Marten sat hunched against the jagged remains of a rusted conveyor belt, his breath visible in the storm-chilled air. The shadows of the crumbling industrial district stretched long and thin as if the ruins themselves reached to pull him under. His fingers traced patterns in the dirt, aimless and trembling, his mind a fractured mirror reflecting memories and doubts.
Marten (to himself, voice a whisper):
"Do I look like him... or does he look like me?"
His thoughts twisted into shapes he couldn't untangle, the doppelgänger's grin haunting the corners of his vision. The rain began to fall harder, slicking his hair to his forehead and soaking his worn coat. He looked toward the rest of the group, clustered around a makeshift fire, their faces illuminated by flickering orange light.
Retsuki stood apart, his back to them, lightning occasionally dancing along his arms as if his thoughts were leaking through his body. Marten clenched his jaw, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of his belt.
Marten:
"You think you're our savior, don't you?"
He didn't realize he'd spoken aloud until Alitha turned her head sharply.
Alitha:
"What did you say?"
Marten shook his head, rising and wiping the rain from his face.
Marten:
"Nothing. Just... thinking about the plan."
Later...
The entrance to the tunnels yawned like a mouth carved into the earth, its edges jagged and slick with years of neglect. A gust of wind howled from deep within, carrying a stench that turned Verena's stomach.
Verena (wrinkling her nose):
"Lovely. Smells like death itself."
Retsuki (grimly):
"Not death. Hunger."
Alitha touched his arm briefly, her hand lingering long enough to catch his attention.
Alitha (softly):
"Are you sure about this? We could find another way in."
Retsuki turned to her, his gaze steady but troubled.
Retsuki:
"This is the only way. The Upbringers won't expect us to use their wasteland against them. We... have to stay focused."
He glanced at Marten, who was already descending into the darkness, his shadow stretching like a twisted version of himself.
Retsuki (quietly to Alitha):
"Stay close to me. Don't let it get to you."
The tunnels were a labyrinth of decay and industrial detritus. The walls wept with condensation, and the air grew heavier with each step. The sound of dripping water echoed like a heartbeat, steady and relentless.
Verena (shivering):
"Is it just me, or is it... getting harder to breathe?"
Marten stopped abruptly, placing a hand against the wall for support.
Marten:
"It's not the air. It's... something else. I can feel it."
As if on cue, the shadows around them seemed to shift, undulating like living things. The stench intensified, now laced with something sweet and sickly. A low voice began to hum, echoing off the walls.
Gluttony (voice reverberating, smooth, and indulgent):
"Welcome... welcome, my little morsels. Come closer. Tell me, what is it you hunger for?"
Retsuki clenched his fists, electricity crackling at his fingertips.
Retsuki:
"Show yourself!"
The shadows congealed into a grotesque figure-a bloated, amorphous mass of flesh and mouths, each one gnashing teeth or drooling thick, black saliva. Its many eyes glowed with a sickly green light, darting between the group as if savoring them already.
Gluttony:
"You've brought me such a feast-so many flavors-fear, guilt, longing. Ah, but you, Retsuki... you burn so brightly. Such energy, such potential. Why waste it on them?"
Without warning, the air grew impossibly heavy. Each group member staggered as Gluttony's influence seeped into their minds.
• Marten saw himself standing in a lavish home, surrounded by the family he lost, their faces warm and forgiving. His daughter reached for him, her voice soft. "Why did you let them take me, Daddy?"
• Alitha saw herself and Retsuki alone in a quiet world, with no missions or battles-just the two, free from the weight of responsibility. But every time she tried to touch him, he dissolved into lightning.
• Verena saw herself in a grand gallery, her art displayed for adoring crowds. But as she looked closer, her failures marred each painting, her selfishness glaring back at her.
Even Retsuki faltered, his resolve wavering as he imagined a life unburdened by rebellion, where he could exist-no mission, no pain.
Gluttony (smiling):
"Why fight? Why suffer? All you have to do is... give in. Take what you desire."
Retsuki fell to one knee, clutching his head as Gluttony's voice filled his mind.
Gluttony:
"Think of it, Retsuki. You've given so much. Isn't it time you took something for yourself?"
But then he saw their faces-Alitha, Marten, Verena. Broken, lost, but still fighting. He slammed his fists into the ground, electricity surging outward and momentarily disrupting Gluttony's hold.
Retsuki (gritting his teeth):
"You're wrong. Strength isn't about taking. It's about... giving everything, even when it hurts."
Gluttony recoiled, its mouths screeching as Retsuki stood.
Retsuki:
"I've seen what desire does when it goes unchecked. It devours everything. But not today."
The fight was unlike any they'd faced before. Gluttony's mass shifted and grew, mouths snapping at them, tendrils lashing out to ensnare. Retsuki dodged and struck precisely, his lightning carving searing gashes into the creature.
But Gluttony wasn't just physical-it attacked their minds. Marten froze mid-strike, haunted by his daughter's cries. Verena collapsed, clutching her head as visions of her failures overwhelmed her.
Alitha (shouting):
"Retsuki! They're breaking!"
