Aetheral Space

This wasn't a day that Ruth Blaine had especially been looking forward to.

Last night, Atoy Muzazi had won in his match against Mereloco -- and somehow, miraculously, he'd managed to regain consciousness afterwards. He was still recovering as he prepared for the next set of rounds… but he was up and about. More importantly, he could talk.

And he could be interviewed.

“This is fantastic,” Rae Ruditia grinned as they prepared to leave the hotel room. “Last time I had to talk to that Nacht guy and he refused, but it looks like he's out of commission -- the person I spoke to this time was much more eager to get this organized. Hurry, hurry!”

Ruth rolled her eyes as she hauled a bag of recording equipment over her shoulder. Ruditia was really going all-out for this one. The other bodyguards who'd be accompanying the reporter -- Rex, Alice and Ellis -- were burdened with equipment as well.

All hands on deck -- save for Roman, who'd be staying behind again to guard the homefront.

“Call me if you need me,” he grunted, nodding to Ruth as she passed.

She gave him a nod back. To be perfectly honest, she still wasn't quite sure how to feel about Roman Hitch. He'd been with them for some months now -- not as long as the rest of Road and Restorossi, but nothing to sneeze at by any means. Still… he felt distant, like he was keeping them at arm's length.

The kind of guy who was all business. Well, she could respect that, too.

As Rae Ruditia retreated into another room to confirm the meeting place with her Phase contact, Rex sidled up to Ruth. “Hey,” he said, voice filtered out of his helmet. “You alright?”

She glanced at him. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“I know you were talking to del Sed before. They a no-show?”

Ruth sighed. “Bruno's given up on meeting Dragan at any of his matches. He just shows up, fights the enemy -- if even that -- then leaves. There's no opening to talk to him.” She narrowed her eyes bitterly. “Bet the little shit’s doing that on purpose.”

“So what? He's giving up?”

“Nah,” Ruth shook her head. “But he's saying there's no point chasing down Dragan until the finals. He'll have to stick around after that match to accept the victory. Until then, Bruno and Serena are going to stay at the hospital, stick with that Annatrice girl.”

“Well,” Rex scratched his arm. “So long as they're keeping their spirits up, I guess. You too.”

“You know me,” Ruth smirked. “I'm Miss Positive.”

“Maybe this'll help?”

He reached into his coat, pulling out a small wooden box that he extended out towards Ruth. She raised her eyebrows.

“What's this for?” Ruth asked.

“Open it,” Rex nodded.

“Seriously,” she said, taking the box. “What is it?”

“Open it.”

With a sigh, Ruth unclasped the lid and flipped it up, revealing the inside of the box. There, resting on a tiny cushion, was a necklace -- two golden Rs intertwined, glittering and spinning around each other as she lifted the accessory. Road and Restorossi. She swallowed as she looked at it. How much had this cost?

“Little something from the crew,” Rex said, a grin evident in his voice. “Happy birthday.”

Ruth blinked. “It's my birthday?”

Rex stared at her for a good few seconds. “You… really need a vacation, huh?”

Before they could discuss it any further, however, the door to the other room swung open and Rae Ruditia emerged, smiling broadly. The reporter slipped her script back into her jacket pocket.

“Okay, people!” she declared. “We are a-go!”

AETHERAL SPACE 13.43

“Final Interview”

The necklace swung this way and that as Ruth led the pack through the construction site, a forest of girders and concrete spreading out in every direction. One day, this place would be a museum dedicated to the reign of Kadmon the Indolent, but for now it was an urban skeleton. Construction had paused for the duration of the Dawn Contest, and so the massive automatics around them were inert and immobile.

Not a soul lingered here save for them… making it the perfect place for a clandestine meeting.

“At this stage in the Dawn Contest, security's going to be a huge concern,” Rae had explained. “If one of the Contestants gets their location leaked before a match, the assassination attempts will start coming quick and deadly. That's why we have to go through all this nonsense.”

Nonsense. Ruth hadn't wanted to say it herself, but that was a perfect descriptor for the situation.

Because Atoy Muzazi didn't want to leak where he was really staying, the interview wouldn't be taking place there. Instead, they'd be meeting in this construction site, in the dead of night, with the Phases providing additional security. Ruth felt sorry for the people watching on the videograph.

“This is the spot,” Rae finally said, stopping in the middle of a clearing between four half-finished pillars. “We can set up here -- automatics will give us lighting and sound. Not ideal, but what is, right?”

