*Almost over, everyone...

Music in multimedia is: Rogue - Nemesis [Provided by Monstercat]. It's fookin badass, m8.

Enjoy!!~*

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 74

There was a blinding, white light and then silence. At first, I thought I had died, yet I could still feel all of my pain...along with something carrying me.

A few seconds later, I could feel myself being placed gently on the ground, and by then the light had faded. High above me, the sky was still a blur of gray and red, decaying away. The light wasn't some healing miracle since the piece of rebar was still lodged into my stomach and I could feel where my right leg was missing. Shifting my gaze around me, to my right I could see a figure looming over me. The glow around them made them seem like an ethereal being and I wondered who this new being was and why they lifted me from the fissure. As my vision started to clear some more, I saw bright blue eyes, mixed with little specks of silver, staring down at me, concerned. I felt a hand tenderly brush the side of my face and in that instant a wave of tranquility washed over me.

"Ao..?"

Their voice called out to me. It sounded familiar but so different. With trembling fingers, I grabbed onto the hand that held my face and squeezed. Their skin was soft and warm, unlike a spirit, but I had a feeling they weren't human. Finally, my vision cleared fully to reveal the finer details of my rescuer.

Stark white hair draped over bronze toned skin that was laced meticulously with white markings. His tunic was of an old, rough fabric, but intricately sewn with significant designs. His lips were full, cheekbones high and his eyes were slightly hooded. He was otherworldly, but beautiful in more ways than one, and I reached out for the face that I've desperately wanted to see ever since he first spoke to me all those years ago.

"S-Sam...," I murmured, disbelief and wonder lining my tone. He bared a smile at me that brightened his eyes more than they already shined. Brushing the hair out of my face with gentle fingers, he said, "Don't talk right now. Stay here and wait for me, my Queen."

Speechless, I stared up at him as he began to leave me. I didn't want to let go of his hand, but I was too weak to grip onto it tight enough. He stood up straight and turned to walk. "Sam," I whispered, half-expecting to hear him in my head but not a single voice responded back.

Still in his beastly form, Zalgo grinned down at the both of us and laughed. "I Don't Recall Spirits Such As Yourself Being Able To Manifest Into Corporeal Beings. And I Don't Recall That They Are Strong Enough Against Infinite Entities. I Applaud Your Courage, Though."

"I'm not any normal spirit, you ugly-ass, horned, devil knock-off bastard," Sam announced bitterly, and that made Zalgo scowl out of distaste. He continued, "Now, are you going to keep talking down to me or are you going to fight me?"

Zalgo cackled, his otherworldly voice echoing coldly through the air, and said, "Fight you? Well, that wouldn't be very fair, now would it?"

A smirk played on Sam's tanned features and he remarked, "Then that should be perfect for you, considering you're not one for fairness. But unfortunately for you, so am I." As he lifted one hand in the air, the white markings on his skin began to glow a bright, cool blue. With one swift motion, he snapped his fingers toward Zalgo and something amazing happened.

All of the blue glow that surrounded him latched onto the demented entity's black and crimson body and began to pulsate. Whatever was happening, it was hurting Zalgo, weakening him. His other mouths began to howl as they were invaded with Purification magic, and the evil being tried to get rid of it all with his own darkness but to no avail. He hissed and screeched in protest while Sam only stood and watched with fierce eyes. For the first time ever, I can truly feel the fiery passion and energy that comes from him, that has been used to protect me all of my life.

Finally, something began to change in Zalgo, and his true form started to shrink. Black ashes and pieces began to float away as he was worn down by the blue glow. As he eroded, he fell onto his hands and knees and crawled across the concrete. He writhed like a worm, a dying animal and even I grinned at the sight of him looking so weak. When the Purification magic dissipated from his body, Zalgo was back into his human form, with a few new features to it. The horns on his head stayed, along with his long, black claws for nails, patches of black skin, and a flailing tail. When he lifted his head to glare at Sam, his irises were still a bright red, but his sclera was pure black. Despite his monstrous figure, he still looked weak and vulnerable.

"Wh...What did you do?!," Zalgo growled loudly, standing to his feet.

Sam smirked at the man as the markings on his right arm glowed blue to summon an axe in his hand. Once it was fully formed, he answered sharply, "I made things fair."

