"In a way, it's nice to know that there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force is really trying to mess up your day."
-Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief
I couldn't find the exact page this time, that's my bad. I promise to do better, scouts honor.
_
Hello~
Goodbye!
Anyway, what's up homies, I'm Tony. And here's how to tell if your Led Sign is cheap-
Wait no I'm Alexander...
Ehem. Sorry sorry, lost the plot for a sec there.
*Cough* *Cough*
But yeah, hey again. I'm still Alexander, don't know why I'd change midway...
Ehem.
Regardless, I talked about why I like heroes last time right?
Hmm... So it only stands that I talk about villains this time.
See, unlike most people, I don't dislike villains.
In fact I daresay most villains are heroes who were forced to become the problem.
Like... Hmm. Let's use Luke Castellan as an example, have to keep with the Percy Jackson theme after all.
Luke, ah Luke. The demigod Son of Hermes and one lovely May Castellan. A rather dashing and handsome boy with quite the future ahead of him.
He was a rather skilled child that one, a borderline Swordsmaster rivaling the likes of the heroes of old! Hell, he did better than most children of Ares and Aphrodite, which is definitely no small feat.
My point though, is that while he was skilled, he was not without flaw.
Throughout his life, various misfortunes befell him.
For starters he was born to a lady tormented by fragmented futures, possibilities that drove her mad. She'd often spew green smoke while shaking Luke and chanting about her 'Baby boy'. He prayed to his father for help, for answer, but received nothing.
Events piled up, he lost Thalia, Halycon accidentally planting a seed of mistrust in his head moments prior probably didn't help..., and then it all culminated when he failed a quest to get a golden apple.
Despair. Rage. Shame. All emotions swirling in his head, to the point even Kronos took notice.
An ashamed and bitter child, offered a golden spoon by a willing 'Helper', of course he took the helping hand! Of course said helping hand was not without its hidden dangers. A small request, another one there.
First it was just stealing a helmet, next it was poisoning a tree meant to safeguard children.
But as the atrocities piled up, even Luke had his doubts, eventually culminating in his taking his own life to save the girl he loved most from the Titan possessing his flesh.
The villain became a hero one final time to save not the world, but one girl.
What's my point you ask?
Simple really. I never disliked or despised Villains.
I pity them. I empathize with them.
In fact, I'll be real here.
If I had to pick whether to be saved by a Hero or a Villain, I'm picking the villain.
Shocker right?
But I'm serious.
A hero will sacrifice you to save the World, but a Villain? A Villain will sacrifice the world to save You.
I respect that.
But enough rambling, let's get back to the story shall we?
One final thing though, I'm putting yall onto Peak.
You should watch 'To be Hero X'. It's cool.
Anyway...
Welcome to my story! Again...
__________
Nagazora, Unknown Area
Bright.
That was my first thought when I finally managed to open my eyes.
The last thing I remember was nearing the end of my life at the hands of Grandpa gravity, so I definitely didn't expect to still be alive.
I tried standing up, only to immediately bite back a scream as I felt a burning in my body flare up.
I dropped back to the ground and curled up as I tried to ride the wave of agony out, clenching my teeth as I did my best to not piss myself.
It felt like every bone in my body decided to drink for thirteen days, before then fighting a bull in a wrestling competition.
In other words, it hurt.
A LOT.
"Ghrrrnnnnggh!!!"
Whimpering felt like a pretty good solution at this moment, and that's exactly what I did.
It took a bit, but eventually that pain did die down, allowing me to finally crawl into a kneeling position.
I blindly reached around, eventually managing to grasp what felt like a ledge.
Using it as support, I slowly pulled myself up and noticed it was a shop window.
Looking into it, I immediately began checking myself over in the reflection.
Golden eyes stared back at me, while sweat slicked hair clung to my face. My clothes were drenched in sweat, but I was otherwise unharmed.
Something most would be ecstatic about, but not me. Not when things didn't add up.
I sat down with a small thump, holding my head as the feeling of something...off kept increasing.
I tried to remember why, no not why. What. What was I not remembering?
It evaded me, but I kept pushing, trying to recall why I felt uneasy.
Till, I did.
The Con.
The woods.
Falling after I decided I wanted to end it all on my own terms.
...
"I know it's highly unlikely but, even if it's not possible, if there's a small chance... I want another chance. Even if it's not easy, I just want another chance. A chance to do things better. To help my sister more, to laugh with Markus more, to be a nicer guy. I want a chance... to do things right."
The wish...