“Okay,” Rex nodded, stopping alongside Ruth. “The Phases will know to find us here?”

Rae shook her head. “Their representative is waiting at Hit Matit Hospital, where Nacht’s being treated. Ruth, can you run over there and give them the all-clear?”

Ruth winced. “Me? Seriously?”

“You're the fastest,” Rex conceded, shrugging. “Just let them know where we are and get back over here. Any trouble, you call. We'll back you up.”

Rex at least seemed to understand Ruth's trepidation. She hadn't exactly had the friendliest history with Atoy Muzazi. They'd worked together back on Panacea and at the Truemeet, sure, but the last time they'd encountered each other? Elysian Fields. They hadn't met face to face there, but she had no doubt they'd fought on opposite sides.

Nothing to it, Ruth, she told herself. Just meet up with your old friend who's tried to kill you more than once, and his friends -- who probably wouldn't mind killing you either.

Well… if she was that easy to kill, she'd already be dead.

Slowly, she nodded. “Same to you,” she said to Rex. “Any trouble, let me know and I'll rush straight back.”

He tapped the side of his helmet. “Sure thing.”

As Ruth Blaine vanished as a bolt of red into the darkness, Rae Ruditia watched her go with a pensive look in her eyes.

“She really is fast, huh?” she murmured. “Strong, too.”

Alice took the two bulky bags off her shoulders, letting them thump onto the concrete below. “Of course she is,” she said. “She's the boss. If she were any weaker, I'd be the one in charge.”

Ellis rolled his eyes, already sitting down on a disposable chair they'd brought along. “Yeah, right.”

“What?” Alice snapped a glare in his direction. “You got something to say?”

“I didn't say anything,” Ellis mumbled, retrieving his script from his pocket.

“You did. You did say something. Go on, say it again.”

“Huh?” Ellis was already playing a game on his script.

“Whatever,” Alice groaned, waving a hand.

Before things could go any further, Rex stepped in, his hands raised placatingly. “Children, children, please,” he soothed. “We're on the job here. Let's be professionals. Besides, I'm higher up than you, so I'd be the boss if anyone.”

Technically, he was already the boss -- co-owner of Road and Restorossi along with Ruth. These two seemed to look up to her more, though. Rex was stable to a boring degree, from what he could tell.

Leaning against one of the pillars, Rae chuckled, looking at Alice. “You think pretty highly of Ruth, huh?”

Alice glanced over, then away, shrugging. “Like you said, she's strong, and… I was in a tough spot when she found me. She helped me out. It's not that weird to think she's cool.”

“Hm…” Ellis paused his game for a moment -- just for a moment. “When she recruited me, I was kind of in trouble too… so I'm a little grateful, I guess.”

Alice shot him a glare. “A little trouble? You were gonna get your legs broken for stealing from the Collected. Don't talk shit.”

“I would've gotten out of it… I had a --”

Rae interrupted. “I think Ruth's pretty amazing, too,” she said dreamily, looking up at the night sky. “She's strong, and she knows what to use that strength for. And, from what you’re saying, she inspires loyalty. That's good. That's really, really good. What a relief… I really did choose right.”

Rex looked at her. “She took on the Tree of Might to protect you. That didn't tell you you'd picked a good bodyguard?”

To that, Rae gave no answer. Instead, she just continued to stare at the sky -- murmuring as if talking only to herself.

“It's a beautiful night, isn't it?” she said. “All the stars are out. I love stars. Did you know that? The way they burn… it's incredible. They paint themselves onto the sky through sheer power.”

Rex blinked. “What?”

She looked at him, her pink eyes gleaming in the darkness. “You can't see them, can you? The stars, I mean. It's all these lights down here… you can't see anything but black up there. The thing is…”

Pink Aether sparked.

“... stars can only really shine when they're alone.”

In an instant, Rae was next to Ellis -- passing right by Rex and Alice as they stared dumbfounded at the spot she'd just been standing. Ellis looked up from his script, eyes widening in surprise as Rae grabbed him by the hand. The script slowly slipped from his grip. He was slowly pulled to his feet. Rae slowly turned her head to look back at the other two.

Everything was so slow.

“Chronodissonance,” Rae Ruditia said.

Ellis’ body collapsed into dust. He was no Aether-user, and so had no defense. One second he was alive, and the next he was dead. His empty clothes dropped to the floor, already stained grey by the remnants of their owner.

