Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Salvaged

Rex should have been wary as soon as he saw how nice the dig site looked. Like, it was too good to be true—They were pulling up what seemed to be a whole ancient civilization from the ground, technology unlike humanity has ever seen was being gleaned from the site for miles. Rex’s eyes sparkled, his archeologist brain not believing the sight. Beside him, he heard Pyra giggle lightly. Any other time he would have blushed for acting like such a kid in front of her, but he was that excited. 

His small group of friends—His cousin Nia, her girlfriend Mythra, and her sister Pyra, his best friend—had somehow scraped together enough money to get him a tour in the Morytha ruins as a present for his 18th birthday, and really, he would never be thankful enough. Words wouldn’t do it—on the ride here, Nia had told him to shut up because he was saying thank you so much that you could mistake him for a very polite broken record. 

“I still don’t know how you guys managed to—I mean, Morytha! This is more than I could ever ask for, I’m just so—just, wow. Sorry.” Rex turned to face the three girls, grinning widely with flushed cheeks. 

Pyra giggled again, looking just as happy as he was, ruby eyes shining. “You deserve it, you know,” she said. “Happy birthday, Rex,” 

The sincerity in her voice made him falter for a second, and he turned his head away sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Aw, gee, Pyra, I...thanks, again.” 

Nia snickered. “Ok, you two, quit makin’ out with your eyes and get going. Mythra had to pull a lot of strings to get us here, you know.” 

This, of course, reduced the two into a pool of indiscernible stutters,  prompting Nia to laugh harder. “ N-Nia! W-we’re not—” Pyra protested, face redder than her hair. Rex felt his own face warm even more, and he decided that everywhere but Pyra’s general direction was a very interesting place to look. 

“She’s already gone,” Mythra deadpanned, thumbing in the direction of Rex’s gormotti cousin, who was indeed a few paces ahead of the pyrex disaster. Mythra herself had a straight-lipped face—one she was trying very hard to keep together, with eyes laughing at the two of them. 

“Right! Right.” Rex said a little too loudly, marching forward with all the stiffness of a robot, Pyra following suit. 

Once they crossed the gate into the sandy dunes of the site, Rex’s mind finally let him stop thinking about Nia’s comment and how nice it would be to actually do that with Pyra—a relief, mind you. Once again, He went starry eyed at the scenery and how cool everything was. He really loved archeology, and all his friends for doing this. 

In his fixation on absorbing all the information that he could, he only vaguely heard a patrolling guard mention how Torna—a group of super-powered terrorists—was getting more aggressive lately. His friends, trailing behind him, all slightly slowed down and gave looks to each other, ones Rex never noticed in his fervour. 

“I’m not worried at all, y’know. With Pneuma and Team Aegis, Torna can’t do anything more than rob a few banks, blow up a few buildings, but they haven’t killed nobody yet, and never will.” The second guard replied, yawning slightly. It was getting dark out—Mythra could only get them in pretty late, but it was still more than Rex could ask for. 

If Rex were paying attention, he would have shared that sentiment. The local superheroes that made up Team Aegis were formidable protectors of justice. Thunderbolt, the wielder of electricity who had a knack for showing off in front of the lady civilians, but who was strong and lightning fast nonetheless. Flamebringer, a heroine with whipswords and a very fitting power that was matched only by her grace in battle. Empress, the water-wielding member who could heal any wound—she was the reason for that zero kill count of Torna’s.

Finally, Pneuma. The leader of The Aegis. She had flame powers like Flamebringer, but she had a much better control over them, something that went further than simple flame creation . She used to bend light; way back when Rex was still at Fonsett orphanage, but a fight with Torna had weakened her powers in a fundamental way. She was still by far the most powerful, but that fateful day, Torna had seized their first victory. 

It was their only victory, though, and Aegis had bounced back in a way that made Torna more weekly entertainment than anything to the people of Mor Ardain. Rex was no different—part of the reason he felt so secure in his daily life, in a way that Nia once described as insufferably optimistic. Because of the Aegis, Mor Ardain—no, all of Alrest, even—was safe.

Rex would hate to get on their bad side. 

Nia and Mythra grabbed hands tightly, and Pyra looked considerably paler. Rex didn’t notice, still very entranced, and marched on ahead. He didn’t know it, but three members of Aegis were right behind him. His closest friends. He was not, and hopefully would never be, privy to their lives as heroes. Pyra especially wanted to keep this status quo—Rex and his smile was the reason she became Pneuma in her sister’s stead. To protect him from all this was all she ever wanted. 

“How do you think they lived? You think they had medicine that made them live for hundreds— millions of years? What if they had flying cars or or or maybe they lived with titans? They’ve got to have all sorts of history books in the bowels of this place, yeah? This is all so cool !” Rex’s voice shook all of them from their thoughts, and Pyra felt herself relax. Rex was here. Rex was safe.  Her work as Pneuma was not done, but it was paying off. 

“You’re such a nerd, Rex,” Nia remarked, but the boy evidently heard nothing, still admiring the towering buildings all around them. She had a small smile, though. It was hard not to be affected by Rex’s cheery mood. It was hard not to like Rex at all. 

Cute , came a traitorous thought from the back of Pyra’s mind, one she chose to ignore. She fought down a blush that threatened to light up the dark night, and she clasped her hands together before they could do the same, but with fire. After that first incident, though, she was sure to get grief from Mythra when they returned to their own apartment.

They had now gone inside a structure that had been dug up from Morytha—Nia would laugh at Mythra as she clung onto her when the lights got darker. Pyra wished she could do the same to Rex—wait, what?

