Infinite Justice: Beyond (Marvel,DC,DBZ X/Over, IC, Open)

[The Templar High Council]

---

Seeing how the conversation between Kylie and Cora progressed, Jamie smiled a little, her fears being somewhat pushed back by how everything seemed to be fine so far. She was still a bit scared of everything that had happened, but she relaxed a little for now. That was, of course, until she saw Kylie's lips moving in a way that spelled out a rather ominous message. The sight of that caused the girl to pale again and shake slightly. She was completely silent as she traveled back home with the others, not feeling up for conversation in the least, hiding behind Kylie's trail of light as she did not want to be seen by the people flying around without her shades on.

When eventually they arrived back at the tower, she walked to the elevator alongside the others, directing a shy glance towards Mindy before turning her gaze away, feeling uncomfortable with having had to lie to her. The elevator ride to the apartment felt eternal and was excruciating for her, but she remained silent, not really able to work up the courage to say anything at all.

However, when the doors of the elevator opened up, Jamie took her opportunity and used the powers of her current Archetype to stop time, much like she had done when she had evaded arrest earlier in order to get Kylie's help. Then, with time frozen in place, she rushed over to her room and shut herself in, locking doors and windows. From the others' perspective it would be as if she had randomly disappeared, or perhaps teleported, though it wasn't particularly hard to guess where a girl like Jamie might have gone to hide.

Marybeth looked rather uncomfortable with all the touchy-feely things Cora was saying, and was almost surprised when Kylie hugged back instead of recoiling. Then she remembered most people weren't like her. Shrugging, she let her eyes wander with her thoughts until she saw Kylie mouth "your next". Wait...does, does she think I'll cry and hug her too? How about no.... When offered the ring, she declined with a wave of her hand. How in hell did everyone forget she could fly? She occasioally smirked for the pictures, enjoying the attention. They probably are cheering for someone else, but hey, I'm part of this.

Once home, Marybeth sighed, stretching her back. "Alright, that was fun. I guess I'll go hit the showers now. I'm pretty sure I got blood on my leg, so I wouldn't want that staying there."

Kylie was going to give Jamie and MB a stern talking to, but all that changed when they got home. Katie wasn't mad, and Kylie didn't think that causing more problems at home would help the situation. "Go on," She said to Marybeth. "We can talk about this tomorrow... once we all get over our emotions now." Before leaving the room, Kylie walked up to Katie, placed her hand on the electrical girl's shoulder, and looked her straight in the eye. Quietly, so that Cora couldn't hear (MB could hear everything, soooo...), Kylie whispered, "Try not to be mad... her heart was in the right place." She then walked away to the kitchen, hungry after all that had happened. "Green, go tell Jamie to get some shut eye or come down and eat. No one's going to be mad tonight."

The emerald jewelry complied, flying from Kylie's hand to Jamie's door. "Ms. Mason, Ms. Perceval instructed me to inform you that no punishment will be dealt tonight, and to travel downstairs to the kitchen if you are hungry." With that out of the way, Green returned as Kylie turned on the over. Can't go wrong with chicken tenders at 11 o'clock at night.

[The Starlight]

Previously in Ragnarök...
“Your end has come Asgardians. We are your destruction.” She spoke. “We are Ragnarok.”

Ragnarök
Urgund

Valveig paused, in thought for a while, and then she raised her hands. And so the story began, Valveig’s voice gaining the quality and timbre of all storytellers, rolling like the hills, whispering like the wind, and deeper than caverns.

“Asgard. Garden of Gods. It is said, in our history, that in the beginning, there was nothing. That is incorrect. In the beginning, perhaps not the very beginning, but we Æsir were not the first gods.” Valveig raised her hands, and a illusory world glimmered before herself and her mother. “This was the first world of Gods, the Old Gods, that is. It originated 18 billion years ago. And its name was Godworld. Old Asgard, twas it called as well, or Urgund, the latter being its most common name. This was the First World, where beings walked the plains and hills of Urgund, and grew in power and height. A few billion years later, First became Second, as the beings of Urgund ascended, and became the Old Gods, and issued forth a Golden Age, the like of which perhaps has never since been seen, nor ever will. The craft of agriculture, metallurgy, and war, and art, all were discovered in this time.”

“And here is where gaps in the story emerge. 10 billion years ago, there was the First Ragnarok, a cataclysm in which Urgund was torn asunder, and all of the original Old Gods met their doom. The cataclysm produced an explosion, which swept across the universe, and made gods of all whom it touched, the Godwave, as we call it now.”

“The Godwave eventually touched our dimension, and brought forth the two worlds of Niflheim and Muspelheim. Niflheim was in the north of the void, and Muspelheim was in the south. Over the years, warm air from the realm of Fire came and carved Aurgelmir, Ymir, the Living Winter, First of the Frost Giants out of the Ice. Ymir, as you know, is father of all Giants, and his cow, Auðumbla, licked Buri, first of Asgardians, out of the ice. From Buri came Bor, and from Bor came Odin and two brothers. The Borsons hated the Giants, and one day, slew Ymir. Ymir’s blood created a great sea, from his bones, they built mountains, and with his hair, trees. His skull, upon four mighty pillars of uru, held up the heavens and prevented the firmament from crashing into the Earth. Then, finally, Asgard was created by the three brothers, and the Godwave, after it had visited Earth, formed itself into a seed which Odin planted in the rich soil of Asgard, created Yggdrasil. From the World-Tree, the Nine Realms are connected, and anchored. All from this dimension are anchored by the World-Tree.” Valveig finished, Valka frowning in thought.

“My thanks, daughter. Yggdrasil must be protected then---” Valka began, only to cut off as she felt something terrible within her. It was as if her very being had been ripped out of her, and she wailed aloud, and dropped to the ground, writhing. And all Asgard wailed with her, Valveig beside her, screaming. And the Realm Eternal was everlasting no more. The sky darkened, and the celestial bodies seemed to lose their luminescence. The ground blackened and hardened, no longer rich and bountiful. Plants withered, the freshwater lakes were filled with salt, and crops shrunk. Yggdrasil had fallen. And nothing would ever be the same. At long last, Valka struggled up, leaning heavily upon Gungnir. And then, regaining her will, she flung the spear aside, and outstretched her arms. The All-Mother cried aloud with a loud shout which reverberated throughout all Asgard, and then, from her, emanated halycon, aureate energy, its density so great that Valveig shied away from it. “FEAR NOT!” the Silverhand exclaimed, her voice booming and rolling over hill and under tree. And the Valkaforce swept forth, like the Godwave, touching every Asgardian, replacing the void that Yggdrasil’s fall had left within them all. She was their anchor now, the Scion of Asgard.

Reaching out a hand, she pulled Valveig back up, and disappeared, the teleportation energy nearly blinding the Goddess of Stories, for so aglow was Valka.

The All-Mother swifty arrived at where Yggdrasil had been. Though the World-Tree’s roots were embedded into Asgard, its energy, its branches stretched throughout the entire dimension. And she looked at where the roots of the World-Tree had been, and then looked up, into the distance, her eyes revealing the perpetrator of the act: Xyrix.

And Valka heard the words clearly despite the distance between them, and spoke her reply. “I have said it once and shall say it again, Xyrix. We shall endure. And I will not bow.”

And with that, she turned and swept away, her robes fluttering behind her as she returned to the palace to prepare for the Siege of Asgard.

[The Starlight]

Roy listened to Elena's feedback, realizing his attack had not been very difficult for her to respond to. He noted what she said about the tree line and re-examined his surrondings before attacking once more. He darted at top speed for the tree line before turning towards Elena, closing his fists together and using a hammer like strike, once he landed he attempted a leg sweep against Elena, before finally concentrating a ball of dark energy around his fist before striking at Elena's stomach.

"That's better!" shouted Elena as Roy examined his surroundings before using it to his advantage, coming at surprising speed, bringing both of his fists down on her. She swayed to the side, saying as she did so, "Good. Those hammer strikes get even more power if you jump into the air before bringing them down---" her sentence cut off midway by Roy's leg sweep which caught her by surprise, making her stumble, and thus, vulnerable to Roy's energy-enhanced fist which smashed into her stomach, scattering her focus and sending her tumbling to the ground.

"Very good," she said, picking herself back up and wiping the sand from her. "Remember, an unpredictable and pronged attack is the best attack. And so that you don't have to run to the shadows to get extra energy, I suggest, perhaps, seeing if you can draw the darkness to you, making it like a cloak around you. This is how you create your own style, I can't do it for you. Picking it up as we go along will be best, taking the things that you're best at and making it into a fluid combat style. Now, let's continue with kicks. Our legs are quite powerful, and if you can wrap it in a temporary brace of energy to make it harder, even better. However, the tricky thing with kicks is the timing, and again, not overcommitting. Overcommiting can allow your opponent to grab your leg and swing you around. With your legs, you either want to aim for the other person's legs, as you did, the back of their knee, their torso, or their head. But always keep moving, pair kicks with a punch or two. But fighting isn't all that you'll need. Here's something we can do if you're up for it. I get a 5 minute headstart, and your goal is to capture me. Either we do that, or we can work on more specific martial arts or other skills. Your choice."

[Tomia]

Mars
Mars smiled when Kiris shouted that they should go out for pizza when they were done with the job. Her cheerful attitude was really starting to grow on him. "Sure thing Kiris, pizza sounds great." He told her as the team finished preparing and headed aboard the team jet. Mars sat in the center of the jet in the command seat. He made all the pre-flight preparations and soon the plane was in the air, flying high in the sky of Jump City. The jet was using stealth technology so it would be able to approach their target without being too obvious.

Soon, the plane was hovering over their target. It was a large tech corporation that was contracting with the government. They were working on military technological so security in the facility was incredibly high.

"There they are!" Mars shouted, pointing at the screen in the jet that showed the view on the roof. There was a strange dragon like creature, breaking through the roof to the building.

"Damn, what is that thing? It's huge!" Nico said as he sat in his seat, looking at the screen in awe.

"Come on, this is our chance! Let's do this Young Bloods!" Mars shouted, unbuckling his seat and opening the hanger of the jet. He hastily jumped out, as Rocket was dropped from the plane. Mars grabbed onto Rocket, making his way inside before the mech hit the ground.

"Wow, alright then. Mars is certainly excited. Well, let's go!" Nico shouted, jumping out himself, using his sand powers to slowly reach the ground.

Roy
Roy smiled at Elena's compliment. He then stood quietly, soaking in all the advice she was offering him. She really knew a lot about combat. He couldn't believe he somehow found this kind of teacher in a plane crash. He then listened her suggest what they could do next and he smiled again. "Capture you? Well alright, that sounds fun. Seeing more of this island would be cool. Let's do that."

[Urran]

---

Seeing Yoshi simply take the beverage and down it without another word, Nelli considered her offer well-received, and simply resumed her own meal, picking up her burger and continuing to munch on it at a slow and steady pace, feeling in no hurry to finish, unlike her new friend, who was already done with the food she had offered him. Still, despite taking it easy, she was almost done by the time she noticed a change in Yoshi's demeanor, the defenseless young man looking up at her resolutely. Having now finished her meal, the winged girl tilted her head curiously at Yoshi's apparent determination, before hearing him speak and simply chuckling in response, shaking her head.

