Off the Deep End

Imperium looked to the side and saw Juice struggle with his wound. The gunfire went through his liver and Juice knew how bad it really was. Ragnarok struggled to get back up, battered, and bloodied all over. Taken over by rage, Imperium snaped his fingers.

Fuelled by the hurting image of his dear friends, his power had been elevated. But to his despair he had messed with the landscape behind Green and not the enemy himself. All the building.

— Wrong target, boyo. — He tells the frightened child.

Green kicks Imperium in the mouth. The boy falls and Green continues to kick him. He is struck on his stomach, his head, his waist, his neck. While being pummeled under the man’s boot, the little boy though about using his power but with every strike his mind focused on the pain and that shattered his intent. His stomps were so violent that his hat came off and landed near the boy’s trembling legs. Only after he was stained with blood is when Imperium began to whimper and cry.

— Your mother should have swallowed you kid, that way you would have been a pain in her stomach instead of a pain in my ass!

Green stopped. Or rather he was forced to stop as he was pulled back by his hair. Luscious Liver was on his feet, towering over Green. His uniform stained with his own blood. Green looks back and sees the man’s bloodshot eyes.

— Hands off my subordinates. — Liver orders.

In all the years of Green’s life, the man had never worried about being bested by anyone. The entire world listened to him. However, it seemed that the image of Liver, standing over him, coated in rage and with his heart hanging out his chest. made him forget how strong he was for a second. But just for a second.

— You may blur the mirror when you breathe on it… but I refuse to believe that you’re alive. — Green speaks, eyeing Liver with the same intensity.

Liver stabs Green’s collar with his pen.

While the other slams his fist through Liver’s gut, killing him on the spot.

— BOSS! — Killerkill shouted, already crying.

— Boss… — Imperium muttered.

The limp body falls and stains the ground. Green looks around and sees the purse. Killerkill didn’t notice it at first, but her captain had actually drawn her and the purse in separate locations, before he got up to face Green. That was his attempt in keeping them safe. The villain walked up to it and searched with patience. Among the many things he didn’t care for, was the relic. The Shattered Lipstick was now in Green’s hands.

- To Depth 6 with you, little thing.

Green walks away, with the relic in hand. On the other end of the highway, Evangelist dragged herself and Franchise towards the group. They were attacked once by Green but that alone made them go out of combat. Franchise, leaning on the girl`s shoulder, sees despair right before his eyes. His allies were either beaten or killed. Green looks back and sees the fear in his eyes. He couldn’t help but mutter to himself before disappearing in the mist.

— Nothing’s more honest than to stand hopeless against destiny.

Evangelist leaves Franchise to stand on his own and rushes to aid the others, since she was the least injured of the two.

— Imperium! You'll be fine! — She kneels next to the boy.

— Juice… — Franchise stumbles towards him.

— That`ll be fine that… If a gunslinger can’t take a bullet, he is a damn hypocrite. — He struggles to say.

— We have to get them out of here. — Killerkill says, carrying Ragnarok on her shoulder. — They need treatment.

Imperium recovered some of his senses and saw before him Evangelist`s beautiful, but roughed expression. And behind her was the stained corpse of his captain. Although hurt, he pushes Evangelist out of the way and drags himself to his former leader.

— Boss! Please get up!

— Imperium… — Evangelist frowned.

— I’m sorry for letting you down boss!! — He wailed, covered in tears and blood.

— IMPERIUM! — Evangelist grabs him from behind and pulls him into a hug. — You listen to me. This not your fault, you hear me? We did what we could.

The boy turns to her, tear and blood stained, and accepts her hug, crying loudly into her chest. Franchise, and the others for that matter, knew very well that a tragedy had taken place. They had lost someone dear to them, and Franchise himself didn’t know for how much longer he could look at that body without tearing up. But Imperium was still a kid. A prodigy searcher, carrying a mountain-load of expectations. Of course, he’d blame it all on himself.

But that was, in a way, the life on the Wetlands. Your fate could shatter even under a sunny day. Imperium takes a look around and sees the sad smiles in the faces of his allies. Juice, who was being aided by Killerkill, takes his hat and places it on the boy’s head.

— It’s how the song goes, little man. — He says before walking away.

Evangelist tells imperium that they should go now. But, under the hat, the boy’s lips begin to quiver again. With great difficulty and with wavering voice, he utters:

— Are we just going to leave him here…?

Franchise took Liver’s thick scarf before walking away with Ragnarok. He drips it over his shoulders to hide his gritting teeth and answers:

— What are you talking about? Liver is not going anywhere. He will stay with us. Like always.

The injured are taken back to the Lapse. Franchise and Evangelist were ready to act against Green but while they recovered, Killerkill advised them about something. Something she saw with her ability during the fight.

— You know when you were young, in the back of your parents’ car, coming back home from a nightly event and you wonder to yourself about how good it would be if they stopped at a place that you really liked, so that could eat your favourite food?

— And then they do? — Franchise understands.

— That’s what he does? — Evangelist wonders.

— Seems like it. Reality just listens to him. — Killerkill says.

— Something’s off then… why need the relic? — Franchise wonders.

— I saw that there are things he can’t do.

— Kinda like my scissors?

— That would explain Liver’s jump on him…If he’s so invincible why was his guard down for that moment?

— Liver told me what you guys were up to. Someone was threatening the Wetlands. He said that there was no explicit profile on the guy other than the term Depth 6.

— So Green is our target.

— Now he definitely is…

While they are treated by the best medicine The Lapse can offer. Killerkill takes notice of their darkening expressions.

— I know you guys are angry, but we need to do this right.

— We couldn’t be more focused in killing him.

— And it’s not like we have time to waste. Green has the Artifact. If he wasn’t invincible before…

— I know… but here’s something else you might want to know.

They pay attention to her.

— I learned about it when I was seeing through him. From what I managed to see Green is not human. He was born in the Wetlands. The cosmic essence that we tasted is what makes up his body.

— We are doses while he is an ocean…

— Essentially.

— Is that damn luck of yours again!

Evangelist smiles at Franchise. The man cracks and laughs at her optimism.

— My luck huh? We’ll see. Get your scissors out, let’s get ready for him.

Minutes later, Evangelist and Franchise were ready to set out. After cutting a Thread on themselves. But before they are teleported back to Depth 5, Killerkill wishes them good luck. Franchise turns to her and says something before vanishing.

— No one ever points it out, but Liver did a good job in preparing you to be the next.

— The next? — Killer wonders.

— See you later Captain! — Evangelist says.