“Here,” Rae said, tossing something to Alice. “You can have this.”

Alice was paralyzed with shock, but instinct allowed her to catch the object. She looked down with wide, uncomprehending eyes. She looked down as a squeaking choked sound emerged from her throat.

She looked down at Ellis' severed hand. All that was left of him.

“You were his friend, right?” Rae smiled.

Alice and Rex moved at the same time, each of them driven by anger of a different temperature. Alice's body shone with pink Aether as she charged, tears streaming from her eyes, a scream of rage pouring from her mouth. As she leapt up into the air, she screamed:

“I'll kill you! Miraculous Miracle Girl, Alice Alice!”

Alice’s anger had affected her ability. Normally, she'd conceal her gruesome transformation with bright lights and music, but now it was on full display. Alice's body exploded into a shower of gore that quickly began to swirl into a scarlet tornado, reassembling itself piece by piece into the Miraculous Miracle Girl herself.

Rex didn't stop to watch.

Omni-Gungnir, already in his hands, transformed into a spear -- and he dutifully thrust it towards the enemy. The spear extended beyond what should have been physically possible, stretching out to cover the distance between himself and Ruditia in an instant. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't understand how the situation had changed so suddenly. But he didn't question those things. The second Ellis had died, Rex's consciousness had frozen and refined itself.

Right now, the only thing on his mind was killing this bitch.

Even with Omni-Gungnir’s unbelievable speed, Ruditia was able to dodge -- her movements suddenly lightning-fast as she vaulted over the weapon. Landing on the shaft of the spear, she glanced over at Rex. The dull malice in those pink eyes was enough to put him on the defensive immediately.

“Alice!” he roared. “Kill her -- now!”

He hadn't seen the transformation conclude, but he knew how long it took. Sure enough…

“Miracle Melt.”

Even Alice☆Alice's quiet voice, which was usually little more than a high-pitched monotone, now shook with anger. The air around Rae Ruditia began to visibly ripple, but before the decomposition could take effect she kicked upwards off of Omni-Gungnir, launching herself into the air. Rex glared as she flew upwards. Alice☆Alice's abilities affected designated areas of space, so it was technically possible to dodge them by moving around. Even so, it would have been impossible for most people to move at the required speeds.

Just who were they fighting? Who was Rae Ruditia?

Rex stood beside the eerie floating form of Alice☆Alice, Omni-Gungnir transforming into a crossbow in his hands. As one, they watched -- and waited for the next attack. Both of them understood that, with this speed, the best chance they had of landing a hit would be a counter.

Easier said than done.

As Ruditia moved, weaving through the girders above like some kind of monkey, she spoke. Her voice echoed through the construction site like the sentencing of a ghost.

“Once you've been around for as long as I have, you get pretty good at understanding Aether abilities. At this point, I can usually figure out the underlying mechanics at a glance. That transformation you did -- you want me to think you've turned into that little magical girl, right? But that's not the case at all.”

There.

For the tiniest fraction of a second, Rex could see a pink blur move out from behind one of the pillars -- and in that instant, he fired off a volley of crossbow bolts. They shredded through space, passing through any obstacles on the way, but even that was not enough. Ruditia danced through the hail of death dealers, her body so fast that she was barely even visible.

Before Rex could so much as blink, she had already rushed past him -- and past Alice☆Alice, too. By the time they swung around, Ruditia was already standing up high on one of the massive metal rafters, looking down on them like a queen on her kingdom. In her hand, she clutched Alice☆Alice's stolen staff.

“In reality,” Ruditia said, shaking the staff in her grip. “You transform into this object. Your brain and spinal cord repurposed for maximum Aether usage, right? The little girl is just a flesh puppet to mislead the enemy.” She raised her knee. “But once you figure that out, it's just as easy as…”

"Miracle Push!"

Alice☆Alice used her ability at the same time as Omni-Gungnir transformed, becoming the mighty hammer in Rex's grip. He understood immediately what he had to do. Space rippled around him -- and a second later, he was pushed forth at an astounding speed, zooming up towards Ruditia like a bullet.

The speed was such that he could only rely on timing, but his timing was perfect. Rex swung Omni-Gungnir…

Pink Aether flashed.

…and the weapon passed through empty space.

