No.3515
>Location: Sanctuary City - Orion's House
>The soft, tranquil sound of bird song floats into Orion's bedroom from outside, creating a peaceful atmosphere as the sun gently shines in on his bed, the heat from it just being enough to be cozy, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable.
>The light is disturbed, however, as an object comes across it, blocking out a section of it.
>This disturbance is followed by another one, as the object bangs against the window, and a familar voice follows it.
"Orion, are you in there? I know you're not at work today but Aunt Monica says you're going to be late for the unveiling if you don't wake up soon."
>Besides Orion, the sheets on the bed move as Madeleine groggily wakes up, nudging Orion.
"Orion, who is it?"
>With tired eyes, Madeleine looks over at the window to see the face of Sabine looking through.
"It's your cousin, I think your mum sent her to wake you up so we're not late for the ceremony. . ."
No.3516
>>3515>Orion rubs his eyes with his fingers. "I know you're tall, but how are you reaching the window with the porch roof in the way?"
>Orion lets out a yawn, and then moves to kiss Madeleine on the cheek. He then climbs out of bed. "Tell mom we'll be there shortly. We just need a few minutes to get ready."
>Orion smiles at Sabine, looking genuinely relaxed and happy, with no sign of his usual internal dourness. No.3517
>>3516>Sabine looks down for a second.". . .you might need a new one, sorry."
>Sabine's face disappears from the window, and her voice can be heard from outside, speaking in French:"
<I told you I could wake him up, Ren! . . .he said he'll be down in a few moments, Aunt Monica.>"
>Madeleine lets out a little chuckle at the scene."We can replace the roof easily enough. What's more difficult. . ."
>Madeleine pulls herself out of bed and messes up Orion's hair a little bit."Is making sure you look presentable for the ceremony today, it's not every day that your alter ego gets his very own monument in recognition for his deeds."
>Madeleine thinks for a moment."How are you handling that, actually, do you have some plan for turning up as Omnius?"
No.3518
>>3517>Orion turns his eyes up, leaning back slightly while thinking."Er… I hadn't really thought about it. I've never done this kind of thing before."
>Orion slightly adjusts his hair, getting some of it out of his eyes."Do you think I should try something special?"
No.3519
>>3518>Madeleine looks to Orion, imagining a look in her mind as she opens a closet and starts sorting through clothes."You could try a bit of spectacle if you want, they're going to be there to see you. . ."
>Madeleine takes a nice looking suit out of the closet and carefully lays it down.". . .I'm sure whatever you come up with will work perfectly, though."
>As she finishes her thought, a white dove flies to the window, tapping on it for a moment before Madeleine shoos it off."As for your look now, your mum and sister are here, so we could try something maybe. . ."
>Madeleine looks over at Orion's hair."Neaten it up a little bit, perhaps? It's whatever you want."
No.3520
>>3519>Orion lets out a sigh. "You're probably right."
>He walks closer to Madeleine, and then sits on the side of the bed. "Could you help me out? You're better with hair than I am."
No.3521
>>3520>Madeleine responds with a teasing tone:"I always am."
>Moving back over the bed, Madeleine takes a position behind Orion, and starts messing with his hair with a brush."How about this?"
>Madeleine holds Orion's hair in one position for a moment, and then moves it slightly."Or this?"
No.3523
>>3522>Madeleine thinks for a moment, then nods to herself, settling on a third style."I think that should do, try not to mess with it, got it?"
>Madeleine gives Orion a hug from behind."And I mean that, ok?"
>Madeleine releases Orion from the hug and then pushes herself back."You should go out and talk to your family, we've probably left them waiting long enough."
>Standing up, Madeleine makes her way over to the closet again."I'll be out in a bit, just need to get ready myself."
No.3524
>>3523>Orion leans around Madeleine, reaching for his own clothes."Let me just change real quick first. I probably shouldn't show up in some slobby outfit."
>Orion moves back, and begins changing quickly, careful not to mess up his hair. "See you outside."
