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(A/N: Thanks for sticking so long, Rockstars <3)
Jessie's phone buzzed violently, pulling her out of her haze. Answering quickly, she barely had time to speak before her subordinate's panicked voice filled the line.
"Jessie, it's Roxanne. She's been kidnapped. We don't know by who yet, but—"
The words hit her like a freight train. Her face drained of color, and the phone nearly slipped from her hand.
"...What?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
"We're trying to track her now, but—"
Jessie didn't let him finish. She hung up abruptly, her mind racing. No time for questions. No time for details. Her chest tightened as the weight of what she'd just heard sank in.
With trembling hands, she threw open the bathroom door, her emotions still raw from her breakdown, but none of it mattered now.
Jessie stormed into the dimly lit room, her steps frantic and unsteady. Alice stood by the observation window, her piercing gaze locked on Howard, who was muttering incoherently and toying with the energy cube.
"Boss," Jessie blurted, her voice barely holding together.
Alice didn't turn, her focus unwavering. "What is it?" she asked coolly, as if the weight of the world wasn't on her shoulders.
Jessie swallowed hard, the words catching in her throat. "It's Roxanne. She's been kidnapped."
That got Alice's attention. She turned slowly, her expression darkening like a gathering storm. "What did you just say?"
Jessie's knees almost buckled under Alice's gaze, but she steadied herself. "Roxanne… she's gone. Someone took her."
This made her snap. Alice has had, ENOUGH.
With a guttural scream, she lunged at the cube, shoving Howard aside with a force that sent him sprawling. Grasping the cube with both hands, she poured her rage into it, demanding its submission.
As Alice pressed the cube with both hands, a surge of energy coursed through her body, her muscles straining against the immense force. The cube crackled and sparked, bolts of lightning shooting in every direction, but Alice didn't flinch.
"I will not let you take EVERYTHING from me!" She could feel herself pushing past her limits, but her determination was unshakable. Her body glowed, crackling with the power of the cube as it fought against her, yet she held firm.
Howard watched, his eyes widening as the chaos unfolded. "YES!" he shouted, barely able to contain his excitement. "I can feel it! I can finally make the connection! The father Nexus and his daughter Athena! They will finally meet again!!"
Suddenly, visions and flashes of distant worlds surged through Alice's mind. She felt a sharp pain as her mind was overwhelmed by memories not her own—fragments of a different reality, flashes of Azathoth's realm, the gods, the other Outer Beings. The sheer weight of it nearly broke her, but she refused to let go.
With a final scream, her body disappeared, leaving only the aftermath of her fury.
Howard stared at the space she'd occupied, his hands trembling. "What... what just happened?" he muttered, eyes wide in disbelief. "Where did she go?"
Jessie's gaze darted around the room. "Boss?!" she called out, her voice shaking with a mix of confusion and panic. "Where is she?!"
Howard, still dazed from the power he'd witnessed, was lost in thought. "She's somewhere. But... Something bad is going to happen... I can feel herself coming...
Nihila..." He said.
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Alice's body materialized suddenly in the cold, dimly lit basement, her vision blurring as she adjusted to the new surroundings. The air smelled musty, the floor was littered with debris, and the faint hum of fluorescent lights buzzed above. As her senses sharpened, she realized she was surrounded by several armed guards, all staring at her in confusion.
Her mind, still reeling from the overwhelming surge of power, struggled to focus, but the adrenaline quickly kicked in. She hadn't just traveled; she had manifested here—here, in this secret, heavily guarded location.
The guards were tense, their weapons raised instinctively, but they hesitated, unsure of what to do. They hadn't seen anything like her before. The power she exuded felt foreign, an unnatural force that made their instincts scream danger.
One of the guards stepped forward, his hand trembling as he pointed his rifle at Alice. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, voice shaky. "How did you get here?"
Alice's eyes burned with fury as she scanned the room. "Where's my daughter?" she snarled, her voice low and filled with venom. "Where is Roxanne?"
The door at the far end of the room creaked open, and out stepped a tall, imposing figure. The man was dressed in a dark suit, his face twisted in a smug, almost mocking smile. He had a presence about him, an aura of arrogance and power, as if the world itself bowed to his whims.
It was Fibonacci. The Mafia Boss, the one who despised Alice with a burning passion.
"Well, well, well," Fibonacci said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "If it isn't Alice herself. I should've known you'd come for her." He glanced around at the stunned guards. "You see, gentlemen? This is the woman I've been waiting for. The one who thinks she can control everything."
"You may have some power, Alice, but in this place, you're nothing. Nothing but an intruder. You've walked into my territory, and you're going to regret it."
Alice's fists clenched. "Where is she?" she demanded again, her voice rising, a flicker of impatience sparking in her tone. "Tell me, and maybe I'll leave you with your life."
He turned back to Alice, his tone turning more mocking. "I've heard the stories about you. The most powerful woman in the world, they say. The mother of blood. But power isn't enough, Alice. No matter how much you have, there's always someone bigger, someone more dangerous."
Alice's eyes narrowed, her pulse quickening with the rising tension. "This is about more than power, Fibonacci. It's about family. And I'm not going to let you get away with taking my daughter." She stepped forward again, her presence imposing, as if the very air around her thickened with her anger.
Suddenly, one of the guards stepped forward, a trembling voice breaking the tension. "M-Master Fibonacci, what do we do? She's not like anyone we've seen before..."
Alice's fury was boundless. As she tore through the room, every step she took left death in its wake. Guards and henchmen who once stood tall, filled with bravado, were reduced to lifeless husks, their bodies contorted in horrific ways as she waged her massacre.
