YeaR 205 Month 10
Drew - 21
Jr - 10
Zack - 14
Ay Yin - 25
Rame Nara - 18
Drice -?
Quimica Silva - 17
Lily - 22
Goa -?
Rimadora Silva - Late 20's
As Lily walks to her throne and slowly sits, Goa, Rima, Jr, and I step forward. As Lily sits she speaks "You far exceeded my expectations, Drew. You're power… Is simply beautiful." As she looks me In the eyes she grew a warm smile. I couldn't help but adore It, It's the same smile from when we were kids. But this wonderful feeling was short-lived by Goa's loud outburst "HA! As If! I held back! As much as I would like to see his body broken and… and…" She quickly becomes lost In her own fantasy of gore and death unable to finish her thought. Lily couldn't help but giggle, as she did she continued speaking "Tehee. Well If there's a next time I would love to see both of fight until your no more." Goa snaps back and replies with the most cheerful voice, "I would love that sister!" I quickly interject "Uhh, I mean I guess? But anyway, now that I've proved myself what exactly do I do now?" Rima quickly walks over to me and starts babbling a bunch of sounds and moving In some weird erotic way( ╯°□°)╯. I slowly shake my head and try to answer her "Sorry. But I don't really understand what you saying. Maybe write It down?" But all she does Is stand In front of me shaking her head and making a disappointed face (;⌣̀_⌣́). Goa couldn't help but laugh along with Jr who chimed In "Bruh, you stupid! She said now you must cut ties with the past to build a future with Lily. HAHAHA!" I roll my eyes and smack my lips before answering "How did you even understand that? It was just a bunch of random noises and movements!" Jr's face Is filled with confidence and he speaks with conviction "I mean she talks like a kid. I'ma kid… See where this Is going?" I roll my eyes and nod, I look back at Rima. As she stands there, I take a good look at her. She has wavy, dirty brown hair that falls to her hips. It moves almost on Its own, like snakes. Her complexion Is light brown, with a slight tan. She's only slightly shorter than me, but I can't really tell how big she Is cause of the black cloak she's wearing. It has a strange white symbol scattered all around, It somewhat looks like a star In a circle. Also, she has no shoes. As Rima stands there she grows more and more impatient (ಠ_ಠ). Until Lily breaks the silence "That Is correct! Everyone here has done It so It's only fair that you do as well. So For you to truly join the Holy Dark, you must…" Rima quickly falls back In line, and everyone including me places their eyes on Lily as she continues "Destroy C.U.G!" I let out a deep sigh before saying "Really? Why must I do that?" Lily takes a brief second before answering "Why you ask. Well, the reason why Is that not only did you use to work for the government, but your last living relative also works for them too, and Is fairly high In rank." I try to keep a straight face but It's hard. How did she know about my past along with Zack? Not only Is that classified but Zack doesn't go out on random missions so her knowledge of him should be even less. I clear my throat and say "How did you know I worked for the government?" Lily couldn't help but giggle before going on "Teehee. Well, we meet each other not only once, but twice. When you use to work In the watermelon shop." I couldn't believe her words. But as I think back, there was always 1 female that came In every week and ordered the same thing. I smiled and said "Mini watermelon fruit sandwiches cut In the shape of Dragons with a side of sparkling-infused watermelon water. Ha!" Lily returns the smile and stands, as she walks toward me she talks "You remembered! Maybe you can make it again sometime. But only If do what I ask." She stops mere inches away from me. She wears the same cloak as Rima, but this time I can tell she has a nice body. Mature as one would say. Her black hair Is still dull, and straight. It hasn't grown much since the last time I saw her. It rests peacefully on her shoulders, but the one thing that stands out about her most Is her eyes. A deep blue-green, as If I'm staring into the ocean Itself. I get lost In my thoughts for what seems like hours, to be brought back by the simple touch of her. As her finger starts on my chin she slowly moves It to my left cheek and pinches It. I quickly, but quietly respond to the pinch "Ow…" As Lily let go, she turned around while laughing. Rima joins In as well (⁀ᗢ⁀). I slowly bring my hand up to my left cheek and say "Well. Someone very dear to me said to always remember that this life Is yours, and to live for yourself." Jr quickly spoke up "Ain't no way you finna do this big bro! Stop thinking with your dick and use your head! If you go through with this you'll be a criminal, wanted by damn near every country In Kansai!" As I bring my hand back down I say "Can you give me a minute Lily?" Lily nods and starts to walk back to her throne. I quickly move over to where Jr Is and take him to the corner of the room. We huddle up and talk about the offer, I go first "Come on Jr, don't do me like this!" Jr shakes his head and says "Bro, at first they sounded cool. But when they said attack C.U.G that's where they lost me, and you too right?" I look at him with a nervous smile, but before I could say anything Jr smacks his lips and goes on "Nah! Are you really thinking about It, huh?" I reply "I mean… Kinda, not only will we have a place to stay. We'll have food too. Along with beautiful girls surrounding us! Come on Jr! Aye maybe you and Rima?" Jr just stares at me with a blank face and says "I'm 10. I could care less for the girls, I'm more worried about my training and well being big bro. The benefits are nice but at cost of what? Our freedom! If your wanted I'm wanted and that shit seems like more trouble than what It Is." I roll my eyes and respond "You got big bro to protect you, along with the other members. Look!" Jr and I both turn around and look. Rima Is just dancing and having the time of her life ╰(*´︶`*)╯. We shift our eyes at Goa, but she's stuck In a weird fantasy of blood and death. Almost like she's getting off to the idea of killing someone. Finally Lily, but all she's doing Is laughing at the other 2. Jr and I enter the huddle again, this time Jr goes first "These girls are a bunch of clowns. One of them can't even speak words and that says a lot coming from me. The other Is a killing machine with no thoughts other than her next kill. That leaves the leader, automatically she seems normal but when you think about It she lives with these clowns, so she's crazy by association!" I couldn't help but laugh a lil before replying "That's what makes It interesting! Anyway, we can still train and we have more sparring partners. Look at It like this, the crazier the better! Am I right?" Jr shakes his head In defeat, he lets out a small sigh before saying "Fine… But! If this shit starts getting really evil, we out!" I jump for joy while picking Jr up and giving him a big hug while saying "Thanks bro! I promise you, you'll have fun!" As I spin around In excitement Jr says "Whatever… We better train too!" I put Jr down and swiftly make my way back over to the others. As I get back In line with the others I clear my throat and say "Lily. I would love to attack C.U.G!" Lily was surprised, but responded "O, I see. Well then let us start the final test of your loyalty. Before we go Is there anything you need?" I take a few seconds to think, and eventually, I speak "Actually there Is. Do you think I can get one of the cloaks there kinda clean?" Goa snaps out of her gore fantasy and quickly piggie backs off what I said "You ain't earn shit! These cloaks show your dedication to Lily's cause along with your promise to her." Before I could even answer her Lily cut me off with a giggle before saying "It's ok Goa, I think he's earned that much." Goa rolls her eyes In disbelief, but she doesn't argue. Lily claps her hands and stands while speaking in a soft commanding voice "Well then, let's start heading towards C.U.G."