"So that was it? There is no wound, Yoshi. I hurt myself, but that does not mean I am still hurt. I heal very quickly. Look." The girl spoke, before attempting to demonstrate this. She raised her right hand, showing her palm to Yoshi, and then ran her left index finger across it, drawing a large gash on her palm, her flesh posing no resistance to her finger, which was, for some strange reason, unnaturally sharp at the moment. Blood gushed out, for a bit, but then abruptly stopped, and she used her burger's paper wrapping to clean her hand before showing her palm to Yoshi once again. It was unmarred and perfectly healthy, with no scar to speak of.

"See? I heal quickly." The girl said. "Anyway, do you feel better now?" She asked afterwards, hoping that he would feel stronger, refreshed and less confused now that he'd had the time to eat and drink something.

Yoshi seemed quite fascinated with this new girl's abilities. He'd never seen the like on anyone other than himself, even though he had to conscientiously choose to heal himself or others in order to do so.

Once the wonder had left his face, he shrank back into his hood again, staring at the ground and twidling his thumbs and rubbing his hands a bit. It was a nervous tick that he had developed. "I-I do feel a b-bit better." he said in a soft, near whispered voice. He still had no clue where he was or why. Little did he know that he'd entered a world unlike any other. Was he destined for greatness? Maybe. Did he know of such things? Not a chance. Would he willingly choose to be a hero? Heck no. Right now, he was just shy and scared little Yoshi with no idea what the future would bring.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

What the Green Lantern ring never realized, having simply hovered in front of a closed door to give its message, was that there was no one in that room. In fact, the sole inhabitant of that room was no longer anywhere within the large Justice Tower, though her abssence would not be noticed for a while. Her room looked much the same as it was when she had left in order to help out Cora with her secret mission, though her drawers were open, and some clothes and other personal effects were absent. Perhaps most intriguing or even alarming was the fact that her various consoles and disc boxes all sat in their places, untouched. There was no indication of a forced entry or exit, nor any letter or another thing to point towards the reason the girl from that room was no longer there, though if the others looked carefully they would notice that the elevator was no longer on their floor.

Several blocks away, a figure wearing a red hoodie walked sullenly across the streets, carrying along a dark brown God of War themed rucksack and occasionally looking around carefully, as if afraid of something. It was not yet too late at night, so there were still people walking around the city, but none of them seemed to pay any mind to the hooded girl, and with good reason: there was nothing special about her, and there wouldn't be unless she put on the shades that concealed her identity and brought forth a new one, but there was no reason for her to don them at the moment, and she suspected that there wouldn't be for a while.

Eventually, she found herself in front of a certain door. She took several moments to make up her mind, but finally, she swallowed hard and knocked. After a few moments, a man in his late forties opened the door, looking down at the hooded girl and recognizing her instantly.

"Jamie? What are you doing here?" The man asked.

"M-mister Carpenter... Would you happen to have any free rooms? I-I can pay." She stuttered a little, nervous. The man scratched his head and then walked back into the room, before returning with a key and handing it to the girl.

"Here you go. I can't say no when you've been one of my most well-behaved occupants. Though to be honest, I was hoping you wouldn't have to rent at this place again." The man spoke, his words causing her to look down at the ground and remain silent for a moment.

"...Me too..." She mumbled, before walking off, the man watching with concern as the girl headed for her room.

When she arrived, Jamie simply dropped her rucksack on the ground and plopped down on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for an interval that she could not accurately translate into time units. Her thoughts, as would be expected, revolved around the events of that night. She had gone along with Cora out of a desire to make herself useful to a friend, to help out and do something good. And that was exactly what she thought she was doing, something good. But then, even though they had released plenty of children who were unjustly taken away, Cora and Marybeth got arrested, frightening her and worrying her to no end. And then, when she went to Kylie for help, she got so many mixed signals--a threat, even!--that she wanted to just shout at her to make up her mind.

Though of course, she'd never do that. She didn't have the spine.

She spent the next several moments partially chiding herself for overreacting to what was likely just a minor incident that would blow over soon and partially attempting to justify her actions, but after a while, she realized it didn't even matter. She had left, and now she was here. And now, she didn't know what to do.

Idly, she took out her phone. She thought that perhaps, just perhaps, it would be a good moment to call her-

The ringtone suddenly went off and in a knee-jerk reaction, Jamie rejected the call. Sighing, she threw away her phone in frustration and rolled onto her side. She tried her hardest to sleep and wake up with some idea of how to sort things out, but she failed.

[Siliarba]

Luna

I need to get out of this room for a bit, maybe interact with my supposed allies, being locked up with myself is just asking to get insane, well, more insane. ANd I like my insanity at the level it is, god knows I don't want a 4th Luna to join the other 3 currently in my head. Guess I could try to shift focus on eating for a bit, I've been avoiding the food here for a while now, hard to trust alien food after all. But whatever, you only live once per personality, guess that makes you only live 4 times for me, guess a 5th personality wouldn't be to bad in that regard. I went outside of my room and locked the door before heading downstairs to the kitchen area. Seems I'm not the only one interested in a snack right now, there's miss lantern, I haven't actually interacted with her yet. Might be fun to mess a bit with her.

Before that though, what do they actually have in here, I opened the fridge and frankly I didn't feel like that answered my question of what they have. I did learn a lot from what this planet collected on the internet but without actually tasting anything I only know their nutritional values and cooking methods. I gathered some random stuff from the fridge and moved to what looked like some primitive food heating system. Wait, why does it have a timer that can go in to minutes? The hell you can even put it in hours, does this planets primitive ways have no limits. "How the hell do you handle living in such primitive circumstances? Even something as simple as heating up food is a challenge for this planet." With no one else around this was aimed at miss lantern, even though it was also a general complaint from myself. Regardless, this is a situation I can fix. I placed my hand on the microwave and used my powers and the items in my pocket dimension to upgrade this machine in to something more modern and to my liking.

The newly improved microwave began scanning me and scanning the food I had, the microwave had no door any longer and no back and the top, bottom and the sides it still had were as thin as a piece of paper yet as strong as inch-thick layer of steel. Simply putting the food in and back out a second later I had a cooked meal adjusted to my taste buds. "There, now you at least have one semi-decent thing in this entire building. It's still lacking but I can only do so much with technology from the dark ages."

[Galnius]

-Kylie-

Going to her room, simply changing instead of actually taking her shower, Marybeth collapsed onto her bed in mild frustration. "I swear, this place is going to get torn apart in the future. How can one building be filled with so many...." Marybeth shivered, quite voluntarily. "overbearing emotions." She continued ranting to herself, pointing out to HER the flaws. "'Don't kill, even if they kill. Don't hurt them too hard. Oh, we must work together on everything! Why didn't you let me know you were doing such and such.' Seriously, I'm pretty sure sororities have less stupid emotional rules. Talk about getting in someones way. Why do they care if Cora goes off on her own to do something? Government or not, it's a freaking evil laboratory..."

Getting out of her bed and putting back on her goggles, Marybeth went down to kitchen. Seeing Kylie and a girl she didn't really know...she tried not to roll her eyes, her mind still on her solitary rant. "Do we have any pasta?" She asked, being too lazy and tired to look herself. "Also, who the hell is this?" She said it in a way not exactly kind, but not unkind. More....apathetic.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Kirisvala's mouth twisted into a blissful grin when Mars gave her a positve response. Of course, a good part of it was that she was rather fond of him and enjoyed spending time with him, and the post-mission pizza celebration would allow her to do that some more, not that she needed a terribly good excuse to spend time with him nowadays. But in truth, the pizza factor itself was fairly influential in her good mood, as well. After all, though they had nothing like that on Hadrimmelis (and she was yet to figure out if the people of Adai had come up with a similar dish), pizza had swiftly become one of her favorite meals upon her arrival to Earth and the formation of the Young Bloods. It was widely available to the people of Earth, which explained why they didn't seem to enjoy it as much as she did, but she didn't think much of it and simply enjoyed it whenever she was able to get it, or whenever she managed to coerce ADAM into ordering some. That she could easily burn away the extra fat easily with her training and whatnot was also rather convenient.

She had gotten into the jet while thinking about all of this, and the train of thought was so immersive that she forgot to pay attention to her surroundings. Before she realized it, they had arrived at their destination. Kirisvala looked at the screen as Mars pointed at it, noticing the dragon-like creature, her eyes going wide with surprise for a moment before she managed to calm herself down and convince herself that the creature didn't have anything to do with her people or her Goddess.

Then Mars jumped out.

"Wait, what? Wait!" The Hadrian cried out as she hastily unbuckled her belt as well and jumped out after Mars and Nico, sighing in relief as the former shielded himself within Rocket before landing. Having no flight abilities or any sort of particular equipment, and opting not to potentially destroy someone else's property by using a roar to slow her descent, she simply landed on her claws, the mighty scaly appendages absorbing the impact with ease. Swiftly the girl stood up and then looked at the dragon-like creature, pointing at her with her claw.

"You there! In the name of justice, stop!" She shouted out, in true cheesy superhero cartoon fashion.

---

---

Hearing Yoshi's response to her inquiry, Nelli regarded him with a soft smile. "I'm glad to hear that." She spoke, before taking the now obsolete plastic bag, papper wrappings and drink containers, and dumping them into a nearby public trash bin. With that done, she walked to the nearby wall where she had left her parasol and picked it up, spreading it out and casually holding it in her left hand, supporting it against her shoulder.

"If you're feeling alright now, then we should head elsewhere. The middle of an abandoned alley isn't the right place for someone lost like you. Come with me, I know a place where you can stay for a bit and I'm sure my friends will have no problem helping you." The dark-skinned girl said. Usually a quiet person, she found herself driven to talk for the simple reason that Yoshi himself wasn't terribly talkative, even though communication was a very important thing to have if she wanted to be able to help him out. However, she did not think much of this and simply offered her hand to the young man from another world, wanting to take him back to the Young Bloods' tower so that they would help her sort things out. Clearly, she was unaware that her friends were currently out on a mission.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The day after Christmas

Before leaving that land where every light in the sky was the making of the great dragon that saved the universe, Necromancer was boarded one last time by the dragon's child, who had a strange question for him.

"Why do you do all of this?"

Hearing such a question, the boy smiled. "Because I feel like it." Was the only response, and in his eyes, it was more than sufficient. However, the other person, the man born from the dragon's tampering, did not seem satisfied with this, and asked another thing, seemingly unrelated, though in truth it was quite relevant to the deeds of the boy clad in white and red.

"Then... do you believe in Santa Claus?"

Indeed, to anyone who might've been watching, it would have been a strange, even funny thing to inquire about, and the boy seemed to agree at first, breaking out into a giggle and shaking his head, though if one paid attention, the boy's laughter this time seemed hollow. There was something definitely amiss about it, more so in the manner in which his giggling simply died out in an instant and he looked up at the man.

