Chapter Twelve:
Darkness Overwhelming

Magick sat alone on a little outhang, overlooking to ocean that was so close to the
cliff the Headquarters was built on. Waves crashed up and over large rocks below,
spraying foam upwards and shaping the currents that pulled at those very same rocks,
sucking at them, trying to shape them with time. Everything changed with time.

Everything.

Magick squinted to keep her eyes open in the grey of the day, watching as clouds
approached slowly, rumbling and showing flashes of lightning, little jags darting in
between seperate clouds. The clouds only seemed to improve the already depressing
mood of the scene, and they sea combined with the air in a swirl and portal of ever-
lasting grey.

Wind lashed out with salty edges and caught the ruffling hair that swayed from
the lonely figure, one knee propped up, the arm and elbow resting against it comfortably.
The ragged material of the fishnets, so snugly warmed up to the pale skin encasing
slender bones, kept in little warmth, as did the ripped garters wrapped around slight
thighs. Short-cut shorts wrapped around the midsection, huddling to the abdomen of the
young girl who simply sighed in response to the wind, trying as hard as possible to ignore
it. It still toyed with her, lifting up her hair and carrying it away from her, only to snap
back and whip in her face.

Bleak eyes looked out, turning grey to match the oncoming storm, which now
licked upwards and over the Headquarters, the tiny jags that had shown in the distance
now full strikes of lightning, thrillingly close to the girl as they struck down at unearthly
speed. Magick frowned, her eyebrows lowering down over her shaded lids as the rain
started.

Rain. I remember rain...

The fat droplets struck her from above, coming in abundance and wetting her skin
as they quickly skimmed over pale flesh, leaving the surface behind damp. The rain
intensified quickly, and water seemed to tureen down over Magick, dousing her
thoroughly from head to tail. Water seeped through her clothing and fur, wetting her
down to the bone, showing how pathetic and lonely the figure sitting on the outhang was.

Pathetic.

Imperfect.

Words buzzed at unbelievable rate through her head, trying to jumble and form
words, trying to make sense of what she had just learned.

Not a real child.

A creation.

Meant for perfection, striving to be that way...

And failing.

Tears stung her eyes as she started breathing heavily. She could hear herself
becoming more upset, more aggravated... more powerful.

Memories began to flood back. The other hybrids, screaming in pain as they were
born next to her. Disgusting, horrid, warped creatures, they oozed pain and screamed life,
shattering boundaries of reality with their piteous moans and cries of horror.

Nothing more than a puppet.

Ryuzoku took particular delight in the little girl who he had created for himself,
always treating her kindly, teaching her to grow up as a human. But she was not that
good. Not so good as to continue to fool herself into thinking she was just as good as any
other. No.

The breathing became even more laboured, quicker as she hunched, then stood,
lower lip quavering as she clenched her teeth, body shuddering with rage. Her arms
pulsed with unseen power, and an effect worthy of that of a heat mirage swirled around
her body in the rain, distorting her and showing her to be warped, disfigured. Just like the
other hybrids.

Screaming pain. That was the test of endurance every day as a child. It was clear
now. That wonderfully painful current of energy, so horribly painful that it was
delightful, so powerful that it clenched hands and nerves without any concious will, the
contents of one's stomach lurching out as tears streamed down one's face, trembling
knees buckling under pressure... and weightlessness so soon.

"Not a human."

Magick stood firmly now, clenching fists in anger, eyes wide with haunting anger.
Her mouth opened wide in a scream of rage, the bones of her face contorting as she did
so, nearly broken from the strain as she screamed, echoing and matching the roars of the
ocean.

"A CREATION!"

Nothing more than a puppet.

Tears sprung lively to her eyes and she stood, simply screaming against the waves
and the pouring rain, the grey sky so moot as to create a shadow between black and
white, gold and iron, good and evil.

Ryuzoku held onto Magick as she stepped from the electrical current, floating to
herself, drowning in misery to others. Happiness. The drugs.

Morphine was the best. It made you forget things.

Magick bent slightly backwards, blood rushing through her veins as she staggered
against the wind, the lone figure on the outhang.

"PERFECTION!"

