POV: Abraxes
The shackles on my arms are taken off without hesitation. They are confident with my obedience. They are comfortable with it. It is a comfort I aim to gladly rip apart.
I only have a moment to act. I know that. And I do not waste the opportunity. My palms are facing away from my body. They are cold. Nearly frozen stiff. But they are facing the Enforcer closest to me, and that is all that matters.
The Bloodline I had stolen from Nero, roars into existence during that singular moment. I am inexperienced with it. So, it is short. It is sudden. But it is powerful. I do not command it. But I compress it. As best as my minimal understanding allows me to.
It slams into the Enforcer. I hear them cry out. It Is pained and followed by a rough crash to the ground. I am already moving. Nero has vanished. I do not know how. But I do not focus too much on it. I am over the cold metallic table within a moment. Ripping the familiar karambit on the way over.
'Welcome back.' It feels perfect in the palm of my hand. It gives me confidence. But it does not last long. My body is frozen stiff, and I cannot move it well. I crash into the chair on the other side. Stumbling awkwardly onto the ground.
It is painful. But I do not linger on the sensation for long. It reminds me that I am still alive and that is what matters. I grasp Nero's Innate Talent from within me. I am not steady with it. I am panicking and my control is skewered because of it.
It shoots through my entire body. Banishing the cold within an instant. But it sends me into shock. My body is burning. It is uncomfortable and it is painful, and I am screaming without even realising it. I feel as if I have been struck by lightning.
Something crashes into me. My danger sense is screaming in my head. Adding to my agony. And it takes me too long to realise I am in the grip of an Enforcer. There is a bronze knife hanging over me and I react purely on instinct.
My hand grabs the man's neck. My grip is weak. But I am not trying to strangle him. Cain's Impetus Talent activates, and the Enforcers neck is cracking, and splintering. Blood spurts from him and it covers me, but I do not care, because he is dead.
The knife falls uselessly to the side as his entire body falls on top of me, and it hurts. It is all too much, and I am panicking. My breathing is short. My sight is dancing with darkness. My lungs burn. But the pain is no more.
The cold is no more.
The realisation gives me the energy I need. The break I am desperate for. I push the Enforcers heavy body off me. It is with a strength I do not possess. And I know that adrenaline is running through me like a tidal wave.
I slip out from beneath him. But I do not have a chance to breathe. I am grabbed. Rough hands pulling on my shoulders. It reminds me of the Ceremony. Of the day I lost Keres. It threatens to send me into another panic.
It is all too overstimulating. I nearly cry. Tears are welling within my eyes, and I feel my vision go blurry. I think I am hyperventilating. It is all too much to process.
I black out.
It is only for a moment.
But when I am back. There is ozone in the air. It lingers and mixes with the iron of blood. Blood which I am covered in. I am sitting on my knees. My entire body is shaking. But it is no longer from the cold.
I am dazed. I am looking around and there is another Enforcer lying dead behind me.
My mind is a mess of too many emotions. Too many thoughts. Too many feelings.
It is a war cry that brings me back to reality.
An Enforcer is running at me. There are tears in her eyes. A bronze blade in her hands. My mind is covered in a veil. But I see the way she runs. The way her breath is ragged and fogging with the remaining cold around us. I am perceiving it all.
My arm is raised before I even know it.
Rowan's Talent burns through me—the ability to create electricity—and a streak of lightning pierces the distance between us. She is blinded by her anger. By her pain. She reacts too late. It strikes her chest, and she is falling. I see her crash into a set of boxes on the side.
She is still breathing. Not dead.
The mind is still too foggy. My entire body is trembling. But I stand. Not because I want to. But because I have to. I hate this. I hate it all. I feel the anger within me. It has been covered by all that I am feeling. I grab onto it. I am desperate to feel only one thing.
It runs through me like liquid fire. And it wakes me up.
Five Enforcers stand across from me. Their swords are bronze, and they are shining in the day. They do not move. They are watching me. They are weary and I see fear beginning to nestle in their eyes.
The rage I am feeling roars with pride. Because they should fear me. Because I am not just one man. I am not what they expect. I am not what they prepare for. I am not what they train for. I am not someone they can bully and overwhelm. Because I am many.