Rex blinked in mid-air. I missed? There was no way. The speed he'd just been launched at had been a match for Ruditia’s earlier attack. If she could move faster than that, they'd all be dead by now. What was this?

As he landed -- grabbing hold of a girder to stop his flight -- he saw.

Rae Ruditia was still standing in the same spot, but she had changed. Her body had shifted instantaneously, growing shorter, short enough that Rex's attack had passed right over her head. The Ruditia he'd known so far had been a young woman, but the person he was looking at now was a kid. Twelve or thirteen at the most. Her now-oversized clothes brushed against the floor, like she was a kid playing dress-up.

“Wha…?” he spluttered.

She smiled calmly back at him, the staff still clutched in her hand. “My Aether tic,” she explained, her voice lighter. “Inverted aging. If I surge my Aether like that, I can take off a couple of years in a second. Neat trick, huh?”

Alice☆Alice's humanoid component appeared behind her, taking advantage of her lapse in concentration, fingers spearing towards the back of Rae's head like claws. Alice☆Alice couldn't use her Miracle abilities while she was in the area of effect, but even her normal Aether infusion was impressive. Rex charged forward, too, banishing his confusion to back his teamma --

Ruditia snapped the staff in two.

The effect was immediate. Alice☆Alice vanished from behind her in a puff of pink smoke. Rex skidded to a halt, dumbstruck, as Ruditia kicked the two bleeding halves of the staff off the rafter.

“Now,” Rae said, turning to him with a grin. “It's your turn, Mr. Restorossi.”

He didn't understand any of this. How had things gone to shit so quickly? In Rex's hand, Omni-Gungnir became Omni-Gungnir Timer. His heart a dull drumbeat, he spared it a glance.

Not what he’d been hoping for.

There was only one chance. One way out of this, and it wasn't a sure thing. From what Ruditia had said before going crazy, this was about Ruth somehow. She'd intentionally sent Ruth away before doing this.

So it only followed that, if Ruth returned, Ruditia might be forced to retreat.

Rex chose to gamble on a one-percent chance over zero. With incredible speed and efficiency, honed over countless missions, he released an Aether ping -- crimson Aether crawling over the world like a tidal wave. For the briefest, briefest instant, he had been unprotected -- but before one could even register that fact, he restored his Aether infusion.

“So you managed to call for help,” Rae mused. “Was it worth what it cost you?”

Wait.

Rex's body stiffened. Instinctively, he understood that something was wrong before he registered what. Rae Ruditia had changed positions, just slightly, a few centimeters to the left. She'd moved.

She'd moved.

He opened his mouth to speak: “What do you --”

Then his leg went flying off.

Ruth Blaine charged through the city streets as quickly as she could, dodging through the crowds and jumping over cars as she headed right back to the construction site.

Something was wrong. She'd understood that as soon as she'd gotten to the hospital and found nobody waiting for her, but she hadn't understood just how wrong it was. Maybe she'd gotten the wrong place, she thought, or the contact hadn't gotten there yet.

That was before she'd felt Rex's Aether ping.

She knew it was Rex, she could feel it -- they'd fought together often enough for her to recognise the sensation of his Aether. He wouldn't have sent out a ping so powerful and so fast unless he really needed to.

The Skeletal Set was already covering her body, but she was still just too slow. Sweat pouring down her face, she flipped and landed on a passing train, letting it take her towards the construction site.

Don't be too late… she begged the world. Don't be too late…

Rex Restorossi had never enjoyed fighting.

To him, this was a job -- a pit of combat he'd landed in due to a lack of other skills. In his dreams, he'd always imagined saving up enough that he could put this work aside. He'd like nothing more than for Omni-Gungnir to become a treasured family heirloom, hanging on a wall, gathering dust.

Right now, though, he was putting it to work.

As he deflected the flurry of blows -- raining down from all sides near-simultaneously -- Omni-Gungnir continued to change shape in his hands, so fast that it had become an indistinct blob of metal. Hammer became spear became shield became crossbow, over and over, as Rex pushed his instincts to the limit to survive.

He knew it was fruitless. Even as he parried and blocked, he could feel new wounds opening up across his body. Attacks slipping past his defenses, but more than that…

…this woman was playing with him.

She hadn't been giving this her all from the beginning. The way she'd cut off his leg, leaving him on the ground, proved that. If she wanted, she could kill Rex with ease… but she was holding off, for the time being. Dragging this out.

Why?