>He exits the bedroom, and then seemingly slides down the stairs as he hovers his feet motionless just over it, before touching the ground again and going through the front door. No.3525
>>3524>Outside, a collection of Orion's family members stand around, Sabine sits under a tree, holding her brother up as he tries to get something from it, their parents watching the display with amusement. Across from them, Orion can see his mother standing with Stephanie, their familiar chestnut hair blending in slightly with the other trees in the yard.
>As Orion steps out, Stephanie notices Orion, and points him out to their mother. After a brief end to their conversation, the pair make their way over, with Stephanie giving Orion a hug once the pair are close enough."You're looking good, banana boy."
>Stephanie pulls out of the hug, and Orion then finds himself being embraced by his mother."I'm so proud of you, ■■■■■."
>The final part of the sentence is oddly disjointed, but soon corrects itself."I was just telling your sister about how impressive it is that you were the only person willing to step up for people when the time came."
No.3526
>>3525"I'm sure somebody else would do it if they could."
>Orion fights the urge to scratch his head, trying not to mess up his hair."I guess I'm just the only one who was able to do it. At least around here."
>Orion gives his cousin's parents a wave, and then looks at his mother."Well, it looks like you were able to get the time off today. I wasn't sure you would with how busy you've been."
No.3527
>>3526"With all the villains you've defeated, I think we've seen that there's a lot that
can, they just don't want to - not like you."
>Monica gives Orion a warm smile."And of course I got time off, I wouldn't miss one of your big events for the world."
>Stephanie coughs."Speaking of big events, when's the wedding? And don't act like you're not planning to marry her."
No.3528
>>3527>Orion goes red."Stop it Circe. We don't need to get married to be together."
>He crosses his arms and tries to look away. "I mean I'm not saying I wouldn't, if she wanted to. But I don't think we have to do it."
No.3529
>>3528"Sure but I bet you've got a ring already,
Rigel. You just need to-"
>Monica puts a hand up to stop the conversation from escalating."Come on you too, no fighting, it's a big day. Orion, apologise to Stephanie for using that name, Stephanie, apologise to Orion for winding him up."
>Monica's tone is somewhat stern, but the sterness is dulled with an edge of motherly care to it, to indicate that the two aren't in trouble.". . .sorry."
>Stephanie quietly apologises.
>Once the apology is done, the dove from earlier flies down and caws at Orion, earning a sigh from Monica."Is this your pet, Orion? it seems very unhappy at us being here for some reason, but I didn't want to shoo it away if it lives here."
No.3530
>>3529>Orion tries to shoo the dove off. "Nope, not mine. It's just some wild bird. Maybe it's got a nest near-by."
>He looks back in the direction of the front door. "Anyway, Madeleine should be finished aaaaannnny minute now…"
No.3531
>>3530>The dove seems to resist Orion's attempts to shoo it off for a while, but then flies away, defeated."Such a weird bird. . ."
>Monica muses as, if on cue from Orion's last words, Madeleine comes out of the house and makes her way over to the trio."Steph! You're looking as adorable as ever!"
>Madeleine gives Stephanie a hug.". . .and Monica, you're looking absolutely
stunning."
>Madeleine breaks out of the hug with Stephanie to hug Monica, then turns to Orion once she's done."Our transport should be here in a minute, but before that, I want to get a photo of us all together - to remember the day."
No.3533
>>3532"It's just a nice picture, you don't have to worry about anything, ok?"
>Madeleine gives Orion a reassuring squeeze as everyone else makes their way over, with Stephanie floating a camera over to a position in front of everyone to get them all in the frame.
>Once everyone is in position, Stephanie does the usual ritual of preparing everyone and getting them to say a silly catchphrase before taking the photo and floating the camera over to Madeleine, who makes sure to safely stow it in her bag."See, that wasn't so bad, was it? At least no worse than fighting some maniac who wants to destroy the city."
>As Madeleine speaks, several vehicles start to pull up at house, ready to take everyone to their destination. No.3534
>>3533"I guess you're right. It was just a picture."
>Orion takes notice of the vehicles, scanning them. "I wonder how they're gonna fit Sabine and her mom in one of those?"
No.3535
>>3534"We've got a specialised vehicle for them coming, don't worry."
