Hymn of Harmony
or Melody of Escalation
Golden Morning Part 3
-Sahara Desert-
When the flash of light cleared I was surprised at the turn out. Each one of them was ready to rumble. What a relief. With these guys watching my back I would win. Cocona got my gift. That much was glaringly obvious. Wow. Everyone but Dad showed up. Even Madison was here. I could hear Dad sending me love and affection. My spirit eased further. Zion was utterly helpless, but he wouldn't be once the Song stopped. My clone was in a version of Divine in White. She nodded at me to indicate readiness.
"I'm going to have to stop Singing. Don't attack until I've disappeared. We want to keep his attention split." Honestly I had no idea what they were even planning. Taylor, Lisa, Madison, and Sonata were arrayed in a diamond formation around Cocona. She was already beginning to Sing. Oh damn. They were planning on hitting him hard. Despedia was gathering energy in the back of her throat. She was going to hit him with the attack used on Behemoth.
"Keep him sleeping for just a little longer and we'll catch him a crossfire." Lisa said to me over the channel. Where was Mouse Protector? I looked about for her. She was hovering on one of the anti-grav lifts above Zion's head with her glowing sword at the ready. Sonata moved from her original position and aimed all weapons at the drifting man. Lisa was in mid air with her mech's weapon systems pointed at him. Taylor was standing before Cocona in vanguard position. Her armor was glowing with power as a faint image of a beetle overlaid itself on her form. Madison at first seemed to be the odd girl out. Why was she dancing around like that? Her hands were moving in a classic cheerleader manner combined with jumps and flips. I felt strangely energized.
"Dancing and singing is nothing to sneeze at! This is my Cheer!" Analyzing effect. I blinked a few times. Hax. Totally hax. It boosted energy collection and Harmonics by as much as a hundred times. For some bizarre reason I actually felt sorry for the sleeping man. He literally had no idea what was about to happen. It was hard, but I finally made the jump. The Harmonics I had already built, plus Madison's boost, carried over to my next Song.
The massive writhing figure almost made me lose my lunch. The dead world it had taken as it's own made my heart ache. How many worlds had ended up like this? No. How many dimensions had collapsed because these fools destroyed everything. It was already waking up. Rebooting its thought processes. I wasn't going to be able to wipe this out in one shot, but the choir of angels that surrounded me were going to give it their best effort.
"Ethereal Blast!" Twelve bolts of blue white energy streaked out. A dim force field covered my target, but all it did was blunt the damage. Massive furrows were dug through it's body. The massive bulk squirmed and shuddered as the mountainous terrain of the dead world was shattered from it's movement.
[Pain]
[Aggression]
[Confusion]
That last sensation came as a result of the ridiculous amounts of blasts, slashes, spikes, and spears that suddenly appeared on it's form. The amount of damage wasn't as great as what I caused, but it was respectable.
"Do I have your attention now?"
-Back at the Desert-
Aria had slightly underestimated how fast the projection would wake up. That was fine. We were prepared to unleash pure hell on this freak. Despedia unleashed her Halcyon Cry. The spinning drill of raw annihilation blew through his torso. Javelins of dimensionally charged energy speared through his torso and left thigh. A blast of overwhelming force knocked him through the air right into the path of Mouse Protector's descent. The sword parted his body like a hot knife through butter. She quickly teleported away as the form exploded in gold light. Zion reappeared, seemingly unharmed, but definitely awake.
[Pain]
[Aggression]
[Confusion]
Cocona's Song was gaining power at a rapid clip. Madison was exhausting herself with the acrobatics. If not for the temperature resistant clothing she would be dying of heat stroke. Zion unleashed a wave of bright blue energy in a circle that froze Lisa's mech solid. Mouse Protector was forced to abandon ship as her flight unit was frozen as well. Sonata used 2Fast4U to escape while Despedia, defying all logic, slashed through the laser with her claws.
The white haired young woman snarled before vaulting at the floating man. He moved to strike her down only for his blow to crash into her defense field. She gripped his wrist, claws parted the pseudo flesh of his wrist with ease. Des grinned like a mad woman as she slashed her energy charged claws downward. The unnaturally sharp blades sliced through his skull and clear to his waist. She leaped away before he could explode again.
Each time he exploded to recover drained him. I grinned ferally at the proof that this guy wasn't invincible. Lisa's mech burst free from it's imprisonment before unleashing it's entire payload at him. Weapons both mundane and not hammered into his position. There was a period of disorientation after recovery. We could take advantage of that. Sonata zoomed into a new position above the Golden Warrior and threw Mouse Protector at him!? Even he seemed surprised at the unorthodox move.
"Huzzah!" Mouse Protector cried out with savage glee as the blade sliced through him again. She vanished back to Sonata's mech as the man exploded again.
"This fucker just keeps on coming..." Despedia growled, but otherwise continued her hit and run tactics.
[Rage]
Shit! He threw his hand out and filled the air with countless red spheres. This was the attack he used on Aria. He wasn't trying to mask it as a cone this time. Sorry, but I haven't been idle. My Harmonics were passing the millions mark and passed the hundred millions. The amplifiers were pretty much going to be destroyed by this, but the almost unholy joy I was feeling would not be denied. Where I once stood was a massive mecha. Atlas 2.0, Thrash Guardian Beatle, strode into the killing field and unleashed his protective barrier.
[Query?]