"No." He replied. The man blinked, finding this quite odd.

"Why not?" He spoke, making his third and final question, and the answer left him chilled.

"Because if he truly existed, if he was truly out there and granted the wishes of the children that behaved well... I would not be here."

With that, the boy simply walked away, back to his companion who awaited at the giant skull that would take them home.

---

"I did not know giant skulls could travel through space this quickly." Nelli remarked as stars seemed to soar past her, though she could only see this through the open jaw and hollow eye sockets of the skull in which she sat. The white-haired boy next to her giggled at her comment.

"It's not the skull, silly. It's the bunch of souls pushing it towards Earth." Necromancer explained as the two waited for the ride to arrive at the blue planet that orbited around Sol. The boy's work was long done by now, and the girl had only come along to keep the formerly distraught boy some company, as he had seemed so angry and vulnerable when she had met him earlier. Nonetheless, they were on the way back to her home now, or at least, her new home.

But then something happened. Necromancer himself could not tell that it was magic, but some of the souls at his service realized and quickly informed him of the fact. Before he could do anything, though, it was over: in a flash of light, Nelli had vanished completely, leaving him alone on the giant skull. Needless to say, the boy was surprised, and also quite annoyed. He was having a very pleasant conversation with his new friend, a new friend that he quite liked, only to have it suddenly interrupted by some sort of sorcery. Of course, he at least knew that no harm had been caused to her, firstly, because he had not yet come into contact with her soul, and secondly, because the magician souls under his command were swift to tell him that the sorcery was not harmful in nature, and was simply a trick to transport her away for some reason, and a trick without malice, at that.

Still, the amortal one was about to follow her, if only out of curiosity and to see where she went, but before he had the chance to order his souls to create a gateway to wherever (and indeed, whenever) she had gone, he was interrupted... by the last figure he expected to see.

"Hello, little boy!" The jolly old man spoke, his voice and his demeanor cheerful as he looked at Necromancer, his sled held aloft by tthe arcane power of the creatures that pulled on it. The man was dressed in white and red, his attire being the basis of the one that Necromancer currently wore. Desspite this, however, the white-haired boy was clearly less than thrilled to see the old man.

"You exist." The boy said. Santa Claus nodded.

"Yes, indeed my boy! I-" The old man began, but was interrupted quite quickly.

"Therefore, you must be useless." Necromancer concluded, angry. "What do you want?" He asked. However, rather than be taken aback, it seemed that Santa had been expecting a similar reaction. All that happened was that his usual smile faded, replaced with a sad expression as he scooted to the edge of his sled which was closer to the boy's unorthodox transport.

"I wanted to thank you, child." He spoke, in a far quieter fashion this time. "I have been watching you as I watch all children, and I know your struggles. But even through all of that, even though I was never able to answer your call, you still decided to help. To use this day to help out everyone you could and give them closure. That is one of the noblest things I have ever seen, and I wanted to thank you, for everything you do. I'm afraid I'm not powerful enough to grant what you asked for so many times in the past, but I do have something that I want to give to you, if you will accept it." The old man stated. Necromancer eyed him angrily, but then averted his gaze, which softened a little.

"What do you have that I could want, anyway...?" The boy mumbled in frustration.

"Perhaps nothing. But if you get onto the sled, I can at least show you." The old man pleaded.

For the longest moment, Necromancer continued to look away, pondering the situation. But eventually, a completely irrational part of him won, as he soon came to find that biter-tasting, awful illusion that he didn't know he still possessed within himself. Hope. A sliver of it surfaced, barely able to even exist in the black void that was Necromancer's metaphorical heart, but it was enough to push him to accept the offer and so, reluctantly, he glanced at Santa and nodded, before hopping onto the back seat of the sled. Santa Claus immediately took off, as if to head back to his workshop to show Necromancer what he had in store for him. But as the trip dragged on, the boy began to feel sleepy... terribly sleepy... and unable to maintain consciousness any longer, he fell into a deep slumber in the back seat of Santa's sled.

When he woke up, everything around him had changed.

[Urran]

Hearing Yoshi's response to her inquiry, Nelli regarded him with a soft smile. "I'm glad to hear that." She spoke, before taking the now obsolete plastic bag, papper wrappings and drink containers, and dumping them into a nearby public trash bin. With that done, she walked to the nearby wall where she had left her parasol and picked it up, spreading it out and casually holding it in her left hand, supporting it against her shoulder.

"If you're feeling alright now, then we should head elsewhere. The middle of an abandoned alley isn't the right place for someone lost like you. Come with me, I know a place where you can stay for a bit and I'm sure my friends will have no problem helping you." The dark-skinned girl said. Usually a quiet person, she found herself driven to talk for the simple reason that Yoshi himself wasn't terribly talkative, even though communication was a very important thing to have if she wanted to be able to help him out. However, she did not think much of this and simply offered her hand to the young man from another world, wanting to take him back to the Young Bloods' tower so that they would help her sort things out. Clearly, she was unaware that her friends were currently out on a mission.

Yoshi stared at her hand for a moment or two before reaching out and taking it uncertainly and standing slowly to his feet. He was happy for the help, and did not have much choice but to go with her, but he still suffered from trust and abandonment issues. He had no idea that he had just linked up with a team of superheroes without knowing it.

OOC: sorry for terrible post, but I promised one and am currently on the go.

[The Starlight]

Mother Earth

Valancy had come back to New York City to rest after being in a coma. But after a few days, she realized that she had far too great of a duty to rest and relax. But her service, to those who dwelt on her, was joyful within itself, despite how tired it caused her to be. In her trip to Africa, she had only healed the superficial, but the deeper wounds of that great, spacious continent, and the entirety of Earth remained. Gaea had given up, in her mission, had dismissed humans. Valancy despised her mother for that, for possessing the power to effect great change, but doing nothing.

She was tired of the wars and the blood which soaked into her skin. She was tired of the injustices of the world, of rape and murder and human trafficking. The heroes of yesterday, and the heroes of today were afraid of themselves, of their own power. In some respects, that was correct. And she still knew that she could not save everyone. However, what she could do is save all that she could. It was the trafficking of men and women that she hated most, that some who walked upon her found it within themselves to treat other human beings as less than human, as property, and beasts, to be used at their owner's pleasure. As many as 4 million people are sold into slavery each year. 4 Million. It was incomprehensible, the scale of it, and yet, she would grab it by the roots and tear it all down. One by one, if necessary. And while she could not be everywhere at once---

Valancy paused at that thought. She was the embodiment of Earth, which was everywhere. She already had a global network, of birds, grass, plants and animals, at her command, a network that could turn into an army as well. And within her was the power of a Primordial. Why could she not be everywhere at once?

And so, floraporting to an empty lot of grass, she raised her hand and thought. Clumps of soil, grass and mud began to come together, slowly, to form an exact replica of herself. But it was an empty vessel, without the spark of life. And while she could not create human life, she could create plant life, and so, she rearranged the organs within the vessel to make it a plant, one that could move. She looked at what she had created now, the final step being the initiation of life. And so, she snapped her fingers, making it alive, in a way. What she sought to create were plant avatars of herself, with a portion of her powers, all connected to herself and to each other, as with a hive mind. They were not alive, rather, she controlled them, but they did have minds, and thoughts, and they were her, after a fashion.

After looking upon this...avatar, she lifted her eyes to the sky. Fear of power had served her well, but that age was over. She was Mother Earth. She was stone and rock and earth, she was root and branch, crust and volcano. It was intolerable that these injustices continued. And so, she manifested her will. All around the world, there was a faint tremble, and then a cracking of ground, splitting forth to issue forth itself in human form. And these avatars began to walk, whether they were on plain or mountain, or city, towards the nearest injustice that Valancy had commanded all of Animalia and Plantae to monitor and identify. The orphaned, the raped, the exploited, the oppressed. They had all suffered upon her for too long now.

[The Starlight]

It was a battle between two sides who thought themselves to be good men and women. No. It was not a battle. This would become war--bloody, senseless, terrible war, the kind that makes monsters out of men. But perhaps monsters of men is inaccurate, for at their basest, at their lowest, man is a monster. And woe betide all when monsters roam and run the world free.

CIVIL WAR
Unum

It was a strange day, May 6th. It was the day that historians in the decades to come would record as the beginning of the Civil War. The official beginning that is, for it had been in the making for several years, brewing beneath the surface, bubbling higher and higher until it burst. Too many events had hardened hearts to turn back now. Privacy and security had clashed before, but nothing like this. Not with worldbusters with fists drawn back facing each other down. Fate had called for a reckoning, and the heroes had answered.

In the vast ocean that was the Atlantic, to the North, one side had gathered, on Travenios. They had called themselves the Secret League, in their opposition to the Registration. Each had their own reasons for joining---some, to preserve their family’s safety, others, in the memory of those lost---but they were united...for now. Among their numbers were Batman and his family, Captain America, the Falcon, Wolverine, Hercules, Green Arrow, Daredevil and more.They all sat in their chairs in an large, empty room at a circular table.

“Where is he, Cap? There’s heads we could be busting while tech boy gets his butt down here.” Wolverine growled, idly extracting and retracting his adamantium claws.

“My apologies, Logan,” said a small, slightly strained voice toward the door, all eyes turning to its source, Craig Thomsen, limping in, his face bloody, shoulder hanging limp, Etla supporting him with a worried look on her face. “I had a run-in with the Hulk.” he stated, before slumping into a chair, grabbing his shoulder and wincing. Etla, with a small smile on her face, took it in her hands and relocated it, making Craig yelp. “Thanks, Etla.”

“How did it happen?” Captain America asked.

“I was attempting to convince Banner of the detriments of Registration, he disagreed, and we got into a yelling match where we shouted our respective reasons for each other and the things we had undergone. He got angry. It did not end well for me.” Craig said briefly. “Have I said how much I hate Hulks? Anyway...thank you all for coming. I’ll cut to the chase. We are behind the curve. We are currently reacting, and I’d like us to be in a proactive state. We need to figure out what the Reggies are doing, and how they plan to stomp us out. And moreover, we need a plan, to get the Registration Act repealed. My lawyers are working on it, but there is no current path, really, with Travenios not being part of the U.N. Captain America, Batman and I have created individual or team plans for each of you...”

Meanwhile in Avengers Tower, a similar but opposite discussion was taking place between Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Hank Pym, Superman, and the rest of the Pro-Registration supporters. Stark began. “This is war, everybody, make no mistake about it. And the only way to win this one is to win the hearts of the people, and stay the good guys, paint them as the bad guys….”

A few hours later...

Craig was the last person left in the Imaginarium, when he was alerted that Stark Industries had been quietly beginning to buy stock in his company. “Of course he has,” he murmured to himself, before setting in place plans to do the same thing to Stark Industries quietly. “Let the war begin.”

Teleporting to New York City, Craig looked up at the Baxter Building. “Well, hello again,” he said, before stepping up to the console, which recognized him and admitted him. He walked through the empty halls, going up to Reed’s level, where he heard a voice welcome him. “Craig! Come on in, on your left.”