>Everyone starts filtering into the vehicles, and the group starts to head off to their destination.—————————————————-
>Location: Sanctuary City Park
>The journey to the unveiling event seems to pass by in the blink of an eye, and the vehicles pull up just outside of the event.
>Within the event, various reporters, celebrities, and other socialites are gathered, separated from the general public by cordons and bouncers, one of which is checking invitations by a small ad-hoc entrance.
>As they step out of their vehicle, Madeleine whispers to Orion:"I'm going to check us in, do you want me to say you needed to handle some urgent business to make our masked friend appearing a bit easier?"
No.3536
>>3535"Oh jeez."
>Orion gawks at the event. "I didn't think it would be this… extravagant."
>He leans over and whispers a reply to Madeleine."Yeah. Sounds good."
>He kisses Madeleine on the cheek, and then steps around the vehicle, walking off into another direction before disappearing. No.3538
>>3537>Floating down from the heavens, Omnius lowers himself from the sky. "Hey there, everyone."
>His feet land with a gentle thud, touching the stage."I've… never done anything like this before, so please excuse any awkwardness."
>He looks at the covered monument, waiting for the reveal. No.3539
>>3538>Omnius's arrival earns a cheer from the crowd, and the speaker shuffles through their notes, satisified with a certain set that is clearly prepared for the possibility of the hero showing up."Well, we're glad to have you, Omnius, after all, what would this be without the man of the hour himself."
>The crowd claps and the speaker lets them continue for a few moments before motioning for them to quiet down."Anyway, without further ado, I present-"
>The speaker's grand reveal is cut off as a loud crashing sound comes from the back of the venue, and a load of debris from the ground flies up, narrowly missing the crowd.
>From the smoke of the explosion, a large, lupin creature of some kind, armed with a giant hammer, steps into the crowd, announcing its presence with a snarl and roar."I am Garthrongulator! And I will defeat you, Omnius!"
>With no other words, the creature leaps into the air, heading towards the stage. No.3540
>>3539>Omnius leaps towards the beast, meeting it in the air. The force of the clash is enough to cause the air to rumble, as Garthrongulator is sent flying backwards. "You picked a real stupid time to try this, Garblenator."
>He flies towards the beast, landing on top of it with great force. "I'll take this."
>The monster's hammer slips out of it's grip, and into Omnius's comparatively tiny hands. He pulls his arms back, almost loosing his balance as the weight of the hammer swings backwards.
>Omnius slams it down on top of Garthrongulator, cratering the ground and cracking the hammer from the force. No.3541
>>3540>Garthrongulator falls down, letting out a final cry as melodramatic as its entrance."RAAAGHGRAHAHA!"
>As the last bit of consciousness fades away from it, the creature's body slumps down, its weight shifting slightly.
>Then, with no warning, the dove from earlier slams down into Omnius's mask, staring directly at his eyes.
>After a moment, new memories and experiences suddenly start rushing into Orion: the pain of a bullet cutting through the flesh on his neck, each inch of its path in and out of the body being felt as the skin, then flesh, parts. Then, the feeling of being unable to breath, the blood rising up and blocking his throat, as well as travelling down his body. After that, emptiness, sorrow from songs unable to be sung, wordless screams.
>As it floods into him, everything around seems to freeze for a moment, and then the dove detaches itself from him, awkwardly hovering in the air in front of him. No.3542
>>3541>Anger immediately bubbles up in Orion as he swats the pigeon away, simultaneously causing the very world around himself to shatter away like a mirror, giving way to the void.
>He grabs his helmet, pulling it off and spitting out the "bullet", apparently fine."Where is he?"
>Omnius places his helmet back on, causing a mild clicking sound as he twists it into position."Tell me. Now."
No.3543
>>3542>As the dream shatters around Orion, the bird shifts into the form of Aurora, who carefully re-adjusts herself to not hit the ground too hard."Slow down. I just had to force you out of a dream."
>The singer gently lands on the "ground"."Besides, surely it would be best to help your partner first. She is stuck in a dream like yourself. Like all those who were in the park."
