Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

🥀❗️Warning!

There is one oc character that will have a big role in this episode, contains violence

suicide attempts, blood, destruction of body parts, violence, death, kidnapping, and coercion.

enjoy 💖✨

William could not accept the aftermath of losing Mark.

He sank deeper into his sorrow, drowning in a grief that seemed to have no end. What started as temporary sessions with a psychiatrist gradually extended into long-term care. William was diagnosed with PTSD. He could no longer eat, sleep, or talk the way he used to.

It had happened before, when he was tormented by memories of Omni-Man. Back then, Mark had helped ease the pain. But now, Mark was gone. There was nothing left to soothe his frayed heart.

Even so, William never truly believed Mark had died.

He had never seen the body.

He clung to the hope that Mark was still alive somewhere, and that he would come back for him, just like he had promised.

William remembered clearly…

When they made that promise, the one who would likely break it was supposed to be him  ..not Mark.

So he waited.

He prayed, begged the heavens for forgiveness for the sins of his own or of Mark’s.

He prayed for redemption. For one more chance.

He waited waited waited waited

And waited.

But after five long months…

Mark never came back.

William’s condition worsened. His panic attacks grew more violent. At times, he would suddenly feel like someone was choking him or ripping out his eye, and he’d hide under his hospital bed.

He developed an aversion to being touched. If anyone other than medical staff tried to come near, he would flinch and pull away.

Even the sound of the wind brushing past his ears would terrify him. It reminded him of someone flying of someone who could kill.

He became gaunt, his face hollow, eyes ringed with dark circles from countless sleepless nights filled with nightmares.

In his dreams, he was hunted by Omni-Man beaten, torn apart, drowning in a flood of crimson.

Over and over again.

His parents rushed to be by his side the day he woke up, trying to hug their broken son.

He recoiled the moment he felt a touch. But when he saw their tear-streaked faces, heard their apologies for not being there for him, for letting him carry everything alone  he felt even more overwhelmed.

He couldn’t respond.

He could only lie there, eyes fixed on the ceiling, crying silently.

Whenever the nightmares returned, one of his parents would come to hold him. But William would push them away, trembling and sobbing.

They had to find new ways to comfort him, learning not to touch him, instead offering quiet company and conversation.

His friends were deeply concerned. Amber visited often, trying to talk to him even when his blank expression never changed. She still came, again and again.

Eve came too. And every time she looked at her friend, guilt consumed her.

She couldn’t protect Mark. She couldn’t stop Omni-Man.

And she couldn’t save William.

Eventually, Eve herself began therapy. Amber was the one who helped guide her through the storm.

The world was still gripped in tension.

Cecil. The government. The people.

There was no joy to be found only grief, debris, and fatigue.

It took a long time before anything resembled normal again.

But William…

He didn’t want to move on. he just wanted to run.

But he couldn’t.

Not until he was well.

He stared at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror.

What he saw was almost unrecognizable.

Thin. Pale. Hollow-eyed.

There was a faint stubble on his chin, and a scar cutting across his right brow.

He couldn’t look anymore.

His gaze dropped to the ankle monitor he now wore.

Not to protect him from outside threats.

But to protect him… from himself.

By the end of the first month after Mark’s disappearance, William had started hurting himself.

Punching walls. Stabbing his arms with forks. Strangling himself with his own hands.

The most serious incident was when he leapt from the hospital’s second floor.

It wasn’t high enough to kill only high enough to break his legs and fracture several bones.

Cecil was furious. He yelled, until Donald stepped in and stopped him.

His parents were devastated. They cried, apologizing again and again, feeling helpless in the face of their son’s suffering.

But William didn’t want more apologies.

He’d heard too many already.

It was his fault.

If he had been more careful…

If he hadn’t been injured…

Maybe Mark wouldn’t have vanished.

Yes.

He was the one to blame.

He thought about that day constantly, staring up at the white ceiling with lifeless eyes.

His dry lips would whisper Mark’s name again and again  night after night  while nightmares kept tearing his heart apart.

It took until the seventh month for William to begin accepting reality.

He started eating again. Sleeping a little. Talking, though his voice remained soft and tinged with sorrow.

But it was a beginning.

No one asked him to forgive himself immediately.

No one told him to stop grieving, or to stop shaking when old memories resurfaced.

He knew the road would be long…

But he chose to walk it. Step by step.

He began writing. Small notes, about his dreams, about the hope that he’d wake up and find everything had just been a nightmare.

Or the pain of realizing it wasn’t.

He cried while he wrote.

But it helped.

It kept him grounded.

It helped him live with his sadness, instead of drowning in it.

The cyclamen flower he once received was still alive.

Others had cared for it when William could not.

Now that he could, he tended to it himself.

It bloomed beautifully.

He wept when he saw it.

It reminded him of the one who gave it to him.

He clung to the thought That if Mark ever returned…

He would welcome him with a bouquet of those flowers.

Amber kept visiting.

So did Eve.

And though her eyes still held the shadow of guilt, Eve tried her best to be a positive force someone William could still rely on.

No one had forgotten Mark.

No one could replace him.

But they learned to live… alongside that longing.

By the eighth month, William finally stepped outside.

He stood beneath the sun in front of the patient wing.

He raised his hand to shield his eyes and inhaled deeply.

For the first time in months, he was breathing not to survive but simply to feel the wind and light.

The ankle monitor remained.

Cecil still worried.

But William no longer panicked at the sound of wind.

He still dreamt of Mark  But now, Mark smiled in those dreams.

They traveled together.

Flew high.

Laughed.

Held each other.

Kissed.

When he woke, he held onto those memories.

They made him smile. But they also made him cry.

That’s what made them nightmares Not the dreams themselves, But the truth that followed.

He didn’t want to forget Mark.

He just didn’t want to keep living in a world without him.

Sometimes he wondered

If Mark saw the state he was in, would he be angry?

Would he be disappointed?

William remembered their promise To keep living.

If Mark had truly wanted him to love himself…

Then William would try.

Slowly…

He began hating himself a little less.

Forgiving himself a little more.

And he no longer called those dreams nightmares.

He called them gifts.

Even if Mark no longer existed in the real world…

They could still be together in dreams.

And that… was enough for now.

He found small reasons to wake up again.

By the ninth month, William returned to school.

It was difficult at first, but he made it through. The hallways. The chatter. The clatter of chairs.

It all still hurt sometimes. But he endured.

He met DA Sinclair. Stopped him from experimenting on others.

Disagreed when Cecil repurposed Sinclair’s work.

He met Rick a kind, tall, charming guy.

When Rick asked him out, William gently declined.

His heart was still with Mark.

And Rick understood. That made William feel seen.

He graduated two months later.

Despite the months he’d missed, the university acknowledged everything he’d overcome and allowed him to graduate on time.

His professors knew  he was brilliant. He would succeed.

He stood on that stage with a faint smile.

Only a few knew how much it had taken to get there.

His parents.

Amber.

Eve.

Soon after, Cecil contacted him again  Not as a patient,

But as someone who knew more than most.

Cecil handed him a classified file.

“You can still read minds, can’t you?”

William nodded.

“I want you to work for me. Officially. Your skills go far beyond medicine.”

He was offered a new role:

Publicly a psychologist.

Privately a special investigator.

William was hesitant… but then Cecil reminded him:

“You once said, if you had another chance, you’d protect the ones you loved. This is that chance.”

So William accepted. Not to be a weapon.

But to stop others from losing what he had lost.

He became a strong presence.

A protector from the shadows.

His powers sharpened. He could read thoughts longer.

Deeper.

Even glimpse into memories.

Some feared him.

Many respected him.

His friends invited him out more.

He never said no.

He went home for dinner every week.

That alone made his parents smile more than anything.

He even got a new home close to the government office.

Too close, maybe. But convenient.

One year and one month since Mark’s disappearance

The afternoon sun was pale, its warmth failing to reach the heart of anyone that day.

Footsteps echoed through the halls of the Guardian base. William entered the rec room, carrying a small homemade treat from Amber.

“Clockwell! Thanks a ton!”

Rex saluted him.

One of the new Guardians.

He admired William not just his psychic strength, but his resilience.

“Just call me William. We see each other every week,” he replied with a soft smile.

He’d barely set the treats down when red sirens blared.

The satellite screens lit up.

A silver object was breaking through the atmosphere, heading straight for their location.

[“Code Red. Something’s descending  fast.”]

The entire base went into alert.

Boots thundered down corridors.

Weapons were raised.

In seconds, the roof shook.

Dust filled the air.

But it wasn’t a monster. Not a machine. Not an invading army.

It was… an alien.

Orange-skinned. Muscular. One large eye.

Wearing a pale green shirt and white sleeves.

A belt packed with tools and a badge  unlike any they’d seen.

“Stop! I didn’t come here to fight!”

The alien shouted at once, raising both hands slowly to show he meant no harm. William narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

He speaks our language? Seriously?

“I’m Allen, from the Coalition of Planets. I’m here to warn you… your planet is in grave danger.”

The room fell silent for a few heartbeats before Allen continued.

“The Viltrumites… they travel across galaxies, conquering worlds and absorbing them into the Viltrum Empire. We’ve learned that one of them has infiltrated your world. I was hoping someone here might have seen them Viltrumites look exactly like you, except they’re faster, stronger, can fly… and they’re merciless. You’ll recognize them by this symbol.”

Allen pulled a folded sheet of paper from his jacket. It displayed a circle with three sharp lines drawn within. Everyone glanced at each other, confused. Only William stood frozen.

He stepped forward before anyone could stop him, eyes fixed on the drawing.

He had seen it before. Mark had once shown it to him, casually, when borrowing William’s notebook.

“My father said it’s our family’s emblem. A symbol of strength and heritage,” Mark had explained.

William hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Mark’s father had always been intimidating and withdrawn… William decided not to dig further.

But now seeing the exact same symbol again…it hit him like a cold slap.

“…He’s not here anymore, Mr. Allen.”

