“I don’t know what all that tremoring was, and the sky got bright too,

I wonder what happened?”

“Doesn’t seem like it was anything good, I fear…

You keep Emma safe for now Sprite,

I have to go get Himari and Kage,”

“I will protect her with my life sir!” Sprite salutes as though she was a soldier

“You’re always so dramatic,” Apollo smiles faintly, in the back of throat a bad taste, far in his mind bad thoughts

(“No, I mustn’t think like that! They’re ok”) shaking himself the young man waves goodbye to Sprite and hurriedly makes his way back to the city

…..

Unable to feel his legs even slightly, Apollo’s movements are purely instinctual,

His legs only ever move forward really, at either a fixed walking pace or fixed running pace

He doesn’t express out loud, but making simples turns are incredibly difficult for him, as he must stop out right and rotate his whole body before moving again

“I have to get there quickly….” Apollo huffs his anxiety building which each speedy step

“YEAHHHHHH!

NEWEARTH!”

He hears the far but loud cheering all the way in Pluton

(“What could possibly be happening”)

“They’re safe

They’re safe

They’re safe”

Over and over the man repeats this in anxious conviction, it’s been some time since he’s last felt Himari’s emotions

(“Maybe we’re too far”)

“Darius!” he calls the sword to side,

…..

Setting it down flat Apollo hops on sword riding it like a surfboard on air

“I need you to get me to Himari as fast as possible Darius”

..

Fwooo~

Fwooooo~

The wind blows against the young man’s face as the great sword zips through the air gaining speed now…

Fwoooo~

Fwooooo~

….

Fwo–

–uhnk!

THUD!

As he’d been speeding through the air an arm appears suddenly in his path, clotheslining him out of the air

“Uhgn” Apollo stumbles up from the hard fall,

At this point he had already reached as far as the snowy outlands surroundings Pluton,

“This is as far as you go Apollo,” Alexander appears in front of him

“The supreme leader has ordered for you to be captured for now,” behind Alexander a group of similar looking people also warp in

“Long time no see Alexander,” Apollo stretches his back sorely, speaking in a firendly but warning tone

“And here I was wandering what happened to you,

I’ve been meaning to ask you something for a while now,

But it will have to wait, now get out my way let me rescue my friends and we’ll be gone from here”

“If you were thinking of asking me the whereabouts of your parent,” Alexander raises his hand to signal the people behind him not to attack yet

“He is dead, has been for a long time, along with my younger brother,

But I bear no grudge against you Apollo the past is the past,

And speaking of history,

Your spouse Ms. Nara is already history, surrender peacefully and–”

KRABOOM!

A thunderous fist cracks into Alexander’s skull sending him into the people

“Don’t make that kind of jokes with me,” Apollo going from bothered to heated in milliseconds

“I came prepared for that explosive power” Alexander picks himself up unscathed from the powerful blow,

The group of 'perfect humans’ stand still their eyes glowing preparing to fire on Alexander’s command

“The supreme leader, says that if you go back to the Venus Forrest right now, and kill it’s avatar,

As long as you never leave said Forrest again you can remain alive on new earth,

Refuse and you are guaranteed, to be killed by the Supreme one’s hands,

You see the mana that protects the forest is similar to that of your home ring of Gaia, meaning out most advanced technology does not work there unless permitted by the avatar,

Making it impossible for even the supreme one to kill”

“Get out my way” Apollo ignores every single thing that just came out of Alexander’s mouth

His throat feels dry and lumpy and his heart beats harder than ever

(“I have to get to Himari,

Why don’t I feel her anymore?”)

“I told you already the woman is dead,” Alexander senses the franticness in Apollo’s subtle movements

“Stop lying!

I won’t fall for this manipulative stall tactics!”

“Stall?

We could execute you right now, but seeing as you are in denial….”

…….

Alexander warps away and back in an instant, holding something in his hand...

…..