No.3545
>>3544"That sounds rather violent, but I can hardly decide these things. . ."
>Aurora closes her hand, then re-opens it, a collection of tiny stars flying out of it, increasing in size as they get further away from their origin point.
>With the stars settled, more details about them are visible, including the fact that they have slightly different shades between themselves, as well as varying sizes."So, your partner's one is. . ."
>Aurora begins moving her right hand like a conductor, with the stars "dancing" around in the beat of it, only stopping when she finds one fo the largest of them."This one."
No.3546
>>3545>Orion watches the stars "dance" around. "God, this is so strange."
>His eyes focus on Madeleine's star. "Anyway, how are we doing this?"
No.3547
>>3546"Oh, it's quiet simple, like this."
>Aurora whistles and star starts flying towards the pair, engulfing them.—————————————————-
>Location: Somewhere in the British Countryside
>Reality builds itself around Aurora and Orion, taking the form of a quaint wooded area located at the base of a hill. At the top of the hill, a lonely church sits, overlooking the area.
>Looking around, Aurora takes in the surroundings and then looks to Orion."Is this familiar to you?"
No.3548
>>3547>Orion shakes his head, his suit vanishes."No. I have no idea where this is."
>He looks to the church. "It must be important to Madeleine though, if the dream bothered building it."
No.3549
>>3548"Not necessarily, it could just be a construction made by the dream to achieve a purpose that's important to her."
"Either way. . ."
>Aurora starts walking up the hill, towards the church. No.3553
>>3552>The doors open with no resistance, revealing a wedding scene. Although, to Orion's potential relief, not one between himself and Madeleine.
>Instead, Madeleine stands to the side as a maid of honour, as a middle-aged man and woman take the centre position as the bride and groom.
>The sound of the doors opening is enough to attract some attention, and various heads turn to see Orion and Aurora standing at the door."Ah, it appears we've been noticed."
>Seeing Orion, the bride looks to Madeleine."■■■■■, is that a second copy of your boyfriend?"
>As with in Orion's dream, the name seems to "glitch", although for some reason it is shorter than would be expected.
>From within the crowd, a copy of Orion stands up, turning around to face the door. . . No.3554
>>3553"Oh."
>Orion lets out something of a mix of a sigh and a chuckle."Hey Maddie. I'm sure you're… confused."
>Orion starts walking towards Madeleine, ignoring everything around himself, even his copy. "Guess I'll just rip the band-aid off. You're dreaming right now. That cowboy security guard guy put me and everyone else in the park in one."
>He points his thumb at Aurora behind him."But she helped me get out of mine."
No.3555
>>3554>From her spot, Madeleine looks confused."'Maddie'? Why would you use. . ."
>Despite Orion ignoring his copy, his copy doesn't ignore him, and instead floats up from his seat and lands in the aisle, blocking Orion's path."I dunno what weird prank show or whatever you're doing here, but it's not funny. Leave before I have to kick your ass."
No.3560
>>3559"Not your actual… Madeleine, what are you talking about? Your name is Madeleine Cox!"
>Orion waves his hand, incenirating the throwing stars. He then focuses his attention on his copy, forcefully pushing him back."Will you sit the fuck down and stop for a moment!? You're not real! I bet you can't even name one thing you've never told her! Go on! Tell her something about your childhood that you've never mentioned before!"
No.3561
>>3560"That's not my name!"
>Madeleine leaves through the door, trying to slam it shut for a moment before failing to due to the age of it.
>Meanwhile, the Orion copy starts fighting back against Orion's telekinetic force with his own."I don't need to tell you anything you fake fuck! You don't even know ■■■■■'s name!"
No.3562
>>3561"You just… glitched out like some kind of computer! God damn it! I hate this fucking dream world! And I
really fucking hate you!"
>In a sudden maneuver, Orion slips around, narrowly avoiding the telekinetic blast. He launches forward, grabbing the fake Orion by the throat and then slamming him into the ground."You fucking shit copy! You don't even know how much I have to keep from her so she'll accept me! You're just some dream made from bits and pieces of the real monster!"
