"Enough with the rhetoric chit chat, whatever you're planning, we will stop you." Marcus whispered.
Nyx darted towards the man, as she leapt onto him, he fired a crystalline shard at her, sending her flying to the side.
Anne shouted, "Nyx!" as she ran towards her. She saw the shard embedded into Nyx's rib, and the creature hissed and snapped.
As she knelt and removed the shard, she whispered softly to Nyx, "Stay calm, we can fix this."
She turned towards the man, she saw that he was holding Seren by the collar with a wicked grin on his face. "That hag thinks she could get away with what she did, you'll just fall like the rest of the trash in this world."
She felt rage build inside her as she stepped towards him, her eyes blazing. She kicked him in the stomach, sending him staggering back.
"HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO USE THESE POWERS?"
"The more you try and find answers, the more you'll learn what you cannot control and cannot understand. Death and destruction come for everyone, and you, fools, are no different."
Seren screamed as he lunged for him, his fists colliding with his face. He smiled and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. "You are fools if you believe in anything good or pure; we are the world's predators, and you are merely our prey. Don't you understand? We rule. WE OWN."
Anne gritted her teeth, her vision turning red.
Marcus grabbed the man and slammed him against the wall, his fists clenching, his jaw set. He threw a punch and the man ducked, grabbing his leg and flipping him over. He pushed him to the ground, his heel driving into his sternum.
Nyx darted between their feet, her teeth bared, her claws digging into the ground. As the man lunged for her, she jumped back, her teeth tearing through his arm, drawing blood.
The man roared, his eyes glowing, his arm twisted. He kicked her, sending her crashing onto the floor. Anne shouted in anger, her hands pulsating with the same energy from before. "This is interesting; I've never seen this before... you're an alien, right?"
He pressed his hands together, and the room started to surround with crystals, his smile widening. Nyx twitched and hissed as he approached. Anne stepped back, her eyes filled with horror. "What did you do to them?" She cried out.
"Erojium," he murmured as he walked towards the group. "A powerful substance that can unlock the potential of any human being who ingests it, depending on if you have the will to. The 'zombies' you saw in this lab were failed experiments. I injected the individuals with Erojium before the substance even awakened to this world. It provided me with... unsatisfactory results, but now it is even greater than I could ever imagine."
He turned to the side, and she saw Seren's hand shaking and twitching as he slowly raised his arm towards his neck. Seren's face was filled with terror and confusion as he looked at him. He lunged, his knife outstretched, as he drove it into Seren's abdomen. Seren cried out in pain as he fell to his knees, his face twisted in agony.
She lunged towards him, her fingers burning, her energy rushing through her. She slammed her palm into his chest, throwing him to the side. She kneeled next to Seren, her hands shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She choked, her throat tight with emotion.
Seren gripped her arm, his fingers slick with blood, "Anne, we need to go, this guy is too strong... at least for now."
She pulled Seren to his feet, his body leaning against hers. She heard footsteps approaching and whirled, her breath coming out in a gasp. She saw a hooded figure at the end of the corridor, their eyes cold, their body motionless. "You're not even worth killing. Tell the city what we did; logically, there should be no way that anyone would believe alien trash anyways."
Before they could even turn around and leave or even blink, Anne appeared right in front of them.
She wasn't just standing; her hand was glowing in a translucent blue, and a sense of rage emanated from her. She leaned forward slightly and slammed her hand on the hooded figure's chest, sending them flying back into the shadows.
The other hooded man looked at her with a sinister smile on his face. "This raw power... the Erojium is responding to your body well, but I can't let you get away with hitting my assistant that hard."
His hands started to glow pink as he shot crystal shards at Anne's chest.
Nyx darted forward, her teeth flashing, her body sleek as a blur as she launched herself at the hooded man, knocking him off his balance.
They staggered forward, their hands wrapped tightly around Nyx's throat, pulling her off the ground and tossing her aside as if she were a rag doll.
Marcus charged forward, his body crashing into them, forcing them backward. The hooded man's face made it seem like he was enjoying all of it. He smashed his hand into his gut, sending Marcus to the ground with a gasp.
He turned towards Anne, his mouth curled into a sneer. "Come now, you don't want to get your precious little group all killed over this, do you?" His face was growing sharper and more dangerous. Before Anne could react, he slammed his hand against her, sending her flying back into a wall, her body falling limply to the ground.
"You think that you can fight me? This is the way of the world; you will only bring yourself and everyone you love pain." He hissed, his voice a deep growl that echoed across the room.
"Swallow your pride and walk away; there is nothing for you here. The only thing that will occur if you continue to fight me is death. Make a decision."
She frowned at the hooded man, unable to make a decision. "Why are you doing this? WHAT IS YOUR GOAL IN ALL OF THIS?!"
He grinned at her, his teeth being the only visible feature under the hood. "There are many questions that have no answer, my dear child. Do not delude yourself with the thought of being able to save this world. You've done enough."
She swallowed hard, unable to find the strength to reply. The hooded man chuckled at her and shrugged. "It is truly pathetic; I pity the three of you, so if you want my advice, walk away from this."
Marcus looked at the rest of the group, struggling to catch their breath and made his decision. "We'll walk away, but this isn't over. Whoever you are, just know that whatever you stand for... will come to ruin." He spat, his face filled with defiance.
He grinned, his eyes gleaming and his teeth shining white. "You're a funny one. It doesn't matter what you will do; I will achieve what I sought out to do and become perfection."
Seren coughed, spitting up a trickle of blood as he struggled to his feet. "You're pathetic."
He turned towards Seren, a wry smile playing on his lips.
"You know nothing." He muttered. "Your knowledge is a fraction of the understanding that I have. This planet has always been mine, and it will always be mine."
"Bold words for someone who won't even show his face." Seren replied, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
He scowled, his hands glowing pink as he slammed into Seren's chest, knocking him to the ground.
He smiled as he saw Anne rush to Seren's aid. "This is over... till we meet again."
He walked away, his head held high, his smile broad. Anne wanted to charge after him, but the sound of Seren's wheezing stopped her. They needed to get away.
It was a short and violent encounter, but Anne could feel the truth of his words. He was powerful, and his abilities were unnatural. Whoever he was, he was a monster, and he had a dark agenda.