Chapter Text
Noise was all Lin Ling needed to keep himself from going insane.
As he and his accomplice marched forward in complete silence, the sound of crunching gravel beneath their boots remained his only source of entertainment.
It was cold, dark, and his fingers felt numb as they hung idly by his sides. As of right now, the only source of light in these tunnels would be the man that stood directly ahead of him. In the palm of blue plated gauntlets was a spark of electricity, jumping from one plate to the other to create an electric orb. It would have been a reassuring sight for most, yet Lin Ling didn’t consider himself fortunate enough to bask in that same ignorant bliss.
He knew the truth.
E-Soul, a hero loved by many within today’s society, was responsible for the death of Moon. Not only another fellow hero, but someone he considered an idol. Dare he even say, a subject of his affection. That only made the incident’s occurrence an even harder pill to swallow. And the hero’s involvement? A sore topic.
Thinking back to it, this pairing was even less rational now than it was when first gazed upon by the general audience. MG and Treeman rarely collaborated due to their complicated past, and an even deeper rooted hatred shared between the agency heads. One rooted in an unending cycle of death and manipulation until either one falls beneath the weight, or climbs above the rest and proves that his methods reap the rewards they sought.
Yet that rivalry wouldn’t even cross Lin Ling’s mind as he now shared this confined space with a man he held a fresh aversion for. It made his skin crawl, even as they made their way closer to their intended destination.
Brows furrowed, ignoring the way every inch of his being told himself to abandon this mission and save himself.
There have been numerous reports regarding incidents where heroes have entered combat against one another, a battle completely unrelated to the original mission they’d been assigned. E-Soul was one of these heroes, two separate incidents. The first being the ruins incident, which would remain a top story months after it had occurred, and then there was his involvement with Moon. He had to avoid exploring that train of thought any further, unless he wished to screw over the mission for all it was worth.
“Are we there yet?” Lin Ling muttered, no longer caring for the awkward silence that filled the space between them for what he could assume was well over a couple of hours.
Not so much as a word was spoken the moment they’d been assigned this mission, not that he really cared for conversation, but seeing as there was only one map that they’d share and E-Soul was the one with it in hand, there was only one way to confirm their current location. And that was assuming they were actually headed in the right direction and he wasn’t being led to the place of his imminent death.
The only response he received was the slow turn of his head. The only sight he was provided was an electric blue screen obscuring any sight of the man within the suit.
Lin Ling clicked his tongue, reluctantly moving until he was just a pace away from the other hero.
They stood at a corner, and just beyond the turn was the reflection of another light, an orange glow bouncing off of the wall and giving off a warm radiance. It was a stark contrast to the eerily dark and chilling cavern they’d been wandering through moments before.
The stark contrast of these two areas begged a couple of questions, yet the most prominent one on Lin Ling’s mind being; where were the occupants?
The location they were sent to investigate was said to be a place of refuge for villains that had escaped a prison where they were previously incarcerated. Yet, there were no voices, no proof of occupation except for the warm glow that waited ahead of them.
Lin Ling stepped forward, inspecting the scene for what little there was to see. Much to his surprise, the entire den was empty, save for the pit that was in the middle with freshly cut pieces of wood placed just beside it to feed the flames.
E-Soul followed suit, rounding the corner, and taking place beside him in silence.
“They’re not here…” Lin Ling murmured, allowing his gaze to wander over the cave’s walls. Unlike the cave’s floor, which remained bare with the exception of the fire pit that lay in the middle, the walls were coated in black lines that varied in direction. Despite each character’s lack of familiarity, there lie an understanding that they were intentional. With every step that followed, he analyzed the patterns to find a resemblance to anything he’s seen in the past.
During his time working in advertisement, Lin Ling considered himself a hero enthusiast and had watched many clips of the cases heroes were involved in. Or at least, those that were released to the public. There was one case he could recall, back in the days that weren’t long after Zero’s fall. There was a band of heroes turned villains while hero society was still recuperating. The idea of hero agencies was still foreign and considered disingenuous to their core as heroes, so they frequently battled with the agencies and were picked off one by one. It would almost be considered a success, but there were still a couple of villains that haven’t been accounted for. To this day, hero agencies still don’t know where they are. One of those villains manipulated ink to form unintelligible patterns that would work as both his offense and defense depending on what incantation was cast.
Could this really be his work? Or was it an imitation? The villains they were pursuing were just supposed to be some low level thugs, however after getting involved with some encounters that left law enforcement hospitalized, the agencies decided to assign heroes to their capture.
Lin Ling’s hand extended forward, reaching out towards the ink to check for anything else that might clue him in on its origin. Yet, before he could get any closer, a steel grip circled around his wrist and held it in place. The grip was akin to that of a steel trap. E-Soul had taken a step forward to prevent him from moving any closer.
“What is your deal?” Lin Ling hissed, sending an irked expression to the man next to him. There was never a moment he wished for anything more than the hero’s ability to speak. Gazing at that blue tint could only tell him so much, and that wasn’t considering the unspoken thoughts the other must have regarding him.
That plated hand never released his own, yet what did follow was an adamant shake of the head. That blue helmet remained pointed towards him, as if he was waiting for a sign that Lin Ling understood. And he did, just barely. There was something about these markings around the cave, and E-Soul seemed to have some idea of what they were looking at. It was too bad that he couldn’t explain it himself.
Hesitantly, Lin Ling retracted his hand back to his side and E-Soul’s own released it as he did so. The young hero took one last glance around the cavern before turning to face his companion, his face easing to a more neutral expression than it was seconds before.