>Orion continues repeatedly lifting up and slamming the copy into the ground, progressively using more and more force with each slam. No.3563
>>3562>The fake Orion groans, then throws off the telekinetic force, picking himself up from the ground, laughing in pain."Fuck, do I really sound like that?"
>The fake Orion picks up several pews and throws them at Orion, fully expecting him to counter them."She
knows, dickweed. . ."
>The fake Orion stumbles towards the real Orion, expecting to land in his arms."Not every detail, but she
knows. Thing is, she's more of a monster than me."
>The fake Orion starts fading away, the dream unable to sustain him from the damage."Because at least I was
forced to kill them. . ."
No.3568
>>3567>Orion quickly hugs Madeleine. "It's alright. Don't worry about it."
>He lets go. "We gotta stop that security guy. He's got every other guest in the park locked up in their own dreams while he plans who knows what with them."
No.3569
>>3568>Aurora interjects."They're fuel, for his new god. He's using their dreams to fuel an even greater American Dream, which will expand and expand until it takes over the whole world."
>Madeleine nods."Ah, that makes sense. . . wait. How do you know that?"
>Aurora shrinks back slightly at the questioning."Well, I'm like you. I'm just more in tune with the dream. . . for reasons."
>Madeleine narrows her eyes at the other woman and then sighs."We won't get anywhere if we spend all day questioning things. . ."
>Turning to the stars before her, Madeleine gives Orion a look."Sounds like we'll have to do this on two fronts, someone breaks these people out of their dreams to cut off the source of his power, while someone else faces off against him. So. . ."
>Madeleine gives Orion a tired smile.". . .how do you feel about beating up a security guard, Orion?"
No.3571
>>3570"Let's try to not make it a habit though, ok?"
>Seeing a plan has come together, Aurora steps towards Orion."I'm going to send you to where he is, ok?"
>Before getting a response, the familiar sensation of everything disappearing and shifting happens, sending Orion away from the pair and in front of a recreation of the Lincoln Memorial.
>Sitting in front of the memorial, on one of the steps, is a man who matches the general build of Orion's target, but with completely different clothing from before. Instead of the regular clothing he was wearing, the man is now wearing an American themed costume of some kind, with patterns of red, white, and blue throughout it.
>Noticing Orion, the man stands up."You. . ."
No.3572
>>3571"Me."
>Orion walks forward, staring directly at the man."What's with the costume? You some kind of super hero? Should I start calling you America-Man now?"
>Orion's own suit suddenly forms around his body. "Funny. I don't remember sacrificing a bunch of innocent people to an imaginary friend being all that heroic."
No.3573
>>3572"I'm making the mother of all omelettes here, can't fret over every egg."
>The man paces, daring Orion to make the first move."Figured you'd understand that, with your background. Besides, what's a few foreigners and tourists compared to the future of America?"
No.3574
>>3573"Nothing when you're purging "the weak", right?"
>Orion lets out a chuckle."What do you know about "the American dream"? You don't know what it's like to fight and kill just to survive."
>Omnius settles into a more combative stance."The American dream is a load of bullshit. And I'm going to end this."
No.3575
>>3574"Fine then, if it has to be this way."
>The man stops pacing and stretches out his arm, mocking having a gun in his hand with his fingers."Time for you to die, and for America to rise again."
>A purple energy builds around the end of the man's fingers, and fires towards Orion at high speed.
>As the energy travels along, the man rushes into action, building more of the energy around his fist, and throws a left hook at Orion. No.3578
>>3577>Omnius does his own backwards leap, avoiding the attack."Oh wow. You learned how to point a gun. That's some real combat training right there."
>Orion fires back with his own beam of psionic energy. It breaks into multiple parts, spreading around and converging on the man."Let me guess. You have over 300 confirmed kills, and you're the top sniper in the US military, am I right?"
No.3579
>>3578>The man brings his arms up to defend himself, generating a purple energy shield around himself, which blocks out the attack."That's the issue with
your type, you don't get genuine service for your country. You just sit around on your ass all day, watching your programs for children and complaining about how America is evil. . . well I've had it up to here with you!"