Allen frowned. “What do you mean he’s not here? Where did he go?”

“I think… the person you’re talking about is Omni-Man.”

The room drew in a sharp breath. All eyes turned to William.

“Mark once showed me that symbol, said it belonged to his father something meaningful to him. If what you’re saying is true, then… yes. Omni-Man was a Viltrumite. But he left. He flew off a year ago and never returned.”

Allen’s expression turned grave.

“Left? No… Viltrumites are stubborn and possessive. If they set their sights on something, they will come back. And when they do it won’t be alone. They’ll send more… to claim this world.”

Tension rippled through the room like a silent quake.

They had barely survived Omni-Man the first time and that was only a shallow scratch.

If there were more like him coming… Earth didn’t stand a chance.

Allen caught the fear in the room and turned to William.

“What about Invincible? He was a hero, one of your strongest. I haven’t heard from him in over a year. Where is he? He could help.”

Silence fell again.

Everyone looked at William.

The name that once symbolized hope now echoed like a funeral bell.

William laughed softly a sound brittle with pain.

“He’s gone too.”

Allen hesitated. “…You don’t mean—”

“We fought Omni-Man a year ago. We failed. I failed. And because of that… Mark didn’t make it. The government declared him dead. The world… believes he’s gone.”

William kept smiling, but his laugh came out hollow.

“Guess that makes things harder, huh? Protecting the world, I mean.”

Everyone could tell William was barely holding himself together. He always smiled when he was overwhelmed. A coping mechanism. But this… this was deeper. The weight of loss still crushed him.

Allen looked around the room, his gaze pausing at William’s dark, tired eyes.

“I’ll do what I can to help this planet. I just need to speak with someone in charge of planetary defense. Don’t worry—we’ll find a way. I promise.”

William nodded and turned to Robot. The two exchanged a look before William gestured.

“He’ll take you to the GDA. I’ll catch up later.”

As he packed his bag, Eve touched his shoulder.

“You don’t have to push through this, Will. Take a break. Cecil can fill you in later.”

William smiled faintly and brushed her hand away.

“Thanks, Eve. But I’m fine. The Guardians have a brutal new training schedule, right? Good luck with that.”

And with that, he walked off, leaving Eve watching his back until it disappeared.

GDA Subterranean Conference Room

The tension was almost physical.

Donald’s face was pale. Cecil was rubbing his temples as Allen stood in the center, and William leaned against the edge of the table near him, hands clenched together. His eyes were unreadable but clearly strained.

The meeting focused on previous battles against Omni-Man and Invincible, contingency strategies, and most importantly any known weaknesses of the Viltrumites.

Whenever Robot mentioned the names Omni-Man or Mark, William merely gave a tired smile and returned to his typing.

“I know Earth can’t handle this alone,” Allen said at last. “But I can’t stay. I have other systems to warn.”

Cecil nodded, tension still etched across his face.

“Understood.”

Allen smirked slightly and tapped a device on his wrist.

A glowing pink-blue light surged into the room gathering, pulsing, forming…

Then, it burst into soft, jellyfish-like trails, resolving into the form of a tall, ethereal woman.

She was luminous blue-white, almost translucent. Her long hair drifted behind her like coral silk, four elegant arms hanging at her sides. She stood nearly seven feet tall, wearing a simple white dress with a crimson band, and bore the same emblem as Allen pinned to her chest.

“Lyrexia.”

Allen introduced her with quiet confidence.

“She’s a Caelari a high-level aquatic lifeform. The last of her kind. She’s recently joined the Coalition and volunteered to help protect your planet… so Earth won’t suffer the same fate as her own.”

Lyrexia inclined her head gracefully, her four eyes arching like she was smiling.

“It’s a pleasure to visit your world. It’s beautiful. I don’t want it to suffer as mine did. So I’ll offer every ounce of strength and knowledge I have to defend it.”

Her voice was oddly melodic, like an underwater song, but her Earth-speech was clear.

Robot gave her a respectful nod.

“On behalf of the Guardians and the GDA thank you.”

Cecil followed up with a tone of urgency.

“We welcome you to our defense efforts. If you have knowledge about the Viltrumites their weaknesses, their tactics…we need everything.”

“Of course.”

Lyrexia raised a golden bracelet. Holograms unfolded in the air maps, schematics, data feeds…

“These are records from the war on my planet. Their strategies. Their failures. The fatal mistake we made… was assuming we had time.”

A 3D projection of her underwater city shimmered to life. It was beautiful neon-lit, futuristic and then it began to fall. One by one, structures collapsed. Blood colored the ocean. The Viltrumites moved too fast to be seen.

William’s hands curled into fists. The sight pierced through his stoic shell.

“They don’t negotiate. They announce their intention, and then they take. Viltrumites don’t value culture they value domination. They believe they are evolution.”

Everyone sat in silence, the devastation leaving an ache in the air.

Then, Lyrexia added something chilling.

“What’s strange… is that your world was never formally warned. Most planets get an ultimatum. Yet yours hasn’t. That likely means they already have. You just didn’t realize it.”

Cecil’s eyes narrowed. His mind went to Omni-Man.

“They study. They infiltrate. They soften targets with misinformation and internal unrest. A few centuries ago, they’d invade with fleets. Now… they prefer subtle conquest. Your planet may already be seen as conquered.”

A heavy silence settled again.

“Do you have a way to identify them?” Cecil asked quietly.

“Yes.” Lyrexia opened her arms, her bracelet pulsing again.

“Viltrumites emit a unique energy pattern. Even when hidden. I can detect them across galaxies… but currently, there’s no trace on this planet. None are here.”

Then her voice turned sharp.

“But don’t be mistaken Viltrumites aren’t invincible.”

She summoned another hologram. It displayed a muscular humanoid figure, glowing from within.

“Their bodies may seem perfect, but they have biology. And biology has flaws.”

She zoomed in on the head.

“One such flaw… is here.”

She pointed delicately. “The inner ear. It’s hyper-sensitive to help them navigate while flying. A high-frequency sonic wave can disorient them, cripple their flight, cause excruciating pain and even death, depending on intensity.”

The room lit up with hope. William blinked in disbelief.

“How do you know that?”

“An… aquatic friend of mine had a voice capable of emitting that frequency. It disabled a Viltrumite long enough for us to capture and study him. Briefly, before… well, you saw the rest. But it was enough.”

“So we can use that kind of sound against them?” Robot asked.

Lyrexia nodded.

“Yes. But to do it properly, we need exact frequencies. Even slight deviations could harm your species too. I’ll need access to your sound labs… and a volunteer with auditory traits closest to a Viltrumite.”

She turned and, somehow without sound, appeared beside William. He flinched as she smiled gently.

William realized instantlyshe’d already chosen him.

“What do you need me to do?”

His voice was calm, steady. The eyes behind his glasses were still resigned, as though there was no other choice.

“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt you,” Lyresia said with a soft smile.

“Since earlier, I’ve noticed something… peculiar about your ears. They resemble Viltrumite structure to an extent. I want to test sound frequencies on you various levels. If you feel anything wrong, say the word and I’ll stop immediately.”

“Understood.”

William nodded slightly and exhaled a slow breath. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before rising to his full height.

Robot turned and added, “We have a soundproof chamber in the lowest sublevel equipped with nano-decibel precision tools. Full control. Completely safe.”

“Perfect. Then we’ll begin today,” Lyresia said, striding forward with quiet confidence. Her long silver hair flowed with each step, and the gold on her wrist gleamed softly beneath the sterile ceiling lights.

The testing chamber was concealed behind a heavy steel door. Once the elevator reached the lowest floor, all external sound seemed to vanish.

The interior was lined with curved acoustic foam and vibration detectors embedded along the walls. It was pristine untouched, as though unused in years. William stepped into the testing circle, standing within a halo of blue light cast from above.

“Just stand still. If you feel dizzy, pain in your ears, or anything strange let me know,” Lyresia instructed gently, then turned to activate the system.

The first frequency began. It was barely perceptible… a faint murmur that gradually rose and fell, exploring space like fingers searching through fog.

Her eyes remained fixed on the data screen as William’s biometric graph began to register subtle fluctuations.

“…Pressure in the right ear is shifting,” she murmured.

“Feels like… something’s pressing from the inside,” William replied quietly but steadily. “It’s not painful yet, just… irritating.”

“Acknowledged,” Lyresia answered, adjusting the control settings. “Still holding up?”

“Yeah. Let’s keep going,” he replied, beads of sweat forming at his brow, his hand slightly clenched.

The sound modulations intensified. William braced himself. He needed this to push him needed the frequency precise enough to affect Viltrumites but still bearable to humans.

Suddenly, a strange vibration pulsed through his chest, reverberating through his spine. Both ears felt as if something had pierced them, compressing his entire body inwards. William brought his hands up to cover his ears.

“Agh… e-enough,” he strained, though he couldn’t even hear his own voice.

The sound ceased instantly. Silence crashed in like a wave.

“That’s enough data,” Lyresia said gently. “Thank you. You’ve helped me immensely. You are…?”

“William Clockwell,” he replied.

“Pleased to meet you.”

He simply nodded in response… but her soft smile remained. Then she leaned in slightly and whispered almost inaudibly:

“Do you have psychic abilities?”

William blinked, studying the woman who always kept her four eyes closed. Then he nodded. She smiled wider.

“Good. I once had an ally who did. Maybe we should get to know each other better… for the sake of this mission.”

She turned to continue working with something unseen in the air typing midair projections. William didn’t press her. Instead, he walked off to drink some water and take his prescribed medication before resting briefly.

Two days later.

William was overwhelmed with work so much so that he had to sleep at the command center and left Amber to water his plants. Documentation, international coordination, regional liaison duties it all piled up. And today, he had to deal with someone he loathed: Sinclair.

They couldn’t stand each other. William despised Sinclair’s ethics or lack thereof. The man had nearly experimented on Rick and other innocent people. Sinclair, in return, hated William, not just for putting him in a state-monitored lab with tracking chips, but also for the time William, smaller and leaner, had knocked him out cold with a fire extinguisher and scratched his face with a pen during an escape incident. That scar on Sinclair’s cheekbone remained to this day.