6 Hour Later
As Drew and the others slowly approach the east wall of C.U.G. he takes some time to ask Lily and the others some questions, "Are we going to attack together, or Is this more of a solo thing?" Goa quickly answers but with an annoyed tone "You'll be doing this by yourself. This will also be another way to see your strength, so fight with everything you have!" As she finishes her sentence, she turns toward me, raises her arms, and flexes her muscles. Even though she's wearing the same baggy cloak as the others the sheer definition of her muscles Is amazing. Drew continues the conversation "What's your workout? Overhead press, push-ups, farmer walks, what Is It?" Goa laughs loudly as she answers "HAHA! Those are a good start but are too easy! Let's say all my workouts come from the battles I fight. I grow In strength as I continue to fight and If I survive, which I always do. My power Is multiplied!" I nod my head and slowly turn towards Jr walking next to me and quietly say "Maybe there a lil crazy…" Jr laughs a lil while responding "Aye, what did you say earlier… hmmm… The crazier the better! Haha!" I let out a deep sigh and go back to walking. After about 30 minutes we come to a stop. Right in front of us stands C.U.G. As we admire the view, a nice warm breeze blows through us. Carrying the smell of chocolate. As I take In the smell Jr eagerly says "What's that smell?" Before Lily could answer Rima runs off to the fields toward the north. As she gets disappears into the shrubs Lily says "The smell comes from the 5-leaf akebia. As the fruit ripens It splits open and gives off a chocolate aroma." Just as Lily finished, Rima comes bursting out of the field of shrubs carrying handfuls of them. As she rejoins the group, she slowly approaches Jr and hands him a few with the biggest, happiest, smile on her face (*^‿^*). Jr takes them and tries them out. As he eats one after the other like a heathen, Rima walks around passing some to all of us. We all go to take a seat under the only tree throughout the sea of 5-star shrubs. As we sit together eating and enjoying each other's company, Jr starts to talk with a full mouth "So… We finna chill here while big bro goes and attacks?" As Lily finishes eating she answers Jr "Yes. You are more than welcome to stay with us. Maybe you can tell us more about your travels before meeting us!" Jr crawls over to Rima and starts to eat some of the akebia's while saying "Yeah, I guess that's cool. Don't take forever bro." As he continues to stuff his mouth he laughs a lil. I look out at the east wall and remember my first time seeing C.U.G, trying to get directions to the recruitment building to join the government. Along with my first real friend Ay. I couldn't help but smile while saying "Do It or don't do It. You'll regret both." Before Lily ate her last akebia she turned toward me and commented on what I said "Whoever told you that lived their life to the fullest. They had zero doubt in their heart, and so should you. Like you said earlier live your life the way you want to." As she turns back to take her last bite, I couldn't help but stare. Even In the shade, her brown complexion shimmered with the soft, mid-day summer light. Alongside the sharp contrast of her dull black hair. As I stare, even more, the feeling of fighting for something that words can't even explain fills my body. Not a single battle up until this point have I ever felt this way. Even fighting side by side with X. Rima takes notice and stands. She walks over to me and karate chops my head, snapping me back. As I go to rub my head she starts saying a bunch of gibberish and points at Lily and then back at me (」＞＜)」. But when I go to look at Lily again her face Is bright red. I quickly speak up "What did she say?" Goa and Jr just laugh while Lily struggles to say "I really don't want to repeat what she said, but let's just say she's rooting for you." Slightly confused I respond "Okay? I guess…" Just as Goa finished laughing she started to talk "Maybe you can offer a reward based on his performance Lily?" Jr falls over dying of laughter while Rima, Me, and Goa all turn and look at Lily. her face becomes even brighter but she still finds a way to speak "I…I mean, I suppose. But what would the reward be?" Rima happily jumps up In the air making random sounds but she started to make an eating motion (っ˘ڡ˘ς). Goa nods her head In agreement with what Rima said while saying "Not a bad idea! Lily did say he was a decent cook. How about it Lily?" Lily's face starts to go back to normal while she talked "I agree too! So Drew." Lily turns to look at me and continues to speak "If you do well how about we go on a picnic as a group? Maybe you can cook one of the special watermelon dishes too!" She eagerly sits up and waits for a response. I take a deep breath and try and play It cool "I mean that sounds pretty cool." Jr starts to wheeze, saying "You can't make this stuff up! HAHAHA!" Rima couldn't help but smile a lil bit too, Goa, on the other hand, says "Tell me Jr this can't be the first time, right?" Jr barely able to reply does "It sure has! Not just once either. All he does Is drop the bag! HAHAHAHA!" Goa joins In, and even Lily laughs. Slightly annoyed I stand and with confidence exclaim "Alright! I'm heading out. It shouldn't take me long. Don't cause any trouble Jr." Goa starts to stand and makes her way over to me while saying "Well then Drew, good luck and gods speed. You'll need It!" Then she thrusts her fist into my chest. I could feel her energy, she truly wants me to succeed. I smile and say "Thanks! I'll show the government what the Holy Dark can do!" As she removes her fist, I take a few steps back until I'm out of the shade of the tree. I take one last look at everyone before pulling out my sword. I point my blade toward the sky and say "You ready Dravity?" The blade starts to faintly grow purple and eventually started to speak "Though you never asked!" I look up at the sky and say "Gravity Materia: Zero Gravity." And with just a simple push off the ground Drew goes flying into the sky, the sheer force sent thousands of 5-star akebia into the air. As they rain down Rima and Jr run around trying to catch them while Goa stands and laughs. Lily couldn't help but giggle and say quietly, "Show me the reality you live to fight for Drew."