>The man clenches his hand into a fist and starts doing an uppercut.
>Meanwhile, under Orion, a purple first starts emerging from the ground. No.3580
>>3579>Omnius quickly forms a barrier in front of himself, being knocked into the sky as the fist slams into him. "Ngh! Enough with this baby shit!"
>Orion fires off yet another stream of energy, vaporizing the fist. "This place is a part of the Astral Plane, and you're a big shot psychic now! So why don't we stop the playing and fight like real psions!"
>Everything around the pair, from the ground to the air to the very space itself begins to violently rumble and shake."Show me what you're made of Captain Fuckface!"
>Orion's fists clench, and everything ruptures and shatters, revealing the dream-void once more.
>Orion's mind connects with his foe, flooding memories and abstractions of his mind into the man's, whittling away at his mental barriers. At the same time, Orion rockets towards him, slamming his fist in his gut.
>As he does so, the flood of mental images briefly increases in intensity. No.3581
>>3580"Grrragh!"
>The man stumbles back, clutching his head for a moment, and then starts a series of punches in Orion's direction."Get. Out. Of. My. Head. You. Unpatriotic. Fuck!"
>With the final word, the images get "burnt" away from the man's mind as the sun from earlier reappears, with a face emerging from it.
>Stepping back for a moment, the man wipes some blood from his face and grins, holding his side and panting the entire time."And now you're too late. . . she's achieved apotheosis."
No.3582
>>3581{"Fuck. I hope this doesn't mean they failed."}
>Omnius puts on some false but convincing bravado. "So what? I've fought plenty of people that would've been considered gods if you went back a couple hundred years ago. Your imaginary friend over there is no different."
>He once again assumes a combat stance."Come on. I didn't say we were finished. Make it a tag-team match. Or even a 2v1. I don't care."
>He motions for the man and his goddess to move towards him. No.3583
>>3582>The man laughs at Orion's bravado, sounding manic."But none of those are gods
now. Not like our Columbia. But enough talk, time for you to die now."
>From above, the woman looks down at Orion, and reality shatters around him, breaking down and reconstructing around him in the form of a green copper torch, which somehow constricts him with a perfect amount of force to match his own, with the feeling also being present in his thoughts.
>The torch then sets alight, burning Orion both mentally and physically, just enough to weaken him, and breaks down to reveal Columbia standing above Orion, "holding" him in place between her hands, with combination of red, white, and blue energy building up around them.
>With everything complete, the energy begins to surge towards Orion. No.3584
>>3583>Location: ???
>Within the sea of "stars", Madeleine and Martha help a small, green-haired woman with fox ears out of one of the stars, lowering her down to the ground."T-thank you."
>Martha ruffles the woman's hair."No problem, kid."
"I-I'm not a child!"
>Off to the side from this scene, Aurora smiles, then twitches as she seems to notice something, looking off into the distance.
>In the direction Aurora looks, a new "star" appears in the "sky", and she begins to look uncomfortable.
>Turning back to the others, Aurora is silent for a few seconds, clearly thinking something over, then nods to herself."Can you handle the final few ones here?"
>Martha looks over her shoulder."We can, why?"
"I have to go help somewhere. . . I won't be back."
"Wha-"
>Before anyone else can react, Aurora disappears, and a lone dove begins flying in the direction of the new "star"/ No.3585
>>3584>Location: ???
>Before the energy hits Orion, a bubble appears around him, and a lone dove appears within it, quickly turning into Aurora, who swiftly "steps" down by Orion's side."I can't hold this long. . ."
>Aurora's voice sounds strained and tired.". . .if you had a clean shot at him, do you think you could win?"
No.3587
>>3586>Aurora smiles. "That's all I needed to hear."
>The shield around the pair starts to strain, and Aurora pushes Orion, all of his damage disappearing as he starts to be sent backwards."Make it a grand finale, for me."
>With another smile from Aurora, Orion's speed starts increasing, and another bubble forms around him, protecting him from the energy as he travels through it. No.3588
>>3587"Wait, what're you doing?"
