Standing across from the young man who stood in front of her, Jet found herself in a hopeless situation. Should she spill the details of the plan that Luster had coordinated with her, she knew without a doubt that she would be killed immediately, but the presence before her proved to be infinitely more harrowing.
"So, if you don't want to kill me, why bring me out here on my own and question me away from everyone else? Surely bringing them along would make it harder for me to escape, no?" Jet enquired, raising an eyebrow as she awaited Sunny's answer.
Cocking his head to the side, Sunny stared at her with a puzzled expression for a moment before sighing. "You're either asking that to waste time or you're thinking of an excuse. I'm questioning you on your own to see if what you're doing is harmful to those girls or Song domain. I care about one and not the other."
Narrowing his eyes, Sunny pulled out his favourite weapon, his golden knife gifted to him by Revel as he spun it in his palm. "And you can't escape me, if you could, escaping them wouldn't be any issue. But regardless, let's start simple, who brought you here and why?"
'Two direct questions, if I dodge, I might die.' As the thought arrived in Jet's head, the feeling of cold metal pressed against her neck spread throughout her body as she saw Sunny standing next to her, the flat of his blade pressed against her neck as he studied her.
"Stop thinking, say the first thing that comes to mind." He ordered, and as she was told, Jet spoke. "I don't know exactly who brought me here, he never bothered sharing his name with me or anything of the sort. He told me he brought me to see how life in the dream realm affects humans!"
Sweat beaded down her forehead as she spoke, her words omitting vital details, praying that Sunny wouldn't notice to every deity that she believed in as Sunny stared at her for a few moments, contemplating the truth of her words.
"What did he look like, how old was he. And more importantly, was that all the reasons he said he brought you here for?" Slowly but surely, Sunny was whittling down her room for obfuscation the more he spoke to her, it was a stressful feeling, knowing that you were so close to death, but Jet held her nerve.
"I didn't see what he looked like completely; I just know his hair was a light shade of yellow! And I couldn't tell his age at all because he was always wearing a cloak! Aside from what I just said, he also asked me to meet up with him and avoid your group which was why I was going to leave until you grabbed me!"
Silence.
For a moment, Jet felt her entire life flash through her eyes, the press of death slowly weighing upon her heart like an Anvil. But Sunny didn't move, instead, his arm slithered upward to pat Jet on the head, an awkward movement that took her aback as she blushed with embarrassment.
"Sorry for scaring you." Was all he said, turning around and pacing forward, Jet quickly matched his stride before staring at Sunny with a curious expression.
'This is the person that Luster intends to make public enemy of the world number one. He looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly, although from the 300,000 people he killed I'd say looks can be quite deceiving.'
---
With Nephis mentally crippled, and a truly harrowing opponent approaching, Eubin had taken it upon herself to become the leader of the fight. After all, she was the strongest of all the people who had come here. However, the longer she stared into the eyes of Taskmaster the more an unsettling feeling was present.
He didn't look natural, didn't look human. In fact, she was quite sure that "taskmaster" wasn't even his name. Rather, it was a purpose given to him by whatever sick individual had created him. As someone who held profound love for all living creatures, the sick sight she witnessed was an insult.
It was sickening, a fake facsimile of life. He didn't deserve to exist. No, rather that wasn't how to put it. The expression that Eubin felt towards Taskmaster wasn't one of rage, one of indignation, it was one of extreme, profound sadness.
"You poor thing." She whispered; her tone devoid of mockery as the rest of them tensed up in preparation for combat. "You're suffering, waiting for someone to put you out of your misery. Acting the only way, you know how. I'll kill you, if that's the only form of love anyone has ever given you then let it be me who shows you that love."
As those words escaped her lips, a cacophony of violence exploded outward.
Eubin moved first, flicking her wrists. Razor-thin wires shimmered through the dimly lit room, snaking toward Taskmaster with deadly precision. He shifted slightly, raising his forearm plates. Sparks flew as the wires met metal, wrapping around his arms—but before Eubin could tighten them, Taskmaster yanked hard.
Staggering momentarily, Jessica and Clara used the opportunity to lunge forward, swords slicing toward Taskmaster with perfect synchronisation. He twisted, deflecting Clara's blade with his forearm plate while narrowly dodging Jessica's thrust.
His foot lashed out, catching Jessica in the ribs and sending her skidding backward. Hel darted in from behind, ever the opportunist as her daggers flashed in the deep light. Her movements were precise, almost supernatural in their efficiency. She aimed for the gaps in his defence, her blades stabbing toward his ribs. But Taskmaster turned with seconds to spare.
With one arm, he blocked the blow, while the other made such firm contact with her gut Hel crumpled, barely rolling away in time to dodge a follow up stomp. Cassie flowed in directly after. Her blindness not causing a moment of hesitation as she flicked forward in impossibly accurate thrusts. He parried twice, the third nearly catching him on the shoulder.
Spinning on the ball of his heel, he slammed his foot into the side of her head, sending her flying into the spiked walls only to be caught by Eubin's threads, dragging her back to the battlefield as she coughed up some blood. "He's a monster." Clara grumbled.