Without a single second of hesitation, Sam flung the axe at Zalgo with incredible speed and strength. Fortunately for the demented man, he dodged out of the way in time and the axe cut through the concrete in a flurry of what looked like blue flames. It was almost entertaining the way Zalgo glanced back at Sam with a look of utter shock set on his pale face.

That was barely the start of Sam's relentless attack. The axe dissipated from his place in the concrete and returned back to his hands as he charged forward. As soon as it was formed again, he rammed the blade right under Zalgo's rib cage, causing the man to gag loudly. After Sam yanked the weapon out, he spun to land a hard high-kick across the demented entity's face. While Zalgo staggered around, the white haired spirit kept going, ramming jabs and axe swings into him as much as he could. Zalgo eventually ducked under another swipe from the axe and tackled into Sam, sending him falling back. While Zalgo lifted a hand and prepared black liquid as he pounced, Sam kicked both feet up and landed a forceful kick to the man's chest. He got back up on his feet again with impressive speed and sprinted forward to attack again.

Zalgo sent forth waves of the black, boiling liquid into Sam but the markings on his skin would glow brightly and deter the substance every time. The demented being's expression grew more and more frustrated, but this time beyond just annoyance--the look in his eyes was that of someone who was getting cornered. Nothing worked on Sam, and Zalgo attempted to change to his true form again. Crimson patches spread over his skin as his eyes glowed, but Sam effortlessly interfered by ramming the butt of his axe right into the man's neck, then kicking him in the head. The hit was strong enough to make Zalgo stop his transformation and tumble a few feet across the rooftop. When he lifted his head, a faintly glowing blue mark was left on the spot Sam kicked at.

Zalgo's shoulders heaved up and down as he breathed harshly, then glanced back at where I lay. Narrowing his eyes at me and scowling, he shot a stream of thrashing black liquid at me. I gasped but wasn't able to move from my spot as it came after me. Surprisingly, a transparent shield of blue blocked every droplet until the substance was fully evaporated. Zalgo, confused and angered, looked back at Sam.

All the white haired spirit did was glare at him and growl, "Leave her out of this. This fight is between you and me now."

The demented entity snarled at Sam before hunching over as a pair of Dark Hands were summoned from his back, just like Ellie's. They looked much more dull this time, but were strong enough to tear off one of the leftover AC units to hurtle it toward Sam. The white haired spirit did nothing to move out of the way as the metal block came at him, but once it struck where he stood, he wasn't there. Zalgo was just as confused as I was, until Sam showed up behind him, grabbed onto both of his horns, pulled him down and kneed him in the center of his back. Zalgo cried out with both pain and surprise, and attempted to reach back and claw at Sam's head. All the spirit did was duck out of the way of his hands then head-butt the back of Zalgo's head. As the evil being stumbled forward, and his Dark Hands disappeared due to another blue branding to his back, Sam reeled away a few feet. Once Zalgo turned around, Sam charged forward and slammed the blade of his axe across his head.

There was a loud thud as one of the evil entity's horns broke off and hit the concrete. He hissed and held onto the missing, black stump where his horn once was. When he lifted his head towards Sam, the white haired spirit wasn't there anymore. Instead, he was behind Zalgo to ambush him once again. With another violent kick, he sent Zalgo crashing forward into the concrete a few feet in front of him.

While the demented man struggled to pull himself from the broken concrete, Sam whistled and said, "Damn, old man, is that all you've got? A few angry colonists could probably kick my ass better than you can."

"Shut your mouth!!," Zalgo snapped ferociously as soon as he lifted himself up.

"Butt-hurt much? Then again, I am kicking your ass."

From my place, I raised a thumbs-up for his pun and Sam shot a finger gun at me.

"ENOUGH!!!," the demented entity screamed.

"Someone's salty."

Too aggravated to say anything back, Zalgo only growled and summoned his Dark Hands again. Once they were out, he sprung forward in the air and used the supernatural appendages to punch into the ground where Sam stood. In a blur of light, Sam's figure dodged out of the spot and under Zalgo's body. When the evil being realized he had missed, Sam was already there to drive an explosive punch across his face. Zalgo was falling back when Sam traveled to another spot to knock him back with a kick. And so it went on. Never did Zalgo hit the ground once or receive a momentary break from Sam's ferocious hits as the white haired spirit traveled back and forth to continue the cycle. At one point, his body was nothing but a blur of bright light, and wherever his feet landed, the concrete would illuminate with blue.