"*Vomiting sounds*"
I couldn't help it, I almost immediately began throwing up.
There was probably nothing in my stomach but I immediately discharged its contents nonetheless.
I slumped to my knees once I was done, swaying unsteadily like a drunkard as I tried to shake off the feeling of dizziness.
"Ah. So I must have gotten my wish huh? ha.. hahaha...."
I didn't actually think that I-
...
Oh God...
I...
Does that mean I cheated death?
That I literally only evaded becoming a blood stained puddle by sheer circumstance?
"Jesus Christ..."
I started laughing, the humor of this situation alone amusing me. Or rather the near miss with death.
I dragged myself to my feet as I begin to stumble forward, having to thrust my arms out to not stumble onto my butt immediately.
Me?
I wasn't exactly what you call 'Isekai Material'.
I'm a lazy bastard who only moves to get the bare minimum done.
Sure I exercise, but nothing like those who are actively trying to stay fit.
So why?
Why the hell am I here, when there's better options?!
I didn't sign up for this!
Yeah, I'm an anime enthusiast, a weeb if you will, but that doesn't mean I wanted to do this.
I have so many people that I won't get to see anymore! Things I won't get to see anymore.
I just-
Sigh
Never mind.
It's done.
I sighed once more.
Far be it for me to complain about not dying.
I'll deal with this new lease on life later, for now...
"Where the hell am I?"
I take a look around in the hopes of recognizing something.
"..."
I see abandoned buildings one, two and thirty seven.
But nothing I can quite recognize, or anything that screams 'Oi! I'm a familiar building that you've seen before!'.
Drip Drip
"Eh?"
I let out a noise of confusion as I felt a cold drop hit the top of my head.
The confusion quickly turned to horror as the single drop began to multiply, as I soon realized it was now raining.
"I really didn't sign up for this..."
Muttering to myself, I nonetheless took off my jacket and used it as a makeshift hood.
Securing it with both hands, I then took off in a sprint as I began looking for a shelter of some kind.
___
Intermission brought to you by a hungry Feral Man.
Yikes.
He should have eaten a Snickers. You're not you when you're hungry...
______
"Well it isn't much in terms of lavish arrangements, but it'll do for now."
It took about 15 minutes but, I did manage to find shelter of some sort.
It was honestly just a car full of white dust, but considering I didn't have much to work with, I simply broke the glass and shoved most of the dust in the floor as I lay in the backseat.
I won't lie though, sleep was hard to come by.
There was rain pounding on the windows and roof of the car, and I was forced to take off my jacket at some point to block the window from letting the tears of Zeus drench my body.
Not to mention I was kind of hungry, a fact my stomach was very much beating into my head with each rumble it emitted.
Grumbling to myself, I rolled over and tried to get some shuteye.
...
That night, I dreamed. But... Not a normal dream. It felt different. More real.
In that dream I saw my own funeral. My sister was there, standing at the empty casket. Marcus was too. Both wore somber expressions, as they paid their respects. Interestingly enough, most of the people from my town were there. But...
"Good riddance."
"At last that little menace is gone."
"I heard he got involved with a rival gang and paid the price."
"Serves him right."
I don't think they were there to mourn my bygone life. It felt less like they were mourning, and instead gossiping. Applauding my disappearance from that earth. And...It hurt...
"He always had this weird aura about him. Like he was planning something devious."
"Right? It took everything I had in me to not recoil whenever he came near me."
"Did you hear what happened when he found out his grandma died? He didn't cry or anything at her funeral. He just poked her body a few times and left! Not a single tear shed from his face! What a monster. Good thing he's gone huh?"
...
So that's what everyone felt about me huh? They thought I was a monster and freak?
I'm not sure how I feel about that. Bitter emotions welled up deep within as I felt the impact of each sentence.
Dream or no, I turned my head as I began to walk away. I didn't want to stay and potentially hear worse from the people I thought I knew.
...
....
"Don't you dare assume the worst about him. He did the best with what he could, and tried to fit in as best he could. I seem to recall him helping all of you whenever you asked no? Where was that opinion about monsters when you needed free labor hmm?"
..Sister? Wait... I looked back in disbelief, only to see her head still bowed as she was near my casket. But judging by the stares she received, I wasn't the only one who heard those words.
Marcus was near her as well, except he was standing tall, with his own gaze meeting everyone else's.
"Yall have some nerve, disrespecting the dead. This is a time of mourning. So mourn. If you have any complaints, then you can take them up with me after the funeral. Till then shut up and bow your heads."
"...."
The crowd was speechless.