Rex was eager and oblivious as usual, and wasn’t bothered by the dark at all. There was some light—whatever technology left by Morytha was glowing a pale green all around them. It still was really hard to see, but the digging company behind Morytha had already combed through this place and left a trail for tourists like themselves to make their way through. 

In a few moments, Rex’s life would be turned upside down, then rightside up, and then upside down again. It all started with the elevator they were approaching.

At least, that’s what it looked like. With ancient civilizations, you could never really tell for sure. A small, hexagonal room thing, and a tube extending from the top and bottom. If you were to go in, you definitely would expect to find buttons that lead to different floors. Alas, it was closed off.

Rex really wanted to go in, but he knew that would be a horrible idea. If it really was an elevator, there was a definite chance it was rusty and would slip and fall who knows how many floors down. So he settled with taking pictures of the couple from a far. Disappointing, but hopefully once he got his degree he could come in here and inspect for himself. 

With his smarts, it was only a matter of time. 

Crash! Suddenly, the structure they were in shuddered angrily—something outside had exploded, it seemed. Pyra, Mythra, and Nia were all suddenly very aware of everything, before Rex’s camera even finished flashing. 

“Damn it, here?” Mythra growled. Pyra looked at her, opening her mouth in protest.

“Do we even know that it’s—” 

“ Torna! It’s Jin! ” came the screeching voice of one of the guards from earlier, running into the structure. The three Aegis recognized him as the previously unconcerned of the two. From behind him, walking oh so slowly, was the leader of Torna himself, Jin. He walked extremely slowly—he came here with a purpose. 

“Shit, why’s he here?” Nia asked nobody. He hadn’t seen them yet, as the entrance was a few hundred feet ahead of him. 

Pyra turned to her sister with a hurried whisper. “We need cover to go. I know you don’t like using your power, but we—”

“I know,” Mythra growled, eyes still on Jin. Discreetly, she snapped her fingers behind her back, and the whole building was drenched in a white light, the darkness of the night expelled for a split second. Jin visibly flinched, and when it was over, the three Aegis were gone. 

Rex blinked, tearing his eyes from his camera to look behind him, where Pyra, Mythra, and Nia were standing only moments ago. In his unending excitement, he hadn’t heard the crash. He’d only noticed something was up when he saw the flash. 

The guard who came in was doing a lot of not his job, and was cowering out of Jin’s vision. Torna’s leader could only see Rex. They made eye contact, and another instant later, Jin was towering over Rex, frowning deeply. 

“You. Move.” He ordered, and Rex is a rule-follower, especially when terrified, so he did. Jin walked into the elevator thingie, scanning the walls. He wasn’t able to do too much, because a moment later, he was interrupted by his nemesis. 

“Jin! Why have you come here?” Thundered Pneuma, hero of the defenseless. Rex blinked. She was a blaze of light, almost ethereal in her beauty. She looked angry in a way he had never seen before. Still, He found himself struck dumb by her presence, even if she hadn’t quite reached Jin—and by extension, Rex—yet. She was all the way at the entrance, and was that Empress by her side? If he wasn’t caught in the action, he would have turned on the camera. Instead he could only watch from the very near sidelines. 

Pneuma turned her attention to him, eyes flashing. “Hey, Re—I mean, citizen! Get out of there, quick!” 

Rex was still frozen, and he made no move. There was nowhere to run—this building had a sort of bottleneck motif, and the elevator area was very close quarters no matter where you ran. Besides, Jin was able to move close to light speed. 

“Oy! Dumbass, get moving already!” The Empress called in a voice that reminded him of a pissed-off Nia. That got him scrambling.  

But before he could run out of the elevator room, he saw the doors to the capsule begin to close. 

In his suddenly adrenaline-filled brain, he thought of the technology that Torna could get and how they might become an actual threat if they got a hold of it. Ignoring the cries of Pneuma and Empress, he turned around and dived into the elevator, punching Jin across the jaw. The man could move at lightspeed, but even he couldn’t have predicted this. His face snapped away with a satisfying crunch, and he growled. 

“You’re dead,” he growled, and Rex only barely felt the long sword slide through his chest. Rex fell to the floor in front of Jin, and the elevator doors closed. 

“Guess I am, huh?” Rex replied, eyes feeling droopy. The last thing he felt was the elevator going down, down, down. The last thing he saw was Pnuema’s horrified face. 

Jin supposed that it worked out well. He needed someone to feed the symbiote, and the kid had graciously been stupid enough to attack him. Playing hero had helped the villain, he supposed. He picked up the twep—he was very short, hopefully it would be enough food to give the symbiote. Akhos had said it didn’t matter, but Jin needed to make sure. This would almost certainly help Torna with their...work. 

The part of the structure he was in now was unexplored. The salvager teams hadn’t come down here yet. He supposed that was a good thing , less people to get in the way of his work. It was a big room, ceiling towering over his head like a warehouse. At the center, though, you could hear a writhing, angry hiss. A black liquid, churning in a giant, grounded well. The symbiote. 

The idea was that feeding it would calm it down, and then Jin could collect it. So he walked across the room, moonlight guiding his path. He peered down at the symbiote, scrunching his nose in disgust. It looked exactly like it sounded. A dark, stormy ocean, angry and hungry and violent. Not wanting to be here any longer, he threw Rex in. 

