Wrath Reincarnated

JULES

A beam of energy behind Jules lit up the twilight. He spun around, and off in the distance Katarina collapsed before Lust. Jules grabbed Rukia by the nape.

"Julesie, we should take—"

«« Quick Step »» [Jules]

"—his Vessel!" It was too late to listen to Rukia and go back now as they sped across the battlefield, past Cyrus and Jafar, and slid in the sand to a halt between Katarina and Seraphina.

«« Ah, welcome, Wrath. »» [The Iron Maiden]

Dozens of voices echoed out of her mouth, and it brought Jules back to his bout with Ragnar in Marina Veridia.

"You again." She's fighting The Nomad and Kat at the same time? I need to turn Sera and Greed if we're going to stand a chance against her. "You OK, Kat?"

Glistening light reflected off Katarina's wounds behind him, instead of the old bubbling green acid. "She used the Black Sac on her, Jules."

"I can see that," Jules said. "Doesn't answer my question."

«« It matters not. She will die soon enough. »» [The Iron Maiden]

"But can you see her Seal?" Katarina asked. No? Oh—I get it.

"Might need some help there. Discreetly."

Katarina slid backward in the sand to make what little distance she could manage. "Afraid you're helpless in that department—but discreet is right." Got it. Kaizen said it would be in an enticing spot. So which one…? "Afraid I've gotta sit this one out. The only one's left are you and her."

OK—Left what? Ass cheek? Boob!? Left what!?

«« Enough stalling, Wrath. I'll consume you next. »» [The Iron Maiden]

Jules spun around to face Katarina. Her gaze was downcast and to the side, and she hugged one of her upper arms tightly. "You better win, Jules. Don't be a pussy."

"Oh sweet fucking Salvos—"

Through Seraphina, The Iron Maiden launched at Jules and tackled him to the ground. Her two real arms pinned him down, and the third crushed his throat and choked him. Jules wrenched his knees up to his chest between them, then wriggled his feet up to her navel and reverse-squatted her off of him. I really, really hope there's another way.

"Lust—Sera!" Jules shouted. "Wake up in there and resist. Now's the time to fight, to lay it all out on the line!" Three arms and two legs punched and kicked him, grabbed him and threw him off balance, and tried to loosen his grip on the Sound of Fury.

«« It's because of Wrath that I found you, dear Lust. If he had never arrived, you and your family would still be living in peace. »» [The Iron Maiden]

"Get out of her mind!" How else can I end this?

Heya Julesie, remember training at the Fountain in Aquilantis?

RUKIA YOU'RE A GENIUS—NOW GO HELP OUT KAT.

Jules shifted to the side and flung Seraphina into the sand. Glad Kat got you weak for me. "Sorry, Sera. Time to hard reset—"

I wouldn't do that, kiddo.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Jules hesitated swinging the Sound down to lop off her head, and Seraphina rose to feet. Nice of you to join us again.

Hey, you blocked me out! But Lust could really die while under the Black Sacrament—that's Death's tool, after all. Ya know, if Wrath's to be trusted…

And why the fuck would he be trusted? Jules wondered to himself only. The Iron Maiden summoned a weapon in each of Seraphina's hands. A massive battle ax in the third arm, and two katanas in the others. Fine, then I have to remove the Black Sac like I did with Zeke. I hope I can use my Seal more than once in a row… Jules removed the tsuba from the Sound of Fury and held it in his off hand, and the other half of the Vessel reverted back into a wooden sword.

It'd be easier with me in there—

« Integrate » [Jules]

Jules crammed part of his own fragmented soul back into the Sound of Fury, and green flames danced around it. Well that's new. He deflected the battle ax away, blocked her first katana, and then grabbed her final arm to stop her from slashing his throat. They struggled against it other, and Jules almost lost his grip on her arm with the tsuba awkwardly caught between them. With two arms locked up each, the battle ax raised into the air and swung down. Jules released his grip on her arm, ducked down below, and only the ax's hilt crashed into his spine.

"I am so sorry, Sera…" Face level with her crotch, he slammed the tsuba up into it.

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« Wrath »

Jules' eyes flooded entirely black. Sparks ignited between them, and all of the anger, resentment, hatred, shame, and guilt fled Seraphina's body into his own mind. Small embers of black flames crackled and popped around Jules' eyes and other parts of his body. He fell to one knee as he tried to consume it all, to contain it, and then fell to the other. His right hand dropped the wooden sword, but he kept his left arm and the tsuba in place at all costs, against his own shame and embarrassment.

TWANG!

One thread snapped.

TWANG!

And another—TWANG! TWANG! TWANG TWANG TWANG!

All the threads released their holds on Seraphina, and she collapsed to her back in the sand. Through the pain and struggle he still endured to temper all that fury, Jules thanked Salvos that this part was finished. He grabbed the tsuba in both hands and flushed all that rage into his Vessel piece. It turned from its silvery sheen to a mixture of rust and black, and Jules finally let his body lay flat, facedown in the swirling sand.

Steam rose from the tsuba and charred even the sand around it. Jules took in a deep breath. I really, really hope that Kat didn't see—

A bloodcurdling shriek from Seraphina got Jules immediately to his hands and knees, and he army crawled to her. She writhed side-to-side in the sand and gripped her temples with each hand, but thankfully the third gray hand disintegrated to dust, and the arm along with it. Jules lightly grabbed her forearm.

"Hey, Sera. Sera—It's OK. It's me, Jules. We got you. We finally got you."

She kicked him away and all but pulled her hair out. Jules watched her filed teeth recede and flatten out, and hoped the color had returned to her eyes. Her clawed nails scratched gashes into her skin, but those too trailed away as she reverted to her older self. This agony… What do I do? Kaizen? Rukia?