As I climb higher and higher into the sky, I slowly clear my mind. Void of useless thoughts and emotions. Only thinking about the task at hand, I slowly come to a stop. I scan over the city, watching as the people commute to their everyday job or task. The screams of crying, ungrateful kids, and the natural sound of the city fill my ears. I start to think to myself "Man. Just like old times, hehe. The place where I started my journey. I hope Ay got stronger at least. It's been a long YeaR. Well, no point In stalling." I stick my blade out parallel to the ground and say "Now I just have to increase the gravity of my blade… Let's say about… 50 folds. At this height, only the northeast capital should be destroyed. That should be more than enough to make the government move." As Drew releases the sword from his hand, It starts to pick up more and more speed. Back under the tree In the fields of akebia's, Goa brings her right hand up to her face to block the sun. As she squints her eyes she says "How high up do you think he Is?" Lily takes a few seconds before answering "He has to at least be at a minimum height of 828m for It to be anywhere else wouldn't nearly cause enough panic." Jr, Goa, and even Rima all turn to look at Lily with the most confused face (•ิ_•ิ)? Lily gives a lil smile while saying "What? I looked into his power. I wouldn't tell him to go alone If I didn't believe he could at least win." Rima rolls her eyes and goes back to eating akebias with Jr. But what Lily said piqued Goa's interest and she asked a few questions "So what exactly Is his power? For the most part, he just uses a sword right?" Lily answers "Your only half right. He Is the current Sword Master, Isn't that right Jr." Jr stops stuffing his face and replies "Yeah! Every time I see bro pick up the sword he does something I've never seen before." Goa quickly started to talk after Jr "Seems like he was holding back In our fight. What else can this Sword Master do?" Lily starts to stand and walk to Goa's side. As she comes to a stop she looks up at Drew In the sky and says "His sword Is a divine weapon. A Dragon variant called Dravity. This gives him absolute control over gravity." Goa too shocked to believe what Lily said starts to shake her head In disbelief, but before she could reply Jr spoke up "How do you know so much about Drew? Even If you did meet him a few times while he worked at the watermelon shop he never really talked about his sword training or even Dravity." Lily nodded her head In agreement as she answered "For me to answer that I must explain my abilities, but It's easier to show than to tell." Jr chews slowly and takes a few seconds to think. But just before he could speak up a loud explosion can be heard coming from C.U.G. A portion of the west wall was completely destroyed along with everyone and everything that belonged to the northeast capital. A few seconds go by, then the aftershock of the explosion hit everyone. Goa and Lily stand unphased while Rima and Jr hang on to the tree for dear life. As the smoke and debris cleared Drew started to stretch and say "Now, where to start? Maybe I should start with the high-rank officials that made me clean for hours or do night watch." Drew slowly makes his descent to C.U.G, and as he gets closer to his sword he takes a look around and slowly realizes the level of destruction he's caused. There's not a building standing for miles, along with all the people that were just here… Gone. As Drew lands and grabs his sword, he says "Damn…" But just as Drew starts to walk away a loud noise can be heard from a few meters away, the rubble started to move and the sound grew louder and louder until something broke free from underneath. There In front of Drew stands… Ay. Covered In dirt and blood he stands over the few kids that he was able to protect. Drew excitedly starts to walk over to him while saying "AY! What's the deal? Have you been doing good?" But the closer Drew got the more the kids showed terror until Ay finally spoke "It's okay. I'll protect you." The kids nod and stand behind him. Drew confused says "Come on. It ain't that bad." As Ay's hands turn into fists he lividly starts to speak "You never came back, not even to visit. It's been a YeaR, you never called, sent a message, not even a letter. Jessica and I thought you were dead. X stopped speaking about you altogether and eventually stopped visiting the shop too. It was hard to move on, you were the first person I could truly call my rival. My friend. The time we spent training, working at the shop, doing missions, and even hanging out. These showed me there's more to my life than killing and revenge. It motivated me to become a better person. YOU! Inspired me to become the best person I can be. It took months to accept that you won't come back." Ay puts his head down but continues to speak "Then the first thing you do Is show up, destroy a whole city that you once protected, along with killing thousands If not even more than that. Kids, moms, dads, grandparents, and whole families. All dead just like that." Tears fall from Ay's face while the kids hug him. As he goes to wipe the tears Drew speaks up "I'll put It like this…" But before he could Ay cut him off "Nothing you say can even come close to justifying what you did. You attacked the one place that people can go to when they have nothing left. Like me. Like you…" A brief silence falls between us, all Drew could hear were the sniffles of the kids crying and the tears of Ay hitting the ground. Drew was left speechless, he's never seen Ay like this. He couldn't even think of anything to say back. Ay wipes his tears once more, picks his head up, and says "Now that I got that off my chest I can deal with the matter at hand. I'm here to stop you and take you In. Your choices are nothing but evil, and the fact you can't see that…" Drew looks at Ay then the kids and shakes his head. After a couple of seconds, Drew says "Let me ask the kids a question?" No response from anyone. Drew smiles a lil while saying "Do you think I'm evil?" All the kids yelled and started calling him names, But Drew did nothing but laugh, as each second passed his laugh grew more and more sinister. Until he stopped and said, "If you say my choices are evil, then that's what I'll be." The air around Drew shifted to the point the kids noticed and began to cry. Ay quickly told them to head to the nearest government building to request help. Drew couldn't help but laugh at his request, as he did he spoke "There going to be walking for a while, maybe a few miles. HAHA!" But Ay doesn't fall for the cheap taunt instead, he heads back to the rubble and starts looking for something. After a few minutes, he finds what he was looking for. Drew starts to talk "Still got that crusty ass spear. Even with all that training you still don't use the sword." Ay responds "I use one of the four major weapons from my country. It's a constant reminder of why I seek strength. Something you probably don't understand." Drew rolls his eyes at that remark. He takes his sword, drives It into the ground, and says "If I'm going to be honest. I don't think I need my sword for this fight. I can beat you with my bare hands." Ay grips his sha spear with all his might, and In the most unforgiving and emotionless tone says "Enough talk. Do what you want. I'm taking you In no matter the condition you are In." Drew couldn't help but laugh until he was crying, damn near rolling on the ground. Ay's anger gets the best of him and he rushes Drew.