Sam finished off his volley of attacks by leaping off the nearby AC unit and pouncing on top of Zalgo. In one fell swoop, he punched down and the both of them crashed into the concrete, engulfed in blinding light. Dust picked up in the air and was in such a dense amount that I even started coughing from my spot far from them. From the cloud of dust meters away, Sam's figure emerged dragging Zalgo behind him by the one remaining horn, his Dark Hands gone. Harshly, he flung the demented man's body across the ground in front of him. I stared, wide eyed as Zalgo was reduced to a twitching, dirtied and bloody body on the ground. Sam stood over him, glaring down with bright, blue, fearsome eyes and a cold scowl on his face. Despite the battle he endured--no, that he dominated--he was unscathed. His white hair was as pure as before, his skin left unwounded, his stance still bold and strong without an ounce of exhaustion in him. He was almost godly and even I was overwhelmed by his very presence. There was no way I was meant to be the proxy. It should've been him all along. Maybe it was.

Sam raised one foot and stomped down on Zalgo's head, grinding it into the ground as he hissed, "I could probably obliterate the shit out of you more, but I have more important things to deal with than you than your weak ass." And with that, he kicked Zalgo's head and jumped over him to walk towards me. As he came closer, I stared at him with more awe. He casually sat down next to me and lifted me onto his lap with tender care. He wiped at my face, probably to remove dirt or blood, then hugged me lovingly in his strong arms. "I've always wanted to do this...," he whispered, and I tried my best to hug him back, if not pat his arm lightly.

Once he pulled away, he grabbed onto the piece of rebar inside of my stomach and said, "I'm gonna remove this, okay? Don't freak out too much..." As he carefully tugged on the iron piece, I groaned and whimpered from the horrible sensation. After struggling with it a few times, and listening to my pained cries, Sam finally slid it out of my stomach and tossed it away. Placing a hand onto my bleeding wound, he said, "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to protect you, Ao. But, you're going to be okay now."

"I..I...," I breathed.

He shook his head. "Don't talk right now."

"Sam...," I stared, disregarding his order, "I-I...I'm so...proud of...you...! Y-You're...badass...!"

My words brought a smile to his face and he smiled bashfully. "That makes me happy," he replied, his eyes lighting up. Even though this is the first time I have ever seen him, I could recognize the love in them.

He leaned his forehead against mine and said, "Now, close your eyes and relax. I'm gonna fix you."

Without questioning him, I did as he said and eased all of my tension. Sam hugged me tight against him with all of the love he's ever given me before in this one moment. Suddenly, all ambient noise went dead, and the only thing I could hear in my ears was two hearts beating, one slower than the other. As the seconds wore on, the slower heartbeat began to pick up speed faster and faster, while the once healthy heartbeat slowed down. At one point, both heartbeats were in sync and created a vibrant, deep rhythm as one. Then, eventually, their rhythms separated from each other.

Where my body grew cold, warmth reached me again. Where there was pain, it was washed away by calming stability. I could feel all of the blood and scratches and bruises wash away from me as I lay in Sam's arms. All of it was a sensation that felt otherworldly. I didn't want it to end, but eventually it all passed. The ambient noises before came back to my ears as the heartbeats left me, and I finally opened my eyes.

Sam was still there, holding me, hugging me, and looking down at me with an affectionate gaze. Suddenly, his mouth twitched before he turned his head away to spit up blood. I gasped and squirmed out of his lap to access what had happened to him while I was in my trance. That's when I realized that my right leg was back again, though it was laced with white markings like Sam's, and the wound on my stomach had disappeared. I was completely uninjured and whole again; not even a hint of soreness was left in my muscles.

But I couldn't rejoice, because where I was made whole again, Sam had taken all of my wounds. He hunched over as he held onto his bleeding stomach and a small pool of blood began to form under him from his missing right leg. I began to tear up with panic, as I held him up and asked, "Wh-What did you do? What happened?!"

