ic Cosmic Love

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The lightning bolt struck with enough force to rock Felix. It was rattling, lightning racing through his body, but he held on, at least for now. Felix was strong, but Micah was a force of nature.

 

"He's gone crazy!" Alice stayed close, right behind Felix, shielded from harm behind the young hero. "You have to stop him, Felix! You're the only one that's strong enough!"

 

There was something about the lightning, though. It was doing something to Alice. Of course, Felix wouldn't be likely to see the electric ripples running across her body, not while he was focused on Micah at least, but Micah would see it. Lightning coursing over her body. In between the ripples, he would see bright neon lights. In between the blink of an eye, fractions of seconds, but Micah could see it, at least.

[KnightDisciple]

Felix had gotten his arms around Micah's torso, and now held the weather-controller quite firmly. Micah's left arm was pinned against his side, and his right was at an awkward angle. He snarled into Felix's ear as he struggled.

 

"Didn't you see it? She changed! She's made of lights! It's all a show!"

 

His gaze shifted to Alice directly. His expression went from "restrained fury" to "eerie tranquility". 

 

"I know your weakness now."

 

A single finger pointed to the girl who definitely loved Felix for himself, and a tiny bolt of lightning arced out. Halfway between Micah and Alice, it forked again and again in a fractal pattern; by the time it would reach her and threaten to strike her it would be a web of gossamer strands of emerald energy crackling like the heart of a thunderstorm. 

[secondling]

Legatus

 

Felix frowned. "You're becoming incoherent, Micah. Calm down!" His voice was louder than he intended, practically a shout in the weather-controller's ears as he wrestled to push the other boy down without hurting him. Adrenaline sharpened his actions, but he fought to control himself - he didn't really want to hurt Micah, no matter how oddly he was behaving.

 

When Micah launched his next attack, XVIII began twisting, trying to disrupt Micah's aim. "Stop it! Are you insane? You're attacking people on campus grounds with no cause!"

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The web of lightning crashed down around Alice. She screamed, throwing her hands up around her head, crouching and doing her best to get out of the way! Just an innocent girl, caught in a cascade of lightning. Someone that had never done anything to hurt anyone, at least as far as Felix was concerned.

 

The aim was thrown off, ever so slightly. Where Micah's aim might have been careful, the lightning now struck all around Alice in chaotic patterns, until, finally, the lightning rained down over her and... she burst.

 

A brilliant glowing light shone from within, obscuring her features. To Micah, at least, Alice looked eerily familiar as she took a step back from the two struggling heroes. She seemed speechless, silent, unable to form the words she wanted to say.

[KnightDisciple]

Felix felt moisture on his cheek, right next to where Micah's head was as he gripped his fellow teen. It would likely take him a moment to realize that moisture was tears, not summoned rain. 

 

"She used me!"

 

The lightning fizzled out, and Micah's struggles slowed as his breath came in ragged gasps.

 

"She twisted my insides and tried to take something that wasn't hers, Felix. Used me! She's using YOU! Can't you see? She's....she's not a student! We have to stop her, Felix! She'll hurt someone else! Someone real!"

 

He gazed at the display of light and the indistinct yet achingly familiar form. When he spoke next his voice was desperate but his body was limp.

 

"Just turn around! I'll stop fighting, just turn around and look!"

[secondling]

Legatus

 

Felix frowned at Micah's words. "Be that as it may, you are attacking her! This is uncalled for!" At least until I can figure out what's happening. As Micah went limp, he carefully turned around to look at Alice once more, keeping himself in between the two just in case.

 

He tilted his head at what he saw, his eyes narrowing. Though this did corroborate Micah's story, he still was unwilling to make the final step in attacking her - many students at Claremont did have rather unusual abilities, after all.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

"Felix!" Alice called out, her form flickering. Parts of her appeared as the young woman that Felix had met not long ago. Other parts would shift to the woman that Micah had seen. And in between it all, shifting and turning, she was a woman of light and power, bright and blinding to the young heroes.

 

"Felix! He is hurting me! Look what he is doing to me!" 

 

She seemed like she was losing control, before all the shapes and forms merged into just one form: A woman that was somewhere between what Felix and Micah had seen, and yet glowing with a powerful inner light.

 

"You turned me away, Micah! I just wanted to make you happy! Felix, he hurt me! I want you to hurt him back!" Her voice was rising to a fury. Felix felt the push, the push to fight. But it was weaker, now. Maybe he could resist it, if he wanted to.