Marcus's gaze seemed to sharpen a bit.
"I said...Bow. Your. Heads. Or does the monster you all seem to hate not deserve that much? He's gone after all. It's the least you could do as you aren't monsters yourselves right?"
At that, the crowd begrudgingly went silent and quit their muttering as they instead came forward and bowed their heads as they seemingly also paid their respects.
I was however speechless. I didn't expect such a calm reprimand to have such an amazing effect like that, nor did I expect such a rousing counterattack to come from Marcus of all people.
Heh. It's strange. Even though it's a dream, it almost feels like he's still watching over me.
"Alexander."
Huh?
Except... He was. Looking at me I mean. The rest of the crowd had somehow become faceless blurs as he was simply standing in front of me. Black eyes crinkled in that all too familiar way.
He walked forward, slowly approaching my shocked form. A hand gently pressed against my chest, before shoving me backwards.
"It's time...
To wake up."
____
"*Gasp* *Cough* *Cough*!"
My eyes snapped open with an almost painful crisp smack as I woke up gasping.
I began coughing rapidly, a faint burning sensation spreading on my arms. Looking down I saw several criss crossed pinkish purple lines creeping up said arms, and even spreading towards my upper body and neck.
They began fading shortly afterwards, the faint burning disappearing alongside them.
"The hell was that..?" I muttered as I sat up slowly, before immediately freezing.
A glance outside the window showed it was now daytime. But that wasn't why I widened my eyes.
No. See.
Whatever God of fortune had treated me to safe arrival had decided to tag out, because I need someone to explain to me,
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!!"
"*Totally masculine screech of fear.*"
Why there's an honest to god FRICKIN VIDEO GAME CREATURE staring me down with murderous intent!
Crouching outside the car window was what looked like a Honkai Chariot. I say looked because this thing was sitting at, at least 20, no 30 meters of height? Nothing like the much more manageable Valkyrie height in game.
And it was currently rearing up to strike the car in its fit of rage.
"Shit shit shit shit!"
Panicking, I immediately began fiddling with the doorknob as I tried to open it. But since that was taking too long, I settled for kicking the window out, and then diving out of said window as the Chariot immediately smashed the car to the side.
I screamed as I began running for my life, the earth seeming to shake with each step the beast behind me took, as it roared and began chasing after me.
If anyone came by, I'm certain they would have been astounded at the sheer comical nature of this scenario. Y'know, assuming they weren't trampled or something.
"I know where I am now, but I kind of wish I was anywhere else!"
Ain't that the truth sister!
Knowing where I was is one thing, surviving it is another matter entirely!
I could feel the thuds getting closer, as the Chariot was still behind me roaring as it neared me.
At this rate, I'll never be able to survive unless I can somehow ditch it somewhere. If only this was Pokémon, and I could just use a repel or fluffy tail to escape this over leveled encounter...
Wait!
That's not a bad idea actually.
This isn't Pokémon, but if this being follows some logic of other creatures its size and speed, then I'll bet it can't turn well or slow down easily.
But I need a way to split...
There!
Looking ahead, I saw a small bridge area, just small enough for something this beast's size to fit through, assuming it took its time. Perfect!
With a burst of speed, I accelerated just a bit more as I made my way towards the bridge overhang.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for a guy trying to survive!"
With a random quote leaving my mouth I slid straight under, and rolled to a stop near the other side of the bridge.
A short while later, the Chariot arrived, stumbling briefly as it saw the gap a bit too late.
Crash!
With a crash, it stumbled into the bridge and buried itself under the ensuing rubble that fell. The debris went still shortly afterward.
"...Did that get it?"
I slapped a hand over my mouth immediately, but unfortunately Murphy's Law was quicker. The debris began shaking, before the chariot burst out once more, now looking even more pissed.
I of course was already halfway down the road immediately, with the Chariot quickly following.
15 minutes later
I think I outdid my previous track record. This is the longest I've ran in a while, and I think my coach would be proud. Probably?
Regardless, my legs were getting tired and I was running out of buildings and bridges to trick this thing into crashing into. I'll give it this though, over the past 15 minutes this thing has managed to shrug off being crushed 37 times.
I'd honestly be more impressed, IF IT WASN'T TRYING TO KILL ME!
I thought the Honkai wanted to embrace humanity, what kind of embrace is this? The embrace of death?!
Of course as much as I moaned and groaned, while trying to snark my way through this nightmare festival, I could only go so long without making a mistake.