Sam chuckled weakly and replied, "Well, I promised you I'd make sure you'd win no matter what...didn't I?" He hacked up and retched more blood, and I stared, horrified, as it dribbled down his chin. Carefully, I cupped his face into my hands and said, "No, you shouldn't have done this--y-you...you shouldn't have..."

"Of course I should've," he replied calmly, "Ao, you have a lot more to live for than I do...a lot of more people to live for. Jack, Ellie, Jeff, Ben, Seedy, and the others. Even the entire world. They all need you, and there's no way I can have you taken from them."

"But, you'll be okay, right? Right?," I whimpered, nearly laughing from my raging panic.

Sam managed a sad smile and said, almost guiltily, "I...I'm not gonna be okay..."

My heart sank and a chill ran through my body. "Wh...what?"

"All of that fancy stuff I did before? Hehe, that...that took a lot of power for me to even pull off. Manifesting into...a physical body was already an...immense feat. If it wasn't for all of the energy I used...these wounds would be nothing, hehe... A-And what's worse...it all...weakened my bond...with you."

All I could do was stare and hold him in my arms like he did with me. Despite that he was chuckling, tears began streaming from his eyes as he added, "I don't have a lot of time left, Ao."

My lip began quivering and it was hard to speak. "N-No... Nononono, y-you can't... Y-You're joking. You're just joking! You're just pulling some sick, cruel prank, right?! Right?? Please??"

Sam shook his head slowly and responded sadly, "I wish I was as much as you do."

I couldn't control my tears as they rolled down my cheeks endlessly, and my body trembled. I felt cold again and hugged Sam closer to me, hoping for more warmth, hoping that I can just hold onto him tight and he won't leave.

"Ao...," he whispered, pressing his head against mine, "I...I'm so...so, so, so proud of the woman you've become. Hehe, I still remember playing tea party with that cute, little girl in twin braids." I didn't want to hear his words, but I didn't want him to stop talking either. So I let him talk to me as best as he could in his current state.

"I'm proud of you, Ao. Of what you've accomplished. Of the friends you've made along the way. Of the love you've made them feel for you. I'm happy that I was there with you through it all...! So, I mean it when I say that I'm not afraid to leave you because you won't be able to protect yourself without me. You're strong now. You're the proxy..!"

"But I need you!!!," I screamed, "I need you! You can't leave me! I need you! I need you! Please don't leave me...!!"

He placed a hand against my face and wiped away at my continuous tears with his thumb. "You'll be okay," he murmured, "because you've come so far from the shittiest of situations. I believe in you. I...I love you. So much. So, so, so much..." He managed a trembling smile, and happiness shined through the tears welling in his beautiful eyes. I stared at every inch of his face, memorizing it--no, burning it into my mind because I didn't want to forget the sight of this rare, amazing, yet brief moment. Just when I've finally seen him and embraced him, he's leaving me. Forever.

"I love you too..!," I whimpered, trying to manage my best smile.

All of the memories we've had together, all of the special moments we've made, everything we did together ends here with him lying in my arms, dying. The miracles he's made for me and all of the times he's been there to protect and love me when I felt alone. He was all I ever had when no one else would listen, and he's guided me along to the best future possible for me. Every night I spent whispering to him when I was bored, playing music for him, trying to draw him from what he describes even though nothing ever came out right... He was there, and now he's dying in my arms.

Sam leaned forward to place a tender, loving kiss against my forehead and I sobbed harder as I felt his tears fall onto my face. I hugged him tighter, pulled him closer to me as he lingered on this kiss. His skin was still a little warm and I leaned forward a bit so that he kissed harder. Hell, I wanted him to imprint his kiss into my skin...! But that's not possible. When he pulled away, the space between us was illuminated with blue light. Looking down, I saw that the tips of his fingers were glowing and beginning to fade away. I shook my head and looked up to meet his blue-eyed gaze again. With a warm smile, he chimed, "Hug me, Ao...!"

I didn't hesitate for a second, and shoved my face into the crook of his head as I held him into my embrace. My fingers clutched at his tunic and I whimpered into his white hair. While I did, Sam wrapped his arms around me and whispered lovingly into my ear, "I love you. I love you. I love you... I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you... I love you... I love...you... I..."

