Chapter 5: Have Consequences
I lay on the ground, recovering from the sudden explosion. As I try to get on my feet, my ears start ringing, my eyesight becoming fuzzy. My mind races on what just happened, I checking the classroom to see if anyone was hurt. Students start to stand up, coughing due to the dust and debris. I see Jocelyn starting to get on her feet, as I look to where the explosion has come from. The windows in the wall have been shattered, with a big hole on the side where I sat in. There was a man on the understand, which I presume was the attacker.
I struggle to get up my hands on broken glass. My gauntlets probably protected me from the explosion, seeing it now activated on my hand. "Jocelyn," I cried out, "get yourself and the students out of here." Expecting her to shout for a reason, she surprisingly nods her head in understanding, helping students get back on their feet and move out of the ruined classroom. My attention switching to the man outside, I walk out of the hole, ready to confront my attacker.
"Who the hell are you?" I ask with a sense of de ja vu, "and what do you want". The man laughs as if I told him some kind of joke. "Hasn't your predecessor told you already?" he starts to mock me, "or has he not told you the consequences of those gauntlet. I clench my fists, prepared to defend myself against this unknown assailant. "He said someone would come after me" I replied, "just didn't think you were important I guess". His smile flickered with slight annoyance "I see you inherited his sense of humor". "Well, I shall introduce myself then" he began, "I am Obscurion, the Black Sands of Axolos, the Consumer, and I have come to absorb the rest of his power.
He starts to come closer, but I keep my distance. "Look buddy, I know how to handle myself in a situation like this" I lied, "so back off". He starts to smile eerily, as if he saw through my act. "I bested your predecessor in his prime, what makes you think that you could stand a chance. As I start think on what to do next, something sprouts out of his back. It starts to lash out on my, knocking me into the side of the building. As I hear the screams of students behind me, I try shake off the debris. "What the hell was that" I thought to myself. Whatever hit me, it was attached to him, like some tentacle. I stand on my feet as I see Obscurion walks to me. "Oh, you're still alive," he grinned, "This will be fun."
He continues to hurl his tendrils at me, crashing through the classrooms. I block the attacks the best as I can, tanking hit by hit. He somehow has more tendrils now, sending in a barrage of attacks onto me. As I continue to block, I somehow start learning his pattern. The gauntlets have probably heightened my senses, helping with my reaction time. I start to dodge and weave his attacks, as we end up in the cafeteria. As I didge all his tentacles, I see an opening. I focus on the gauntlets, firing a beam of energy towards Obscurion. The blast launches him back, as he crashes through the kitchen. Hoping that he stays down, he gets back up, drenched with sauce and soggy bits of todays lunch. "Impressive" he applauds "you have at least mastered the basics of the gauntlet." "But that won't be enough to beat me."
He rushes towards me, faster than before. He pummels me through the cafeteria, as my back hits the pavement. His tentacles grow, now longer, as he bombards me from a distance. As I continue blocking, the attacks start to weaken. As I peek through my gauntlets, I notice that one of Obscurion's tendrils is missing. "As above, so below" he reveals, as his missing tentacle sprout out from the ground. It caught me by surprise, as I'm cast into the air. I hit the ground with a loud sound, cracking the asphalt. "Where did all that confidence go?" he ridicules "was that all bark, no bite?" I try to get on my feet, stumbling around. He somehow brought me into the city, as people start to panic and run away from the fight. "I can't beat him", I thought to myself, "but at least I brough him away from the school. Away from Jocelyn. As his tendril set up, ready to pounce, I rase my fist, ready to rush towards him. As I dash towards him, his tentacles lunge towards me, knocking me back.
I lay on the ground, weak, unable to do anything, as Obscurion starts to approach me. I close my eyes seemingly accepting my fate, until I hear another voice. "So your really giving up" the mysterious man says. I'm back in his dream world again, and he doesn't look pleased. "He's too strong," I gripe, as I stand up to face him. "You have one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, yet you can't beat a small fry like him?" I was shocked from what he just. Did he consider Obscurion as small fry? "He was going on about how you were his nemesis or something, and you consider him small fry?" I respond in bewilderment. "I had many enemies, Obscurion included" he answered, "Many thought they were on my level, but I was never beaten by any of them, not even once." I was in awe of this revelation. How powerful was this guy, to consider people like Obscurion weaker than him. How powerful were the enemies he thought were as strong as him?
As I struggle to comprehend what he just said, not knowing what to do. I can't fight him alone. I need more power. I need to know how to fight with my gauntlets in its full potential. "Then can you help me" I start to ask. The mysterious man looks at me, now with a sense of curiosity on his face. "You know how to fight this guys, you've fought him countless of times" I continue, I can also still sense you in the gauntlet, as if you were judging my every move." His faced change from interest to surprise. "You are that tapped in to the gauntlets?" he replied, now with an astonish look on his face. "Yes, and with my connection, I want to channel you within me" I answered seriously. "I know the risk of me not coming back or whatever, but I don't have a choice" I continue "So I will do whatever it takes to beat Obscurion down and stop anymore harm." He studies my face, as if he was testing my commitment.
"Would really want to risk it all, to stop Obscurion?" he finally asks "that means losing this life and the people you love." I hesitate a bit, yet I still answer him "Yes". He looks at me solemnly and answers "Well then, you made your choice". The dream world soon collapses as I pass out.
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Obscurion approaches the body, claiming victory over his long time adversary. He has finally beaten his successor, and now takes his prize. As soon as he reaches the gauntlets, he senses something wrong. He looks around, trying to find what or who he detected. It was a familiar feeling, the same one that has driven to become stronger. Not to show superiority, but the fear you feel when you are not strong enough. He's only felt in one person, and that person was already dead. As soon as he looked back, the body was gone, now standing in front of him.
It was still the same boy he was fighting, yet it seemed it wasn't him entirely. As the boy looked up, his eyes were now blue, as if someone else was in the boy, like mask. "No, it can't be, you're dead!" Obscurion screams, his tendrils shaking in fear. "It looks like you can still tell it's me" the boy responded in a different voice "It appears the boy let us have one last proper fight." Obscurion's face displayed a mix of fear and anger "I will end you and your successor today, and I will claim what's left of your power" he screams rushing towards him. Arthur stands back, putting himself in a fighting stance. He pulls his arm back, observing Obscurion tearing towards him. As his tentacles spear towards Arthur's chest, he dashes, punching Obscurion hard enough to send him flying.