Marcus/Rocco
The battlefield had gone quiet.
The tear hung suspended above, no longer expanding,
yet refusing to disappear completely. Thin cracks of crimson light stretched
across the sky like broken glass, reminding us that the barrier between worlds
was still failing.
Noah was the first to break the silence. "Why isn't it
closing?"
No one answered. I couldn't because Valen had. Though
only I could hear him.
"We never destroyed them, Rocky." I stared at the
tear.
"Every tear you sealed only forced it shut
temporarily. The barrier healed around the wound… but the wound never
disappeared."
My stomach tightened, "Then they'll all…"
"Open again." The words came gently. Painfully.
"Every tear between the realms." I looked around at my
friends. At the city we'd fought so hard to protect.
"There has to be another way." Valen was quiet for a
long moment. Then,
"There is."
Hope rose inside me. Only to disappear the moment he
continued.
"But it cost everything."
I turned away from the others, walking several steps
toward the dying tear. Noah called after but I didn't answer. I couldn't.
"Tell me." Valen sighed softly.
"I let the selfishness of seeing the outside world
again get to me and more, I kept using my powers."
I frowned, "What do you mean?"
"There is always a consequence for everything, Rocky."
The words barely made sense to me. He looked toward
the tear.
"The demon realm would continue bleeding into here,
unless…"
My heartbeat quickened, "unless what?"
"We fully merge our souls," the bracelet around my
wrist grew warm. I felt my throat tighten.
"Then… what do we do?" he looked at me. The same way
he always had.
"We become the seal… finish what my brother had
started." Everything inside me stopped.
"No."
"Rocky- "
"No!" I shook my head violently. "There has to be
something else!" the others were looking at me now.
Concerned. They could tell I was talking to Valen.
"There isn't."
"If we don't…" Valen looked toward the sky.
"Every tear will reopen. The realms will become one,
exactly as Aldo intended." He paused.
"Every sacrifice and deaths so far would be for
nothing," I closed my eyes, my eyes trembling.
"What… happens to us." He simply smiled but I
understood.
I don't know how long how I stood there. Seconds or
minutes. Maybe longer. When I finally turned around.
Everyone was staring at me. Noah tried to smile. "You
know…" he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I was hoping the silent brooding would've stopped
after we beat…"
He noticed the tears in my eyes. His smile
disappeared. "Marcus?"
I looked at them. Really looked at them.
Noah. Riley. Darren. Livia. Callie. The family we'd
built together. I smiled.
"I love you guys."
Noah blinked then chuckled. The others laughing a
little. "Bro…"
"Thank you…" my voice shook, "for believing in me, for
staying even when it hurt."
Riley frowned, "Marcus…"
I turned to Darren, "You never stopped looking for
answers."
To Livia, "You kept me standing."
Then, Callie. She was already shaking. I walked over
and held her shoulders.
"You've grown into someone Our parents and Sera would
be proud of."
She grabbed my wrist. "Why are you talking like this?"
I swallowed.
"Because…" my voice cracked, "I… there's something I
have to do."
Noah stared at me. "What are you talking about?" I
looked down at the bracelet. It had begun glowing. Softly.
Silver light spread across my arm. The wind circled
around me. My hair stirred then, it began to grow.
Dark strands slowly faded into silver, each one
catching the light.
One of my eyes reflected gold. The other remained
unchanged. Everyone stepped back. Callie whispered my name.
"Rocco?" I smiled at her. The smile was mine but there
was something older behind it now. Something that had existed long before I was
born.
"Not exactly," there was no name. none that would
explain what I'd become.
"But I'm still me and I'm still your brother," Callie
looked at me for a long moment. Then she threw herself into my arms.
"No…" she clung to me so tightly, "you can't…" her
voice broke into sobs.
"You can't leave too…" I wrapped my arms around her as
she buried her face against my chest.
"I just got you back." Each word came apart beneath
her tears, "I still need you."
The world
seemed to disappear around us, I rested my chin gently on her head. "So did I."
she pulled back just enough to look at me.
"Then don't go."
"I have to." She hit my chest with both fists.
"No!" she just kept hitting me, "You promised!"
"You said let's bring everyone home!" the words
shattered what little composure I had left. Tears blurred my vision. I held her
one last time.
"I'm trying to." She cried harder.
Behind her, Riley had covered her mouth, leaning
against a frozen Noah, tears streaming silently down his face.
Darren had taken off his glasses because he couldn't
see through them anymore. Livia was also crying, holding onto her brother.
The tear pulsed, waiting. I looked at all of them one
last time. I laughed weakly through my tears.
"I don't know what's going to happen." Noah walked
over and pulled me into a hug so hard I thought he'd break my ribs.
"You idiot," his voice cracked, "What the hell I'm
supposed to do now and tell Ella."
I looked at him, "You have to look after them for me."
One by one, they embraced me. I smiled.
Turned. And walked toward the tear. The silver light
surrounding me grew brighter with every step.
The bracelet shone like a star. Just before I reached
the edge…
I looked back one final time.
Home.
Then I stepped forward. The light swallowed
everything. The tear trembled violently. Across the world, every remaining
tears between the realms began to close.
All that was left was a sky finally free of cracks.
Far away… right before all the tears disappeared. A
familiar voice laughed.
"Good job, Rocky."