V.I.R.A.L - Chapter 278

“Riley, hold up! Riley.” Zinnia cried, rushing after her panting. “You said Scarlett is dead; how can you be so sure?”

Riley stopped looking down, biting her lip, furious. “I just know. I could feel it! Her psychic presence faded without warning. You don’t believe me, do you?”

Zinnia shook her head, giving off a reinsuring smile. “I believe you. I don’t know-how, but if you can sense it, I’ll believe you. If we want to save your sister, we should get moving.”

“Save?”

“I believe you can sense her, but I don’t, no, can’t believe someone like Scarlett is dead. Even if what you told me about her is true, Scarlett is strong. She wouldn’t die so easily. Not to mention if she’s in trouble, then the others are too.”

Riley was left dumbfounded, rubbing the back of her neck. “Why are you helping me for? Our family has caused you nothing but grievance and trouble. We almost killed on you serval times. I almost killed you; I don’t deserve your help.”

“Are you still going on about that? All of that is in the past, is it not? I don’t like to hold grudges, especially over something petty like that. Besides, you helped me save my father and Percy, and you protected this village. That’s enough for me to help.” Zinnia admitted looking out to the wilderness. “I still see Scarlett as my friend; even if what you said she did to be true, I don’t care. Scarlett is my friend, and we don’t abandon friends.”

Riley snorted slightly, stopping herself from laughing holding a hand over her mouth. “You really are a walking clique Zin Zin… Always one to play the hero.”

“She takes well after me on that.” Kurt boldly claimed to get dodgy looks from the two girls. Deflated, he nervously chuckled. “That was a joke… What’s got you two so worked up?”

“Riley’s sister is in danger. We’re going to save her.” Zinnia simply claimed without much hesitation.

Kurt was thrown a left-field giving it some thought. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea… Even if your friend was in trouble, it would take us days to reach Victoria, let alone Rhinefield. I believe our help would be too little too late. Mortem isn’t someone you two should go messing with.”

“Dad… We’ve been waiting here for almost two weeks. If Mortem was coming, they would have attacked by now. I’m done sitting around while my friends fight for their lives. Mum wouldn’t be either.”

“Why, you little…” Kurt grumbled, slouching over. “Pulling the old what would mum does card right away, eh? You know how to get me good, don’t ya? Alright! We’ll go and help your friends; I suppose I owe them that for the trouble Mortem caused in my wake.”

“You hear that, Riley! With the Phantom, we’re as good as can be. Mortem doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Hold your horses just for a moment. Let me discuss this with the village elder. Us all going will leave the village defenceless, so we’ll need to go over a few things.”

Kurt walked off as Zinnia turned back around, ready. She was slightly excited, even if she knew she shouldn’t be. “After all this time, I’ll finally get to see them all again. Alice, Iris, Emil, Alton. I’ve missed them all so much.”

“Why did you leave them for so long again? If you missed them that much, why did you leave?”

“I don’t know. I guess I was just stupid doubting myself. After I thought Alton died, I lost control and then Gale… I blamed Alton for it all when it wasn’t his fault. It took me a while to climb out of that dark place. But now I’m ready. Team Rhapsody will be back together; at last, nothing can stop us!”

The moment Zinnia spoke those words, the earth shook, knocking them all off their feet. Plumping to the ground, Zinnia turned around, shaken up only to freeze up at sight. Riley stared at dazed. “What the hell is that?”

“There’s no way… No, oh God, please no!”

A single Titan stood towering over the village, blocking out all views of the outside world. Piercing through the barrier, small trickles of snow began piling through as a lone figure stared down at them. Kurt appeared from a puff of smoke, flinching, looking just as concerned. “Shit… It can’t be?! How did they break the seal?”

“What is it?” Riley asked again.

“It’s them… It’s the Garden.”

A figure jumped down, crashing to the ground; the impact was enough to send a shockwave tearing everyone from their spot. Riley held everyone with her powers while Kurt stared on with a severe glare. From the newly formed crater, a woman dressed in broken golden armour emerged. The majority of her appearance was left unknown. Bandages were wrapped around her entire body, covering most of her face, legs and arms, and wrapped around her head, hiding even her hair. The only part on show was her right eye and half her mouth. Her eye was a glowing yellow. The colour of the Garden. “Kurt Hatching! Us meet again.”

Kurt held his arm forward, stopping Zinnia. “Don’t, we’re not dealing with just any ordinary threat. That’s one of the Five Stages of Grief; she represents Anger.”

“Anger! No way…”

Anger stared on at Zinnia, snarling. “So that’s the girl Bargaining has been so interested in. Zinnia Trost, it only just hit me who she is… How pitiful.”

Kurt stared tensed up as he took a deep breath. “I take it if you’re here; the seal has been broken.”