So, working together was anything but easy.

Sinclair stood in his wrinkled lab coat, half-focused, half-indifferent, reading data from a floating transparent screen. Across from him, William sat with his legs crossed, stylus tapping on a tablet.

“I fail to understand why they put you in charge of coordination for this,” Sinclair said flatly. “You barely grasp the basics of biomechanical systems.”

“And how much do you understand about cross-cultural psychology between humans and extraterrestrials?” William shot back without looking up. “Or did you assume that just because you can splice nerves into steel, you know what it means to be human?”

Sinclair scoffed, the gleam in his glasses flashing coldly.

“I know enough to say some people shouldn’t be holding a pen let alone a gun.” He leaned against the table. “Like someone who charged at me with a fire extinguisher. Enlightening, wasn’t it?”

William didn’t flinch.

“At least you were still breathing then,” he said, tone flat. “I regret the violence… but I wasn’t dealing with a saint either. Especially not when you were about to cut open someone I cared about half-conscious.”

Sinclair clicked his tongue, turning back to his screen.“That was then.”

“And the scar’s still there, right? Let it be your reminder. My trust in you what little existed is still zero.”

William tapped the tablet. A new set of schematics appeared on the shared screen: data co-developed with Lyresia the night before.

“I want you to integrate this into all your prototypes. A frequency emitter that can destabilize Viltrumite equilibrium without harming regular humans. You’re the only one with tools and resources to finish it in a week.”

Sinclair remained silent, reading. Then he exhaled sharply.

“I hate taking orders from the guy who bashed my face in with a metal canister…”

“And I hate relying on a man who nearly murdered people for science,” William retorted. “But our planet is under siege. Now isn’t the time for mind games.”

Sinclair’s eyes darkened.

“…That’s what I hate most about you. You act righteous yet you turn to violence without flinching. Months ago, you were drowning in grief. Now you wield that pain like a weapon.”

“Shut it, Sinclair,” William said coolly. “Morality’s useless if we’re all dead before we get to live by it.”

He stood.

“Just help us win this war and you can go back to bending ethics in your state-sponsored cage later.”

Sinclair didn’t reply. He turned back to the equipment and got to work. William left without looking back.

One week later.

Light footsteps echoed on the metallic hallway. A magnetic scanner clicked, and the door opened, revealing a large, circular water chamber. In the center floated Lyresia, her pink hair fanning out like spun sugar.

She appeared to be asleep or perhaps merely had all four eyes closed, as always.

Her species lived on a water world ninety percent ocean. Though she could stay on land, contact with water was vital. This chamber had been approved under Cecil’s authorization.

The door shut softly. Another set of footsteps entered. Lyresia’s eyes opened one by one as she rose silently from the water, spinning to face the visitor.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Clockwell,” she said gently, voice like waves brushing stone. “You’re earlier than expected.”

William stopped at the water’s edge, his glasses catching the shimmer of reflected light.

“Cecil sent me to report… and to check on the sound prototype.”

He spoke methodically. Lyresia nodded, floating up onto the platform, her wet feet leaving faint prints on the floor. William’s gaze remained fixed on her still and unreadable.

She brushed droplets from her cheek but paused when she noticed him still watching.

“…Is something wrong?” she asked softly.

“No,” he replied after a pause. “I’m just trying to understand you.”

“Understand me?” She tilted her head, four eyes blinking in sync. “How far along are you?”

“Not very,” William admitted, sincere. “Watching you in water… it feels like looking into something I’ll never fully grasp. But I still want to try.”

Lyresia chuckled softly. Her smile wasn’t veiled in sadness this time it was open, slightly freer.

“You’re a strange alien, you know. Most people try to understand through interrogation or bias… but you use silence.”

“Maybe because I know some questions unravel what should be respected rather than learned,” he said.

She nodded, pleased.

“If you wish to understand me… then I’ll try to understand you too.”

She turned to the console. The ripples behind her calmed.

“Yesterday, I read your file from Cecil. There’s something in your history that made me feel… oddly familiar. I’m glad to have you here. Despite your powers your ability to read minds you never used it on me. You respect boundaries. That’s rare.”

William raised an eyebrow slightly.

“We both ended up in roles we never asked for. I wasn’t meant to be a warrior either… but now, I’m one of the last lines of defense.”

He fell silent, then nodded.

“Same here. I never wanted to be anyone’s pillar. I just didn’t want people I love… to suffer.”

“So did I,” she whispered.

Then she smiled again.

“You may call me Lyresia.”

“And you may call me William.”

They exchanged no further words but the silence between them no longer felt cold.

It was a silence of understanding. And in that moment, William realized Lyresia wasn’t just “an alien aiding Earth”… but a comrade who bore her own grief in quiet dignity.

“Lyresia.”

He called her name clearly and deliberately.

“Why… why are you so powerful?”

She blinked, turning slightly toward him.

“That’s a strange question… what brought that up?”

William looked down at his feet.

“It’s just that you have these extraordinary powers—detecting aura, telepathy, analyzing weaknesses… your intelligence. It might be out of line, but I just don’t understand. You’re strong… so why can’t you kill the Viltrumites? Why couldn’t you stop them from taking over our planet?”

Silence wrapped around them like a mist. William’s eyes widened as he realized how rude his words sounded. He quickly waved his hands in apology.

“I didn’t mean that! I… I’m really sorry.”

Lyresia was quiet for a long moment. Then, she inhaled… slow and deep, before speaking again—her voice calm, without a trace of offense.

“It’s not a rude question.”

She smiled gently.

“In fact, it’s one I’ve asked myself… more times than I can count.”

She stepped slowly toward the water’s edge, her toes brushing the surface of the still, glassy pool.

“You want to know why I have such power. And why I haven’t used it to kill the Viltrumites… why I haven’t ended this war myself.”

William didn’t respond. He simply looked at her… eyes steady, listening. Lyresia smiled faintly—though in that smile, there was a shadow of something deep and unreachable.

“Because I am not a warrior,” she said softly.

“I’m the heir… to my planet’s throne.”

There was a pause. The word heir carried a weight that seemed far beyond titles or crowns.

“My world… it’s almost entirely water. Over ninety percent of the surface is ocean. We live beneath the waves, gazing at the sky through the trembling skin of the sea. Our society never wielded power to dominate—but to protect, to uplift one another.”

“My species has a strange gift,” she continued.

“When we die… we don’t fade. Our souls turn into energy—memories, resolve, our entire being—and that essence is passed on to those who survive. Not just recollections… but everything. Love. Pain. Hope. Fear.”

She pressed her lips together briefly, then exhaled.

“During the war… our planet was surrounded. One city fell after another. One ocean layer after the next. We fought—but we knew no one would survive in the end.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“I was just a princess, not ready to take the throne. But they said someone had to survive. Someone had to carry our legacy. So… I was chosen to flee. And in the final moments—just before the portal closed—every soul, every last heartbeat, flowed into me. My parents. The warriors. The citizens. Every life that still drew breath gave me their final will.”

Her voice cracked slightly, and she seemed to steady herself.

“I wasn’t the strongest among them… but I carry the hearts of millions who refused to give up, even knowing they’d be lost.”

Lyresia clenched her fists. Her voice grew firm.

“I was raised to be merciful—but I will not let their deaths mean nothing. Those who destroyed our world… they don’t deserve forgiveness. I swore—every single day—that I would kill as many Viltrumites as I can, no matter what it takes.”

Silence again, thick with memory, grief, and fire that had never gone out.

William lowered his gaze.

“I’m… sorry for asking.”

“It’s all right,” she said kindly.

“You asked with honest intent. It’s a story I’ve been meaning to tell someone for a long time. Allen’s the only one I’ve ever confided in. But now… I trust you too.”

William didn’t speak right away. He stood still, as if wrestling with something deep inside… then raised his head.

“I think I understand more than you know.”

His voice was soft. His gaze lingered on the surface of the water.

“I once wished a Viltrumite would die… so the person I loved wouldn’t have to.”

Lyresia watched him, silent waiting, listening.

“When I first got my powers, I was so excited,” he said.

“But then I learned it wasn’t a blessing. It hurt. It was torture. But eventually, I found a way to live like a normal person again.”

He smiled faintly, tiredly.

“Then Cecil came to me. He saw something in me. Pulled me into this investigation—into the Guardians’ massacre. He made me use that power to uncover hidden threats. It wasn’t easy.”

He adjusted his glasses, taking a slow breath. His voice grew quieter but resolute.

“I uncovered truths that made me feel sick, made me afraid. I couldn’t look at people the same way again. Life became hell. And Omni-Man almost killed me. I survived… but the person I couldn’t save was the one I loved most.”

Lyresia tilted her head at that name. She didn’t know him but William’s voice shifted when he said it.

He clutched the blue scarf in his hand, his eyes flickering.

“He was my best friend… more than that, really.”

He let out a bitter, soft laugh.

“I wanted to tell him I loved him. Hold his hand. Spend time with him. But it was always too late. And when everything fell apart… he disappeared like he was never here at all.”

He clenched his fists, holding back the flood of emotion.

“I’ve drowned in guilt for not saving him… for being weak. But now I’ll live the life he wanted for me—and I’ll make those who hurt him pay, no matter what it takes.”

He looked at Lyresia again.

“That’s why I understand you. I understand what it means to be powerful… and still carry the weight alone. I don’t know if we can stop this war. But I know I don’t want you to face it by yourself. If you’re going to descend into hell, then I’m going with you.”

She was silent for a moment, then nodded softly. A faint curve to her lips.

Then she whispered something so quiet it nearly vanished into the sound of the water…

“We won’t let them die for nothing.”

Two souls, burdened by the grief of their own worlds, now stood side by side not as human and alien, not as Federation and agent but as kindred spirits learning to survive… to protect those who no longer could stand on their own.

