V.I.R.A.L

"Drown in the possible horrid future forever, Alton Brantley."

Leaping back, avoiding an array of attacks, Alton pushed back further from his team, who were holding nothing back. Almost falling off the wall, he managed to save himself struggling. He hadn't liked the last time he chose to fight back, conflicted and torn between his ambitions. No matter what he tried, he knew deep down he couldn't bring himself to kill or even hurt any of his dear friends. But unlike last time, there wouldn't be anyone to save him; he was entirely on his own.

Sam burst through, striking Alton; forced on the defensive, he blocked the blast of fire and ash burning his arms. Pushed back further to the end of the wall, he fell to one knee, panting, freezing his arms to stop the pain of the burns. Taking serval deep breaths, Alton held his hand up, begging to stop. "Why? Why do you attack me with no remorse? With no second thought or guilt. We were…. We are friends! Comrades in arms who have been through hell and back, what is the meaning of this?!"

A stray arrow pierced his shoulder, causing Alton to slump down more, coughing. Alice teleported in front of him, holding him down with her foot holding the bow to his head. "Enough of your lies and tricks! We won't let ourselves be seduced and swept off our feet by your twisted desires. I trusted you. We all did…. Iris trusted you right before you took her very life."

Alton's eyes widened as he shook his head. "I would never…. Never! All I wanted to do was protect you all! How hard is that to see?!"

Zinnia stabbed her katana into the ground, grazing Alton's cheek as tiny sparks of lightning striking down the cut. "I wanted to trust those words so badly, Alton; I'd be the last person to accomplish this. I was always on your side…. But this, what you plan to do. It's barbaric worse than the Garden itself."

Pushed against the end of the wall, Alton didn't fight back; he didn't even try to move. Letting the course occur, tears running down his face, he broke down and with that moment, he fell into the endless deep.

Drowning in the abyss of the Garden, he slowly fell without any way out. His end foreshadowed and inescapable now. Feeling his body grow heavy, his eyes lids shut from the pressure he felt the air leave his body, the bubbles drifting upwards. From within the darkness, a voice beckoned to him endlessly. "Alton, Alton." Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Ten standing opposite to him, both falling into despair. "It's time. You know what needs to be done."

Alton stared blankly at him, not responding to water pouring from his mouth as he croaked out a single word. "No…."

"Is that all you can cough up? I warned you this would happen. You are strong, I'll commend that, but you do not hold the courage to do the right thing. You wish to protect your friends no matter the cost. I can do that; the Garden is playing tricks on you. It's trying to tear you apart, stop me from helping. Don't let it, Alton; fight it. Let me in, and I'll make sure no one is hurt ever again."

"No…."

"So be it. But you know what happens if you don't. You've seen it. Alice, Zinnia, Emil, Sam. All of them will die, and it will be your fault. You could have stopped it; I could have stopped it. The world doesn't need Alton Brantley anymore. It needs Ten."

"I don't want to go…. You'll take over, and it would be like I never existed. I want to live and die like me." Alton whimpered, losing touch with his senses fading.

"I'm afraid you won't get that chance. These heroic natures and dreams have got you nowhere and now. Your friends have paid the price. How many more do you wish to send to an early grave to keep hold of pointless beliefs." Ten boomed, placing his fist on Alton's chest. "Give up on these childish fantasies and die. I'll make things right."

Alton stared down, whispering to himself, unable to think straight. "I…. I tried my best. I did my best right?"

"No one expected anything more. You surprised us all, but your borrowed time is over."

Alton bit his lip until it bled, tearing up. "I know. I think I've known for a long time now I just never wanted to accept it. I only wished to see them one more time. To be there with them till the end…. But my life was never my own, was it? Time to wake up. Do it…. I beg of you. Save them. Save them all!"

The two's paths began to change as Alton continued to drown into the deep while Ten switched paths ascending into the light. A smile crept over Ten as he looked up, muttering. "Finally, all according to plan. You've fought a good fight, Alton, for that you can rest. I'll deal with the rest, don't you worry. Your Guardian Angel will make everything right. No one else will have to suffer."

****

Alton's head was pressed against the edge as Zinnia went to end the madness. Alton's eyes snapped open, his pupils drowning into pure white with a tinge of yellow. Shooting up, he gripped Zinnia around the neck, strangling her with all his might. Everyone darted back, startled by Alton's sudden movement. Staring directly at Zinnia, watching her fight for her life, he grinned, shaking his head. "Even when given a chance, you couldn't go through with it. Pathetic."

Zinnia eventually stopped moving as Alton threw her aside as Alice stepped back, horrified. "Zinnia! No! Alton, you bastard!"

As Alice roared forward towards Alton, she was stopped falling to her knees. Looking down, she found her legs frozen. Unable to move, Alton marched up to her, showing little pity. "There is no Alton. Only Ten." Crushing his foot down, Alice's legs shattered, causing an ear-piercing scream. Emil and Sam both went in attacking simultaneously. He turned his back towards them before two sharp icicles pierced from the ground, stabbing both heroes killing them instantly. Alton stared on at the city below with a stern prowess to himself. Wiping a stray tear from his eye, he dropped his hand, taunting his other-self. "That's the courage I was talking about. But of course, you never had it in you to do the deed even until the very end. Sometimes the only way to save someone is to kill them. That's the circle of destruction!" The world began to fall apart as Alton closed his eyes with another cold laugh. "It's finally time."

As the world vanished, Alton found himself back where it started. Outside the portal where they all once stood. Acceptance lying on the floor almost but not quite dead. An aerating purple bud stood in his bloody palm. The bud of Acceptance. Staring at it blankly, he was left in awe at the pure power it would bestow him. Before he had the chance to take it, Acceptance held his leg, whispering. "Please…. Don't do this."

