[Rage of the Hero activated.]
Alex's consciousness was cast into his mind, locked inside of it as the skill took effect. He was no longer in control of his own movements. He was a spectator to his own body's actions.
If he had any control he could've stopped himself from punching a guard in the jaw, his fist going straight through the back of the man's head. He could've stopped himself from picking up another guard and snapping his spine over his knee.
But he didn't. This thing that he had become was stronger than he could ever hope to be.
So what if he had to sacrifice his humanity? So what if he would never feel anything again? Wasn't that better than the alternative?
His whole existence had been one big pile of shit. Being kind had earned him nothing but trouble. Feeling things meant that he cared about others and what happened to them. Feeling things meant pain, and he was oh so tired of pain.
His consciousness sank deeper into his mind, surrendering more and more control to the thing now inhabiting his body.
It could protect Amanda. It could keep her safe. She would understand why things had to be this way. He wasn't worthy of being the one to protect her.
Hell, he was the one who had originally abandoned her when their parents split. They could've stayed together by choosing the same parent, but Alex had gone with his mom instead of with Amanda.
"Alex. Promise me you'll keep your sister safe. As siblings, you have to have each other's backs."
A voice floated around Alex's consciousness. It was warm. It was soft and gentle. It was home.
"Of course mom! I'm gonna grow up big and strong and protect us all!"
He was so naive then. Naive to think that he could protect anyone, much less his own family. He had failed in his promise to protect Amanda. If anything, she was the one who had grown up to be strong. Meanwhile, Alex grew up to be useless and weak. He grew up to be pathetic. He grew up to be trash.
"My sweet sweet boy." A gentle embrace surrounded Alex's consciousness, it smelt of summer rain and coffee. "You are strong. And right now, your sister needs you. The real you. Not an Alex that is barely human."
He was cognizantly aware that outside of his mind his body had stolen a stun baton and was using it to beat guards to death with it. One of them barely looked recognizable and another was a messy pile of broken bones. What had started out as a simple task of taking out whoever got in his way had turned into enjoyable wholesale slaughter.
They had tried shooting him, but the bullets just bounced off harmlessly. His enhanced endurance and vitality basically made him immune to the ammunition they were using.
These poor guards didn't stand a chance, and yet they kept trying to stop him. The hallway was littered with corpses, all of them mutilated or destroyed in some gruesome way.
"Do you think Amanda would forgive an Alex that can do that and not feel anything?"
No. Amanda wouldn't forgive him. She wouldn't understand. She would think he was some kind of monster. He would lose his opportunity to make amends with her. He would never be able to keep his promise.
He became aware of an encroaching darkness that had enveloped his mind. All of his fears and doubts. All of his pain and suffering. All of the negativity he had gone through.
It was surrounding him, and it had made him cower in his own mind. It had forced him to hide inside himself, but the memory of his mom, and the promise he made, had pulled him back.
Alex would live with these things forever, he would always have doubts about being useless. However, he would not let them control him any longer.
He was in control of his own destiny. He was in control of his life. He fought back the dark thoughts, banishing the darkness from his mind for the moment. It would come back. Such was the way of life, but for now, he was freed from its clutches.
***
The darkness faded from his eyes, and the once midnight black orbs returned to their original sky-blue color. His nearly completely pale skin started to return to a healthy color.
The pulsing veins covering his body receded ever so slightly. They had almost taken over entirely, and Alex shuddered to think what would have happened had he fully surrendered to that darkness inside of him.
He was covered in the blood of the dozens of guards he had bulldozed his way through. He would never truly get over how he had killed them without a second's hesitation, but he would do anything to ensure his sister was safe. Alex could contemplate just what kind of person he was turning into later, he had no time to waste.
[Rage of the Hero skill time remaining, 23 seconds…]
Twenty-three seconds. He had just enough time. Thankfully the emotionless Alex was still aware of the end goal, even if he had begun to enjoy the killing. He had always left one guard alive to ask for directions to Amanda's cell before he ended their life.
All he had to do was take a left at the next intersection of corridors and Amanda's cell would be down that hall. He only hoped he wasn't too late to save her.
What came after he freed her and his skill timer ran out was a problem for the future Alex to figure out. The only thing that mattered to him in this moment was reuniting with her. If the system said this was the best chance, he was willing to put his faith in it.
He pumped his legs faster, bounding down the hallways faster than ever. They were clear of guards, most of which Alex had guessed were the ones sent to stop him.
Bile rose in his throat, and he had to swallow it down to keep focused. Thinking about all the men he had brutally killed would do him no good.
He shifted his hips and turned his body, taking a left and turning down the corridor that the last guard had told him was where Amanda was being held. He stopped dead in his tracks.
Five more guards blocked his path, each of them carrying handguns that were pointed in Alex's direction. "Stop! Or we will use lethal force!" One of them shouted out, hoping to intimidate Alex into backing down.
[Rage of the Hero skill time remaining, 15 seconds…]
Alex closed his eyes, inwardly sighing. He had hoped he wouldn't run into any more guards. He was sick of the bloodshed. Even if he held back, he doubted he wouldn't seriously injure these men. Their guns didn't scare him, he knew he couldn't get hurt while the skill was active.
"Fuck. I really didn't want to have to kill anyone else."
