Chapter 151: A Heart Divided
The storm raged. The Riftstorm. The storm spun with godlike power to crush through all trees and plants of the jungle. Heavy trees shattered when the ground beneath them split open. Time moved in destructive bursts between moments of bright light and falling darkness. Despite the destructive storm these three highly dangerous characters did not move.
Yet the First Hero whispered with his chilling voice as the storm swallowed all sounds.
"Your love or his loyalty. You can't keep both."
Natasha felt her heart stop. The message penetrated deep into her heart where it spun violently. The loud noise of her heartbeat silenced everything she could hear around her. Her body resisted when she tried to still her shaking hands. The inner tempest inside her grew stronger than the Riftstorm had ever become.
Alison her faithful companion remained close to her side. He had stayed by her side throughout her life as her solid foundation. His loyalty had never wavered. His support, unshakable. But the First Hero was right. She faced an unbearable decision to keep her dependable partner of many years or embrace her genuine feelings for the one who protected her from threat.
She glanced between Alison and the first person to rescue them. She could tell from Alison's expression that she had both understood and worried about the situation without finding a solution. He patiently waited to discover what she would decide. But what was there to choose? How could she choose?
Silently Natasha uttered these words to her own thoughts while heavy storm noise drowned them out. Her thoughts clashed with one another inside her mind. Alison or him? Both sides of her battled within her chest and brain. Preserving harmony between everything proved impossible to achieve.
Under strong observation Alison moved toward her while carefully maintaining his composure in the face of heavy expectations. "Natasha," he said, his words as quiet as a whisper in the wind, but they carried an undeniable weight. "I will always stand by you. I am comfortable standing by your side even if you stay committed to saving others. I never did."
She reacted to his words as though someone punched her. His unflagging faith in her overwhelmed their entire relationship. The conversation was not about making her pick between him and her assignment. He wanted her to select the mission and believe in him without holding back. His love strengthened as an offering because he never demanded to own it nor did he expect her to return it.
Having to make this decision became even more challenging because of it.
From his close distance the First Hero observed with stiff composure. His gaze moved to Alison right away and turned away from Natasha. "She will have to choose," he said, his voice low, dangerous, "but you will have a choice too. At least one person needs to end this binding loyalty to go forward.
Natasha's chest tightened. The shortness of her breath matched her ragged breathing. The situation overwhelmed her because she lacked knowledge about how to proceed. How could she? The two husbands dedicated their lives to protect her. The men had battled and safeguarded her within their protection. Did she have any right to break such trust? The Riftstorm remained a violent tempest which expanded towards total devastation of all present.
Their relationship turned so tense that the atmosphere grew heavy enough to suffocate them both. The ongoing storm_sent its wind whirling around them as Natasha experienced an unexpected feeling of calm. Every being remained motionless because they anticipated her answer.
The approaching disorder made Alison face forward with his body positioned tense to meet whatever approaching danger. His gaze stayed unmoved as Natasha noticed a brief battle between his emotions and self-control while he maintained his composure for her benefit. The situation with her hand remained up to her decision. The rising intensity of the storm loudened to such an extent that time became their most precious resource.
Monstrous creatures from the Rift emerged from the storm while taking on twisted-abnormal forms of their previous foes. The beings revealed their glimmering eyes among the shadows while their bodies appeared like deformed manifestations of horrific dreams. A primal force was bending the entire jungle during the period of pure chaos which the Riftstorm brought. Every tree produced an agonized noise while the ground began vibrating disrupted by the storm. Everything was shifting, unraveling.
"Natasha!" Alison shouted, breaking the silence. "We have to move!"
One of the creatures attacked but Natasha's attention split when a voice instantly penetrated the storm. Something evil lurked within the ominous words instead of the First Hero's traditional reserved discourse.
A distorted voice surrounded them to deliver a message that sounded familiar but had turned tainted.
"Your bond exists as only one of the elements at risk because of this situation Alison. It's the world itself."
The monsters remained motionless with their twisted bodies while strange power immobilized them. Ecstatic energy raced through the jungle air to produce a powerful wave of power that traversed the natural terrain. An overpowering force altered the structural composition of the Riftstorm. Reality distorted itself as a tension vibration emerged from the ground beneath their standing position.
A splitting appearance emerged from the heart of the sky.
A beam of intense light descended from inside the storm center. Without lowering her hand Natasha strained to see through the intense light which made surrealistic shadows in its path shudder with electrical lifelike patterns.
A new creation started to emerge from within the heart of the storm. Just like the First Hero the new entity emerged from the game's data but this version was contaminated by playing the deadly video game. The data-generated illumination shone from his eyes. Static electrical discharge filled the air that surrounded him.
"This is only the beginning," the entity growled, his voice low and terrifying. "Your decision was always an illusion."
A force of natural devastation known as the Riftstorm became more powerful at this moment. The new entity controlled the creatures into destructive motion because they moved speedily but viciously. Natasha's heart raced. Her eyes fixed on Alison as she experienced severe emotional pain. They had no time left. No time to think.
The First Hero's words still lingered in her mind: "You can't keep both."
Her worst fearing decision had transformed into a choice that split between life and death. The decision she now faced demanded rescuing what remained of the world while all other possibilities crumbled to nothing.
The storm grew louder. A dark melodic laughter of the entity reached into their chaotic surroundings.
Natasha understood that whatever choice she picked would destroy all the past and future of her existence.