"No! Leave my brother alone!" a child's voice rang out in the car park.

'Huh?'

After Theodore's passing thought, his consciousness resumed being consumed by darkness. The hoverbike reached the ground while a small group of vertex were already reveling in his demise. But inconceivably enough,cutting through the chaos-an oldly resonant voice rang out this time.

"Brother!"

He recognized this voice...

"BROTHER!!!"

Theodore's entire being shook. His eyes snapped open in an instant. His vision able to make out the familiar silhouette of a young boy, synchronizing with the spirit stirring voice. Humanoid silhouettes enveloped the vertex, who seemed to be tormenting him. Their laughing voices and silhouettes causing venomous rage to well up inside of Theodore.

'Brother!'

"UUGHH," Theodore released a deep building growl in response.

An emotion he did not remember blazed inside of him. Making him feel like his very soul was burning. Unbeknownst to Theodore-his body released small wisps of steam. Furthermore, his body inexplicably started to gradually get up on its own-the nearby vertex looking on in disbelief.

"HAA!" a deeper, more primal growl escaped Theodore.

He vehemently exerted his broken body to move, debilitating pain erupted from every corner of his ailing body. His scream in the face of the deafening tempestuous storm drowned out the mind-numbing pain. Broken and beaten Theodore's body leaned up against all odds.

*Thud!*

Theodore felt a fresh assault to his cranium, but it seemed to be less grievous than the last. This time however, there was an object lodged in there.

"Brother!" the silhouette called out beseechingly.

The searing pain only fueled the fire.

"I'm not going to let them hurt you." He said in a dangerously dark tone.

He pushed himself off the blood splattered hoverbike, stumbling a bit.

"How can this be possible?" a vertex mumbled.

"What… is he?"

The vertex mutually voiced their confusion.

Theodore turned to face the familiar silhouette on his left. It was only a few feet away from him. He started limping towards it. His eyes smouldered with such intensity that the nearby vertex faltered.

"Leave… him… alone!" he verbalized loudly.

*Vroom*

*Crash*

The vortex hoverbike driver seized the moment to crash into him.

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Theodore-who was hypnotized solely by the familiar silhouette, was rammed into. Thwarting his advance towards the silhouette.

"Uhh." a weak groan emanated from him.

Turning to face the helmeted vertex driver, Theodore's visage resembled that of a raging demon.

Crippling shock and fear exploded from the vertex driver. In a panicked fright-he started driving again.

Theodore,holding onto the hoverbike with his left hand, pulled the knife from his own head and plunged it into the driver's neck with speed no dying man should possess.

*Cachunk!*

He felt it poking through the vertex's neck; blood flowing down his hand. The driver held his now punctured neck in his hands-causing the hoverbike to come to an abrupt halt. Tensing his arms, Theodore pushed himself off the hoverbike onto his feet. He realized he was further away than last time but all those hateful vermin were around his brother. He staggered towards the group of rage inducing silhouettes.

"What the hell are you?" a vertex uttered in horror.

Theodore snarled.

"Your death!" he spat scornfully.

The vertex began to converge on him as a crowd, attempting to surround him. Yet he kept walking unfazed, his eyes scanning for the familiar silhouette.

A vertex man lunged forward from behind Theodore-swinging a metal bat overhead gripped with all four hands.

*VRR!*

The bat audibly tore through the air. An instant before the man had committed to the swing-Theodore took a fluid sidestep to his left.

*WOOSH!*

The air from the incoming bat rustled Theodore's hair. The power of the swing caused the vertex to stumble forward, arriving near Theodore's right side. When the vertex had come to their senses-Theodore's rising left fist was already inches away from the vertex's stomach. Some onlookers had missed his movements too.

"RAA!" Theodore roared.

*BANG!*

*Crunch!*

Theodore's uppercut traveled an inch into the vertex's unprotected solar plexus, his waist and shoulder having twisted maximally upwards and his back outstretched. An audible crunching noise assaulted everyone's ears as the vertex's blood splattered around Theodore's arm, the vertex's face contorted in agony.

*Thump!*

Theodore's legs kicked off of the ground-his whole body shooting up to the vertex's head inhumanly quick. His right hand disappearing to the back of the vertex's head.

"HA!" Theodore exerted.

*BANG!*

*Squelch!*

His left knee had slammed into the center of the vertex's face-driven to the brain with the assistance of his right hand.

*Thud*

Theodore landed on the floor. Blood shooting out like a geyser from where the vertex's face had been, his arms going limp to his sides. As his body collapsed to the floor-Theodore spun clockwise violently, his features becoming blurry.

"HAA!" his war cry scorching emotion this time.

*BANG!!!*

*Squelch*

Theodore's right spinning back kick blasted into the vertex's chest-caving it in and sending him careening backwards.

*Bang*

The vertex's body plummeted with excessive force, sliding a few feet away after the crash.

Turning his head back to the stunned crowd, his eyes scoured them, seeing more living silhouettes that made his blood boil. He stepped forward, gesturing a taunt, wagging his blood-soaked left hand back and forth, an evil smirk adopting his face.

"Who's next?" he challenged menacingly.

"…"

The vertex men felt crushing dread constricting their lungs-their hearts beginning to palpitate agonizingly. They who had once been so sure of their dominance, now trembled.

"What's wrong? I'm just a pathetic mortal, after all." He remarked, overflowing with mockery.

The silence was piercing. Theodore sneered.

"The price for making my brother suffer... must be paid with your lives!" he sentenced vehemently.

"I MUST KILL YOU AALL!!!" His voice thundered, projecting his warping rage.

A primal terror they had never felt splintered their being-causing the vertex to scatter frantically in all directions.

"Don't run, you cowards!" Theodore called out indignantly.

His body postured up to run.

"Brother!" the silhouette wailed.

Knowing it was hopeless to chase after them, he approached the silhouette.

"It's OK now, I promise I won't let anyone hurt you ever again"

He walked to the silhouette-his face softening with care and concern. He hugged the silhouette. Closing his eyes-his anger faded and so did his strength. Darkness finally filled his consciousness as his body collapsed to the floor.

"Jerry! Who is that guy? Why is he calling you brother?" an adolescent and clearly beaten boy asked shaking with adrenaline.

"I don't know. He thought I was calling for him when I was calling for you. I think he's crazy?" the younger boy replied with child-like innocence.

"Must be. Let's get out of here Jerry."

"Ok brother."