Awakening

Leaping to the side she let the attack pass her, the wave of strings slicing through the ground as chunks of it exploded upwards. A barrage of dust and rock clouded her vision.

As the red strings attached to the created rubble she leapt upwards, jumping between them as they tried to slam into her. Her claws of white light tore through the air and split the red threads that tried to ensnare her.

She couldn't keep her mind on the fight, 'Was Atlas a good person?' The question had been repeating over and over in her mind and she thought that getting into a battle would help her clear her head and at least settle it for a moment but it wasn't working.

She couldn't find answers in her own mind and it was pissing her off!

"You're distracted, stay focused." She heard Genki say as she backpedalled from a wall of string and into a waiting trap that tried to bind her. "You not focusing on your surrounding-"

"I know!" Mizuki yelled in annoyance as light blasted out of her in a wave tearing the threads and freeing her as she dashed towards Genki as a blinding flash ripped through the air blackening his vision.

Pulling the strings around him he tried to defend from whatever unseen attack was coming but he was just a moment too late as he felt a claw against his neck. The sharp cold surface like iron…

"Alright, you win…" Genki said with a sigh as he felt the claw get pulled away. He blinked rapidly to try to help clear the dancing spots he was still seeing. "You're getting more creative with your property. Good job."

"Yeah well Atlas told me that my base needed working on so-" She said, pausing as she thought of him again, kicking a rock hard enough to send it hurtling into a truck that cracked on impact.

Sitting down with a huff she glared at the tree that she had just broken as if killing it could solve all of her problems. To be honest, she was just scared, she didn't know if she was really an experiment of Kenjaku even though she most likely was.

And if she was, what would she suffer through because of that? Were her memories fake? Could he mind control her? Switch her powers off? Remove her soul?

She was just scared… and she didn't like it.

And her one pillar, Atlas, who like her was an experiment that had escaped his chains and made their creator fear him, might not be as upstanding as she thought he was.

While she agreed with his goals... the methods that he seemed willing to use to achieve them were becoming gradually more extreme in her eyes.

She always thought that he was a good person, even if some of the things he did were harsh. She understood that sometimes that was required to achieve results.

But yesterday? Seeing him force Gakuganji to answer under threat of false execution or exile? It just didn't sit right with her. She didn't know if it was because she knew the man, yes he was an asshole and she didn't agree with him a lot of the time and he had admittedly wronged her more than once. But despite all of that he wasn't a bad person. He was doing what he believed was right.

Just like Atlas. She knew that people would have a perspective like hers. She justified Atlas' actions. They would justify Gakuganji's. It was all about what side you were on.

What Atlas did, didn't bother her really. It was the fact that he was willing to do it… what about next time? Was he going to kill someone if they didn't do what he wanted? Was he going to justify it?

After Kenjaku was gone what would happen? Who was Atlas outside of his goal…

Because while he had a goal all of that anger and resentment that he was harbouring for the world had a direction, someone that deserved to be targeted by it. But if he still had some after Kenjaku was gone where would he direct it then if he couldn't manage it?

Atlas was terrifying because he was powerful and hard to understand. He was a mystery. One that didn't make sense, that when you really thought about it wasn't quite… right. How did he know everything he did? How powerful was he really-

"Mizuki…" Genki said as he tapped her on the shoulder. Causing her to jump and turn to face him. "Relax, water?" He offered as he held out a bottle. His face was concerned as he asked. "Are you alright? A lot is on your mind isn't it."

Letting him sit down next to her she sighed as she said, "Yeah… I'll sort it out though." She said as she looked up at the sky.

Nodding Genki just drank from his own bottle. The past couple of years have been confusing and brutal. But he was managing quite well but he also got lost in thought sometimes, it was part of the job. Everyone did. Well, most people with emotions at least.

He had come to Tokyo to meet with Torio since this was there last year and his friend had really had a rough few years since Atlas was sent off so he wanted to at least make some final memories with him before the both of them joined the Sorcerer ranks officially.

He had made some time to spar with Mizuki as well, she was a lot stronger than she had been when she left Kyoto.

Smiling he stood up and said. "Well I best get moving, Thanks for the spar. Let me know if you want to do so again before Friday as I'll be heading back to Kyoto on the weekend. Cya around Mizuki." Holding out his hand to her.

Shaking it she nodded her head as she stood up as well. "Yeah, I'll do that, I gotta find some of my juniors and ask them some questions so..." Leaving whatever she had left to say to herself, waving her hand as they walked away from each other she searched for her Juniours.

Geto was on a mission today but Gojo had just arrived from his earlier and was practising whatever reality-breaking power he was currently working on. People like him and Atlas were just in another league compared to them…

---

Letting out a breath Gojo concentrated, his hand out in front of him palm towards the trunk of a tree. He could figure this out, if he could do this then it would be a massive leap in his power.

Ever since he had 'beaten' Atlas he had felt bitter. He wanted to be able to win and do it properly.

He had started to think about the difference between him and Atlas, why was Atlas so much stronger? Was it just his innate technique was better? It couldn't be. He had access to the manipulation of space. He had a technique that had been feared and honoured throughout the ages.

He just needed to master it. To make Limitless not the technique of the Gojo family, but his technique, the technique of Satoru Gojo.

He had scoured the records that his family held, all information about Limitless and Six Eyes that he could find and it had been… disappointingly little. Yes, Lapse Blue and Reversal Red were recorded, attracting and repelling. But that was kind of it…

There was no mention of integrating them into Limitless like he was able to do.

When he fought Atlas he was forced to become stronger than he was, to overcome those barriers that he put in his mind to just be able to hit him. To discover more about a technique that people thought they understood.