“If there’s nothing else here, we should probably head back.” Fingers tapped against his hip, if not a tad impatient. “Unless you have some sort of tracking gear in that suit, if so I’m all ears.”
Silence would once again be the only response he was given, prompting another irritated huff to escape. If Lin Ling wasn’t so bothered by the silence, he would have stopped talking long ago, but there was a sense of comfort he felt in extra noise, even if it was his own voice. His lips parted, in the process of forming some quip to appease his grating nerves. However, his companion’s sudden jerk of the head stopped him from doing so, gesturing for the hero to follow.
Not even a second later he headed towards the wall at the opposite end of the cave, surveying the rocks that were barely taller than E-Soul himself. Blue gauntlets traced over the jagged surface, yet he was careful to avoid the black streaks coating the top.
The hero’s actions were soon obscured in the shadows of his figure. But from what Lin Ling could observe, after pressing one of the rocks, X knows how he knew which of the thousands to press, but eventually it resulted in the wall’s separation to reveal what was on the other side.
It all happened so quickly from there.
A black haze spilled out from behind the parting walls, causing E-Soul to leap back and take a defensive position. His hands were drawn to his chest, and fingertips brought life to bolts of electricity.
The black manifestation spilled onto the floor and slowly began to advance towards Lin Ling, who remained in place beside the fire pit. It crept forward faster than any fog he’s seen before, and the scene in front of him only caused his heart to lurch in his chest. Within what seemed to be that shadow’s grasp was whatever remained of E-Soul’s spark. He'd been so concentrated on the fog’s approach that he didn’t notice what happened to his comrade. His frame lay limp, supported only by the dark manifestation that crept closer to where Lin Ling stood. Even now, he didn’t know what he was looking at.
The sound of his beating heart rang ferociously in his ears, backing away towards the exit where they came. Yet, much to his dismay, the sentient shadow blocked his path and towered over him with a menacing glow. The sight drew a frantic cry from his lips, pure despair filling his body as he lunged forward against all common sense, with his fists guiding his actions.
He ran on pure adrenaline, punching relentlessly at the newmade wall, praying that one of his hits would cause it all to come tumbling down.
How fate loved to work in mysterious ways.
Unbeknownst to him, his fist headed straight for the black ink on the wall, breaking the streak it formed, followed by a crater created from the impact. His knuckles burned red, yet the foreign cry that creature released was enough to encourage him to continue. Repeatedly hitting that spot again and again, Lin Ling released yet another cry in hopes the blood pumping through him would fuel his escape.
The cavern shook with each impact, the cracks reaching out from beyond the radius of the crater and extending towards the far edges of the cave, yet Lin Ling couldn’t bring himself to stop. For better or for worse, he was willing to risk the chances of the cave falling in on itself over the risk of having to face this monstrosity any longer than he had to.
After some time, his is plan seemed to be paying off. Each crack weakened the shadow entity to the point it barely held a sliver of itself together, leaving both Lin Ling and E-Soul to handle the aftermath.
Once he determined it was safe enough to wander through the cave, Lin Ling stepped towards the exit. For a brief moment, he felt content leaving without the man he’d entered with. A part of him entertained the thought of leaving E-Soul in the cave, leaving him with the same despair that he was left with back on the island. Yet … that was exactly why he couldn’t do it. His foot paused mid-step, the conflict eating at him despite the situation becoming even more dire with every second that passed. That wasn’t the kind of hero he wanted to be.
Without much thought, Lin Ling knelt before E-Soul and slung his arm over his shoulders, dragging them both out of the main corridor. However, the stability of their surroundings reached their limit the moment he made his way back into the tunnels.
The falling rocks were quickly beginning to hinder his ability to get through, no matter how fast he ran.
“Crap …” A hiss escaped the moment a sharp rock tore at his suit, leaving behind an ugly red gash as he pushed forward. Yet, no matter his efforts, the more injuries he sustained, the slower his efforts became.
He fought past the pain, pushing his body to the limit no matter how it ached for it all to end. It didn’t take long until the combination of exhaustion and the growing weight of his shoulders brought the hero to his knees. A defeated gasp was thrust from his lungs, followed by the overwhelming urge to cry. Dying while in the act of trying to save the very man he hated?
Fate was cruel in its humor…Granting his wish, only to lead them to this hopeless situation.
Finally, he allowed his own walls to crumble. Letting out a sob, and another. And another … His shoulders shook with the weight of his impending doom crushing against him like the very cave that rained over him, tears streaking down his cheeks and leaving bloodstained eyes in their wake. Was this really how it was meant to end? Without bringing justice to Moon’s killer?
Another loud crack rang throughout the tunnel, signaling the rest of the walls to come crashing down. All chances of escape were effectively wiped from the equation, and Lin Ling felt himself give in for the second time.
Hands dropped the arm draped over his shoulders in exchange for wiping the tears dry. He couldn’t let it all end like this, but if that really was the case, why wouldn’t the tears stop like he wanted them to?
As the darkness surrounded him with the sharp edge of rocks digging into his flesh, a sudden weight had thrown itself over his frame. In the darkness, Lin Ling couldn’t see what it was, but the touch of cold metal against his cheek had given him enough information to work off of.
There was only one explanation.
It was E-Soul. But … Why?
The question weighed heavily on his consciousness as the walls continued their descent, his confusion, and mixed sense of gratitude jumbled together into one heaping mess. He didn’t know if it was the result of his exhaustion or if his brain decided it was a good time to play tricks on him, but as it all truly began to go dark he swore he could hear a voice. Low and steady, yet filled with an anguish unlike anything he’s heard before.
“I’m sorry.”