A black raven fluttered over top of Seraphina and landed on her chest. It softly cawed, then spoke in a low-pitched voice.

"Sera." It hopped closer to her face. "Wake up now, child."

"Raven?" Seraphina whispered; she didn't open her eyes, but she at least stopped writhing. "Is… Is that you? Why are you talking… You shouldn't speak… The Binding Vow…"

"We have just crossed the border to Obsidia, so I am free to do as I please. Do you remember how you got here, Sera?"

The border? So that means if the Nomads keep pushing forward, then they'll be attacking enemy land… Oh no. She's good—She planned it all out.

"Raven," Jules said. "I know this is a lot to ask, but… Is there any way she's fit to fight?"

Raven snapped his head around and glared at Jules, then tilted his head sideways. "I will forgive you poor timing, Wrath. I've seen what lengths you've gone to save Sera. She will have to answer that question for you, but only after a few others." The Familiar returned his attention to his master. "What do you remember?"

"Jules, is that you…? I remember Sylvan…Hollow. The Spider—he's a Virtue, I think. And—" Her head and torso darted up. "Greed!!"

"Ah, so that's where he went," Jules said absently. "Sera, my friend is fighting Greed now, and he's losing. Do you know if he has any weaknesses?"

Seraphina locked eyes with him for a second, and Jules felt extremely awkward and clammed up, after what had just happened. "He's a hypocritical pig, but in his own twisted way, he's serving the Nomadic Clans to the best of his abilities. You can use that against him. But his Regeneration, it's too fast, Jules. He can't die, not even like us—"

"That's OK, Sera. I have a solution for that." And neither he nor I are going to like it. "Anything else? The Maiden?"

Seraphina hugged herself like she was freezing. Her face dropped, and she looked hopeless. "She's ice cold, to the core. I don't think… Anyone can defeat Her. Not even The Spider, who annihilated the Desert Mouse—" Her face turned to one of pure disgust.

"Look, I've gotta go. Raven, get Sera to Kat—and Sera, she's really not going to want to help you, but tell her I need you both ready to fight after I turn Greed to our side."

"You can't mean…"

"All five of us need to come to The Nomad's aid. The Iron Maiden falls tonight, or we do. There are no other outcomes."

"What about The Spider?"

Jules stood up and left her behind with her Familiar. "I've already removed him from the playing field."

"Now—All I want to know is one simple thing: Where is Kazuma?" A weaponless Greed held Cyrus by the shirt collar and knelt over him.

Ah. Let's dig into that, first. "Do you honestly care?" Jules asked.

Greed blinked once, then slowly turned his head to face Jules with a snarl. He shoved Cyrus back into the sand and rose to face his next opponent. "And here I was, so close to unraveling it all."

"Shit, really Jules?" Cyrus asked from his back. "I had him right where I wanted him."

"We've told you a dozen times," Jules ignored his friend, "we are not Elementalists. And from my perspective," Jules gazed and motioned around to raging war, "you're the one who's cozied up to them."

"A means to an ultimate end." Greed reached a hand out to his side, and Tensa flew straight to it. Hm, he really did take control. Add that to the list of things to reverse.

"So rules for thee, but not for me. Lust was right, you are a hypocrite." Good, he flinched. There's no way he's such a heartless bastard that he wouldn't empathize with her torture. Not at the hands of The Maiden Herself. "You're growing quite the reputation for betraying your own kind—"

"Watch it, Wrath. I heard tale that you killed your entire family—"

"I did. I made a deal with Wrath that I didn't fully understand. The true Wrath, a concept that I'm not sure you can fully understand."

Greed reached out his other arm, and the scimitar returned to him. "Shall we?"

"First you betrayed your kind, teaming up with Patience to capture Lust. Then—"

"I didn't know who she was when I hunted her."

"I don't care. You knew who she was in Sylvan Hollow." That's right, balk, you bastard. "Then you betrayed your people when you brought Her here to kill them."

"I brought Her here to him. He's the only one I know who can kill The Bitch."

Jules gestured to himself proudly. "Well now you know two. So that's it, you're working with your former torturer just so you can wait to kill Her? Without lifting even one finger?" Greed tried to interject, but Jules ran his words over. "Then why hasn't She taken you prisoner again, if you're not working for Her?"

Greed contorted his face. Green eyes grew narrow, his lips thin. He stabbed both swords into the sand, then took off his black, fingerless glove. On the outside of his left palm rested the numeral 3 inside of his Seal. He shoved the glove back on. "The first Vessel I ever got. Not even Her Third Eye can penetrate it."

Wow, I really wish I had something like that. Ironic that Greed has me feeling envy, isn't it, Ruke?

Hey, where's his Familiar, Julesie?

Hm. Great question, Rukia. Great question.

Really? Ya mean it!?

Oh, yes. Yes I do.

"One more question, if you don't mind," Jules said. Greed waved a hand through the air in approval. "I had a mentor once. He knows yours, actually. Intimately. But he told me the stories about the Terror and the Tragedy. The true stories. What I always found most interesting, and as a fellow Sin I found very little of it enticing in any way, was the one key difference between you and Sloth. Do you want to know what it is?"

"Pah." Greed spat to the side, near Cyrus. "Is that your question?"

"Sloth's Familiar came and saved him immediately." Yeah. Let that sink in. "Well, certainly not immediately, but as fast as he could move. You know, sloths and all." Jules clicked his tongue and looked to the side. Let's drive this in. Hard. "But for five years… Yours never came for you? Not even one attempt?"

Greed removed his swords from the sand. Good, you're pissed.

"Could it be because, deep down, she knows that—one day, not so far off—you'd betray her, too, just like all of us?"

"Wrath." Greed stormed toward him. "You really shouldn't have dragged her into this."