Ay quickly closed the gap between them. As he came into striking distance, Drew stood there waiting for him to swing. Calmly Ay spoke "Spear Skill: Plate 2, Kitsutsuki." Ay relentlessly released a flurry of stabs and lunges at Drew. Each with the strength to kill. They dance around the destroyed city at blistering speeds. Drew couldn't help but smile while dodging each strike without breaking a sweat. Eventually, Ay picks up In speed, and more and more strikes come forth. For every single movement, Ay did It was doubled. For every one strike, It was counted as two. Drew surprised, matched his speed until there was nothing but afterimages of where they once were. They both come to a halt back to where they started and look each other In the eyes. One is filled with justice and love of others, while the other Is simply void of all things that don't help his cause. Ay closes his eyes and says "Blink Skill: Look Quick!" As he opens his eyes he closes them once again, but this time he vanished. Drew amazed spoke up "So you finally mastered It. Well looks like I can take It up a notch." Drew takes a deep breath and releases Dravity's life energy throughout his body, slowly Materia started to swirl around him creating a purple aura. As he finished he spoke "It doesn't matter how fast you are or how long you blink, I can see you. Nothing gets past these eyes. I sense your very life." At that moment Ay appeared behind Drew and stood back to back. Ay eventually speaks up "Not only did I master It, but I also evolved It as well. It is more than just blinking my eyes to the next location. I can close my eyes and stay hidden until I open them again. My presence Is completely hidden." Drew quickly swings his left arm behind him but Ay vanished. Drew tries to sense for him… But Ay wasn't lying, his entire being Is gone. Drew's sword starts to glow and then speaks "Told you! You should have practiced more! Without me, your senses are now better than a bitch ass Demon!" Drew replies "I KNOW! SO SHUT UP!" As Drew stands there trying to find any sign of where Ay Is, that's when he strikes. Ay appears directly In front of Drew and confidently says "Spear Skill: Plate 1, True Cross!" Instantly Ay moved his spear from his left to the right and created an X. Drew unfazed by the attack goes to grab Ay by the neck, but he swiftly closes his eyes and disappears. Drew annoyed says "Man, come on! Let me get my one hit In!" Ay continues the barrage of sudo-instant attacks but each time he gets a clean hit. Nothing, not even a drop of blood. As Ay throws one true cross after another he starts to think to himself "Even though I'm making direct contact with his body, not a single scratch Is being made. I'm lucky that he Isn't using his sword. FUCK! Even now I still can't beat him. I have to think…" Ay stops the barrage of crosses and reappears a few meters In front of Drew. Drew doesn't let the opportunity go and swiftly rushes Ay. Just a mere arm's length away Drew begins throwing countless jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, and elbows at speeds you could only imagine. If one of these even grazes Ay he's done for. Drew becomes more and more locked In, gaining speed, and finding new openings, new rotations jabs, and crosses. It takes Ay everything he has to dodge, cause blocking wasn't an option. The sword glows a cool purple again and says "Aye tighten up, you getting sloppy out there!" Ay starts to get frustrated and yells while dodging for his life "YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF TRAINING? YOU KILL THOUSANDS SO YOU CAN FIGHT?" Drew pays no attention to him, he only tightens up his movements. Ay yells once more "BLINK SKILL: QUICK LOOK!" He closed his eyes and disappeared, but Drew was ready for that and said "Predictable! You always go behind!" Drew pivoted on his left foot while carrying his momentum he quietly said "Dragon Skill: Dragon Claw." His right hand changed into a Dragon. Ay reappears behind him just like he said but this time instead of dodging he said these words "Spear Skill: Plate 3, Full Counter." Just as Drew's claw made contact with Ay's spear an explosion goes off. As the smoke slowly fades and the debris settles, Ay Is filled with fear. Drew broke through the counter with sheer strength and gripped Ay's head. He didn't even struggle, But Drew shook his head as If he was disappointed and said "For 1 YeaR this Is all you achieved? I give you props where they're due, you got faster and mastered your skill. Even evolved It…" Drew slowly picked Ay up by his head, his feet leaving the ground. Helpless, check mate. Drew continues "The power you got was easy. Maybe a few hard battles here and there. Nothing like the things I had to go threw, just to simply survive. To live." They look each other In the eyes… Instantly Drew slams Ay into the ground head-first. Over and over and over again, screams of agony and despair come from Ay. The ground slowly became soaked In his blood. Drew takes a knee and slowly leans into Ay's left ear and says "In this past YeaR I not only died at the hands of my brother. Revived by the Prince of Dragons, Dravity. Then told the government was a lie, this whole system a lie. After that I was hunted by the same government I worked for and believed In. After that, I trained day In and day out until my hands bled until I was exhausted. I got my ass beat until I couldn't feel It anymore." Ay tries to push himself up but Drew slams him into the ground again. He picks him up and goes on "I'm not done! After that, I learned the truth about our world leaders and what they're working towards, along with the power they hold. If you scared now, you a bitch." As Drew raises Ay up one more time he says his final words "I'm the current Sword Master, and I used this power to achieve your dream! I saved the Yin clan from a state of constant civil war. I DID THAT! I DID ALL THIS IN 1 YeaR! What have you done?" At that very moment, Ay's will, his pride, and everything he stood for were crushed. Drew takes a deep breath and shakes his head while slamming Ay's head back into the ground.