The symbiote seemed to sense the kid, and it began whirlpooling like it was a gaping maw, ready to feast. Rex fell headfirst into the storm, mouth slightly open, like he was sleeping. Once he was submerged, the symbiote immediately calmed down. Great. I can be done sooner. Jin turned away, and grabbed a cylinder the size of a pop can from his pocket. The symbiote looked big now, but supposedly, it could fold in on itself, like an octopus. It was all very convenient. 

Rex felt intense pain, then. The kind of pain one feels when their alarm clock stabs you—it really was like he had woken up from a painful, restless sleep. Where was he? It felt like a storm had enveloped him, and it was eating away at his very soul. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and all he could see was a never ending darkness. 

Hello. 

Rex felt himself blink. He tried to respond, but no words came out. 

Yeah, that’s normal. You’ll be able to talk again, after this is done. If I don’t kill you that is. 

Who are you? He wanted to scream, but again, his mouth—wherever that was—refused to cooperate.

My name is Malos. 

What are you? He thought next, because this strange force couldn’t be human, right? 

At least you picked up on that. I’m a symbiote. I’m also saving your damn life. Would you quit resisting?

Was that what that pain was? Rex had no idea what was going on. 

Yes.

Well why’s it gotta hurt so much? Rex complained. 

Oh, for the love of—you should understand how medicine hurts, right?

Sure, sure—as if what Rex was experiencing right now had anything to do with medicine. 

Quit being a smartass. In a second, it will be over really quick. I’m getting hungry, and your liver’s way too small a snack. Actually, your whole body is tiny. Are you twelve? 

Rex felt indignant at the honesty of that question. It was literally his 18th birthday, damn it. 

I’m almost done. We gotta get going. 

“Go where?” It was only a minute after that he realized he said that out loud. He quickly brought his hands to his face, and he gasped. He could feel again. Where was he now? His eyes were working again, and he felt that he could see a lot better despite the obvious darkness. Ok, that was—that was concrete. All around him, like a cylindrical prison. “Where…?”

This is my old home. Damn, it’s been too long since I’ve had eyes. Malos let out a sharp bark sound. Was that a laugh? Rex shuddered. It sounded so...monstrous. 

Yeah, yeah. I get that a lot. Now, hurry up already. The longer we stay in one place, the harder it is to hide. 

Rex had questions, but he wisely kept his mouth shut—he would rather not talk to Malos more than he already had too. Looking around, he spotted nothing he could latch onto to climb out of—wherever this was. “How do I...uh?” He asked dumbly. 

This is who I’m stuck with? God damn it, Rex. I gotta do everything myself.

Rex’s eyes widened as his arms shot upwards in front of him. They suddenly grew black and veiny and strong in a manner that should look painful, but Rex felt good. Really good. It was almost scary. They shot out suddenly, growing longer and larger and they latched on to the top of the well, and Rex suddenly felt himself being catapulted outwards, rocketing feet first into the warehouse. And then….

Jin. He was wide-eyed, like Rex, and his sword was drawn. “What the hell?” the masked man muttered, stepping away from Rex. Is he...afraid? The birthday boy wondered. 

Malos scoffed. If he was the one who came down here for me, then yeah, he’s very afraid. He expected me to eat you, not...bond with you.

Deciding time had been wasted, Malos started driving Rex again, and that unfamiliar rush of power overwhelmed his senses once more. 

Pneuma felt herself collapse. “No...No!” she screamed. Rex had such a stupidly dumb and big heart. He knew Jin had to be stopped, for whatever reason, and he attacked the leader of Torna. And now he was dead, and it was her fault for not making sure he was with Mythra before Jin got here. The truth of it all got to her, and her body was wracked with another sob.

“Pneuma...I’m...we have to go. We need to stop Jin. Rex is...fine. We have to believe.” Empress, or Nia , as she was known beneath the mask, was talking unusually softly. “I can...I’ll find him and revive him, yeah?” 

When Pyra didn’t move, Mythra decided she’d make herself known. “I’ll...I’ll take the mask again, Py, if that’s what you need right now.” Pyra’s eyes widened. Mythra hadn’t...offered that since that day against Torna. She never fully recovered then, and there was no way she was ready now. 

“No...We have to do this.” Pyra, face suddenly hot with tears, stood up. Rex would be fine! He would be okay. She needed to believe that, now, when Jin was active. 

Now, the fire that burned within her was anger. Up until this point, she’d never had anyone to avenge, but today? 

Jin was going to pay. 

A sudden burst, sounding like a pop can, brought her attention back towards the elevator— where Rex died, you failure of a superhero —and Jin was flying out, stance focused and defensive. He took no notice of the two Aegis behind him, and he was breathing heavily. 

Before Pyra could attack him, a second figure leaped out of the elevator shaft, charging right at Jin. Pyra gasped, and she and Empress had to split up as the two forms crumpled against the ground. They circled each other, and finally Pyra got a glimpse of the second character. 

It was big and dark, with black, squood-like tentacles extending from its limbs. The skin covering it looked like it was flowing, like some kind of liquid. But the most terrifying feature was the face. Its...eyes were big, white ink blots stretched across the head, and its teeth snarled and nashed, like it was hungry.

Then it charged. Jin only nearly evaded the opened jaw, as it stretched forward and was twice as big as the head itself. Its limbs stretched out towards his legs, fast and veiny. Jin looked...scared, Pyra noted. It was hard to see under that unreadable mask and even more unreadable face, but he was. 

He was also annoyed. Turning away, he hopped through the black limbs and raced out of the structure. Just like that, Jin was gone, and so was Pyra’s chance at revenge. For today, at least. 

