Inequality

Chapter 9 – Reality Hurts

The army below panicked upon seeing Akari fly towards them at top speed, and she slaughtered the first line of defense without any hesitation. She had sliced through them and then she noticed it, their long-ranged attackers weren't aiming for her. She glanced back and flew backwards to that lone figure. They were aiming for Chen.

She expanded her wings, and deflected the arrows and then rushed back downwards towards them. They switched out for their close combat attire, daggers, swords, knuckles, anything that they believed would cause damage. But it was hopeless.

During her fight against them, she noticed it, the gathering of energy in the air. The Wielders in the back were charging up for this moment as they launched their magic.

They didn't care about their own comrades as Akari dodged the attacks. Their own comrades fell to their destructive abilities and she weaved in and out of the attacks, taking them down one by one.

Chen watched in awe as the camera relayed the entire scene back to the group in the hide out. This is the power of one of the elites, the legendary blood baths that had occurred, all of them were caused by Akari (or mostly by her). She stood in the middle of the army and looked around at the blood that had been spilled all over the grass.

It's beautiful, isn't it Master Akari.

Akari shook your head, and suddenly she heard it. That familiar buzzing noise. Akari glanced over and barely deflected it and her eyes widened at the familiar feeling that she had felt the moment she came in contact with the opponent. The opponent also winced at the feeling and they backed off, stumbling and almost losing their balance. They stood their momentarily, their entire body was coated with the same metal and she heard it, that shrill madness within her own mind. It had felt it as well.

How dare that piece of trash attempt to create me again. I am only one. We are only one. It hissed. Akari narrowed her eyes at that.. person. However, it's form was too deformed, too.. too ugly to be a human.

That's not human Master Akari... That is what happens when you try to give me a physical form. It's pointless. It's aggravating, and he should know better, I am only bounded to you.

She shook her head and was about to rush forward to defeat her opponent, only to see them blow up in front of her. Her wings had automatically shielded her from the explosion and as they unveiled the sight before her, Akari was surprised. The metallic liquid that had exploded from the... thing.. had clung to the grass, and that one strand of grass became a shard of metal, everything that it had touched became a shard of metal.

Akari gritted your teeth in disgust and she saw it, the sole survivor of the army. The one who had let loose that creation just now. The evil grin on their face was obvious and an evil cackle emitted from their lips and they stopped before taking off the visor that had covered their face.

Akari's eyes widened and she took a step backwards. Why is he here? Why did he come here? No.. why is he alive?

“You look displeased to see me, Akari-ah.” the man exclaimed loudly. The wind was beginning to pick up turbulence from her agitation and his own control and he said, “Do you think you can defeat my wind when it was I who gave that ability to you?”

She growled, “You didn't give it to me, your son did. You sacrificed him for the sake of 'science.' Science that turned me into this!”

The wind forcefully pushed him back and he stumbled backwards, before he cushioned his landing with his own wind. He laughed once more and his eyes glinted in the sunlight.

“You haven't changed at all during your time in prison. Still hot-tempered, idiotic and headstrong. And still attached as ever to those that had died from your own hands.. for the sake of your-”

“Shut up!” Akari shouted. The metal shards that had manifested shot towards him and pierced through his arm, slicing his left arm off and pierced his thigh. He coughed out blood and he glared at you and he said, “Your power increased... Master Clovis will be so glad to hear that.. He'll-”

Akari couldn't take it and immediately manifested an armory's worth of weapons and shot it towards him. Akari turned around as she heard the metal cut into the flesh and she glanced back momentarily and muttered, “I hope you burn and rot in Hell.”

Akari launched yourself into the air before creating a couple of fireballs and launched them down towards the corpses. I can't face the truth...

She looked away from the fire that over the bodies and after what she considered and thought was long enough, the clouds that had gathered in the heavens cried in her place. The tears that she was no longer capable of shedding, the heavens cried for her instead.

Everyone watched as the fire died down, revealing an empty patch of land, with the few strands of metallic grass created from that explosion.

From inside the room, the members were all taken aback, the audio was horrible, but it was enough for them to understand what was going on.

Kris gently glided over to her, only to see Akari put a hand up towards him and she said, “Please don't.”

He stopped and you continued, “I have.. so much to explain.”

She looked at him, and Akari laughed, her hands trembled and she said, “I still can't get over it. The feeling of blood.. the fact that it spills so easily, that lives are wasted so easily. No one's invincible, yet it's not fair for everyone too. We all start out on uneven playing fields.”

She looked at the camera and she said, “You know who you're dealing with now.. I'll give you another chance to think it over. Remember.. I am a monster. I don't hesitate when it comes to my life over theirs.”

