Demon of the Rose

Delithita

An explosion in Fantasma city center shook the surrounding Antipode region.

"DEL!!" Icey, Maria and Altas all said in unison. All three appeared just outside the blast area and discovered something they never thought possible. Three people fighting Delithita, and she was hard pressed to keep up with them. Nodding the trio moved forward to assist. One of Del's attackers moved to intercept them. He gestured and the three would-be helpers were blocked by a stout field of sorts. He grinned evilly and pointed at Maria with a knowing look. He looked like an average resident, except his eyes were hollow. Not missing mind you, but hollow, the light that most people had in their eyes, was not there.

"The Brotherhood."

"Maria?"

"It is them, and we cannot help Del. Those that are not here physically will maintain this barrier."

"Bullshit," was Icey's cold reply. His eyes darkened, something only Del had seemed to do, and struck the invisible barrier as hard as he could. Sparks flew around it and he drew his hand back, grasping it he swore violently.

"It is like punching an Executioner with full shields!" The person that had disengaged the fight returned.

"Can she..." Altas began.

"Doubtful," came Icey's choked reply. "She's a damned tough fighter and the tribals are not any hassle, until they get up in numbers. She's immortal, strong, fast, but not invincible" He was interrupted by a bright flash. Del had fallen. She sat on her butt bleeding profusely. The three assailants stood regarding her darkly.

"NO!!!" Icey dove for the barrier again and was again repelled. Del looked over and tears could be seen running down her cheeks. She looked back at her attackers as one of them said something. Her face grew dark, as if it had become a black hole. She stood up, pieces of her armor fell off in the tatters that they were. She pointed at the speaker and said something. The 3 laughed, they continued laughing until the speaker jumped for Del, a sword in his hand. Maria turned, Icey gasped while Altas stood stoically determined to honor Del's death by being witness and remembering her courage. The blade neared and Delithita just stood there as if accepting her demise. While he was still five feet away she crossed her arms and smiled an incredibly evil smile. The grim reaper perhaps wore such a smile. As he approached a brilliant flash of light emanated from Delithita, causing even Altas to turn his head from the brilliance.

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Time dilates as you approach the speed of light.

The faster one moves, the slower things occur. Following this theory one can cause their body, mind, and soul to move at light speed. Each cell will age rapidly until light speed is attained, once that happens a reversion takes place. The cells will also begin to generate fantastic amounts of power. This is how the ghosts attained immortality. This is how they attained their otherworldly powers. Maria had encoded her cybernetic brain into a massive computer system in the core of Mercury. Once there she committed suicide attempting to rid the ghosts and Mercury, of the menace of the Immortal Brotherhood. While in the computer she figured out how to manifest corporally without the use of technology by accelerating the data processor to function at literally light speed. By doing such she was able to affect matter and energy alike. Demonstrated in grand fashion by her 'Paradigm Shift', when she literally teleported Mercury out of the known portion of the Milky Way galaxy. The less obvious effect was how she affected the other ghosts. She slowly accelerated their bodies’ chemistry until their powers began to appear. Del's powers took off, causing the 'ghost' incidents that plagued Fantasma. Her inner demon noticed this power, and ran with it like a banner in the wind. Using Del's inherent fury and dark desires, it was Del's "Id" manifest, her subconscious fulfilling her unfulfilled wishes that her better half suppressed. The problem ended when Del herself became aware of it and took firm hold of her power like one would a chicken to slaughter. She exercised power absolute and threw her body into its absolute power. However in her attempt to control her 'power' she failed to see how absolute it truly was. Icey accidentally stumbled upon it, by causing a snow storm inside Fantasma Colony. She had not realized the other law of physics. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, unless acted upon by another force. By her very body functioning at light speed the air around her was affected. At high temperature oxygen becomes energy. The Ghosts had an internal body temperature of a couple hundred centigrade. However, through much practice, they had learned how to suppress radiation of such so that they appeared more human. Which is also why the Ghosts had a higher need of oxygen intake, so much that their very bodies had evolved to absorb oxygen. In theory a Ghost need not 'breath' as a human does.

Moments before the sword would strike Del realized this. Realized that she could master the very elements of life and death. She could affect more than just her body and its skin. More than just pockets of gravity. She finally grasped what Maria had figured out long ago. Long before the Shift.

She inhaled, light filled the air around her as the oxygen inside the 'bubble' began to react as she conquered this last barrier. With speed even she had not yet possessed she struck the assailant's sword and shattered it with a backhanded strike with her left hand. With her right she caught the wielder of the sword by the throat. A look of absolute surprise hit his face. The light in the bubble faded as Del started to draw the power into herself. Re-energizing her exhausted body.

Holding him effortlessly she stood taller and her armor began to re-assemble in rapid fashion. Smiling darkly she lifted him higher and jumped, at the apex of her jump, she slammed him furiously into the ground. The sound of plethoric numbers of bones breaking in unison filled the dome. Reaching down, she opened his jacket and withdrew something wrapped in felt.

"I have your rose bitch," those were the words he had spoken.

"Then you shall die!" was her response. When she pointed to him she felt something. Something react to her. Beckoning. This is what made her realize the truth about her power, and just how infinite it truly was.

Looking at her other two attackers she willed her wounds to heal. As they stitched up she unwrapped the felt covered object. It was a glass cube. Inside, was her rose. The sole surviving object of her time before the Starsiege. Holding it high in her palm she could feel the energy in her prized possession. The dark power she had unwitting instilled into the rose, fueled by her intense rage, and amplified by her ghostly powers, she pointed. A dark form became manifest in front of the bubble creator. Transparent and looking of absolute evil. It's victim's eyes bugged out as the form reached into past his chest, and into his heart. He screamed silently as his life passed from his body. Reaching up the IB's head detonated. Skull fragments flying everywhere alongside metallic fragments of his animorphic brain. The other attacker's will faltered and he turned to flee.

"Run all you want. I know your face. And death shall find you one day." Del's dark manifest said. The man's face blanched as he disappeared. Del collapsed exhausted as Icey rushed to catch her. As she drifted off to sleep she spoke softly. Too tired to even speak through her inherent link with Icey, she whispered...

"The demon is me, and the demon is contained. I need my sleep...."

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