The artificer entered, to behold a slightly dimmed room, with classical music playing in the background, with the World’s Smartest Man pouring two glasses of wine, and offering one to Craig, who accepted it and sat down across from Reed.

“Have you heard of the game Go, Craig? I find it fascinating. Invented during the Zhou Dynasty, the goal of the game is to surround as much of the board as possible. As simple as it sounds, the number of possible Go games far exceeds the amount of atoms in the known Universe. You and I should play sometime,” said Mr. Fantastic, Craig chuckling shortly in response.

“We’re already playing, Reed. But that’s the problem with you and me, Stark, Banner, Pym and Victor. We think everything’s a game, that we can predict everything with our simulations and projections.”

“It’s not a matter of thinking, Craig. The five of us can predict every move that you, T’Challa and Steve will make. For example, we predicted who you would call together, and where would you send each of your Secret Leaguers. We knew that you would come here and try to talk me into joining your side. At this moment, several members of your team are being apprehended and caught.”

“Then tell me, Reed. Did you predict Stamford would happen?” Craig challenged with a face a stone.

Reed looked down, shaking his head.“...No. No one could have predicted that but a clairvoyant.”

“Exactly. Now the five of you are a force to be reckoned with, and the sheer power of your Pro-Registration team greatly overshadows ours. But you have gravely underestimated me, Reed. The Secret Leaguers that you supposedly captured? Life-Model Decoys, though you may have actually gotten one or two. Stark’s attempt to buy stock in my company? I’m stomping out that fire. The U.N. sanctions against Travenios? They will make things difficult, but you again underestimate how global Thomsen Tech is. Do you know how many products I could turn off with a snap of my fingers, how the economy would falter if I withdrew all of my assets? It would incite global panic. But I’m not going to bring the safety of millions into this little war of ours. And I know what you’re going to say next, the Dyson Sphere. You would have to think me a madman to actually use that in combat, it’ll be finally used to solve the world’s energy problems. And while you were arresting LMDs, we were freeing Susan, Ben and Johnny, along with a few other things I won’t disclose. Moreover, Reed, you better adjust those simulations, because you’ve failed to account for just how angry I am. I will not place the safety of families into the hands of the government that waterboarded me, the government that scarred my back, my mind, and nearly killed me.”

“Impressive,” Reed said, putting down his wine. “However, Craig, we cannot continue on this road. I have seen what happened, by looking into thousands of different realities. This will end well for no one.”

“You know when I tried to do the same thing, what happened? Eternity showed up and told me it wasn’t worth it to tear holes in space-time. He told me that the solution came within me. And I’ve already presented my alternative, and I will continue to do so. We think too much with our heads instead of our hearts. But you’re right about one thing. This isn’t going to end well. But in order to preserve the liberties of heroes, it must be done. No matter the cost. You’re being used, Reed, being played like a harp. When they start trying to kill me, start really cracking down and you protest, they will turn on you and slice your belly open after stabbing you in the back.”

“How did this happen to us? Where did all this hate come from? You used to be a good man.” Reed asked as Craig drank the rest of his wine.

“ARGUS Base #13, Level 45 happened, Reed. The good man went into a shell and hid. And this lesser version of myself emerged. Good men have no place in war, Reed. So I made myself into a man again.” Craig said solemnly, before disappearing in a shimmer of light.

[Illica Falki]

---

Kirisvala's mouth twisted into a blissful grin when Mars gave her a positve response. Of course, a good part of it was that she was rather fond of him and enjoyed spending time with him, and the post-mission pizza celebration would allow her to do that some more, not that she needed a terribly good excuse to spend time with him nowadays. But in truth, the pizza factor itself was fairly influential in her good mood, as well. After all, though they had nothing like that on Hadrimmelis (and she was yet to figure out if the people of Adai had come up with a similar dish), pizza had swiftly become one of her favorite meals upon her arrival to Earth and the formation of the Young Bloods. It was widely available to the people of Earth, which explained why they didn't seem to enjoy it as much as she did, but she didn't think much of it and simply enjoyed it whenever she was able to get it, or whenever she managed to coerce ADAM into ordering some. That she could easily burn away the extra fat easily with her training and whatnot was also rather convenient.

She had gotten into the jet while thinking about all of this, and the train of thought was so immersive that she forgot to pay attention to her surroundings. Before she realized it, they had arrived at their destination. Kirisvala looked at the screen as Mars pointed at it, noticing the dragon-like creature, her eyes going wide with surprise for a moment before she managed to calm herself down and convince herself that the creature didn't have anything to do with her people or her Goddess.

Then Mars jumped out.

"Wait, what? Wait!" The Hadrian cried out as she hastily unbuckled her belt as well and jumped out after Mars and Nico, sighing in relief as the former shielded himself within Rocket before landing. Having no flight abilities or any sort of particular equipment, and opting not to potentially destroy someone else's property by using a roar to slow her descent, she simply landed on her claws, the mighty scaly appendages absorbing the impact with ease. Swiftly the girl stood up and then looked at the dragon-like creature, pointing at her with her claw.

"You there! In the name of justice, stop!" She shouted out, in true cheesy superhero cartoon fashion.

Ava
Ava spent the entire ride sitting on Vera's Helmet heads and listening to their conversation. She didn't understand the specifics, but she didn't really care. Just before they arrive, she gets up and flies closer to the door, This was her first mission, and she was ready. She noticed the screen later then everyone else, and states the obvious "That's a Big dragon..." She turns to everyone else, only to see Mars, Nico and Kiris jump out the now open door. "Hey! Wait for Me!" She shouts before rushing out. Wanting to show her power, she summons her sword into her hand, and uses her magic to rush the dragon and swing her sword. She swings her sword with enough speed that the blade leaves an after image as she speeds right past the dragon, and embeds the sword into the roof.Thinking she's did something , she turns around, only to see she completely missed, which left her scratching her head, "...How did I miss?"
Vera
Most of the ride, while the others were socializing, Vera was checking her equipment. She occasionally glanced over towards Nico, something that was hidden to the others by her helmet. She caught herself occasionally, and she couldn't figure out why she was doing it, especially why she was only doing it to Nico. It made her felt oddly uncomfortable, like she had a knot in her stomach, something she's never felt before.
Luckily it's not that long until they arrive, and she can divert her attention to the screen, surprised to see of all things a dragon. As she sees Mars and Nico Jump out, She tries call out "Guys! We Need a-" but is cut off as Kiris and Ava leave too. "-plan..." she mutters to herself, before lowering herself into the battle with her grappling hook.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The dark steed from before time itself lightly ventured through the wilderness at a pace that was, to humans, a swift gallop, though it was little more than a simple walk to it. Eventually, the Phantom Horse reached an empty field with nary a soul nor a building in sight, and so, the figure who rode atop the ancient beast, a young woman with short blonde hair, commanded it to stop, the horse coming to a halt in the midst of that serene field.

"Good job, Shadow." Garnet spoke to the creature as she patted its head, only receiving an apathetic snort in response. Chuckling, the woman shook her head and then swiftly dismounted, looking around. Indeed, she and Shadow were all alone in that place, and so, she put herself to work. Slung across her shoulder was a duffel bag which she took off and then placed on the ground, retrieving and laying down its contents afterwards. All of her artifacts were there, along with a sheathed sword she had taken from Masami and a special belt she'd acquired from somewhere that was simultaneously a gun and a sword belt. It was this last piece of equipment the one she donned first, placing her scabbard on it, along with Misery. Then came the rest of her artifacts: the twin bracelets, the gauntlet, and the eerie stone mask. Beyond all of this, she had no other gear, certainly nothing that served a defensive purpose, but even then, if there was something clear it was that Garnet was gearing herself up for war.

Suddenly, a rustling of the trees near the edge of the clearing alerted her to the presence of someone or something else, and immediately, the blonde woman unholstered Misery and pointed it at the exact location of the new arrival before it even had the chance to show itself. However, she did not shoot yet. She simply issued a warning which she hoped would be enough of an incentive for the intruder to come out.

"Let me see you and don't try anything funny, or I'll shoot." She spoke, her stare grim.

"Wait wait wait, don't shoot, it's just me!" Spoke a familiar voice, and soon enough, a boy emerged from the trees, holding up a sword sheated in a black scabbard. It took barely a second for Garnet to recognize him, and when she did, her gaze softened and she put holstered her gun, crossing her arms instead as she continued staring at him.

"Akihiko? What in the world are you doing here? You didn't think that following me around was a good idea, did you?" She questioned him, not quite mad but simply annoyed, in a way strikingly similar to how an older sister would question a little brother.

"Well, yes, er, no. Um... I didn't think it was a good idea, but, did you expect me not to think that something's up when you grab all your things and take off on your ghost horse without saying a thing? Was I supposed to think that you stealing a sword is normal? Come on. You live under my roof, it's only normal that I'd want to know!" The boy retorted, causing Garnet to raise an eyebrow.

"You mean your mother's roof." Garnet shot back, to which Akihiko scowled, an embarrassed red spreading through his face. The blonde smirked at the success of her comment in disarming him, though she said nothing.

"T-that doesn't change anything! I still worry when you go around doing strange things in my mother's house, and with all the more reason, don't you think? Would you like to have someone acting like that anywhere near your family?" Akihiko questioned her, before sighing and looking away. "You three have become like a part of my family since you arrived, but... that doesn't mean you're not dangerous." He stated.

What Garnet did afterwards was something that surprised him. She stepped forward and ruffled his hair, causing him to blush a little more. He almost felt like snarling at her, but refrained for the sole reason that she was clearly not doing out of malice this time.

"I understand. If my mother was still alive... I'd want to keep her safe as much as I can, too." She said, with a smile on her face that looked a tad forlorn. "If you must know, I'm here to finish something that started months ago, and I wanted to do it by myself, without worrying you or Masami. I've grown rather fond of you all as well, and I'd rather not have to make you concerned, but this is something I have to do." She explained, and Akihiko frowned at this, seeming deep in thought before looking up at her with resolve in his stare.

"Then I'll go with you." He stated. Garnet's eyes went wide in surprise for a moment before she replied.

"No." She spoke sternly. "No, no. It's dangerous. And aren't you supposed to be looking after your mother instead of coming with me to god-knows-where?" She told him, partly to get him to desist, but in truth, she really did not know where she was going; she had seen the place before, and it was eerily familiar by now, but she did not know where it was, nor what was its name.

"Well... She'll probably be safe while I'm gone with Akari and Masami by her side. That dumb cat would fight with tooth and claw to protect her source of tuna." Akihiko replied, chuckling, a soft smile appearing on his face as he thought back to the Nekomata, though he quickly wiped it off his face, slightly embarrassed, and put on a more determined expression. "So, I want to help you instead. You've also become more or less family to me, like I said." He stated. Garnet fowned, and paced around for a bit, clearly thinking very hard about the matter.

In the end, she sighed and turned back to Akihiko. "Fine. You can come with me, but be very careful and if you feel like you're in danger, run away. I'll try to protect you but I don't know what we're going to find." She told him sternly, clearly worried about his well-being. He, however, merely smirked.