Laughing humourlessly, Taskmaster watched as they gathered themselves once more with a smile. "Everyone who has come here calls me a monster, but not once has anyone apologised for making me this way. Do you think I enjoy butchering people? I want a family, a mom and a dad who love me!"
Not allowing them a chance to respond to his words, he rushed at Clara first. She barely brought her sword up in time before he slammed his forearm into hers, forcing her backward. Jessica tried to counter from the side, but Taskmaster turned, striking her blade with such force her grip nearly faltered.
Eubin's wires snaked towards him from multiple angles. And yet he leapt over them, twisting mid-air. When he landed, he didn't waste a second of time sliding beneath Cassie's next attack, twisting past He's daggers. His fist shot out, hammering into Cassie's ribs.
She gasped, stumbling back. Hel tried to intercept, but Taskmaster caught her mid swing. With a brutal yank, he flipped her over his shoulder and sent her crashing into Eubin. "I don't get it, you're blind! You're incomplete just like me! So why do you get to have friends, a family, a mother, a father but I don't! Answer me!" He roared.
With each movement, the walls got closer. Though he hadn't been hit a single time so far, dodging the combined force of the entire time had taken up a major portion of his stamina. Each of Eubin's attacks had been intended to fatigue him rather than totally defeat him.
And he had realised it too late.
Clara and Jessica shared a look. Without words, they knew what had to be done. They attacked together, their blades moving as one. Taskmaster blocked Clara's horizontal slash, only for Jessica's sword to slip beneath his defence. He twisted just in time—Jessica's blade scraping against his metal plate instead of flesh.
Eubin regained her footing, flinging her wires once more. This time, she aimed lower. The wires coiled around his legs, before he could react, she pulled.
For the first time in the entire fight, Taskmaster fell.
It was only for a second, but that was all that was needed. Cassie lunged. Her rapier thrusting forward with lightning speed, striking toward his chest. Taskmaster rolled, narrowly dodging the point—but the distraction cost him.
Hel was already atop him, a dagger pressed against his throat while the other was lodged to the hilt into his shoulder. For the first time once more, Taskmaster was hit.
With a smile, he wrenched himself free, sending Hel flying backward. He pushed up just as Clara and Jessica attacked again. Their swords blurred, desperation causing them to move far faster than they ever had prior. Sparks of metal flew as they clashed, their relentless assault pressing him toward the spikes.
The grinding of the walls was deafening now. There was barely any room left.
Eubin's wires lashed out once more, wrapping around his arms this time. Cassie and Hel moved in; their weapons ready. Taskmaster pulled but this time Eubin didn't budge for even a moment. Clarra and Jessica's blades struck again, but he couldn't block them all with Eubin gripping him so tight.
A slash opened across his side, another bit into his arm. His strength was fading, and quickly. Cassie's rapier struck last, piercing through his defences, her strength pushing him into the ground as she drove her rapier up to its hilt into his side, lodging into the ground in the process.
The fight was finally over. Depending on the day they could have easily been forced to retreat, but today lady luck was smiling at them.
"Ah, so this is what it comes to. A tool used and discarded when it loses its purpose. A name, a grave, a home, seeing the sun, laughing with friends, smiling with family. None of these I've received."
Taskmaster's mumbles were ignored by the group, who made their way towards Nephis' injured form as Eubin was the only one left there, sitting next to his injured body with a blank expression on her face.
"Since I was born, not a single good thing has ever happened to me. No, I wasn't born, I was created. Isn't that funny, Eubin? Shouldn't you be laughing?" Eubin shook her head, staring at him with sadness as her hand stretched out, ruffling his hair gently as she began to speak.
"I'd never laugh at you. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you'll never get the chance to see what we've seen, to feel what we've felt." She whispered, causing Taskmaster to sit up slightly. "Look at me! I'm hideous! It's laughable, right!? So why aren't you…laughing."
As he finished his statement, hot tears escaped his eyes. Sniffling incessantly as he took no notice of it. "I was made to be a weapon, made to counteract Sunny in the upcoming war and look at this! I couldn't even get that right! I can't do anything right!"
Without responding, Eubin wrapped her arms around him. Holding him close as he shared the first hug he had ever experienced throughout his entire life. "It's fine, it's ok, spill it all out." She cooed, at this, the world seemed to melt away from view, leaving only the two of them within it.
"I don't want to die. I want to live; I want to see the stars and be happy!" Eubin nodded, wrapping her wire around his throat gently as she pulled backward so he could look her in the eyes. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry the world did this to you."
In front of her wasn't a monster, it wasn't someone to be laughed at. But a fourteen-year-old boy, robbed of the chance to live by powers he didn't understand and given a purpose he never ended up fulfilling. His wounds were fatal, he would die slowly and in agony if left alone.
"Can you hug me again?" Were his last words, Eubin obliged as she held him in her arms, knocking him unconscious with a single deft movement before removing his head from his body. It was a clean cut. Leaving no blood present as she quickly stitched his head back on, watching the light leave his eyes.
And though he died, he shared his last moments with someone who wouldn't laugh at him.
For what its worth, that was good too.