"Wake up... "
The distant echoes of a voice travelled through the endless sea of darkness. Kadyn tried to open her eyelids, yet she failed to find the strength to do so.
"Wake up! "
The voice sounded closer, almost as if it was coming from right above Kadyn.
"Wake up, you foolish creature! "
The voice finally snapped Kadyn out of her dream as she opened her eyes to the sight of a dark void that surrounded her on all sides. Yet, despite the darkness, Kadyn soon noticed the clear sight of herself standing before her.
[Kadyn] - "How? Where is this place? Who are you? "
Screamed Kadyn as she backed away from her clone.
[Krystal] - "You're not asking the important questions here. Sigh... come, walk with me. "
Said Krystal as she turned around and began walking away.
[Kadyn] - "How? Why? I don't understand! "
Said Kadyn as she looked at her surroundings with a confused expression.
Suddenly, the darkness fractured into a rain of shattered glass. As the glass shards fell, some of them reflected Kadyn's kind and innocent face, while others reflected Krystal's grim and anguished visage. In the end, as the dimension collapsed around the two women, the cozy sight of a family home appeared before Kadyn.
[Kadyn] - "I... I can't remember... What happened? Why am I in this place? "
Said Kadyn as she held her head in pain.
[Krystal] - "You'll understand soon enough. "
Said Krystal as her glowing red eyes reflected Kadyn's image.
Looking up, Kadyn's green eyes also reflected Krystal's picture in them as well. However, the moment was soon disturbed by the loud sound of a crash coming from the kitchen. Alarmed, Kadyn quickly rushed into the kitchen before being frozen in place by the horrifying sight before her eyes. On the floor, Emilia crawled like a fish out of the water inside a massive puddle of her blood.
[Kadyn] - "Big sis! "
Yelled Kadyn as she tried to approach her sister.
Yet, just as Kadyn launched herself forward, she was abruptly pinned to the ground by a familiar steel claw.
[KD-554] - "Nuh uh! Where do you think you're going, you pathetic little thing? "
Said KD-554 as her mouth revealed rows of razor-sharp teeth.
[Kadyn] - "Let go of me, you fucking monster! "
With unnatural strength, KD-554 slammed Kadyn against the wall before holding her prisoner in her grip. Meanwhile, Krystal slowly stepped into the room, clearly unconcerned by all the chaos going on around her.
[Kadyn] - "Help me! Help my sister, please! "
Pleaded Kadyn as she struggled against KD-554's grip around her neck.
[Krystal] - "There's nothing I can do to help you. Only you can help yourself. "
Said Krystal in an apathetic tone.
Kadyn's eyes darted between KD-554 and Emilia in a panic, but no matter how hard she tried to free herself, her opponent's grip proved to be too strong. On the floor, Emilia looked helplessly toward Krystal and reached her trembling hand toward her. Yet, with a cruel expression in her eyes, Krystal simply kicked Emilia's hand away.
[Krystal] - "Come on, Kadyn, she doesn't have long. "
Said Krystal as she turned her gaze toward Kadyn.
Yet, as Krystal cruelly refused to help Emilia, Kadyn didn't feel anger, but felt disgust and pain instead toward herself. In a sense, Kadyn viewed Krystal's action as if she had committed them herself.
[Krystal] - "Come on, Kadyn, break free! Fight harder! "
Yelled Krystal in a taunting voice.
[Kadyn] - "AAAAARGH! "
Yelled Kadyn as she clawed and kicked at KD-554.
Yet, nothing worked. As tears streamed down Kadyn's face, Emilia slowly expired in a sea of blood. The sight broke Kadyn as she quickly lost her will to fight back, and eventually stopped resisting KD-554 entirely. As memories of her recent defeat and Oltevin's death slowly invaded her mind, the fire in Kadyn's soul slowly extinguished as well. Soon, Kadyn went limp like a puppet while KD-554 prepared to finish her off with her blade.
[Krystal] - "Your weakness is seriously pathetic! "
Said Krystal with a disgusted scoff.
Extending her wrist blades, Krystal charged at Kadyn with a violent fury that carried the same type of hatred as KD-554. With a single slash, Krystal dissected KD-554 through the middle before her body evaporated into steam. As KD-554 screamed in hatred and pain at her destruction, Kadyn's limp body fell to her knees on the ground. However, Krystal wasn't done with Kadyn as she abruptly grabbed her by the collar and violently shook her around like a lifeless doll.
