The Legion: Heartson

Grace's breath came in short, uneven gasps as she knelt beside Kazuki's prone body. His face was pale, his chest rising and falling in shallow movements as blood continued to seep from the stump where his arm had been. 

Her hands trembled as she tightened her grip on the staff she still held, the wood worn and familiar against her fingers.

Her eyes drifted to Kazuki's face, then to the crimson pool beneath him.

Focus.

She closed her eyes, her breathing slowing as she forced herself to block out everything—the blood, the faint tremor in her hands, even the distant sounds of the battle raging on. 

Grace: Astral Awakening... Alpha Reversion.

The words left her lips, soft at first, then louder as the energy surged through her body. It moved like a tidal wave, rushing to her hands and into the staff, the force of it almost overwhelming.

Her staff began to glow, the light shifting and rippling as the wood morphed in her grasp. It shrank and expanded, cycling through various forms—sharp, blunt, curved—before finally settling into a small wooden knife that fit snugly in her palm.

Grace opened her eyes, staring at the blade. 

Without hesitation, she tore a piece of fabric from her shirt, her hands moving quickly despite their trembling. She fashioned a makeshift bandage and pressed it against Kazuki's arm, the fabric already staining red as she tied it tightly to stop the bleeding.

Her hands stilled for a moment, her breath catching as she looked down at him.

Grace: Why did you do that to him, sir?

Her voice cracked slightly, the question hanging in the air.

Kazuki didn't answer. His eyes stared straight ahead, unreadable and distant.

Grace: Don't ignore me.

Her voice was firmer this time, her hands clenching into fists. She shook her head, blinking back the sting in her eyes.

Grace: I know you can't lie to me. You never have been able to.

Gritting her teeth, she pressed the knife to Kazuki's arm—or what was left of it—and drove the blade into the open wound.

Kazuki's body tensed, his breath hitching as pain shot through him, but he didn't scream. He didn't even flinch. His eyes stayed locked on some distant point, his expression as stoic as ever.

Grace punctured the wound again. And again. Five deep cuts.

Kazuki gasped, his chest heaving, but still, he stayed silent.

Grace's voice wavered, her frustration spilling over.

Grace: Why would you sacrifice him like that? 

Kazuki's jaw tightened, his gaze finally shifting to her.

Kazuki: If the two of us died, no one would be left to take him down. You know that. It's better if we live now, so we can finish this. That's what I think.

Grace scowled, shaking her head as her grip on the knife faltered.

Grace: That's your justification? Sacrificing a kid just to live a little longer?!

Grace: He came back to protect us. And now we're using him like this?

Kazuki's silence was answer enough.

She raised the knife, her expression hardening as she turned it on herself.

Without hesitation, she stabbed the blade into her palm, the sharp sting radiating up her arm. Blood welled up immediately, dripping down her fingers as she drove the knife into her arm next. Five punctures on her palm. Five on her arm.

Her breath came in sharp gasps, her vision blurring slightly as the pain burned through her, but she didn't stop.

Grace: Astral Awakening, Beta Reversion.

Her voice was quieter this time, the words almost a whisper.

She turned her wounded arm over, letting the blood drip onto Kazuki's open wound. The crimson drops splattered against his skin, mingling with his own blood as Grace closed her eyes again.

The energy surged once more, this time slower but steadier. The flow of blood from Kazuki's wound began to slow, the gash sealing itself as the surrounding cuts and scratches on his body faded away.

Kazuki's breathing evened out. He blinked, his strength returning in a gradual wave as he sat up, his eyes meeting Grace's.

Kazuki: You know… I admire him.

Grace frowned, her hand still pressed against his wound.

Grace: Thomas?

Kazuki nodded, his expression softening slightly.

Kazuki: Coming back like that, to protect us. He's the kind of person who tries to save everyone. Someone with that kind of will, that kind of belief… it's admirable.

Grace's scowl deepened.

Grace: Then why—

Kazuki: But people like that don't live long lifes y'know. Not one's full of meaning anyway. People who take on extreme goals like trying to protect, people who stretch their hands out in order to grab stuff that's way beyond their reach, those are the people who end up suffering the most.

