The Other Side: A Second Chance

The air crackled with energy, a faint hum ever present, a sensation alluding to the fact that even a single spark could ignite everything. The smell of ozone was heavy, like thick, nasty chlorine. I practically had to cover my nose as we stood at the base of this crystalline tower. The room was vast; the base of the structure was a large open space, and the walls were cluttered with some archaic computers, switches, and knobs. Wrapping around the giant crystal itself were stairways and scaffolding.

Aside from us, the room seemed barren. At least, a first. As Isa, Father, and I rushed into the room, our eyes glued to the gargantuan crystal, I could feel myself abuzz with an unknown sensation. My heart pounded heavily I turned to Isa, and as I did so, I spotted something on one of the many computers. A person, but not someone I would've expected. They were no scientist, engineers, or Rusivite soldiers.

Instead, it was a man in a black cloak with pale-ish blue skin. He was looking in my direction, and my eyes stopped on him briefly.

"There is no time for gawking, Luna," The man in black said to me, and that's when I realized.

"It's you!" I blurted it out loud.

Isa and Father, who at this point had moved slightly ahead of me, stopped and turned. "What is it?" Isa asked as she and Father raised their weapons.

"Right there, it's him, the one speaking to me!" I shouted and pointed at the man in black, who smirked and raised his head slightly, and through the shadow of his hood, I could faintly see the glowing pinpricks that were his eyes.

"I'm glad we can see each other again, but alas, we do not have the time. Do not mind me. I just prefer the view from here."

"Luna, there's nobody there," Isa said softly.

"It's probably the magrite," Father said with a huff. "The power is so immense here, I'm starting to get itchy. How do we shut this thing off?"
"What do you mean you don't see him?" I scoffed and sighed as I glared back towards the Master, yet he was gone.

Now's not the time to fuck with me. I thought.

"Apologies, that wasn't my intention; the amount of essence emenating from this chunk of magrite, I couldn't help but project myself to you." He said it with an actual chuckle.

"I don't know exactly how to shut it off," Isa admitted. " But if we look around here, we can surely find something." She glanced at me. "Luna, are you okay? Do you feel off?"

Well, I feel like my heart is going to explode in my chest, and I have goosebumps all over.

"That is because you're absorbing the power. This artificial place of power is like a siphon, and currently, you are feeding off it."

Can I stop it? Could I be taking too much?

"No to both."

Is it bad?

"Not inherently."

I looked up at Isa and shook my head. "I feel weird, but overall, I'm okay. I think I'm absorbing the energy of this place—"

A loud bang, followed by a light rumbling coming from the opposite end of the tower, grabbed our attention. Isa and Father turned and raised their rifles while I positioned myself near one of the consoles as cover.

A booming, almost robotic-sounding voice shouted from across the large tower in heavily accented Maurich.

"So, you are the intruders. Feline, knife ear, and child…" A hiss of steam was followed by mechanical whirring, then a heavy thump repeated over and over as the ground trembled and whoever was speaking approached. "Natalia failed in stopping you, I see."

An enormous figure emerged into the open space, silhouetted by the light emanating from the tower around its edge. My eyes widened as the light shone through the details, and I saw that this was no large being but a scarred Rusimian piloting some kind of mech.

What Wolfenstein bullshit is this? I gulped.

The bipedal mech stood about fifteen feet tall and looked to be made out of the same purple-ish metal as the other fighting machines. The mech carried an open chassis, and within it was an older Rusivite human wearing a heavily decorated black and red uniform and a large peaked cap. The machine he controlled was very basic in design. The limbs were thin, and I could see the exposed clockwork gears and pistons where visible steam shot from each joint as it moved. Behind it, mounted on its back, I could see the obvious power, which gleamed a similar light to that of the magrite pillar.

Yet despite the mech's meager appearance, what made it threatening were the intimidating twin-mounted machine guns on its shoulders and the massive machine it carried in one of its arms.

"Luna, stay in cover!" Isa shouted to me as the large machine stomped its way in front of Father and Isa as it now towered over them.

The high-ranking Rusivite had a twisted smile on his scarred face. He said, "You do not look like soldiers or mercenaries. Heroes?" He glanced over at me. "Even I wouldn't have expected the infected to stoop so low as to recruit a child—" Suddenly, Isa fired her rifle at the man, and in an act that left me in utter disbelief, the machine jerked violently and, in a blink of an eye, deflected the bullet with one of its massive, metallic arms.

"Oi! How rude!" the man said mockingly. "Little Kitty will need to be taught manners!"

"I'm sorry, but I have no respect for the likes of you!" Isa snarled as she began to rush towards the mech. "Slyran!"

"I'm on it!" Father shouted as he began to the left of the machine.

The Rusivite snarled and attempted to sway his guns in Isa's direction, yet my mentor lept into the air, throwing the Rusivite off. Isa landed on top of the massive machine gun, drew her pistol, and was about to shoot the man before suddenly the machine's left hand slammed into Isa and grasped her.

"Isa!" I screamed and stumbled out of cover as my father got behind the machine and began to fire shot after shot into its exposed reactor.

