1.8

Content warnings: violence typical of a fight scene, including a depiction of someone being burned to death; bodysharing (detail below; skip if you prefer surprises)

• One of the main characters breaks several bones.

• A nameless character is burned to death.

• It is implied that nine characters are co-inhabiting the same body at one point.

~.~

A flash of light.

It was a different color for everyone—for Lian, it was a brilliant gold; for Dani, a playful turquoise; and for Rae, a brilliant indigo. Juli was greeted by a fiery hot pink, and a faded lavender settled over Karyme like a coat on a winter day. Joshua was blanketed by a cool forest green. For Morgan, a vivid sky blue awaited—and for Peter, a familiar orange.

When the light cleared, the pain was gone, though the floor continued to crackle and spark with soul-stealing energy. The straps binding Juli, Dani, Joshua, and Peter had evaporated, chased away by the light. Ilia was still unconscious, and Minerva had disappeared, but everyone else was, by all accounts, fine.

The Necromancer’s eyes widened in anger and surprise. By all accounts, the mortals should have died as soon as they were hit with the soul stealing machinery, so why…?

In a fit of anger, The Necromancer rocketed forward on a burst of silver energy and slammed a glowing black fist into Peter’s face, knocking Peter back with enough force to launch him into the opposing wall. As Peter fell to the ground, half conscious, Dani quickly threw up a shield between The Necromancer and the rest of the group.

“Karyme!” Dani barked. “Look after Ilia! Rae, look after Peter!” Karyme ran over to Ilia, eyes glowing purple, and Rae stood protectively in front of Peter.

Morgan already had her pistol at the ready, and after a quick look at Dani, she fired three bullets through the shield. The Necromancer simply teleported out of the way of the gunfire. Before The Necromancer could fully get his bearings, Juli launched a blast of fire in his direction, and then watched in horror as the flames wrapped around the immortal in a vortex, as if he were sucking them in.

“I’m a being of energy, idiot,” The Necromancer snarked. “Fire is like food for me.”

Well, great, Juli mumbled. That makes me useless. I doubt knives work well on this guy.

Won’t know until we try, Joshua ground out. With inhuman speed, he darted through the shield, soaring as high into the air as he could, given the close quarters. Then, he divebombed The Necromancer with as much force as he could muster, leg outstretched in an attempt to kick the bastard in the face.

The Necromancer teleported out of the way again, and Joshua was forced to course correct to avoid smashing into the ground.

This is going nowhere fast, Dani muttered. Rae, can you read The Necromancer’s trajectory when he teleports?

I— Rae helped Peter to his feet. Yeah. I think I can.

Great. Dani turned to Morgan. Your gun’s not going to help here. What’s your power?

Morgan scowled. Why should I tell you? The Necromancer unleashed a silver laser blast that smashed into the shield with enough force to knock Dani backwards. She fell to her knees, clutching her head.

Stop being a selfish bitch, Joshua growled. And start talking. He dove at The Necromancer once again, and this time, The Necromancer grabbed Joshua’s foot, swung him around, and tossed him back at the shield. Joshua came flying through the barrier. Right as he was about to smash into the opposing wall, a strong wind wrapped around Joshua like a blanket, allowing him to land on his feet.

I can control weather, Morgan said finally, gritting her teeth. But for the record? That gust of wind wasn’t me.

No, Karyme agreed. It was Kai. Before Karyme could unpack that any further, The Necromancer waved his hand, and a barrage of silver crosses of light came flying towards the shield. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface as the attack connected. And then the next energy blast shattered one side of the shield and hit Morgan straight in the chest.

Morgan screamed as black and silver fire raced across her torso, scorching her clothes and the skin underneath. The pain was excruciating, as if the flames were eating away at her life force itself, and then Morgan hit the back wall, and there was a crack as something broke.

Dani was doing no better. As the shield shattered, a starburst of pain shot through Dani’s head, breaking her concentration. Dani tried to stand, tried to regenerate the shield from its remains—but she felt too drained.

And then suddenly, it felt as though someone else were standing behind her, holding her up, giving her strength. The temperature dropped a couple of degrees. Dani’s eyes widened in surprise, but she took it in stride, extending both hands again, and just like that, the shield was good as new.