“Bloody hell was that?” Empress muttered, drawing out her sword. Pneuma mirrored her, and they began approaching the creature. Torna was...dealt with, at least for today. Now they had to clean up Jin’s mess. 

“Be careful, Empress. That thing looks dangerous.” Pneuma directed. She had called Flamebringer and Thunderbolt earlier...where the hell were they?

“No shit—augh!” Empress had replied, quickly having to dodge a tentacle coming her way. Pneuma sent a blast of fire towards the monster, to which it easily moved out of the way. She tried to mirror its actions to keep up, but her left foot wouldn’t budge. She looked down, cursing herself. The monster has wrapped itself around her. The frustration turned to fear, then, as she was being lifted upwards and upwards, and its jaws opened up once again. Pneuma tried conjuring fire, but again it seemed to simply absorb the attack. 

That plan out of the picture, she turned her attention towards the tendon holding her leg, slowly lowering her into the monster’s jaws. 

But as quickly as she was grabbed, she was released. The monster let her down, and the jaws closed. It began convulsing, writhing on the ground. Pneuma, still shell-shocked, took a minute to get up, stumbling. Mythra and Empress were at her side. 

“Pneuma, damn it, don’t get so reckless!” Empress scolded her. Mythra, for her part, said nothing. She looked scared, scared for the first time since...well, since that day. 

The three of them eyed the monster, which continued to retreat. “What is it doing?” Mythra wondered, voice broken.

Bloody hell, you almost ate Pneuma! Rex roars, and for the first time, Malos feels true anger from the kid. But he needs to eat, eventually, or both of them will die. That Jin person was someone Rex was all too happy to go after, but the girl beside him, the easier target, was off limits? What a pushover. 

I don’t want you to eat anyone! Why do you need to eat people, anyways?

Malos growls, causing the girls in front of him to flinch. There’s a toxin in the brains of humans, one that’s essential to him like oxygen. Essential to the kid. 

Rex is silent at this, and they stand there dumbly, allowing these girls to capture them at their leisure. Finally, he speaks up. And there’s nowhere you can get it besides human...brains?

Well. There is one place, Malos supposed. 

Suddenly, The monster moves again, shooting between Pneuma and Empress with a renewed sense of purpose. Like Jin, it’s gone before they can even act. Pyra wants to chase after it, but they have a job to do. 

Look for Rex. 

They ask the still terrified guard if they can comb the area, and he agrees with a shaky “y...yeah,” and so the three girls get to work. They first check out the broken elevator, where they don’t find his body. An hour later, and they’re down in the depths of the structure, and still...there’s no joyful, smiley, package of sunshine. 

They’re all thinking the same thing, especially after that... thing showed up. But Pyra doesn’t want to think it. Doesn’t want to entertain the idea that the reason that they can’t find Rex’s body is that—  

“Maybe that monster ate—” Mythra begins, and it’s all Pyra can do not to break down then and there. 

“ No! He has to...he has to be here somewhere!” She protests, and she begins digging through rubble, vision blurring from the tears in her eyes. 

Nia catches her, pressing a firm hand on her shoulder. “Pyra. Either he was or he wasn’t. If he wasn’t, I will find him eventually, and I’ll do my thing, okay? If he was...then…” and her own eyes are stinging. Nia doesn’t usually cry, but Rex was important to all of them. “If he was, we’ll kill that monster together. But staying here’s not gonna help us. Okay?” 

Mythra looked at her sister. “Let’s head home, yeah?” 

Pyra hugged her, and wished she could wake up from this horrible dream.

Rex felt guilty about rummaging through Nia’s stuff, but he needed chocolate. It really wasn’t a choice when his new...friend had to eat that or people. She usually had a lot of it, which she would use to make Mythra all sorts of desserts. Hopefully she’d forgive him. If not, he’d say it was her birthday gift to him. 

Where are your friends, anyways? I’d be fine eating them instead, y’know.

“What the hell, Malos—you know what friends means, yeah?”

Just a joke, kid. 

“Well it wasn’t very funny!” Rex says seriously. 

Before Malos can make a snarky retort, Rex hears the door open. “They must be back, finally,” he mutters, feeling very tired. He trudges over from Nia’s kitchen to the door, running his hand through his hair. Opening it, he smiles brightly...but then it quickly falls. 

They all looked shocked. Pyra, especially, looks like she’s been crying. Really crying. It hits him, finally, that he never made an effort to call any of them. If they saw Torna, and Pneuma and Empress, then they probably thought he was hurt, or lost, and he hadn’t done anything to tell them otherwise. He was an idiot. 

I coulda told you that. Malos laughs. 

Pyra rushes forward before he can say anything, to Malos, or the girls. She hugs him tightly, and her voice is broken. 

“Rex..oh, Rex!” she mumbles against him, and Rex awkwardly hugs her back. It’s clear that...he screwed up, and they’re all emotional, so Flustered Rex should not come out right now, even if Pyra Is Hugging Him. “I thought you were...we saw you—” she’s cut off by her own strangled sob. 

“H-hey, Pyra. I’m sorry about that. I forgot to, uh. I think I lost my phone in the—yeah. Um,” he chokes out, and Pyra keeps sobbing. He pats her back, very awkwardly. 

Just saying, they would keep me feed for months, and you wouldn’t have to—

“NO!” Rex shouts, jumping away from Pyra. She gasps, and looks at him like he slapped her. Behind her, Mythra and Nia give him similar distressed looks. 