[Krystal] - "It's all your fault! You had to hesitate, you had to cling to that stupid delusion of yours, about humanity, about all that weak bullshit you believe in! "
Yelled Krystal before violently slapping Kadyn in the face.
There was a pain in Krystal's voice as she yelled at Kadyn, a pain that Kadyn somehow understood on a spiritual level.
[Krystal] - "There's no humanity, no hope, no respite for people like us! When Mike died, all those dreams and delusions died with him! We are killers, psychopaths and cursed monsters! So tell me, why are you pretending that we aren't? Why, after all we've lost, are you still so delusional? Why can't you be strong and protect those we cherish? WHY? "
Yelled Krystal in anger.
Yet, as Krystal kept assaulting Kadyn to the point where blood began to leak out of her mouth and nose, Kadyn didn't fight back. Somewhere deep inside, Kadyn believed that she deserved all that punishment. The guilt hurt more than anything she had ever experienced. Krystal, meanwhile, was like a mirror, screaming out all the grievances Kadyn didn't dare to spell out loud.
[Krystal] - "You cost us everything! Your weakness cost us everything! It was our only chance at defeating KD-554, yet you had to hold back, letting all those stupid civilians distract you and eventually losing us the fight. You don't deserve someone like Mike! Even Voss has more courage than you, and he's just a vulnerable man. "
Yelled Krystal in rage as tears fell from her eyes.
As the tiny droplets of tears fell, they landed on Kadyn's face and continued to roll down as if they were hers. Another punch, and blood began to pool at the edge of Kadyn's left eye.
[Kadyn] - "I'm sorry... "
Whispered Kadyn.
[Krystal] - "That's all you can say! 'Sorry'... As if that word is going to change anything! "
Cried Krystal as she pulled on Kadyn's clothes.
As Krystal sobbed, Kadyn suddenly noticed droplets of blood fall onto her face. Looking up, Kadyn was shocked to see Krystal bearing the same injuries as she had inflicted on her. At that moment, Kadyn finally figured out who Krystal truly is as another puzzle of her broken memory materialized inside her mind.
[Kadyn] - "You're right... What use is there to apologize– To myself... "
Said Kadyn as she looked down in shame.
Meanwhile, outside, Nilsson ran with Kadyn's unconscious body on his shoulder while Voss covered their retreat with his pistol against a horde of bloodthirsty cultists and civilians. As Nilsson turned around a corner, he had to abruptly halt his steps as another opposing wave of enemy tried to sandwich them.
[Nilsson] - "Voss, turn to the right, they are trying to cut us off from the left. "
Yelled Nilsson before rushing down the right-side alley.
As a few cultists leaped down from the roof of a building, Nilsson swiftly cut them down using his battleaxe. However, due to him now being out of his armour, the axe's weight alongside Kadyn was starting to put some serious strain on his stamina.
[Voss] - "No, Nilsson, stop! "
Yelled Voss as he rushed around a corner.
Rushing over to Nilsson, Voss quickly pulled open a manhole cover before shining a light down into the darkness.
[Voss] - "I've managed to contact Senju and McCree. They're trying to join up with us from the South. "
Said Voss as he reloaded his pistol.
[Nilsson] - "That's some good fucking news! I was starting to think that we are done for. "
Said Nilsson as he began to climb down into the sewers.
As Voss followed Nilsson into the sewer, he quickly pulled the pin on one of his grenades and threw it at the horde of pursuers before vanishing into the darkness. As soon as Voss landed below, a huge boom shook the ground above, causing the lights to flicker and dust to fall from the ceiling.
[Voss] - "I'm nearly out of bullets. "
Said Voss with an annoyed grunt.
[Nilsson] - "Ya still have your sword, no? "
[Voss] - "Just don't feel like getting close and personal with these filthy animals. "
Said Voss as he fumbled his belt to see what he had left.
[Nilsson] - "What? Feel naked without yar armour? "
Said Nilsson with a smirk.
[Voss] - "An armour without a Marine is just gear, but an Imperial Marine without armour is still an Imperial Marine. "
Said Voss before he took aim and shot a cultist dead.
The two Marines quickly resumed their run as their pursuers began to pour in from all available openings. As the Marines encountered a river of sewage separating them from the next walkway, they effortlessly leaped over the gap while their pursuers fell in droves into the dirty water below. With ammo now low, Voss only shot at the cultists and civilians who were armed with ranged weapons.
[Nilsson] - "Two o'clock! "
Yelled Nilsson as he instinctively blocked a gunshot with his axe.