"Shouldn't the man be the one who promises to protect the girl?" Akihiko spoke. His response was a bump on the head.

"Maybe I'd find that charming if I hadn't stopped being a teen like you about six or seven years ago. Now stop being silly and let's get going." The blonde stated, before walking back to Shadow and patting its head. She then raised one of her arms, and the gemstone on one of her bracelets, Longing, began to glow brightly with both blue and orange light, before a portal appeared in front of them, leading to an ancient dome in another world, with sempiternal embers caught within dancing crystals, and a large hole in the ceiling. There was no scarred, weeping crimson moon in the sky anymore, and instead a part of the sky was obscured by an enormous red cloud, an ominous sign of the moon's destiny. The sight of this sent chills down the blonde woman's spine, but she steeled herself and walked towards the large unmarked door at the opposite end of the dome, putting on a brave face, Shadow following her closely.

"What's this place?" Akihiko asked after looking around, quite puzzled by the change in scenery, quickly catching up with Shadow and Garnet to avoid straying away from the latter in this unknown land. Garnet's response to his question came in a soft muttering that was as vague as it was eerie.

"A place I see in dreams and visions. The place where I'm going to put an end to my war."

[Charmera]

Katie look at Cora, then paused, silent, not really sure what to say at first. What to feel either. Anger? Confusion? Relief? "Cora..." She started, then frowned. She had been worried sick about her. She wanted to wrap her in a hug and not let her go. If she was going to do anything she needed to know, everything. All the information, from Cora. She paused. She almost seemed to be tearing up slightly. Ignoring the overwhelming urge to embrace Cora was nearly making her physically sick. She didn't want to be upset, but she couldn't really help it. "Cora... please... first just... Explain what happened. From beginning to end. I need to know..."

Cora looked at Katie, who looked very upset and almost seemed to be crying. Cora was struggling not to hug Katie just as much, but somehow managed to restrain herself. She was feeling enormously guilty for distressing Katie, especially since Katie didn’t immediately shoot off on her, and rather wanted to hear her side of the story. Cora took a deep breath before speaking like Katie asked her to.

“I was going along with my work for the day. It was nothing big, escorting some prisoners to a high security facility, when one of my friends who was an administrator in the prison alerted me to something. He told me that kids were disappearing from the local juvenile prison nearby. Well naturally I was curious so I asked him for help investigating. He got himself transferred to the facility, and that’s when we found out what was going on.”

Cora paused, this part was hard for her.

“The government had restarted the android program. They were taking these kids from these detention centers and bringing them to some lab… It was just like the one they held me in.” Cora said, her mind rushing with anger again. She clenched her fists, trying to control her rage.

“I couldn’t let that happen again Katie. You know what they did to me, and I just couldn’t let them do that to anyone else, ever again. So, I decided I would destroy it. Just get rid of it so they couldn’t use it again. I needed back up though. So I went to Jamie for help.” Cora paused for a moment.

“I know I should have come to you Katie. But I knew you’d try to talk me out of it. You don’t like violence and I knew you wouldn’t agree with it. I just… Didn’t want to hear that in the moment. I was angry and wanted revenge. So Jamie agreed to help me and then Marybeth overheard us and came along as well. We went to the prison and tracked down the facility. We then stormed the place and blew it up. Don’t worry, no one died. There were some injuries but we did our best to take care of it. Before we could escape, the police showed up and Marybeth and I were arrested.” Cora finished the account of the story and then stood there quietly, wondering what Katie might say.

Katie paused, looking at Cora. "Don't...worry?" She asked. Then frowned. She shook her head. "You've destroyed a government facility, got yourself arrested, created a PR disaster for the JQ and pissed off our employers. All of this, without even telling me!" She snapped. Her voice level until that final point. "Cora! We're a team! A group! We WORK TOGETHER. I was with you when we went back to the lab you were made in! I know what they did to you! I would have helped! I could have made sure we did this right! We have government contacts for a reason! Instead, now you've put everything at risk, because you thought that I shouldn't know. You went behind my back! Our backs! What am I supposed to tell Naja, Val and Kylie! What!?" She hyperventalated, stressed out and tired. "God! Why do I even bother doing the paper work for any of this when people go behind my back!? How am I supposed to keep us together when you won't even trust me!?"

[Tomia]

Katie paused, looking at Cora. "Don't...worry?" She asked. Then frowned. She shook her head. "You've destroyed a government facility, got yourself arrested, created a PR disaster for the JQ and pissed off our employers. All of this, without even telling me!" She snapped. Her voice level until that final point. "Cora! We're a team! A group! We WORK TOGETHER. I was with you when we went back to the lab you were made in! I know what they did to you! I would have helped! I could have made sure we did this right! We have government contacts for a reason! Instead, now you've put everything at risk, because you thought that I shouldn't know. You went behind my back! Our backs! What am I supposed to tell Naja, Val and Kylie! What!?" She hyperventalated, stressed out and tired. "God! Why do I even bother doing the paper work for any of this when people go behind my back!? How am I supposed to keep us together when you won't even trust me!?"

Cora listened as Katie yelled at her. She was a little taken a back at Katie's rising tone. She felt bad that she was so upset, but Cora was getting fed up with people telling her she was being irresponsible and should have calmed down and waited. She was being treated like a child and she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Katie, I'm sorry if I messed up. You know I didn't want to hurt our team. But I don't need your permission to do what I think is right!" Cora said, her voice raising a bit as well. "I'm not a child. I don't need you or Kylie to hold my hand. I can make my own decisions! I was angry alright. I didn't want to wait around for the government to decide to was okay. They were the ones who did this in the first place! And I'm sorry Katie, but you don't know what I went through. You have no idea, and you can't pretend that you do just because I took you to an old lab and cried on your shoulder. I went through hell, every day FOR YEARS. Those kids will be spared that because of me. And I won't apologize for that!" Cora shouted angrily.

[The Starlight]

Kindling of the Light

This is a story of light and dark. But more so, it is a story of light and unlight, the total absence of light, oblivion, you will. A wise man once said that , ‘ He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.’
And so, in this story, we shall answer the question, what is the nature of unlight?

After her training with Roy was complete, she flew back to Antarctica, making sure this time that she was properly stocked and prepared. It was noon when she arrived, and so she could easily spot the crevasse from several hundred feet above in her force-field bubble. And so, she descended, and stood before the massive gate to the stars. It was of seemingly simple design, a characteristic which belied its wonder. Humanity had dreamed of grasping, discovering the stars, and it was possible now, more than ever before. Infinity laid beyond the arc, within her reach, if that was believable. And she knew what she was doing was beyond dangerous. The stars held wonder, and twinkled oh-so radiantly, but they also held unknown, unforseen dangers. There were races capable of wiping out planets, of destruction beyond that which Earth had ever known. And if one of them were to discover that Earth held an active Stargate, doom was all-but assured. That said, she could not turn away, not after she had seen so little.

And so, with a wide smile on her face, she laid force-field layers around her, and then strode over to the console, selecting another random combination of six glyphs, followed by the home beacon--the A-like glyph which signified where she was now--as she had begun to call it. Elena watched, childish wonderment glowing on her mien as the Stargate ground itself into action, her smile stretching wider as the Stargate opened.

And then, without further thought, she stepped through. It was a step of faith, really, as she had no idea where she would end up in the universe, however, there had to be a way to track where she had gone. She would have to contact the experts in the field later, but now was the time for exploration, she thought, as the light at the end of the tunnel the Stargate had created through space brightened, signifying an end to her journey. And so, she emerged, into a dusty, shut room. The Stargate was a relic in a museum that had no visitors, and she quickly examined a few of the exhibits. One, directly to her right, was enclosed in a glass case, a seemingly simple diamond which simply said, ‘The First Shard.’

Other cases featured strange swords, torn pennants and old books, which she figured that she could examine more in detail if the inhabitants of this planet--if they still lived--were friendly. WIthout further ado, she strode purposefully towards the double doors--engraved with whorls of exotic design-- and pushed them open, the hinges sounding their groaning.

She emerged, to find herself in Middle-Earth.

Or at least, seemed to be Middle-Earth. It was a realm unlike any that she had seen on Earth. It was a city upon which 2 suns shined, from the east and from the west. It rested within a valley, the city., Possessing bountiful, vibrant trees and gardens, and stone pillars and steps that led up a side of a mountain, upon which a shining palace stood, the city was fantastical. Liveforms mingled below where she stood, in the streets below, pointing up at her. She observed a person flying up to the summit of the mountain, apparently to alert someone of authority of her arrival. Soon after, a group of armored beings, apparently floating on a circle not unlike those she made with her powers, approached, and the one in the lead, his head girded in a golden helmet, hailed her. “ Who are you? And from whence did you come?”

“My name is Elena Galadera, and I am from another world. I came from the Stargate within the museum.” She explained calmly.

The golden-helmeted soldier frowned as he looked over her. “Your clothes are indeed foreign, and you speak the Old tongue. The queen will decide what to do with you.” He said in what seemed to be broken English to Elena. Speaking to his soldiers in a foreign language, they nodded and rushed forward, grabbing the human not too gently, ushering her onto the platform. And then, by some mechanism or power, they floated off into the sky, towards the mountaintop. It was a short ride, and all conversation she attempted was either ignored or abruptly ended.

Atop of the mountain was a shining castle that shimmered in the overhanging suns, the leader introducing it with discernable pride in his voice. “Queen Irithren the Valiant sits upon the Morning Throne, in the Twilight Fortress. The mountain has never fallen to a foe, nor shall it, not while we yet stand,” he said as they landed.

“Now, surrender any weapons that you have. If you are determined not to be a foe, then they shall be returned to you,” said another guard as her leader was admitted into the castle which towered above them.

Elena did as told, handing over a couple of hidden knives, and then was, surrounded by guards, admitted into the throne room, walking towards a solitary figure on a throne that was crowned by a golden, rising sun. Elena beheld this Queen Irithren, who was younger than she expected, even perhaps close to her own age. She had long black hair, and was arrayed in what appeared to be a battle-dress, with a sheathed sword lying across her lap. As all of the guards around her kneeled, Elena remained standing, much to their consternation. In anger, one of the guards slammed his spear into the back of her knee, making her grunt and stumble, the guard forcing her down as he hissed, “Bow!”

Elena, now, complied without struggle, turning her eyes to the Queen’s, which examined this foreign being.

“Why did you not bow?” the Queen asked more articulate in English--what they called the Old Tongue--than the guards.

“Because, with all due respect, Queen, I am a foreign dignitary, an explorer of worlds, not one of your lieged.”

Irithren nodded and spoke out a single foreign word, the guards releasing Elena immediately, permitting her to rise. “You say you are an explorer of worlds, speaking the Old Tongue that our forefathers spoke and that you came through the Stargate which has never before, in my knowledge, brought a foreigner to our world of Solunæ. Why have you come?”

“I came here by chance, actually. To operate the Stargate, one must enter several sigils on a control console. Through this method, I have been exploring worlds, not to conquer, but to learn and simply explore.” Replied Elena.

