GOING TOO FAR.

1777, APRIL 04th, MONDAY 11:15am.

Noche flew towards Dove and Raven. At the last moment, she turned and attacked the man in the yellow raincoat. He was caught off guard by the sudden reversal and Noche took the opening.

"Swap."

In less than a blink, Noche was swinging at empty air.

"You bitch!"

She turned and fired a corruption DLC at Dove, but the bird of death dodged as if she saw the future. Raven came in with two rapid punches, Noche avoided the first and blocked the second. The blonde kicked at the same he did and their legs cancelled out. Noche took a punch to the face to get an opening on Raven — she swung an uppercut for his jaw.

"Swap."

Noche's fist didn't connect. She turned and glared at Dove, but she didn't get a chance to react before Raven was upon her again. The blonde was already in a losing position fighting someone twice as strong. Throwing Dove in the mix made things much worse.

It caused the all too-familiar feeling to creep back into her neck. That sensation of ants dancing under the skin, the knife's edge she was so familiar with walking on. Her fear of failure started to well up.

Elsewhere, in a black realm surrounded by faint golden specks of light, there was a floating white orb. About a quarter of its surface was covered in cracks. It trembled and the cracks spread just a little more.

"Raven watch out! She's about to get a power boost!" Dove yelled.

Noche sped up and Raven barely managed to dodge in time — her corruption arm flying over where his head was a moment ago. Her next two attacks were also dodged, however, her third attack left her vulnerable. Raven took the opening and landed a kick against her ribs.

The blonde was sent flying towards a rock wall — Noche vanished in a flash of gold surrounded by black mist. She reappeared behind Raven and used her momentum to land a corruption fist in his back. The bird of death started glitching like an old video game.

"Strange — isn't it? This attack." Dove shouted. "We defeat the Generals, but spare them. We set fire to Cross, but don't burn anything critical. We fight your soldiers, but always allow a few to escape."

"What are you getting at Dove?" Noche asked.

"These are the tactics to win a war. They are tactics to instill fear."

"Yeah — I know. Edward. Creeps feeds off of fear."

"If you know that, and you're aware you're his favorite meal, then ask yourself... Isn't there someone you love that you fear losing?"

Noche stared at her in confusion before her eye went wide.

"Hurry. He's just outside the hospital," Dove said. "Wandered out there in the chaos. He's all alone."

The blonde stared at her as a bead of sweat went down her face. Then she turned and jumped high into the air. Prismatic energy became a blast of wind that sent Noche flying.

"How much fear do you need Edward?" Dove muttered. "How much fear?"

"What did you tell her?" Raven asked as his glitching died down.

"What she needed to hear to get her revenge... and ours."

Noche was high in the sky overlooking the entire battlefield when the scent of rotting meat filled her nostrils. Create failed her and she was sent plummeting out of the sky. Fortunately, the blonde landed on her feet; her crash landing cracked the concrete.

Her head snapped up and scanned the area. There he was, standing outside the hospital, her grandfather Professor Grim. No prismatic energy filled the sky, gunshots and shouting were muted, and the world had gone dim as if a storm had just blotted out the sun.

Noche didn't hesitate; she ran straight to him. When she did his eyes lit up with clarity.

"Noche?! What's going on here?"

"You recognize me?" She shouted. "You recognize me! We're at Cross HQ. It's under attack from DeathTech."

"DeathTech! We have to get you to safety."

"Me? You're the one who needs protected."

"Nonsense – they aren't going to get their hands on you. Not again," he said. "I'm going to keep you safe."

Tears welled in her sole eye. However, before she could blink them away there was an explosion of red all across Noche's face. A hand had stabbed its way through her grandfather's torso.

"NOOOOO!" Noche screamed.

Behind the Professor was Edward; half his face distorted, transformed into Creeps.

"Nooooche you have peeerfect timing," Edward's voice was slurred, broken. "I was worried -gasp- you'd keep me waiting, and that'd I'd transform."

He laughed, but his cackling was cut short as his entire body shuddered.

"Shit – I'm. Out of. Time."

Edward's face started to slough off as his whole body convulsed. In a matter of heartbeats, Creeps had taken his place. The moment the monster formed it lunched for Noche. She raised both arms to block, but something slammed into it before it collided with her.

