Chapter 61: Ceremony

Luscious greenery perfectly melded into a modern aesthetic to create a technological masterpiece. That was the perfect way to describe the new Henosis. Standing proud under a massive tree, among the overgrown ruins of the City of Harmony. Small yet lively and at its center, under the tree, in a massive square, a statue. The statue of a man half-kneeling, raising one hand towards the sky, the other smashing the ground. His figure was mostly covered, shrouded by a cloak covering his entire body.

The crowd that had gathered was silent, as if awaiting something. Under the statue was a stage, empty, awaiting its guests. Suddenly, in the wake of a gust of wind carrying the dreadful silence, the stage shook. And in a unified movement, the crowd looked up toward the massive tree. Two figures stood on a balcony above them, one's hand holding the other's shoulder. And as she let go, her body slowly dispersed into leaves, floating away into the breeze. The other one looked down, a purple aura flashing around her before she disappeared.

In a thundering shock, the space below the statue cracked, three fissures revealing themselves. Spread in an arc, they grew bigger until they looked to be about the size of a human. That's when three figures simultaneously stepped out of them.

The man on the left wore a long black robe with light green and blue undertones, a mask covering his mouth. His long hair reached his lower back, an almost indiscernible turquoise mist emanating from it, spreading to surround him. The one on the right looked well-built, his muscles visible under his black turtleneck covered in a white lab coat. The short, disheveled black and grey hair on his head was lightly brushed by the wind. Finally, the woman that came out from the center looked like an angel, flawless white wings spreading from her back, her skin glistening under the rays of light piercing through the tree's foliage.

Without even glancing at each other, they simultaneously knelt and as if answering them a fourth kneeling hooded figure materialized before them. She appeared kneeling towards the crowd, her body materializing in the blink of an eye. Slowly standing up, the dark hooded robe she was wearing fell onto the ground, revealing her loosely fitted black ornamental dress. Most of her skin was exposed, her Sigil spreading up and down her back to her arms and legs, complimented by all sorts of accessories. Her posture was elegant yet steady, she looked relaxed, yet ready to fight, and the outfit was clearly designed to not get in the way.

She'd changed. She looked more… mature. Her gaze carried a certain weight, she had the allure of a leader. Slava smiled. The people around him were stunned until she spoke.

"We are gathered here today to mourn…" Her voice echoed throughout the city, carried through the air and the plants alike. "To honor the sacrifices that were made so that we may be here today." Slava glanced to the side at a holographic image floating in his vision.

"We're sorry." To think both would happen at the same time, and on this day. "We have failed, as protectors, as heroes." Arthur… His metallic arm was complemented by his dark tailored suit. Heroes would usually hide their identities, so the fact that he was publicly revealing his was peculiar, they probably did it to increase the public's trust. The other heroes stood by his side. The Blood Queen and Blackcoda were on his right. Godspeed stood on his left, with a man he had never met next to him. Who was behind Godspeed's mask this time? It was hard to guess. The heroes' positions had never been set in stone. Heroes were chosen based on their proficiency, skills and the availability of the Gamma suits they were meant to wield. Throughout the years, their numbers ranged from one to ten, and that was only counting the ones recognized publicly.

The woman standing behind him was the best example of that. She'd been the talk of Henosis recently, she'd been all over Crow's reports. A traitor, the Awakened, standing on the other side. To normal people, she was a team leader, the one publicly announced to be standing behind the heroes. But to any Sigil bearer, the markings on her exposed back could only be those belonging to one of their kin. It could've been a fake, but either way, it probably provoked the desired reaction.

She was not the only one to be the talk of the town, though. That man, his figure imposing despite him standing at the back… Mayhem. A simple yet brutal name reflecting his nature. He'd wondered why they hadn't met yet. If Lightbringer wielded the unstoppable force, Mayhem wielded the unmovable object. His suit was truly mysterious, looking like a heavy set of armor, with a deep orange almost red glow emanating from his joints. Seeing this, Slava couldn't help but imagine Kolya's figure overlapping with his.

"Ugh… Not now," this wasn't the time. He slightly frowned. "They tried to erase us! We survived! They drove us out! We made a home! They destroyed it! We made a new one!" Sasha's voice echoed, her hands aggressively grasping the air in front of her. "We weren't enough, we were too weak. But…" The hologram chimed in timidly through the cheers. "No matter what, we will never give up," they declared at the same time, raising their hand simultaneously.

Two leaders. Two crowds. Two sides. A conflict. A war. Something even that hidden mastermind probably didn't predict. Slava smiled. That guy had been on the defensive for a while now trying to regain the advantage, but one variable kept getting his way, him. He was slowly being cornered. From his attempt to capture Sasha to his invasion of Henosis. This was a game of chess and he kept losing pieces. It was only a matter of time before he lost his king. Slava would make sure of it. For Sasha, for the end he desired, for Kolya, for his sister…

"We've been betrayed, and I know it hurts," Sasha paused, scanning the crowd. For a second he thought he felt her gaze linger on him when she looked away. "But revenge is on the horizon!" The crowd rallied in an aggrieved cry. "Now we will fight. No more losses, no more pain, we will not tolerate the danger of The Union hiding within our walls. They will face the brunt of our might. They will know what it means to face America's wrath." A lot of rallying, beautiful words that meant nothing. "The tragedy of the Capital will be the first and last one." His attention shifted to the other heroes. Aria, Anyxa, they were sternly standing next to each other, their suits speaking for them, the Blood Queen's aura soothing and Blackcoda's dark and chilling. That woman, Major Suvorova, was it? A Slavic name… She was scanning the audience to no end, her military uniform almost outshining Arthur's. He knew exactly what she was looking for. It was no coincidence that these events were organized on the day of his birth. They were sending a message. But he wouldn't answer, he'd already chosen his side long ago. He stole a last glance at Mayhem standing menacingly in the back, before discreetly twisting his wrist. The figures floating above the crowd shivered and disappeared just in time to give way to Sasha's echoing words.

