V.I.R.A.L

Over 5000 years ago, The Garden of Salvation lived in unison with your world. The world was at peace, and everything was perfect. But our creators got jealous. They soon saw the Garden as a threat to their cause, known as the Fairy-Tale they banished our race to the pits of where we are today. Trapped from our former home imprisoned for the rest of time. In retaliation of such the Gardeners creating the five stages of grief to lure man into setting us free. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These five were chosen from the people's high ranks to set out to put our world free. Given powers unlike anything seen they are to trick humanity into aiding our cause. Once free, we would take back our home and take the war to the Fairy-tale themselves. The seal can only be broken when a stage of grief is free.

And then there is Salvation, one stage, not even the Gardeners have any control over. An individual born of all the stages and so much more. They cancel out each of the others stages but have the power to rival the Gardeners themselves. No mere mortal can defeat such a monster, the Garden final ace out their sleeve. But even Salvation is bound by their stage. The stage of absolute victory causing attacks landed on her by any mortal and a stage to be cancelled out never to be seen. The abomination was the Gardeners' final mistake, it is said to even be worthy of defeating the Fairy-Tale themselves. She is now my sister with the stage working against her eating away at her heart. Her soul until there's nothing left but a husk of power. If not stopped, she will become all-powerful. I put an end to her 400 years ago, but now she is back and now soon to be stronger than ever because of Hans' work. If not stopped, she will be able to summon the Garden to your world alongside the other stages of grief. I need not remind you if this were to happen it would be over. None of you will survive. Alice nor Iris know what they are about to do and must be stopped no matter what or else say goodbye to everything you know forever.

Alton sat down with a dreadful look tapping the ground with his foot. "The Garden… How many would we be up against?"

"It doesn't matter, in your current state, just one stage of grief would be enough to wipe this country off the map. You cannot let this happen."

"So, let me get this straight Alton, you're telling us that the Garden dude you and Zinnia both have in your head is a stage of grief and he alongside the others will return if we don't stop the twins?" Emil put together. "Because if that's the case aren't, we fucked?"

"The odds are not looking the greatest I must admit," Blossom whispered. "But we cannot stand still and let everything die. We must fight."

Alton stood up, staring at Bargaining conflicted. "Or maybe we don't. You're a stage of Grief. You are bound by the Garden's rule. There is no way in hell; you would warn us about something that benefits you!"

Bargaining shook his head, walking around the group of streamers. "Like you Alton, we are the same. I too am a Child of the Garden. Not born of either world. Eve and I escaped the Garden world looking for a better life. But she was consumed by Salvation, and I had no choice. Posing as heroes, we teamed up with the Phantom and Geostruction to defeat the Garden. My plan began as I killed Eve and the former Bargaining forcingly taking her abilities. I allowed us to be sealed away so I could find a way to bring my sister back without the stage of grief. My plan is still cooking. Salvation still clings onto Eve like a parasite. If we were to come back now, it would be 400 years ago all over again. I cannot allow that."

Alton rallied Bargaining's message as Gale scratched his chin. "Children of the Garden. I thought that was just all of your race?"

"No. My race is no different from yours. We also share powers and such. Children of the Garden are anomalies, mistakes that shouldn't exist. No one knows where they come from, they just appear and make everyone's life a misery. Some even believe to be fallen angels from Fairy-Tale but what we know is that they are immune to the stages of grief and the Garden's influence."

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"Fairy-Tale… As if we needed another God level threat to worry about. But why us? Why are the Garden so hellbent on destroying us? We didn't seal you away." Alton argued.

"A fair amount of people doesn't. Our race is cut in two. Part of us does not want any part in your destruction. Some even are happy with the world they live in. But others are blind by the hate. The Gardeners will do anything to get revenge against our enemy, and if anyone disagrees, they are silenced. That's all we can do."

"What do we do then? You said it yourself, Salvation will stop all of the attacks. We can't win."

Alton stared forward frowning. "That's not true. Like he said, a Child of the Garden is immune to the stages. I'm the only one who can stop them. That's not very reinsuring going up against two ultra-powered Garden users."

Bargaining smirked nodding. "You're probably right. I will admit you are powerful Alton. Your power has even thrown off us, but you cannot win unless you wish to destroy the entire city. That's why I have a plan."

"A plan?"

Bargaining pointed to the clocktower. "You already have the tools to defeat Salvation. An ally of yours who always had your back. Alice Hawthorne."

****

Alice looked up, seeing Iris with both eyes yellow staring down at her. "Finally, awake sister. Good, I needed your help soon anyway."

Alice crawled back looking weary. "Iris?"

"No, sorry. You already know who I am. We've been quite close."

Alice gasped, jumping up. "Salvation…"

Iris bowed, holding a finger over her mouth. "Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast."

"What happened?"

"You don't remember? What a shame. It was quite amusing. But alas we are not here to look back on the past. We need each other to resurrect the Garden."

Alice pulled out her bow aiming it at Iris. "Iris would never go along with this!"

"Iris, Iris, Iris… Always about your sister. It's funny and quite ironic. You care so much for her, yet her growing jealousy is almost flooding out. This made it so easy to take her over. She desperately so wanted to overtake you. But it was never out of hate but determination."

"Why would she be jealous of the Alice? She was the one who always helped me, I looked up to her as my hero!"

"What a shame she couldn't see that either. But it's far too late. You know what I'm talking about Alice. I've been in your head all your life."

"Revenge."

"Revenge against the Garden. Against my brother before I stop caring. Together we can make our dream come true."

Alice held her head, shaking squirming. "No… This is wrong. I cannot. I won't let you control me any longer!"

Iris stared blankly at Alice, holding her bow towards her. "Oh, Ho? Are you going to seriously go to harm me? Kill me? The only family you call your own? Can you do it?"

Iris leaned forward, stabbing herself with the arrow. Alice pulled back eye twitching. "Stop it. The Alice demands you stop."

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"The Alice this. The Alice that. She, her. Never you. Never I. So weak you cling onto pathetic coping methods to hide the pain and isolation of having no one. There's no point in lying to me. I am thou, thou art I."

"Enough!" Alice screamed. "The Alice is nothing like you! The Alice wants to be a hero, not a streamer. She doesn't want this for any of us! The Alice wants to be a member of Team Rhapsody. We both do. The Garden is not our path!"

"How rich coming from you who would do whatever your pitiful father told you. He brainwashed you without a second thought, and you thanked him for it. Pushed your sister away for his pathetic dream. You live on a throne of lies forced to live the life of a dead girl. You aren't even real."

Alice fell to her knee, almost succumbing to the brainwash. That was until she snapped smacking the ground even making Iris jump. "No! The Alice is not that. Eve, you are wrong about the Alice and Iris! The Alice does not care for her fake past. I will create my own future to then call it my past. Even if all these memories are a lie, even if I never lived them first hand, I will keep them close! I live no lie! For those memories of my father, my sister, Alton and Hero's Might. It's all real to me, and nothing will change that! A hero fights for what's right not selfish endeavours! Iris would not want this, and I intend on saving her right here and now!"

Iris smirked, dropping her guard as cubes rippled around her. "Look at you acting all proud and mighty. But how long will that last? If you do not join willingly, I will pry the remains of my soul from your corpse!"