Chapter 35: Purpose

"Set it there." Nolan ordered.

In response to his words, a group of Thraxans carried a massive block and set it down. Omni Man grabbed the block and jammed it into a hole between two materials. He then looked at the young viltrumite who lazily floated beside him. Taz was gazing at nothing, his mind in a different place.

Now that he was free of pursuit, he didn't know what he wanted to do. There was a reason both soldiers knew they were free. Viltrum only had a limited number of pure blooded viltrumites. If they send a team and it gets completely annihilated, there's a high chance that a follow up won't happen.

The Grand Regent would not allow his numbers to dwindle so easily. If anything, he'd send one or two of his best fighters to scout and report. Nolan waved his hand in front of Taz's face.

"Hey. Hey!" Omni Man called out. The motion brought the stoic elite out of his daze.

"Huh…oh." He muttered.

His eyes shone a gentle red light. The blocks were melded together, finishing the current building that was being repaired. The older viltrumite had asked for assistance in rebuilding the city. They were still waiting for Mark and Anissa to heal up, so it helped pass a lot of time. The two injured fighters were in a Thraxan hospital.

…

…

…

A month eventually passed and Invincible woke up. There weren't too many questions to ask, considering him and his father were still alive. When he saw Taz, his face turned solemn.

"You…What the hell are you doing here?" He questioned. The stoic elite raised an eyebrow.

"...What?" The powerful viltrumite responded.

"You think I don't know what you did? You're the reason everything changed on Earth!"

Mark burst into motion. His body launched toward Absolver, a desperate fist ready to connect. It was futile. Taz caught the punch effortlessly. He then squeezed his fist.

"I followed orders. It was something I was meant to do. Either way, it doesn't matter anymore." He answered. Mark grit his teeth in pain.

"Doesn't matter?! Earth doesn't matter?! You self-centered, evil prick!" The hero roared. He struggled to escape the soldier's grip.

At this moment, Omni Man arrived. He couldn't help but shake his head at the commotion. He spoke after placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Mark. Stop. He is an ally."

"Ally?! He's an enemy!" Invincible retorted.

"He WAS an enemy. He and I are now the same. We've broken our ties with Viltrum. We are both traitors."

Hearing these words, Mark calmed down. He rubbed his hand for a second then smirked. His eyes squinted as he glared at Taz.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are. You have no conscience or loyalty. How long until you turn on Earth again? I bet you'd kill Dupli-Kate too. A person like you would kill your own mother." He snarled.

Invincible felt much better after getting that off his chest. He'd wanted to speak up to him for a long time. Before he could even react, the back of Absolver's hand struck his face.

SMACK

The hero's body spiraled and crashed into the wall. His eyes grew wide with shock, but it eventually turned to rage. He pulled himself out of the wall and turned his gaze back to the stoic elite. His courage all but disappeared when he saw him.

Taz's eyes were shining red with intensity. His fists were clenched as he floated up into the air. Mark could feel a subtle aura wash over him. It felt like he was covered in static. The powerful man had stuck the hero in his bioelectric field.

"..........."

"There's no need to fight!" Nolan exclaimed. His hand was in front of Absolver's chest.

Mark sweatdropped. It felt like he'd just escaped a load of pain. Now that he was thinking clearly, he couldn't believe he'd said so much. Did he want to die?

Taz left the hospital room and entered one a few doors down. His caretaker was sitting in the bed while looking out the window. It seemed that she had finally woken up. Even after hearing his arrival, she didn't avert her gaze from the outside.

The young soldier pulled over a chair and sat beside her bed. A yawn escaped his lips. He couldn't help but rest his head on the bed next to her legs. Nolan and Taz had been repairing the planet with the help of the bug natives. This was only going to be a break, but now that Mark was up, the stoic viltrumite couldn't be bothered.

"I no longer know what I'm supposed to do." She finally said.

"......."

"I cannot return to Viltrum, and our race is feared across the universe. Where could I possibly go?" She continued.

Taz raised his head to look at her. She was still looking outside the window, but her expression was demoralizing. She was lost. Without drive.

"You won't instantly be recognized as a viltrumite unless you claim it." He answered.

"Maybe on Earth, with your pack of weaklings." She mocked.

Anissa finally turned to look at him. She wasn't surprised to see him lazing on HER bed, the one he put her in. This man had no shame.

"Weak they may be, but they have their uses." He concluded.

Taz quickly scanned her frame. His caretaker was almost fully recovered, with a bit of red marks here and there. She would feel weak for some time, but it was just the body's way of making her slow down. It would only last for a few days.

"Hmph…" She hummed.

The room became silent once again. The woman couldn't help but smile upon seeing her favorite viltrumite. His head was on the bed, leaning against her thigh. Her hand approached his hair, then stopped. Hesitation quickly flooded her mind. She didn't know if he would allow that. Anissa didn't know what was okay and what wasn't. She wasn't in charge anymore.

Noticing her actions, the young elite gently held her wrist. He guided her hand to his hair and let go. He wasn't going to stop her from showing affection. Anissa's smile quickly returned. The slender hand caressed his hair. Time passed and the sun began to set. The comfortable silence was broken as Taz stood up.

"Come." He ordered. His hand grasped hers and pulled.