Before the shooter could fire another shot, Voss raised his pistol and splashed the man's brain all over the wall. As Nilsson turned around a corner, two cultists leaped onto him, clawing and stabbing him with their small kitchen knives. Acting quickly, Voss grabbed the first enemy by the neck and swiftly snapped his spine in a single motion. Then, using his sword, Voss sliced the second cultist in half with surgical precision.
[Voss] - "You're fine, keep going! "
Said Voss as he pulled the kitchen knife out of Nilsson's chest.
As soon as the knife left Nilsson's flesh, the bleeding immediately stopped as his modified physiology allowed near instant clotting of wounds.
[Nilsson] - "I think I should be the judge of my body. "
[Voss] - "Need a medical Marine to bring your pacifier? "
Said Voss in a mocking tone.
Suddenly, Voss recoiled as two bullets struck him in the back. With lightning-fast reaction, Voss turned around and shot the gunman using his pistol.
[Nilsson] - "Are you... "
Said Nilsson with a concerned look.
[Voss] - "Cry me a river, for fuck's sake! Get moving! "
Yelled Voss as he bit his lower lip in pain.
As the men kept running, they passed by a door that was on the verge of being breached. Just as they moved clear of the door, a mob of cultists burst through the passage and began chasing the Marines like a pack of rabid zombies. Even as many were trampled by the crowd or pushed into the dirty sewage water, the horde didn't seem to lose its momentum or number as they breathed down Voss's neck.
[Voss] - "Nilsson! Nilsson, listen to me, you bastard! "
Yelled Voss as he began to fall behind due to his injuries.
[Nilsson] - "Voss! Hang in there, ya limping fish! "
Screamed Nilsson as he tried to slow down to help Voss.
However, Voss aggressively pushed Nilsson forward, refusing his help.
[Voss] - "The Arch-mother needs to be safe! Promise me that she'll be safe! My fucking fleet, the Empire depends on her survival! "
Yelled Voss as he began to leave a noticeable distance between him and Nilsson.
[Nilsson] - "Voss! Don't ya dare, ya bastard! "
[Voss] - "And don't you dare slow down for me! "
Yelled Voss defiantly.
Though Nilsson wanted to slow down to give Voss a hand, his speed remained constant. By now, Voss was nearly within reach of the pursuing horde of cultists behind him.
[Nilsson] - "Voss! VOSS! Fucking force yaself! Don't you dare give up! "
Yelled Nilsson as he kept shifting his gaze forward and backward at Voss.
[Voss] - "An Imperial Marine dies for what he believes in! I left my fleet because I lost faith... However, today, I'm starting to believe again! I signed up to die, not to enjoy the sunset! "
Voss suddenly halted in his steps before drawing his sword. With a single swing, Voss carved through several cultists and sent their remains into the sewage water to the side.
[Nilsson] - "Voss! Ya fucking son of a bitch! "
Yelled Nilsson in despair without slowing down.
[Voss] - "Us, Forgers of Worlds, we stand to give humanity a chance. Kadyn! You better lead us to victory as our lord Grand Knight once did! "
Screamed Voss with a massive grin on his face.
As Voss's voice echoed in the distance, Nilsson gripped his axe, decorated with the name of Captain Sven, tighter in his hand.
[Nilsson] - "I promise I'll bring her home, Captain Voss! "
Whispered Nilsson as he kept running.
On the other side, Voss raised his sword before his face and assumed a battle stance as the horde of cultists hesitated to approach him.
[Voss] - "I am Voss Malenkov, Captain of the 19th company of the World Forgers fleet! Whoever seeks slaughter, allow me to be your host! "
Declared Voss as he tightened his grip on his sword.
Meanwhile, inside Kadyn's mind, Kadyn remained a broken mess on the floor while Krystal stared at her with scorn on her face. Somewhere down the line, after Kadyn's defeat at the hands of KD-554, her mind had finally given up. When Oltevin died before Kadyn's eyes, Kadyn had finally reached her breaking point. A person, no matter how mentally fortified, can only take so much before it is too much. As a result, as a way to cope and deal with the trauma, Kadyn shattered into two persons.
[Krystal] - "Your time's up. You have been given a chance, and you have failed. "
Kadyn remained silent as she stared at the void with an empty gaze.
[Krystal] - "Do you hear me? KD-554 was right about your weakness! You have failed because you were weak! It's time to end this, to stop pretending to be something you are not! "
Said Krystal as she kneeled down to meet Kadyn's eyes.
Though Kadyn remained silent, her eyes rolled to the side, refusing to meet Krystal's gaze.