>Orion pounds his fist against the interior of the bubble. "You don't have to sacrifice yourself! Stop damn it! Stop!"
>Eventually after reaching quite some distance out of the way, the bubble begins to break apart and vanish, freeing Orion. He lets out a frustrated grunt. "You wanted a grand finale, here it is…"
>The void rumbles violently, with visions and dreams appearing and disappearing, twisting and distorting as Orion focuses.
>Dreams of joy and sadness, the past and future, the real and unreal break apart and swirl around Orion, condensing into a stream of psionic power cloaking his body.
>The rumbling of the void increases in intensity, as Orion outstretches his arm, palm pointed at the costumed man. The swirling dreams wrapping around his arm like a triple helix, as the man is lifted helplessly into the "air".
>Space distorts, with the man suddenly appearing in front of Orion. He continues to be lifted helplessly in the air, as the swirling energy begins to swirl around the man as well. "Remember my face while you still can. Because your dream dies today. And I'm the one who killed it."
>In an instant the energy around the pair explodes outwards, forcing the hopes and dreams, memories, thoughts and feelings of the man in the open for all to see, like bubbles playing back recordings from everything he is, was and wants to be.
>The images distort, and then shatter like glass, producing a massive explosive light that engulfs the entire area… No.3591
>>3590>Aurora lets out a weak chuckle."Oh, no, I'm afraid I'm not coming back from this. . ."
>With a deep sigh, she turns her head slightly to look up at Orion."Did you read the manual for the dream pod before you entered the park? They recommend limiting your time in the dream to a maximum of seven hours in one session. The record outside of that before the person's body couldn't take any more was. . ."
>Aurora winces slightly as she remembers the number."3 days. I. . ."
>Aurora's body stats to break apart, with the parts that break away looking like small mirrors showing various memories and thoughts.". . .have spent the last six months in the dream. My body died months ago. I'm honestly surprised I'm still around, really."
No.3592
>>3591"What!? You… wait! No! Hold it together! I know someone who can fix this! I just need to get her attention!"
>Orion begins exerting his power on Aurora's body, trying to hold it together for her."Come on! Just hold on and this will be fixed!"
No.3593
>>3592"Oh. . . don't cry. . ."
>Aurora weakly puts a hand up to Orion's helmet, running a finger along it as if wiping away a tear."I hate it when my fans cry. . . just be happy. . ."
>Aurora's hand disappears as her body starts breaking apart at a faster rate, despite Orion's efforts."I got to sing one last ti. . ."
>Before she can finish the sentence, Aurora's body shatters, the shards disappearing into the "wind". No.3594
>>3593>Orion's arms fall to the ground as Aurora's body finally disappears.
>His suit vanishes as well as Orion slumps over, devastated. "………."
>Orion sniffs, forcefully trying to bottle up the sadness while wiping away the wetness of his eyes. He remains silent for several more moments, before breaking into a rage."GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!"
>Orion repeatedly pounds his fist against the "floor", causing it to rumble with each hit. "I HATE THESE PSYCHIC PSYCHOPATHS! THEY ALWAYS DO THIS! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!"
>Orion continues pummeling the "floor", causing his hands to begin bruising and bleeding and he lets out more screams. No.3596
>>3595"M-Maddie?"
>Orion stops, and then suddenly scrambles up to his feet, turning to Madeleine. He nearly throws himself at her as he hugs her."Are you okay? Did anything happen to you while I was away?"
>Orion speaks quickly, his words almost running together while he poorly tries to pull himself together. No.3597
>>3596>Madeleine hugs Orion back, moving to cradle his head."Shhhh shhhh, it's ok. I'm fine, nothing happened to me."
>Still maintaining the hug, Madeleine then adds:"You don't have to be strong right now, it's all over."
No.3598
>>3597>Orion continues poorly to try and force his emotions to remain bottled up."It's not fair. You and me, her and those people. Why is there always some maniac obsessed with psychics doing things like this?"
>Orion sniffs. "Why?"
No.3599
>>3598"I can't answer for everyone, but I think that's the result of hatred, our powers give them the ability to do what they want. . ."