After there had been a few seconds of silence, I opened my eyes only to see no one in my arms anymore. I sat there, unmoving as I stared down at my hands in a daze. Finally, when the reality of everything came crashing into me, I began to tremble and shake my head. Clutching my hands against my chest, I cried and wailed my sadness, my loss, for all of the world to hear. The tears were endless as I whimpered and sobbed Sam's name, over and over and over and over again, hoping for his voice to respond to me, longing for his lullabies and love again. But no matter how loud I screamed and cried and called his name, I received no answer. I could feel his absence in my mind and my heart sank, crippled at the reality of him not being there anymore. I never thought that a day would come where he would be gone, where I was truly alone with my thoughts, where I was just alone. Now that the day has come, it's more crushing than I ever imagined possible. I've lost one of the greatest, truest loves of my life...and I can never get him back.

I sat in my spot, crying until I had no more tears left in me, until the ones on my face dried on my skin. The wind howled around me as I sat in the most devastating silence I've ever experienced. From this silence, Zalgo's body began to stir a few meters away from me. With a quaking body, he lifted himself up onto his hands and knees and glared at me past his messy hair.

"The...the spirit...where is he?," he muttered, his voice raspy.

I sniffled and said, "He's gone..."

Zalgo managed a smirk and began to chuckle lightly. "Well, it was only a matter of time before all that power backfired on him... I'm impressed that he was able to do any of that in the first place..." Then, he stood to his feet but wobbled as he did. Holding his head, he sneered and added, "So, it's only you now? What have you for me without him?"

I frowned and stood to my feet, too. "I...I have..."

Nothing.

It's just me.

My magic isn't enough to stop him.

I have nothing.

Zalgo cackled lowly as he limped towards me. "Sweet little proxy...I think it's time we've said our goodbyes." The Dark Hands formed from his back, thinner and duller than they had once been before, but still menacing as they loomed. With one last glare, he added, "I'm sure you'll come to agree with me."

Before I could react and leap out of the way, one of the Dark Hands came racing at me and smacked me away. I was tossed over the edge of the building with no way of grabbing onto anything and saving myself. The wind was rushing at my back as I fell, and my reflection in the dozens of windows warped as I plummeted to the ground. I could barely breathe upon realizing that I would die hitting the ground, that I would die in this way, and that Sam's sacrifice would be in vain. If he was still with me, he would catch me before I could reach ten feet of the ground. But he's not with me anymore and there was nothing else that could save me. I'm done for.

Suddenly, my body jerked to the side as arms wrapped under my back and legs. I shut my eyes tight, anticipating my captor to be Zalgo and to receive a different way to die. But when the wind stopped surging around me and everything was still, I opened my eyes to meet a single golden one staring back at me.

"E...Ellie...," I murmured. She was still in her Nightmare form but she wasn't attacking me and ripping me apart like I would expect. Instead, she only set me down on my feet and in a lawn of grass. I watched as her monstrous face wore away to reveal her real face, as pale and exhausted as it looked before. Looking at me with a stern expression, she said, "Still want me to go back to the mansion?"

Slowly, I shook my head and hugged onto her like my life depended on it. At this point, she's all I have left here. Despite her still present annoyance with me from earlier, she hugged onto me too.

"Please," I whimpered as tears welled up in my eyes, "help me. I can't do this on my own...!"

She sighed and replied, "I probably wouldn't either."

I pulled away from her and removed the wedding band from my thumb. Gingerly holding it out for her in my palm, I said, "I got the ring back, like you told me to do."

Her stern expression wore off as she smiled sadly and took the ring with quivering fingers. Cradling it in her hands, she nodded and murmured, "Thank you..." I smiled up at her and chuckled.

Suddenly, the moment was interrupted once a figure came down from the building and stood a few meters away from us. Ellie quickly pocketed the ring in her pants as we both turned to see Zalgo.

"Look at this," he marveled, grinning at us, "the two proxies together! Are you going to fight side by side? If so, I think this will be fun."

"Fighting side by side, huh," Ellie muttered. She glanced at me and remarked, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

I flashed her a determined look and nodded. She smirked and formed her Nightmare face again as she turned back to Zalgo.

The demented being chuckled deeply and raised his arms wide. "Have at me then...!"

"Gladly," Ellie and I hissed in unison, as we set forth to fight Zalgo together.