“Tell me of your world then, Elena, and I will tell you of mine. An exchange of information, if you will, to begin interaction. We have known for quite some time that we are not alone, but we have yet to touch and travel the stars.”

“Believe me, o queen, you are definitely not alone. There are millions of worlds, some of them friendly, and others...not so much.”

“And which is your planet?” Queried Irithren.

“To be honest, I’m not certain. I’ll get to that later. But let me begin by telling you of my world. It is called Earth, a round globe with seven continents…”

[Siliarba]

-Kylie-

Going to her room, simply changing instead of actually taking her shower, Marybeth collapsed onto her bed in mild frustration. "I swear, this place is going to get torn apart in the future. How can one building be filled with so many...." Marybeth shivered, quite voluntarily. "overbearing emotions." She continued ranting to herself, pointing out to HER the flaws. "'Don't kill, even if they kill. Don't hurt them too hard. Oh, we must work together on everything! Why didn't you let me know you were doing such and such.' Seriously, I'm pretty sure sororities have less stupid emotional rules. Talk about getting in someones way. Why do they care if Cora goes off on her own to do something? Government or not, it's a freaking evil laboratory..."

Getting out of her bed and putting back on her goggles, Marybeth went down to kitchen. Seeing Kylie and a girl she didn't really know...she tried not to roll her eyes, her mind still on her solitary rant. "Do we have any pasta?" She asked, being too lazy and tired to look herself. "Also, who the hell is this?" She said it in a way not exactly kind, but not unkind. More....apathetic.

Luna

Oh look, another primitive, whatever that's some extra entertainment I suppose. "Hi, I'm Luna, the person with an iq higher than everyone in this building combined and multiplied with itself. And the one that attempted to fix your primitive food heating device, it heats things up in a second but it still needs to scan you and it can't change molecules to much, you put in eggs it's gonna make something with eggs. But I can only do so much with dark age technology. Now, to return the question, who the hell are you?" I couldn't help but giggle a bit "No need to answer if you don't want to, I'm asking out of courtesy. Everyone on this planet is easily analysed in a couple of seconds, also, I hacked pretty much everything that could be hacked in this place during my hours of boredom in my room. This planet really has nothing worth learning about, though I'll admit it has it's fun aspects."

Maybe I was going a bit overboard but I need my fun darn it.

[Galnius]

Going to her room, simply changing instead of actually taking her shower, Marybeth collapsed onto her bed in mild frustration. "I swear, this place is going to get torn apart in the future. How can one building be filled with so many...." Marybeth shivered, quite voluntarily. "overbearing emotions." She continued ranting to herself, pointing out to HER the flaws. "'Don't kill, even if they kill. Don't hurt them too hard. Oh, we must work together on everything! Why didn't you let me know you were doing such and such.' Seriously, I'm pretty sure sororities have less stupid emotional rules. Talk about getting in someones way. Why do they care if Cora goes off on her own to do something? Government or not, it's a freaking evil laboratory..."

Getting out of her bed and putting back on her goggles, Marybeth went down to kitchen. Seeing Kylie and a girl she didn't really know...she tried not to roll her eyes, her mind still on her solitary rant. "Do we have any pasta?" She asked, being too lazy and tired to look herself. "Also, who the hell is this?" She said it in a way not exactly kind, but not unkind. More....apathetic.

Luna

Oh look, another primitive, whatever that's some extra entertainment I suppose. "Hi, I'm Luna, the person with an iq higher than everyone in this building combined and multiplied with itself. And the one that attempted to fix your primitive food heating device, it heats things up in a second but it still needs to scan you and it can't change molecules to much, you put in eggs it's gonna make something with eggs. But I can only do so much with dark age technology. Now, to return the question, who the hell are you?" I couldn't help but giggle a bit "No need to answer if you don't want to, I'm asking out of courtesy. Everyone on this planet is easily analysed in a couple of seconds, also, I hacked pretty much everything that could be hacked in this place during my hours of boredom in my room. This planet really has nothing worth learning about, though I'll admit it has it's fun aspects."

Maybe I was going a bit overboard but I need my fun darn it.

Marybeth raised an eyebrow, both intrigued and entertained by someone who appeared to have a superiority complex on par with her own. "Marybeth, the only person here with any balls. In case your hyperactive mind can't comprehend modern slang, it means I'm willing to do what needs to be done without the paperwork. By my analysis of you, I would recommend a job as a secretary. You could hardly survive out there ranting on about nothing. Let me guess, all brain, no brawn? I suppose not all can be blessed." Still not moving from her position, she tried looking over Kylie into the fridge. "No leftover spaghetti. Disappointing. Hey, Moony, mind looking in the cupboard for some noodles? They are in this thing called a box, long and thin. If a guy is behind it, thats not noodles. Not any I'm interested in at the moment, at least."

[Charmera]

Katie paused, looking at Cora. "Don't...worry?" She asked. Then frowned. She shook her head. "You've destroyed a government facility, got yourself arrested, created a PR disaster for the JQ and pissed off our employers. All of this, without even telling me!" She snapped. Her voice level until that final point. "Cora! We're a team! A group! We WORK TOGETHER. I was with you when we went back to the lab you were made in! I know what they did to you! I would have helped! I could have made sure we did this right! We have government contacts for a reason! Instead, now you've put everything at risk, because you thought that I shouldn't know. You went behind my back! Our backs! What am I supposed to tell Naja, Val and Kylie! What!?" She hyperventalated, stressed out and tired. "God! Why do I even bother doing the paper work for any of this when people go behind my back!? How am I supposed to keep us together when you won't even trust me!?"

Cora listened as Katie yelled at her. She was a little taken a back at Katie's rising tone. She felt bad that she was so upset, but Cora was getting fed up with people telling her she was being irresponsible and should have calmed down and waited. She was being treated like a child and she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Katie, I'm sorry if I messed up. You know I didn't want to hurt our team. But I don't need your permission to do what I think is right!" Cora said, her voice raising a bit as well. "I'm not a child. I don't need you or Kylie to hold my hand. I can make my own decisions! I was angry alright. I didn't want to wait around for the government to decide to was okay. They were the ones who did this in the first place! And I'm sorry Katie, but you don't know what I went through. You have no idea, and you can't pretend that you do just because I took you to an old lab and cried on your shoulder. I went through hell, every day FOR YEARS. Those kids will be spared that because of me. And I won't apologize for that!" Cora shouted angrily.

"You think that actually helped? People like this don't stop just because you blow up their base! Those kids could be picked up at any time by the government again! Any of the people responsible for the program could start it again with new kids!" She shouted. She shook her head. "Now you've shown them our hand! If you had come back here and reported it through the right channels, we could have maneuvered our shield contacts, gained intel and figured out who we were dealing with. We could have cut their funding and cut off the head of the beast rather than having a temper tantrum and letting them sink into the shadows again! There are a million things we could have done if you had just trusted me!" She grunted with frustration. Tears were in her eyes. "It's just like the fucking barbers shop! You don't think before you do anything! You just do it and leave it to everyone else to pick up the pieces of you mess! Consequences and other peoples feelings be damned!"

Katie was hyperventilating now. She was speaking in a level tone now. "A single fucking phone call. A single word of what in the heck you were doing. But no. I had to hear it from the news. From people like J.J. Jameson. Not from my girlfriend, who doesn't even trust me enough to tell me before she goes and blows up a base. Even if you were determined to do it I could have lessened the PR nightmare if you had just freaking let me know!" she sighed. "But worst of all... I was so worried... I thought you..." She paused. Then turned to the sofa and sat down. Tears now streaming from her eyes. "I thought you..." She sobbed a tad. The words she was choking on. She couldn't really say them. Her rage fizzed into sadness. Overwhelming guilt.

[The Starlight]

Previously in Ragnarök...
“I have said it once and shall say it again, Xyrix. We shall endure. And I will not bow.”

Ragnarök
Hic Sunt Leones

The Siege of Asgard began with the sun high in the sky, above that Realm Eternal. But today it was scorching, the sun blazing upon the already infertile land. Twas no longer the Golden Realm, Asgard, for its grasses were gray and its tall, proud towers now seemed dull, diminished. And as the Horns of Asgard blew, and the Æsir looked up, at that moment, to see a sight that they had all wished never to see again.

Above, in the firmament, was Xyrix, Queen of the Xyrixma, the Living Hunger. Her eyes were the size of the sun, and her great, thick arms could wrap themselves around Asgard twice. Those on the walls of the Palace looked behind them, to see the small figure of Valka behind them, on the battlements, her golden armor shining radiantly, but not enough to light the whole of Asgard. They looked upon the two Queens, and wondered if ever, their All-Mother had seemed so small, so fragile.

And then Xyrix spoke, her voice sending forth tremors throughout Asgard, as she moved her form to blot out the sun. “Asgardians! Your All-Mother bears a sword she calls Oathbringer, and so she says she has never failed to bring an oath against her enemies. When we last met, she swore that she would never surrender. But I too keep my oaths, and so, I have returned. There shall be no pause to this siege, no respite. The power of the World-Tree lies within me, and the Generals have consumed the worlds which you claimed to protect. Only you, and the Earthlings remain. And they shall not be coming to your aid, being engrossed in a silly little war amongst themselves. Asgard. You say it with such pride in your little voices. This Realm, which you called Golden, Eternal, is garish, I tell you, and fleeting. Prepare yourselves, little Asgardians, and bear witness. Bear witness….to the fall of Asgard!”

The Great Devourer stretched a hand, and space ruptured at her command, forming a portal. “Come forth!”

And they came forth, all of the Generals, all of the Army of Xyrixma. They circled around Asgard, looking down upon her. And the Asgardians, gaining their courage now, despite the foes who literally towered above them. But who would answer? Who would scream their defiance to the universe and all who conspired towards their doom? Many looked to Thor, but he shook his head, waiting for something. They heard it then, moments later. The whispering of the wind and the rippling of robes. All eyes turned skyward, as the All-Mother floated, up, and up, until she was nearly level with Xyrix’s colossal eyes. And yet, despite her height, her words could be heard by all. “Go back to the abyss from whence you came, Xyrix. Your hunger is not a good enough reason to devour worlds. Nor are you like Galactus, who consumes what he must. So go back, lest I tear you asunder.”

Xyrix laughed in response, and then said. “Oh Valka. You and your little words. You did not defeat us last time, despite what you may think. You cannot sway us. My people have waited a long time to devour your realm, Asgardian. You should have taken my offer and given us the sustenance we needed as tribute. Instead, your flame will be extinguished so that we may continue to exist.”

“But it is never enough, is it?” Valka questioned. “You have eaten of the source of life in this dimension, and yet, still you attack. This is not out of hunger, your attack. This is to quiet the whispers in your court that the mighty Xyrix is not invincible. But it is of no matter, your motives. It is of no matter, that you have brought your generals and your courtiers, your young and your old. You came to partake in a great feast. And you shall have one...in blood and slime. I warn you, Xyrix. Hic sunt leones.”