Morgan’s got a bruised spine and a broken collarbone, Karyme cried. She ran over to help the other woman up, or at the very least, provide some first aid. Dani swallowed. That had been her fault.

She’ll live, Peter said calmly. As long as we get out of this in one piece, of course!

Not helping, Peter, Juli groaned.

Helping…? Oh! Peter was still a little wobbly on his feet, but the gears in his brain started to turn as he looked at Joshua. He materialized a metal baseball bat.

Hey, Pigeon Man! You used to play baseball, right? Joshua’s expression turned sour, but when Peter tossed him the bat, he caught it. He hated how well the bat fit in his hands, as if it were made for him.

All right, Rae said firmly. Dani, you seem to be the most experienced in group combat. What’s the plan?

Peter, launch the glass in your backpack at The Necromancer, Dani commanded. As she spoke, she regained some of her footing. Rae, tell us where The Necromancer’s going to land, and then Joshua, go in for a hit. Lian, follow up after Joshua. If that doesn’t work, Juli, you’re on back up.

Peter's eyes lit up, and with a flourish, he floated shards of glass out of his backpack, then flung them straight at the Necromancer's face. As soon as The Necromancer teleported, Joshua felt an electronic ping in his head, drawing him to a certain point in the room. He wasted no time, rising into the air on weirdly supportive air currents, then shooting straight towards The Necromancer like a deadly feathered bullet. His bat smashed into the surprised villain’s face with a satisfying crack. Joshua grinned.

As Joshua withdrew, a high-pitched screech that sounded suspiciously like Toad Sings Chandelier echoed through the air, slamming into The Necromancer and forcing him back. The sound seemed to knock him off balance long enough for Dani to fire a couple of rounds from her gun, and this time, the bullets ripped into The Necromancer’s torso.

"I see now why Haku chose a group like this,” The Necromancer noted. Blood dripped from the side of his mouth. “But it won't be enough." He brought his hands up, as if lifting an invisible bar, and two corpses sprang to life in an explosion of black flame.

The first was a lithe Asian American woman with a shaved head and a litany of piercings on one ear. The other was a White man with short, curly red hair. The man stepped behind The Necromancer, hands aglow with fuschia light, and was immediately protected by a shield of silver. The Necromancer’s wounds began to glow that same fuschia as well, and then, slowly, they began to heal.

What kind of immortal needs a healer? Juli muttered. Like, seriously? Regeneration powers weren’t enough?

Before anyone else could react, the woman extended a hand, and vines grew from the wall behind the group, wrapping around Joshua’s ankles. He tried to break free, but the vines simply grew tighter, the thorns cutting into his skin.

Juli ran over, hands alight, and tried to burn the vines away, but the vines just seemed to grow faster to cover up the spots Juli was able to burn. Juli cursed under their breath as the vines started to grow up Joshua’s legs, slowly but surely enveloping the lower half of his body.

Attack incoming! Karyme warned. Sure enough, The Necromancer launched three orbs of silver light at the shield in quick succession. The shield easily absorbed the hit, turning slightly turquoise at each point where an attack connected.

Lian, keep The Necromancer distracted, Dani said firmly. Rae, help Lian. Peter, knock Vine Girl over there off her balance so Juli can free Joshua.

Ma’am, yes ma’am, Peter responded, grinning. He focused for a second on Vine Girl’s body, then swept a hand to the side, and she fell over like a domino.

Meanwhile, Lian sent another wave of sound towards The Necromancer, this time to the tune of “shawty’s like a melody.” The Necromancer teleported out of the way of the first blast, but with Rae’s help, the second soundwave hit its mark.

“Why are you doing this?” The Necromancer snapped. “You’re helping people who used you! Blackmailed you! How stupid do you have to be?”

"Well,” Lian said with a frown. Their hearing was starting to fade the more they used their powers, but they still caught the tail end of The Necromancer’s question. “Even if the Ennead might have interfered with all of our lives, it's not as if it was their fault that we needed to hide and live in fear. That was completely on you."