I had gotten several bruises and scrapes each time I narrowly avoided being crushed, and I could feel warmth dripping down my face with each step I took.
In my bid to push myself to keep running, I was relying solely on adrenaline to keep me going. With the lack of food, the stress of running non stop for god knows how long, and several other factors pertaining to not resting enough, it was a matter of time before I slipped up.
A piece of the road that was clearly messed up and unfixed, roads are janky even in another dimension apparently, a jagged piece of gravel that I could normally have jumped over, was unceremoniously tripped over instead.
I nearly stumbled to the ground and fell over almost immediately. The damage was done. With that single action, all the adrenaline was gone and so was the feeling in my legs.
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!!"
A roar let me know the Chariot was approaching, and I grimaced as I tried to move my body. I raised my hand only for it to fall slack to the ground.
Goddamnit... Move move move!
C'mon body! Now is not the time to shut down on me! Move damnit! Move or you'll die!
But no matter how much I screamed at my body, it wouldn't cooperate.
...
Is this really how I'm about to die? Alone and on my stomach, because I wasn't athletic enough, wasn't strong enough. Because I lacked power?
...
I-... I need... I need more-
Clasp
Huh?
A small hand gently clasped mine, before I felt my body begin to get dragged forward.
Looking up, I saw lilac hair covering red eyes, as a small girl was pulling me backwards, face scrunched up in exertion. The effort was clearly hard, and she was quite literally risking her life for mine, so why?
Why was she helping?
I wanted to say something, to ask what kind of idiotic thoughts were racing through her head, but I couldn't.
My body was unresponsive, and my mouth wasn't working (alot of people would rejoice at me shutting up funnily enough), so I was forced to watch as she slowly but surely began to drag me away from my crash area.
Her petite face was scrunched up more and more as she pulled, and her face was clearly turning red, but she kept pulling and pulling.
Until eventually she had dragged me far away, and into a secluded building.
I heard roaring in the far off distance, which signaled we were safe for the time being thankfully.
The girl quietly let go of my hand, as she then grabbed under my arms and began dragging me to a sitting position near a dresser.
I felt the grip around my arms disappear, as the girl then immediately ran back outside the room.
She must be leaving here huh? Well... That's more help than I honestly expected to receive...
But no, contrary to my expectations, she came back shortly afterwards with a tattered rag, and a bucket full of several items.
Setting the bucket down, she pulled out a bottle of water and doused the rag with it, before then beginning to gently rub my face with the rag. After a bit, she then wrung the rag out in the bucket before dousing the rag with more fresh water. Every cut I had, every bruise I had, she wiped them all down gently, the bucket steadily filling with more muddy red water.
Lastly, she pulled the visor covering my eyes away, as she then wiped that down as well, before gently placing it back over my face.
Dropping the rag in the bucket, she then slowly but surely held my head as she began helping me drink a bottle of water.
I'd normally be embarrassed but seeing as how I was essentially a vegetable for the moment, I was above such trivialities. I greedily gulped the water down, nearly choking if the girl didn't pull the water away so I didn't drown. I went through three before my thirst was parched enough for me to realize what I had done.
The girl was unfazed though, as she slowly fed me an orange, before leaving the room once more.
She came back again later with a blanket and sat down next to me, before covering us both with it.
She started gently humming, an off beat, extremely discordant tune. It was quite sour to the ear but...
Against my judgement I began to relax as my eyes drifted close, and I fell into slumber.
___
I woke up hours later to the sound of what felt like an explosion going off in the distance, the girl no longer next to me, but the blanket tucked neatly around me in a manner so that I wouldn't accidentally lose it if I moved in my sleep.
"..."
Wordlessly, I stood up, making sure to fold the blanket before placing it on the dresser behind me.
By the time I was done, that girl had come back and seemed pleasantly surprised to see me up and about.
She quietly came over and began to poke and prod around me, while occasionally asking if it hurt.
I let her do it without fuss, waiting to ask my question that had been eating at me for a bit now.
"Why?"
"Hmm?"
She gave out a cute little noise of confusion while tilting her head. Undeterred, I repeated my question.
"Why? Why did you help me? It was far too risky to save me, when you could have gotten yourself killed. So why?"
She hummed for a sec again.
"Well, you looked kind of frustrated, like you had unfinished business, and I've gotten really used to avoiding those monsters so it was no trouble at all."
This little-
"That doesn't answer the question though! Why? It was too risky! I saw several times that it took a lot of effort to even pull me. So why?!"
Perhaps it was the lingering effects of my dream clouding my view but... This was something I needed to know.