I am a Chimera of old.
The cold around the room is softening. It is lightening. Becoming warmer. But I can not have that. Warmth is comfort and they are not allowed to be comfortable around me. So, I plummet this room into a miniture ice age.
The temperature drops quickly. It is sudden. It tears away their warmth and makes their bodies fall to shock. Four of them fall. Just as I did. I know how it feels. But one remains standing. And he is running at me now.
'Ice resistance.' I think it before I understand it. Because my body is already moving. It hurts to even stand but I must, and I do. I close my eyes. Pull on Gaius' Talent and flare the world in a brilliant silver light.
I do not see it. But my hearing is enhanced. I hear the Enforcer slow. A curse leaving his mouth. I hear his blade whistle through the air. I feel as if I can almost hear the very air vibrating. Gravity lightens my body. It is the perfect ratio, and I am moving around his blind strikes.
I am guided by my danger sense. I swing my karambit, and the dazzling light around me dies. I open my eyes. I am standing right in front of him. My knife is in his stomach. His armour useless against my blade.
His eyes are grey. They remind me of Keres. It makes my body rage with the injustice of her death. I twist the knife inside of him. Then tear it across his stomach with little resistance. He can only gasp as I push him down.
My Eidos burns with confirmation.
I am inexperienced with combat. I am not physically stronger. But I am smarter. My versatility is my strength. And it is deadly. He falls to the ground easily. Blood staining his body and the light within his grey eyes dying with him.
My danger sense rings, and I can almost see my attacker in my mind. The same woman from before. She is shivering from the cold. Her armour is blackened. Her expression is wild. In that moment, I know that she is just like me.
I do not spare her.
Silver light explodes from me once more. I avoid her blade with my eyes closed. It is predictable. I can hear it in her breath. In her steps. In her every muscle. She screams from the light. But I know that her pain comes from loss.
I slit her throat before she can even realise it. Her steps move past me and the light around me dies. I turn to face her. She is choking and gurgling on blood. Her sword is on the floor. But she is walking.
I watch. Almost numb. As she falls onto a body. There is blood everywhere. The body is blackened. Charred. There isn't even a face to look upon. Its eyes are gone. Anything that made the Enforcers is vaporised.
The woman's blood falls freely on the charred corpse. It stains what little remains. And she is with her loved one not soon after. It is a painful reminder to me. A brief glimpse into another world. Where it could have been me if I had lost to Gaius.
But it isn't, and there are four Enforcers remaining.
I am outnumbered. But it does not make me nervous. Already, I have taken half of their numbers. It makes me feel stronger like I haven't before. It is addicting and it is strange, but I am finding enjoyment in this.
It is worrying. But I have no time for worry.
They are finally beginning to stand. They are slow. Their muscles numb. Their minds freezing. I use it for the chance it is. Arctic winds build in the palm of my hand, and I throw it. It is powerful. A force with which I have never trained with.
Boxes go flying. The tarps covering them are gone. The Enforcers are hit with a swirling wind that carries the cold. They crash into the wall behind them. The windows around the room break from my attack. They shatter under the cold grasp of the sub-zero temperatures.
I am running towards them before I even know it. Electricity is useless now. I can not use it in this temperature. So, I use the confusion to my advantage. I close the distance between us. The karambit in my palm flashes again.
Another Enforcer is dead a moment later.
My Sacral Essence is beginning to run low. I have done too much, too quickly. So, I let go of the temperature around me. It begins to soften almost immediately. As if nature itself does not approve of my imposed rule on its domain.
But it does not matter. It is frigid enough to still affect the remaining three Enforcers…or so I think. I feel it before I see it. A sharp spike in the temperature around me. Tongues of orange and red flash towards me.
It is a desperate last attempt from one of them. It is an idiotic attempt.
I pull upon the wind. I shape it and move it and force it to bend under my command. It surrounds me almost like a second skin. It is a barrier that fights against a sudden wave of fire that makes the room hiss.
My danger sense screams at me. But there is nothing that I can do. It is a clash that leads to only one inevitability. An explosion. There is no warning. I only have the wind to protect me. But the blast is powerful, and the wind is useless against the force created.