“Here be lions,” Thor murmured in translation, as Valka turned her back upon Xyrix and descended. Xyrix, in anger, lashed out a finger, and the Asgardians gasped in fear and wonderment, for the finger was as large as a mountain. But Valka turned, smooth and sure, and grasped Xyrix’s finger tightly. Fire and energy burst out, and began to lick away the finger, until Xyrix quickly withdrew her hand.

“Let it not be said that Xyrix is without some measure of mercy. I shall grant you a little time to make your preparations, before your inevitable fall.” Xyrix said, in an attempt to recover control.

“Then begone,” Valka said in dismissal, Xyrix glaring but doing as heeded, withdrawing her girth from Asgard for now. “Generals, Captains! Gather in my throne room. Brunnhilde, take a legion to Heimdall’s Observatory and guard it. Valveig, take a third of a legion, and ensure that the Armory is secure. Then, bring all of the artifacts to the palace’s armory and set them under guard.” Valka commanded as she strode on to the throne room. There, she was met by her captains and generals, among whom were Sif and Thor. Creating a table, the All-Mother lifted up her hand, and a model of Asgard sprung up from the table. “Your thoughts?”

“The walls need to be higher, All-Mother,” said one General, Valka nodding in agreement, beckoning her to continue. “And Heimdall’s Observatory is isolated from the city. I recommend that we---”

“Too late, I am afraid. Brunnhilde has informed me that it is under attack,” Valka said calmly, opening the doors to the balcony and looking upon the smoke that rose to the north. “Thor, if thou wouldst?”

“Will you not join me,Valka?” asked Thor.

“No, the hour is not nigh. If I go, it leaves the city vulnerable to attack. And there are preparations to be made here.” Valka replied, Thor nodding. Mjolnir flew to his grip and the son of Odin flew speedily towards the golden orb that was Heimdall’s Observatory. Upon arrival, he beheld at least 5 Slimes. Whirling his hammer, he hurled it at one of them, the hammer ripping through the Xyrixma, splattering all the Asgardians with slime. But they all cheered, glad to see the Odinson, and he shouted to them, “Where is the rest of the legion and Heimdall?”

“They fight still in the Observatory, Thor, we were commanded to hold the Bridge, and so we shall.” one archer said, as the Xyrixma which was thought to be slain reformed herself, booming in laughter. “You will have to do better than that!” she said, sweeping her hand at the soldiers, who either ducked or lifted their shields and slashed at the hand. “Lord Thor, go! We shall hold them.” said the archer who had spoken,

“I will buy you all the drinks you desire if you manage that!” Thor shouted back, running along the length of the Bifrost, entering the Observatory. And there he beheld the scattered, moaning bodies of at least fivescore Asgardians. His eyes turned upward, and there was Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, Heimdall and some five soldiers still standing, slashing at a multitude of slime hands which thrust themselves at them. With a roar, he sprung into action, whirling Mjolnir above his head. He smashed aside one searching hand with a backhand swing of his hammer, dashed another hand with his other free hand against the floor, and then threw the uru hammer in a blazing arc of lightning. Mjolnir, directed by Thor, tore through more hands and blasted the rest before it returned to Thor’s hand. And then, there was silence, the Asgardians gazing warily about, their ichor still pumping through their veins in a song of blood and adrenaline. Then, suddenly, a giant fist came down upon the golden orb, shattering it, and thrust itself at the All-Seer, who slashed at it twice, only to be grabbed by a second slime hand and snatched away. Thor, having survived the collapse of the Obserrvatory, shouted, “Heimdall!” before hurling Mjolnir at the Slime, only for it to be batted away.

The mighty Thor looked up, and then a massive green foot came crashing down upon him…

Some time later...

Boluk, the soldier to whom Thor had promised a drink, looked up at the several new uru walls that the All-Mother had raised, standing hundreds of feet higher. Giant stones hurled by the Xyrixma crashed against the walls to little effect, Asgardians simply raising their shields and carrying on. He had been one of the few uninjured members of his legion after the Slimes had withdrawn from battle, having captured the All-Seer. And now, it was his duty to report to the All-Mother. Mounting the steps and making his way past the guards, he stood before Valka upon her throne.

Pressing his fist to his heart, he knelt and bent his head. “Hail, All-Mother. I bring word from the battlefront.”

Valka lifted her hand, bidding him rise. “Rise, soldier, and issue forth your report.”

He began, saying, “Heimdall’s Observatory has fallen...and here he sighed, “and now the Slimes control the Rainbow Bridge. Moreover, All-Mother, there is worse. Heimdall was not killed, but they keep him alive, and torture him in our sight, and yet, we can do nothing. It is...unlawful for an Asgardian to slay another. What hope is there to be had? I mean not to challenge you, my Queen, but what hope is there to be had? What is there, besides...fear?”

Valka frowned, in thought, and then stood and strode towards the archer.“Fear not, Boluk, fear not this night and the terrors that come with it. There is little hope in the future, so do not look to it. Look to thyself, and to me. And your faith, one day, will be rewarded. As for the All-Seer, I hear his prayers now. Bring the Lady Sif to me, Boluk, there…”she paused, her face uncharacteristically worn, “is something that must be done.

Boluk saluted and hurried out, quickly finding the Lady Sif and bringing the Fairest of Asgard to the Mother of All, the two of them quietly conferring, their faces drawn and mournful. And then Sif nodded once, and the All-Mother appeared weighted by that nod, and so she bowed to Sif once, and laid a heavy hand on her friend’s shoulder. And then she turned away, to Boluk.

“Do you have faith, Boluk?”

“I...I have faith, All-Mother,” he said firmly, stammering in the beginning but growing resolute as he spoke.

“Then hand me your bow,” Valka ordered, and Boluk thought he saw a twinkle in her eyes, tears---but it could not be so, and he dismissed that notion, handing over the bow. And Valka looked over it, fingering the arrowhead. “A good bow.” And then she strode, slowly, to the balcony. Valka lifted the bow, into the air, plucking an arrow out of Boluk’s quiver, drawing the bow back, placing arrow to string. She held it there, for a second, her words so soft that Boluk had to strain to hear them. “I have heard thy prayers, All-Seer, and, they have been granted. Know peace, my friend.”

And then she released the arrow, all three of them looking at the spinning projectile that glinted, once, before bursting into flame, it’s trajectory staying, all three of them knowing that the aim was true.

Some distance away, the tormented Heimdall looked up, and saw his salvation was at hand. “Farewell, sister. My thanks, All-Mother.” he whispered.

All three of them, soldier, Goddess, and All-Mother heard it, a final scream, not of pain, but of victory, and all three held that sound in their minds, and of Heimdall’s body turning into ashes. And when Boluk turned his head towards Valka, she seemed diminished, broken, nothing more than an ordinary woman with a bow in her hands. But then, that fire in her eyes was relight, and she stood tall now, on ramparts, her arms stretched out, a fire from Heimdall’s ashes lashing out at the Xyrixma, burning all that it touched, including the Rainbow Bridge. Fire rained down from the sky, and Valka cried aloud, her grief and wrath let loose. But slowly, ever-surely, it ebbed to a halt, Valka lowering her arms. And then she spoke once more, cursing Xyrix thrice. Pressing Boluk’s bow back into her hands, she nodded to him, and then gathered up Sif, retreating to comfort the woman who had lost her brother.

Boluk turned again to the horizon, and held his faith deep within him. And then, rearranging his quiver, he too swept from the balconies, the grief within him incomprehensible yet overwhelming. But there was also something else, a coldness within his soul that could not be quenched or sated...fear.

An indiscernable amount of time later…

Valka walked the halls of her palace restlessly, as thrown stones were dashed against the walls. But they would not be enough, and the Slimes would not stop with stones. There was no one coming to their aid, all that they had was their selves. But…if this was truly Ragnarok, then it was high time that the dead rose. They dwelt in Valhalla, a great hall of feasting, mirth, and battle, where the fallen waited for the Final Battle to return. Her mind decided, she slipped out of the palace, past the stump of Yggdrasil. She walked paths that had not felt the foot of an Asgardian in many an age, paths that the moon did not shine upon.

And then, Valka stood before it, high in the mountains, seeing it but not permitted to enter, being of the living. But those who dwelt in the halls of Valhalla would be dead no more. “Rise.” The All-Mother said quietly, that simple command bearing untold words of power, the wind picking up before her.

“Rise!” She shouted with more volume, more power, arcs and whorls of the Valkaforce whirling around her before casting themselves at the gates of Valhalla, which groaned and shuddered.

“RISE!” She roared, unsheathing Oathbringer in a flash, lifting it high, and with a cry, thrusting the flaming sword into the scorched earth. Flames tore the earth asunder and thrust themselves at the gates, which shattered in a storm of light and sparks.

“TO ME, EINHERJAR!” Valka bellowed, bringing her blade out of the earth and whirling it in a blinding arc of silver above her crown.

The earth trembled, and the magma below bubbled and hissed. The sky darkened and storm clouds gathered above, as the seven winds howled through the mountains. But Valka was silent, awaiting an answer. Awaiting….a reckoning.

And she would have her answer. Not in words, but in the beautiful rasp of thousands of swords unsheathing. And so it was, that the remembered fallen returned.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

The boy with hair white as snow slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in an environment vastly different than the one he had been present in before falling asleep... or was it? The boy struggled, but failed to remember. He had the fleeting sensation that he had been in a completely different place before, but what place, he could not recall, and as he thought more and more about it, he found it increasingly unlikely that he could have been elsewhere. His doubts, so deeply rooted in his mind, never left him, but they were temporarily quieted by the very strange, almost alien certainty that his current situation was one that he could consider normal.

After this period of hesitation, the boy, now having made the concession to stop questioning his whereabouts, finally made the decision to explore them. Sitting up a little, he realized just how comfortable he had been, and looked down in curiosity. He was wrapped in a white blanket, lying on a small bed, wearing blue pajamas. Once more, while his reason told him that this was nothing out of the ordinary, that this was all normal, his intuition screamed at him that it was completely strange to him. Momentarily stunned, the boy continued looking around. He was in a bedroom that he did not recognize, toys lying on the ground. He ignored them for the time being, and instead looked to a nearby drawer, several pictures sitting on top of it. Seeing them, his curiosity was piqued, and so he swung his feet off the bed and stood up, almost automatically putting on a pair of slippers that only a moment later caused him to pause; much like the rest of the objects in that room, he did not recognize them.

Walking over to the drawer, he took the largest picture and examined it. In it, he could see a boy that he vaguely recognized as himself, clad in a bright blue outfit and smiling. Next to him was a girl of about his age, her black hair contrasting with his own, bright green eyes peering at the camera. The girl wore an outfit similar to his own, but of particular note was the headband that she wore, which was adorned with a small pair of horns, a curious accessory, but clearly one that she was quite happy with, her smile even wider than his own. Standing in between them was a woman, clearly a few decades older than the two children, though she was still young-looking. Clad in a black shirt and a pair of jeans, she had bright green hair adorned by a white flower, and eyes the color of turquoise, though her beauty was partially marred by burn marks on the left side of her face. Regardless, the three seemed quite happy, standing near a fountain in the middle of some park, the photographer likely a kind bystander.