Her answer, while simple though, was by no means simple in the effect it would have.
"Do I need a reason to save someone reaching out for help?"
"..."
Huh. That's...
...
Wow.
Surprisingly naive for a child. Extremely unthinkable even for most.
After all, most people will say they would help a person in need, yet they would sooner turn an eye than actually help out. I myself am no better.
I would probably have left myself to rot there if I had been her.
...It's impressive how she had just managed to dismantle all my defenses and barbs with that simple sentence. Still though, I wasn't trying to give up on my questioning.
"W-well, why did you sit next to me and clean me up? For all you know I could have been pretending, and trying to lure you in. Like a bad guy or something!"
"But you don't seem like a bad guy at all. I think you're a good one honestly."
Guh!
Well shit.
Consider my defenses gone, and my will to retort shattered.
Sigh
Shaking my head, I just dropped it and began to prepare to leave.
As I began zipping up my jacket again, and started to leave towards the door, I felt footsteps behind me as the girl quietly tailed me.
"Can I help you?"
She shook her head no.
"Something you need?"
A head shake no again.
"Then why are you following me?"
"I have no one else to go with."
Well that's a straight forward answer.
Any retort I may have had was swallowed in my throat as her earnest red eyes stared into mine without a hint of doubt.
Tch.
Clicking my tongue I resolved myself to give her the slip at some point.
But I still tried one last time to dissuade her.
"Look. Kid. You can't just follow a stranger you barely know. It isn't safe or practical."
"But why not?"
"Because it's not safe."
"But why?"
"You- Listen! Its because-"
Boom!
Any follow up words I may have said were swallowed unceremoniously as with a resounding roar, the Chariot from before crashed through the ceiling. Now spotting several new accessories, mostly of the pointy sword and pole variety.
You have got to be shitting me...
Grabbing the girl's hand, I immediately booked it out the door.
Once we reached the outside, we both took off sprinting through the city.
"Listen Kid! I'm going to veer left and you go right. With luck, it'll get confused and only chase me. My luck is bad like that! Understood kid?"
" "
"Kid?"
I turned to look for her, only to see the girl frozen in fear in the streets as the Chariot approached her.
"Shit! Kid!"
Turning back, I immediately began sprinting in her direction.
"Oi! Kid! What's the issue?!"
I grasped her shoulders and began to look her over, looking back and forth rapidly as the beast got closer and closer. I didn't see any injuries though, so I was a bit confused on why she was unresponsive all of a sudden.
"M-my leg... I can't move my legs..."
"What?!"
"I've never been this close to one before..."
"..."
Shit. That makes a lot of sense actually. She is still a kid after all, it makes sense that she'd freeze in fear.
But couldn't she have chosen a better time to freeze?!
As the chariot got closer and closer, I was hesitating myself honestly.
I looked back and forth, over and over, gritting my teeth as I thought about my options.
"Tch... DAMMIT AAALLLLLLLL!"
With a shout to psyche myself up, I swept the kid off her legs and into a princess carry before sprinting forward once more.
She let out an adorable 'huh' sound in the process, but I was more concerned about running than stopping to tease her.
Although there will be teasing later. That's a must.
With heavy footfalls, I pushed myself to run with all I had.
Did I mention how I seriously think my coach would be proud of me? I think I've broken at least three world records in terms of endurance sprinting...
"!"
I saw the shadow of a large foot loom over me, and only had time to jump to the side. Sliding to a stop a short distance away.
Putting the girl down, I immediately stepped in front of her as I prepared myself to do something exceedingly dumb for the not so first time of my life.
"I'm going to regret this sorely... But to hell with it. Kid! Run! Put as much distance as you can between us! I'm going to try and stall it for as long as I can. Capeesh?"
"I-"
"Kid. This is not negotiable. Please go while I have the nerve to act like an actual adult."
She was still shaking, and not moving at all.
And while I wanted to reprimand her, I didn't have the time.
With another crash, the Chariot arrived once more through a wall. But not through the front where I was. No, it appeared behind her. This... Nameless girl who I had barely known. This complete stranger, who had shown me more warmth in 12 hours than most of my neighbors.
So... Of course the outcome was already decided.
As the Chariot reared back for a strike, and the Kid was still frozen, I moved.
With legs tensed like a rocket, I lunged forward, wrapping my body around the girl, as what felt like a sledgehammer made impact with my back.
"GAAAAAHHHHH?!"
With a scream leaving my throat, I was slammed through the building wall and out into the street once more, where I bounced several times more, before crashing back first into a streetlamp.