"For this, we need to stand together, united as one. We need every single one of you to avenge our fallen brothers and sisters, our family." Sasha spread her arms, looking up. "Which is why…" she paused, turning around towards the statue. "We built this," she snapped her fingers, the statue began to shine, and the three kneeling people came alive, each taking out an object.

"The embodiment of hope," she walked toward the first one. Jack was kneeling, looking down, his hands extended, a swirling ball constantly feeding off of his hands. Slava's eyes widened. It was a piece of his domain. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but what he was sure of was that it almost felt like the cores present in the suits. When Sasha extended her hand towards it, it began emanating a light purple hue as it travelled up her arm, behind her back to circle around her head.

"Protection," Next, she walked toward Ceator who held a similar pose. Vines had risen from the ground at his feet, slithering around his body onto his arms, where they congregated into a plant that had bloomed into a beautiful purple starlike flower with a group of tightly packed florets at its center. When she approached, almost as if reacting to her, it began to wilt and as she extended her hand towards it, it disintegrated leaving only the seeds that moved to follow the path of the orb orbiting her.

"And memory," She finally stopped in front of Angel who held a glowing golden ball in her hands, particles dispersing from it. Looking closely, Slava noticed that the particles were actually symbols escaping from the hollow, rotating shell. A Codex! It was a Codex, a complex three-dimensional computational unit designed to store large amounts of multifaceted data. This probably stored the peoples' biometrics and individual information.

When all three objects were in her possession, she turned to the statue. As she walked toward it, she started to hum a tune, which quickly spread through the crowd. Elegantly walking to it, she placed her hand on its surface and its glow suddenly dimmed. Conversely, her back lit up, her swirling purple Sigil erupting with vitality as it spread further down her limbs. Reacting to it, the orb, seeds and codex, stopped turning, coming down to her side. One after another, they seeped into it. Letting the last one disappear, Sasha removed her hand and began to sing, the crowd joining in her call.

We are the outcasts,

Chased away from our home,

Our bonds could not outlast,

What we had become.

At the sound of their voices, the veil covering the man gradually dissipated into thin air, revealing a face that left Slava speechless. Kolya knelt there, his back glowing a fiery red, glowing particles dancing around him, congregating toward his hand that was reaching for the sky.

Branded as strangers,

A Taint from a faraway land.

Changing our nature,

Through a helping hand.

But we were different,

Forever belligerent.

With our own knowledge and strength,

We awakened, Sigil, symptom of a sixth sense.

As the words were sung, wisps of light escaped the statue's back. Grey, green, gold and finally purple. They split apart, twisting and turning, travelling through the crowd to the sound of the melody, before finally finding their way into the statue's open palm, where they clashed in a massive shockwave, which made way to the sound of percussion.

We fight, We fight,

For our freedom.

We fight, We fight,

For our rights.

We are,

We are,

The Awakened.

Free of,

The shackles of,

The Tainted.

While humming the chorus, all stared as a massive beam of white light escaped from the reaching hand, piercing through the foliage into the sky. At the same time, a green shockwave spread through the crowd, beyond the city and into the unending forest. The people, however, remained undisturbed, some had a blazing fire in their eyes, others cried, but all were looking up toward the sky in anticipation. All but one. Slava was staring at Sasha, his gaze hiding a mix of complicated emotions.

We were once called geniuses,

The greatest of our time.

Now we are monsters and menaces,

To be executed and trialed.

But we will never surrender,

And we will come back even stronger.

For this is our call,

To prevent humanity's fall.

The beam of light eventually split apart, spreading into a translucent dome that moved to cover the entire city. The air became thinner and the intensity of the voices grew.

We fight, We fight,

For the people.

We fight, We fight,

For our kin.

We are,

We are,

The Awakened.

Guides,

To the

Enlightened.

Something felt wrong, the words ended abruptly, leaving the music to take its toll. Leaving an emptiness with a trail of sadness, almost as if it had left some words unspoken, their weight too heavy to bear.

"With this, we are now hidden and protected. This statue will forever remain as a reminder of those we have lost and those we fight to protect." When silence came, Sasha spoke her words of closure. "And lastly, I would like to thank you all once again for staying." As she elegantly bowed, the crowd flared up in dismay, but before any singular voice could distinguish itself from the crowd, she raised her hand. The horde instantly quieted down. "Now it's time to get back to work." Scouring the crowd one last time with her two-toned purple eyes glowing through her blindfold, she turned to face her aids. Flicking her wrist, the space rippled around them, before swallowing them whole.

The people slowly began to spread out in various ways, creating a spectacle by themselves. Sasha was doing better than he could've ever imagined. She'd risen so high in such a short amount of time, and not only in Henosis. He could feel traces of her domain everywhere and when she'd originally appeared in front of him, he hadn't sensed her movements. She was like a ghost. Maybe he should hide a bit longer. This required more… investigation. As he walked into an alley, his hand flickered and a black mist spread from it, surrounding him.

"Where do you think you're going?" The mist had almost fully taken over his body when a snarky voice rang in his ear. "Master!" Crow echoed agitated. He could see the mist pushing against an invisible wall, struggling to keep its form. He grinned, he could've probably escaped her sight if he wanted to, but… "Leave it.," he said, his hand dimming. Looking down, he witnessed purple sparks forming around him. What would it be? What would she show him? Feeling something foreign embrace him, he closed his eyes and a rift opened behind him, dragging him in.