“Um..I mean—! No! We forgot the chocolate cake!” Rex says, stressing the penultimate word very strangely. “We should eat...and I’ll tell you how I got here! Yeah, that’s good, right?” His eyes are wide and fearful, and his brow creases for a second. In that moment, Pyra’s sobs are quieted for confusion. He was acting weird. 

Well, she supposed, maybe he was just a little shocked. Honestly, she didn’t care how he was alive, along as he was. So, grabbing his hand, she led the others into the kitchen. Rex was right, food was a great companion to conversations about superhero encounters. 

Once the cake was ready, Rex eyed it for a moment, almost like he was… appraising it. The three girls watched him with incredulity. In the past, whenever Pyra made some food, Rex would gobble it up, no questions asked.

“This good?” He whispered, and Pyra’s super-hearing picked up on it. After a moment, he nodded, and then he began gobbling it up like normal. “Yup! Pyra, you did it again!” He said, like nothing had changed. Still, that smile he gave her made her heart flutter. Just like that, she forgot how weird he was acting, then. 

Mythra hadn’t. “Rex...don’t take this the wrong way, but—how are you alive?” And suddenly, the whole table was silent. Rex swallowed more of the chocolate cake, and gave her a blank stare. 

“Um. Jin—he hurt me, yeah, but,” Rex pauses, almost like he’s trying to come up with something. “Empress was there! She healed me up, all nice and tidy. I’m all better now, I promise! It was cool to see her and Pneuma in action, though.” He said with an unsure grin, although he looks confused when the silence continues. 

Pyra’s eyes are wide. Empress—Nia—was with her the whole time. They fought Jin, and then—they fought that monster, both who disappeared. For some reason, Architect knows why…

Rex was lying. 

Chapter Text

The World Of Chocolate

News of a new super-villain had traveled fast, despite the fact that not many people had seen the monster that attacked both Torna and Pneuma. Tales were woven of a black beast that was taller than any building, an agent of chaos who would wrought destruction in Mor Ardain. For the first time in a long time, supervillains seemed to pose an actual danger . 

Which was completely undeserved, because the new monster hadn't even appeared after Morytha. After nearly...eating Pneuma, It had simply ran away into the city, careful to not be seen. Pyra had called on Flamebringer to look for it shortly after returning to Nia's apartment and meeting Rex, but nothing came up. Wherever that...thing was now, as long as it wasn't hurting anyone, Pneuma and the Aegis couldn't really do anything. 

Which, in Pyra's honest opinion, was a relief. At this precise moment, she walking home from school with Rex, sending him nervous glances every two seconds. Yes—keeping him safe after yesterday was a much higher priority than looking for some random monster that hadn't even done anything yet. She would just have to put up with the endless teasing from Nia and Mythra, because darn it, Rex was important to her. 

As a friend! Pyra looked away from companion and felt a light warmth reach her cheeks for a second. Rex was important to all of them, and equally important at that. It didn't matter how cute he looked when he smiled, or how his endless optimism made her just as happy, or how his hands felt so nice when she held it, or—

"Pyra, you doing okay?" Rex's concerned voice broke through to her. In her fervent drowning in the river of denial, she had stopped walking, and Rex had paused next to her. He was now looking at her with wide, almost worried eyes, and Pyra felt like she was going to combust on the spot. With her powers, it was probably going to happen. Why was she like this? Realizing he was waiting for her to talk, she managed to choke out a response. 

"Um. I'm great! real great. Walking with you is nice!" As soon as the words left her lips, Pyra found that combustion was feeling really good right about now. And judging by the way his cheeks reddened, Rex was feeling the same way. 

He sputtered out a response in obvious surprise. "Uh—um! Y-you too, Pyra!" he said, voice rising nervously. And for a moment, the two of them stood there, at the end of a lonely crosswalk, awkward and alone. If she wasn't currently dying inside, Pyra would have noted that the feeling was...well, nice. Not for the first time, she felt herself wishing that this whole hero thing didn't exist. That she didn't have to think about Torna and she could live as carefree as Rex. 

...maybe live with him, one day. 

Her daydream was ruined, however, when Rex's face twisted into a sort of grimace. Pyra blinked, and she asked him what was going on.

Rex blanched. Looking at Pyra's concerned, beautiful pools of rubies that made up her eyes, he felt himself panic. 

'beautiful pools of rubies?' Architect, why the hell did I get stuck with such a hormonal teenager? Malos snarked again. Rex flinched, feeling his brow furrow. Getting used to Malos commenting on every thought he had and every action he took was going to take some work. He never seemed like he had anything nice to say, either, and Rex wished he would shut up when Pyra was in the vicinity. 

Gee, thanks. You have better get used to me, kid, because we're stuck together as long as you live. The symbiote said, suddenly sounding very serious. Rex, for his part, tried to ignore him—this wasn't the first time Malos had said such a thing, and later on last night, right before Rex had gone to sleep, his new companion explained in a rather threatening voice that the only reason Rex's heart was beating was because of Malos's symbiote juice or whatever. In his exhausted state—getting killed does tire one out—Rex thought nothing of it. In the light of the after-school afternoon after his death, he realized exactly what that meant.

And that he should have questions. 

But not at this moment, no—Pyra was waiting for a response! ancient, underground parasites could wait, Rex reasoned.

Parasite? Listen here, you little shit—

"I'm fine, honest! I mean—yesterday was just a little exhausting, is all...you know how it goes." Rex said, cringing at the string of expletives Malos was shouting at him internally. Pyra looked unconvinced, but she didn't push any further than that one comment. From there, boy and girl lapsed into a semi-comfortable silence, both unsure what exactly they should do to break it. By now, the after-school sun was starting to set, and the two of them would have to go their separate ways. 