My arms slowly dropped as I let the, thankfully mostly unharmed, kid slide out of my embrace.
"Kid... Please... Run."
I was begging at this point.
My vision was blurry at this moment, and I felt the previously bandaged wounds reopen once more and begin leaking in my face once more.
It hurt like hell, and I honestly didn't want this girl to stay for my probable death. No kid deserves to see such a thing, trust me.
The kid didn't say anything, but she made her way to my side once more, as she tried dragging me away again.
She only made it to getting her arms under my armpits before the Chariot once again appeared, this time roaring triumphantly at having caught its prey. I knew, and it knew. I wasn't getting out of this one.
My eyes slowly began to close as I felt my consciousness slowly drift away once more.
___
"Y'know. I think I'm being tortured from beyond the grave, if your ugly mug is the first thing I see upon dying."
I was floating in that weird dream-like fog area again, although this time, there was no funeral or ceremony of any kind going on. Just me, and a table floating in the middle.
"Most would consider my face a gift from heaven and not a torture method, but to each their own numbnuts."
Oh. And Markus. He's here as well.
I crossed my legs as I floated through the air, and put my head in my palm.
"So, Marky boy. Here to gloat? You proud of living longer than me or something?"
I'll admit a bit of my bitterness at the prior situation may have slipped through.
Instead of being offended though, Markus simply shrugged.
"Depends. You plan on actually dying this time? From what I've seen you survived twice."
I blinked.
That answer sounded way too real to be made up by my own illusions of my friend.
May sound fucked up, but I tend to imagine a hallucination of my friend would be busy trying to convince me to go to the afterlife, specifically hell. Not answer a question with another question.
And while that does raise some interesting questions, only one matters right now.
"Wait. What do you mean 'plan on actually dying'? I'm dead already right? That's why I'm here."
"You tell me Alex. Right now there's a girl out there trying to guard your body. A very brave little lass from what I'm seeing. She's scared shitless, but is still trying to protect you. What are you going to do with that information now?"
...
"If you expected me to get a rage boost and yell about the power of friendship, then you're sorely mistaken."
Even if this is another world, I have no power. I have no knowledge that will propel me leaps and bounds ahead of the world.
I didn't want to stop and think about it but...
With everyone saying how they felt about me, I'm starting to think they were right. I am a monster. A freak.
And I'm tired. I want to relax. I want to sit back in the afterlife. Is that so wrong of me?
...
But...
I...
I do want....
"But you want to do something don't you? That's just how you are after all."
"..."
I turned my head away from him as I didn't deign to give him a response. I didn't expect him to growl a bit before lunging over and grabbing my shirt as he stared me in the eyes.
"Listen here you idiotic piece of crap! You're alive! Alive and kicking not only because of your borderline freaky bad luck, but because of the actions of a kind individual, a kind girl currently putting her life on the line to help you! YOU! If you were dead already it'd be one thing, but you're not! I refuse to be friends with a jackass who would rather sit down and mope, than acknowledge his own feelings! So I ask you once more! Alexander! What are you going to do?!"
"..."
"ANSWER ME!"
"...I'm going to get up and keep fighting?"
"You're damn right you are!"
And with a hand to my chest once more, he unceremoniously shoved me once more. Sending me hurtling backwards out of what I assume is my dreamscape.
As I hurtled backwards, I didn't miss the small smile on his face. As he turned away, I almost didn't catch him saying one last thing.
"You already have all the gifts you need at your disposal Alex. Just learn to ask for help and you should be all right from now on."
This bastard really gets off on playing the mysterious sage doesn't he?!
____
I cracked open my eyes to the sight of that girl with her arms stretched protectively as she stood in front of me. The Chariot was rearing up to strike, and the girl merely closed her eyes as she awaited the inevitable blow.
Only to tense up as she felt my hand ruffle her hair from the top.
"Honestly, that jerk. Making me feel bad about wanting to nap. Where does he get off on pulling that crap?"
I stood in front of her arm straining as I barely caught the large appendage.
Those criss crossed lines from before, ones I now associated with Honkai energy, once again spread from my palm to my arms. Only now, they weren't showing any signs of fading. Instead they merely began to shine brighter with the accompanying burning as I continued bracing.
Till with a grunt of effort, I managed to shove the leg back, sending the chariot flying off balance.
Following up, I slammed my fist into the underside of its stomach, causing it to actually go flying backwards this time.
Still though. As much as it irks me to admit, Markus does know me well. If it means I can return the favor, then at the very least I'll try to help.