The boy held the picture in his hands, observing it carefully. The two people who stood in it alongside him were not as alien to him as everything else in the room, and in fact, he felt a sort of familiarity with them. After musing on it for a moment, he realized that he felt they were from... the place he had been in before. It was getting harder and harder to think about that place, but he felt some sort of link between it and the two women in the picture. However, after a moment, his head began to hurt, and he left the matter alone, placing the picture back on the drawer. He then decided to head out of the room, but for some reason felt compelled to change out of his current attire before doing so, instead donning a white shirt and blue shorts before heading outside.

As he stepped past the door, he could see a bit more of the house he currently inhabited. He was currently on the second floor, from what he could see, with the stairs not too far from where he stood. There were two other doors on the hallway, but both of them were closed. His curiosity was piqued once again, but before he made a move towards them, a pleasant scent reached him, and he sniffed the air. It was food, eggs and bacon to be specific. He suddenly felt hunger flaring up within him, a strange sensation that he was unfamiliar with, and once more the boy was confused for a moment, before deciding that calming this sensation soon was probably in his best interest. Thus, he headed downstairs, towards the source of the smell, eager to find out where it came from.

As his short legs carried him downstairs, the smell only grew stronger and stronger, prompting him to hurry up and arrive at the bottom of the stairs quickly. After that, he turned and walked through a doorway, entering a kitchen that doubled as the dining room of that house. A round table occupied the center of it, with three chairs around it. However, that was hardly a noteworthy thing right now. Instead, what caught the attention of the boy was the woman next to the stove. He recognized her as the same woman from the picture; her clothes were different this time, obviously, but she had the same bright green hair, and more importantly, she gave him the same familiar vibe, except much stronger this time, causing him to walk a bit closer to her.

Evidently, the woman noticed this, as she suddenly stopped cooking the meal that had so suddenly caught the boy's attention and instead turned around, allowing him to see her turquoise eyes and the burns on her face to further confirm his suspicions. Noticing the boy standing there, the woman smiled softly and crouched a little to be on his level, reaching out and affectionately ruffling the boy's hair, though he didn't give any noticeable reaction to this beyond a small flinch. "Good morning, kiddo. You're up earlier than usual today, aren't you?" The woman spoke in a cheerful manner, but several moments passed with the boy giving no response, and at this, the woman frowned a little.

"Aren't you going hug your mother?" She asked, but once more, she obtained no response, and simply gave a little sigh before pulling the boy into her embrace. Needless to say, he was quite confused by the gesture, his shock preventing him from responding in kind as he tried to make sense of things. Mother? While he was certain that it shouldn't, it felt awfully strange for him to know that he had a mother. And yet, when he associated the term with that woman... for some reason, it didn't feel wrong at all. Either way, he simply basked in his "mother's" embrace for several moments, continuing to say nothing.

"You've been having strange dreams again, haven't you, dear?" She asked him, momentarily pulling away and then planting a kiss on the boy's forehead before standing up, smiling at him once more. "Well, it doesn't matter. Why don't you sit down and wait? Breakfast will be done soon." The woman stated. He, in his uncertainty, managed a hesitant nod and then walked back to the table, about to sit on one of the three chairs when he heard something, the sound of someone rushing down the stairs. Curious, the boy walked over to see who it was, and it was a miracle that he did not crash into a young girl who was rushing towards the kitchen. She was the same girl from the picture upstairs, wearing the same headband, and after barely stopping herself from tackling him, she paused. Then, after looking at him with a blank expression for a few moments, she smiled wide and threw her short arms around him.

"Morning, brother!" She cried out cheerfully before pulling away, walking past him and up to the woman with turquoise eyes, and hugging her as well, the woman responding in kind. "Good morning, mom!" The girl said, the woman smiling softly and caressing the girl's hair.

"My, you're in a good mood today aren't you, Sally?" She asked the girl, who gave a toothy grin in response. "Well, go and sit down, and I'll finish cooking in a moment." She spoke. The girl nodded and then ran off to sit down at the table, her brother slowly following suit. It only took a few moments for the woman to place three plates of eggs and bacon on the table and sit down as well, but while the wait seemed eternal to the boy, he found it hard to think about anything. It was becoming more and more difficult to think of the 'other place', let alone recall anything about it, and though he didn't feel any particular worry because of it, he did find it very odd. Either way, as soon as the food was placed in front of him, he immediately, almost instinctively, began the task of quelling that strange sensation he didn't know he had, hunger. Idly, he heard his 'mother' commenting on this, but he was now too focused to notice.

That was the start of a most strange day for the boy, who now found himself cast into an environment that was almost completely alien to him. Perhaps the sense of familiarity that they brought to him was the strangest of all, however, with only her sister and her mother being people that he could truly feel a connection with. The strangest thing was that, much like he found it incredibly difficult to focus on the 'place from before', it was also incredibly hard to remember anything from before waking up that morning, save for generic memories of him and his family that were quite pleasant, but at the same time felt wrong.

That day was also the beginning of a most strange week. He lived as a normal boy would live, going to school, playing with his friends and spending time with his family, his life common in all respects except that of his odd memories. But as experiences piled up on top of each other, he found it increasingly difficult to even care about previous events. His life was good, what was there to worry about? During some restless nights, he had felt an enormous, unknown despair weighing down his heart, but even that was half-forgotten by now, buried beneath all that happened with each passing day.

A week after his first awakening, classes had finished some time earlier, and the boy found himself on a field just outside the school, playing with classmates that had been his friends for a long time, though he felt he had only recently befriended them. They were playing a peculiar ball game with particularly loose rules that did not exactly conform to any sport acknowledged by the rest of the world, as children often do, and it was during the last round of this game that a particularly athletic girl among the children present sent the ball away from the field and onto the street. Being the one closest to the ball, the boy with snowy hair headed off to retrieve the ball without saying a word, jogging up to it and picking it up, before hearing a loud noise coming from the side, and turning to see two fast approaching lights belonging to a large vehicle as red as the blood running through his veins. At that moment, the boy suddenly remembered everything, the place from before, the true reason that his 'sister' and his 'mother' seemed so familiar unlike everything else, and most importantly, the despair that weighed down his chest during restless nights.

It is a strange thing, to die with a smile on your face.

[Tomia]

"You think that actually helped? People like this don't stop just because you blow up their base! Those kids could be picked up at any time by the government again! Any of the people responsible for the program could start it again with new kids!" She shouted. She shook her head. "Now you've shown them our hand! If you had come back here and reported it through the right channels, we could have maneuvered our shield contacts, gained intel and figured out who we were dealing with. We could have cut their funding and cut off the head of the beast rather than having a temper tantrum and letting them sink into the shadows again! There are a million things we could have done if you had just trusted me!" She grunted with frustration. Tears were in her eyes. "It's just like the fucking barbers shop! You don't think before you do anything! You just do it and leave it to everyone else to pick up the pieces of you mess! Consequences and other peoples feelings be damned!"

Katie was hyperventilating now. She was speaking in a level tone now. "A single fucking phone call. A single word of what in the heck you were doing. But no. I had to hear it from the news. From people like J.J. Jameson. Not from my girlfriend, who doesn't even trust me enough to tell me before she goes and blows up a base. Even if you were determined to do it I could have lessened the PR nightmare if you had just freaking let me know!" she sighed. "But worst of all... I was so worried... I thought you..." She paused. Then turned to the sofa and sat down. Tears now streaming from her eyes. "I thought you..." She sobbed a tad. The words she was choking on. She couldn't really say them. Her rage fizzed into sadness. Overwhelming guilt.

Cora was still angry at Katie's assertions that they could have just used back channels. It just seemed like Katie didn't understand what she was feeling at all. Then she brought up the place where they had first met and that seemed like a seriously low blow to Cora. She was about to yell back at Katie, really angry now, but she held back when Katie broke down.

Cora's expression softened as she realized the real reason why Katie was so angry. She had been terrified that something had happened to Cora. How could the android be so blind to that. She felt incredibly guilty now herself. She sat down slowly next to Katie. Even though she was still upset, she needed to put that aside to comfort Katie now.

"Katie... I'm sorry I scared you. I should have let you know I was okay, but there was an injury and then the cops came. It all just happened so fast. I do trust you Katie, with my life you know I do. And I care about coming home to you at the end of the day. Believe me, the last thing I ever want to do is leave you." Cora said, wanting to wrap her arm around Katie but thought better of it. "But you can't let yourself feel responsible for me like this. I'm a hero Katie just like you. You can't punish yourself every time I'm in harms way. You'll destroy yourself that way and that's the last thing that I want to happen. I love you, even when we fight I love you Katie."

Kiris

Avara

Xyri and Cat jumped off with the rest of the team, Cat in Xyri's arms who bounced off the roof a few feet before landing back down harmlessly as she landed next to the rest of the team, Cat hoping off of her and standing next to her brother as they stood united as a team.

The dragon turned and looked at them non-nonchalant like, as if they were annoying school children, it looked at Nico for a second before quickly diverting its eyes. "I have no quarrel with you and have no desire to hurt you. Leave, before you force me too." The dragon villain said, turning away before going back to breaking into the building.

"Well we a problem with you! We're taking you in. You're crime spree stops now!" Mars shouted from Rockets speakers, charging toward the dragon with high speeds, cocking his fist for a powerful punch. The villain turned around in an instance, grabbing the robot's fist in mid air, grabbing it tightly preventing Mars from pulling back. The genius was in stunned silence, not sure what to do. The dragon then reached out with its other arm and grabbed Rocket by the throat, tossing him across the roof like a rag doll.

[Siliarba]

Marybeth raised an eyebrow, both intrigued and entertained by someone who appeared to have a superiority complex on par with her own. "Marybeth, the only person here with any balls. In case your hyperactive mind can't comprehend modern slang, it means I'm willing to do what needs to be done without the paperwork. By my analysis of you, I would recommend a job as a secretary. You could hardly survive out there ranting on about nothing. Let me guess, all brain, no brawn? I suppose not all can be blessed." Still not moving from her position, she tried looking over Kylie into the fridge. "No leftover spaghetti. Disappointing. Hey, Moony, mind looking in the cupboard for some noodles? They are in this thing called a box, long and thin. If a guy is behind it, thats not noodles. Not any I'm interested in at the moment, at least."

Luna

I indulged her for a moment by grabbing the noodles in the cupboard behind me and threw them at Marybeth "I know what noodles are dust for brains. As I said, I've read what this world has to offer, I pretty much know everything. Including how to beat you if you want to test that 'brains only' theory about me." As I finished my sentence I opened my pocket dimension and created a weapon in my hands in an instant, I made sure it looked futuristic but not to much so she could actually comprehend it was a weapon that I created. "Unless you're someone that can keep up with my mental speed, it takes less than a second to calculate ways to beat you. In other words by the end of this sentence I've already calculated a dozen ways to take you down."

I removed the weapon and took a seat, while the boasting is fun and all I did just create food for myself so might as well eat that first, I can always kick someone's ass later, and that's easier when all my personalities are fed so they remain silent and I can do the talking.