Beside him, Pyra looked contemplative. "A-as long as you say so, Rex." Then, before Rex could sigh in relief, her eyes seemed to sharpen, widening oh so slightly. "Uh-um! Rex, would you—would you like to...would you like to have dinner at my and Mythra's place?" She said, fast and nervous. 

The comfortable silence was gone, suddenly displaced by a very uncomfortable vacuum. Rex blanched—literally just yesterday, they had all had cake at Pyra's apartment anyways. This forwardness was all...super sudden, and Rex had no idea what to think about it. Again, the two of them had paused their walk to simply stare at eachother. 

This is getting way out of hand. Malos grumbled, and Rex had to fight down the urge to frown. 

"Wha-? Pyra, I—I'm honored, but I couldn't...I couldn't impose, yeah?" Rex stuttered, shaking his head ever so slightly. Besides, he and Malos needed to actually talk about their arrangements, and he needed to find a place to buy chocolate in bulk for cheap. Max would probably help him out—Eh?

A sudden warm, very warm touch to his hand made him look down. Pyra was holding it, shaking very slightly—but almost...fearfully? Rex immediately tore his gaze from it, looking upwards into Pyra's eyes. They were wide and scared, a raw and loud emotion that would have made the boy stagger back if she wasn't gripping him so tightly. "Uh—Pyra? what—are you doing okay?" Rex asked softly. 

"Rex, I—!" she gasped, voice seizing up. "I was—so scared, yesterday. when you—we couldn't find you, we thought you had died, Rex!" And were those tears in the corners of her eyes? Oh Architect, Rex really screwed up.  

Do you do that often, kid?

"What? No, I—" Rex muttered, eyes widening when he remembered that Pyra would have no idea that he was talking to Malos. "—I'm fine, Pyra! But—" He sputtered when her grip tightened. "If it..if it makes you feel better, then I'll come over." He said, voice slowing down. He grinned at her, hoping that would help ease her fears. It seemed to do the trick, if only marginally—Pyra sighed, eyes finally losing the fear. Her grip relaxed, but she still held onto his hand. 

"...Thank you, Rex. I'll..I'll make your favorite! Pan-fried tartari, right?" She said, smiling.

Rex's eyes lit up. "That would be amazing, Pyra! Um—"

Kid, we really don't have time for this. Unless that food your girlfriend is making for you has chocolate, and lots of it, we need to go out and actually talk, and grab something for us to eat. Otherwise, you won't be having a liver for a while. 

Rex paled at the thought. "—can you make sure it has chocolate, Pyra?" He choked out. His companion tilted her head at him, confusion on her features.

"Rex? You do know that Pan-fried tartari doesn't—" She began, before Rex interrupted her.

"Please? I mean, it could just be a side dish, or a dessert, but like...look! I'll buy some, even, so you don't have to use your own! I just...right now, chocolate sounds really good." He nodded his head vigorously. Really really good, if it would save his liver. Chocolate pan-fried tartari would definitely be...an experience, but Rex would do anything right now to get Malos to shut up, lest Pyra get more upset. 

It seemed to (thankfully) work, and Pyra's face lit up—to Rex's relief. She nodded for a second, then started talking, whispering almost, to herself. "Actually...now that I think about it—! I know someone who's tantalese, and he's told me there are some dishes like that that I've been wanting to try making...Rex! Come with me!" She proclaimed, grabbing Rex's hand and dragging him towards the shopping district. They were getting...chocolate, now? Rex could not believe that worked. 

What followed was a pretty bizarre shopping not-date between Rex and Pyra—Malos was there, making snide comments the whole time, to Rex's chagrin—and Rex was becoming suddenly very aware of the world of chocolates, and architect was he not ready. Sweet chocolates, bitter chocolates, dark chocolates, milk chocolates. Rex felt his head spin as his best friend spun him around physically from shop to shop. 

Still, seeing that bright smile on Pyra's face was a nice side affect, Rex reasoned. It was strange, but as long as he'd known her, the girl never really smiled all that often. One could certainly say that she was a happy and bright person, but Rex, with all the bragging rights ans power as her best friend, could tell there was something she was hiding, something dark that she wasn't ready to say. Even to him. 

It bothered the boy, but he knew that it couldn't be terribly important. Otherwise, Pyra would tell him.

You're sure about that, kid?

Rex felt himself blearily watch the scene around him—Pyra rummaging through the aisles of some new store, finding new chocolate delights to frown at and decide were not the correct thing for the chocolate pan-fried tartari—and grimaced. He trusted the girl with him, and he trusted that she would tell him whatever her secret was, as soon as she was ready. Malos was wrong to instill doubt in him.

The symbiote chuckled within him. Alright, kid. whatever you say. 

"Rex! I'm ready to go!" Pyra proclaimed, holding a few boxes of chocolate in her arms. She beamed at him, and he beamed back—her smile was an infectious ray of sunshine, dispelling his dark...weird thoughts. 

"Great! Will that be enough?" he said both to the girl in front of him and the symbiote dwelling inside of him. 

"More than enough!" Pyra said, voice getting more and more excited by the second. 

Eh. I suppose it should work for a day or two. Malos said, freezing cold to Pyra's warmth. Rex let out a sigh. That was...good enough, he supposed. Was he going to get sick of chocolate? the thought was mildly terrifying. 