The Necromancer snarled and released a wave of black and silver fire that disintegrated most of the computer consoles on his side of the room. Again, the shield glinted turquoise in the light as it absorbed the attack.

Joshua, on the other hand, still wasn’t free, and though Peter was happily tossing Vine Girl through the air, the vines remained firmly in place. Joshua’s wings were pinned to his back, now, and the vines were slowly creeping up his chest.

Come onnnn, Juli groaned, pouring more fire into their hands. It didn’t make a difference.

And then, Juli felt a sudden surge of power and confidence. It felt like they could rule the world. When their hands lit up this time, the flames were a raging hot pink. The pink flames raced hungrily along the vines, turning them to ash, and as Joshua extended his wings, he was finally able to break free.

Joshua, go for the healer! Karyme suggested. Until we take the healer out, it won’t matter what else we do.

Go time, Pigeon Man! Peter said happily. Joshua wordlessly flipped Peter off and took to the skies, hissing a little as the rush of cold air irritated his scraped skin. And there was that feeling again—like the air currents were moving to Joshua’s whim, helping him propel himself through the air. He hefted his bat over his shoulder, then slammed straight into the silver shield.

Hey, um, just so you know, guys, I can’t hear a thing, Lian warned, sending another wave of sound at the spot Rae indicated. I’m gonna be totally deaf for a bit.

Noted, Dani replied. She was too busy keeping up the shield to say much else.

Hey, Peter, Juli said with a grin. Can I switch with ya?

Sure, sure! Peter said easily. Have at it! He flung Vine Girl into a wall, and Juli rocketed through the shield, hands aflame, knife at the ready. Vine Girl didn’t even have time to recover before Juli lunged forward and stabbed her straight in the chest. Pink flames rushed outward from the spot where Juli’s knife made contact with flesh, devouring the corpse whole.

Juli was pretty sure that if Vine Girl hadn’t been a corpse, she would have been screaming.

At that moment, Joshua smashed through the shield. With a feral grin, he drew back, then whacked the healer with the bat hard enough to create a dent in his skull. The corpse hit the ground, eyes rolling back in its skull, and disintegrated in a burst of black and silver.

Peter turned towards The Necromancer with a grin. He was so ready to bean this bastard in the face, but with what? He rifled through his backpack, then settled on…

“Eat a brick!” Peter yelled, telekinetically flinging a brick at The Necromancer. The immortal didn’t even see the hit coming, despite Peter’s very obvious warning—maybe that had something to do with Lian’s sound-based attacks. The brick collided roughly with The Necromancer’s nose, and blood dripped down The Necromancer’s face. Peter’s grin widened.

"Immortal or not, a bloody nose is still a pain," Peter sang.

The Necromancer snarled. With a snap of his fingers, he nailed Peter in the chest with a cross of silver flame, launching Peter straight back into Juli. The two collided and skittered across the ground, coming to a stop just near the outside of the shield.

Joshua took that as his cue to attack, shooting up into the air with grace and speed. Dani fired a round from her gun to force The Necromancer to teleport. As soon as the immortal disappeared, Joshua felt that same ping in his head, and he dove towards the location, prepping to swing his bat. The metal weapon connected with the Necromancer’s knees with a sickening crack, knocking him to the ground.

Juli sat up with a groan. Their ears were ringing, and they could practically feel the bruises forming along their back, but that’s not where their attention was at the moment.

They looked at their hands, bending and straightening their fingers as they examined the strange pink flames. It was clear to Juli that this wasn’t his fire; it was something much more powerful, more volatile. Something about these flames would actually hurt The Necromancer—or at least, that was the feeling Juli got.

As Joshua knocked The Necromancer over, Juli lunged forward and plunged their flaming knife straight into The Necromancer’s chest. Flames burst outwards from the wound, and The Necromancer screamed in pain. As Juli pulled their knife out with a sickening squelch, the immortal’s form began to flicker black and silver.

A voice echoed from the doorway.

"Aw, what's wrong, Max? Are these mortals giving you trouble?"

Mateen smirked from xis position at the entrance to the room, clutching the doorframe for support. Blood streamed down the sides of his face, and his ribs ached as he took in a shuddering breath. He looked inches from death.