As Drew stands Dravity begins to talk "Not bad, but you were sloppy." Drew starts to stretch while replying to Dravity "Yeah, yeah. He was just a warm-up, the real fight starts now." At that very moment, a large aircraft comes into view overhead. In a matter of seconds, 4 individuals jumped and landed In the most elegant way just a few meters in front of Drew. As he smiles he talks "You guys must have practiced that. Not a bad entrance. Still not better than mine tho. Zack." Zack takes a look around and notices the body behind Drew. Drew speaks up "Don't worry about him. He won't get In our way. How about you introduce me to your team?" Zack inspects Drew and starts to think "What's up with the cloak? A white star in a circle…" One of the members speaks out "Who the fuck are you?" Another member responds "Now where are your manners Rame? This Is the next heir of the Johnsons. Drew Johnson." Rame rolls his eyes while responding "And. What's that supposed to mean? Anyway let's get this over with, It's almost time for me to clock out." Zack finally speaks "Why did you do this Drew?" Drew slowly walks over to Dravity and pulls It out of the ground. While he does that one of the other members says "He wields the prince." Drew's sword glows once more and starts to talk "Well, well, well. If It Isn't Drice!" Rame interjects "Another Dragon I see. Man, this just got even lamer than It already was. Zack, you said this would be over quickly." Drew starts to laugh while Zack answers "I know. I didn't realize how much stronger he's gotten since the last time I saw him. Quimica, start getting ready." Quimica takes a seat and closes his eyes, Drew takes this time to ask a few questions "So we got Rame, Qumica, Drice, and lil bro. How's the government been treating you?" Rame answers "Ya know, same old same old. No overtime, mid benefits, shitty jobs." At that point, Drice picks up where Rame left off "Enough chit chat, why are you here? And where did you get Dravity?" Drew looks down at his blade and says "Well I'm here to cause some chaos. And the sword, let's say Its a gift from an important person." Zack quickly spoke up "Father. You found out." Drew smiles and points at zack while saying "Right! But enough about father. I'm here to do my job just like you are here to do yours. So how about we start!" Zack lets out a deep sigh and calls out to Quimica, he responds "Still need some more time young Zackiray!" Drew couldn't help but laugh at his response. Quimica confused says "What's so funny?" But before he could answer an alarm goes off and Rame pops off while saying "Well It's been nice meeting you Drew, but I'ma head out. Time to go play some games, maybe hop on ranked…" As Rame turns around, Drice and Quimica shake their heads. But before Zack could even say anything, Drew appeared right in front of Rame without a sound. But to his surprise, Rame wasn't scared. He sighs and says "Aye bro I'm off the clock. Fight them." Drew smiles and replies "I like your style, where you from?" Rame rests his left arm on his daisho before answering "Nara. What's up?" Drew nods his head and asks some more questions "Well, You must know X then right?" Rame nods, while Drew goes on "Well let's say I've acquired the title Sword Master." Rame starts to pick his nose and answers "So. Does that make you better than me?" Drew chuckles before saying "I only say that cause I noticed you carry a daisho. Just thought you might be able to see my side, ya know?" As Rame finishes picking his nose he flicks a booger at Drew. It sticks to his forehead. He couldn't help but smile as he talked "Nah. We may both study the blade but our purpose Is different. I could care less what happens most of the time. As long as I can live my life In peace, I'm good." Rame starts to walk past Drew but stops side by side with him. As he stops Drew says "No point In trying to persuade you then. Would have been nice. Anyway, let's get started!"
Without hesitating Drew made a fist with his right arm and drives It into Rame's stomach with such force he went flying into the sky. As Drew readied his sword he spoke "He'll be down In 5 minutes. I'll ask him once more. Until then let's fight." Zack and Drice both look at each other and nod. Zack draws his shin-gunto, along with Drice slamming his 2 hands together and creating a greatsword equally as big as Drew's. As the smell of chocolate fills the air, the sounds of distress and sadness can vaguely be heard while the breeze carries a slight chill. Zack quickly speaks "Form 6!" Drice instantly rushes Drew while saying "Dragon Skill: Dragon Claw!" His left hand becomes that of a Dragon. While Drew's purple aura comes back, this time It's significantly stronger. He matches Drice's skill with his own "Dragon Skill: Dragon Claw!" As they collide, they enter a power struggle. But before anything more can happen Zack appears to the right of Drew and says "Sword Skill: Slice." He takes his shin-gunto and makes It parallel with the ground and swings at Drew's abdomen. Drew flips forward dodging Zack's slice while gripping Drice's hand and slamming him into the ground. On impact, Drice let go of Drew's hand, and Drew took this time to attack Zack. Before their swords meet they both exclaim at the same time "Sword Skill: Slash, Consecutive." One strike after another collides with unparalleled strength, speed, precision, and technique. But It was obvious who was better. As Zack and Drew stand clashing one slash at a time, Drice starts to get up shaking his head. He looks over at Zack and Drew clashing. He stands In awe. Each one of their strikes is perfect, true swordsmen. There In a class of their own. Zack notices Drice and says "Form 2!" Drice quickly takes a deep breath and inflates his stomach and releases a mist while saying "Dragon Ice: Mist!" A chilling mist Is released from Drice's mouth all over the battlefield, Zack quickly deflects one of Drew's attacks to knock him off balance and jumps back. But the break was only brief for a moment, Zack instantly followed up with another attack "Sword Skill: Piercing Mist." Zack instantly lunges forward through the mist allowing It to collect into his blade. Drew was caught off guard and barely dodged the lethal blow. As Zack comes to the other side of the mist where Drice Is Standing they both turn and look at Drew. Blood drips from his right side. He goes to touch his wound. Cold to the touch and the healing has been frozen. He finally speaks "A mist so cold It freezes, In combination with Zack's blade. A wound that can't close." Drew takes a wide stance and continues "Good, now I can really test my power. Dragon Skill: Dragon's Roar!" As Drew let his inner