The survivors advanced with heavy steps upon the Bronze District shore, Alexander and Rusalka first among them. The Gold District to their backs transformed numerous times, black trees covered the entire scope of it, and yet, ultimately, they did not look back, they did not see it. They walked upon the shore, their hearts and minds like focused blades. Before them lay the Bronze District, beyond that lay the city gate. Rusalka stumbled forth, blood dripped upon the concrete floor. She was startled, but not surprised. Her Ash formed armour for the very first time, it was no light burden on her mind. She sighed, it was time to rest, to cancel her current form. Had it come a few moments later, perhaps things would’ve been easier, but the thunder shook the air, the shockwave from Cain’s Skyfall struck them now. Rumbles filled the ears of the gathered crowd. Rusalka’s stressed mind felt like a hammer had just smashed into it. She swallowed back the blood which had filled up her throat, she played it tough for those at her back...then it all did fade to black.
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The masses turned their heads to behold the scene of carnage, a pillar of clouds, funneled down like a drill into the ground. They trembled, the ground beneath their feet was shaking. Rapture was the first to see it, the receding of the water. He leapt forward fastest as a wall began to cluster, a wall made out of water. One by one they all realised it, there was a wave, a big one, one the size of many buildings stacked in fact, rushing toward them now at a speed they could not hope to flee. They tried, however, for who would not want to escape when it’s this sight they see? The soldiers leapt forward in a frenzy, they rushed into the District. The wave crashed into the shore and slammed into the first amongst its buildings, it filled the streets with water. Before this scene, everyone took action, they leapt into the air and slammed down their boots upon the rooftops of the buildings. Everything happened far too quickly. Just as Alex prepared to follow, just as he too intended to flee, he turned his sights upon his bride’s body. Rusalka was in a state, her Ash formed armour crumbled away like sand into Ash. He had no time to think. He reached out and took hold of her before she ever hit the ground. He froze for a moment, blood dripped from her ears, all of her orifices actually. This was a sight which, were she conscious, she would never let him see. Her lips groaned, whether out of pain or frustration, her body and more so her mind was in agony. He didn’t have time to process any of it, he embraced her as the water came crashing into the street. His body, with her’s embraced, was slammed into the buildings at the other side of the T shaped neighbourhood. His back hurt, he felt more than just the impact, he knew that something had impaled him as well, yet he didn’t let go of his wife throughout the storm. He glared towards the burning white light in the distance. To him, that was the enemy he now had to overcome.
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Rapture looked back towards Alex and Ru as the former struggled to shield the latter from the raging wall of water. Chains of Ash leapt from the arms of the Gold District guards, as well as Lucretia and her two remaining retainers. Alex could not reach out, he could not move much, but thanks to their merit his body was seized, suspended, by chains. That fact alone kept him from being washed away. Rapture could not stand the sight of it. His mother first, then perhaps his father too, his mentor...he had experienced loss, in this way he was becoming ever more mature. He sobered quick, the bloodlust in his eyes until now vanished like a fever dream. He turned his gaze towards the mouth of the street, the source of the raging water. His pitch black Ash erupted with a roar as he leapt forward, his fragile as glass body slammed down into the raging water.
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Lucretia saw it all, she glanced over by the faintest trick of fate and watched the boy take his purposeful fall. Her heart locked up, it ached a little. Though they were not long known to each other, her heart weighed him in a scale like no other. Why? She did not understand it, he was just a kid, he didn’t even have much merit. She looked away, then back again. Pitch black Ash surged in the waters path, it pushed it back and burned it to steam, steam which rose into the heavens and formed a wall all its own. Others saw him struggle, he, who could not even stand before them in a brawl, dared to be like a candle before a raging storm that could flicker out at any moment. They knew what he was doing was insane, that’s why none of them dared to do it, but now they followed suit. So it was that half of the Venus City Gold Class survivors worked to stop their young Lady and Lord from being washed away while the other half worked to fight with all they had against the might of a force of nature. This struggle persisted for only a short time, yet to them it seemed endless, like a second stretched into eternity. Rapture glared at the raging wall of water before him. This wasn’t enough, just this much power could never be enough for him. He hated himself for saying it, but he was just too weak right now. His mother’s words, her sacrifice, it all came back to him in that moment, and so too did the Black God, Rognir, who’d taken her away in exchange for this power.