Instead of heading straight into him, I veered to the left while Ellie ran right past him towards the TIRACorp building. Since I was the closest enemy, Zalgo set his sights on me and lunged. I dodged his advance and punched him using a red illuminated fist. He bent back and I kneed him upside the head. Before I could do anything more, he pulled himself away from me, spun, and landed a back kick to my side. I leaped back a step after that and blocked an oncoming punch towards my head. I kept blocking his attacks, my forearms growing bruised with every harsh jab he threw at me. Summoning the red scrawling onto my arms, along with the Purification magic, I pushed forward and rammed my arms against him. The reaction of both magics was enough to send him across the ground a few feet from me. Quickly, he rolled to his feet and ran for me again. I side-stepped, blocked a back kick, and another punch towards my head coming from the left. When Zalgo attempted another kick, I grabbed onto his ankle, ducked under it to his other side, then quickly slammed a kick across his jaw.

While he staggered back, Ellie finally came back as she made a bounding leap from the building towards him. Her Dark Hands slammed down into him, upturning part of the grass surrounding us and shaking me to the ground. When she landed opposite from where she came, she lifted the Dark Hands only to be greeted by another set. She was shoved across the ground as Zalgo got to his feet, his own red and black unnatural appendages looming over him. Luckily, Ellie was quick to recover from the hit and she went charging into him faster than I anticipated. Both of their Dark Hands collided, trying to shove the other back, while they themselves fought in a blur of well executed kicks and jabs. Zalgo slashed a claw across Ellie's face, and though she hissed with pain, her actions were unfazed. In her annoyance, she kicked into Zalgo, jumped on top of him, then leaped behind him to get away while her Dark Hands let go of his. Turning around to attack her again, Zalgo charged forward to land a hit across Ellie's face. She dodged him easily, but left her mouth of razor sharp teeth wide open so that when he passed by, his arm was caught in her maw. I watched and cringed as his skin tore away by his own momentum and he tumbled across the ground, clutching whatever remained. Ellie chomped on the flesh he left behind and howled at him.

As Zalgo kneeled and growled at her, I came up from behind and knocked a red kick into him. His head was smashed into the ground and Ellie did the honors of grabbing him with a Dark Hand and tossing him away a few meters. His own Dark hands caught the ground and he was able to skid to a stop closer than we wanted. Zalgo sent forth a wave of the black liquid again, and I lifted my hands out of instinct to create a shield that I didn't know I could make. While we were protected, Ellie leaped over me and rammed her Dark Hands down towards Zalgo again. She hit him, but his Dark Hands counterattacked by grabbing her and throwing her far to the right. As soon as she was out of the way, Zalgo rushed towards me and I ran for him. At the last second, I halted my steps and sent a ray of violet magic into him, tossing him back again.

He got up quickly and sent his Dark Hands after me. They barreled towards me to sandwich me between their palms but I held up both arms to either side to shield myself with magic. When they maneuvered to attack from overhead, I shielded myself again, then again when they came to attack my front. To Zalgo, this tactic wasn't going to work and instead he dashed past his own supernatural appendages to get to me. I moved out of his way and while his back was turned, I leaped onto him and grabbed onto his head. Focusing, I transferred the scarlet scrawling to his skin, placing him in immense, searing pain. He managed to shake me off, and when I landed on my feet, he elbowed me in the rib cage then across the face once I bent low enough. I fell over onto the ground, but quickly recomposed myself and swiped my legs into his ankles. He fell over too and I slammed a red kick down onto his head, breaking the ground under it.

Just as Zalgo was getting up again, Ellie came back roaring ferociously and yanked him away from me with her Dark Hands. She smashed him into the ground again and leaped up with her metal arm at the ready. From my place, I could hear it whirring violently, and a loud bang echoed in the air as soon as she punched down into Zalgo. His Dark Hands advanced and shoved her off as soon as the attack was executed and Ellie skidded across the ground on her feet. Zalgo got up again and geared up to send another wave of black liquid. This time, however, Ellie charged straight through it and came out unscathed. With a forceful backhand, she flung Zalgo away into the iron gate that surrounded the TIRACorp building. I could hear him growl from where I stood as he quickly recovered and ran for her. Taking this opportunity, I crouched down and placed my hands on the ground to transfer scarlet lines to him. Just before he could reach Ellie, my border activated and exploded around him, sending up a cloud of dirt. Ellie sprang through into the cloud and Zalgo came flying out of the other end of it, again.

