-Peter POV-
The world around me seemed to darken, mirroring the growing dread in my heart. My voice, raw with emotion, tore through the air.
"WHY?" I screamed, my rage barely contained as she continued to offer vague, incomprehensible answers. Her eyes, ancient and filled with an unbearable pity, bore into mine as she delivered the devastating news.
"The vessel that Noctarion chose is your girlfriend, Billie." My blood ran cold, a chill seeping into my very bones. I stood there, frozen, as the revelation crashed over me like a tidal wave of despair. Every fiber of my being rebelled against this truth. I didn't want to think about it, to acknowledge the horror of what had happened.
I wanted to ignore it, to push it away and focus on saving the world. But the cruel reality refused to be silenced: Billie was my world.
My world...
The phrase echoed in my mind, a haunting refrain that threatened to consume me. Each repetition felt like a dagger to my heart, twisting deeper with every beat.
My world...
My world...
My world...
My world...
My world...
My world...
My world...
My world...
My world...
Desperate to escape the suffocating weight of this revelation, I forced myself to focus on something else. Anything else. "Who is Noctarion?" I asked, my voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. I shoved my overwhelming dread into a dark corner of my mind, praying it would stay there.
The Ancient One's voice, calm and measured, only served to heighten my anxiety. "He is a concept that gained consciousness. He has no instinct other than to spread his shadow across the world. He came to know of our world two million years ago. It is said that someone from our dimension used one of the fundamental forces of our world to shield us from his influence."
My eyes were drawn to the locket hanging from her neck, its green stone pulsing with an otherworldly energy. "Like the Time Stone?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
She nodded, her expression grave. "He cannot exist in this plane of existence because we have our own concept of darkness. He chooses a vessel that is most suitable to take, and it happens to be Billie."
The pieces clicked into place, a horrifying puzzle I wished I'd never had to solve. "Her parents were followers of his cult," I muttered, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.
The Ancient One's eyes softened with sympathy. "They believe a world where none can see will be a peaceful paradise."
I took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to center myself. "Well, fuck them," I spat out, venom dripping from every word.
Turning away from her piercing gaze, I saw Ned, Felicia, Bang, and Susan on the same rooftop. The weight of responsibility pressed down on me. Could I really save the world from an entity like Noctarion? If only I had known beforehand, things might have been different. I wouldn't have let Billie live with those fucking cultists. I wouldn't have sat back and relaxed while she suffered. I wouldn't have put Black Cat in harm's way to deal with the gem. I... wait. The gem.
I whirled back to face the Ancient One. "What about the gem? What does it do?"
Her pitying look, which I had come to loathe, returned in full force. "The gem can extract a soul and store it within itself. Billie must have resisted him for quite long."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Another way of saying she must have suffered for quite long. The thought made my chest tighten, my breath coming in short, painful gasps. I could feel the anger building within me, a slow-burning fire threatening to consume everything in its path.
I looked up at the Ancient One, my eyes narrowed and blazing with determination. "Do you have a plan?"
She sighed, lowering herself to sit cross-legged on the cold rooftop. With her eyes closed, she looked almost serene. Almost. "I used to have a plan."
I sat down across from her, desperation clawing at my insides. "What happened to that plan?"
Her answer came swiftly, tinged with frustration. "A certain someone messed with the timeline a couple of months ago. Ever since then, I couldn't form a plan according to the future."
A frown creased my brow. "You knew Billie was suffering. Why didn't you help?"
Her eyes snapped open, fixing me with a glare. "Noctarion hid her from my sight until now. But now that he's in control of our entire domain, he can do whatever he wants. He doesn't have to hide anymore."
I forced myself to push aside all my tumultuous emotions, to shut off everything but the cold, hard logic needed to find a solution. Mirroring the Ancient One's posture, I closed my eyes and tried to think of the best way to save not just Billie, but the entire world.
-Ned POV-
The atmosphere on the rooftop was tense, a stark contrast to the usual excitement I felt when helping Peter on his missions. I had planned to be the guy in the chair, or in this case, the guy on the roof across the street. My job was to help Peter focus on the bad guys while I handled the rescue of civilians. But things had quickly spiraled out of control by.
When I saw Susan and Bang there, and Peter laying into Black Cat instead of responding to my queries, I knew something was terribly wrong. Peter's suit had stopped sending audio because of an upgrade he'd mentioned, so I'd decided to get there myself and get the children to safety if things got too crazy.
By the time I reached the top of the roof, huffing and puffing, I was seriously reconsidering my fitness level. "I need to get fit if working with a superhero is this hard," I muttered to myself, pushing open the door to the roof.
What I saw next would be burned into my memory forever. The edge of the horizon started turning black, a creeping darkness that spread across everything with terrifying speed. It reached our building in seconds, and I fully expected to either go blind or die on the spot. But a glowing orange wall materialized in front of our building, continuing to illuminate our little island in a sea of inky blackness.
I looked around in horror as Peter talked with the bald woman, their conversation a mix of anger and disappointment. And then... they sat down to meditate? Why were they doing that when the world had literally come to an end outside our protective bubble?
Shaking my head, I decided to focus on something I could actually do – checking on the kids. I approached them cautiously, noting their concerned expressions as they leaned on the railing. "Be careful not to lean on it too much, kids," I warned. "We don't know what might happen if you get into the shadows."
They immediately backed away, huddling close to each other on the ground. I sat beside them, trying to project a confidence I didn't feel. "Don't worry, Peter will figure something out. He always does. No bad guy has lasted more than four hours against Peter until now."
Even as I said it, doubt gnawed at me. This seemed bigger than anything we'd faced before. The damage appeared to be already done.
The woman in the cat suit – Black Cat – approached us and sat down. To my surprise, she folded in on herself and began to shake. It took me a moment to realize she was crying. I looked to Susan for help, but the realization hit me like a ton of bricks: she's just a kid too.
I turned back to Black Cat, wanting to console her, but the words stuck in my throat. My inability to talk to beautiful women was getting in the way, even in this dire situation. Then I had an idea – I didn't have to talk to her directly. I could just talk to myself.
"Peter will take care of everything, don't worry," I said to no one in particular. When she didn't respond, I mentally patted myself on the back for a job well done. But then she spoke, her voice broken and filled with anguish.
"It's all my fault."
My heart skipped a beat, but I forced myself to ignore it. There was no girl here, just me and my thoughts. "Why do you think so?" I asked, closing my eyes as I heard her turn towards me quickly.
"It is my fault," she insisted. "I should have known the gem was fake. If I had known, the world wouldn't have suffered like this."
I focused on her words, turning them into a male voice in my head to make it easier to respond. "If things happened because you didn't know, is it really your fault or just bad luck? I try to tell Peter all the time that the world isn't his to save and defend. It's everyone's, so everyone has that responsibility, right?"
I thought that would be enough, but then she leaned against me. Physical comfort was not my strong suit, and I found myself frozen in place. I silently prayed that Peter would save the world quickly because I was going to be a statue for a while if her even breathing was any indication.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I snuck a peek at her face, only to find her still looking at me. I quickly turned back to face the meditating pair, my back ramrod straight.
The weight of the situation pressed down on me, but a small part of me couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. If Peter could figure this out – and I knew he could – maybe we'd all make it through this darkness together.