V.I.R.A.L

Gemini kneeled down, helping the last of the children bandage up before handing out rations. "Please hand these out equally and make them last. We don't have much left."

"Gemini."

Rising to her name, she turned, finding Harmony and Tempo returning from another supply run. "Ah, you two. Aren't I glad to see you two safe, any good news?"

"Bah, we hardly have anything to call news. The city is more or less picked clean. Those Titans haven't vanished in the slightest. Together with the others, we manage to pull down one, but it's going to take weeks, maybe months, to rid this city of them."

Gemini gave it some thought, frowning. "Time, we don't have. Damn it."

Harmony dropped a small bag of supplies looking at the camp. "I'm not sure how much longer we can keep everyone happy. We're running dangerously low; where are Emil and Jinx?"

"Still out there looking. Not like they'd do us much good…." Gemini spoke before pausing, feeling a sharp pain rip through her chest. Falling to her knees, she began panting with a horrified look on her face. "No…."

"Gemini! What's wrong? Speak, woman." Tempo ordered.

Holding her hand forward, she stared on, worried. "There's no way. Someone just took a Stage. The essence and force from it were sinister and driven by power…. We need to get everyone out of here."

"Are you serious? Are they attacking again?"

"Something worse. Someone stole one of the Stages' powers. Someone evil and sly. If we stick around here any longer, we might all perish."

Tempo rose to his feet, nodding. "You heard the woman, we're packing up! Take only what you need and get moving. We don't have long!"

Helped up by Harmony, Gemini turned to the city whispering. "Everyone…. Please be safe."

****

The dust had settled, leaving the forces of good crippled on the floor dazed. Eyes Over You Reality hovered above the others, a purple aura bleeding off him. His eyes, pure yellow, matched with a crazed smile. Zinnia stood up, horrified, shaking her hand. "This couldn't be any worse…."

Everyone stared at the Stage of Grief conflicted as Henry met their concern with a clap. "Well done, well done, all of you. If it wasn't for you, I'd never have gained this power. But this is a blessing in disguise. All my patience and losses have led me to this."

Riley clutched her hand, firing off an explosion knocking Henry back. "What happened doesn't matter! This only makes the ordeal easier for us; this is our chance before the bastard figures out how to use his new power. We take him down!"

Zinnia turned, still seeing Jehovah desperately crawling away, panting. "What about the girl?"

"Who cares about the girl. We'll be joining her if we don't deal with the threat in front of us." Jinx barked, clocking her guns. "Trusting this son of a bitch was a dumb idea from the start. Let's make up for those mistakes now, shall we?"

Emil stepped forward, creating an origami spitting. "You've beaten him once, Zinnia. We can do it again."

"This won't be like last time. Things have changed, Emil, old boy. Everything has changed!"

Lasers appeared all around Henry, glitching out more so than normal. Emil smirked at these illusions, not allowing himself to fall for them. Running at Henry, the lasers fired, grazing his legs. Tumbling to the floor, Emil rolled over, lying on his back, wincing. Burn marks were implanted on his leg, making him flinch. "There's no way…."

Spikes began appearing from the ground as Zinnia stepped back, fearing the worse. "Oh God, everyone! The illusions are real! Don't let them touch you!"

Rile flew up, avoiding the spikes barking in spite. "Just great! The harmless Jester is now a real danger." Riley was caught off guard, smashed back by a giant hammer launched through serval houses, avoiding serval more attacks.

"Riley!" Zinnia yelled, turning back to Henry. "Not good!" Blasting the area with lightning, each one dwindled slowly, leaving Henry with nothing but a scratch. "Shit!"

Emil jumped back, tackling Zinnia out of the way of serval gunshots from EOYR. "The stage is targeting us like moths to alight. What do we do, leader?"

Zinnia stared on, whispering. "I didn't think this…." She stopped noticing the girl was now in the line of sight of Henry. "Emil, the girl."

Emil noticed understanding the situation. "You just never know when to quit, do you?" He muttered, crashing to the ground scooping up Jehovah running away.

With that cue, Zinnia rose up, firing off bolts of lightning to blind Henry. "Everyone, we're getting out of here!"

Jinx rose, running after as Riley gritted her teeth, not pleased about running. Turning on the spot, she blasted away as Henry snorted. "You can't escape me!" Casting his illusion, the floor below the group gave way, causing them all to fall endlessly. Henry appeared beside them, laughing. "How does it feel to be so weak. To be unable to even raise a finger to me. That's how I felt; now, with the tables turned, I will make sure you feel every last moment of this."

Concentrating all her energy, Riley held everyone charging up before propelling everyone out of the hole back to safety. Crashing to the ground, everyone began coughing as Emil looked up, taking a deep breath. "We can't escape…. Not all of us anyway."