He looked away, his gaze distant once more.

Kazuki: There's nothing we can do for him now.

Kazuki: All we can do is see how far his hands can reach.

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75 seconds.

That was how much time had passed since Kazuki and Grace had left. The street around Thomas was unrecognizable now—a chaotic mess of rubble, dust, and destruction. 

Thomas stood hunched over, one hand clutching his side, the other gripping his sword tightly. Blood streamed down his face, trickling into his eyes and blurring his vision. 

He could feel it—his ribs were broken, at least a few of them. The left side of his body was a dead weight, his leg refusing to respond, and his arm, the one that still held his sword, was starting to go numb.

Damn it… stay up. Just stay up.

His face throbbed, hot and swollen, no doubt covered in cuts and bruises. There were other wounds, too—ones he couldn't see, ones he couldn't even feel yet. 

And still.

Still, he stood.

The man, no the animal's voice, cut through the haze, sharp and mocking.

Orion: Bug. The fuck ya still doin' standing around like this?

Thomas forced himself to look up. The massive figure loomed before him, more beast than man. Orion's hulking frame was illuminated by the faint glow of the fires surrounding them.

Orion: If ya wanna die so bad, just lie down and stick yer ass up or somethin'. Hell, toss that little toothpick down and beg me for it. 

Thomas didn't answer.

He tried to smile, but the pain made even that impossible.

Orion clicked his tongue, taking a step closer.

Orion: Tch. Look at ya. Barely standing, barely even breathin'. If this's yer idea of fightin', then you're really startin' to piss me off.

Orion: Yer makin' me feel bad, y'know that? Knockin' a little bug around like this… it's pathetic. Makes me look like a damn bully. If yer gonna die, at least make it interestin', huh?

Thomas gripped his sword tighter, his knuckles whitening. He wanted to respond, to spit back some snarky remark, but his body refused to cooperate.

80 seconds.

The number flickered in his mind. He shouldn't have been counting. He couldn't afford to shift his thoughts elsewhere. But still, the seconds lingered.

Just… hold on. A little longer.

Surely they would…

His thoughts barely had time to form before Orion moved.

The air shifted, a rush of force that sent a jolt through Thomas's battered body. He barely had a second to react. Orion lunged at him, closing the distance in an instant.

His sword came up reflexively, the angle awkward and desperate. He couldn't see Orion's strike—his movements were too fast, but Thomas guessed, positioning the blade where he thought the attack would land.

Metal clashed against metal, a screeching sound that sent shockwaves through his already trembling arms. The force of the impact was overwhelming, and even though his sword had intercepted the strike, it didn't stop the sheer power behind it.

Too strong—!

He was thrown backward, his body crashing into a car with a deafening clang. The dent in the vehicle was massive, the frame buckling under the force of the collision.

Thomas slumped against the crumpled metal, his chest heaving as he tried to push himself up.

Pain exploded in his spine.

It hurts. It hurts.

The thought repeated in his mind. His head lolled forward, blood dripping from his forehead onto his lap as his vision swam.

Orion didn't wait.

Before Thomas could catch his breath, Orion lunged forward, his massive hand reaching for him. Thomas barely registered the movement before a crushing grip closed around his leg.

No—

His thoughts were cut off as Orion lifted him effortlessly, swinging him and slamming him into the concrete.

The impact sent a shockwave of pain through his body, his vision blurring from the force. He was lucky—if he had landed on his head, that might have been the end. Instead, he hit the ground hard on his leg, a sickening snap echoing in his ears as the bone gave way.

Thomas bit down on a scream, his jaw clenched so tightly he thought his teeth might crack.

Stay awake. Stay awake!

He tumbled across the rubble-strewn ground, his body rolling like dead weight. His head spun, but he fought to stay conscious, dragging his battered form to a stop.

But Orion didn't let up.

Thomas had barely stilled when Orion was on him again, closing the distance with terrifying speed. A massive knee drove into Thomas's gut, the force of it lifting him off the ground and sending him soaring backward.

