The Silent Stage of Despair (3)

Brock's body convulsed on the ground, his mouth open in a scream, but no sound escaped. His once-imposing, rock-like exterior now felt like a suffocating prison, pressing in on him with unbearable force. The broken bones inside his body shifted with every slight movement, sending waves of agonizing pain through him. He could feel his own strength betraying him, trapping him in a torment that he could neither escape nor withstand. His mind screamed louder than his voice ever could, yet no one around him could hear the anguish.

His powers, once a source of pride and defense, had become the very chains binding him in place. Each breath was a battle, his chest heaving under the immense pressure. The unrelenting pain consumed him, a torment of being alive but utterly powerless. He was a prisoner in his own body, unable to move or die, trapped in the limbo between overwhelming strength and complete helplessness. The tears streaking down his face were the only release from the nightmare Silence had created for him.

Silence watched with eerie calmness as Brock lay crushed under the weight of his own powers in broken form. His eyes gleamed with dark amusement as he tilted his head to mockingly applaud Brock's suffering. "A stellar performance," he said in a voice with dripping sarcasm. "But the show must go on.

He slowly turned his gaze to Foam and Lumina, both of their bodies paralyzed by the cursed energy. Silence just went to them and repeated the same words to take over their minds, as with Brock. They lay there like puppets waiting for strings, their eyes blank, caught in place but not yet suffering. An evil grin curled upon Silence's lips as he neared them.

He fell to one knee, then spoke in that cold voice the very words that had taken Brock down. "Move."

With that, accursed energy enveloped Foam and Lumina in surge, breaking the two out of their current stasis into forced responses from their bodies. They rose-awkward, mechanical movements-lifted by the will of Silence himself. "Now, let's see how well you play your part," Silence murmured. He looked at the remaining mutants, spread across their faces in panic as they realized what would ensue.

Silence was saying without a shred of hesitation, "Move." The rest of the mutants-only Pyro and Azazel remained frozen-instantly burst into action. Of course, desperation and fear predominated, yet not a second was wasted, knowing full well the fight that lay ahead.

But then Foam and Lumina moved too, their bodies not their own anymore. The hands of Foam extended, and she let out her acidic spray, ready to harden or slip through the field with hazardous precision. Lumina flickered to life, her bioluminescence growing in brightness and intensity, ready to unleash her blinding flashes of light.

Silence stepped back, a hint of an amused smirk pulling up the edges of his lips as he watched Foam and Lumina ready themselves for their attack. The other mutants, now free to move, scampered to formulate some sort of plan, but they were trapped inside the barrier, voices muffled, inaudible to one another. Panic wafted through the crowd of them like wildfire as they yelled orders and cries for help, but none of it transcended the barrier Silence had set around them.

"Too bad, isn't it?" Silence said aloud. "It's hard to fight when no one can hear you."

The mutants, not knowing this vicious turn, sprang into action nonetheless, charging at Foam and Lumina. However, the acidic sprays from Foam at ground levels sent them into slick, hazardous surfaces, causing them to stumble. Lumina simply glowed brighter, in flickering strobe fashion, sending those who dared approach her into blinding light.

Two mutants tried to get around Foam, one charging in from the side, but his feet lost purchase on the viscous surface of hardened acid as he did so. He crashed to the ground with a sickening thud, trying to shout for help, but no one could hear his cries.

Another mutant struggled on, overcoming the blinding flashes in his attempt to reach Lumina. He lifted his arm with an intent strike, but Lumina's light flickered again-very strongly this time-a burning white beam that sent him stumbling away into the dark. He doubled back, his hand covering his eyes, as Acid Foam sprayed acid in a wall to block his way and cage him.

Acidic barriers of foam rose in a jagged wall, blocking the mutants' escape, as long as Lumina's flashes continued to disorient them. They moved frantically but uncoordinatedly enough. Each yelled orders or warnings, but their words were swallowed by the silence inside the barrier. No one could hear the others, and it was like each of them was fighting alone.

One finally managed to break through Foam's defenses and dived at her in desperation. But still under Silence's control, in the fraction of a second, she had released her acid onto the ground beneath his feet. His legs flew out from under him, and before he could regain his balance, another flash of Lumina's dazzling light sent him dazed and helpless.

The others fought on, but it was pointless. Foam and Lumina, programmed like puppets, were superior to them in every single way; their powers were exploited with pitiless effectiveness. There was chaos on the battlefield, with frustration as the mutants tried in futile attempts to regroup and talk to each other, finding themselves entrapped in their own small, isolated bubbles of silence.