Her fists, her feet, even her mind—nothing was off-limits. She sliced through enemies with brutal precision, tearing apart anyone who dared come near her, leaving nothing but mangled corpses in her path. Blood sprayed in all directions, the metallic stench thick in the air, as screams echoed in every corner of the hideout, only to be silenced by the crushing weight of Alice's rage.
With each life she took, her anger only seemed to fuel her more. There was no thought in her actions, only the burning desire to make everyone who dared touch her family pay.
When the last guard crumpled to the floor, Alice stood in the center of the room, her body coated in the blood of those she had slain. The floor was a sea of gore, and the once imposing Mafia hideout now lay in ruins, the echoes of her wrath still lingering in the air.
At the far side of the room, Fibonacci lay prostrate, his body trembling in fear as he gazed up at the unstoppable force before him. His eyes were wide, but there was no trace of defiance left—only terror.
Alice's gaze never wavered as she grabbed him by the hair, lifting his head with terrifying ease. Her eyes, dark with unrelenting vengeance, locked onto his.
"You thought you could keep my daughter from me…" Alice's voice was low, almost a whisper, but it carried the weight of death itself. "You thought you could play games with me. Now... I'll keep my promise."
With a single swift motion, Alice drew a sharp blade and decapitated Fibonacci in an instant. His head fell to the floor with a sickening thud, rolling to the side as his body slumped in a final, lifeless heap.
But Alice wasn't finished. She took the severed head, casually tossing it into a barrel nearby, its brain exposed to the world. A scoop, drenched in blood, was placed inside the skull, a grotesque but fitting tribute to the man who had dared to cross her.
She stared at the scene she had created, her breath steadying as the final echoes of her rampage faded. There was nothing left of the Mafia's operation, no sign of the man who had dared to take Roxanne from her.
Alice rushed into the dimly lit room, her presence like a storm that swept through the space. The guard beside Roxanne barely had time to react before a single shot rang out, the sound echoing through the room as his body crumpled to the ground.
Roxanne turned toward her mother, her expression softening despite the chilling atmosphere surrounding Alice. Her eyes, red with emotion and the recent chaos, flickered with a mix of awe and excitement as she stood up to face her.
"Mum…" Roxanne's voice trembled, but there was a spark of warmth in her words. "You came for me."
Alice's gaze softened slightly as she took a step toward her daughter, but the bloodlust and intensity in her eyes were still unmistakable. She wasn't here for a reunion; she was here to take back what was hers.
Roxanne couldn't help but notice how terrifying her mother looked—her figure was drenched in blood, her expression a mask of cold fury that made her seem more like a force of nature than a woman. There was no trace of the calm, composed Alice she had once known. This was a mother who had come to reclaim everything that was taken from her.
Alice's voice was a low, guttural growl, barely containing the rage that burned inside her. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again, Roxanne. Not ever."
Roxanne, despite the intense fear and awe she felt, couldn't help but smile. "You're terrifying, Mum... but I think that's what makes you so strong. I'm so glad you came."
Alice stepped closer, her hand gently brushing the side of her daughter's face, her touch both comforting and fierce. She couldn't help but feel a rush of relief at having her daughter in her arms again, even though the horrors of the past few hours still weighed heavily on her mind.
As Roxanne gazed up at her mother, she saw the blood-soaked warrior standing before her, a woman who had killed without hesitation, who had obliterated anyone who dared threaten her family. And she couldn't help but admire her for it.
"We'll leave this place now, Roxanne," Alice said, her voice cold but steady. "And no one will ever touch you again. Not while I'm alive."
Roxanne nodded, still shaken but filled with a sense of safety that only Alice could provide. "By the way Mum, I found this!"
Roxanne, holding the book she had found, walked over to Alice, her steps hesitant yet determined. She handed it to her mother with a slight tremor in her voice, feeling the weight of the moment. "It's... Fibonacci's."
Alice took the diary from her daughter's hands, her eyes scanning it quickly, the pages turning with unnerving speed. The words blurred in front of her as she processed everything. As her gaze landed on a specific part, something about it made her stop. She stared, her eyes narrowing.
"Alice is a force beyond comprehension. Do not challenge her. Do not provoke her. If she ever comes for you, do not fight back. She will tear through you without a second thought. My heir, heed my warning—if Alice ever finds out you have anything to do with her, there will be nothing left of you but dust."
Alice felt a rush of cold fury. Fibonacci, knowing the extent of her power, had feared her. And yet, he had dared to make a move against her. But the realization settled in—he hadn't acted on his own. Someone had been pulling the strings.
"Why did he attack me, if he feared me so much?" Alice muttered to herself.
Roxanne looked at her mother, her expression conflicted. "He was controlled, wasn't he?"
Before Alice could respond, the air in the room seemed to distort, a sudden chill creeping in. Alice's eyes snapped up, her instincts on alert.
"Exactly," a voice said from the shadows.
A tall figure stepped forward, his silhouette imposing, his presence almost suffocating. Alice's blood ran cold as the figure emerged fully into the dim light.
"Who are you?" Alice demanded, her voice laced with authority and rage.
The figure grinned, his features coming into sharper focus—a tall man with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Achilles," he said, his tone cool, almost playful. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize me, Alice."
Alice's eyes narrowed. "Achilles... the legend?" she muttered. But the man standing before her wasn't just some myth. He exuded an ancient, unfathomable power. And the way he spoke—he wasn't just a mere mortal.
"You're... a Cathulic Deity," Alice said, realization dawning. She had heard of them from Azathoth—beings so ancient and powerful, they existed beyond the known world, operating in the shadows, manipulating events for their own cryptic purposes.
Achilles smiled darkly, stepping closer. "Yes. I work under Nihila..."
"It's the end of the road for you, Crosser."