But before the two of them could even think about going to the register, a loud crash outside made the two of them jump. Rex whipped around, looking out one of the storefront's windows. Shit. it was Jin. Without thinking, Rex dove behind a shelf, breath feeling heavy. 

That's that guy from Morytha, right?

"Yeah. Trying not to let him see me. I have no clue why he's here! Torna hasn't...they haven't—" a second explosion, something from outside, something far, cuts him off. "—geez!" Rex hissed. "They haven't really done anything before...yesterday, I guess. Just your general—"boom!—"terrorizing! Holding hostages, bank robberies? They used to break into laboratories, but nothing came out of it, 'cause of The Aegis..." 

Hm. where's your girlfriend? 

"She's not my—" Rex began, but he was cut off from his own disbelief when his eyes couldn't spot Pyra. she was nowhere to be found, with the only evidence that she had been there at all being an abandoned pile of chocolate paraphernalia left piled on the ground.

Rex blinked. "—girlfriend?" 

she was gone. 

Torna had a knack for being incredibly inconvenient—when were they ever convenient—but still, the absurd level of nuisance value they had accomplished this time left Pyra actually angry. They had interrupted her and Rex! And so, quickly tying her hair into Pneuma's iconic ponytail, and then changing into the emerald-and-white costume with practiced methodology, she decided that she would kick their terrorist, super-villain asses so far away, that by the time they would return to cause trouble again, she would have gotten the nerve to confess to Rex. 

Wait, what?

A shattered window sound crashed into Pneuma's thoughts, and she remembered that Torna was here. Throwing out the bathroom door to the store she and Rex had been at, she leapt out of the shop into the street, wielding her sword and letting it light on fire. 

Jin, as she expected. Around him though was a scene she would never have anticipated. Every shop has been demolished—those were the explosions she had heard when she was hastily changing into her superhero suit—but why? Torna had never been this violent, never this angry. Even the way that Jin seemed to carry himself suggested exhaustion, madness, and Pneuma had questions. 

"Why?" she shouted across the street, directly from him. That alone did indeed sum up a lot of them. 

"Pneuma!" He replied, readying his own sword. "Where is it?"

He never was good at conversation. They met at the halfway point, swords swinging with resounding clashes. Pneuma leaned into him, hopping away to keep the pressure. "Where is what? Talk to me, Jin."

He huffed, leaping away from a fiery slash to his torso. "The symbiote. It's supposed to be here! It got away when—" in his anger, he was his by the blunt of Pneuma's sword, words interrupted with a painful hiss. "Damn you!" He stumbled. 

"You're sloppy, Jin." Pyra growled, letting a bolt of flame fly out towards his toppled form. Before it would hit him, though, the flare is suddenly snuffed out, reminding Pyra of the way Rex blew out his candles just last night. 

"Ah-ah-ah! No burning our darling Jin just yet, my dear Pneuma. It would be absolutely dreadful for his complexion." A new voice drawled from behind Pneuma's adversary—she scowled recognizing the voice as Akhos, another member of Torna. Of course, he had to pop up now, when the rest of The Aegis was out and away. Akhos was a power-draining nuisance, someone who dressed like a villain from an opera or play, rather than the real thing. 

Jin seemed just as annoyed by his presence as Pneuma was, deepening his frown. "Akhos. I thought I was to deal with Pneuma. What happened to the plan, dumbass?" he shouted, prompting his companion to lay a hand over his own heart in exaggerated agony. 

"Oh, you wound me, Jin. I was simply doing a little bit of impromptu acting; surely you can allow for some flexibility in the script? Besides," his voice dropped into a more serious tone, "you're not at top form and you know it. The symbiote can wait. Losing yesterday really made you angry, but you must exercise patience. We don't want The Aegis snuffing us out before act two, you know,"

As if to punctuate Akhos's point, a resounding smack to the ground next to Pneuma on either side of her alerted the heroine of two more presences—Flamebringer, threateningly snapping her whipswords, and Empress, who was brandishing her own orbs of liquid. 

"Bloody—what did they do to this town?" The latter muttered, now appreciating the scene before them. If Flamebringer seemed in shock as well, she didn't show it. She simply narrowed her eyes at their adversaries, approaching them with a controlled anger. 

"Damn it, we've stayed way to long. The symbiote isn't here—we need to go!" Akhos barked, and the two villains step back. Jin seems bothered, and started to argue. 

"But Obrona said—" He began. 

"Obrona must have been wrong! Jin, we need to go!" and with a snap of his fingers, the two have disappeared. 

Empress is the first to react, eyes flaring behind her kitsune mask. "Shite, they got away. What the hell were they even doing here anyways?" She turned to Pneuma, expectant. 

"They're looking for us. They have to be looking for us." Rex says, voice getting more and more panicked. "Jin wanted you, and when I—got in the way, he got mad. Why does he want you so much anyways, Malos?" He demands. 

Lots of reasons. When symbiotes were more common, people sought us for all the reasons man seeks anything. Power. Wealth. Control. We were weapons, and they wanted to wield us. And look at what happened to Morytha—that's what happens. We—no, I—destroyed that city. 

Rex pauses in his search for an escape out of the now ransacked, shaken store. Just what had he...bonded with? What demonic power was he now in possession of, and why did Torna want it so badly? 

What was going to happen to him now? Deciding that this exact moment, in the midst of a terrorist attack, it was not a good idea to dwell on those thoughts, he hastily gathers up the chocolate from the ground—Malos's tendrils grab what he cannot, thanks, chum—and, jogging over to the register manned by a currently terrified cashier, he swipes them through a checkout and slaps a 5,000 gold bank note in front of the worker. 