[Krystal] - "You can try to run all you want, but you have to admit it... KD-554 has won! We are not, and cannot be, the human girl you think you are. Deep down, in our nature, we are just a monster like her. We have to admit this fact if we want to win. "
Said Krystal as she tried to force Kadyn to look at her.
[Kadyn] - "You're pathetic... More than I am. "
Whispered Kadyn before slapping Krystal's hand away.
[Krystal] - "What did you say? "
Said Krystal as anger flared up inside her burning red eyes.
[Kadyn] - "I said you are a pathetic piece of trash! Are you deaf or something? "
Screamed Kadyn as a spark of defiance returned to her eyes.
As Krystal tried to slap Kadyn out of anger, Kadyn reacted by blocking her slap.
[Kadyn] - "Admitting KD-554 won... What kind of loser are you? Admitting that we are a monster like her... Mike would've spat in your face out of disgust! "
Uttered Kadyn while showing Krystal a face of disgust.
Kadyn suddenly kicked Krystal away from her before extending her wrist blades. Upon seeing how Kadyn was naively getting ready to fight, Krystal smirked confidently before responding in kind with her blades. The two women immediately dashed toward each other with murderous intent, with each small cut reflected on both their faces.
[Krystal] - "You are always so impulsive, going blade first, brain after. You always think with your heart before your brain, that's why you are so weak and easy to outsmart! "
Mocked Krystal as she clashed her blades with Kadyn.
[Kadyn] - "And you're not the woman Mike fell in love with! That man loved us because he saw beyond what we are born as! More than a killer, more than what KD-554 is, more than just a tool in someone else's story! "
Responded Kadyn with clenched teeth.
Krystal suddenly broke away from the deadlock before assaulting Kadyn with a set of relentless slashes of her blades. Cut after cut, Kadyn was beginning to be pushed back as Krystal unleashed all her aggression in an animalistic manner. Violence is Krystal's domain, and by picking a fight with her, Kadyn had basically signed her guaranteed defeat. With a powerful strike, Krystal hit Kadyn's blade with such force that sparks of molten metal flew off the blade and into Kadyn's eyes.
[Kadyn] - "AAAAH! "
Screamed Kadyn as a burning pain forced her eyes shut.
However, unlike Kadyn, Krystal braced through the pain in her eyes and kept her momentum going. Using the opportunity, Krystal shoved her blade into Kadyn's chest, causing blood to spill out of her mouth. As Krystal continued to apply pressure, she eventually forced Kadyn to the ground while keeping her blade planted inside her chest.
[Krystal] - "This is why you lose! You are holding back the monster you carry within you. "
Said Krystal before she coughed out a stream of blood.
[Kadyn] - "I'd rather lose than become whatever KD-554 is. "
[Krystal] - "That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid! When we wake up, I'll be the one in charge. I'll do what you are too weak to do, and protect those few whom we still care about! I don't care if I'm a monster or not... I just don't want to lose anyone again... "
Said Krystal with a hint of sadness in her voice.
[Kadyn] - "Yet, you'll still lose, you bloody moron! "
[Krystal] - "Shut up! I'll win! I'll save us and those around us! "
Said Krystal through clenched teeth.
[Kadyn] - "You will just doom us the exact way KD-554 wanted! You will lose, broken, weeping, and ashamed! You might think you know better, you might think just because you can win against me that you can win against her... But I know what I'm capable of. No matter how different we are, we are still the same person. Erase me, and what will you still have? Just another KD-554 clone! "
Krystal ground her teeth in anger as she stared at Kadyn's defiant expression.
[Krystal] - "What other choice do we have? Fate has won... and we have lost. "
Said Krystal as she nudged her blade toward Kadyn's heart.
The reality around the two began to break down as Kadyn noticed a spatial fracture between her and Krystal. As Krystal's blade neared Kadyn's heart, past memories began to appear all around the two before each shattering into a million pieces on the floor. Then, the darkness began to be replaced by the all-consumming white light of fate.
However, before Krystal could finish Kadyn off, a metallic claw suddenly grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Before Krystal could understand what was happening, KD-554 launched her away. As Krystal rolled to a halt, she was both shocked and confused at the sight of her arch-enemy.
[Kadyn] - "This ability is yours as much as it is mine! "
Said Kadyn as she stared at Krystal.
As KD-554 launched herself at Krystal, her body morphed into the same monstrosity that had defeated Kadyn on two separate occasions. As the numerous limbs of the Eldritch monster stabbed at Krystal, she soon found herself being slowly overwhelmed. However, with a yell, Krystal unleashed her aggression at KD-554 as she began to let her own monster out of the cage. With incredible agility, Krystal dodged KD-554's attacks before she managed to land a first strike on her opponent.
