Ron and Edward lunged. Just as their fists were set to collide, a jagged Bo-Shuriken hissed from Edward's knuckles. Ron didn't flinch; he teleported in the final millisecond, reappearing directly behind his opponent.
Edward craned his neck, catching a glimpse of Ron's eyes. His pupils were pulsing a rhythmic, strobe-like crimson. A cold spike of terror drove through Edward's chest.
DODGE! DODGE! DODGE!
Ghostly voices screamed in Edward's ears. Reacting on instinct, he sprouted a forest of Bo-Shuriken from his spine to form a defensive shell. It wasn't enough. A massive, invisible force carved through his defenses and into his back, launching him five hundred kilometers across the horizon.
The resulting shockwave rattled the tectonic plates of the planet. Tsunamis surged, the atmosphere screamed with hurricane-force winds, and long-dormant volcanoes roared back to life.
What kind of power is this? Edward thought, his consciousness flickering. He isn't the same Ron from a moment ago. He's become a monster.
High above, Ron hovered in the dead air. Every nine seconds, his eyes flashed that same predatory red.
A full minute passed before Edward managed to drag himself back to the surface, his body a map of gore and broken bone. He coughed up a thick spray of blood, his strength fading.
"Who… are you?" Edward wheezed.
Through a haze of pain, Edward saw a dark, towering silhouette with burning red eyes standing behind Ron like a shadow. Is my mind failing? he wondered. He felt a sudden, sickening vacuum in his gut—as if his very essence was being drained. That sword... did it do something to my soul?
Edward collapsed. Ron stepped forward, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips.
"You're wondering why your powers have deserted you," Ron said. "Allow me to enlighten you. Remember the purplish aura that clung to my blade? I channeled my Black Sorcery through it to create a nullification field."
Edward tried to rise, but his limbs were leaden.
"I poured my other abilities into the steel to seal the deal," Ron continued, then sighed, shaking his head. "Actually, I'm overstating it. My experiment was mostly a failure. The Black Sorcery didn't take, and the nullification only worked partially. Damn, I'm starting to sound like Jake Jacobs."
He looked down at the silent form. "Are you even listening?"
There was no answer. Edward was dead, his eyes staring blankly at the sky. Ron reached into the man's pocket, retrieved a blood-stained envelope, and dialed a number.
The phone picked up, but it wasn't Carter.
"Hello?" a voice answered.
Ron's brow furrowed. "DA?"
"Yeah? Who's this?"
"It's Ron."
"Oh! Ron, my man! Long time no see," DA said, his tone shifting. "I was just about to call you. What's up?"
"Where is Carter?"
The line went quiet for a beat. "He's at the Space Department. Or what's left of it. He fought someone... the whole place is turned upside down. I found him on the brink of death and moved him to a secure location."
"How bad is he?"
"Worse than bad. I need you here to heal him. Get to the Space Department, near Warehouse A2. Fast."
Ron didn't waste another second. He teleported, his mind racing. How can I help him? I'm a combatant, not a healer.
He materialized in front of DA to find Carter lying on the ground, enveloped in a strange, flickering glow.
"What is this?" Ron asked, kneeling beside his friend.
"I'm stalling his clock," DA replied, sweat beading on his forehead. "Now hurry up and heal him."
"I can't. I don't have those abilities."
DA sighed, his eyes darting around. "Then bring someone who does. I might be able to bridge the gap."
Ron vanished again, reappearing in his living room. Ava was on the couch, surrounded by research papers. Before she could scream, Ron grabbed her hand.
"Ava, come with me."
"Ron? Why are you covered in blood?" she gasped.
"No time. Move!"
In a flash of light, they were back at the warehouse. Ava rushed to Carter's side, her face pale. "What happened to him?"
"Explanation later," Ron said, looking at DA. "What do I do?"
"Pour your energy into Ava," DA commanded.
Ron placed a firm hand on Ava's back, flooding her with his crimson energy. Simultaneously, DA gripped Ron's forearm, acting as a conductor for a strange, cooling blue energy that flowed through Ron and into Ava.
"Ron," DA whispered. "Focus on the 'Dream' ability. Focus on the Copy."
Ron closed his eyes, visualizing the intricate threads of the healing power he had once witnessed. Suddenly, a translucent window flickered into existence in Ava's field of vision. Her head throbbed with a sudden, sharp migraine.
[INFINITE COPY ACTIVATED]
[Copying Ability: Dream's Healing]
"Now heal him, Ava!" Ron shouted.
"I... I don't know how!" Ava cried, blood beginning to trickle from her eyes and mouth from the sheer strain of the foreign power.
"Imagine it!" Ron urged. "Visualize the energy pouring into him. Make it real!"
Ava gritted her teeth against the agony. She reached out, her hands trembling, and focused every ounce of her will on Carter's shattered body. A brilliant, ethereal blue glow erupted from her palms, bathing the dying man.
The headache vanished instantly. The heaviness lifted. Ava smiled as she felt the "Dream" energy knitting bone and sealing flesh.
Standing over them, Ron let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He recognized that glow. It was working.
This is it. Dream's healing ability. Ron thought and a smile touched his lips