Retsuki roared, his body glowing brighter than ever before. He charged Gluttony head-on, plunging his hands into its core and unleashing a devastating surge of energy. The creature screamed, its form fracturing and dissolving into black mist.
As the mist cleared, the group lay scattered, shaken, and exhausted. Retsuki stood at the center, his light dimming, his expression hollow.
Marten (weakly):
"Did we... win?"
Retsuki didn't answer. He stared at his hands, trembling, as Gluttony's final words echoed in his mind.
Gluttony (whispering, fading):
"You cannot kill hunger. It will always return... in you, in them... in all of us."
Retsuki growled, his voice low and guttural, reverberating in the tunnel's stifling air.
Retsuki:
"I'm not done with you, Gluttony."
His body trembled as he forced himself to his feet, the remnants of Gluttony's corrupting energy still coursing through him like venom. The air around him crackled, the storm within him matching the storm outside. His lightning flickered erratically, no longer golden but a deep, violent blue that seemed to devour the surrounding light.
The others watched in horror as Retsuki's form began to shift. His once-solid silhouette wavered, its edges dissolving into chaotic sparks. His body stretched unnaturally, its limbs growing jagged and elongated as if his energy could no longer be contained. The lightning didn't just emanate from him-it seemed to consume him, eating away at his humanity piece by piece.
Alitha (whispering):
"Retsuki... stop. You're losing yourself."
But he couldn't stop. His face contorted, his features twisting into something unrecognizable. His eyes glowed, not with purpose but with a raw, unrelenting hunger that mirrored Gluttony's own.
Retsuki (his voice distorted, layered with a dark undertone):
"I've always been filled with desire. The desire to fight. To endure. To win. And now..."
He straightened, his smirk a terrifying blend of confidence and malice.
Retsuki:
"Now I'm filled with the desire to end you, Gluttony. Completely. Not just for what you are but for what you've done. You've made us see our darkest truths but forgot something."
Gluttony's form, which had begun to reconstitute itself in the shadows, hesitated. For the first time, the grotesque mass seemed uncertain, its many eyes narrowing as it studied Retsuki's changing form.
Retsuki (menacing, a twisted grin spreading across his face):
"You forgot that desire isn't just a weakness. It's a weapon. And mine is sharper than anything you've ever known."
Gluttony surged forward, its grotesque tendrils lashing out desperately to reclaim control. Each tendril was a maw, snapping and drooling, but Retsuki stood still, unfazed. The lightning around him grew darker, almost black, coiling like serpents before exploding outward.
The tendrils disintegrated on contact, the air filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh. Gluttony screamed a sound that echoed deep into the earth.
Gluttony (hissing, panicked):
"You're no savior. You're... worse than me."
Retsuki laughed, the sound cold and devoid of the warmth it once held.
Retsuki:
"Maybe. But that's what makes me perfect for this job."
He launched himself at Gluttony, his body a streak of jagged energy. His hands plunged into the mass of flesh, ripping it apart from within. Each tear revealed more mouths, more eyes, more of the endless hunger that defined Gluttony's existence.
But Retsuki wasn't just fighting the creature-he was consuming it. With every strike, every burst of lightning, he seemed to absorb fragments of Gluttony's essence, his form growing darker, his movements more erratic.
Marten (horrified):
"He's... he's becoming it."
Alitha (screaming):
"Retsuki, stop! You're losing yourself!"
Retsuki ignored their cries; his focus was singular and terrifying. His body was no longer entirely solid; his legs had become streaks of flickering energy, his torso split with glowing fissures. He looked like a god of destruction, untethered from mortal constraints.
As he tore into Gluttony's core, the creature began to fade, its form collapsing inward.
Gluttony (weakly, gasping):
"Do you even know what you're becoming? You think you're better than me? You think you're... human?"
Retsuki paused, his hand buried in Gluttony's chest, his smirk returning.
Retsuki (darkly):
"Human? I never was. That's why I'll win. You feed on what makes them weak-fear, greed, longing. But me? I have nothing to lose. Nothing to fear. I am the storm that eats you alive."
With a final surge, he unleashed a blast of energy so powerful that the tunnel walls cracked and crumbled. Gluttony shrieked, its form unraveling into a cloud of ash and shadow. The echoes of its cries lingered, a haunting reminder of its power.
As the dust settled, Retsuki stood alone in the rubble, his body flickering like a dying flame. His companions approached cautiously, their faces pale with fear.
Alitha (quietly, tears in her eyes):
"Retsuki... what have you done?"
He turned to her, his smirk replaced by an emptiness that chilled her to the core.
Retsuki (coldly):
"What needed to be done."
But deep inside, he felt the pull of the darkness he had consumed. Gluttony wasn't gone. It was inside him now, whispering, gnawing at the edges of his mind.
Retsuki (to himself):
"I'm losing myself. But maybe... I never had anything to lose."
He walked past them, his steps slow and deliberate, leaving behind a trail of scorched earth. The others followed, their trust in him shaken, but their hope for survival tied inexorably to his unraveling fate.
In the distance, the storm raged on. And within Retsuki, the storm raged louder.