And all this while, Silence watched, amused at the dark show he had staged.

A battlefield that was now a nightmarish scene of carnage and helplessness-the once fearsome mutants lay strewn on the ground, now twisted and broken into grotesque postures of wrenching agony.

Acid barriers launched by Foam had risen into messy jagged spikes, each well stained with blood from the few unfortunate ones who got impaled on them. Their bodies were limp, either dead or unconscious, with gaping, bloody holes showing where the acid had pierced through the flesh and bone.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of burning, corroded flesh as more acid bit into the ground, forming little pools that sizzled and crackled, trapping the living. Those mutants that had attempted to flee lay there in a world of agony, their limbs paralyzed from the relentless attacks of Foam.

Their screams were buried in the silence of the barrier, faces contorting in pain with mouths open in silent cries for mercy.

Those that had avoided the acid spikes fared no different: their eyes were bloodshot and swollen from Lume's bioluminescence. 

They scratched at their faces with shaking hands in a desperate, futile attempt to claw out of their eye sockets the searing images of the flashes of light that had rendered them weak. Bloodshot eyes stared wide, as if they had stopped seeing these horrible scenes happening around them but could feel the burning pain now ruling over their senses.

The ground was littered with bodies, twitching feebly in weak attempts at locomotion, or splayed in eerie stillness, their minds shattered by the unending barrage. Acidic pools bubbled threateningly, their sheen reflecting the pale, harsh glow of Lumina's flickering light. This battlefield had become a twisted stage upon which agony and despair were the only remaining actors.

"Release"

Silence let go of the grip of his control, and Foam, free from the invisible chains, staggered up to his feet. His face contorted in rage, his eyes wild as he glared at Silence. Acid dripped from his hands, sizzling when it met the ground. The top then blew right off, and he lunged forward without a thought, the aim being to douse Silence in acid.

"You think you can just use me?!" Foam roared. His arms rose in attack.

Silence remained calm, unfazed by the outburst. His voice was quiet, almost bored, as he spoke one word. "Spray."

Foam's arms jerked involuntarily as his own acid spewed uncontrollably from his palms. But instead of hitting Silence, the corrosive liquid veered off course, splashing back onto Foam himself. The acidic spray hissed as it made contact with his skin, burning through his flesh and muscle.

"AAAGHHHH!" Foam screamed, writhing in agony as the acid continued to eat away at him. His own power, meant to destroy others, was now tearing him apart. He tried to stop the flow, but the acid kept pouring from his hands, each drop sizzling against his body.

Silence watched, his expression one of cold amusement. "You see, Foam... it's only fair. Your power, your weapon... used against you. Isn't it ironic?"

Foam collapsed to his knees, the acid burns spreading across his arms, chest, and legs, eating away at his skin with horrifying speed. His once-powerful form now lay trembling and broken, his body a mess of acid burns and oozing wounds. He looked up at Silence, eyes wide with terror and pain.

But Silence was already walking away, his interest in Foam gone. He turned his gaze toward Lume, who had been watching in paralyzed horror.

She hadn't moved since he released her from control. Her glowing form flickered, her bioluminescent skin now a dull, fading light. She looked fragile, like a doll whose string had been cut.

Silence approached her slowly, crouching down to her level. "And you… you've already lost the will to fight, haven't you?" His voice was soft, almost soothing.

Lume's lips parted, but no words came out. Her body trembled, her glowing eyes wide and vacant.

"Let's see if you have any fight left." Silence whispered the command again, leaning close. "Move."

Lume's body spasmed, her bioluminescence flaring up uncontrollably. Light burst from her in erratic flashes, blinding the area around her.

But there was no control in her actions, just a chaotic reaction to Silence's cursed energy. She jerked and twitched as if her body was fighting against itself, but there was no strength left. No resistance.

Silence leaned back, watching her glow fade once again. "A pity," he said, standing up. "You're already too far gone."

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Lume's light faded entirely, leaving her lying motionless on the ground, her body twitching involuntarily. Broken, both in body and spirit, she was no longer a threat, merely a victim of her own power and Silence's twisted manipulation.

"Your powers used to bring light," Silence mused as he glanced down at her. "Now... just darkness." He turned away, leaving her behind as he moved to the next stage of his plan.

Finally coming face to face with the two brotherhood members, he just said, "Move".....