***
Things had long since gone quiet outside of Amanda's cell. She had heard shouts and plenty of footsteps had gone by. It seemed like all the guards were being called in to handle this escaped prisoner. If only she was able to get out of these chains, she might be able to find a way out of here.
This escapee was a welcome distraction though. It meant that she wouldn't receive any visits at the moment. The last thing she needed was another torture session.
She had barely made it through the first without breaking and she had no doubts that if a second round came her way, she would break and end up confessing what had happened to Kieth. He was probably still alive, just lost. Serves that asshole right.
"Stop! Or we will use lethal force!" A slightly muffled voice shouted outside of her door and Amanda stopped her musing on the suffering of Kieth. The prisoner had made it this far without them using lethal force?
She was impressed. The guards were no slouches when it came to physicality and that, coupled with their armor, should be more than enough to deal with any trouble makers.
Loud gunshots rang out following that statement, and they didn't stop. The horrific screams came next and Amanda could hear the cries of men as pain was inflicted upon them before they finally went silent. Eventually the last shot was fired and she picked up on a faint voice. "What… are you?"
"Death." And then there was nothing but the thud of a body dropping to the floor. For some reason, that voice sounded familiar to her. It was slightly muffled coming through the small opening of her door, but it was a voice that struck a resonating chord in her. It couldn't be. There was no way he was here. Alex?
***
The last guard dropped to the floor unceremoniously, the light fading from his eyes. Five more men were killed by his hand.
It was a sickening number to add to the already ludicrous amount of bodies he had left behind him. Their blood would forever stain his hands. Their screams would haunt his dreams.
He attempted to wipe some of the blood from his hands onto his shirt, but all it did was spread it around and make even more of a mess. His plain white T-shirt was no longer a plain white T-shirt, and his jeans… They would just have to be burnt.
[Rage of the Hero skill time remaining, 6 seconds…]
Alex brought his attention back to the moment. Amanda's door was right there. "Alex?! Is that you?" Her voice came from inside the room, and Alex couldn't help the smile that crept up on his face. It had been far too long since he heard her voice. He booked it over to her door, and similarly to how he dealt with his, ripped it off its hinges.
There she was, chained to the floor, bruised and somewhat broken, but there she was. Using the final few seconds remaining with the skill active, Alex dashed into her room and snapped the chains off her wrists, even taking the extra second to be gentle with her broken fingers. Emotions welled up inside of him that he had been holding back for far too long.
What was supposed to be a nice and fun reunion between siblings had turned into an extremely dangerous and life threatening ordeal.
"It's me Amanda. I'm here. And I'm so sorry." His voice cracked and he couldn't stop the watering of his eyes, or the tears that fell after that. Not having the right words for the moment, he just pulled her close and embraced her, trying to convey what words would not.
Eventually, they pulled away from each other, and Amanda just looked at him with blank eyes. He couldn't read her. Did she see him as a monster? Was she scared of him because of what he had done? Did she hate him for not being there for her?
[Rage of the Hero skill time remaining, 1 second…]
No. No no no. It was too soon. He needed more time. There was still so much he had to do. So much he had to say. He knew about the consequences when he had accepted the use of the skill.
He had known that the drawback for using an upgraded version would be far worse than just simply being fatigued and worn out. But something inside of him had just hoped that just this once, something would go right for him.
What he didn't expect was for Amanda's hazel eyes to well up with tears and then get pulled back into a hug. She buried her face into his shirt, not caring that it was covered in blood. Her muffled voice came a moment later. "It's okay, I forgive you. All that matters is that- Alex? What's wrong?"
Alex let out a pained groan as the skill wore off. His heart was pounding and his head felt like it was on fire. Every fiber of his being and every bone in his body felt like it was getting torn apart and then put back together.
A cry of pain escaped his lips and he fell away from Amanda's hug, collapsing onto the floor.
"Alex!" He coughed up blood and tried to lift himself up onto his arms, but he was too weak. Every part of him was like a piece of brittle glass that could shatter at any moment.
His mind was wracked with all of the pain and suffering he had pushed away just moments ago. And somewhere deep inside of him, he felt a distinct crack that hurt him more than any pain he had ever felt before.
[Warning! Host's use of the upgraded 'Rage of the Hero' skill has resulted in a cracked soul.]
Alex didn't even know what that meant, but he couldn't do anything about it. He could barely hold on to keeping himself conscious due to all the pain tormenting his body, inside and out. "Alex. Hold on I- I'll-" Amanda choked on her own words, knowing she was unable to do anything to stop whatever was going on.
Alex moved his lips trying to speak, but no words came out. Even that function was too hard to manage with the state he was in. His eyes fluttered, and then eventually shut, blocking out the light of the room, and Amanda's face. "No! No, no NO. Stay with me. I just got you back, you can't leave me again!"
It's okay sis. He was trying to tell her that it was okay. He had saved her. He had apologized and more importantly, she forgave him.
Leaving her now wasn't optimal, but it was better than having never gotten to say those things in the first place. Even though they were far from being safe, Alex faded. I did it mom. I kept her safe, just like I promised.
The last thing Alex registered before darkness took him was the sound of an explosion, a wall crumbling, shouting voices and rough hands grabbing his body.