#||THIS IS REALLY SELF-INDULGENT FOR ME CAUSE SHOUNEN PROTAG ROOK

[shining-gem34]

🌕 for rook.

Memory Lane || Accepting @cloudhymn

TW: Implied Character Death (Temporary)

Record XERRORERRORERROR: DEAD END

Whenever something happens, he always will strive to rise above it somehow.

Whenever a situation turns south, he always will survive one way or another.

Whenever death comes knocking at his door, he always find a way to live another day.

Rook knew his luck will run out one day. With it, he will finally pay the price of his hubris.

"It's just..." He struggles to raise his head before a series of coughing seizes his throat. His vision blurs looking away from the blood pooling on the ground (his blood is black as death).

At the horizon, space and time has splintered forming a crack in the skies. The air around it distorts sucking everything in within it's grasp. Beyond the cracks in space lies his goal, the beautiful blue jewel of his home world: Earth.

He can go home. They, he and Dr. Drake, can go home now.

Except what stands between them and the exit is an indomitable foe and their army.

This planet guardian whose body and mind became corrupted by the cancer (Stellaron). They siphon the lifeforce they're tasked to protect as fuel for their ever-burning body. A flame that burns as bright as the stars nearly blinding him with their light.

"It just had to be right at the finish line." Rook head throbs at the tantalizing whispers echoing in his head. The whispers of the Stellaron resonating with the fragments eroding his body.

Nearby, Dr. Drake stirs awake and shifts to lift her head. Her glasses lost amidst the chaos of the first wave of attacks. The pristine white coat dirtied with dust and blood.

"Hah. Rise and shine, sunshine. You got any bright ideas how to get us out of this and straight home?" Rook asks, standing up on shaky legs.

"If I could, then we wouldn't be in this mess already! Besides, isn't this your field of work, soldier?!" Dr. Drake snarks, but her face turns serious as she examines him. Her brows pinch in worry, "Hey, your body..."

The fragments he picked up long ago are finally picking up their dues. A dark-violet armor made from remnants of Destruction melds into his skin and turn it into hardened scales of armor. It doesn't stop there for it intends to consume him entirely. Already, the parasite is moving past his shoulder. The golden lines injected into his veins burns to the point he feels faint.

Somehow, it's a miracle Rook is barely clinging onto his consciousness by sheer spite and willpower.

"You idiot! Didn't I tell you to let that thing go?!" Dr. Drake shrieks, clutching to her bleeding side as she rises up.

"Yeah. About that, I think it's too late for me now." Rook wheeze finding it difficult to breathe.

"Shut it. We can still fix this once we're back on Earth." The doctor snaps, but she cannot continue denying the inevitable by the gray parlor of Rook skin.

Rook strains a smile at her knowing they both know he's dying at this point. What did it matter if he transforms into a monster? It will no longer be 'Rook'- Just a violent monster following their instinct to kill.

"Chin up, Dr. Drake. There's still hope."

"Really? I don't see the probability of us getting out of this. Not with that alien and their army in the way." Dr. Drake said bluntly, gesturing to the said army encroaching upon them. But she realizes shortly what he was planning, "Wait, you're not...!"

"Chit-chat over, Doctor. Hold on tight and don't let go!"

Nimble hands transformed into claws plucks the doctor by her waist. He digs his heels into the ground before he starts a run. Ignoring the pain shooting up to his head, Rook dashes forward straight into the enemy army. His other hand gripping his sword-whip tightly.

With a battle cry, he leaps into the fray delivering a swift kick to one of the soldiers head. So brittle they break under his heels, but the numbers are nothing to scoff at. Not when the trickier ones are in hiding waiting to explode once they're close enough.

In his arm, Dr. Drake protests went silent and clings to him tightly. Her heart not ready for Rook suicidal mission, but it was too late now. Even as she witnesses her bodyguard transformation picking up rapidly. The erosion of his human flesh replaced by the cursed armor covering more than half of his body.

Rook doesn't stop. He grits his teeth and continues moving forward swinging his sword. The blade stretched in an arch and slicing the next wave of soldiers. Tearing apart his enemies standing in his way unable to feel the pain lancing throughout his body. The adrenaline pumping into his veins forcing him to move his legs.

"Clench your teeth and don't bite your tongue, Doctor!" Rook rasps, unable to recognize his own voice with how distorted it sounds.

"What the hell are you-?!"

A burst of quantum power explodes underneath his feet. Farther than ever before, Rook jumps through the air and high into the sky. Yet his human body has reached its limits and his power starts to dissipate.

Before its fully gone, he lifts Dr. Drake in his arms and throws her high into the air. The said doctor shrieks in surprise, but her eyes widen seeing Rook starting to fall below her. Her world shifts, swallowed up by the quantum power briefly and spat out even farther away from her bodyguard.

Instead of descending to her doom, Dr. Drake is being lifted higher. She lifts her head up to see she's under the rift to Earth. Turning back to Rook, the doctor reaches a hand out to him. A meaningless effort for how far away they are now.

"Rook...!" Dr. Drake calls out in frustration.

For Rook, who can relax knowing the doctor made it out safe and sound, lets himself fall. He finds it strange how he's feel at peace for once. Smiling, he sees Dr. Drake lithe figure passing through the rift as the cracks in the sky mend itself.

The golden lines reaching his face burns. His vision growing heavy, feeling the crunch of a helmet forming around his head. The visor finishes, burning away the remaining pieces of his humanity like the giant star- a flaming fist dives right for his meager flesh and armor.

As long as someone makes it home, that's enough for me.

A strangled scream rips out of his throat.

Rooks shoots up instantly on his bed. Cold sweat soaking his shirt and unruly hair. His eyes wide trying to process his surroundings. He takes deeps to calm the rapid beating of his heart. Almost choking a few times caused him to be nauseous leading for Rook to go straight to the bathroom to throw up.

After washing his face and hands, he sits on the tile floors trying to stop his hands from shaking.

“Shit me a ton of fucking bricks, what the fuck was up with that dream?” Rook mutters, resting his forehead on his hands.

Then a thought occurred to him and he lifted his head, “Wait. Was it the SoulGlad I had before bed that caused it? Lords, I hope it didn't expire. I didn't read the labels either and I drank a whole three bottles of that stuff. I heard that stuff has memoria in it.”

After tonight, Rook vowed to avoid drinking SoulGlad for a while and try to start having good sleeping habits in order to avoid another nightmare like that.

...

>🌕 ― a vivid memory.

>Inspiration Song