Dragon come forth the mist was quickly dispersed. As he turns around Zack talks to Drice "We know we can damage him, just need to find a greater opening." Drice replies "Leave that to Rame. We just need to make that opening." Quimica yells out "READY!" Zack smiles and says "Good! Form 5!" Drice and Zack both rush Drew, this time Drew readies his blade and says "Sword Technique: Tamiya Ryu." Before Zack and Drice could get within range to strike, Drew knocked them back with a simple swing of his blade. But they swiftly recovered and tried again. No matter how much they pushed there was always a 5m space between them. Drice quickly got annoyed and yelled "I'M TIRED OF THIS! DRAGON ICE: FREEZE!" In an instant, the air around Drew started to crackly and pop slowly freezing the moisture around him. His movements slowed and they closed the gap down to 3m. They kept trying to rush him through the Ice forming in the air around him. As they clash blades Quimica stands and pushes his glasses up and says "El Cuarto. Crear." A Materia room formed around Drew, Drice and Zack. Drew quickly changed his form of attack, he let the 3m space drop to 2m and said "Sword Technique: Half Sword!" He grips the sword with his right while his left grips the center of his blade. As he swings the power behind each strike has been significantly increased along with speed. All Zack and Drice can do Is dodge and block. As they struggle to get In the ice surrounding them thickens to the point that It becomes a forest of ice stalagmites. Drice yells out "IT'S DONE!" Zack stops attacking while Drice continues the barrage. Zack steps out of the Materia room and approaches Quimica and stands by his side watching Drice and Drew clash. As Quimica gets ready, Rame continues to fall from the sky bored as hell. He starts to lie down on his back while falling and says "Maaaaaan, I just wanted to go home." He goes to flip around to look down at the ground and sees the ice. He smiles and sits up while crossing his legs and says "I guess I'll work a lil after the clock, but you owe me one Zack." He closes his eyes and starts to think. In his mind he pictures the battle happening below him and starts to think of the possible situations It took for the ice to form and what would come after "Since the ice is there they must have used form 5. That means Quimica's room Is up." As Rame continues to think, Drice and Drew continue their never-ending clash. Zack speaks up to Quimica "When Drice goes for his final attack, start." Quimica pushes up his glasses and nods. Drew starts to get impatient with this pointless stalemate and yells at Drice "COME ON! YOU'RE A DRAGON, RIGHT? DON'T LOSE TO A MERE HUMAN!" He falls for the cheap taunt and yells back a reply "I WON'T! SWORD SKILL: SPIN!" He goes for one last strike before pivoting off his right foot and spinning to the right bringing his sword back around. In doing so he cut the ice stalagmites In half. Drew was able to block but in that instant, Quimica grabbed his giant cell scraper and pointed It at the room, and said "Chemical Materia: NaK." Little by little small silver spheres with a yellow tint begin to form inside the Materia room. As more and more show up Drew takes notice, at that point, Drice readies another spin while saying "Dravity can survive this. Let's see If you can. Sword Skill plus Dragon Ice: Spinning Ice Explosion!" Drice spins with all his might and speed. The shattered ice around him began to spin around the room knocking into silver-yellow spheres and Drew. Drew just laughs while dodging and deflecting the flying ice. But before he could say anything one of the chunks of ice hit a sphere slightly different. At that moment a chain reaction of explosions goes off for a minute straight. One after another, almost infinite explosions. As the explosions slowly stop Quimica snickered while saying "Beautifully executed. I give It a grade of… A- could have had more style!" Drice eventually walks out of the smoke and room. But this time his appearance was different, he grew Dragon wings. Zack starts to talk to Drice "You okay?" Drice scoffs at his remark but answers "Of course. An explosion like that has no effect on my skin. Like I said Dravity would have lived that, but a mere human… Even If he had a piece of Dravity's power It wouldn't be enough to tank that." Quimica continues after Drice and says "Well then. Can I close the room? I'm starting to get a lil fatigued." Zack nods, and Quimica closes the room. They all turn to look at the smoke slowly clearing. As It does, Drew still stands but is covered In ice with a hint of yellow. He doesn't move, not a single muscle. Drice laughs obnoxiously loud while saying "See! Weak human. Dravity you should be ashamed of thinking this human could take us. You should take over his body and join us!" Drew's sword glows a deep purple and speaks "HAHA! As If! Drew!" The air around him started to shift. The purple aura started to seep out of his blade and swirl and spiral around. Before Drew could even take a step, Zack made a call "FORM 3!" Drice and Zack immediately rush Drew. With Zack's sword aiming for Drew's waist and Drice aiming for his neck, mere meters away Zack yells out to Quimica "NOW!" Quimica frantically sets another room "El Cuarto, Crear!" But this time the room was significantly smaller but just enough to engulf the 3. As Drice and Zack come into contact with Drew's body, Quimica says "Chemical Materia: Resiniferatoxin!" A bright light flashes and disappears. And then the room starts to fill with a burning liquid, to the point It slowly eats away the ground. Zack and Drice quickly escape but not without damage. Zack's left leg was burning to the bone. Drice simply flings the liquid off his wings, while Quimica swiftly runs toward Zack. He takes his giant cell scraper and touches Zack's leg and says "Raspado Célula Habilidad: Cosecha." In an instant, the burning liquid dispersed and the wound started to close. Zack stands and starts to talk "Thanks, Mica." He gives a salute and looks over at Drew. The room slowly fills with steam and smoke along with the smell of burning flesh. Slowly the room closes and the smoke and smell rise through the sky until Rame smelled It and said "What the fuck is that smell?" he starts to gag but It doesn't break his concentration "This smell confirms options 0, 3, 7, and 8. Now, what could possibly happen after…" The liquid eventually falls off Drew's body and burns into the ground. Zack, Drice, and Quimica continue to stare at Drew. Chunks of his flesh missing down to the bone along with his skin being completely gone, somehow still manages to not only stand but speak "You said Dravity