The persistent ticking of the clocktower hallways, moved out of sync as fluorescent light flicked on out of order.
Heels walked along the soft carpet, heading towards the elevator doors at the end of the hall.
Selena's veins pulsed with a black light, forming a cobweb in her left hand.
Black dew—
Formed.
Running along the strands.
Information—
Flowed.
As her finger rested on her jawline.
I guess he's started his plan…not bad for someone like that.
She continued watching the dew move along in her hand as she paused at the elevator door.
Her hand entered the podium next to her, shifting the doors open.
Selena stepped inside pressing the lowest button on the panel.
Let's see.
Her fingers—
Extended.
Moving the webs in her hand.
A strand—
Snapped.
Breaking from the center.
The elevator creaked down its shaft, compressing the many pipes surrounding it.
Gears continued to function, moving along inside the clocktower.
A faint—
Smirk.
Rested on Selena's face.
Did you reach him…
The elevator stopped at its destination, opening towards a quiet hallway.
Selena began walking along the carpet, glancing at the flickering lights on the walls around her.
Her gaze—
Focused.
In the dining hall before her.
…Veera?
Selena moved through the eating area, passing the still mechanical figures behind the counter.
Dew continued to transmit along the black strands.
So he's fighting outside…what about—
The air—
Shifted.
Detaching from the hallway ahead.
Her webs—
Stuttered.
The dew—
Paused.
Vibrating in place.
The carpet—
Imprinted.
On the ground before her.
Kane—
Stood.
Before the exit door.
Selena's gaze—
Lifted.
Towards the disturbance.
Kane—
Vanished.
Before she could even think.
Selena reached into her lab coat pocket as the dew began to flow in order again.
Her webs kept their formation, continuing to process the information flowing through them.
A silver pocket watch was resting in her right hand as she looked down towards it.
Selena's thumb pressed onto the small latch, opening the back panel to its mechanical parts.
A smile—
Formed.
As she watched the gears crank.
Her tongue—
Glided.
Across her lips.
I'll get to my conclusion soon.
The clock tower—
Warped.
Distancing itself from the ground below.
It's hands—
Stopped.
Ticking opposite from each other.
Selena continued walking towards the door, closing the panel on the stopwatch.
I won't let them interfere.
Her hand touched the pedesle, sliding the doors open from the middle.
She began—
Descending.
Down the limestone steps.
…
A series of explosions boomed across the wide training area outside the grand clocktower.
Limestone panels shattered from the force, being covered in singe marks.
An orange glow flickered through the thick smog.
Grimm was—
Bombarding.
Splitting the strands attached to his fingers.
Malachi soared around the air, leaving the explosions behind him.
His spear—
Lowered.
Pointing towards Grimm.
Malachi burst towards him, thrusting the spear at his chest.
Grimm's veins surged, forming a strand off the back of his heel.
A nuclei—
Split.
Blasting him out of the attack.
Malachi crashed into the ground, shattering the panel Grimm was standing on.
His eye—
Lifted.
Looking at the sparking nuclei before him.
Malachi's wings—
Folded.
Blocking the explosion.
Smog surrounded him as Grimm exhaled, shaking his hand out before him.
He's fast…now wonder Joe got slammed by him.
The smog—
Cleared.
With the spreading of Malachi's wings.
He stood—
Unharmed.
"Those explosions are meaningless."
Grimm smirked as a nucleus formed on the strand growing from his finger.
"Sure…even though you almost got nailed."
Malachi began floating above the ground, pointing his spear at him.
"Your faith is weak."
Grimm's hand twitched as multiple strands connected to a single nucleus.
"What are you even saying?"
Malachi didn't respond.
He began—
Soaring.
Circling the air around Grimm.
The eyes on his wings observed Grimm's figure carefully, watching his every move.
Malachi's spear—
Pointed.
Slowly filling with a golden-yellow light.
Grimm clenched his fist, splitting the strands around the dense nuclei.
Those eyes are nasty.
The large nucleus—
Erupted.
Blasting radiated light at Malachi.
He covered his body with two of his wings as he rolled over the trajectory of the light.
Your punishment—
Malachi's eyes—
Twitched.
From a close light.
Three small nuclei—
Immerged.
Splitting their shells before him.
A belief—
Surged.
Through his open palm.
Malachi faced his hand up towards the sky.
Nullify.
The nuclei—
Vanished.
As if they never existed.
He began—
Descending.
Gracefully.
Grimm's eyebrows furrowed as he watched Malachi lower down towards him.
What did he do?
Orange strands seeped down from the underside of his feet, moving into the ground below.
Malachi's feet—
Touched.
The limestone platforms.
Grimm's toes curled, snapping the strands attached to his feet.
Nuclei surrounded Malachi, beginning to split apart their shells.
His hand—
Lifted.