I glanced back at the girl, whose name I still didn't know in hindsight, before gently rubbing her hair.
She flinched a bit as if in disbelief, before trembling as tears slowly left her eyes.
The Chariot roared in rage once more as it got to its feet, causing my attention to go back to it once more.
I grimaced at that, knowing that despite my now inefficient but somehow working use of Honkai energy (definitely going to have to process that later), I didn't have the actual means to do enough damage as I was now.
It's like slamming a stick of dynamite into a bombproof barrier. While the explosion was nice sounding, the actual effect was nowhere near effective. And from that one punch before, I could tell that shell the beast had was too damn hard to punch through. Bludgeoning force wouldn't work here, I needed piercing power if anything.
Which raised me to the second dumbest thing I'm about to do today.
"Markus told me to learn to ask for help. To depend on someone else when I don't have the means to do it by myself,"
I probably looked like a maniac talking to the sky but as the Chariot began charging in my face, I finished my plea regardless.
"So if it comes to this, then, I'll ask for help. God, Otto, Will of Honkai, whatever is listening, please! Help me! I lack the strength on my own, so please-"
20 feet. 15 feet. 5 feet. The Chariot was nearly upon us.
"Give me more power!"
With a sound of splitting lightning, a bolt flew through the air landing between me and the Chariot.
I had to cover my eyes and brace my body so as not to get knocked off my feet. I heard a squawk in the back as the girl apparently fell.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a weapon embedded into the ground.
A longsword once I actually looked closer, the blade crackling with energy as it lay embedded in the ground.
"Wow... Did not expect that to actually work."
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅▅!!"
"!"
Hearing that familiar scream once more, I instinctively reached for the blade hilt and started tugging at it, as I pulled it out with a mighty heave.
As the Chariot reared back and swiped its leg, I met the strike with a clumsy swing of my own.
Boom!
The clash itself displaced the air, making my teeth chatter from the pressure.
But this time... I wasn't the one knocked back from the exchange. With a thump, the leg was sliced cleanly through as it fell to the ground with a thud.
Seeing that, my gaze sharpened as I realized I now had a way to level the playing field.
No more words needed to be spoken as this time I took the offensive.
Lunging forward, I swung the blade in an overhead slash. With a sound akin to screeching metal, a bit more of the Chariot was shaved off.
The Chariot staggered back, before quickly slamming its remaining legs down, making the ground rumble before caving inward.
Stumbling, I nearly fell to my knees if it weren't for embedding my blade into the ground.
Rushing forward, I immediately dropped into a slide, as I angled my blade up, cutting under the Chariots stomach in a long thin gash. Purple blood gushed to the ground, narrowly avoiding splashing on me as I slid to a stop on the other side.
The Chariot staggered, before catching itself and immediately doing a backhanded swipe.
"???"
I narrowly blocked the strike with my sword, but was still sent flying backwards.
Almost immediately the Chariot roared, but this time the act itself carried a visible soundwave, one that lifted me straight into the air.
As I looked down though, I saw the Chariot with its back to me, hobbling away rapidly as if trying to run.
"..."
Trying to run huh? I was no stranger to how Honkai beasts worked, after all. They were violent creatures who tended to kill whatever was human or destroy whatever was human made.
So seeing this thing that had tormented me, as well as an innocent child, and may have killed countless more. Something inside of me snapped and I felt genuine rage for the first time since my arrival.
"You're running away? After all that you did, you're running away?"
As I began to fall downwards, I managed to right myself in the air to where I was now holding the blade above my head.
With a shout and gravity aiding my descent, I slammed the blade on its head, the shockwave once again blowing most of the dirt and debris away.
I kept pushing downwards, but couldn't quite get the blade to cut through.
A fact which enraged me to no end.
The burning from before, became an outright blazing bonfire under my skin as I let out a guttural roar.
With a whine, the material making up the Chariots head caved in as I slashed clean through and landed in a crouch.
Watching it stumble around may have been satisfying to someone else, but not me. No, I wasn't quite done yet.
"After everything you've done...And all the people you've maimed and or killed... HOW DARE YOU RUN AWAY!!!"
I screamed my rage and frustration as I began slashing rapidly with abandon.
Overhead slash, diagonal slash, vertical, left, right, up, down, I didn't care. I hacked away, chipping parts of its body away with each strike.
Each slash tore apart more and more of its outer shell, gradually showing the core of its chest. I saw ribbons quickly begin to thread over the core as if trying to protect it. The sight enraged me more than I already was.