[KnightDisciple]

The sky outside had been a dark storm, with strong winds and continuous rumbles of thunder. As Micah went limp in Felix's arms, seemingly almost broken, the weather had slacked off. The wind died away, and quiet rains replaced it. Meanwhile, outside of basically the radius of the building housing the pool, the sky was, if not empty, at least fairly clear. It was likely highly apparent to students, and faculty, that something was going on in there. 

 

Micah himself flinched when "Alice" said she wanted to make him happy. His voice cracked as he retorted.

 

"Did you? What does that even mean? I don't think you know! Whatever you are, you don't understand what you're doing, and that makes it worse!"

[secondling]

Legatus

 

Felix sighed, relaxing somewhat as Micah did the same. Rubbing his face, he gently placed the weather-controller back on the ground before turning to look at Alice, his expression grave. "I think he's already hurt enough. I'm sorry for your pain, though." He extended a hand to her, palm up in a gesture of welcome. "Do you want to talk about what's happened?"

[RocketLord]

GM

 

"no"

 

Alice's voice was small. She was almost trembling, looking at Felix's hand.

 

"No. This is all wrong!"

 

She practically exploded into bright energy. If Micah had thought that Alice's powered form had looked a lot like Judy before, now they could have been the same. She was bright, glowing, powerful. Not the scared, sensitive girl that either Micah or Felix had met.

 

"This is not how the story is supposed to go! You were supposed to love me! You were supposed to protect me! You broke it! You broke the story!"

 

It was practically a tantrum by now, like a child not getting her way. Energy was starting to be thrown around her, flying wild.

 

"You were supposed to love me!"

[KnightDisciple]

Micah fell down when Felix relaxed his grip; the young man landed on his backside, and loosely propped himself up with his own arms. His breathing had started to slow down, and silent tears trickled down his face. 

 

Then Alice exploded in light. His head snapped up to stare at her, and his mouth fell open in shock. He stood up, aided by a burst of wind, and started to back away from her.

 

"Felix, I think maybe we should back away and get some help."

 

Micah glanced at the powerhouse teenager, hoping that his classmate, who seemed a bit more put-together right now, would heed Micah's caution. 

[secondling]

Legatus

Felix blinked as Alice vanished, his expression growing sorrowful. "I could have loved you, Alice." He said softly, almost inaudibly, before Micah's words bring him back to the present. "Uh. Yeah. It's a good idea, I think." 

 

He paused, looking at the being that Alice had become. "This could hurt."

Edited September 9, 2020 by secondling

[RocketLord]

GM

 

"You will NOT leave me!" 

 

It wasn't entirely clear just who Alice was talking to. Felix? Micah? Both? Her voice was skipping, changing, distorting. Energy cascaded from her form. Surely, someone at the school would react soon?

 

And yet, the two teens seemed all alone, facing down the energy being that seemed at once so strange, and yet familiar. Like someone they had both seen before.

 

"You WILL love me! I will not let you break the story, I..."

 

Alice trailed off. She barely looked human anymore. Bright, too bright. An impossible light in the sky. She made a sound, a pause that might sound like a breath being taken, without inhaling air.

 

"One day, you will love me."

 

Then, as abruptly as she had first appeared, she was gone. No flash, no explosion, nothing. Where the light that was Alice had stood moments before, there was simply nothing.

[KnightDisciple]

Micah had scrambled to his feet as Alice's glow increased, and his own powers began to manifest again. But then, she just...stopped. She seemed...not sad, but somehow defeated. And then she was just gone. Micah waited for several long moments before he spoke.

 

"I...I think she's gone, Felix."

 

He collapsed to his knees, the sparks of lightning that had surrounded snuffed out in moments. Where there was anger before, was now simply exhaustion, and fear, and sadness, among other things. Micah hugged himself, and Felix heard the trembling of barely-controlled sobs in his voice.

 

"She's gone. I fell for it. She's gone. She used me. She's gone. Gone. Gone."

 

Finally he looked up at the teenage paragon, tears streaking his face; Micah looked so very lost in this moment.

 

"I'm sorry, Felix. I'm so sorry. I should have...warned you, helped better. Instead we almost fought. I'm sorry."

[RocketLord]

GM

 

Alice was gone, and yet...

 

Their gaze lingered on this world. 

 

Things had not happened as they had wanted. The story had not been the one that they had wanted to tell.

 

They were not interested in stories of emotional turmoil, of anguish and pain.

 

No, they wanted something else. 

 

They wanted love stories.

 

And one way or another, they would find their stories.