The Necromancer's form flickered even faster as he registered Mateen’s presence.

"YOU," the Necromancer spat. "You planned this. You fucking—" He tried to take a step forward, but his legs had already almost fully dissolved into swirls of silver and black flame.

"I won't forget this," the Necromancer shrieked, turning to the group of exhausted mortals. "I won't—none of you are safe! NONE OF YOU!" Mateen seemed unamused.

"Perish," xe said simply. And with a flick of xis wrist, xe sent a disc of red light straight at the Necromancer, cleaving the villain's dissolving form in two.

As soon as The Necromancer was taken care of, Mateen slid down the doorframe into a sitting position, still coughing. Lian ran over, panicking all the while.

Oh—oh god. Okay, just breathe. Um, um, are you going to be okay? they asked.

That's the thing about immortality—as long as I've got the will to live, I'll live, Mateen explained, leaning back so his head was resting on the doorframe. Sorry I didn't swing by earlier—Max had a second clone fighting me in the other room. S'how I got all these injuries. Though he was speaking telepathically, his voice still slurred as he reached the end of his sentence, and his eyes seemed to stay closed longer with every blink.

So that’s it? Juli said hopefully. The Necromancer is dead?

Oh, he'll be back in a month or so, Mateen said dryly. But hey, so will they. As Mateen said that, he made a beckoning gesture with one hand, and immediately eight orbs of colored light appeared, one emerging from the chest of each mortal. The lights circled around before returning to Mateen’s cupped hands.

What the hell? Rae blurted. Is that—

Yeah, Mateen interjected. They protected you. When the floor became a soul stealing weapon, they took that attack in your stead so you could keep fighting. Joshua had been leaning against one of the computer consoles, arms crossed, but at that, his grip on his arm tightened. He didn’t want to be protected—especially not by them.

Who cares! Let’s get the fuck out of here! Peter declared, clapping his hands together.

A-fucking-men, Rae grumbled.

Y-yeah. Just a minute, Mateen mumbled. He looked at the lights still cupped in his hands, then took a deep breath and allowed the lights to enter his chest. The effect was immediate—he snapped forward, hunched over in pain, one glowing hand clutching the doorframe so hard that he melted through the metal. Flames of a myriad of colors ran up his arms, wrapped around his torso, spread through his hair. When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing white.

Lian scuttled backwards, startled. Quick guys he's gonna explode—oh, he did not.

This just keeps getting more fucked up, Dani breathed, taking a step back. She chanced a look at Ilia. The immortal-to-be was still unconscious, her arms crossed over her torso as she slept.

Still glowing, Mateen stumbled to his feet and extended a hand in front of him, and with a tearing noise, a rift opened in the center of the room. Mateen smiled.

Well? the immortal said calmly. He looked almost ethereal in the light, and when he spoke, the undertones of eight other voices reverberated beneath.

Okay, that’s kinda cool, Peter murmured. Welp. Out we go! He jumped through the rift before Dani could stop him.

So, Mateen... what happens after this? Lian asked.

Mateen was quiet for a moment. Xe averted xis gaze.

Well, now that we're free, we'll handle the Necromancer when he comes back, xe said slowly, xis voice still echoing with eight others. Though... I doubt we can undo all the damage he's done in our absence. When Mateen looked back, his eyes were glowing orange. For now, though, I think we all deserve a good, long rest, no? After that, well... I promised you a reward, didn't I?

Glasses man! Lian exclaimed. Glad you seem to be alright... ish. Um... Lian looked around the room. Ilia was still unconscious in the corner. Karyme was helping Morgan stand, trying her best to support Morgan without jostling her broken collarbone. Dani and Rae both looked like they were fending off migraines. Juli’s face was covered in blood and grime, and they winced as they walked. Even Joshua was sagging forward with exhaustion.

Lian checked their watch. It was almost four in the morning. Rest suddenly sounded reasonable and totally advisable.

Yeah, kay. We can talk more after we rest, Lian decided.

Mateen nodded. I'll see you on the other side then. And, one by one, the mortals stepped through the rift. Mateen gently lifted Ilia into his arms, and with one last look around the room, he followed.

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