could survive, so that means I can survive. We are one! Dragon Skill: Dragon's Malice." Bits and pieces of his flesh started to come back with a new layer of skin. Drew continues to talk "If I didn't have Dravity I would have been cooked. No pun intended. But since I do I was only simmered." As Drew's skin finishes healing he shakes off the residue. As his aura tightens up he takes a deep breath and releases steam from his nose. He starts to walk forward toward Zack, Drice, and Quimica. As he got closer Drice frighteningly said "Maybe he has claimed the prince's power. This could be bad." Quimica takes a few steps back a falls, fear filled his heart. He stutters while trying to say "Z.. Za… Zack I don't really have the stamina to make another room. W… What's the plan?" Zack frantically tries to think but Is slowly consumed with terror as Drew approaches "There's no way he gained this much strength In just a YeaR time." As he continues to think another voice enters his head and starts to talk "Come on Zack. With my power, you'll easily be able to match this decrepit Dragon!" Zack answers the voice "I can't frost. While I'm In the city It puts the others at risk." Frost laughs and says "Not even a lil bit?" Zack shakes his head while Frost goes on "Well just a heads up, your other friend should be close. I'd say maybe a minute… 2 max." Then the voice disappears. Zack looks at Drice. He seems like he can keep fighting for a bit longer. He then turns to look at Quimica. Zack can tell he's filled with fear, and he doesn't have enough Materia to create another room. So he's basically useless. Zack looks back at Drew, they're running out of time. Zack clenches his sword and says "Drice, Quimica!" They both pay attention as Zack continues talking "We have roughly 2 minutes to wait for Rame. Until then we need to create that opening!" Drice smiles and readies his sword while Quimica replies "Master Zack, are you serious? How can you rely on him when doesn't even want to be here let alone fight!" Zack quickly answers "Cause he's our strategist. He might fail on missions, but I've seen It with my own eyes. Him playing video games, Is part of his training." Quimica throws a fit of disbelief at Zack's answer. Drew finally speaks "I'm tired of that whiny bastard. What was his name…. Right, I don't care." In a blink of an eye Drew appeared in front of Quimicas face and smiled while raising his sword up to the sky and saying "Sword Technique: Mugai Ryu, Constant." He brings his sword down upon Quimica and cuts him cleanly In half. As Drew stands he flicks his wrist and the blood flies off his sword. With his back towards Drice and Zack he says "1 down 2 left. Come with everything you got!" Zack looks at Drice and says "Form 15." Drice speaks up In an Instant "We've only practiced that In the classroom. And It relies on Rame!" Zack replies "We just have to believe. Rame Is strong trust me." Drice bites his lip but readies his blade while saying "Fine. Your lucky I want to destroy this human with all my might!" Drew turns around and points his blade at Drice and says "Your swordplay Is ass, you got no technique. All you do Is flail that thing around and hope you hit something. Let me show you what a sword can really do." Drice angrily smiles and responds "Fine then. Don't ask for pity before I kill you." Drew returns the smile and brings his sword to his shoulder to rest and rushes Zack.
At that moment Drew comes into striking distance and brings his sword off his shoulder and slams It into Zack. But he quickly blocked and Drice followed up with a quick lunge toward Drew's right side. As Drew goes to defend himself from the attack Zack doesn't let up and squats condensing a large amount of Materia In his legs and says "Sword Skill: Dragon Spin!" He quickly stands releasing all the power with his legs to do a grounded rising sword strike. Just like when Drew fought Dom. Drew smiled and blocked Drice's sword and grabbed Zack's sword and stopping It In It's place. As Drew's left hand slowly turned into a Dragon's he spoke "Dragon Skill: Dragon Claw." He then picked Zack up by his sword and slammed him into Drice and quickly pivoted off his left foot and kicked them. But Drice was ready and yelled out "Dragon Ice: Freeze!" And created a wall of Ice before the kick made an impact. As Zack recovers Drice rushes back In. One swing at a time, he and Drew clash. The sheer power behind each strike Is ridiculous. As they go back and forth, Zack starts to get angry "For the longest, I was the strongest between the both of us. But now you showed me I only scratched the surface." As Zack stands his hair starts to flow freely throughout the air, slowly turning silver. He took a deep breath and said "Materia: Kyoka Shushu." In an instant, an enormous amount of Matiera started to collect around Zack to the point even Dravity started to speak "Pay attention to Zack! They're planning something!" Drew quickly counters Drice's attack and says "Let me show you a real spin!" As Drice tries to recover Drew dug his left foot into the ground and spun with such force that the charge up knocked Drice even more off balance. Scared for his life Drice yells out "DRAGON SKILL: DRAGON'S FORTIFICATION!" For a brief second, there was not a sound made until Drew's sword made contact with Drice's body. The sheer force destroyed the already destroyed city even more and sent Drice flying toward the east wall. At that point Drew rushed Zack with countless swings with the power to split an ocean. But Zack dodges with no effort, but he doesn't retaliate only dodges. As Drew continues his onslaught Zack thinks to himself "I need more time to collect, It's not enough to stop him. Come on Drice get up!" Drew's mind Is In a state of frenzy, only thinking about the fight at hand. Just a few kilometers above them Rame continues to think "Well there goes options 3 and 8. That leaves 0 and now 2 new options 1 and 9. Each one I have to commit to. But which one?" As Rame tries to narrow done the outcome of the fight, a loud roar can be heard from the east wall. It's Drice! Each breath he takes Is heavy from exhaustion. He recalls back to when the attack hit him "If It wasn't for the fortification I would have died. I'm lucky to have only lost a wing and a few broken bones. I have enough for one more attack. Seems like Zack's almost ready too. Now, Rame. Please." Zack yells out to Drice "I need time, quick form 2!" Drew stops his barrage of attacks on Zack and turns his attention to Drice as he prepares an attack. Drice "Dragon Ice: Mist." He quickly inhales and exhales cold mist, covering the destroyed city. Drew laughs and says "Not this again! Once