[Worry]
I was inside the shell of my Song Magic construct. His strength was my own. With just one blow I forced a regeneration. This was followed by another blow and another. The shell was practically indestructible. I said practically, because it really isn't completely invulnerable. Flakes of data and energy were stripped from Atlas with each explosion. I only had to hold up this barrage until Cocona was ready.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Atlas was roaring in a terrible voice. Somewhere in the back of my mind I dearly regretted not knowing where he got this stuff. His fists had blurred into ungodly speed. There was just me and the amazing exploding sun. Did I buy enough time for everyone to escape? They moved to the maximum safe distance. Good. Cocona looked so beautiful and serene. The battle dress she picked up in the Cosmosphere rustled faintly as her hair blew in a breeze not of this world. She was utterly unaffected by the chaos around her. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, glowing with power, and spoke one word to me.
"Move."
Atlas 2.0 grabbed the Golden Warrior while expelling me. I managed to take control of my unplanned flight only to see something awe inspiring. The massive construct of Song Magic had built a cage of energy out of his defense field. Zion was slamming his fists into it without effect, but the damaged construct was rattling. You won't have to hold it long, dear. His resolve redoubled and the barrier denied motion.
"Granzero=Spear." Cocona intoned. The first time I used Ethereal Blast it was an impressive moment. I know it was my own power, but it still amazed me. The shaft of light directly from my lover's own soul burned with a blinding intensity that made my best effort look arthritic. It struck Zion so fast that the attack was over as soon as it begun. My only clue that anything was happening was the circle of energy that formed before her. Zion looked startled as my construct was forcefully dispelled. He tried to explode once more, but turned gray instead. His body turned into bits of ash. Without so much as a whimper, the projection was defeated.
-Empty Earth-
I watched as the being below me struggled. Each time they attacked, I attacked. The idea of just destroying it all at once occurred to me, but was discarded just as readily. To do that I would have to destroy this Earth. There was a celestial balance that had to be observed. If one Earth was destroyed then the other Earths would feel it. I was hoping the being would give up, but it seemed determined to die by degrees.
"Are you trying to die?" I finally asked. The projection was destroyed. The Seeds that were used to maintain it had been burnt out completely. There was no way for it to fight any longer. It just didn't have the energy left. Not even enough energy to escape.
[Weariness]
Oh. I dropped to the planet below and stared at the ruined being before me. It's one thing to get gung ho and claim that you didn't care, but my heart was not made of stone.
"You can't self terminate. Your kind is designed around survival at all costs." I touched it gently. They evolved to survive. They had vast power and abilities, but the one thing they lacked was choice. It, no, he had learned about choice from humanity. His instincts would not let him kill himself, but they would let him fight to the last.
[Gratitude]
[Acceptance]
"...Eden..." He spoke in a vast voice filled with longing.
"I will put her body somewhere that no one can defile it anymore." I promised him.
"...Take..." What was he saying? Oh that's what he meant. A list of Seeds and their abilities filled my mind. Not only his, but hers as well. They had no attachment to the body. It existed as a vehicle. Once it died the others scavenged whatever was useful to them. He wanted to prevent her further defilement in the only way he knew.
"Goodnight, Zion. In another time, and another place, you will be together. I promise." My hand pressed against him harder and I shut him down. I was still going to keep my word. The remains of Eden, minus Cauldron, were brought to this world and laid beside her mate. I would plant my Tree here. A Tower would still be constructed on Earth Bet, but this would be my garden. A doorway opened and Contessa stepped out. The woman looked frazzled and disoriented. Having their secret clubhouse dropped into the middle of the central office for the PRT would do that to anyone.
"What have you done?" She demanded.
"I kept my word so now you keep yours. Zion has been dealt with." I informed her coldly.
"Will you set yourself up as the new Entity then? Is that why you gathered all this power?" Contessa stared at me with horror in her eyes.
"I have no idea what you went through at the hands of the Entities. I feel for you. Literally. I can't just turn off my empathy. Happiness and Harmony are all that I desire. If the world had left me alone I would have been content. You showed me abominable things and wound me up to fight your battle. What you failed to take into account is that I function best when calm. My power is easier to access when I am living up to my Aspect." I threw it back at her. The fedora wearing woman stepped back in surprise.
"I knew you wouldn't react well to it, but Doctor Mother said it was best to point you at Zion. Instead of you finding out about us without guiding events. The Path to Victory agreed that it was the best option." She pleaded with me to understand.
"Did you try asking it how a being that uses emotions for power would react? Would they be able to do what you wanted?" I asked her. Contessa shook her head slowly.
"It never occurred to me." She admitted.
"You're going to have to learn these things. Doctor Mother can't direct you anymore. The Triumvirate has a lot of explaining to do. Harbinger will probably end up killed or Birdcaged. Your fate is your own. No one else's." I told her gently.
"...Then I will turn myself in with my friends. They are more than friends. They're my family. I'm sorry for all of the misunderstandings." Contessa apologized. She wasn't coming after me half cocked. Her family was in jeopardy so she wanted to find out why.
"Have hope, faith, and love. Never lose sight of those. Things have a way of working out for the best." I winked at her. She nodded and smiled. Her Path was set. Was what I did wrong? Hardly. The world is not black and white. When compassion is forgotten then all is truly lost. My own family was waiting for me.
"I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul" - Invictus by William Ernest Henley
AN: Epilogue will be up in a day or two. For some reason this wrote itself exceptionally fast and wouldn't let me stop. I'll confess that the idea of going the Buster!Taylor route was oh so tempting, but not in keeping with the theme at all. Harmony, understanding, and redemption. Sometimes the most profound things come from the simplest acts.
Mir allowed her compassion to guide her hand and look at what came about as a result. Thank you so much for coming on this ride with me. I am more grateful than you know for just sticking with me even through the rough times. All of you contributed to this story in some way and I appreciate it. If I tried to list all of you that would take up a chapter in and of itself.