Looking at the tree he let the information from Six Eyes flood his brain, mass, speed, distance, density, energy. All of that information was visible to him. And he took it all in, allowing the information to feed into his mind and running calculations at impossibly fast rates.

His mind started to burn out, his positive energy keeping it fresh as he fought to figure out what it was that was stopping him from doing something that should be so simple.

When his technique was the manipulation of space… why was he limited to forming Blue and Red close to him before shooting them out?

He felt it, his energy crackling and responding to his call. Willing the world to change, to rearrange space. To rewire his brain to do something he had believed to be impossible only because he hadn't heard of it being done before.

Then it happened.

A few meters in front of his outstretched palm a ball of red energy formed before shooting out as it normally did vaporizing the tree in its path.

Staring in shock his eyes widened as his smile grew. His bare chest heaving with exertion and his foreheard sheen with sweat.

Looking at the sky he started laughing as he pumped his fists in front of him in a moment of euphoria. He had thought that he had reached the peak of his power with purple. That it would be his greatest technique.

He was so wrong.

Why would he settle for perfect when when he could be so much more.

When he had found positive energy he thought that he had become something far greater than life itself, he had felt like all heaven and earth had existed just for him. That he alone was honoured.

Then had come Atlas awakening like him and beating him without a shred of euphoria showing because of his newfound power. Then Kenjaku, who he had found out was ruining things that he couldn't understand behind the scenes.

Atlas had shown him that there was never a peak to power. And as much as he had hated it, Kenjaku had shown him that there was more power than just how strong someone was.

He knew that Atlas was doing the right thing by reforming the society by removing the Elder's authority but when he was done what then? Who would take their place? No one would be willing to put themselves in Atlas' sight out of fear that he wouldn't think they are just and fair.

No. He would be the one to shoulder the burden, unlike Atlas he saw that they would need others to take up their mantle, without that they would not leave a better future just a repeating one.

He would never reach the peak because as soon as you thought you had then you would stop growing. Atlas had never felt that he had reached a peak, he had never had a technique and had done nothing but try to make his property as great as it could be. He had done nothing but strive to be greater.

Now that he had his technique though it was clear he had slowed down to deal with other matters.

Gojo would never slow down. He would never stop putting a better foot forward. If he could break his understanding and show himself that more was possible then he would be able to control space itself just like Atlas could control dimensions.

There was no limit.

Holding his hand forward he made red again, this time even further on top of the ruined stump and instead of shooting a beam it just exploded like a bomb annihilating everything in the area around it. Much easier than last time.

"Gojo? There you are, can I talk to you if now is a good time?" A voice suddenly said from behind him pulling him from his thoughts.

That was good, he needed a bit of a rest for now. While his brain could heal he still felt the strain. "Sure, I was just going to take a break." He said, a charming smile appearing on his face as he turned to look at Mizuki.

His silver hair was the same colour as hers and he had always liked her because of that.

"Thanks." She said as she approached, knowing that there wouldn't be any more random explosions that could kill her. Had he always been able to make his attacks at a distance from him? Now she wouldn't even have a chance to dodge like she normally did…

Atlas and Gojo really were monsters.

"What can I help you with?" Gojo asked seeing that her mind had started wandering. Grabbing a towel from the nearby railing and wiping the sweat off his body.

"Y-Yeah," Mizuki stuttered as she made herself look at his eyes which were uncovered so somehow that made it even worse… how was someone so physically perfect? Why were Atlas and Gojo just built differently?

Clearing her throat she looked at the destruction he had caused to get her eyes away from him as he picked his glasses up and put them on with a sigh of relief.

Speaking she said with a voice full of doubt and worry. "I wanted to talk to you about Atlas…"

---

"Do you believe what you are doing is right?" Hoshi asked, his voice was kind and gentle. His patience was unending.

Nodding his head Atlas just let out a sigh as he looked at Frank. Leaning forward and taking the old man's hand in his own. "Yeah, I do. I don't think I have done anything truly wrong. Of course, I have done wrong things but they were done for a reason when I didn't feel I had another option." Atlas explained as turned to look at Hoshi.

"Then believe that. You have made the choice to better this world and rid it of a terrible man. So stick with it, if you have doubts that you are right then others will too. And as soon as that happens no one will follow you." Hoshi advised as he stood up and left the room.

Just as he passed through the door he said, "Frank is getting better as well. His mind is mending. I have taken some of the burden off his soul so he has been able to fix his mind. If you wanted to wake him now you could. He may be confused, but he is himself."

Leaving Atlas was left sitting there in a bit of shock. That was amazing news. Turning to look at Frank part of him wanted to wait until he was fully better… but another part wanted to just meet his dad again.

Was he going to be Frank though? He was… but who was Frank?

Because as far as he knew Frank may be working with Joben. This might have all been planned from the start. He didn't feel that it was. But it was a possibility.

He desperately wanted to believe that wasn't the answer.

Gripping his fist tight Atlas reached forward grabbed the stasis Talisman and pulled it off Frank's eyes. Releasing the man from the suspension that he was in and letting him wake up.

Watching Atlas saw his chest start to rise and fall again. He could feel a pulse once more. The beating of his heart started like an old engine. Slow at first, but soon reaching a healthy pace.

His cursed energy flowed through his body like normal. Stabilized and under his control unlike it had been the last time he was awake. All of these were good signs. These were all amazing signs.

"Frank? You awake?" Atlas asked, his voice soft and sorrowful as he waited for a response.

After a few seconds Frank stirred, his eyes fluttering open in confusion. Croaking in a tired voice he spoke. "Where am I?"