And with a final slash even the ribbons were torn to shreds.
"NOW DIIIIEEEEEEE!!!"
With that final shout, I thrust my blade straight into its core, causing the Chariot to freeze.
Twisting even deeper, I sank the sword in straight to the hilt until with a pop, the Chariot exploded, disappearing as it ceased to be, the only sign of its existence being the blood left on the ground, and the wanton destruction from its rampage.
Panting, I stumbled backwards, before landing on my butt as my legs gave out.
I stabbed the sword in the ground beside me as I sat and tried to recover my breath.
While I caught my breath, the Honkai energy I was using from before slowly receded, taking the lines and the burning I had with it.
Man...
Talk about escalating a situation from 0 to 100 huh.
I don't know how I did that, nor do I know if I can even repeat it again.
And I definitely have many more questions-
"...."
But for now they can wait, as there is one more big elephant in the room, or rather one tiny little kid thinking she's sneaky as she creeps up to me.
I must look like a beast myself huh? Covered in blood, and screaming my head off.
"Are you ok Kid? I'm sorry if I scared you a bit there. I was just venting."
"...Mm."
She gave me a little nod but didn't say anything further.
Contrary to my expectations though, she quietly came over and sat down beside me, leaning against my side without a word.
...
She really trusts me huh?
That does remind me though.
"Say. What's your name Kid."
"Sora."
"Sora huh? Not a bad name. I'm Alexander. And from now on, let's be friends. Deal?"
Cheesy. I know.
But the kid, no, Sora, she nodded.
And with that, I inadvertently made my first new friend in this world.
Neat.
FIN~
__________________
Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero, the full quote for Carpe Diem. It's a Latin phrase, meaning "Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future," encouraging people to live fully in the present moment.
1. Honkai Beasts.
They are entities created by the Honkai in order to exterminate humanity. Honkai Beasts tend to have white armors and glowing pink highlights, with exceptions such as Frost Honkai Beasts having black armors with cyan highlights, Tlaloc having a gray armor, and Benares and Assaka having blue highlights. They are living, silicon-based creatures, as opposed to the carbon-based life of humanity. Their shells are said to be incredibly difficult to break through. Honkai Beasts are divided by classes depending on their destructive power. Said classes include from strongest to weakest: Vipralopa, Judgement, Emperor, Chariot, Knight, and Seraph. There are some exceptions to this, such as the zombified girls and other animals.
2. Honkai Infection
Honkai infection is one of the many ways the Honkai manifest in its efforts to 'embrace' humanity. It has a mortality rate of 100% and does not have any effective treatment, though the spread of infection can be delayed. It is caused by sufficient exposure to Honkai radiation, and the first stages of the sickness can develop immediately upon exposure.
The first noticeable symptom of Honkai sickness is purple lines that spread rapidly across the victim's body. Loss of vision commonly follows. Eventually, organ failure occurs in quick succession, in what is known as a 'Honkai Cascade'. The exact time between infection and death varies from person to person, however, the vast majority succumb to the sickness not long after infection. There are a few select individuals who have a higher resistance to the sickness and are able to survive longer, although ultimately they still die in the end.
This is what Alexander had, although he wrongly assumed it was Honkai Energy itself.
3. Honkai Energy
Honkai releases a kind of energy that has never been seen in past technology - Honkai Energy. The efficiency of Honkai can far exceed any energy currently found in the world, although, Honkai Energy possesses the ability to turn humans and animals without sufficient resistance and immunity that come into contact with it into mindless zombies. Or just burn them to ashes. It's a 50/50 if they're female. 99/1 If they are male.
4. Will of Honkai
A mysterious entity and the supposed creator and leader of all Honkai. More than 50,000 years ago, Dr. MEI from the Fire Moth organization once theorized that it is the great gestalt will of the Honkai and appropriately named it the "Will of Honkai" but never confirmed if it was a material force, sentient force of nature or even a God. Once a civilization is advanced enough, the Will starts sending its heralds, the Lawmakers, to destroy humanity.
In the battle against the Lawmaker of the End, Dr. MEI sent Pardofelis, the 13th Flame-Chaser, and Prometheus to 'hack' the Cocoon of Finality before the 'backdoor' closed. The intent was to ensure that it to only created the same cycle of Lawmakers that had appeared in the Previous Era for the Current Era. PROMETHEUS eventually achieved this goal, fusing with the Will of Honkai.
This is not the truth though. There was never a Will of Honkai during MEI's time. Instead Prometheus is the actual Will of Honkai now in the Current Era.