Crystalline Universe: Team Fortress 2 Overwatch - Volume 3: Crystalline Universe: Bloodline's Curse Chapter 87 Blood Blossom And Tainted Execution Part 1

A shot of cold blood passed through Azur’s veins as she felt an ominous presence around her. She knew the enemy is close, so close as if he was just lurking around some corner in the room. The atmosphere of panic and unease filled the air, an enemy they clearly know is way out of their league is actively looking to kill them. At any moment, all four of them could be found dead without even a chance to react.

Mike still hasn’t shown up yet, Azur knew that they are clearly in some huge trouble.

[Mergiann] – “Where is Mike? Isn’t he suppose to show up? ”

[Azur] – “Something has gone wrong, maybe, but we need to hold him off as long as possible. ”

Suddenly, the ground below them became so slippery that it feels as if there was no friction at all. Even with her quick reflex, Azur only had time to use her crystals to balance herself while others fell down in an instant. Darlynn and Karson fell to the ground while Mergiann was knocked unconscious by hitting her head on the coffee table.

[Azur] – “Damn it! He is already here somewhere! ”

Before Karson and Darlynn had time to get up, the floor liquified into a swamp-like fluid which caused both to sink deep into it before Azur pulled them out using her sapphires. Karson, upon being granted air once more, spat out a mouth full of liquid concrete.

[Karson] – “This bastard! He’s just toying with us! ”

Suddenly, many cuts and bruises appeared on Karson’s face going as far as even in his eyes.

[Karson] (in pain) – “Aaaargh! ”

Realizing this, Darlynn slowly moved her left hand in the air only to be injured the same way as Karson. By blinking her eyes, her eyelids were also cut.

[Darlynn] – “It feels like razor blades… The air feels like razor blades! ”

Azur quickly realized the situation: the enemy turned the atmosphere into sharp invisible solid particles suspended air and now, even a simple movement could result in deep cuts.

[Karson] – “This asshole doesn’t even consider us a thing, he’s using the environment to kill us. ”

But all of a sudden, Karson coughed out blood as the air started to injure his lungs.

[Azur] (trying to move her mouth as little as possible) – “Damn it… I can’t liberate any more sapphires to attack, my strength is all spent on keeping you guys from falling into the swamp! ”

[Karson] – “I may have an idea! Let me give it a try! ”

[Azur] – “Do it then! We are out of time! ”

Karson activated his crystals and attacked the air, the energy blast filled up the air before causing shockwaves. The air, blasted by energy, returned into a gas state from its solid-state. The razor-sharp sensation faded away as they soon could breathe normally again without any restrain.

To their surprise, Darlynn was abruptly thrown against the wall and knocked out before Azur and Karson were smashed against the floor, which became solid once more.

Upon opening his eyes, Karson saw Scaphism in front of him holding an unconscious Mergiann by the neck while his other hand pointed at Azur, who was held prisoner by his ability.

[Karson] – “Ugh… what do you want? Want d’you want from me!! ”

[Scaphism] – “You’ll have to choose, choose who lives and who dies, that is! ”

[Karson] – “You bloody bastard… if I can break yer face, I will! ”

[Scaphism] – “Very stubborn but useless… I can’t seem to understand why worm like you have such tenacity, even in death. ”

By tightening his grasp, both Mergiann and Azur began to feel their throat being squeezed with a brute force. Meanwhile, Scaphism smirked at Karson, intentionally mocking him for being so powerless in front of such a situation.

“This guy… it’s gonna be the end of me. He’ll save Mergiann over me for sure… Ugh… my miserable life… ” Thought Azur while gasping for air.

Karson hesitated but as the situation became dire, he needed to make a choice. Gathering all his power, Karson fearlessly jumped toward Scaphism and launched the strongest punch he could ever pull with his current power but Scaphism wasn’t even concerned to the slightest. With a single move of his hand, Karson was plummeting downward where he collided with the ground with such force that the building’s metallic structure bent under the shock.

“Huh?! He went for it… this guy! Impossible… Is he insane? ” Thought Azur while struggling to stand up.

The executioner slowly landed in front of Azur and bent his knees down to her level. He stared at her with the eyes of a killer but he instead expressed himself otherwise with the manners of a gentleman.

[Scaphism] – “Look at me, and tell me… what makes me the antagonist? What gives this repulsive sensation about me when you look at me? ”

Azur remained unresponsive, unwilling to answer the man’s question while staring back at him with intensity and hatred.

[Scaphism] – “What makes me different, why can’t you treat me like a normal person? I have the same right as all others and yet, you and some people just look at me the wrong damn way. I want an answer! Is the uniform the cause? Is it because my allegiance is to Talon? To Sniper? If it was because of murder, let me tell you this, I’ve killed as many people as you did! You are not more moral than me, you are not more different than me, you and I are the same! ”

[Azur] – “Huh! I’m not some crazed bastard looking to seek pleasure in other’s pain. Our main difference is that I murder assholes of your kind while you murder people for your own ambitions. ”

[Scaphism] – “Isn’t that what Mike does? Committing mass murder in his own ambition? Why are his crimes justified and not mine? What special divine right does he have to kill people, innocent people that- ”

Before he could finish, Azur busted out with words of her own to say.

