Ten hours before Richard was caught in southeast Asia.
Current location: above the south china sea, at least 10km above sea level
"Arche, stop! Don't do this! It wasn't your fault that 'The Black March' happened! Do you think I wanted 'The Bloody August' happen? I never wanted this power, Arche!"
"Sorry, Rich, I don't think you'll get what I'm trying to do. Go ahead, stop me, but I won't hesitate this time."
A cold, and dark morning greets the fate of billions of people that live near the shores of the southeast Asia. Its seas and the ocean around it violently roar as Richard H. Sagese, bearer of the eighth limiter, August, repels the attacks of a young man named Arche, bearer of the third limiter, March. Arche had already readied himself for his plans, and had already used March's power to grant himself ominous, verdant, and viscous-looking wings.
"Don't you see, Rich? Ideals can only take you sooooo far, but real action is what's important!"
"You idiot! Mass-murder isn't the answer to everything! Even if it does kill the 0-frag host, you're killing a billion people here! And you're not even sure if the host hasn't left the area!"
"We are fighting a huge threat here! Wars ALWAYS have casualties. What is a mere billion compared to the billions that I'm going to save?"
As soon as Richard herd those words, it sent chills down his spine. His skin crawled, and hatred had clouded his thoughts. Anger was evident in Richard's eyes. His intent to kill could be felt for miles. His body signaled the use of August's power, and wings made of freshly spilled blood arose from his back.
"You... Wanted ... 'The Black March' to happen?! You sick bastard!"
"Once I kill the 0-fragment, it's sayonara to these stones too. Don't you think that's a good thing? No more random weather, no more berserk 0-frag bearers, and most especially, humanity gets saved once again!"0
Richard immediately rushed towards Arche. The usually timid Richard didn't show the usual hesitation to fight. Arche, however, remained calm and skillfully dodged every blow.
Arche gave a sigh, feeling that he is being mocked. "Pathetic... August, calm him down, would you?" Arche said tauntingly. However, it did not calm him down, and instead, doubled the size of Richard's blood-colored wings. This time, Richard was more precise in his blows, but retaining his maddened rage. Every swift strike he could dish spewed blood from whatever part of his body was used. Arche either caught the blows with his wings, or simply dodged them. He did not retaliate, different from what he said earlier of not holding back.
"You see that? That rage and August's power...no... Every stone's power is the world's cancer! For humanity to survive, it simply has to vanish....permanently."
"Your medium is blood, and you should understand this more than I do!"
Richard stopped for a moment, as if stunned by Arche's words. Richard calmed down, and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, slowly closed his large wings.
"why...?" thought Richard. "I don't understand... And he apparently doesn't care either..."
Arche gave him a piercing stare. He took a feather from his wing. It did not have sheen, nor did it have luster. He showed it to Richard from a distance, and crushed it in his hand, and said: "humans are doomed. It's either we die because of the 0-frag, or we kill ourselves with our own. I can only prevent the first, don't you see that? These... powers shouldn't be here. We'd all be dead before we catch the 0-frag at this rate!"
Upon hearing this, Richard's wings disappeared, leaving behind trickles of blood in midair, and eventually dropped to the waters below.
"You're right." Muttered Richard. "But still, August and I will still stop you, no matter what."
August, carefully placed inside Richard's coat, glowed. "Let me handle this" he said. Blood seared from Richard's back, but this time, did not form wings. The viscus fluid engulfed his body whole. Richard gave a shout filled with pain an agony. Arche stood and watched as the scene unfolds with pure amazement, and even seemed fascinated rather than fazed. The blood covering hardened, and his body shone like an obsidian, and yet, blood red on the inside. Cracks started to emerge from the cocoon, and revealed an Richard, renewed, refreshed, but older in appearance.
"Shall we start?" Said August
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