[b]Remember me [i]Coast of the Golden City, after the fall of the Harbinger and Phoenix...[/i][/b] We've had a good run, haven't we? [b]There they stood. A group of memories observing the aftermath of the destruction. Ruin had fallen from a burning sky in the form of the Harbinger's massive ship, with Phoenix along with it. The boy who spoke looked to be around 18 years old. Short and spiky black hair stood over young and amused eyes, devoid of any stress. A trench coat with some protective gear fitted to certain areas adorned his body, with a plain black and blue katana sheathe at his belt and a Mateba revolver with the same colour to match. His name was Cobalt Phoenix, and he was the Peacekeeper of the Dojo. The Blue Pyomaniac, the true Lieutenant, and the one who would die a thousand times for his beliefs.[/b] *A tear runs down my eye as I look at the surprisingly calm waters. It was early in the morning, and the last of the Dreadnaught had finally fallen into the liquid oblivion that was the ocean* You guys agree, right? It was... Fun while it lasted. [i]Depends on your definition of fun.[/i] [b]The stranger who spoke sat in a Victorian Era-like wheelchair, voice muffled by the runic gas mask covering his face. A coat of the same kind was wrapped around his crippled body, albeit worn and weathered; covered in ash and grime. He used a long curved scabbard with a crucifix design as the cross guard as a walking stick, pushing himself a tad bit closer to the reflection of the water. His name was Cobalt Phoenix, and he was the Martyr of the People. He who died in order to stop a civil war waging within his family, yet also one who suffered from the unseen cross. One more crucifixion, one more cross to bear; he had left the Dojo after his faith was reduced to less than ashes by his own people. [/b] [i]*I cough, instantaneously feeling the phantom pain of the blade that had exiled me to this wheelchair.* We fought. We died. We fought again. That your definition of fun?[/i] [quote]Doesn't matter. War didn't change for us, it just took a while to realize that there were bigger ones to fight. Ones worth fighting for. [/quote] [b]The man who spoke- well, he didn't actually speak. Words were seen in the minds' eye in lieu of speech, for the soldier had no tongue to use. He towered above the others with armour, wearing a Venom Inc. heavy exosuit. A shoulder mounted minigun, thruster wings, missile pods and flamethrowers were just a small collection of armaments carried on this mercenary's person. His name was Cobalt Phoenix, and he was the Fire of Vengeance. A fighter turned soldier, borne from betrayal and exile. Bitter hatred fuelled the contemptuous swing of each sword and trigger pull of each gun. The man had joined Venom Inc., as he had nowhere else to go, and had found his uncanny ability for warfare. Climbing through the ranks, he found a different kind of camaraderie amidst soldiers and snipers. [/b] Reloading a clip into an M1911A3 .45 pistol, the armoured figure aimed down the sights with one hand and pointed it at the rising sun. Dawn was breaking, and this was more of a sentimentality thing for the others. Well... Technically "the others" were just other pieces of him, but he didn't care about how the whole "fragmented memories" thing worked. [quote]Does it even matter who we fought for in the end? We fought. It was the thing we did since we got here, and the only thing we did for the rest of our lives. And we were damn good at it.[/quote] [quote][u]Yeah. It did matter. Or more specifically, [i]what[/i] we fought for mattered more than [i]who.[/i] And we fought for honour, in the end. Honour for redemption; one final fight to right all the wrongs.[/u][/quote] [b]The warrior who spoke did not speak at all. His mere presence was enough to convey the silent message needed to interact with the other parts of himself. He stood shorter than the exosuit-clad man, but taller than the other two. Much more muscular than the first, but wearing a leather overcoat similar to him. Not crippled like the second, yet still bearing the scarred stories of war and betrayal alike. Clad in powered armour like the third, but missing the stiffened posture of a soldier. At his waist hung a mechanical katana sheathe with a firearm trigger affixed to the front and a napalm barrel attached underneath via braces and metal frames. His name was Cobalt Phoenix, and he was the Black Pariah. The Blue Saint; the ultimate antithesis to magic and the arcane. The flames come to exact balance upon those who consider themselves Gods or Kings, teaching those like the Summoner, Armageddon, Sarris-Sanguine and the Harbinger fear. Fear of what, you may ask? Fear of The Lord he had become? Fear of the larger omnipotence? No. Fear of knowing that an Angel of Infernos existed to restore Ying to Yang through blade and bullet; fire and ash.[/b] He leaned against a tree, breaking a couple smaller branches with his tremendous armoured weight. Despite this, he seemed very lax compared to the other armoured man. [quote][u]We did what we could. Maybe... Maybe we did become monsters in the end. Demons of their making and ours. But at least we got to choose an ending, rather than having more acts chosen for us by anyone else.[/u] [/quote] [b]The great ball of fire in the sky slowly rises, allowing the colourful rays of the sunrise to break through the nullified void of the night. They all just stare at it until the youngest of them breaks the silence. [/b] I'm gonna miss it. I really will. [b]A tear runs down the boy's face in contrast to his bittersweet smile. The wheelchair-bound man speaks up as well.[/b] [i]In all honesty? I will as well.[/i] [quote]Likewise.[/quote] [b]They stand in silence once more, none of them wanting to herald the inevitable events that were to occur next. "Passing on," or whatever the fanatics called it.[/b] [quote][u]It's time, lads. We ready?[/u][/quote] ...I guess so. Yep. [i]Without a doubt.[/i] [quote]Yessir.[/quote] [b]The one with both the armour and the coat gets off of the tree and faces the others.[/b] [quote][u]Shall we?[/u][/quote] [b]Taking a step towards the water to watch the sun rise for one last time, he then slowly begins to fade away in the light of the coming morning. Next was the soldier. The armoured man holstered his pistol and crossed his arms, exiting the scene like his coat-clad counterpart did.[/b] You think they'll ever find our body? [i]Doubt it. Maybe it's for the better anyway. [/i] [b]The youngest laughs slightly, shaking off some of his tears whilst doing so. He takes the revolver from his belt and spins it a few times reminiscing when he utilized the tactic for various battles.[/b] Alright then. Is this goodbye then? [i]You idiot. I am you.[/i] Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Seeya later then. [i]Christ...[/i] [b]They both chuckle as they fade away, leaving the coastal glade to be occupied by the rays of the sun's light. A single message is dug-- no, [i]burnt[/i] into the ground where they stood. A spectral silhouette stands above it, outlined by the ghostly mirage of flickering blue flames. He wore a Kevlar vest under a scaly black leather overcoat. Fuel barrels lined the protective apparel, as well as bandoliers and straps of Japanese kunai knives. Dark blue military pants with grey and cobalt urban camouflage matched the industrial katana scabbard at his waist, one that resembled the blade carried by one of the others: a fuel barrel and a gun trigger attached to it. His black hair was lined with silvery greys, matching the youthful, yet scarred Filipino face. With a few more gouges into the ground with a nearby stick, he finishes his message by carving his insignia on the bottom of the scrawl.[/b] [i]REMEMBER ME[/i] [b]His name was Cobalt Phoenix, and he was finally at peace.[/b] [spoiler]Open to all. Pay your respects, you might just get something in return if he knows you. Or even if he doesn't and you helped him in any way, that may amount to something (so people like Greatdetecive/Sauron, Python, and others who fought on the Dreadnaught, as well as Venom Inc. people. I'm gonna be taking another one of my famous hiatuses. I promised Fexil I'll visit over the winter break, so dw.[/spoiler] EDIT: PLEASE STOP BUMPING THIS AND LET ME DIE [spoiler]Jks. But for real, closed.[/spoiler]