"Hey!" He shouted as he fired a few more rounds into the core, but it was useless. The energy bolts projected from the gun slammed into the mech pathetically. Isa squirmed helplessly in the Rusivite's grasp; she kicked and cursed before suddenly releasing a bloodcurdling scream as the mech squeezed her.

"Stop!" I cried out as Isa's screams made my blood run cold.

With Isa still in his grasp, the Rusivite and his machine turned to face me, his scarred face twisted into a psychotic grin. "Why should I stop, Little One?" He asked me Just as Father ran around to the front to shoot the man, the Rusivite expected this, and with his other arm, he swung back and bludgeoned my father with the massive machine gun, sending him flying back ten feet.

"Are these your parents? Loved ones? If so, it is silly that they brought you here~" He purred as he squeezed Isa harder, making her scream as the audible snaps of bones could be heard.

"Let her go, please!" I shouted as I stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" The Master hissed. "You're going to leave yourself exposed!"

Yet I didn't listen. I had to do something, try something, whatever; Isa was in trouble!

"Please?" The Rusivite's twisted smile grew even more wicked. "Since you asked nicely!" He pitched the mech's arm back, and my eyes widened.

'No!" I cried just as he threw Isa's battered body in my direction. Acting on instinct, I held my arms out and shouted. "Gust!" A burst of air shot forth from my hands and wrapped around Isa's body. The air swirled around her, catching her and slowing her descent as I placed her crushed body beside me.

Isa's eyes were wide and bloodshot, and her breathing was ragged. I tried not to look at the rest of her contorted form—her arms ruined, her legs twisted.

I need to heal her, but... My vision turned to the Rusivite, who was cackling. "I see, I see, you're a little wizard." He cooed as his machine took a massive step towards me.

I reached for my wand, and I quickly glanced towards my father, who was pushing himself to his knees, his head shaking as he looked to be in a dazed state.

So it's me. Just me against this psycho.

"You best surrender, Little One, for our leader has gifted us an arsenal to rival whatever magic you throw at us." He cackled. "You have no power here."

"Shut up!" I shouted as I swiftly pointed my wand toward him, its ruby tip igniting before firing a bolt of molten fire at him.

The mech's hand shot upwards, catching the molten flame, which burrowed and burned through its palm, damaging it. The Rusivite's eyes widened briefly before taking on a more sinister look. "You dare harm Her Majesty's equipment?" He asked as the twin machine guns zeroed in on me. "I guess a swift execution is in order."

"Move now!" The Master shouted.

"Gust!" I yelled as I blasted the ground with air, which rocketed me to the right just as the machine opened fire on my previous position.

"Oh hoo! You have moves!" The Rusivite cheered as the machine guns swiveled in my direction, their guns firing nonstop as the hypocrite's guns tore through the consoles and other machines. Sparks and debris flew everywhere behind me as I was just barely keeping ahead of the machine gun's turn speed.

"Gust!" I continued to shout every time I was about to lose momentum. I twisted my body and angled the gust slightly to my right as I tried to circle the mech.

Maybe if I can get behind the mech I can send an explosive spark into its core! I thought desperately as the guns abruptly ceased firing. I fired another gust of air behind me, propelling me up into the air, my gut lurching as I jumped behind the mech. My heart raced desperately as I got ready to use the hovering trick I had shown Anne. I wanted to be at eye level with the core.

Yet suddenly, the mech's torso screeched as it abruptly rotated. My eyes widened as before I knew it, flying towards me at high speeds was the right forearm, which slammed into my puny body like a freight train, and before I knew it, I was flying.

As I expected, unfortunately for you, this isn't the end.

Thankfully, I can take matters into my own hands.

 

---

 

Master

The little one's body soared through the air before slamming into the metal-plated floor with a sickening crunch and roll. The Rusivite commissar cackled as he watched the lifeless body roll still.

"Luna!" The injured elf screamed, his voice desperate, and choked with a sob. "Luna, get up! Luna!"

The commissar snorted and laughed, howling like a grogi during a dual full moon. The fact that the little girl made him have to get serious rather than the two adults was funny, but as expected, one little swat like a gnat out of the air, and she was down.

"Luna, for the love of the gods!" The man shouted, and the commissar frowned.

"Annoying." He muttered in his Empress's tongue. "Annoying, annoying, annoying!" He snarled, all of these infidels, these believers in the dark god. Pathetic.

Taking hold of the controls, he began to pilot his majesty's armor and turned to face the sniveling man, who was weakly crawling towards the corpse of the girl.

"Prescious to you, is she?" He asked in the voice of the disgusted. Simply using the language of those who don't believe is vomit-inducing, yet the commissar enjoyed toying with the non-believers, and very rarely does he help them see the light, but even then, they're always too gone to save.

"Fuck you!" The man spat and drew his sidearm, yet his hands shook so much that the commissar didn't even need to raise a hand to block the shots. The man fired three bullets, which plinked off of her majesty's armor before the gun clicked and he dropped it.

