingly had no clue what the hell was going on. Shaking, he snapped his fingers, ash and dust fluttering around him, as his flames and heat shimmered, and flashed outwards, disappearing in an explosion of light and ash, revealing an almost naked young man beneath, everything but his fire proof shorts burned away. Running his hair back, he leaned over and vomited up blood and bile, gasping for air.

"Look," he said, shaking, back in his mortal form, "What the fuck are you guys talking about? What the hell is a dybbuk? And why the hell are we looking for a box? What does this have to do with Tal? WHAT ARE WE DOING AND WHY ARE WE DOING IT SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME.

I mean, I'm pretty sure this thing came from that dead kid. Where did he go? Normally they can't move. Hamiri? Did you move the body? Because we need to find that thing, I'm guessing. I don't know. Maybe. I'm going entirely off conjecture at this point."

Xavier and Hamiri began to remove their holds over Tlaloc, as they saw him return to his normal form. He could not electrocute anyone now. When this was one, Xavier turned toward Hyperion. "A dybbuk is a demon. It inhabited our teacher, and the only way to get rid of it is to make it say its real name. So somehow we need to force it to do so. That will reveal to us the location of the box, it seems, and then we can exorcise our teacher. Better?" He smiled understandingly at Hyperion, as he saw how tired he was, and he flew to his side. He put a hand on his shoulder, and spread holy heat from that spot on his skin, all through his body. This would help Hyperion to heal properly.

Meanwhile, Hamiri kept an eye on Tlaloc. "...The kid who died was attacked by Tlaloc. I moved him away from the battlefield so he would not get hurt further. He's not possessed from what I know, and I don't know anyway why a spirit would want to inhabit a dead body. There's nothing to use or to torment if someone's bodily functions are all shot," she suggested.

Lux remained near Tlaloc, and he stared at the rebar in the teacher's chest. Such a severe wound could leave him bleeding-out and even dead, if it was not treated properly. They would have to worry about that later, however. For now, they needed to get rid of Markus. "...Very well...if you wish to be gone, say your true name, and we will put you away...Our teacher is in good hands and will be well. You will not. I am sorry," His eyes glittered calmly, as he did not expect for Markus to respond favorably.

Azazel

"Where was the body before you moved him, then?" Azazel growled, impatient, "If you had half a brain, you'd think to check in the vicinity of his corpse. And if you didn't check his pockets already, then I'd suggest doing that. We're not searching for a spirit, woman, we're searching for a box. Now where's the damned body? The longer we sit here, he more chance that thing has of deciding to fry us all again."

"Of course," he was irritated already by the lack of anyone actually doing anything, and even more by Hamiri, who'd decided to lash out at Leviathan for no reason beyond his disagreeing with her, which was the primary reason for his unusually abrasive demeanor, "Now, where was the body before you moved it? I don't have all day."

The demon's crimson eyes looked into her own, obviously running short on tolerance, arms crossed as if he had better things to do than explain what was going on to this egotistical girl who thought herself the moral superior to himself.

[Cruxa]

Lucifer swooped over the entire campus, sweeping the grounds for the box--

What's that? he thought as he flew low over the dojo. Landing with a roll, he began to inspect Hadryn's corpse. "GOT IT!" he bellowed when he picked it up, next to the boy's body. "I GOT IT!" Flittimg back to the colosseum, he showed it to Azazel. "And I did it before you could, brother," he gloated smugly. Setting the box down, he looked questioningly at his sibling. "What now, little brother?"

[Ranoria]

Lucifer swooped over the entire campus, sweeping the grounds for the box--

What's that? he thought as he flew low over the dojo. Landing with a roll, he began to inspect Hadryn's corpse. "GOT IT!" he bellowed when he picked it up, next to the boy's body. "I GOT IT!" Flittimg back to the colosseum, he showed it to Azazel. "And I did it before you could, brother," he gloated smugly. Setting the box down, he looked questioningly at his sibling. "What now, little brother?"

Azazel

He didn't respond at first, not moving, arms still crossed, except to turn his head towards the other demon, frowning, unsure of where this was coming from, but finding it very...aggravating, to say the least. He neglected to say anything for a moment, searching Lucifer's eyes for a motive behind his suddenly, no, not sudden, but more pronounced, certainly, distasteful behavior.

"You sound like a toddler seeking an abusive father's oh so elusive approval, imp, but I'm sure you know that already. But regardless, it's good that you found the box. Did you check the inside of it? The spirit's true name will likely lie within." The warrior placed emphasis on the term that was normally used for lower-ranking demons, mostly in order to gauge his reaction.

As he finished, his head tilted, wondering just why his so-called brother was acting the way that he was. If he was looking for a fight, he'd be happy to oblige, but he couldn't see any motive behind such intent, beyond possibly spite or a superiority complex.

We'll resolve this later. For now, at least, we have more pressing concerns.