"Emil, what are you doing?" Zinnia called as he began approaching Henry alone. "Get back!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Zinnia…. I wish we would have more time to catch up. Team Rhapsody fell apart once you left. Nobody dared say it, but we all felt the same way. The world needs you to carry on Zinnia, I was always the one people forgot. The odd one out the streaming world didn't care about. That's fine, I never minded. But please, if anyone, please don't forget me, Zinnia. I'm leaving the family in your hand. Protect everyone; that's an order!" Emil screamed, squatting down into a battle position. Moving his hands around, he began whispering as the paper started floating around him. "I've made plenty of mistakes. But joining Team Rhapsody was never one of them. Henry! Ahhhhh!"

"What on earth is he doing? Screaming at me won't help anyone!"

Zinnia tried aiding Emil, only to be pinned back by Riley. "He gave you an order, did he not?! Don't let his sacrifice be in vain, you stupid girl!"

Jinx started on taking a deep breath. "Give them hell Emil Montague!"

Emil smirked, moving his arm around as the paper began joining together to form a giant origami of a whale. Letting out a howl, the whale crashed through the streets towards Henry with extreme power destroying everything in its path. Henry grunted, holding his hand up as spikes slashed Emil to pieces. Stumbling back bleeding, Emil gritted his teeth, baring the pain he kept pushing on, not letting Henry escape. "I may not have been the strongest or the smartest. I was never the popular one or the most heroic. I was never putting my life on the line at any given moment, thinking only of myself, but none of that matters anymore! If Alice, Alton or Percy was here, they would have stopped you, which I won't lie about. But you have me, Emil Montague, head of the Montagues and member of Team Rhapsody. As long as I breathe, I am your opponent. We aren't like the others streamers; we don't do this for fame or fortune. We might be the only person who wishes to save others, who cares! We are looking to bring back the age of heroes one step at a time. If that means giving my life to the cause, right here, right now! I'll do it no matter what, for there are people out there I wish to protect. Zinnia, Jinx, Alton, Alice…. They are my family, and you cannot have any of them, villain!"

Henry floated back as the whale crushed against the walls he created. "What the hell is this? How the hell did he get so strong?!"

"The will of a hero can never be broken. That's what true power is until you learn that you will always be weak!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! You're nothing more than a weakling who I'll crush under my fucking boot!" Henry screamed, creating a sword from thin air, each stabbing into Emil, forcing him onto his knees, bleeding out. Slouched over more attacks, he broke the boy until the whale turned back into an origami. "And that's how you'll die!"

Zinnia, being pulled away, stared at tears flooding as she screamed in pain. "Leave him alone! Emil is strong! Stronger than any of us, he stayed when others ran. He fought battles no one expected him to win. Time and time again, he stood against the odds for his friends. He fought Vanguard head-to-head when he had no reason to do so. He saved me from the trials when they crushed him time and time before! When everything felt hopeless and I ran from my problems, Emil stayed and kept fighting. He's the strongest one of us all because he keeps standing till the very end!"

Emil lowered his head, muttering softly to himself. "What a hopeless noob…. I'll be coming home real soon, father…. I only hope we can start again ever since that day you came and saved me. It's about time I returned the favour!" The origami blasted back, now even more substantial, throwing Henry off entirely as he was face to face with unmatched power. "I'll leave the rest to you all, Origami king, great whale!"

The area was devoured by the whale as Emil's last attack blew the area away. Emil shakenly rose to his feet with all he had left, turning to a fleeing Zinnia giving her one last smile and a wave. Coughing up blood, he fell over, holding himself up by his arms, hand still up. Panting, he slowly raised his head, eyes wide open to find Monty, Butch and his father standing with a proud look. "Everyone…. Did I do it? Am I finally a Montague?"

Monty shook his head, smiling. "It's us who should be asking that question."

"You were more of a Montague than any of us could ever be."

His father kneeled down, placing a hand on his shoulder with a proud nod. "You've done enough, Emil. You can rest now."

"It was never enough. I could have done more…. But it will have to do." Emil whispered before passing on for good a sense of accomplishment in his heart for the first time in a long time.

Having to stop to catch their breath, Zinnia stared at the ground, trembling. "I had to run again…. I let someone die to protect me again. Emil…. I'm so sorry."

"Save your tears. You'll be joining him soon enough." Eyes Over Your Reality demanded appeared behind them all. "You didn't think you'd get away so easily, now did you?"

"Shit, I thought we would have more time," Riley grunted, looking troubled.

Holding Jehovah, Zinnia stumbled back, whispering in fear. "No, no. I promised him. Emil, no. I can't let it end here; otherwise, his sacrifice would have all been for nothing!"

Laughing at her tears, Henry raised his hand. "I won't deny his power shocked me. He gained my respect, but no power is enough to come close to me! Now perish by my hands, Zinnia Trost!"

Thick walls blocked all escape off as spikes began hammering in as their ends were near. Zinnia stared on, breaking down whimpering. "No, not like this…." As hope faded for Zinnia, tiny traces of ice began to appear around Henry, matched with a long echo sounding similar to a whisper.

None of them was aware of it, but it had begun—the long whisper.