“Was my mother’s life only worth this much!” He said with a blood curdling shout, “Give me more! Damn it! You call yourself a god, with only this much to show for it, you dare to call yourself a god!” His Ash transformed, in that brief moment, it burned a brighter black, odd as that sounds, and pushed the water back just a tiny bit more. The people at his back were astonished, but they followed suit, not a single one of them was willing to concede.
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When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her husband embracing her. She felt the waves thrashing against her skin. Her head ached quite fiercely, she could not recall much, not even enough to guess at what had happened. All she knew was what was happening now, and with that reality in mind she closed her eyes. Her Ash formed a barrier to push the water aside. Alex let out a sigh of relief. Ths sharp pain in his back was dulled by the cold, but he did not let it slip from his mind. He looked down towards his wife and then reached out, adding his Ash to her barrier.
“Where...am I?” She said to him. The burden on her mind was already heavy, yet even now she could not afford to stop her power’s from pushing back. She was fast reaching a point where she might black out a second time, this time worse than the first. Her husband could see it, she needed rest, the burden his weakness was putting on her now was all too clear. Alexander frowned as he faced the raging flood. He clenched his teeth and raised his hand. Basic Manifestation alone wouldn’t hold this off, he needed its Advanced form, the form he had yet to master. Rusalka’s fragile state now was more than enough of a reminder of its dangers yet even still, he had to do it. Here and now, he imagined the form of his two swords. He closed his eyes to focus on that image.
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What appeared in Alexander’s mind at the brink of life and death was an incomplete pair of vague images. Two swords, neither truly whole.
“If that’s not good enough,” He told himself, “Then I only need one!” The two images overlapped, an illusory fire began to burn, a forge lit up like a lanturn. He remembered each and every adventure his swords had accompanied him on. These images were the hammer blows which helped to shape the cooling structure. Under Saturn, the city of his birth, lay a valley wherein there was a Ragnarok of mighty scale. Unlike the Sanctuaries, it was wild, untamed, mammoth sized beasts prowled there. Young boys on the verge of becoming true men were tossed into this place, were it not for his swords, he would not have survived. Those boys were expected to return under their own power or not at all, far too many ended up in a beast’s belly. Under the assault of countless dangers he had sharpened his senses, his Ash Manifestation, which was originally flawed, became honed and sharp. He cut a swath of fiery destruction back to the city stairway. With those two swords, he escaped the Ragnarok. After that what should’ve awaited him was a much more festive scene; the young girls on the verge of becoming women who stayed within that district of the city. They were those who would challenge the men who’d passed through that trial by fire and so it was that through this series of duels the young men of Saturn would find their brides. The lads were expected to subdue their opponents without harm, after which they’d bring them home. The saying goes that only with a woman in his arms could a young man leave that district. Alexander sighed however, for his experience was different. What awaited him that day was only his uncle’s ultimatum, and then he journeyed to Jupiter, he fought Rusalka...and there his story both ends and begins. The young lad opened his eyes, the sword was forged, it had a much more clear, more solid, form. Inches from death, just as that one Knight of Cain had said, it was here, at this moment, that Alexander realised he could truly grasp Ash’s power.
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The water parted, a powerful strike bifurcated the raging waves. Alexander’s body leaned over, his new forged sword slammed with a mighty sound into the solid ground. Rusalka, who lay in his arms, stared at his form. Shock filled her eyes, she had watched the entire process transpire. Though it had taken time to explain the process, in truth, Alexander forged this sword in less than a second. The black body of the blade reflected her stunned face back at her. The silver edges protruded mist that severed even water. The scarlet-bronze handle was as long as she was tall, making her wonder if this thing was even a sword at all. Finally for the guard, she saw a steel-like triangular image with the bulk of the body serving to protect the user’s fingers. That portion, the front, was shaped as like a steel maiden praying. The bulk of the guard was formed of her hair, which clad her naked steel-like image and formed the rest of the guard behind her. Beholding this sight, Rusalka could not help but feel a shiver...why? Just why had that image formed? She wondered. She glanced towards Alexander, her questions aplenty. The image was one she was familiar with, she had seen the statue of this naked goddess more than once as she peered through documents about the gods of old. Her shock faded soon however, for her husband was just too tired and he blacked out before she could even seek him for an answer. What did he care? He had accomplished his goal and finally forged his sword, he had saved her, his wife, from mortal peril. What else mattered in his mind? The chains that supported him vanished soon after. The water drained away. Lucretia and her men descended to Rusalka’s sitting side. Nobody else had seen it...right? She wondered. Had nobody else seen that bone chilling goddess?