>Madeleine messes with Orion's hair."All we can do in return is use them as best we can. . . and remember those we lose."
No.3600
>>3599"You know…"
>Orion sniffs. "You're a lot better at handling this than I am."
>Orion forces a pained smile. No.3601
>>3600"Well, I am the older one in this relationship, sometimes that's my job. . ."
>Madeleine gives Orion a pat."Also, it's only of the only good things I got from my father."
>Madeleine gives Orion an awkward smile back."Now, I think it's time for us to wake up."
No.3602
>>3601"Great idea."
————————————————-
>Moments later, Orion's eyes shoot open in his pod. He smashes it open with his psionic power, and the floats himself out and onto his feet. He marches over to the doors to the living space and simply smashes through them, and then through another set of doors to reach Madeleine."Maddie-"
>Orion notices something in his pocket, and then reaches to pull it out. The photo of his family from his dream, signed by Aurora herself with the words "They'll always be there in your dreams"."…Aurora…"
No.3603
>>3602>Madeleine is sitting on her own pod, looking somewhat drained."Never thought I'd feel so drained after going to sleep. . ."
>Stretching, she stands up and rushes over to Orion to give him a real hug."I'm never letting Blink recommend a vacation destination again. . ."
No.3604
>>3603>Orion closes his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy Madeleine's embrace. "Neither am I."
>He puts the photo back into his pocket, reopening his eyes and focusing them on Madeleine's face."Madeleine. I can't let something like this happen again. I never should've left Ken alone. I need to stop him from doing something like this, or worse."
>He hesitates for a moment."He has to die."
No.3605
>Location: Dream Hills Hospital, Florida.
>Within a private room within the hospital, a woman with lilac-coloured hair sits on a bed, her trusty serpentine companion coiled up on her lap, asleep. As the snake sleeps, the woman pets it gently with one hand, being careful not to disturb it.
>The main focus of her attention, however, is a visitor standing at her bedside, a tired looking man in a suit.
". . .and that's all that happened while you were out of commission."
"Hmmm. . . it's concerning that he was able to do all of that under our noses."
"Indeed. . ."
"You could even say he wouldn't have been able to do it without help from someone higher up."
"Well, while you think that over. . ."
>The man turns to leave, making it halfway to the door before freezing in place as the snake stares at him intensely, having now woken up.
"Not so fast, George. Because there's only one person who could have pulled that all off without me finding out. . ."
>George awkwardly turns around, trying to fight his body's movements the entire time.
"So tell me, why did you do it?"
>George's face loosens slightly as it's released from the snake's grasp.
"I-I was just using him. If his plan worked, we had a viable concept to sell to whoever wanted, t-the military for example. I swear that's all it was, Grace."
>Grace thinks over his words for a moment, then sighs, causing the snake to look at her and start making its way to her shoulders.
"Good enough. . . I suppose that's something to tell the board."
No.3606
>Location: Somewhere Beyond the Reaches of the Dream.
>The sun rises over an idyllic garden. Wild, untamed beauty spreads out across as far as can be seen, with plants familiar, foreign, and even otherworldly, dotting the landscape. Wild animals of all kinds freely laze about, not troubled by any perils.
>As the sun rises, a lone woman walks along a path, the path itself somehow looking like its part of the landscape, and carefully looks over all of the flora and fauna nearby. Eventually, she stops as the path opens out into a "courtyard" of sorts, coming across a white dove as she does.
"Oh. . . you've finally arrived. . ."
>The woman smiles and kneels down, offering out a hand for the dove to land on.
"You know, there was quiet a lot of discussion about who you were going to end up with - if anyone."
>The bird hops onto the woman's hand, and she gives it a warm smile.
"I'm rather glad you ended up with me, you can relax here, and sing all you like."
>Standing back up again, the woman keeps her hand steady so the bird doesn't fall off.
"Although, if you'd like, I do need someone to look over some dreams for me, make sure they're sweet ones. Do you think you could do that. . ."
>The woman moves her arm out with the dove on it, letting it fly away.
". . .my little Aurora?"
*[The End]*