Alton looked down at Acceptance with a blank stare. Holding his hand up, Acceptance was lifted, stabbed through the chest, sobbing. "Would you have done the same? Where was your mercy when you kidnapped Zinnia? Enslaved Iris when you killed Monty. If you were never going to share any mercy with me, then I have every right to return the favour."

Swinging his arm, Acceptance's head was cleaved clean off as the former stage Archie was dead. Dropping the man to the floor, Alton held the bud up high, letting the moment linger as, after nearly 1000 years, his dream was coming true. As he went to accept his stage, another voice screamed out his name. Cranking his head slowly, he saw Sam panting, struggling to stand. "Alton…. Don't do this. You don't have to do this."

Alton turned to his friend, not saying a word as he let the bud drown into his body. Snapping back, Alton felt a burst of energy flood his body as he fell to his knees, laughing to himself. "This is it. This is what I was looking for! The power to put an end to this pointless war. First was Fairy-Tale, now the Garden. I can finally have my revenge!"

"Alton…. What have you done?"

"Sam. You need not fear; I've done this for us. For you, all of this is to save you all." Alton boasted, raising an eyebrow. "You don't see it that way? Why?"

"You're not Alton."

Alton smirked at these arms in his pockets. "So even you noticed this that early on. Alton was weak; he allowed me to take over to do the right thing. You may address me as Ten. What are you doing?"

Sam getting into a fighting position, began coughing. "Saving Alton."

"You don't want to do this. Don't make this any harder on poor Alton." Alton threatened but seemly to deaf ears as Sam began attacking with half-hearted weak attacks. Alton effortlessly kept blocking each other as the Stage of Acceptance began growing like a plague inside him. Stopping more attacks, his cocky nature was thrown off as Sam rolled her kick over a flaming burst. Shooting up an ice wall, it was shattered, knocking Alton back. Falling to his knee, he gritted his teeth, tears forming as the last remnants of Alton Brantley were on display. His head shot up to Sam as he rose, his eyes starting bright yellow, the power of Acceptance entirely under his control. Holding his chest in pain, he fell to his knees again, head hung low. "Sam…. Sam…."

"Alton, fight it! Please fight it!"

"Sam…. I'm so sorry." He whispers, looking up with a sadistic laugh. "It's already too late. Now, shall I show you a terrible truth?"

An unnatural irritable droning noise rang through Sam's head which soon turned into what sounded like a whisper. One which went on forever. It had begun.

The Long Whisper.

Sam held her head in pain as she felt weak. Standing up, she screamed out. "Alton sto-." In an instant, she was frozen solid without any sign or warning. Falling into a deep sleep, the Long Whisper began its cry to the rest of the world.

****

Alice took a stand holding her bow tightly, squeezing as tight as possible, looking up determined. "You're wrong. I am Alice Hawthorne, with or without you; that doesn't change. I have a sister named Iris, my father was called Hans, and I am a part of Team Rhapsody. That hasn't and will never change. You wish to take what little away I have; I refuse you are mine as much as I was yours. I won't let you damper all those memories with this childish tantrum. This ends now."

Pulling her bow back, she opened a portal unleashing a bombardment of attacks. The night sky ignited, burning bright, making night day for a short moment. Eve stared at the brilliant works lighting up her appearance. Letting the attacks crawl closer, she grinned, giggling sadistically to herself. "You're right. This does end now." Eve clapped her hands once only to flinch, finding herself unable to move. Seeing her body slowly freezing, her eyes widened as she covered her ears too little too late. "No…. That's not possible. The Long Whisper. Alton, what have you done…?"

Alice watched Eve freeze up on the spot floating in the air as she fell into an endless sleep. Before she could react, she found herself too being captivated by the whisper in her ear as her body, like everyone else, began freezing. Unable to escape the end, she turned to run only to fall into an endless dream on the spot. Her fate avoided as the world took the same form.

****

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 Henry went in for the kill, he felt a strange tingling feeling in his head. Blinking serval times, he was taken back to hear what was to him a whisper. "Shall I show you a terrible truth?" Henry's attacks stopped as he fell to the ground crawling forward, seeing his body freeze up.

Unable to breathe, he fell onto his back, screaming. "No! Alton, you bastard! I cannot die like this!"

Falling into an endless sleep, Zinnia stared on before a sharp pain ripped through her head. Bargaining appeared next to her shaking his head chuckling to himself. "The man did it…. He actually did it. I expected nothing less from Alton Brantley."

Zinnia turned to Bargaining troubled. "What did you do? What did you do?!"

"Our contract has been terminated as of immediately. Alton kept his end of the bargain, so this is farewell, Zinnia. It was fun while it lasted. Goodbye."

Bargaining vanished as Zinnia found herself slowly succumbing to the Long Whisper like the rest of the world. Holding Jehovah tightly, she began to tremble, terrified of what was to come as her body slowly began to shut down. Looking down, whimpering, she screamed out before being taken completely. "Alton, stop!"

****

Alton crawled forward past Sam before stopping, finding himself freezing over Garden vines wrapping around him, taking him in as a prisoner. Frozen tears wedged into his face as he came to his senses, dropping his head whimpering. "What have I done?"

Without any more thoughts, he was taken into the Long Whisper as the rest of Victoria shared the same fate. The sudden war on Victoria reduced to nothing more but a frozen wasteland with everyone's fates sealed. Uncertainty of what was to come next lingered on as the battle was over. Alton had won, no matter the cost.

To Be Continued….