“Yes. The seal is broken. We are free. Your friends are dead.”

“They’re not dead! They’re not!” Zinnia snapped, being held back by her father.

“Zinnia, don’t! I’ve dealt with Anger first hand; she may come across as a simple-minded girl who can barely hold a conversation but doesn’t let your eyes deceive you. Her Stage makes her an unstoppable monster if you piss her off.” Kurt explained. “It took everything to take her down 400 years ago. Is that why you’re here?! To finish what we started, Anger?”

Anger didn’t respond as Kurt responded, rippling forward, knocking Anger flying ahead of her. Zipping past with a crackling blast, Kurt kept Anger in check, unleashing attacks after attacks. Zinnia and Riley could just watch as the burst of flames, and smoke lit up the sky. Anger flew higher up, unable to move as Kurt held his arm up, smashing her back down, breaking the ground leaving a long crater. Holding Anger down, Kurt raised his fist, letting out one more attack. “Phantom blow!”

The moment the punch connected, serval phantom punches attached on top, leaving one hit to create dozens. The area exploded in a heap of smoke as Kurt vanished appeared alongside the two girls. “Whoa…”

Kurt waited, still looking nervous as can be. He kept idly waiting before his worst fears were unleashed. Anger let out a massive rageful roar as the area exploded into a bright purple light. “No! That wasn’t enough. Get everyone out. Nothing can stop her now!”

“Not even that was enough to take her down?!” Zinnia yelled as Anger climbed out of the crater, her bandages emitting a purple glow as each step made the ground sink by her pure might.

“Now!” Kurt yelled, turning back as Anger burst forward, sending him flying through serval huts smashing through the barrier and further into the forest.

Riley turned on the spot, holding her hand forward, forcing Anger to remain on the spot while Zinnia tried getting everyone away. Anger kept grumbling to herself before screaming with rage. This burst of energy was enough to throw Riley off as she felt her own arm moving without her command. “That’s not possible…” Anger turned, taking steps forward before Riley felt her whole arm-twist breaking on the spot. Dropping her barrier, Riley stumbled back, horrified as Anger came flying at her. Kurt appeared, standing his ground as the two held each other back. Holding her fists, Kurt kept trying to push back, only for his body to keep moving about. Riley switching hand gave Kurt a sudden boost as the ground around them began to crumble apart.

Zinnia came running back, helping Riley away. Looking back, she watched her father being slowly overwhelmed. Keeping his wit, Anger gripped onto his hand tightly, quickly responding. He vanished into smoke, passing through Anger, pulling his chain forward wrapping it around her neck. Leaning forward, he attempted to chock her out long enough for them to get away. Kurt slowly began to lose his strength at his breaking point as he lost the tug of war for a split moment. That moment was more than enough for Anger to overpower Kurt tearing the chain from him using his own weapon against him. Tearing against his own neck, Anger screamed out before snapping his neck in an instant, killing the hero on the spot.

Zinnia stopped in her tracks; her eyes widened. She stumbled back, speechless. “No…”

“Zinnia, come on!”

Zinnia turned to Riley biting her lip. “Go on without me… I’ll…”

Zinnia held her hand out as her electrical katana appeared. The moment it reached her hand, she bolted ahead, vanishing with a bolt of lightning behind her. Cutting through Anger, she bit her lip, causing it to bleed as she kept going back and forth, attacking non-stop, striking the Stage of Grief with each blink of the eye. Feeling her overwhelming dread take her over, she screamed, outgoing even faster. Just a simple blur, Anger was cut down, again and again, her armour cracking at the raw power. As Zinnia crashed back down, pinning Anger to the ground, she held her katana behind her swinging it once more as a giant tornado ripped through the village, swallowing her up. Slashing her arm back around the tornado was consumed by serval elements of hail, lightning and fire, causing a mixed reaction before blowing the tornado up completely. Coming back together, Zinnia raised her sword up, casting more lightning storms destroying the last of her village in a pit of rage. As the last of her energy was used up, Anger came shooting forward, landing a single punch to Zinnia’s stomach. It was enough to shatter her ribs and destroy her insides in a single blow. Coughing up blood, Zinnia collapsed to the ground, defeated once and for all.

Anger took serval pants before giving up and leave Zinnia to die alone. The snowstorm came hammering in, slowly burying the two heroes. Zinnia stared blankly at her father’s corpse being buried in the snow as she began to share his fate. Gritting her teeth, she tried to scream, but her lungs wouldn’t let her as she kept gargling up blood. Hissing, she spoke with all her might choking on her blood more and more in her last moments. “I’ll kill you! I can’t let you get away with this! I can’t die here…”

Zinnia’s last words echoed out as she was buried in the snow, never to be seen again.