"Do not worry," The commissar purred as he took two massive steps towards the man, whom he now towered over. "Her will shall determine if you will see them again, and hopefully, in the next life. You'll see the truth of it all." He hoisted her majesty's massive foot over the man's head. "May she guide you down the right path—" The sound of coughing caught the commissar's attention, and his foot retracted.

Turning her majesty's frame, he saw what he thought was the corpse of the little girl shifting. A faint green glow enveloped her form, and the broken spine and legs began to mend and snap back into place.

In her majesty's tongue, he muttered, "By her beauty, what power does this one possess?"

"Lu-Luna!" The elf said it with relief. "Just run! Find your mother; get the others out!"

Her body was stiff. Battered, and broken. Amazingly, she was even alive. Her lower half was paralyzed, but with a simple bit of mending and restoring, he could easily fix this shell. The internal bleeding was a bit troublesome, if he didn't fix this soon she'd be dead in less than a minute, but thankfully the commissar was distracted. Till now.

Thankfully, his plans aren't entirely ruined. If Luna had died after that first smack, he was afraid he'd have to start back at square one, but, praise be, things are different this time. If it hadn't been for this artificial place of power, everything would've gone to the void, but now, here he was. Once again nestled into the flesh of a body on the material plane.

Luna is going to have to sit out on this one again. They hold great potential and power, but they don't know how to fight. Not like him. At least not how he used to. It's been a while since he's been in battle. Not since the incident.

Luna's body shifted and twisted, and she coughed heavily, vomiting blood and bile onto the ground. Her restored form painstakingly pushed itself to its knees. Pain. Something he hasn't felt in ages. It's been so long; it's kind of pleasant in a strange way. A sensation of truly being alive again, at least. A little bit.

"Luna run!" The man's voice called out to what he thought was his daughter.

Luna's eyes blinked, her once blue eyes now glowing like blue sapphires. She slowly turned her head, her sore body cracking a little as bits and pieces within continued to mend themselves.

That's right. The man over there—that's Luna's father. They were the ones who helped conceive this shell for her. Luna smirked. Beside the man was the machine, an interesting contraption that he couldn't help but be amused by. Enorans were always so crafty.

The commissar snarled and shouted, "By her Majesty's blessing, I'll send you into the void!" He then hoisted the massive projectile thrower he held in the machine's grasp, just as the turrets focused in on Luna's frame, and all at once, they opened fire.

Yet Luna's form didn't flinch; her eyes stared lifelessly at the commissar as hundreds of projectiles began to ricochet or explode upon impacting the invisible bubble that had suddenly shielded her. "Why won't you die?!" The man screamed as his guns continued their onslaught before, eventually, they ran dry.

Through the dust and debris caused by his weapons, Luna finally pushed herself to her feet. The one controlling her wobbled a little bit as he tried to remind himself of how to walk in such a tiny body. It wasn't the most comfortable; his original body was better, and levitation made things so much easier.

"Gah! To the hells with you, if I need to squash you like a bug, I will!" The commissar roared as the machine began to stomp its way towards Luna. Her blue, lifeless eyes flicked up towards the man.

"Waah!" The commissar's eyes widened, and suddenly, his body froze. He jerked back as her majesty's armor stumbled away from the little girl. "Wh-what the hells are you?" He stuttered having sensed something foul. Something about that gaze, those eyes—it didn't seem right.

"What I am is irrelevant," the little girl said in her Majesty's tongue.

His eyes widened in fear; this sensation, this coldness—it was the fear he was feeling. Something was gripping his heart, like a cold, calloused hand, and all he could feel was fear. This wasn't a little girl. This was them. The one Her Majesty taught them about.

Suddenly, the sound of a loud bell echoed throughout the room, and the commissar screamed as his hands shot to the sides of his head. The little girl slowly took a step towards him as the second gong of a bell rang and the man screamed once more as his hands dug into his skin.

The room dimmed with the third bell as Luna's body approached the mech. Slyran watched as his daughter got closer, his eyes tear-stricken and wide with shock and horror. His heart raced, and everything within him was screaming to run away from his daughter. With the sound of the bell, he too cried out as horrific flashes of images forced their way into his mind. Cyrus's death, his family, and his father.

"Stop! Stop! Make the visions stop" The commissar screamed. "I yield! I yield!" The fourth bell sounded, and Slyran cried like a young boy along with the commissar. "Father, please! Papa!" The man cried for help as the mech fell to its knees.

"Momma, momma!" Slyran squealed as his fingers clawed at the sides of his head. "Momma, get away from him!"

Luna held a hand toward her father. Her lifeless, glowing eyes narrowed on him, her hand twisted a little, her thumb coming to her middle finger, and she snapped them. Suddenly, Slyran's eyes widened before rolling into the back of his head as he fell unconscious.

She then turned her attention back to the commissar, who was sobbing uncontrollably. His fingernails dug into the flesh on his face around the base of his eyes, blood poured and gushed over his fingertips, and Luna began to whistle.

She whistled a soft, flowing tune under her breath as she held her right hand up towards him, she then snapped her fingers once more, and the fifth bell rang.

And the commissar screamed.

 

End of Part Two