William said no more. He simply nodded, turned, and walked out of the room, leaving only the gentle ripples of water behind to mark the end of their confessions.

Inside the training room, Rex sat atop a metal table, inspecting a miniature bomb mechanism with bare hands.

“Rex,” William called out softly as he stepped in.

Rex immediately looked up. “Whoa where’ve you been, man? Don’t tell me something crazy just happened. Prepping for this coming war’s already been hell.”

“Thanks for holding the line, Rex.”

William gave him a faint smile and placed a miniature energy schematic on the table.

“I need you to upgrade your bombs… at least four times stronger than what we used on the last mission.”

“Four times?” Rex frowned, eyeing William like he was talking nonsense. “That’s enough to bring down a skyscraper. Who the hell are you planning to hit with that?”

“Viltrumites,” William replied firmly. “We need to make absolutely sure they have no way to escape. I don’t know how much power it’ll take but the more, the better.”

Rex stared at him for a beat, lips parting as if to say something… then sighed instead.

“And Cecil? Are you asking me to risk getting smacked down by him or what?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get his approval myself.” William raised the dark-colored folder. “I’ve got detailed field reports and analyses on their defenses to back the request.”

Rex locked eyes with him, then let out a dry chuckle.

“Well… if you’re this serious about it, then I won’t let the whole damn plan fail just ‘cause the boom wasn’t big enough. You got it.”

Not far off, Eve watched them speak, a smile spreading as William walked over to her. It had been a week since she last saw him—before work buried him under a mountain of responsibilities. She had been hoping to drag him away on a small trip, but even if she asked now, she knew what he’d say: Not yet. Too much to finish.

“Eve.”

“Hey, Will… I missed you.”

Her hero suit shimmered slightly under the lights, eyes bright with joy at seeing her friend again.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’ve been thinking about the sound-based system we’re using against that Viltrumite,” William said, placing a hand-drawn forcefield schematic on the table.

“Can you compress your forcefields into a tighter cone? I need the sound to focus in one direction no room for them to dodge.”

Eve examined the drawing and furrowed her brow.

“Like an inverted cone? Narrowing the waves so they can’t deflect or escape…”

“Exactly. But it needs to be strong enough to endure blowback shockwaves, punches, you name it. Can you make that happen?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she stared at her hands for a long second, clenching and then opening her fingers slowly. Then she raised one hand. A cylindrical field shimmered into existence, reshaping as if being squeezed from all directions until it resembled a bottleneck.

“Give me a bit of time. I’ll stabilize it. And if anyone thinks they can outrun that sound—” she looked up, her eyes firm “—they won’t make it far.”

William nodded, voice calm but assured.

“I knew you could do it.”

As he turned to leave, she called him back with a soft laugh and handed him a wrapped cookie.

“You really should rest sometime, Will. You look dead tired.”

“Sorry. I’ll try.”

“And about those flowers… don’t worry, Amber said they were beautiful. But seriously, you need to see them for yourself it’s better than any photo.”

“Really? Wow. Tell Amber thanks for me. I’ll try to clear some time soon. Take care, Eve.”

Command Room – dimly lit, hologram displays glowing softly around the chamber.

Cecil stood before the main screen, brows furrowed as streams of Viltrumite data scrolled by. William handed over the folder without a word.

“What’s this?”

“Plans for a sonic weapon upgrade and high-yield energy explosives. Requesting clearance for elevated power usage.”

Cecil read in silence before responding without looking up.

“You’re aware that soundwaves on this level could affect civilian populations within several kilometers.”

“Lyresia confirmed the frequency we’re using will only harm Viltrumites, not humans. And we’ll use Eve’s forcefields to control sound direction. The bombs… are our final insurance. I have the plan mapped out, and I’ll personally instruct Rex on implementation. I won’t allow this operation to become reckless.”

Cecil fell silent for a few long seconds… then finally picked up his digital pen and signed off.

“Then don’t waste my time, William.”

Four weeks later

“Two days,” Lyresia said quietly.

“What?”

“I can feel it. They’re close. I estimate we have two days left… or less.”

Around the briefing table sat the remnants of the Guardians, William, Lyresia, and a few members of the elite strike division.

“You mean… they’re coming?” Donald’s sharp voice cut the air.

“Yes,” Lyresia nodded. “I sense gravitational anomalies and spacefold displacements on a level only Viltrumites can generate.”

“So we don’t have much time to prepare,” Eve muttered, tense.

William took a deep breath before outlining the next move.

“Evacuate all civilians to designated shelters starting today. Heroes will be on standby for immediate combat response. I’m counting on the sonic dispersal devices we’ve built to work, but the key is to contain the battlefield. If they scatter, we lose control.”

Rex levitated a bomb model above the table.

“These little toys are ready to blow. I’d say they’re packing nuke-level punch more than enough to rattle Viltrumite bones.”

Lyresia clenched her fists.

“I’ve just received confirmation from the Federation: their ship has entered the solar system. They’ll be in Earth’s orbit within forty-eight hours.”

The room fell deathly silent as if all sound had been sucked away.

“Our plan?” William asked directly.

Cecil met his gaze, then nodded slowly.

“Evacuation begins. And we initiate everything right now. Dismissed.”

[ATTENTION: Global broadcast – all civilians, frontline zones, and outer perimeter sectors, please relocate immediately to designated safe zones under Protocol A-4-Delta. Follow all official instructions without delay.]

The global alert took hours to relay, from briefing civilian populations to keeping the heroes grounded and focused panic was the true enemy now. William was beyond exhausted, but he didn’t stop moving. The final countdown stood at 36 hours before impact.

Within the command room, people hurried in and out. William spotted Lyresia with her four arms clasped together at her chest, speaking in a low chant her native tongue echoing faintly across the space.

“…What are you doing?” he asked softly.

She turned, spotting him at the doorway, holding a glass of water.

“Praying that I’ll survive long enough to finish my revenge… and end this war.”

“I see…”

William stepped closer, mirrored her gesture with his own hands, and murmured,

“I’ll try praying too, then.”

He removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. When he looked back, Lyresia was smiling softly as she reached into her satchel and handed him a small rectangular device a red-button trigger covered by a safety lid.

“This is a distress beacon from the Federation. If you’re ever in danger, press it three times. My people will come for you. Safety must always come first.”

William accepted it, eyeing it curiously when something unexpected happened.

Her hand brushed his.

!?!

The contact was brief, gentle… but electric. A tingling pulse ran across his skin like static lightning. He instinctively pulled back, eyes wide.

“I… I thought your skin was toxic,” he stammered. “You told me…”

“It is,” Lyresia said evenly. “But with you this particular touch won’t harm you.”

She paused… then continued, her voice unwavering.

“What I just did wasn’t just handing you a device. I used an ancestral power to bind our spirits something reserved only for warriors prepared to die in battle. From now on… some of your pain will pass to me. So you can endure. So you won’t fall. So you won’t give up.”

“But that means… if I’m hurt—”

“I’ll feel it ๆ,” she said firmly. “And that will ensure I move faster… fight harder… end this before you’re taken from me.”

Closing her eyes, she began chanting again. Light spun from her body, gathering at her palm before gently pressing it against William’s chest.

A ripple of pale light washed through him not painful, but cold… deep, all the way into his soul.

“William,” she said, eyes now open. All four irises shimmered a gentle, brilliant pink.

“There’s something I need to tell you. It’s dangerous. Risky. But I think it’s worth trying. Just… promise me you’ll hear me out. And if anything happens will you be the one to carry my spirit?”

Her eyes were courageous, without fear… yet filled with kindness. William couldn’t read her thoughts, even without his psychic-resistant glasses but he didn’t need to.

He paused, then nodded slowly.

“I will. Tell me your plan.”

Dawn – Day of the Invasion

Sirens blared across the base echoing through every level of command.

[Maximum alert! Viltrumites entering Earth’s atmosphere! Sector North, latitude 45.79… speed approaching Mach 9!]

Cecil dashed to the live monitor and barked,

[That’s not just one there’s six of them!]

Satellite footage showed six humanoid figures hurtling down from space like flaming meteors, trails of energy streaking behind them as they tore through the atmosphere.

[Estimated contact in 2 minutes!]

Cecil’s face appeared on every monitor.

“All units, deploy to ground combat plan immediately! Guardians, global heroes take your positions and prepare to engage!”

BOOM!

The ground split and exploded beneath the impact of the landing. Earth blasted outward in a violent ring, followed by the compressed echo of the shockwave splitting the air.

Figures of the Viltrumites emerged through smoke and fire across continents. Towering and formidable, their very presence sent tremors into the earth, turning trees into splinters and fracturing the ground beneath them.

One of them… was familiar.

He hovered midair, scanning the quiet city below a silence that resembled a graveyard. But standing firm across the skyline were heroes, already in position as if they’d been waiting all along.

A flicker passed through their expressions when they recognized him.

“…Is that…?”

“I’m not seeing things, right?”

“Our opponent is…”

“…Omni-Man?”

Omni-Man regarded the defenders like insects beneath his gaze. He was no longer clad in the red-and-white hero’s suit with the iconic cape of hope. Instead, his new uniform was stark white and grey, bearing a circular symbol with three lines across the chest.

“This planet now belongs to the Viltrum Empire.

Whoever stands in the way… dies.”

As soon as the words fell, the battlefield erupted into war.

To the surprise of many, several heroes managed to avoid instant death thanks to advanced training and upgraded armor. But ultimately, casualties were inevitable.

BEEP—!

“Argh?!”

Thankfully, the ethically-questionable robots created by Sinclair—born from William and Cecil’s strategy—marched into the field with their sonic function active. The vibrations disrupted Omni-Man’s flight, creating a brief opening.

“FIRE!” a hero shouted.

Energy blasts and plasma beams surged from every direction, striking him square in the chest.

BOOM!

Omni-Man was blasted out of the air, hitting the ground hard. But only for a second

In the next instant, he rebounded upward with bullet-like speed.

“That sound… just threw me off a little?”

