V.I.R.A.L

From the raging blizzard, a lone figure was spotted by the masses traversing and moving forward in the face of evil. Leaping from the roof, Alton flew down, pushing himself against the building passing through the city. The heart of his own power was in sight, and nothing was going to stop him. Pressing himself to the side, he began running alongside the building before jolting forward, dispersing into a puff of smoke passing through a building coming back together. Using his built-up energy to push forward high in the sky as he looked around, letting out a yell of freedom, flipping forward coming back down. Holding his arms forward, he latched onto a lamppost flying himself further on. Ahead of the groove, Alton saw note of a stray child drowning in the snow, an avalanche swarming through the city. Spinning around, Alton turned to help the child crashing to the ground tackling the child out of the way as he swung his arm around. His whole body pouring with smoke, and his eyes eradicating with a dark red. Letting out an almighty attack, the oncoming avalanche was completely destroyed blasted away, leaving only a small trail of sleet at their feet.

"Are you alright, kid?"

The little boy gave a small nod. "Thank you, mister Phantom, … You better hurry before I hurt any more people."

Folding his arms watching the child run, he shook his head, tutting. "He really doesn't get me at all."

"I think that's what frightens him the most," Kira yells, standing on a bus stop sign staring down at Alton. "I see you've got your oomph to keep going, yeah? Groovy."

"Did he send you here to stop me?"

Kira jumped down, walking towards Alton shaking her head. "Nope. I'm not so easily swayed by men who dress to impress and act like they own the place."

"But you're literally a creation of this world. An NPC to get in my way."

"Am I now?" Kira scoffed at joining her hands together, cracking her fingers. "Aren't we all a mere creation of God's plan, though. I'm allowed to make my own free judgment the way I see it, creation or not. And that would just happen to help Alton Brantley escape this dream of his."

"Dream…" Alton whispered, shaking his head. "I can see where Scarlett gets her charismatic attitude. You're like her great, great, great, great grandma, I suppose."

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"You lost me at Charismatic…" She whispered, turning her head seeing a school bus flying through the streets heading straight for Alton. "Alton, look out!"

The bus passed through Alton as smoke danced off his body. Kneeling down, he picked up a baseball bat spinning it around before swinging it. Taking a long set of chains from his pocket, he wrapped them around the bat, tightening them. "Don't worry about me. My path is a straight line now, and I can't lose. I'll never lose. That's what a survivor does."

"The girl who gave you that pep talk sure is something."

Smirking to this, Alton held the bat behind his back, giving a small nod. "She's too good for me. I'm going to tell her that the first moment we meet again. I can't do that until I take down Acceptance once and for all. What do you say, Kira? One last ride till the end of the world?"

Kira cupped her fists together, letting off a small trial of explosions, cackling at the thought. "Fuck yeah, I am. If this is to be our judgement day, I'm going to show the man upstairs just what we Syndicates are made of."

****

Acceptance sat on his thrones of apparent truth and turmoil with a smug look wearing a perfectly pressed and looked after navy blue suit and red tie. His brown shoes were also waxed to perfection, and he wore a pure golden watch that dazzled in the snow. His eyes met on Alton and Kira, who gave a long-winded clap that was slow and drawn out. "Bravo, just bravo. It seems I owe you quite the apology Alton Brantley for it seems I told a lie."

"Not even the stage of Grief Acceptance can hold all the truths in his playing field then?" Alton spat at.

"Nobody is perfect, that is the truth, and in fact, even I can get some facts wrong. I completely glossed over the fact that you always seem to bounce back when faced with certain doom. Tell me, have you learned the true meaning of this dream of yours yet? Does the fire in your heartburn and outlive this never-ending storm? Are you the hero you were destined to be?"

Alton stood at the centre of the frozen lake where Acceptance lied, making his operation base at New York's Central Park. The park was laid waste to an extravert sight of a frozen land matching the very ideology and look the Garden once reached. "Is the concept of heroes even possible for someone of the Garden?"

"That's a fair question, I suppose." Acceptance threw back, swirling his wine glass around. "Do you like what I've done with the place? I would have chosen the empire state building as our finale, but this is far more fitting. The look and careful detail remind me so much of my home."

"Aww, do you feel homesick?" Kira teased.

"The whole world use to look like this at one point, did you know? We lived in harmony before Fairy-Tale got jealous and damned us to where we confine today. We simply want to return to that way of life, to the people who live in the Garden. They see us as heroes for our duties as we give up our very lives and identities to becomes stages of grief. From their point of view, we are the greatest heroes in history. What does that make you, Alton Brantley? What do you sacrifice to save others? To save your race from extinction?"

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"I wouldn't know. You're quite foolish Acceptance for you see this plan you brought together was all for nothing. Suppose you had taken Zinnia or Sam on this little journey. In that case, they might have fallen into the false ideology of a hero. You see, I'm not like that. I don't make silly sacrifices or put others before me. Why would I do that for? My life will always be the most important to me, I could sacrifice myself for others, but I would never know if that act of kindness ever paid off. Sacrificing is pointless at the end of the day as you will never live to see that through. Call me selfish or greedy, but I have the right to live my life the way I want it, and as a survivor, I'll do just that. No longer will others manipulate and use me as their so-called hero. No, I'm not falling down that rabbit hole to die with no meaning to my life. I'm making a stand today and killing that concept once and for all. You win Acceptance, I'll destroy V.I.R.A.L and Mortem just like you wanted but after." Pointing at Acceptance with a stern look, he smugly snarled at the man. "I'm burning the Garden to the very ground. My survival is on the line, and I intend on pulling out all the cheap tricks to live to see another day."

Acceptance remained silent for a while. This was met by a disapproval tut and turn of the head as he rose to Alton's petty demands. "I see. I must apologise once more than for thinking too highly of you, Child of the Garden. Those remarks I made about you I take back as it's clear you haven't learned anything; in fact, I believe you've gone backwards. Why I expected so much from you is beyond me. Maybe I got roped in after Bargaining had his fun with you. No matter, all of this means nothing important. I'm just taking down a mere pawn of humanity and being the hero my people expect from me." All the ice shattered as vines pierced through, consuming the park. Acceptance was rose high into the sky, staring down on what he regarded as nothing more than vermin needing to be exterminated. "Was this what you wanted, Alton? You got your wish, it seems. You have gone against all the odds I put you against and still somehow managed to disappoint me. You're no survivor. You're merely a cockroach who doesn't know his place in the growing world. Allow me to show you the truth of your actions as you succumb to the acceptance you are nothing."

"I'm alright with that," Alton whispered, letting smoke flood out of his hands. "No one ever expected much of me in the first place. I was always looked down on and told no. But that's alright, I'm just happy being nothing more than Alton Brantley. So, allow this nobody to crush that false pride of yours and end this petty war once and for all. You with me, Kira?"

"No way I'm turning back now! This is all too exciting."

"Good. Then let's knock this false hero off his high horse and show him just what humanity is capable of!"