Thomas's back collided with the side of a building, the wall crumbling under the impact. He crumpled to the ground in a heap, his breath wheezing out in a broken gasp.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

His chest felt like it had caved in, his broken ribs screaming with every shallow breath.

Orion stepped closer, his shadow falling over Thomas.

Thomas's body refused to move.

He was done.

His left leg was useless, his arms trembling from sheer exhaustion. Even the sword in his hand felt like an impossible burden. He couldn't take another hit. Not from this monster.

This guy… he's not human.

His gaze flicked up to Orion, the massive figure moving with an ease that defied logic. His strength, his speed—it was beyond anything Thomas could comprehend.

The fuck is he?

His thoughts drifted back to Grace. To the way she had explained what an Astral really was.

Back then, it had seemed like nothing more than a neat trick—magic pulled from a storybook, some convenient power-up that made fights more interesting.

But staring at Orion now, Thomas realized how wrong he had been.

This wasn't a neat trick.

This wasn't magic.

An Astral elevated a person beyond the limits of humanity. It transformed the individual.

That's what he is.

Orion wasn't human.

Whatever his Astral had given him, it had turned him into a force of nature—something beyond the reach of anything Thomas could hope to overcome.

Thomas gritted his teeth, his bloodied face contorting as he forced himself to stand. His legs wobbled, the pain screaming at him to stay down, but he ignored it.

He had to keep standing.

He had to.

90 seconds.

Orion stopped, tilting his head as he looked down at Thomas with something between curiosity and disdain.

Orion: C'mon, c'mon. At least let me in on somethin'.

Thomas didn't answer, his breaths rasping as he tried to steady himself.

Orion: Why the hell did ya come here in the first place, huh? What're ya standin' here for? Takin' this sad-ass beatin' like a dumbass. I'd get it if ya had a reason.

He gestured vaguely, his massive hand slicing through the air.

Orion: If ya had some power, sure. If I killed yer parents or somethin', maybe. But ya don't even know me. Hell, for all I know ya barely know Kazuki or that little green-eyed brat. So what the fuck are ya killin' yerself for?

Thomas's lips twitched, his chest heaving as he struggled to breathe. The break was welcome, but his body wasn't recovering—it was shutting down.

He opened his mouth, blood trickling from his cracked lips as a grim smile spread across his face. His teeth, stained red, flashed towards the animal in front of him.

The question echoed in his mind.

Why? Why was he doing this?

Why was he suffering for people he barely knew?

The answer sat somewhere in the back of his mind, a thought he didn't want to confront.

Thomas shook his head, his voice hoarse and quiet.

Thomas: I… dunno, mate.

Orion's expression darkened, his scowl deepening.

Orion: Tch. Useless bug.

He lunged again, closing the distance in an instant. Thomas braced himself, raising his sword to intercept the attack.

He couldn't see Orion's movements—couldn't anticipate them—but he guessed. He swung his blade in the direction he thought the strike would land.

This is it.

He understood it completely.

He wouldn't survive another hit.

But he refused to fall.

His will—nothing more than sheer defiance—was the only thing keeping him on his feet.

He didn't think about the two who had left him. 

He didn't think about the pain consuming his body.

Endure.

He clenched his jaw, raising his sword one last time.

100 seconds.

A voice shattered the tension.

???: Suzaku!

The word rang out, reverberating through the rubble-strewn street.

Thomas's eyes widened as the ground shook violently beneath him. A figure descended from above, landing with an explosive impact that sent dust and debris flying in every direction.

Thomas raised a hand, shielding his face as the smoke began to clear. His vision blurred, the swirling dust obscuring everything for a moment.

When it settled, he froze.

Kazuki stood in the center of the battlefield, his lone arm gripping a katana that burned with brilliant vermillion flames. His expression was hard, determined, as his gaze locked onto Orion who's sword was tangled with his.

Behind him, a light, mocking voice rang out.

Grace: Sorry we're late! Damn traffic, huh?