Before Ellie and I could regroup, one of Zalgo's Dark Hands shot out towards me, and, at the last second, I found myself engulfed in light. When the light blinked away, I was in a different spot than before and the Dark Hand's claws dug into nothing but dirt. I stared wide eyed in disbelief of what I just did, but quickly regretted standing around when I felt a clawed hand come over my neck and lift me off of my feet. While I choked, Zalgo glared up at me and lifted his other hand to stab his nails into my face. Just before he could do that, another flash of light surrounded my vision then disappeared to reveal me positioned behind him. He was still holding up his hand from choking me, but I quickly acted and rammed my fists into his back with a burst of violet light.

Ellie rushed up in front of him to kick him back towards me, to which I took the pleasure of shoving a shield into him. He stumbled back into Ellie again and she grabbed him with a Dark Hand, reeled him back and flung him towards the TIRACorp building. Her force sent him crashing through the outside walls and through more, until there was a loud bang on the other side of the facility.

"You tossed him a little too far there," I remarked, and all she responded with was a grunt. We couldn't leave the fight like this, so I ran up behind her to leap onto her back. Ellie grabbed onto my legs tightly and ran to catch up with Zalgo. Once she was near the building, she leaped and slipped through the hole Zalgo made when smashing through. As I thought, the jagged tunnel went straight through the building and Ellie ran the entire length. Once she leaped out into the open again, I looked around. A gasp escaped my lips as soon as I spotted Zalgo on the side of the TIRACorp building, like a spider waiting to pounce. Before I could warn Ellie, he charged and smacked the both of us away using one of his supernatural appendages. Ellie desperately clawed at the side of the building with her Dark Hands to gain footing, but our momentum was too much for her and we hit the ground together. I tumbled a few feet away from her and was suddenly captured by a dull colored Dark Hand. Zalgo grasped me tightly and began to squeeze me, attempting to crush me. Just when I was about to panic, a random truck was thrown into the demented man's body and the Dark Hand dropped me. Looking behind me, I saw Ellie on her feet, howling a monstrous roar.

When I turned back, Zalgo had tossed the vehicle back at us and Ellie caught it just in time before it hit me, too. While I hid behind the truck, I focused my magic and was able to travel to a different place again. Luckily, I ended up exactly where I wanted, which was behind Zalgo, and rammed a red kick right into his back. He was shoved forward next to the truck and Ellie took this chance to bend the vehicle forward, encasing him in it like a bear trap. She flung the vehicle away but Zalgo burst out of the makeshift cage and rushed forward to attack. One Dark Hand was shot towards me, while the other went for Ellie.

On my end, I dodged out of the way in time, then leaped up onto the grayish appendage. Quickly, I sprinted along the arm towards Zalgo and leaped forward to drop kick him across the face, red magic and all. His body fell back and I tumbled across the ground again. Ellie had made it past the other Dark Hand too, and used her own to tug on it, pulling Zalgo from the ground and over her so he could hit the other side.

Ellie hunched down and motioned for me to run towards her. I did as she wanted and jumped when one of her Dark Hands came sweeping towards my feet. It pushed up at the last second, raising me up in the air a couple meters off the ground, and I slammed a hard kick right into Zalgo just as he got up. I rolled across the ground and turned around just in time to catch Zalgo getting backhanded by Ellie's Dark Hand. Taking the advantage, I traveled behind him in a sheen of light, then knocked a back kick straight to his head. Just as his Dark Hands were about to attack me, Ellie's came holding them down onto the ground, leaving me with only Zalgo to worry about.

Exhausted, he reared back and threw a haymaker punch towards me, which I side-stepped out of, then wrapped my arms under his outstretched arm and around his neck. Twisting my body, I flipped him over onto the ground, grabbed onto his tail, then flung him towards Ellie with red flaring arms. She growled excitedly and jumped up to land a kick right into him. When Zalgo landed on the ground and began getting up to his knees, I teleported behind him and grabbed onto his shirt collar. Again, I got him on his feet and shoved my fists into his back to push him away with another violet explosion. Ellie was across from me and caught him with another hard kick. Before he could hit the ground again, though, I did what Sam had done and teleported to catch him with an attack.