"Keep the change," he says, forcing a smile. Though, it seems, the worker is not listening—terror is a very distracting emotion—and Rex leaves without another word. And now to find Pyra! A daunting challenge, to be sure, especially among the raining chaos around everything, but Rex is nothing if optimistic. He wonders where she could have gone too, especially so quickly and suddenly, when the world finally calms around him. And then he spots The Aegis. 

Pneuma, Empress, and Flamebringer. They all stand in a certain fight mode, right in the middle of the street, like they had faced off with Torna, who were now retreated. Rex can't help but freeze in his tracks—each of them had always possessed a certain beauty, something delicate and dangerous. Like a rose with a single thorn. Pneuma is, he thinks, certainly the prettiest. Her serene, the-day-is-saved smiles, her emerald motif, her ponytail—

Oh, we're just full of hormones, aren't we? Malos nearly shouts from within him. That causes Rex to jump, and he awkwardly jogs over to the three Aegis members. 

Pneuma is the first to notice him, eyes widening—with recognition? That's a scary thought. The only other time they had met was at Morytha—Rex lets his hand do a slow, unsure wave at them. "Um. Hey...uh. I'm looking for this girl, she's got, like, really red hair, about yay high—" he starts, stretching his arms out above his head, but then The Aegis's leader cuts him off suspiciously hurriedly. 

"U-um! Was Pyra her name?" she says loudly. 

Rex lowers his hands, nodding slightly at the heroine. "...yeah. Is she..she's not hurt, is she?" 

Pneuma shakes her head. "N-no! Um...she told me to, uh, pass a message! To meet her at her apartment for...for dinner!" 

If either of them where paying attention to the two others in the conversation, they would have seen Flamebringer's raised eyebrow and Empress's cheeky smirk. But they weren't, so Rex tilts his head. "She made it home safe, then?" He asks. 

Pneuma nods vigorously. "Y-yup! I'll—she'll be there, ready to go!" and her fists burst into flame at her sides, causing both of them to stumble back. Empress can't help herself, and the water heroine bends over, laughing into her hands. Flamebringer had the grace to only seem slightly bemused at the whole situation. Rex feels his face flare up, and before he has to endure another comment from Malos, he offers a weak smile to Pnuema before turning tail and getting the hell out of there. 

Pneuma feels her flames start to burn hotter as her civilian best friend runs towards her own—Pyra's—apartment, and wonders if Pneuma has ever had any less grace. "Shit," she mutters, a rare coloration in her normally pristine language. Empress laughs again, nearly doubling over. 

"Couldn't—" She says through gasps and giggles, "have said it better myself, Pneuma." And the leader of The Aegis felt her face burn hotter than it ever has. 

"Oh, leave her alone, Empress," Flamebringer chides. "She goes through a lot of stress as it is already, she doesn't need your teasing on top of it."

The word stress triggers her heroine instincts again, and Pneuma starts looking again at the destruction all around them. The many shops and stores that were now...crushed and blown up, it made her realize just how real this hero business would get. But...why now? what was Torna here for? Why was Jin at Morytha yesterday? What was that monster that had popped out of the ground? Where was it now? 

A concerned hand falls on her shoulder, and Pneuma turns to see a small, concerned smile on Flamebringer's features. "Hey, Pyra. Why don't you go ahead and meet up with Rex, and I'll call in Thunderbolt to help with the cleanup?" She asks, but Pyra is hesitant. 

Before she can protest, Empress barks out another laugh. This one is smaller, and there's a friendlier tone to it. "Didn't you say that Pyra would be ready to go, hm?" She rocks back and forth on her heels. "Go to him already! I'll keep Shellhead in check, I promise." She shoots her leader a teasing grin. Pyra takes it, for what it's worth, and shoots off in the direction of Rex. 

When she gets there, he's nearly rung the doorbell, but she uses a few rocket boosts from her feet—flame powers could be unexpectedly versatile—and she leaps into her bedroom window two stories up, strips down to her civilian clothes, runs down the stairs past a bewildered Mythra, opens the door and shouts a very loud "Hi, Rex!" right as the boy lean a finger into the doorbell. It all happens lightning-fast, and Rex staggers back in surprise, nearly dropping the groceries he had carried there. 

"Uh, hi...Pyra?" He responds. 

"Come in, come in!" She says, volume not lowering at all. Nodding eagerly, she pulls the door open and holds it there, waiting while tapping her foot as Rex waddles his way through, grocery bags slapping his shins every step he takes. 

Dinner is...just as awkward. The food is amazing—leave it to Pyra to instantly master chocolate pan-fried tartari—but for the most part, the meal is silent save for a few mrmmphs and this is so good from Rex's end. There's no mention of Torna's attack at the shopping district, although each party has their own reason for not bringing it up. Still, as Rex is going to find out—it was only going to get worse. 

Because after he says his thanks to Pyra, she quickly disappears up into her room. He's a gentleman, so he waits for her to come down so they can say goodbye, but when she does return, she is carrying something. It's a dufflebag, which is confusing in its own right, but the concerned, are you sure about this look that Mythra shoots at her sister is even more perplexing. 

For about two seconds. 

Because right before Rex can say his final goodbyes, Pyra asks something that makes it all fall into place. 

"C-can I stay at your place, Rex?" Her eyes are big and bright.

As the boy starts malfunctioning, sputtering out a "w-what?", Malos rolls his eyes within.