I'm sent flying back. My sight is clouded with stars. My arms are burning. I crash against the ground with a pained grunt. I can smell the burns across my arms. The cooked flesh. It is overpowering. I am nearly sick from it.
My ears are ringing. They were enhanced when the explosion went off. But they are healing quickly, and I am pushing myself to stand on shaking legs. My karambit is missing. I see it across the room. Lying in a puddle of blood.
I try to move. But my balance is shot, and I can do nothing but remain standing. I look to the Enforcers. One is a charred corpse. I can not tell their gender. But I know it was them who unleashed the fire upon me.
Only two now remain-
"What…?"
Surprise does not begin to explain what I am feeling. Because the remaining two Enforcers are dead. Their bodies are littered with burns like mine. But it is not the heat, or the fire, or the force of the explosion that killed them.
Their bodies are off the floor. Their stomachs are impaled, and I see their blood running down a crystaline spike of ice. It takes me a moment to understand what I am seeing. Then, there is a shadow standing above me.
"You did well." The words are fuzzy. Distant as my hearing slowly returns. I feel some blood running from them and look up at the man who is speaking to me.
It is Nero.
He looks down at me. But something is wrong. That same feeling from before appearing again. It's as if he is somebody else entirely. His eyes are distant, almost lifeless. They are missing their gleam. They look empty. There is no smile, no grin. His face is sharp and blank and wrong.
"You're not Nero." The words come out before I can stop myself. They're a whisper but I can see he heard me. The edge of his lips moves up at the observation I make. But it is gone before it can be called a grin.
"How would you know?" He sounds almost amused, but his voice is hollow. He turns from me and walks away. I can only watch in confusion. Feeling overwhelmed once again. It is only the remaining adrenaline within me which is keeping me focused.
I do not answer him. Just observe as he comes up to one of the boxes and breaks it open with a slam of his fist. His hands disappear within it, and he spends a minute going through it. Finally, he turns back to me, his arms full of various items.
"We don't have much time, I'm afraid. That little explosion of yours alerted the entire ship." He tells me, dropping the items on the floor beside me. "The balm is for the burns. It'll soothe and heal them. Clean the blood off you. Wrap up any injuries you have and get changed."
He points at each of the items he brought out of the box—a small bottle of cream. A packet of disinfectant wipes. Some bandages and a new uniform—as if he had prepared for this ahead of time.
"Wait, what?"
"No time, Chimera. Get a move on." His words are casual. Not a command but they are urgent. Except, I freeze. Because that is not what surprises me.
"Did you-"
"Yes. I know what you can do." Nero sighs, having already moved to pick the karambit up. It stays in his hand as he keeps his back to me. "Now get to wrapping and getting changed. I'll talk whilst you hurry up."
'Right.' I am hesitant. But I do not have a choice in the matter. The jumpsuit comes off first. My arms ache from the contact against the material, but I am quick. Distracted from the pain as Nero begins to speak.
"My first Impetus Talent allows me to hear people's thoughts. Yours were quite loud when I first met you." He begins to explain, and I now know for certain that this, is not the same Nero.
"When we first met?" I ask, grimacing at the feeling of the balm against my burns.
"Your Purging Ceremony." He plays with the knife in his hand. His voice almost wistful. "I didn't think much of you, in the beginning. But then you killed Gaius. And then I heard your thoughts. Your promise. It intrigued me."
'This is dangerous.' I think to myself, wrapping my left arm in bandages. This all seems well and good. But it could easily be a trap for me to reveal something.
"I think me taking over an Archon's body is far more dangerous."
'Right, mind reading.'
He nods, hearing my thoughts once again.
"Don't worry. If I wanted to expose you, I would have already done it." It wasn't the most comforting choice of words. But I can see his point. It is a risk for him to do this, and he is taking it to speak with me.
"So, what do you want with me?" It's the most prominent question plaguing my mind. I scrub as much blood as I can off my body. It is hard to ignore the pain now that the adrenaline is fading.
"Like I said. You intrigued me. You're far from the first to think of such a dream. But you are the first with the potential to make it happen."