The fight was something that even Kadyn struggled to follow with her eyes as Krystal and KD-554 devolved into a whirlwind of blades. Within the span of a single second, Krystal clashed blades with KD-554 a total of twenty-five times. It was mesmerizing as much as it was terrifying as Kadyn saw a version of herself that even she didn't recognize. Krystal was fighting like a savage beast, her movements carrying both the rage of a mindless monster and the grace of a seasoned surgeon.
However, even though Krystal put up a fight that Kadyn could never imagine herself capable of, KD-554 still managed to gain the upper hand eventually. As Krystal tried again to stab at KD-554's chest, a set of spikes shot out of her opponent's metallic flesh. When Krystal tried dodging the spikes, KD-554 abruptly shifted the spikes' form into circles, causing Krystal to suffer several deep cuts. Then, using the opportunity, one of KD-554's limbs shot out of her back and impaled Krystal through the abdomen.
As Krystal was slammed into the ground with a massive spike pinning her through the belly, KD-554 followed up by stabbing Krystal through the shoulders, thus disabling her ability to fight back. Though Krystal also controlled Kadyn's ability and could just make KD-554 disappear, she closed her eyes and accepted her fate. Krystal had lost, thus proving Kadyn's point that even embracing her dark side could not grant her victory.
However, just as KD-554 was about kill Krystal, Kadyn rushed in and attacked KD-554. Though Kadyn lacked Krystal's aggression and strength, she defiantly still managed to push KD-554 away from Krystal. Yet, with KD-554's full attention now on her, Kadyn soon began to lose the fight against the monster.
During this time, Krystal stared at Kadyn in surprise. Inside her mind, she struggled to understand why Kadyn would choose to help her even though she had just tried to kill her a moment ago. Just as KD-554 was about strike Kadyn with a surprise lethal blow, Krystal suddenly joined in and defended Kadyn against the attack.
Together, the two began to push back against KD-554 until the monster assumed a defensive stance. As Kadyn held KD-554's limbs back, Krystal moved in and left a deep cut in her enemy's throat. As Krystal turned around and gave Kadyn a nod, Kadyn quickly seized the opportunity and struck at KD-554's chest. Yet, as the monster tried to heal her throat while protecting her chest, Krystal landed a surprise blow through KD-554's head, striking at her brain. At last, with severe cerebral trauma, KD-554 collapsed to the ground as Kadyn and Krystal stabbed their blades at the same time into her face, killing her.
As the mangled form of the monster slowly faded away into steam, both Kadyn and Krystal finally allowed themselves to take a few deep breaths of relief. Neither could believe what they had just managed. Together, they had managed to kill the beast they thought could not be slain.
[Krystal] - "What did we just do? "
Said Krystal, her face still frozen in shock.
[Kadyn] - "We– We proved both of ourselves wrong. "
Said Kadyn before glancing at Krystal.
[Krystal] - "Perhaps... "
[Kadyn] - "...our answer lies not in our duality... "
[Krystal] - "...but in our unity. "
Kadyn showed Krystal a friendly smile before reaching her hand toward her.
[Krystal] - "You do realize we are still fractured, right? It's not like we're gonna be whole again just because you and I had our differences settled. This ain't some bloody cartoon. "
Said Krystal as she slapped Kadyn's hand away.
[Kadyn] - "I know. However, this does not mean we can't work together. After all, we have many common goals, including the same body. "
Said Kadyn as she reached out to Krystal with her hand again.
Reluctantly, Krystal took Kadyn's hand and shook it while rolling her eyes. However, unbeknownst to both of them, the broken pieces of memories began to rebuild themselves around them. Soon, the familiar darkness returned around the two girls. Suddenly, the connection between Kadyn and Krystal was shattered by an invisible glass barrier.
[Kadyn] - "Huh? "
Exclaimed Kadyn as she was pushed back.
Meanwhile, one of Krystal's eyes turned from crimson to the lively emerald green of Kadyn's irises. Then, slowly, Kadyn began to rise into the air while Krystal remained on the ground.
[Krystal] - "Thank you for holding onto who we are, Kadyn. "
Slowly, Kadyn's consciousness faded away as she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
[Krystal] - "Sleep well, you deserved it. Let me carry this burden for us for now. Once this is over, you can repay me by ensuring our happiness. "
Said Krystal with a smile.
To be continued...