Galloway clashed with Creeps. The two were tangled into each other before the Grim Reaper-looking individual had them both fly up into the sky. They rocketed up with a boom and within seconds they were above the clouds.

Above the air fractured, split, and warped. It was as if fourth-dimensional effects were trying to break onto the third-dimensional plane. Strange patterns popped into and out of reality. Space bent and twisted before vanishing.

Noche ignored all of it, she rushed towards her grandfather and fell on her knees. Her eye stared at the gaping wound in the middle of his chest – there was no way she could fix this.

Professor Grim opened his eyes, there was a blonde woman standing over him. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't make her out. She was shouting but her words were distant. He couldn't hear a single thing she said. Everything was going silent.

The woman transformed into a little girl with tufts of blonde hair. It was his granddaughter. He smiled and raised a hand to the small kid's cheek.

"Shh, my li-little N-Noche," he whispered. "It'll be ok... M-My little... Granddaughter."

He coughed up blood and the little girl paled. Her eyes darted back and forth between his wound and his face. His hand was too weak to stay on her cheek, it fell to the ground.

"I love you."

"Grandpa! GRANDPA!"

Noche knelt there as she held her grandfather close. His eyes had turned glassy. His breathing had stopped.

"Please don't leave me! You're the only family I have left!" She shouted.

There was no response.

"This isn't fair – not when I finally get the chance to spend time with you," she said. "Please... I don't want to be alone."

Yet he did not stir. She stared at his corpse for what felt like an eternity before turning her head towards the sky. It continued to warp between surreal forms. She didn't move as the darkness welled up inside her. The cold inky void that spread across her body like a creeping death. Her one remaining hand twitched and the omni-oar was summoned to her grasp.

"Noche!"

She lowered her head just enough for her eye to look at the person who called her. In the distance were Shaylin and Vida; both were running towards her.

"Oh my gee golly gosh, Noche, we need your help. The generals are—" Shaylin stopped and gasped.

Noche gently placed her grandfather's corpse onto the ground and stood up. She raised her head back to the sky, but before she could do anything Vida placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Don't do it," Vida said. "You're no match for them."

Noche glared at the blind girl. "I don't care."

Vida removed her hand and shrugged.

"Noche – you're not thinking of fighting Creeps?" Shaylin asked.

"I won't be a fight," she said. "It'll be a slaughter."

"Noche, no! It'll destroy you!"

"Shut it!" She snapped. "That monster killed my grandfather. I will annihilate it."

"It's not some physical thing – it's ethereal. Surreal," Shaylin said.

"I said shut it!" Noche yelled.

She bent her knees and prepared to jump, but Shaylin placed her cybernetic left arm on Noche's jacket. The blonde found herself unable to move. No that wasn't quite right, it was more like her jacket couldn't move. As if it was held in place with stasis.

"SHAYLIN!"

"If you go you'll only end up hurting yourself!"

"Let go of me you bitch!"

Shaylin's eyes widened, before returning to normal. "Sticks and stones may break my bones."

"God damn it Shaylin – Creeps is right there! I can stop all this!"

"You can't! You're not strong enough!" Shaylin said. "You'd fail!"

Noche's world went red.

"I said let me go you infertile bitch!"

Shaylin gasped, her eyes lingered on Noche, and she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Noche didn't wait for a response – corruption covered her jacket and with it destroyed she was free. Without hesitation she jumped into the air; Vida followed after her. By the time both were halfway to the clouds the blind girl grabbed onto Noche's one arm.

"Noche – you're gonna lose!" Vida shouted.

The blonde responded by kicking her in the head. For a moment the blind girl was stunned. Then a grin grew across her face.

"Ohh, you shouldn't have done that."

Muscles exploded on Vida's arm before she yanked Noche down and headbutted her face. The two were sent spinning in the air before Vida stabilized herself, grabbed Noche's cheeks with both hands, and started slamming forehead against forehead over and over again.

They both crashed back in the middle of the battlefield at Cross HQ. Noche punched Vida off her, stood up, and wiped a trail of blood out of her eye. Her resulting glare had enough vitriol to melt steel. Vida responded by grabbing the blonde and jumping, causing both to rocket to the northeast.

"Come on Noche, let's dance!"