He snarled.

BOOM!

His fist shattered the first robot midair, scattering metal across the battlefield. The second was kicked straight through the energy barrier Eve had created to defend the perimeter.

“…Still not enough.” Eve grit her teeth, expanding her power field into a ring-shaped form to enhance the sonic projection. But she was already trembling from exhaustion.

“I’ll hold them off as long as I can…!”

“Don’t wear yourself out yet!” another hero yelled, carrying an injured comrade away.

“I’m sending in another round of heavy blasts!”

Elsewhere – Eastern Europe

The Guardians, now divided into global response teams, were engaged in brutal close-quarters combat with another group of Viltrumites.

Monster Girl launched herself forward.

“You think being from space means you can’t be stopped?!”

Her massive punch collided with the enemy’s chest

WHAM!—but instead of being thrown back, the Viltrumite caught her fist with one hand and hurled her across the skyline like a ragdoll. She crashed into a skyscraper that erupted in flames.

BOOM!

Blood dripped down Amanda’s forehead, but she clenched her teeth. Even with rubble burying her lower body, she refused to give up.

“Get up… You’ve got to get up…!” she whispered.

Before the enemy could finish her, another Guardian launched a punch square into the Viltrumite’s face.

“We don’t back down!” Immortal roared, pulling Amanda from the debris.

Yet, no matter how determined they were, the Viltrumites pushed through every line of defense.

Continent: Africa

Local heroes trained by Cecil and a special forces unit engaged directly with a female Viltrumite. The situation turned critical

The enemy’s flight speed and physical power far surpassed what the human body could endure. Worse still, the sonic transmitter was destroyed when its carrier was crushed during combat.

Screams filled the capital streets. Brave defenders fell, blood staining the roads.

Suddenly, a burst of pink light streaked down from the sky It was Eve, teleporting in with urgency.

“Clear this zone! I’ll boost everyone’s strength!”

She extended her arms, unleashing a power field that bloomed like a flower across the air. The frontline warriors recovered slightly but Eve was barely holding on.

Despite momentarily relieving the pressure, the enemy still pressed forward…

The sonic coverage from the command base couldn’t reach this far. The frequency field was still incomplete.

Command Center – Crisis Escalating

Sirens howled across the base. High-impact alerts signaled an incoming threat.

BOOM—!

The command center’s outer wall exploded.

A silver-haired male Viltrumite smashed through with a fist pulsing with murderous intent. Officers screamed and scrambled for cover as data feeds flickered violently holograms bursting in flames.

Rex leapt over a table, grabbing a blast-launcher from the weapons rack.

“Hey! Grandpa Alien! You think you can blow through our command center and just walk away?!”

He fired an explosive round.

It only forced the Viltrumite to step back slightly barely a scratch.

The alien turned, emotionless gaze fixed on him.

Rex swallowed.

“Okay… take two, then.”

He dove behind a concrete pillar, launching another grenade But the Viltrumite flew straight at him!

BOOM!

A chunk of concrete was hurled his way.

Rex was sent crashing into a wall, groaning in pain.

“…Damn. He’s tougher than Omni-Man.”

As the Viltrumite closed in to finish him

“Over here!!!”

A voice rang out Rex blinked.

‘Shit… that’s William’s voice!’

FLASH!

A blinding flash bomb detonated, disrupting the enemy’s vision.

William grabbed Rex, dragging him away.

THUD!

Before they could get far, the tremors returned.

The Viltrumite was chasing again.

Rex, faster and stronger, yanked William into a side room and shoved him under a table.

The door blasted open William covered both their mouths with his hand, shaking his head to silence Rex’s impulse to fight back.

He had a plan. A reckless one possibly even insane, thought up with Liresia.

Every crashing footstep echoed like death’s countdown.

“…Shit?!”

Rex gasped when William suddenly rose from hiding.

“You’ve pushed me to the end of my patience.”

William stood face-to-face with the towering enemy.

That monstrous fist flew like a cannonball toward him But just before impact, William pressed a portable sonic emitter Liresia had given him.

“Listen closely, you bastard…”

CLICK.

BEEEEEEEEEEP!!!

A searing high-frequency pulse erupted point-blank into the Viltrumite’s ears.

The creature staggered.

Blood trickled from his ears.

He flinched, snarling in pain.

“…What the hell is this sound?!”

He swayed. Eyes widened. Steps faltered.

One second just one moment of hesitation And that was all William needed.

GRAB!

He snatched a special grenade from Rex’s belt 

Sprinted straight at the Viltrumite And shoved it… into. his. mouth.

“Chew carefully,” William muttered coldly, “Because that’s the last thing you’ll ever taste.”

THUD—!!

He kicked off the floor, leaping back Rex dragged him behind a control table.

“DOWN!!!”

BOOOOOOM—!!!

The explosion tore through the command center.

Blue flames surged like a tidal wave, walls vaporizing.

Blood painted the consoles.

A single rib clattered onto a table with a dull clang.

Silence.

Only William and Rex’s ragged breaths remained.

“…Shit,” Rex exhaled, brushing ash from his face.

He glanced at the remains there wasn’t even a head left.

“…That guy’s just meat now. There’s no stitching that back together.”

He turned to William, who was still panting, blood and dust on his face, but eyes cold and sharp.

Rex swallowed, then spoke slowly.

“…Damn. You’re seriously… insane.”

William wiped blood from his shirt using a scrap of paper.

“But it worked, didn’t it?”

Rex let out a wheezing laugh.

“Didn’t think it would. But yeah… it fucking worked.”

He glanced back at the exploded corpse.

“…Man, I can’t even call you a psychologist anymore. You’re a damn psychic war machine.”

William adjusted his glasses, barely reacting.

“Liresia was right…

The inside of their bodies isn’t as tough as the outside.

If you shove something dangerous in…

There’s nothing protecting them from within.”

He exhaled, smiling faintly despite the sweat dripping from his brow.

Rex watched him, a strange mix of admiration and terror in his eyes.

“…Gremlin mode. This is your Gremlin mode, huh?”

“Rex,” William said suddenly, “I need a favor.”

He explained his plan. Rex looked increasingly concerned.

“You sure you’re not coming with me?”

William handed over a small teleport device the kind Cecil used, though more battery-hungry due to its compact design. William had received plenty of backup gear since he wasn’t superhuman like the others.

But he wasn’t naïve. To complete the plan, he had to give something… to gain something.

“There’s a hidden base near Lake Montreel where Liresia is.

She needs to hear what I’m about to tell her.

And… tell her I’m pulling all the critical data out of the center before it falls into enemy hands.”

Rex finally accepted it, albeit with visible worry.

“You really think you can get that drive out of a half-collapsed building?”

William didn’t answer.

He only nodded, then turned and walked into the smoky depths of the shattered command center.

[15 minutes later – The ruins of the command center]

“…Just one more room…” William murmured as he plugged the flash drive into the central computer. Dust drifted down from the ceiling in thick streams. He typed furiously, eyes racing against the ticking clock.

Boom!

Another explosion erupted from the lower level. The tremor jolted the entire structure he nearly lost his balance.

The indicator light turned from green to blue. The data transfer was complete.

He yanked the drive free, smashed the computer with the nearest heavy object, and dashed out just in time before the wall behind him collapsed.

Gasping for breath, William stumbled into the shade of a nearby tree, not far from the base. His left arm throbbed with pain, a deep gash from the earlier debris. One hand clutched his bleeding shoulder. The other gripped the flash drive like it was his last lifeline.

“I need to get this to Cecil… before…”

He tried to pull out his phone, but before he could, a soft sound sliced through the air 

Whoosh…

The atmosphere shifted. The faint sound of fighting followed. William flinched, pressing himself flat against the tree trunk, struggling to quiet his heavy breathing. As the noise faded, he dared to peek out cautiously…

A lone figure floated silently in the sky a Viltrumite clad in a blood-stained white uniform, his back turned, hood drawn. Below him, the mangled bodies of fallen heroes lay scattered.

William clenched his teeth. All the preparation, all the planning… and this was all they had managed—delay. If only there had been more time, more sonic weapons… but there wasn’t. All they could do now was give their best.

He slowly crept toward the hidden teleport beacon nearby… but when he glanced over his shoulder, he froze.

That silhouette…

He knew it.

His heart skipped a beat.

“…No… no way…”

He leaned out from behind the tree. The faint glow from a broken streetlight caught the man’s face for just an instant—

But that single moment was enough to break William’s sanity.

“…Mark…”

The name escaped him like a whisper, as if spoken without his own will.

The figure turned… slowly.

It was him.

Mark.

His face was smeared with blood, expression unreadable, hair disheveled, presence hardened and foreign yet it was unmistakably Mark.

William’s body locked up. His hand went limp, the flash drive falling to the dirt. His eyes widened, mouth agape, unable even to breathe properly.

His heart pounded so hard it felt like his ribs might crack. Thousands of questions surged to his mind, yet not a single word found voice.

Their eyes met.

And for that one second, there was no war, no sides, no impossible stakes.

There was only him… and Mark.

“Mark…”

The name came out as a fragile breath, the voice of a man who never thought he’d see the other again.

Mark the once-hero, now towering in his Viltrumite armor, blood-soaked, terrifying descended slowly from the air. His feet touched the ground without a sound.

His face softened with a flicker of disbelief and relief. He slowly raised both hands.

“William… You’re really alive.”

His voice was warm. Too warm for an enemy.

But William stepped back, one foot retreating instinctively.

“Don’t come any closer… Don’t even move.”

His voice was icy, masking the chaos within.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Mark said softly.

William lowered his gaze, jaw clenched.

He had spent a year praying, begging for redemption—for a miracle that would return Mark to him.

And now… seeing Mark again hurt more than anything he’d ever known.

So much it defied tears.

Mark’s bloodied hand lifted… and gently brushed against William’s face.

“I missed you.”

Before William could react, the other arm wrapped around him.

That blood-smeared face tilted… pressing a kiss gently to William’s cheek a terrifyingly tender gesture.