[Azur] – “Maybe I just don’t like you, maybe it’s your stupid hairlines that are bothering me, who knows? At least I don’t recount Mike ever trying to **** me. ”

Scaphism stared at her with a mocking smile before abruptly grabbing her by her shoulder with creepy hand motions.

[Scaphism] – “You are soo innocent, you sound like that one v.i.r.g.i.n girl in college. Did you think Mike never committed atrocities? You think Mike is that one pure boy that has both of his hands clean? Let me tell you, he may not **** but he does things that are worse! ”

[Azur] – “Knowing the fact that he kills bastard like you for a living is enough to keep his image clean in my head. ”

Azur observed the area around her in search of a way to escape but as she looked, she suddenly realized that a light signal can be seen in the dark below. She quickly understood what it meant.

[Scaphism] – “Ugh… I wish I could keep you around to talk. No one has ever had such a conversation with me, never! But I have to eliminate you all, I’m sorry, it’s part of the plan. In life, we must be brave and face certain situations and sometimes even death. It’s part of the reason we live, to be challenged, to be given a choice to save ourselves or others. ”

[Azur] – “If I’m fated to die, I can’t escape it either. So yeah, what are you waiting for? ”

[Scaphism] – “You seem to accept your fate pretty easily. ”

In a brave act of defiance, Azur raised up from to ground and stared directly back at Scaphism without a single ounce of fear in her eyes.

[Azur] – “Pussies accept fate but I defy fate! ”

[Scaphism] – “It’s a shame… you could’ve been much more. ”

The energy from the crystal charged into Scaphism’s fist. The red glow of raw energy caused even the dust around him to raise up in the air. Azur, meanwhile, stood ready, without a flinch.

[Scaphism] – “I’ll grant you my most generous death, the tainted execution! ”

As Scaphism launched his attack, Azur braced herself for the destructive impact.

An ear-shattering punch exploded in front of Azur before dust covered the entirety of the room. Scaphism was sent flying into a wall where he crashed with so much power that it caused half of the building to detach from the original structure.

Through the smoke and debris in front of her, Azur somewhat managed to recognize the familiar figure. The blue glow of the 4 corner star-shaped crystals on his arms, the floating dark greatcoat and the special shape of his haircut, it’s Mike, he managed to make it in time.

[Scaphism] – “*grumble* You finally showed up, you sneaky mother f.u.c.ker! ”

[Mike] – “I’m a busy man, I’ll not waste my time on taking out the trash, so let’s make it quick. ”

[Azur] – “*heavy sigh* Finally, that prodigy son of a gun… it’s about time he arrives. ”

Without any effort, Scaphism leaped out of the crater behind him and jumped toward Mike. Mike, on the other hand, prepared to strike back at him but suddenly, the environment around him changed so drastically that it felt like reality itself has started to bend.

Mike was shocked to realize that his opponent could do so much but pressed on to the engagement. As the two men approached toward one and another, the wall suddenly formed shards of sharp concrete flying at high speed toward Mike.

As his opponent was distracted to defend himself against the attack, Scaphism dashed behind Mike and sent him plummeting like Karson before him down into the building’s bottom which formed spikes to maximize damage.

“He is fast! How? He outmatched Mike a matter of seconds… IMPOSSIBLE! He can’t be that strong! ” Thought Azur, shocked, as she observed the whole event unfold.

A massive amount of energy suddenly surged through the building and before Scaphism could understand the situation, the entire building squashed upon him all at once from all sides. Due to the scale of the conflict, Azur was forced to take cover in a shelter formed from pieces that collapsed during the fights.

The place around her suddenly reshaped once more as reality looked like a computer programmed animation, where the impossible becomes the real. The damaged structure was rapidly reconstructed into an arena like place where Scaphism stood in the middle. Mike ripped through the arena ground and emerged as unharmed as his adversary.

[Scaphism] – “That’s the best you can do? I’m not impressed. ”

[Mike] – “I’m getting bloody rusty I guess but that’s a damn good warm-up. ”

[Scaphism] – “Tell me about it. ”

Mike hastily dashed toward his opponent with a punch but in a swift move of his body, Scaphism dived into the ground as it was liquid and disappeared without a trace. All of a sudden, a fist appeared out of the floor behind Mike but in a display of reflex, Mike turned and struck back at his enemy in the face.

The attack obliterated the man but Mike soon realized that the man is the dead body of one of the staff in the hotel, it was not Scaphism. But it was too late. Before Mike could prepare himself, Scaphism appeared on top of him and delivered a series of punches toward his head.

After barely avoiding instant death by blocking most of the attacks, Mike fell back and kneeled to the ground with part of his skull fractured and blood running down from his head like a fountain. Using his ability, Mike fixed the deadly injuries on his skull but the strikes left his fighting ability severely crippled as his brain received damage as well.