I've seen It. I know how to beat It!" Drew quickly prepares another spin but this time instead of Zack attacking Drice does. He swiftly charges at Drew through the mist while saying "Dragon Ice: Freeze!" The icy mist that once embraced Drew instantly froze him In place. Zack yells out to Drice "NOW!" As Drew struggles to break the Ice, Drice gathers his remaining Materia and with a cold, and commanding voice says "Dragon Ice: Blade of Endless Winters!" He dropped his sword and as It pierced the ground all the moisture In the air surrounding C.U.G vanished. With each passing second, the blade grew bigger and bigger until It towered over not just them but everything. Drice falls to his knees, barely able to speak "Don't fail me again Rame!" Drew still struggling to break the ice screams In anger "WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT KIND OF ICE IS THIS!" His sword glows purple as he bashes It against the ice, and Dravity speaks "Dragon ice, stronger than even your best human ice user, by a lot. Looks like you need to dig deep, otherwise, our life ends here." Drew starts to swing faster and faster to break the Ice. While he continues doing that Zack finally finishes collecting his Materia and says "Now where are you Rame?" With the lack of moisture, the clouds disperse and Rame appears just a few kilometers away from the giant sword. As he draws closer and closer to It he talks aloud "Man, I'm glad I went with option 9. The other 2 would have gotten me killed. Well, then time to clock out." As he falls Drice looks up at the sky and sees him falling toward the sword. He puts his head down and the only thing he can think to do Is laugh. Zack hears Drice laughter and looks up. He looks back down at Drice, and then Quimica and says "If this doesn't work, well we're dead." Zack takes his sword and drives the hilt into his shoulder. He takes a good standing position and dumps all his Materia Into his blade. As he does that Rame finally makes It to the sword. When he grabs It, the sheer coldness of the sword burned his hand with an icy sting. He flips forward In the air and lands on his feet bringing the massive blade to a sheathed position while saying "React to this option, Sword Master. Sword Technique: Iaido." With everything he's got, Rame rushes Drew trapped In the ice. Drew stops trying to break free and prepares to block. Rame just an arm's length away jumps at the last second while saying "Un-reactable overhead." As Drew brought his sword up the force of the clash broke the ice and created a blinding blue light. As Rame and Drew struggle to overthrow the other. Drice couldn't believe his eyes, Rame actually doing something. He goes to stand while saying "I can't let him use my move better than me. Dragon Ice: Blade of Endless Winters!" With the lack of moisture, the blade doesn't grow to nearly the size of the last one. But It still towers over most buildings. Panic starts to set In Drew's heart, Dravity senses It and starts to talk "DREW! Get yourself together!" Drew yells In frustration "I'm trying! I can't push him back!" Dravity laughs while Drew struggles. Zack takes one last look at his brother and says "Sorry for doing this again. Materia Skill: Sniper Shot." From the tip of his shin-gunto fired a giant Materia sniper bullet, traveling through the air at near supersonic speed and aimed at Drew's heart. Along with Drice coming from the right with another massive blade. All while Rame pressuring him from above. At that moment time for Drew slowed, his entire life flashed before him once again. But this time It stopped on Lily. Events that never happen play. Traveling Kansai alongside her and Jr. Eating food from around the world. Exploring the sea. Living their life In peace until death. All of these false realities play In Drew's head. He could help but smile. His head dropped and he started to talk to Dravity "You said dig deep. Well then, let's see how deep I can go!" Dravity started to yell In excitement while Drew allowed Dravity to freely flow throughout his body. From the soles of his feet all the way to his mind. He became Dravity.
SCREEN SHATTER
Goa starts to stand and makes her way over to me while saying "Well then Drew, good luck and gods speed. You'll need It!" Then she thrusts her fist into my chest. I could feel her energy, she truly wants me to succeed. I smile and… Wait I remember this, I quickly look at every one. They return the look but confused, Goa speaks up "O, I see now. You already went." I scratch my head In utter confusion. Jr and Rima just go back to eating akebia's, while Lily stood up and walked over to me. She spoke, "He did. And he performed exceptionally!" As she said that she extended her hand and opened It. Even though It makes zero sense how I got back here without my injuries. I don't question It. I simply extend my arm and shake her hand, In doing so Lily says "Welcome to the Holy Dark!" And gives me a warm smile.
BACK IN C.U.G, NORTHEAST CITY
As the city continues to carry on as If nothing happened. As If the whole city was leveled along with the people living In It. Ay wakes up from a horrifying dream. He quickly grabs his chest and under his breath says "I died, why am I here." Vivid pictures fill his mind of Drew beating the absolute shit out of him. He removes his blanket and tries to stand but falls to the ground. He starts to breathe heavily, his heart beating faster and faster. More and more pictures fill his mind, the destruction of the city, along with the absurd amount of dead bodies. Ay quickly rushes to the window In his room. He moves the curtain aside and looks down onto the city. It's all there. The buildings, people, noises, It's all there. Ay rushes to get dressed to head outside. Once outside he runs over to Northeast city. And It's still intact, It's like nothing happened. As he walks around like a madman someone taps his shoulder, and when Ay turns around It's Zack. Ay quickly falls In place and gives a quick salute. Zack returns the favor and says "Good morning. Sleep well?" Ay responds "Good morning TC! And to be honest, no. I dreamed about the city being attacked and destroyed by a fellow comrade." Rame creates an X with his arms and says "WRONG! It wasn't a dream." Zack continues after him "He's right It wasn't a dream. And It wasn't just a random comrade. It was Drew." Ay not even shocked replies "Yeah… I know." A brief silence falls between the 3 of them. The city continues to bustle, the street filled with life. But It was soon interrupted by Rame saying "Standing here Isn't going to get us anywhere. We should go back to the house and wait for Drice and Quimica." Zack nods and tells Ay to follow.