“You’ve gotten thinner. Are you okay? God, time’s moved so slowly… I’ve never stopped thinking about you. And now, finally, we’re together again, William…”

“Ah!”

William gasped, shocked to the core. His eyes snapped wide, body frozen. His hands trembled violently before instinct snapped him back to himself.

He pushed Mark away. It wasn’t even hard but Mark let him go.

“Don’t touch me!”

His voice cracked with anger and fear.

“You… You died!”

Mark stood still, a flicker of pain crossing his face before he sighed. His eyes no longer looked human.

“I never died, William,” he murmured, voice low and rough. His face was stained with blood and sweat.

“Mark—No! This isn’t right. You should… you should’ve died!”

William’s eyes widened again. His entire frame trembled.

He didn’t understand any of it. Was this a dream? A nightmare? A trap?

But his heart pounded violently. His weary eyes brimmed with tears he refused to shed.

Mark’s expression darkened with sorrow. William hated it—it made him weak, it made him ache with pity.

Mark looked at him… and spoke, voice heavy with melancholy.

“I didn’t die, William. I know you know I couldn’t have. My father… he took me away. To mold me into something else. I’m part of the empire now. I don’t know why you’re so afraid of me— but I swear, I didn’t come back to kill you.”

He took another step forward.

His eyes remained soft, hopeful. He reached for William’s hand, lifting it to his cheek… kissing the trembling fingers with care.

“I don’t want to live without you anymore. That’s why, William… stay with me. Forever.”

“…W-What?”

William blinked in disbelief.

Before he could move, Mark scooped him up into his arms and launched skyward.

“Mark?! Let me go!”

William struggled, but the wind rushed past his face, stealing sound and strength. Mark’s embrace radiated heat, and William instinctively curled up against him.

The air thinned… and the next thing William saw would be burned into his memory forever.

When he came to, he was lying on something soft. White ceiling. Blurry vision. He sat up too quickly

And strong arms caught him.

“Careful. Sit up too fast and you’ll pass out.”

“?! Mark!”

William shoved him away, stumbling back until he hit the wall. Trapped. Cornered. His breath ragged.

The room was unfamiliar. Small. White walls. A bed. A bathroom.

Mark waited patiently as William scanned his surroundings. When William finally turned, Mark stepped forward 

“Stop right there.”

Mark froze.

Those eyes the ones that once brought comfort now looked like a caged dog’s.

“Where are we, Mark? What is this place?!”

William glared.

Mark sighed, as if he’d prepared for this.

“…It’s my ship. This is my private room.”

“…What did you just say?”

William felt his mind stall.

He rushed to the only window eyes widening, face draining of color.

Beyond the glass… was Earth.

His world.

Far, far below.

He stood there, silent. The image of Earth drifting in the dark vacuum of space Familiar… yet impossibly distant.

“…I’m on a Viltrumite ship?”

His voice was faint.

Mark remained behind him, not daring to move closer. He lifted his hand halfway… then let it fall.

“Yeah… but you’re safe.”

That word stung more than comforted.

“Safe?” William spun around. His voice now held fury, not fear. “You brought me onto a Viltrumite ship! Off Earth! While people down there are dying?! And you call this ‘safe,’ Mark?!”

Mark lowered his gaze. In that moment, he wasn’t a hero. Not a warrior. Not even a killer.

He looked like a boy. A boy drowning in guilt.

“I know it’s hard to explain… I didn’t mean to betray Earth. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just—”

“Why, Mark?” William cut in, voice sharp. “Explain to me. Why did you disappear for a year… only to return wearing…”

He gestured to the insignia on Mark’s arm.

“…that symbol. That suit. That blood.”

The silence that followed hit harder than grief.

Mark looked up. His eyes were full of struggle.

“I… couldn’t fight it, William. My father swore he’d destroy Earth…kill everyone if I didn’t obey. He wanted me to be the Empire’s warrior. I’ve watched people die, planets fall. I killed to survive… to protect the ones I love Mom… and you.”

He stepped forward.

But William’s eyes were cold now. Trust—gone.

“And now? You just want to protect me? Without asking me what I want?”

William’s voice dropped, shaking slightly.

“You’d side with the people who would kill you… your friends… me… destroy Earth… just because he said he won’t? And you believe him?”

Mark went silent.

“You may have changed… but I remember what you said.” William looked down. His voice broke.

“You said you’d never turn your back on humanity.”

He choked back tears.

“…So what are you now, Mark? Still human? Or a Viltrumite ready to kill for your empire?”

Mark had no answer. He looked down, ashamed.

“Mark…” William whispered. “Please. I still remember when we loved each other.”

His voice quivered.

“You were good. A crazy hero who’d save anyone, always smiling… Remember our first meeting? That little shop? College? Studying at your place? Laughing together? Exchanging gifts?”

Tears streamed down William’s cheeks. He tried to wipe them away, but they kept falling.

“Are you still that guy? The hero who saved me that day? My best friend?”

“William…”

Mark’s voice was quiet. He stepped forward… and pulled William into an embrace. Even as those slender arms pushed against his chest, Mark held him gently, whispering into his hair

“…I’m sorry.”

Those words…

They shattered what little hope William had left.

It wasn’t an answer.

It was a refusal.

William broke down in tears, pounding his fists against Mark’s chest and trying to claw at him, desperate to push him away while yelling through gritted teeth.

“Let go of me! Mark—you’re not my Mark anymore! How could you do this?!”

Mark caught both of William’s wrists with just one hand, steady and unshaken. Their eyes locked and for a fleeting moment, the exhaustion in William’s eyes hardened into steel.

“Why couldn’t I?” Mark murmured.

And then he kissed him.

Despite the blood drawn from his lips as William bit down hard, Mark didn’t pull away. He pressed forward stubbornly, relentless, until he finally let go and leaned back.

William’s face was a storm of emotion grief, rage, betrayal, and fear all crashing together. Mark, in contrast, gave a single smile. It was sad… yet firm. Unshakably so.

“Going to try and stop me, William? What exactly do you think you can do?”

His voice dropped as he gazed upon the man he loved his tone shifting to something dark, something that didn’t belong to the Mark William remembered.

“Don’t forget… I’m Invincible.”

He released William.

The smaller man crumpled to the ground and crawled back, dazed.

“…And a Viltrumite.”

Mark’s voice softened, almost coaxing.

“So please, William… be a good boy, okay?”

He reached out as if to stroke William’s hair, but William flinched and pulled away. Mark paused, lips tightening, then withdrew his hand and sighed.

“I need to return to my duties for the Empire. Just wait here… quietly.”

“Mark—?! Stop!”

William scrambled to his feet and ran toward him, but he was too late.

The door shut with a hiss and locked behind the departing figure. William screamed and slammed both fists against it, kicked it, cursed his name—until at last, his strength gave out, and he collapsed onto the cold floor, tears falling once more.

Meanwhile, across the stars…

Lyresia felt a chill crawl up her spine.

She stared at the clock, uneasy. William was late. Far later than he should have been. They’d agreed to meet, planned every detail—he promised.

What was taking so long?

Down on Earth, the battles were still raging. Some continents had managed to repel the Viltrumites. Others had lost too many heroes to even resist.

She looked at the strategic map on her screen, anxiety tightening in her chest.

“Where are you, William…”

…

It had been around thirty minutes since the door shut—thirty minutes of silence, broken only by the ragged, shuddering breaths of William Clockwell.

He sat slumped against the wall, completely drained. The sterile white room was devoid of comfort, and the cold seeping from the walls only deepened the ache in his chest.

Tears streamed unchecked down his cheeks, soaking his skin.

He raised one hand to his face, trying to muffle the sobs… but the more he held it in, the louder the cries became. The harder he tried to be strong… the more he shattered.

“…How did it come to this…”

His voice was a faint murmur, a question whispered into a void where no one would answer.

He gasped, unable to control his breathing. Panic surged through every nerve like static. His eyes remained bloodshot, locked on the sealed door with a storm of feelings swirling behind them—rage, longing, fear, heartbreak.

“…You’ve gone insane, Mark…”

The words rasped from his throat, hoarse with fury.

He pounded a trembling fist against the floor, eyes squeezed shut.

“I prayed… begged God to forgive you. I begged for both our sins to be washed away. I waited. I waited so long… for you to come back.”

His fists thudded against his chest, as if trying to silence his own heart.

“And this is what I get? You betray Earth—and you kidnap me?! You’re out of your damn mind!”

“Bastard…”

His broken sobs filled the room, the only sound that remained.

He raised his hand to touch his lips—still stinging from the kiss.

It wasn’t something he wanted to remember.

But it was unforgettable.

Mark… wasn’t the same.

But the worst part was—William still loved him.

That thought hurt more than any knife.

“…Why, Mark…? Why say you love me… and still do this…?”

He buried his face into the floor, the cold pressing into his skin as he let the grief swallow him whole.

Fsssh—

The heavy steel door opened with a pressurized hiss.

William flinched. He snapped his head up, breath catching in his throat. His eyes widened in horror.

A towering figure stood in the doorway.

Clad in the armor of the Viltrumite Empire, silver-gray hair shifting in the artificial wind of the ship, sharp eyes locking onto him with unflinching dominance…

Omni-Man.

“Finally found you,” the deep voice rumbled low, heavy, like a warhammer crashing into his chest. “The boy who’s a nuisance. The one softening my son’s resolve.”

William, still reeling from the storm Mark had left behind, stared up—his tear-reddened eyes widening further in disbelief.

“You…!”

The word barely came out.

Omni-Man narrowed his eyes.

“Mark is still young. He doesn’t understand what truly matters.”

He stepped forward, slow and deliberate.

“But I do. And I know what must be corrected.”

William backed up until his spine met the wall.

“Don’t do this…” he tried to keep his voice from shaking but fear laced every syllable.

Omni-Man leaned down close.

Too close.

“You are the flaw in my son’s path. The weakness. The one who made him disobey his destiny.”