As his sweat dripped in a pool of his own blood, Mike looked up to see Scaphism nowhere to be found again.

“This is bad… I underestimated him… My last fight was 2 years ago… I haven’t practiced fighting on a scale like this ever since… I need to figure out what is his ability… ” Thought Mike as he took a short break while on high alert.

His vision gradually blurred and before he knows it, he collapsed on the floor and fell unconscious.

Mike woke up in a dark place without an end where he couldn’t see anything else than himself. As he stood up in confusion and wandered off looking for the exit, the voice suddenly caught his attention.

“Don’t give up! You can still make it! ”

[Mike] – “Huh? I recognize that voice… *nervous breathing* why are you here? Am I dead? ”

Kadyn appeared in front of him with a smile on her face that shined like a star in the dark of the night.

[Kadyn] – “Don’t give up, Mike, you can beat him! ”

[Mike] (in a panic) – “SHUT UP! I don’t believe this… YOU! I don’t need you! Go away! ”

[Kadyn] – “Gio… I thought you are glad to see me again. ”

[Mike] – “Get out of my face! I have a greater purpose… I don’t need you! ”

Kadyn approached Mike who was in a state of distress with both of his hands on his head. Mike could feel the warm embrace of his girl around him but he quickly pushed her away.

[Mike] – “You don’t belong here, you are just memory! I don’t want to see you… I don’t need you! ”

Mike opened his eye and she is no longer here, it’s just him, only him in this world of darkness. Mike dropped to his knees and screamed with all his force until he was no longer capable.

[Mike] – “No, I can’t fall into madness again… Noooo… Noooo… ”

Mike took a few minutes to calm down before observing his surrounding in a panic. There was a strange sensation of fear that surrounded this place. There is only the horrifying silence, the macabre void of darkness, the pulverizing cold.

Mike desperately searched for someone or something, anything as the fear slowly consumed his mind and soul like a black hole. All he could ever see and hear is himself. Minutes felt like hours as Mike spent his time thinking quietly on the floor. He fears but what? He’s distressed but why? As he finally managed to regain his senses, he calmly stood up and looked up.

[Mike] – “I thought… Kadyn, you know, somehow, I keep looking back at those days… and think, how foolish we were. You dream and I dream, everyone has a dream but what is left us now? ”

It was the first time Mike thought about his past as he completely forgot about the void around him. It was like an act of defiance to this prison as Mike finally understood what has been causing his misery after that long time spent reflecting on his life.

[Mike] – “I’ve been living in the dark for my whole life now, I have nothing to fear. Tell me, what thing about this place is different from my life? During that time I spent on the ground, I finally managed to understand it. It’s about accepting this darkness, it’s about embracing it. ”

Mike grew more and more fearless of the void, so much that he started to look more and more confident until the place started to collapse.

[Mike] – “I don’t have to let these thoughts occupy my mind, I won’t step down to receive your warmth in this cold! I was born in cold blood! ”

The place crumbled until all the darkness collapse into him, leaving only white behind it.

[Mike] – “I don’t hate you, in fact, I “love” you, you are the only person that made me understand this world! I was born to rule it as Sniper said. Nothing rules me, not you, Kadyn, not others, only I shall rule. ”

Soon, Mike found himself in a white room where the only colours are those of himself and his clothes painted in black.

[Mike] – “Now, would you kindly come back? ”

Moments passed and nothing happened, Mike was just staring at blank white.

[Mike] – “I thought so! Because you don’t care about me either, I never needed you to become who I should be. During all this time, I was wrong, I was a mere fool. I later realized that our mind is somehow connected, that’s why I could still feel you all the time. I know you are alive, well… and happy. Enjoy it while you can because maybe one day, the purge will catch up to you or your loved ones. ”

Kadyn suddenly dropped her glass of wine as an emotional shock passed through her heart. It felt as if her heart is going under necrosis. Then suddenly, she felt destruction and finally a silent fiery death. She failed to understand what caused this feeling, she can only feel half of her soul being torn apart.

Mike suddenly woke up in a pool of his blood and felt a burning sensation approaching him. In a swift usage of his ability, fists formed from the ceiling and attacked Scaphism who was trying to finish him off. Scaphism quickly evaded the attacks and fell back while Mike gradually stood up.

A sharp and deadly stare could be observed from Mike’s eyes. Something about him was different from a few minutes ago, it felt as if he changed, a whole lot with a new mind and a new spirit.

[Scaphism] – “How are you still ready to fight? You should not be in condition to even stand up. ”

[Mike] – “I don’t know, maybe I got enchanted by some magic or shit, who knows? But I’m sure this is gonna be fun. ”

Mike reached out his fist and challenged once more Scaphism to a fight but this time, with newly found confidence and fearlessness.

To be continued… Next Chapter: [Blood blossom and tainted execution (part 2)]