As he turned his fingers towards him.
The same—
Belief.
Nullify.
Grimm's nuclei—
Warped.
Vanished from the reality before him.
Malachi lifted his eyes towards the clocktower beside him.
He rested his hand on his chest, placing it over his heart.
"Faith truly prevails."
Grimm glanced at Malachi's unharmed figure, watching the eyes on his wings shift back and forth.
I'll try that next—
Malachi's face—
Tightened.
As his spear tip faced Grimm.
A commandment—
Implied.
To the tip of his spear.
Pierce.
Light surged through the spear, shooting out towards Grimm.
He turned his torso, causing the light to shoot through his left shoulder as his arm hung down at his side.
"Not…bad."
Malachi rested the spear at his side.
"Silence…sinners have no say in their demise."
Grimm's shoulder seared with pain as he rested his finger over the open hole.
He's crazy.
A nucleus formed from his fingertip.
He pressed it into the wound, burning it closed from the intense head.
Grimm's jaw tightened as his flesh bubbled.
This should buy me some time.
He exhaled, focusing his gaze on Malachi as he raised his arms.
"Are you going to start flying again?"
Malachi's eyebrows furrowed as he pointed the spear towards him.
"Enough."
Grimm smirked as his veins surged with an orange light.
"Perfect."
A strand—
Weaved.
Forming a nucleus behind his back.
The shells—
Split.
Bursting him forward.
A slight burn rested on the skin of his back as it removed the fabric of the suit.
Malachi stepped his left foot back, holding his stance.
His spear—
Thrust.
Directly in Grimm's path.
Another nuclei—
Split.
Spinning Grimm's body around the strike.
His arm glided above the spear, swinging towards Malachi's face.
Malachi shifted his shoulders, leaning his head out of the strike's path.
Grimm—
Smirked.
As another strand weaved.
A nuclei—
Split.
Burning his elbow.
Grimm's strike accelerated, moving back the opposite way at a fast speed.
His knuckles—
Contacted.
Slamming into Malachi's cheek.
Blood ran down his nose as his chin snapped to the right.
Malachi's gaze shifted towards Grimm.
He was—
Gone.
Replaced by a singular nuclei.
The strand—
Snapped.
As Grimm curled his finger.
Grimm repositioned away from Malachi as an orange light engulfed his face.
There that should—
The smog—
Whirled.
Malachi's body—
Surged.
With a golden-white light.
He burst towards Grimm faster than he could react.
A spear tip—
Thrust.
Directly at his left eye.
Grimm's muscles tensed as he jerked his head out of the path.
The spear—
Continued.
As Malachi had stopped just past him.
Blood gushed down the side of Grimm's face as he covered it with his right hand.
It's…gone.
His attention turned towards Malachi as a burning pain flowed through his head.
Malachi's head—
Turned.
Looking over his shoulder.
His face was singed, having holes exposing the twitching muscles and his rows of teeth.
Flesh bubbled from the intense heat as his left eye was barely in the socket.
His lips began to move, dropping pieces of hanging flesh and blood to the ground around him.
"Faith will…"
Malachi lifted the spear tip towards the sky, pointing it towards the central tower.
Grimm turned his attention towards the glowing light at the end.
His eyes—
Widened.
Looking at his own ear.
The piercings flowed in the passing wind as a light surged through the holo-spear.
An offering—
Given.
Restore.
A veil of glistening illumination surrounded Malachi like a center stage spotlight.
The ear—
Vanished.
Dissipating into golden-yellow light.
Its metal piercings fell to the ground, bounding once on the limestone floor.
"...always rebuild."
Malachi's flesh—
Connected.
Slowly forming back onto itself.
His face—
Regenerated.
As if he was never injured.
Grimm clicked his tongue as he formed a nucleus, burning the second hole closed.
That's not fair.
He finished closing the wound, wiping his face before raising his fists once again.
Malachi's face—
Tightened.
As he looked towards Grimm.
"Punishment is in order."
Grimm smiled, forming nuclei behind his legs.
"Whatever."
Their strands—
Split.
As his knees slightly bent.
Malachi lifted his spear, holding his free hand out before him.
Grimm got in close, snapping a nucleus to increase the speed of his punch at Malachi.
A wing—
Shifted.
Slamming into his fist.
Grimm's balance was thrown off as a second strike collided with his side.
The wings can attack too.
He was sent back, stumbling as he tried to recover.
Malachi was—
There.
Already to his side.
His spear—
Thrust.
Grimm split a nucleus above his stomach, shooting his body below the strike.
There I—
Another wing—
Struck.
Colliding with his back.
Grimm barreled through the air, fixing his posture by splitting a small nucleus.
He slid across the limestone as he steadied his balance.
This guy's strong.
Malachi had—
Stopped.
Standing across from him.