Without warning, he grabbed William by the collar and hurled him across the room.

William hit the ground hard. His glasses flew off and skidded across the floor.

Omni-Man stepped forward and crushed them beneath his heel. Then, he knelt beside William’s crumpled form.

“You’re lucky he begged me not to kill you…But last time I made the mistake of leaving no scar.”

He reached out.

Thick fingers gripped William’s face, pinning him down.

William thrashed, kicked, tried to push him away

But he heard it.

A voice not spoken, but in his head, cold and primal.

(“I’ve wanted to do this since the beginning. I won’t fail this time.”)

His body froze.

“No—! Don’t do this! Please!”

His screams echoed in the sterile white chamber. No help came. No answer. No mercy.

“Remember this pain, William Clockwell.”

SCHLICK—!

The sound of tearing flesh filled the air.

William felt it.

His right eye gone.

“AAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!!”

A scream of unbearable agony tore from his throat, shaking the walls.

Blood burst forth in waves, staining the clean white floors crimson.

He writhed like a wounded animal, trying to clutch the bleeding socket, his body convulsing with pain and horror.

Omni-Man stood.

And crushed the eye in his hand.

He looked down at William—trembling, whimpering, broken and turned away with contempt.

The door remained open as he left.

The room fell deathly silent.

Only the ragged breaths of a boy drowning in pain remained.

He ripped his own blue scarf and pressed it against his wound. It turned scarlet in seconds.

His consciousness began to blur. His vision trembled and distorted like waves in a boiling sea.

“…Ly…resia…”

And then blackness.

…

Lyresia screamed.

She jolted upright, gasping like she’d just been stabbed. Her hands shook violently, her body trembling as if she’d been hurt herself. Tears fell uncontrollably from her wide, pink eyes.

“Hhkk—No…!”

She dropped to her knees by the lakeside, clutching her right eye. A burning pain surged through her like molten steel.

The pain was real… but it wasn’t hers.

“…William!”

Their spirits had been bound together after the ritual the link forged to survive the coming war. Now, she knew.

The pain was his.

William’s eye had been torn out.

Back to William.

He awoke.

The bleeding… had slowed.

More than it should have.

His body trembled, but somehow it hadn’t gone into full shock. Blood vessels sealed, organs clung to life. His body fought to live, far beyond what it should have been capable of.

He forced himself to focus.

He didn’t have much time.

If he didn’t die from blood loss, infection would claim him or worse, unconsciousness.

He removed one shoe and used his nails to tear out the insole. The sharp tug sliced his fingers, but he kept going.

Inside… was a hidden device.

A gift from Lyresia.

A distress beacon.

He had hidden it where no one would think to look—beneath his heel. That’s why his height had been a bit taller that day.

He opened the lid and pressed the red button three times.

Distress signal sent.

Then… he pressed it five more times.

The plan was now in motion.

Beep beep beep… beep beep beep beep beep

The blaring signal made Biresia tense and glance up. She smiled faintly, silently praying that Alben would reach William in time.

Lyresia dove deeper into the sea, slicing through the dark waters in silence. No sound. No light. No one followed. Yet her eyes now wide with unwavering focus betrayed the storm inside. Blood streamed from her right eye, even though she hadn’t fought. But it was Biresia who bore the pain.

The three pupils nestled in Lyresia’s temple began to glow—shifting from a soft pink into a fierce, blood-like red. Her once-neatly flowing hair extended and wriggled like jellyfish tendrils. But these strands were more than beautiful. They were now absorbing power—the condensed remnants of millions of spirits once lost with her homeworld.

A voice echoed again and again in her mind:

Protect… protect… protect…

Clenching her fists, she drew a breath through the specialized breathing tubes embedded beneath her skin. Her heart pounded. The agony of William having his eye gouged out still haunted her every moment.

She didn’t need to see it.

She felt it.

He had cried… screamed… almost gone mad.

“Come avenge us,” a thousand whispers whispered from within.

“Come to me… all of you…” she murmured in her native tongue… and began the chant.

What began as a trembling hum gradually intensified. A strange gravitational pull rippled outward. Low-frequency waves radiated from her body. They weren’t just soundwaves… they were pheromones irresistible lures to war-grade lifeforms. Baits set for slaughter.

And within five minutes, it worked.

More than a dozen pale figures plummeted from the heavens into the ocean depths.

The Viltrumites… now drawn in by the voice. A voice of fury… of mourning… of someone who had lost everything.

Leading them was Omni-Man, eyes blazing. He tore through the sea’s surface in pursuit of the disturbance he could not ignore. It gnawed at his spine, compelled him forward, forced confrontation.

And when he saw Lyresia, waiting far beneath the sea, she was smiling… lips curled over razor-sharp teeth.

Her crimson eyes glowed like twin blood-drenched suns.

“Let the echo of our destroyed world haunt you… until your final breath.”

Lyresia opened her mouth and screamed.

BOOM!

The first blast of high-frequency sound struck the Viltrumites like underwater lightning. It tore into their brains. They began to scream… then shriek… clutching their ears, coughing blood, seizing like fish caught in live wires. Omni-Man, closest to her, lost all control. Blood poured from his ears, his senses collapsing under the strain.

From near the shore, Cecil’s government submarines activated synchronized amplifiers. The added resonance enhanced Lyresia’s wave—punching through metal, even through the Viltrumites’ bio-armor.

One by one, the mighty fell—helpless prey flailing on invisible hooks.

Underwater heroes shouted the trigger command.

“Now!”

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

Specialized bombs were shoved into Viltrumite mouths—detonating in unison. The shockwaves tore the ocean apart into red-circled voids. The sea turned crimson blood painting the deep.

Some still tried to escape.

Omni-Man smashed a hero’s head and surged upward, trying to flee.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Lyresia’s hair transformed scarlet whips of fury that wrapped around fleeing Viltrumites, chaining them mid-air like glowing red jellyfish tentacles. The grip tightened… and—

“Be undone in the voice of our dying stars!”

BOOOOOM!!!

Her entire body ignited in radiant crimson, transforming into a final sonic blast that burst through the sea. The detonation unleashed a wave strong enough to birth a tsunami that barreled toward the shore for hundreds of miles. Heat rolled off the blast zone—turning vast swathes of ocean blood-red… and then… silence.

No Viltrumite remained.

No screams. No laughter.

Only the sea… once again still.

—

While Lyresia drew them in, Allen and the Planetary Federation breached the Viltrumite base. They raided chamber after chamber, retrieving fragments of crucial data. And then… they found William.

Collapsed. Pale. Pressing a blood-soaked cloth over his ruined right eye, protected only by special noise-cancelling earpieces. Without them, William whose hearing was almost Viltrumite-level, but with none of the durability—would’ve died instantly.

He was fitted into a space suit. Allen lifted him in his arms and rocketed back to Earth faster than sound. The limp body remained unconscious… yet warm. Time was running out.

“Hang in there, buddy… we’re almost there…!”

Allen held him tighter as he dove into Cecil’s emergency medical tent, calling for doctors immediately.

The tide rolled quietly onto a beach now fractured by war. The hush of waves and wind were the only sounds left after the chaos beneath the sea.

Hours passed.

William stirred.

He awoke to the distant beep of his heartbeat monitor. His remaining eye fluttered open. A dull, grey ceiling blurred into view. He didn’t know how he was still alive. He shouldn’t be. Yet… slowly, his organs had begun repairing themselves.

Then… a voice. Gentle. Ethereal. Like the universe’s last breath whispered to his soul.

“We’re here with you… we won’t let you die. You are an eternal ally to our fallen star.”

It wasn’t just Lyresia’s voice. It was a chorus—millions of souls now bound to her… and now flowing through him, connected through the psychic ritual performed days earlier.

What Lyresia had become was real. She was never a warrior until now. And now, William… was her vessel.

“Thank you… for everything, Lyresia,” William murmured, lips trembling in a faint smile. He slowly raised his hand… and sat up.

His body still hurt. But his heart… beat stronger.

“…Mark.”

A name once spoken in grief. In rage. In loss.

Now… the only thing he longed to say again.

Sea breeze touched his face. The scent of iodine and blood still lingered. The sky, tinged with fading orange, stretched over a coastline scarred by war.

But he was standing.

William Clockwell stepped out of the medical tent. Pale. Bandaged. Hands trembling. But determined.

“God, what are you doing out here?!” a voice cried.

It was Rex, racing toward him. Behind him were Eve and Allen.

“William! Are you crazy?! You’re not supposed to be up—”

“Get back in bed right now!”

“Damn Earthlings… so stubborn.”

Rex held him up. Eve scolded him. Allen, wounded but stable, watched with concern.

William looked up.

“Lyresia… she’s gone, isn’t she?”

Allen’s single eye widened. He looked away.

“…Yeah. We’ll never forget her. She was the greatest warrior I ever saw.”

William closed his eyes, pain knotting his throat. But he didn’t cry. He lifted his chin.

“…Did anyone… see Mark?”

“William… what are you talking about? Mark died last year,” Eve said cautiously, checking his face for signs of delirium.

William shook his head. Pain clouded his mind, but he forced the words out.

“No… he didn’t. He joined the Empire. He took me… to the ship. I—I know I hated him, and I was furious, but…”

“I just… I just want to know where he is.”

“…so I can finally let go, if he died out there.”

Silence fell. No one spoke. No one questioned his words.

Because they all knew: William had never lied about Mark. His love, his grief, his longing they all knew how deep it ran.

Rex crouched beside him, hugging him tight. Eve grasped his hand. They said nothing.

Words wouldn’t heal his wounds.

But staying beside him… might help.

William stood near the water’s edge, trembling. Bandaged and pale. But in his remaining eye burned a will that refused to die.

“Even if no one knows where he is… I’ll find him myself.”

His voice carried in the cool evening air.

Eve looked at him. She didn’t reply with words. She simply scooped him up into her arms one under his legs, the other across his back and lifted into the sky.

“Then we’ll help you find him… until we do.”

Pink light shimmered around her as they soared over the coast.