The word was soon swallowed by the ever-consuming waves. Lightning glanced
off the rocks at the bottom of the cove, and Magick stood, water pouring down her face,
mingling with her tears, which in turn melted into her energy. She whirled on the
windows that stood closed behind her, and opened her arms wider than before, blasting
open the window. Shattered glass flew outwards, ripping past flesh into the tainted white
bone beneath. Blood came to the gashes, but was only wiped away as the rain continued,
and her tears flew.

She continued, picking up the shards of glass and plaster to stab at herself, slicing
at her wrists, face, chest, stomach, and most importantly, heart.

A creation's heart.

Nothing more than a puppet's heart.

Blood fled from the wounds, wanting to escape the horrendous body. "If I can't be
a human... a regular girl..."

A smile lit her cracking lips, and the glass continued to lacerate her skin as she
screamed her triumph, flesh hanging in ribbons from torn muscles and bone.

"I WILL MAKE MYSELF PERFECTION!"

Thunder rumbled agreement. She stood out towards the ocean as she screamed
once more, howling in anger, rage, hatred. This was her own fault. Imperfection. Never
beautiful. Never. She dropped to her knees, howling anguish as bone scraped against torn
window shards and the simple rock of the cliffs.

Rain pounded down on her, only furthering her cause to be perfect. With a final
twitch, her mouth closed, and she stood, looking down at the water. With a final decision
o the last minute, she stepped over to the edge and smiled, then stepped off and
plummeted down.

The rain once more helped her further her cause. Pressing down.

Nothing but a puppet.

A puppet's body, mind, heart.

No soul.

She hit one of the jagged rocks, slicing open her back, and landed in the water.
She sought immediately to drain her lungs. Powering up a psychic attack for herself, she
saw the water froth and foam as she did so, then churn as she shot the attack.

Her insides were torn up immediately, as if by a large razor, and she vomited
them out, leaving nothing behind but a husk, what was originally her first state.

A Puppet.

Everything went silent, and the water changed from a dark green-grey to a black,
as if murky waters were closing in, enveloping everything. Magick's eyes closed as she
felt herself slipping into the darkness...

It was warm. And suddenly bright.

Smiling, she happily giggled to herself.

"Drifting, drifting. Everything's drifting."

She was healed once more, and Ryuzoku was reaching for her, his face shadowed.
His hand stretched out to her, and she smiled at it.

"Death? I thought so. It had to be."

She took his hand, and he brought her near. She smiled as she embraced him,
holding on and closing her eyes. Drifting.

It was beautiful. No more worries about being imperfect. No more cause of
torment. Free.

Whispers started up around her, and she opened her eyes in shock, looking
around. Ryuzoku let go of her, and she reached for him, hand falling short as he left, arm
still stretched out to her. A single, harsh, choking cry was brought to her lips.

"... Daddy?"

The whispers grew stronger, and it was cold again, the light shining brighter than
ever. The whispers slowly grew until they became murmured words, a normal voice,
yelling, then screaming. Ryuzoku was no longer himself, but the same person from
Magick's past was in front of her.

Head tilted back, he laughed insanely, blood running down his chin, his face still
shadowed. It was no longer Ryuzoku. It was Thanos.

He grinned as he neared, face fleshless underneath, save for the pale encasement
of skeletal teeth. Fangs protruded over his lower lip as he drew near, red eyes flaring
under the cloak. Magick took a step backwards, fumbling for something to hold,
something to do. She was a human, yes. Powerless. A puppet once again.

Thanos reached out for her, and took a hold of her, cold fingers underneath the
snakeskin gloves gripping her body as she screamed once more in terror, and he brought
his fangs to her neck, gently grazing the skin before her temples exploded in pain, her
neck streaming crimson. She could do nothing but continue to scream.

It was over.

And dark.

Magick huddled alone in the darkness, holding onto herself, arms wrapped firmly,
one over the other as she huddled, eyes wide with fright. Her father's vision swam before
her eyes. He smiled gently, and drew near. She shied away, backing up until she was in a
corner of the darkness, staring at him and cringing away, trying to find relief. Ryuzoku
leaned down, lips barely touching her ear as he whispered to her.

"Nothing but a puppet."

Magick howled as he disappeared, clutching her head with insanity. "I DON'T
WANT TO DIE!" she screamed, cold running through her body. She closed her eyes,
tilting her head back as she sat, her world blurred by hatred. The darkness closed in,
swallowing her in her imperfection. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

Perfection at last.

Still a puppet.