Relentlessly, I punched into Zalgo with a red fist and sent him back to Ellie, and she would do the same. We worked in tandem to rain down unyielding hits into him, batting him around at unprecedented strength and speed. Not once were his Dark Hands able to attack or grab onto the ground to give him footing. In all of the history of proxies, I doubt that there has ever been such a violent combination like Ellie and I. And that brings me immense joy.

Wherever Ellie tossed Zalgo, I would teleport to catch him. Finally, when I hit him back towards her, I traveled next her, catching the sound of her metal arm charging up. Together, we reeled back our hands and punched into Zalgo, and the combined force was enough dig a long trail across the ground when he tumbled away from us. It was at this point that Zalgo's Dark Hands disappeared and he stayed still in the dirt. Ellie and I stood side by side, watching him intently, waiting for him to launch a surprise attack on us, but none ever came. He was completely immobile and only locks of his disheveled hair swayed from the wind. Ellie and I glanced at each other almost in disbelief. I stepped forward to check on the demented entity, but Ellie stopped me in my tracks with an outstretched arm. One glance into her single golden eye told me I should leave this to her and stay behind. So I listened and watched her saunter towards Zalgo, her Dark Hands still looming over her triumphantly.

When she reached Zalgo, she bent down and shoved him over onto his back. From my place, I heard him cough and growl in a heavily graveled voice, "You two...sure make a pair...don't you...?"

Ellie created a deep growl in her throat and huffed in his face. Slowly, I walked towards them since it looked like Zalgo was completely battered. He smirked at the two of us and added, "You girls can...hit and maim me all you want...but without destroying my anchor...I will never leave...!" He began chuckling feebly in his raspy voice, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

He's right. Without destroying the anchor, we can't send him back to his own realm and away from ours. He won't slumber until the next proxy, if there will be one after me, that is... Still, without the anchor, he's stuck here infecting the world. With all of this action going on, I never got to think about what it could be, and I don't know how much longer it'll be until Zalgo gets back on his feet.

While the demented being kept cackling to himself, Ellie gripped onto his neck tight and held him down. Before I would question what she was doing, she opened her mouth wide, unhinging it like a snake's, and bit down onto Zalgo's head. His laughter immediately ceased once she shut her jaws into his flesh and yanked her head away. I stepped back, startled at the sight of a mangled face. But that was only the start of something horrifying.

In her raging state, Ellie screeched gutturally and bit down on Zalgo's body again. She tore through his clothes, into his flesh and swallowed the chunks she ripped away. Her razor teeth cut through meat and bones like nothing and blood sprayed everywhere on her face. Frightened by the grotesque scene, I murmured cautiously, "E-Ellie...?"

Underneath the blood caked on her face and her long, black hair, I hadn't realized she had left behind the monstrous face of her Nightmare form. She was her normal self. Yet she kept gorging on Zalgo's mutilated body, and eating away at his flesh and bone, slurping guts and nerves. When she finally realized I was still there, witnessing all of this, she glared up at me and growled, "Leave..."

"But--."

"NOW!!," she snapped and her mismatched eyes flared like they never have before. In that moment, she was a predator, a complete carnivore, a monster. And I knew that it was time to let this monster be.

Without hesitation, I ran away from her and even from a few meters away I could hear her ripping and devouring what was left of Zalgo's body. I ran as fast and as far as my legs could carry me. The sole of my right foot was getting scratched up without a shoe to protect it, but I kept fighting through the pain. I ran, and ran, and ran, and through it all I hadn't realized there were tears flowing down my cheeks.

When my chest burned too much for me to handle, I stopped for a breather and fell to my knees on the ground. Panting heavily, I closed my eyes and rested. Then I began trembling as the tears fell harder.

Above me, I felt warmth on my body and looked up to see the sky healing itself to a vibrant blue once again. Sun rays beamed past the gray clouds and I couldn't contain my laughter. Yet as I belly-laughed, I cried. As I smiled, tears still stained my cheeks. I fell over onto the green grass beneath me and laid on my back, staring up at the beautiful sky again. Laughing, and crying, and laughing, and crying.

It's over.