"Because I'm a Chimera."
"Exactly."
I sigh tiredly. Taking the rest of the jumpsuit off and changing into the new one. I don't know what to think. He turns to face me when I stand.
"Are you going to take their Affinities and Talents?" I quickly check my Eidos. Noting the five new Impetus Talents. I nod, before moving to the two perched on the spikes. Under the watchful eye of Nero, I Assimilate their Eidos. Then take the Eidos of the burnt corpse. My nose stings with the smell of it.
"I'm ready." I tell him. The one controlling Nero nods. Before I'm being led out of the bloodied room. "What will happen to me?"
Nero shrugs his shoulders at my question. "Nothing. The Aureate who sanctioned all of this doesn't even know your name. You're a Mercury, and they were Zinc's and Copper's. She won't care that a few were lost."
I scowl from beside him. Both at the bitter reminder of how much I amount to, and the careless disregard of those who died. Once again, I am learning that the Aureate only care for themselves.
"What about Nero?"
"He won't remember this. I can wipe memories with my second Impetus Talent." He says it casually as he leads me through the dark grey corridors. But such a Talent is terrifying. It only makes this mysterious person even more dangerous, in my mind.
"So, who are you?" I ask. Any information on the mystery guiding me is useful information. But he stays silent. Giving me a shrug and an almost grin. He knows what I am attempting.
"Right. Another question then," I yawn into my hand. My body is getting heavier. I am tired. I remember the panic attack. The fight itself. I am drained, I realise. "Why bother saving me?"
Nero is quiet for a moment. Before he turns to face me. His face is eerily blank once again.
"The world needs change, Abraxes. We, as a society, as humanity. Need change. We are divided. When we were once united. We are splintering, destroying our future with every day that passes. The Fallen Spawn and their Empyrean ravage our world. They take and destroy and bring ruin…but what do we do?"
He snorts. It is a humourless noise.
"We focus on our Alloy's. We focus on our strength. We focus on our status. We have stagnated and we need something new to survive the approaching collapse. Because we will not live through a second calamity."
The mysterious person speaks with conviction. With a passion and a truth that I can feel in my weary bones. Because it is the truth he tells me. It is a truth I did not want to become aware of. But I have known for some time myself. I simply never realised the full scale of it.
"I saved you…because you are unique." He tells me. We stop in a corridor that looks like all the others we have passed. His voice grows quiet now. "Humanity has been raised to follow only strength. We have been taught that our Alloy's dictate our destinies. But what happens, when a quicksilver rises to have unparalleled strength?"
'It would change the world forever.' The thought is immediate, and Nero almost smiles at me. It looks disturbing on the man. I hate him.
"It would not just change our world. It would revolutionise it. That is why I saved you. You have the potential to save humanity. All of it. And you need to understand that. Because revenge is good. That anger within you. That fire. It is good. But it needs to be fuelled into something greater than destruction."
"You expect me to save the world? To become some symbol. Do you truly think I care about any Alloy who isn't a Mercury?" It is simple, and it is the truth. Because my fire does not exist to bring comfort. I am not the summer warmth. I am kindling flame that consumes. That burns and destroys. I do not restore.
I make sure to broadcast my thoughts. I want this Enlightened to know how I little I care for such fantasies. I have been wronged. I have been treated as less than trash my entire life. Those above me do not deserve my pity. My good, or whatever remains of it.
But Nero only grins at me. A true expression on his face. The first, since his body has been hijacked. He seems almost amused with my response.
"You keep believing in that, Chimera. Soon, you will learn to become something more. When you do, I will be waiting. Then, we can truly begin our partnership."
"There is no part-"
"Best to hurry and get you back. We don't want to get caught."
He turns from me. His steps quick. As if we never had this conversation. I am tempted to throw lightning at his back. But I think better of it. It would only cause me more trouble. Either way, I know that such a change will not occur within me.
It is but the ramblings of a mad man. Trapped inside of his own mind. With illusions for a better world. A world which is too twisted and vile to save.
"As if…" I scowl at his back. Then follow him. He is my ticket to getting out of this. And I am in desperate need of some rest. Everything else can wait.