Ruth would be here soon. Given the distance and Ruth's speed, it would be any second now… but how many more seconds could Rex survive? Even if he wasn't struck down, he was quickly bleeding out from the stump of his leg. He could feel the strength draining from his bones.

When he'd met Ruth, properly met her, she'd seemed lost and focused at the same time. Like she was forcing herself to march forward because she didn't know what else to do. He'd felt bad for her. He'd understood what that was like. He'd been lost, too -- maybe for his whole life. Doing what he was good at, and not what he wanted to do. What did he want to do? He didn't even know. He'd never taken the time to consider it.

Had Ruth? Probably. She stood taller than ever these days, having built something together with him. She was strong, in a way that Rex could never be. She'd taken the reins of her life.

Ha… why am I thinking about someone else at a time like this…?

The moment came. The moment that Rex had dreaded and been waiting for. Omni-Gungnir transformed in his hands once again -- but this time, it was different. Light erupted outwards as the hammer Rex had just used to block stretched out…

…forming a truly gargantuan greatbow.

The final form of Omni-Gungnir was a sight to behold. The bow was the size of Rex's body, its structure smooth and seamless like it had been poured into being. What truly drew the eye, however, was the arrow: a construct of golden light, as if sculpted from the sun itself. Rex pulled the black string back, wincing as the light drew close to his face.

Ruditia skidded to a halt on the floor before him, caution on her face for the first time. “The Bow of Promised Vengeance…” she muttered, eyes fixed on the weapon.

Rex chuckled bitterly. “You're familiar with it.”

“I'm familiar with everything, little boy,” Ruditia said coldly. She straightened up, extending a hand out -- as if reaching to pluck the arrow from the air as soon as Rex fired it. “It fires at the moment of greatest despair, and it lands in the moment of greatest despair. I didn’t think I’d get to see it in person.”

In a sense, Omni-Gungnir truly consisted of two weapons. The first was the one that Rex normally used, the one that saw the future and transformed accordingly. That, however, had not been its original form. The Bow of Promised Vengeance, the original weapon, had been an ancient treasure of Abra-Facade. When Rex’s family had taken it from the capital, they’d created a false exterior -- a seal -- to disguise what they had stolen.

Now that Omni-Gungnir had predicted the inevitable, however, that seal was broken.

It fires at the moment of greatest despair, and it lands in the moment of greatest despair.

Ruditia sneered, arm still extended. “So what? Do you think I can't disassemble a construct like that arrow before it hits me?”

“Are you willing to bet your life on it?” Rex asked. His voice was cold, and his eyes matched it. These were the most important moments now. He was certain he would not miss.

Ruditia opened her mouth to speak. “Well… you tell --”

Rex fired.

Ruth's blood went cold as she ran through the construction site. Twice, she saw nightmares that had crawled out of her head.

Ellis' clothes, lying discarded in a pile of grey dust -- vaguely humanoid, like a blast shadow. His script lay half-buried in the mound, the screen shattered. Vague lights flashed from within it.

Alice's staff, strewn on the ground in two pieces. Blood oozed from the broken weapon, the orb at the top of the scepter steadily withering even as Ruth looked. Alice's body was nowhere to be found.

And then… Ruth skidded to a halt as she turned the corner.

At first, she thought the young man before her had fallen to his knees -- but no. He was missing his left leg, and a pool of blood was steadily spreading out beneath him. Slowly, he turned to face her.

She had never seen this man’s face before, but she recognised him immediately.

His helmet had been broken, and he turned his head to look at her. Tired eyes of tarnished gold. Dark skin and grey hair. Blood trickling from the edges of his mouth.

Rex.

She blinked. “Huh?”

“Ruth…” he said, grinning wearily. “There’s a sight… for sore…”

A pale hand landed on top of his head. Pink Aether flashed. Before Rex Restorossi could finish his sentence, his body exploded into dust. Cold desolation painted Ruth's face.

She blinked. “Huh?”

She looked up, at the owner of the pale hand, at the one who had done this. Rae Ruditia smiled back at her. No, it couldn't be her -- this was a kid. But as Ruth watched, the figure before her visibly aged back into the woman she knew, the sounds of cracking bones filling the night air.

When the process was over, Rae tilted her head playfully.

“Ruth,” Ruditia said, still smiling. “Excellent timing. I just got done killing all your friends.”

She blinked.

“Huh?!”

ARC 13

END OF PART 2