Immediately Apollo’s heart beat accelerates, all the veins in his body contract, his arms begin to tremble….

Drip♪

Drip♪

Drip♪

Drip♪

Droplets of blood dye the snow below,

Hanging from it’s hair

A stoic face, but a pretty one,

A–

A–

……

“H…”

Apollo’s eyes squeeze up welding with water

He wants to un-see it

He wants to un-see it so badly

“Nnn..” he tries to articulate but the words melt out

“Nnnwh….y.

Why

Whyyyy

What did she do–to you?” he breaks down

“uhhhuhuhjuh

Whhydoyoukeepdoingthistoomee!?”

“My advice to you is, take the Supreme leader’s offer, go to the forest and–”

–BRAKOOM-BOOM!

“All of you will pay!

I’m not running away!”

DUDOOOM!

Apollo pummels down onto the android,

A shield of light flashes over his face protecting him from the force of each blow,

“Very well,” Alexander warps out of Apollo’s grip,

“Froyxander, Freyxander beam his legs,

Olexander and Lexaxander his torso, and Gibxander and Rufxander his arms” he orders hus companions

DUDOOM!♪

Thumping the ground Apollo cracks it apart causing the thick sheet of snow to cover the air

“Achhhhhhh!” he screams out his sorrowful agony, his war cry

Vwooop!

Then swings his massive sword at the group, but they just warp out of harms way

DUDOOM!!

His heart beats as strong as he punches more on the terrain, cracking it to the point that it would be impossible to move around in.

….

“Stay put for now Apollo” Alexander teleports ono his back holding him a rear naked choke

The other Xanders, take this time to fire their beams at him, they don’t penetrate his skin however instead disables his individual body parts

“ackkk’ Apollo chokes from the grip his light brown face now going bright red

DUDOOM!!♪

His heart still beats strongly each thump reverberating within his body

(“Kill them?

No I won’t!)

Apollo fights with himself internally desperately trying to cling on to his prior convictions…

“ackkk!

Ge….t off…. Mee!”

DUDOOOM!!

His heart beats stronger than ever before this time sending a strong surge lightning throughout his body

“Oh, ok” Alexander leaps lf the young man’s back,

The android’s entire front side is smoking hot from the lightning surge

“If I could feel pain that might have been it for me” Alexander comments in displeasure

It didn’t even matter at this point that Alexander was off Apollo, as the other Xanders had already disabled his hands, legs, even abdominal muscles collapsing him into a defenseless heap on the cracked snowy terrain

“Die…” Apollo grumbles angrily

“Pardon?”

“Die!”

DUDOOM!!♪

“I want you to dieeee!”

DUDOOM!!♪

“But–

But I won’t be the one killing you”

DUDOOOM!!♪

The pulsing of hear beats escaping Apollo’s body now leaking into the ground, like a wave that crashes into the sea causing ripples,

Only these ripples are waves of mana traveling through ground,

“Above, no get away from him!” Alexander shouts to his companions after briefly analyzing the pulsing's effects

But it’s too late.

DUDOOOM!-DUDOOOM!♪

Apollo’s heart beats like a generator, each pulse leaving his body approaching the speed of sound spreading rapidly across the terrain up ahead, paralyzing any and all living things touching the ground,

In contrast to this Apollo uses this to reverse the effects of the disabling beams on himself...

“Aghhll” the man stumbles to his feet letting aa stream of tears flow down his cheeks

He watches the fallen people around him,

They are still conscious but now unable to move,

“I really...

Ohhhh..I really wanted to kill you,

Kill someone, in exchange for what you did to her…

But-aughh

Auhhhhuhuh!” he breaks down before finishing his sentence

…..

“Bb

But… if I give in and murder all of you,

What will that say to Kage?

Auhhhhuhuh I’m so angry right now

But if Iauhhh

If I–

If I give in to hate, then Kage will have no reason not to as well,

And unlike me,

Kage will not hesitate to kill us all”