Beneath them, waves kept rolling in. The world’s wounds still bled.

But something… had begun to heal.

“…Where to first?” Eve asked softly, flying low to avoid wind biting his wounds.

William closed his eyes… thought of the name of the sea he had gone with Mark to a long time ago before saying it.

“…The island. Ko Khai.”

The southern sea slowly shifted into a crystal-clear turquoise as they neared the tropics. The air was thick with humidity, tinged with salt and solitude. Eve began to slow down as a small island came into view.

Khai Island an oasis of white sand in the heart of the Andaman Sea.

But now, it lay silent… no birds, not even a single boat in sight.

“There’s something down there,” Eve murmured, her brows furrowing. She hovered above the deserted beach and gently lowered William to the ground.

He stumbled slightly but managed to stay on his feet.

And then he saw it the sight that made his heart freeze for a fraction of a second.

Beneath the shadow of a jagged rock on the shoreline… a figure lay motionless.

Dried blood stained the sand, partially washed away by the tide but still unmistakably the result of violent coughing or vomiting. Wet black hair clung to the figure’s pale, almost lifeless skin. The chest moved, barely not even noticeable at first glance.

“Mark…”

William’s voice cracked. His knees nearly gave out.

He collapsed beside the body at once.

Mark was still breathing… but so faintly, like a candle on the verge of going out. Blood clung to his lips. It trickled from both ears—likely from ruptured eardrums. His eyes were shut, brows furrowed in silent torment.

“Mark… you…” William’s hand trembled as he reached out and placed it on Mark’s soaked shoulder.

His skin was ice-cold.

“Mark!! Mark!! Can you hear me?! Please…” William fell beside him, pulling the limp body into his arms, clinging to it with desperation.

“Eve! Call for a medivac! Anything—he won’t make it if we don’t move now!”

Eve, who had been watching silently, quickly nodded and tapped her communicator. Her voice trembled just as much. Meanwhile, William gripped Mark’s hand tightly, whispering near his bloodied ear.

“Don’t do this to me again… don’t leave me alone… I haven’t even told you everything… I haven’t forgiven you yet…”

His hand quivered, gently touching the cold face the one he had once kissed with all the love he had in his heart. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Mark’s clammy forehead, as soft as a dying whisper.

“Please… wake up, Mark…”

The sea breeze drifted slowly around them… and for a moment, time itself seemed to freeze. William’s heartbeat staggered as he listened—waiting for anything. A deeper breath. A groan. A whisper.

But the body remained still.

The pain in his heart was far worse than the eye he’d lost.

“Oh God…” A tear slid down William’s cheek. “Don’t take him… not yet. I still have things to tell him…”

His voice cracked, lips trembling with words he could no longer hold back. They had to be said—before it was too late.

“I’ve had the power to read minds since I was a kid… I always knew you were Invincible. I’ve known for a long time that… maybe you liked me.”

He choked on his sobs, struggling to breathe between the confessions.

“I worked for Cecil… because he knew about my power. He had me investigating that New—New Guard case… and one day…”

“One day I found out… that Omni-Man was the one who killed the Guardians.”

“But you… you trusted him. I was scared. Scared I’d ruin you. That I’d lose you. Scared you’d hate me. Or leave.”

“I thought I’d tell you after that battle was over… but then… you disappeared.”

He wept openly now, no longer caring who saw. He clung to Mark’s body as if it could stop death from claiming him.

“I’m sorry… I was a coward… pathetic. But the one thing I never lied about…”

“…was that I loved you. More than you ever knew. More than I ever admitted. You were the only one I ever truly loved… and no one else ever could be.”

“So please… don’t die. Not now. Come back…”

Silence.

The kind that felt like the world had forgotten how to breathe.

Until—

“…ha… ha…”

A soft laugh escaped Mark’s cracked lips.

William froze his tears hadn’t even stopped flowing yet.

“…So that’s the big secret you’ve been hiding all this time…”

Mark opened his eyes slowly, offering a faint, bittersweet smile. His eyes were red from neurological trauma—but still held a flicker of understanding… and love.

“So… you kept your promise, huh? The one where… you said you’d tell me the truth someday.”

William trembled, staring into those fading eyes.

“I’m sorry…”

Mark slowly raised a hand and brushed William’s cheek, gentle and tender. His gaze softened as he looked at the wounded facethe one missing an eye.

“I’m sorry too. You’re like this… because of me. Does it hurt?”

“No… not really.”

Mark smiled, blurred eyes narrowing in disbelief. “Why lie? If it hurts, say it.”

William paused, then chuckled weakly. “Yeah… it hurt. A lot. But not so much anymore. And it’s not… maybe not your fault.”

Then William noticed something. He took Mark’s right wrist.

Around it, a bracelet small, delicate swayed slightly in the wind. A delphinium charm danced at its center.

“…You’ve been wearing it all this time?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I? …Do you think you’ll ever forgive me?”

William looked into his eyes, struggling. What Mark had done… had hurt. Deeply. Mark smiled faintly and leaned forward, brushing his lips softly against William’s.

“You don’t have to forgive me, William. Just know… I love you too.”

“Even if I’m a failure, a traitor, a weapon of war—you can hate me, curse me, and you’d be right.”

“But my heart… it still thinks of your smile every night…”

Tears streamed down his face as he smiled.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? That in the end, we actually got to say these things…”

“…Thank you, for telling the truth.”

His voice grew quieter.

“I’m sorry… for coming back… just to end up like this. I swore I’d stay… forever.”

His hand slipped from William’s cheek. His gaze drifted. His breath weakened.

“Mark?”

“…Sorry I broke that promise… William.”

His eyes closed slowly And five seconds later

“Mark…? Mark? Can you hear me?!!”

William screamed, shaking him, weeping with voiceless agony.

He collapsed over the lifeless body, stained with blood and sand, and let out the loudest scream of his life a sound born from a heart completely shattered.

Even Eve didn’t dare comfort him.

She only stood in silence… tears running down her own face.

William continued to sob, whispering broken words to a body that would never respond again.

This time, there would be no waiting. No more hoping.

There was no one left to wait for.

Years Later

William woke later than usual that morning.

He hadn’t set a single alarm.

He let the morning sun brush gently across his closed eyelids through the curtains. Birdsong and the faint smell of coffee though not brewed by his own hand still lingered somewhere in the back of his memory.

He rose and walked out to the backyard garden.

The cyclamen had bloomed.

Pale pink, nearly white. The little flowers that often folded when the rain came were standing tall under a gentle sky. The ceramic pot cracked at the rim was still the same one.

He had never replaced it.

He didn’t know why…

He sat beside the flower, brushing its petals carefully mindful not to bruise them. Like every year, he never forgot to water it. Though some days, he did forget its name.

But he always remembered in the end.

The breeze passed by.

Carrying with it a faint sound, like laughter. So soft… so fleeting.

Now, it lived only in his mind.

Like everything else.

He thought maybe he’d go out today.

He stood, brushing dirt from his trousers, and let his fingers trace the rim of the old flowerpot before lifting it gently, careful not to spill the soil.

Maybe this year the flowers bloomed a little brighter.

Or maybe… he just remembered them that way.

Who could say?

That’s the nature of memory faded, warm… and always tinged with sorrow.

William walked to Mark’s grave.

A cane supported him—his old wounds never fully healed, despite the millions of Lyresian spirits that had pulled him back from the brink.

He carried the same cyclamen pot, through the shaded trees, to a quiet headstone beneath a large oak.

[MARK GRAYSON]

A name he couldn’t bring himself to speak around others.

But here, in this sacred place… he said it with every breath.

He gently set the pot down and sat beside the grave.

He tilted his face toward the breeze, imagining Mark beside him once more.

“It’s a nice day… The breeze isn’t too cold, huh?”

He spoke softly.

“The flowers at home are blooming again. But this one… I saved it for your anniversary. Just like last year.”

His voice was gentle, slow, filled with unspeakable longing.

“Your mom… she stopped by yesterday,” he said, his voice trembling at the mention.

“She looked tired… but she’s strong. Always was. She brought tulips said she wanted to lay them by your side. Like when you were little and used to wander into the garden to admire them.”

He went quiet, then looked up to the sky.

“Mark… I still think about your smile every night. A smile I now hold only in memory… not in sight.”

“My right eye’s completely gone now. But don’t worry it never got infected. I’ve gotten used to being a pirate.”

He chuckled softly.

“And losing it… I can’t read minds anymore either. If you were still here, you’d be relieved. No more secrets, right?”

His voice wavered.

He placed his hand gently on the grave.

“I still dream about that day… the day we laughed together. When we studied. When you fell asleep on your book and I sneakily took a photo…”

“I still have it. Every photo. Still in our album.”

He laughed under his breath.

“Sometimes I think… if you were still alive, I’d say ‘I love you’ more.

Say it clearly. Loudly. Not just when I was scared. Not just when you were dying.”

“But it’s too late now… isn’t it?”

He closed his eyes. Tears slid down onto the cold stone.

“I still love you, Mark. Always have.”

“No matter how long it’s been. Even if you can’t hear me anymore… I’ll say it every time I come here.”

“So hear it one more time…”

He leaned down and whispered near the grave with a soft smile.

“I love you, Mark.”

When the sun began to set, he rose slowly, lifting the flowerpot to his chest. He turned away from the grave and began the walk home.

As he passed the flowerbeds, he looked up at the last light of the day.

And then he saw it.

A shadow floating in the sky.

Wearing blue and yellow.

Stained red.

William’s breath caught. He couldn’t move.

The figure descended slowly… until arms wrapped around him in a gentle embrace.

And instead of pulling away, William didn’t resist.

He only stared into that face.

And slowly, reality seemed to blur around him.

The last reported sighting claimed only this:

William Clockwell was seen stepping into a green portal…

And no one ever saw him again.

END

Thank you for reading.

[I'll be doing a thread about this on my Twitter (https://x.com/kaw_kungsus?s=21)soon, so stay tuned!]