Inside his icy prison, Ezra began to shift. Cracks spiderwebbed across the crystalline surface encasing him, widening rapidly. Steam curled from the fissures as the ice surrendered to an intense internal heat. A guttural groan tore from his throat as he flexed against his frozen bonds. Then, with a burst of raw force and a final shattering of ice, he launched skyward, his form radiating a furious, red-tinged steam. His eyes glowed with an inner fire, twin beams of crimson light erupting from their depths, cutting swathes through the resurrected undead on the ground below.
Hidden amongst the rising tide of shambling corpses, Revan's head snapped up. His eyes, piercing the battlefield with their malevolent red light, locked onto the airborne Ezra. A flicker of recognition, cold and calculating, crossed his features before his form melted into shadow behind a nearby prisoner, vanishing an instant before Ezra's destructive beams carved through the space he'd occupied.
A high-pitched sonic scream tore through the battlefield, originating from a gaunt female prisoner with a wild, brown mullet, striking Ezra from the air. Ezra recoiled, his hands flying to cover his ears, his eyes squeezed shut, teeth grinding against each other in silent agony. With a guttural yell, he launched himself downwards in a blur of motion, his open palm slamming into the screaming prisoner's face. The force of his descent drove her deep into the earth, her legs below the knee twisting at unnatural angles, lifeless.
Flames quickly erupted, a swirling vortex of heat engulfing Ezra. A black prisoner with wild eyes unleashed a torrent, and another joined in, their combined efforts creating an inferno. Other prisoners slowly began to converge, drawn by the chaos. A primal roar tore from Ezra's throat, a shockwave of raw energy blasting outwards, hitting the fire users in the back like an invisible hammer. When the flames subsided, Ezra stood unscathed, his crimson eyes burning brightly, his brow furrowed in a look of intense concentration.
Rex watched Ezra with a frustrated sigh.
Rex: How the hell does he still have his powers? (he muttered in annoyance.) Jack, I kinda get, still questioning, but Ezra? Doesn't make a lick of sense.
Jasper's gaze remained locked on Ezra, a silent intensity in his eyes. Beside him, Martin leaned in, whispering, "You see it too, don't you, Braddock? It would be wise to tell them all to run while we still have ammunition."
Jasper remained silent for a long moment, his eyes still fixed on Ezra as the latter effortlessly sliced through several approaching undead with swift, unarmed strikes, their decaying limbs falling away like sand. Jasper finally closed his eyes, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
Jasper: Why are we still standing here?! We're sitting ducks and running out of ammo. We can't–
An invisible force ripped through the group, throwing everyone back from Phil and Claire. Revan stood in the center, his crimson eyes fixed on the unconscious Phil. Rex cursed under his breath, a small "Tch" escaping his lips. He scrambled to his feet, bursting into a sprint, his FX 05 Xiuhcoatl assault rifle raised, twenty rounds remaining and he fires only ten in rapid succession, each one impacting Revan's form without even causing a flinch.
Rex: Urgh... Just had to be bulletproof, (he fires another five rounds with a single outstretched hand, downing an advancing prisoner from the right before sprinting towards Revan, who remained focused on Phil.)
A crushing weight slammed into Rex, pinning him down, looking up, Rex's eyes widden as the person now having their pale cold hands tightening around his throat ontop of him is Idris Chan with his eyes vacant.
Rex: Tch... I-Idris... (Rex's teeth gritted, his breath coming in ragged gasps.) It's... me...
Idris roars into Rex's face, spit and blood flying to his face. Rex turned his head, his eyes searching for his rifle, seeing it lying just out of reach. He then turned his gaze to Revan, watching him slowly kneel beside Phil. A ringing filled Rex's ears, his vision blurring. He clawed at Idris's wrists tight, Idris's mouth opens in a silent, raspy scream.
Rex: Tch... Idris... I'm... I'm sorry... So, so sorry...
just then as Idris's wrists began to bleed a bullet tore through the side of his skull.
Rex: Uh... (His eyes widden as he watched Idris fall to the side, he gasps for air, his hand clutching his neck.)
Rex looked at the direction of the shooter, seeing Ender holding his AK-12 rifle, standing much nearer to Rex was Selena in complete shock with tears filling up her eyes as she stared at Idris body.
Ender: (He walked up to Rex,) you okay?
Rex: (His voice was rough, strained.) Y-you... (He glanced down at Idris's still body before looking up at Revan,) tch! Stop him!
Revan's bloodied palm rested on Phil's chest, feeling the faint thrum of his heart beneath the armor. A visible pressure began to form on Phil's chest plate from Revan's touch, his crimson eyes still locked on Phil's face. Just then, Jasper charged in a blur of motion, his hand shooting out, grabbing Revan by the neck. As Jasper ran, he unleashed three brutal jabs to Revan's face. Revan's expression remained impassive, his eyes fixing on Jasper before his hand shot out, his fingers tensing with unnatural force. Jasper was thrown backwards, landing hard, his attire smoking and his face bearing angry red burns.
Jasper: Damn. My punches didn't do shit.
"Yeah?" a voice echoed from behind him. Jasper's eyes widened as he looked up. Ezra, covered in blood, flew down and landed silently behind him, his crimson gaze fixed on Revan. The air crackled with a newfound intensity.
Ezra: Let's see what mine will do.
Revan tilted his head, his crimson eyes locking onto Ezra. Through his eyes, Ezra glowed a dim burgundy aura, while the figure of Jasper remained a steady, calm blue.
A low thrumming began to fill the air, a sound that quickly grew into the unmistakable roar of an approaching engine. Revan, along with everyone else on the battlefield, turned his crimson gaze skyward. A Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter sliced through the air above them.
Inside the cockpit, Cassie sat at the controls, her voice calm and professional over the headset.
Cassie: Hello crew, this is your pilot speaking. We have reached our destination. Hope you enjoyed the ride; it might be your last.
"Alright, Cassie, set us down there," a male voice ordered.
Cassie: Alright, (she replied, her hands expertly guiding the chopper.)
Inside the helicopter's cabin, five men sat in full black combat suits with tactical gear. They were all checking their equipment, loading magazines, and securing weapons. All except one. This man stared down at his gloved, clasped hands. The man beside him, with tanned skin, short black hair, and red eyes, placed a reassuring palm on his shoulder.
"Hey, you sure you good to go?" he asked.
The man looked up, and a third figure sitten across from them with pale, scarred skin, unkempt ash-blonde hair, and cold blue eyes spoke up without turning. "Now's not the time to be asking that question, Olam. He chose to come, therefore he's good to go. Ain't that right, Kyle?"
Kyle: (He freed his hands, stood up, and slammed a magazine into his AAC Honey Badger assault rifle.) Yeah...