He stuck his spear tip in the ground, lifting his hands towards the sky.
A prayer—
Lifted.
As light flowed to his fingertips.
Acquire.
The wing's eyes—
Blinked.
Moving their eyelids sideways.
Grimm's movements—
Appeared.
Before he ever made them.
Nuclei split behind Grimm, propelling his movements towards Malachi.
A series of unorthodox strikes flowed at Malachi's face, having nuclei take the place of missing strikes.
Malachi had—
Weaved.
Dodging both flesh and explosion.
His arm—
Tensed.
As he thrust his spear.
Grimm's body—
Paused.
As his fist stopped in the air.
His eyes moved down as blood ran from his mouth.
The spear—
Pierced.
Stabbing him through the stomach.
Malachi's gaze lowered watching Grimm slump down to his knees.
"Even in death…filth is still filth."
A faint—
Smirk.
Formed on Grimm's lips.
Strands of orange trickled from the cracks in the limestone attaching to his bent legs.
Their shells—
Split.
Engulfing the ground with orange light.
Malachi's wings—
Spread.
Springing him up into the air.
A large pillar of smoke shrouded the area around him, blocking his vision.
Malachi frantically turned, looking in every direction.
Where is—
An arm—
Locked.
Around the front of his neck.
Grimm hummed in amusement as he locked his legs around Malachi.
"Now there's no escape."
Blood gushed from the hole in his stomach, filling his body with immense pain.
His vision became blurry as he looked towards the night sky above.
Malachi twisted his body, stabbing two of his wings into Grimm's back.
"Unhand me."
A nuclei—
Formed.
Engulfing the both of them.
The shelled layers—
Attached.
To Grimm's veins.
A surge of orange light flowed through his body as his mind began splitting.
His sight slowly faded.
I never did tell her…I'm sure she'll keep the brush.
Grimm's body—
Split.
Breaking apart the nuclei.
"Nah."
An orange light, bright as the morning sun turning the night sky into day.
The radiated explosion swirled with immense heat, searing Malachi's body.
A scream—
Echoed.
From his lips.
His veins—
Surged.
With a golden-white light.
A sacrifice—
Reaped.
Deliver.
His arm—
Disintegrated.
Into the white light.
His leg—
Followed.
The orange light began to fade as a rain of blood fell onto the courtyard below.
Malachi had—
Crashed.
Into the limestone ground.
He sat upright, turning his gaze towards the night sky.
Particles of white light gathered around his lost arm and leg, stopping them from healing.
Two wings were singed, twitching from the burning pain as their light began to fade.
Malachi's white glow slowly retreated as his spear dissipated, followed by the two unharmed wings.
"Faith always…
Chunks of burnt flesh dropped to the ground below.
A few blots—
Chimed.
As they landed on the limestone.
A reverent smile formed on his lips.
"...pr—"
The voice—
Cut.
As his vision flipped upside down.
Malachi's eyes—
Widened.
Looking at a single blade.
Blood dripped from its edge as the sound of a gear clicked once.
His head—
Bounced.
Across the stone ground.
Malachi's dark eyes faced the central clock tower above.
Arthur stood—
Motionless.
As a bolt rolled to his boot.
Your sacrifice…
His chin—
Lowered.
Turning his view to the metal.
The handle of the blade slid down his loosened fingers, softly touching the point into the ground.
…will not be in vain.
His head raised, looking towards the clock tower entrance.
The courtyard stretched wide, having frozen mechanical figures spread out across it.
Pipes curled up from the edges, interconnecting to different steel boxes.
Arthur had—
Continued.
Tightening his grip around the sword.
The scarlet mantle, adorned on his shoulders, flowed in the passing wind.
His attention—
Focused.
Forward.
Never turning back.
…
A soft humming filled the quiet space of the room as moonlight peered through the window before her.
Mechanical buzzing softly moved throughout the ventilations above.
Yvette stood behind Elaina, brushing the strands of her hair.
The final strand—
Split.
At the last stroke.
Yvette exhaled through her nose, lovering her hand.
"They're all done…but you do need to cut those loose ends off."
She smiled, walking around to Elaina's side.
"Here hold this…I'll be back with some scissors."
Elaina sat—
Motionless.
As the strings stayed gray.
The brush—
Placed.
In her open palm.
Yvette turned towards her desk, walking to find a pair of scissors.
Elaina's fingers—
Curled.
Around the orange handle.
They covered the stuffed animal ingrained on the base.
Yvette returned, looking past Elaina's shoulder.
"Sorry for the—"
Her eyes—
Widened.
Looking at her lap.
A soft—
Smile.
Rested along her lips.
Grimm…would've liked to see this.
Moonlight rested calmly on her pale skin, outlining her doll-like figure.
The brush—
Stayed.
Tucked into her curled fingers.