"Eh? Wait-"

Anissa was forced to leave the bed, revealing a new outfit made by Thraxans. As she was being dragged out of the room, she snagged the furry shoes on the floor. The two quickly accelerated out of the room. Mark and Nolan, who were busy repairing the city, caught the two silhouettes casually breaking the sound barrier. Invincible sighed. When would he be able to fly that fast?

It only took a few moments for them to reach the other side of the planet. They soon landed on top of a cliff, overlooking a lake. It was unknown what liquid it consisted of. The sun and moon could be seen on the horizon. One was rising and the other was falling. A beautiful color was created from this phenomenon.

"Sit." He ordered.

The woman followed his command. Her legs dangled off the edge. Taz crouched beside her and watched the side of her face. Anissa was unimpressed as she looked at the view.

"What do you see?" He asked.

"The moon. And the sun." She answered bluntly.

"What else?"

"A lake. Some trees."

"Anything else?"

"Rocks."

"Anything els-"

"What are you trying to show me, Taz?" She interrupted.

"When you put all of these things together, what do you think?"

"...Huh?" The woman couldn't understand where he was going with this.

"Look at the entire view as a whole. Isn't it beautiful?"

Anissa frowned while focusing on the view. The color blend of the sun and moon was an honorable mention.

"It's…good?" She answered while unsure of herself.

Taz sat behind her and put his hands over hers. Their fingers interlocked and wrapped around her waist. The side of his face rested against hers.

"Do you feel the slight wind nipping at your skin? The breeze and the view together…isn't it nice?" He asked.

His caretaker closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her body relaxed as she felt the surroundings. The breeze and skin contact from her favorite viltrumite made everything more bearable.

"It is." She answered. Taz smiled.

"This is called appreciation. When you enjoy something for what it is and respect its qualities. This…is something I learned from humanity." He explained.

"Hmm…it is a weird concept." She hummed.

"...Maybe, but at least it has a purpose." He said. Anissa turned to him with an empty look.

"Taz, I no longer HAVE a purpose." She exclaimed sadly. Taz frowned.

"You do have one. You just need to find it."

"Where…Where would I find it?!" She spoke in monotone.

The woman didn't believe that she would ever have one again. She had lived even longer than Nolan, which would be over two thousand years. Anissa had served Viltrum for an incredibly long time. It was hard to just move on.

"You will come with me to Earth and find it yourself. It isn't something I can help you with." He said.

"........." She didn't respond.

There was no point in saying otherwise. She had no choice but to fulfill his wishes. Such was their bond. The two viltrumites spent more time admiring the view. After the two celestial bodies drifted apart, Taz and Anissa took to the skies.

It didn't take long for them to reach the city. Mark and Nolan were done for the day, lazing around and eating weird foods. The two floated in the sky for a few moments.

"I'm going to check on the ship. It's been in orbit this whole time."

With those words he blasted off. The woman froze and didn't know what to do. Should she follow or stay? Taz hadn't given her any orders. A sigh escaped her lips. His caretaker decided to wait on top of a weirdly shaped building. Multiple Thraxans crawled up and down the structure.

"Disgusting. Damn bugs." She muttered.

She couldn't wait to leave this planet. There was nothing to do here, and the natives were insects. What a bad mix.

Taz reached the atmosphere in an instant. His cape fluttered behind him as he grew further and further from the planet. Now that he was in orbiting distance, he flew around the planet until he found the ship.

The stoic viltrumite placed his hand on the closed door. A blue light scanned his fingerprint before blinking. The large door slowly opened up, allowing him to enter. Absolver wasted no time and entered the navigation room. After tapping on a few keys, a hologram of the solar system appeared in the room.

Taz waved his hand and it zoomed out into a galaxy. He waved his hand again and it showed multiple galaxies. After tapping on a few of them, he finally found the Milky Way.

"Setting coordinates to ID: 1685271, Terra. Codename: Earth." A robotic voice announced.

Now that the young elite was finished, he walked to the exit. The ship door opened up and revealed the vastness of space. His back faced the exit, allowing his cape to flow. The powerful viltrumite raised both of his hands and floated out of the ship.

'Isn't flight such an amazing thing?' A voice rang in his mind.

Taz quickly turned in all directions. Directly above him was an orange, buff alien man with one eye. The soldier's eyebrows raised in surprise. He'd seen this guy before. Mark had fought this alien all the way to the moon.

'What do you want?' Taz transmitted.

'Well…I'm answering an SOS from one of my new friends. Didn't expect to run into someone else. I'm Allen by the way.' He announced.

'You are looking for Invincible.' The elite surmised. Allen raised his only eyebrow.

'You know him?'

'Indeed. Unfortunately, you are too late.'

'What does that mean?' The alien asked while clenching his fist. Taz sized the man up. He didn't seem like much.

'I'm saying that the battle is over.'

'I may be stupid, but I'm not dumb. You're a viltrumite, aren't you?' Allen guessed.

'...I am.'

'That's too bad. If you weren't evil, we could've been friends.'

'Everyone is a bit evil inside. It's what you do about it that counts.' The stoic man transmitted.

'Well said.' The orange alien responded.

Without another word, the two launched toward each other.