Chapter 13: The Last Stand, War

I do not know how things can change so quickly, how things would backfire in a snap. I was leader of them for a second, sure, but...

After the metal gates were broken through, thanks to the destruction of the barriers, we stormed through the gates. We charged like an army to the outside, like a spear aiming at a shield, in this case the Steel Forces and Lionhearts.

We charged out of the dust. There they were " Admiral Shiro, at the front of the pack, behind him the Vice Admirals, and behind them the Steel Forces. An insurmountable number of them. And next to Admiral Shiro? Jericho. The traitor. Alfonso looked away. The prisoners halted as soon as they felt their powers disappear.

Admiral Shiro smirked and stepped forward. "I remember you, prisoner Gin, was it?" He laughed. I glared. "I'm quite surprised you managed to break through the barriers, not like we planned at all. But we will still vanquish!"

"And what makes you say that?"

"Do you not feel this?" Shiro announced sarcastically. "Your powers are gone! You are useless, you filthy prisoners, you will all die." The Steel Forces braced themselves, ready to charge. All the prisoners behind me looked ready to give up. They were muttering among themselves, about 'failure' and 'cheat'.

"Not all gone," I said loud enough for everyone to hear. I sensed their hope light up again.

I shot my hand up into the skies as a whirling ball of darkness shot out from my hand.

"What?! No... that's impossible!" Shiro shouted. "Charge!" The Steel Forces ran at full speed towards us. I looked back at the prisoners. They looked confident, rejuvenated. I smiled at them. I'd just consumed the rune's powers. Even Jericho looked shocked.

"How can you be this good at using it?!" He shouted in despair and with a slight unwillingness to give up.

"I'm more connected to the darkness... I guess," I said as the Steel Forces clashed against the mighty prisoners. The strong were sent to the prison, the weak joined the Steel Forces. By any equation, it was our victory. I waded through the crowd, through the slaughter and death as I looked into Shiro's eyes. Jericho noticed something as I inched closer.

"You... you let yourself be consumed by the darkness..." Jericho pointed.

"And that's something you've never been able to do," I replied. I shot a wave of darkness at Shiro, grabbing him and choking him. The Admiral of the Lionhearts? This is pathetic. I threw him down on the ground and walked over him, grabbing him by the collar.

"You claim to be Admiral," I picked him up and slammed him to the ground as he bled and gasped. "Yet you're so pathetic," I spat and kicked him. Jericho fell backwards onto the floor. The sounds of the Steel Forces died out. I knew we were victorious. But I felt... empty inside. Why? I connected my fist to Shiro's face. He had already passed out. "Hey, wake up, I'm not done yet," I punched him again. "Are you there?" I punched him again, my fist full of his blood. I heard the freed prisoners walk up behind me. "Hey!" I shouted and punched him with all my might. I lifted my hands again, ready to deliver another before a hand caught me.

"Gin..." Thomas looked at me with sadness. I sighed and stood up. I slapped his hand away and walked towards Jericho. I stood above him as he cowered and shook in fear.

"D... Don't kill me"" he said as a hand appeared in the middle of his chest, and Alfonso appeared from behind him, with his arm driven through Jericho's chest. "A... Alfon..." he said as his breath died out.

"Gin," Steph called out to me. I looked at her, I looked at Thomas, I looked at Alfonso. His eyes were darker than ever, but the sight of his eyes felt like nothing compared to what I felt like inside. Is this what they said? Being consumed by darkness? I couldn't feel a single bit of humanity or Gin inside me.

"You will call me..." I looked into Steph's eyes and stepped closer, only inches away from her face. She looked utterly terrified. "The Dark King," I pronounced clearly, and pushed her towards the crowd of freed prisoners. I stepped on Jericho's body without a second thought and walked forwards, with Thomas, Alfonso, Steph, and the rest of the prisoners behind me. We walked towards Ao. I am going to destroy that city.

I couldn't feel anything.

I felt blinded.

I felt binded.

I felt like nothing mattered, and everything was in black and white " dead to me.

Everything that ever happened felt only like a distant memory, something so lost in what I used to be. When I stare into the mirror it seems like I didn't even know who I was anymore. I didn't look like me. My eyes were the incarnation of death and darkness.

This is... being consumed by darkness.