“Akari..” Chen mumbled softly. Despite how strong she seemed, he could feel it even without telepathy, Akari was struggling to accept the truth. The reason why she had turned out to be the way she was.

Just as she looked down, Akari's eyes widened as someone flew right past her in an unstoppable speed, charging right into Kris. Akari took chase after and barely manage to stop them using the wind. The person held a knife to Kris' throat and their lips curved into a smirk and they asked, “Did you miss me noona?”

She froze, that voice, that familiar tone and that smirk. Why didn't it occur to her that this would be something he would join in on? The army was small to begin with! I should have seen this coming.

The boy chuckled and he drawled, “Aren't you glad to see me noona?”

The camera was still running, but the others couldn't see, they could only hear the conversation and Xiumin had already left the room to find the two of them. Luhan was relaying the information to him for the location as he left with Chen.

How could this have happened? How did Akari not notice?! Chen thought as he and Xiumin weaved through the alleys, trying to get to the closest gate as possible.

Akari gritted her teeth and she hissed, “Let him go.”

The boy tilted his head and he cutely responded, “But why noona? I've wanted to see you. I've missed having you around.”

“Let. Him. Go.”

“You don't even say my name anymore..” the boy sighed and he moved the blade just a bit closer to Kris' throat and he said, “This hyung... He's no better than us noona. And besides, I can fight... I won't hesitate to kill, I'm just like you noona, I'll under-”

“STOP IT V.” Akari shouted out. V stopped, and he frowned. Inside, he was in deep turmoil, if this didn't turn out the way he wanted to, he could either die at the hands of Clovis, or die at the hands of his favorite noona. V said, “Noona... you know my real name. Only you know it.”

Akari shook her head slowly and she said, “I can't.”

“Why..? Because you're on the other side now?!” V called out. Akari looked away, and V was hurt, he too avoided looking at her and closed his eyes. Noona never denied me that... Why noona? What have they done to you? Noona... I just want to be with you again... Why? He held back the tears that threatened to fall and he clenched his fists. He looked up and stared at her.

He pleaded, “Please noona.. Just say my name. Just say it. Akari-”

But his sentence fell on death ears as she rushed forward and took Kris' hand. The moment she grabbed his hand she teleported to a distance a little away from him.

V looked at his favorite noona, and the expression on his face was clear. He felt betrayed. He couldn't believe it. His shoulders shook as he looked down and he shouted, “I thought you said you'd help all of us get out of there! That you'd help us all be free! We believed in you noona!”

Akari looked away from him. V took in a deep breath and he shouted, “I don't want to go back. I don't! None of us do. There's only L hyung and N hyung left. Out of the three teams we were assigned to, we're the only ones left.”

Akari felt a piece of her heart shatter into a million pieces and she repeated dumbly, “You guys are the only ones left too..?”

V nodded slowly, his brown hair shone in the sunlight and he said, “Noona... don't make me go back. I only accepted this mission in order to escape. I had faith in you.. I-”

V paused, as he felt himself choke up. The tears spilled and rolled down his cheek and he looked up at her and mumbled, “I wanted you to save me.”

Immediately, Akari let go of Kris and flew over to him, immediately wrapping her arms around the younger boy. V hugged her back tightly and she felt his tears and he sobbed, “The hyungs are all gone.. there's only us left. Noona please, either take me with you.. or let me die by your hands.”

Akari froze and V noticed it. Kris grumbled, “We can't trust him.”

Akari shoulders trembled. How can he say that?! He... V had risked so much to even be here. And only we know how much he suffered in order to be allowed on a vision like this. Akari glared at Kris and she exclaimed, “You don't even know me. What makes you think you can trust me any more than you can trust V!?”

Akari voice raised near the end and Kris mumbled, “... How much do you trust him?”

“I know his real name,” Akari muttered. I gave it to him. Immediately Kris understood, the reason being: their names were important to them. They were just experiments.. they didn't have an idea of a name or origin until they gave each other a name.

“I gave V his name,” Akari confessed. Her embrace on the younger male tightened and V mumbled, “Noona..”

“Please Kris,” Akari mumbled softly, “Let him stay.”

Kris frowned and he hesitantly nodded.

“Hyung!” Xiumin cried out. Kris looked down and Akari gently let go of V and she noticed Chen. For some reason she felt guilty for something and Chen looked at her and V and he said, “You do have a lot to explain.”

A/N: As I was editing this chapter, I realized I mixed up Chen's and Kris' name, BUT NO ONE TOLD ME ANYTHING! T___T I felt like a complete failure. OTL.