The world was tumbling. Up and down had no meaning anymore. The sudden, painful feeling of impact, the sound of bursting concrete. A short fall, and pain again as it suddenly ended. He was lying on the floor, the short moment of confusion had wiped his mind clear of every thought. Now it was all rushing back: Memories of fire, blood and ice.
Elric Thorn slowly managed to turn on his back but his strength left him shortly after that. His left arm, right leg and some rips seemed to be broken. His whole body was aching, he don't even had the strength to open his eyes, but he forced himself to do it anyway. He was lying in a chamber that once belonged to the upper floors of the Saint Church main branch. The walls around him were broken and the ceiling no longer existing, giving him the small illusion to be outside. Strange... he thought as he gazed at the blue sky above him. How can something like this happen on such a beautiful day?
A foot smashed on his broken breastplate, pinning Elric on the floor. The painful feeling of broken rips scratching against each other were enough to turn the short moment of tranquility into a new agonizing hell. Elric cried out in pain and shot a furious glare at his adversary, who returned a cold glare with her bright blue, slightly glowing eyes. Elric growled.
“Fin...!” Elrics plea was interrupted by an sudden fit of coughing. A metallic taste filled his mouth and he spat the blood out that he had coughed out of his lunges. “Finish it!” he finally said and forced himself to smile. At least he bought enough time for Keroko and Shamsel to bring the others to safety.
The woman towering above him didn't changed her neutral expression as she raised her staff-device to finish him off. How ironic... Elric never imagined that he would die by the hands of one of his closest friends.
“Don't kill him...” the hissing voice more rang through his head than that he heard it with his ears. The woman froze in her motion, only to step back a second later. Elric turned his head into the direction he thought the voice was coming from. He had no idea how long the figure was already standing there.
As the dark robed figure approached, a invisible power lifted Elric into the air, forcing him to face the newcomer. Elric tried to struggle, but he wasn't able to move. Soon his strength left him again, leaving him hanging in the air, breathing stertorously.
Elric examined the figure that stopped in front of him. He couldn't really tell if the figure was male or female, but somehow Elric thought of it as a male. The dark robe covered all of 'his' body and concealed even 'his' build, even the hood was pulled deep into the face, covering it completely.
Elric coughed again, expectorating more blood.
”You are dying, Elric Thorn.” the figure spoke again, stating a fact that Elric absolutely was sure of.
Elric didn't answer, his vision blurred as blood ran into his right eye. He had figured already that the person in front of him was at fault. 'He' destroyed everything Elric fought for. Gazing at his enemy with burning eyes filled with hatred, Elric kept silent.
”It is interesting, how your eyes are so full of life, when life itself is flowing out of your body.” the figure moved one step closer. ”You will die soon, Elric Thorn. But you don't have to.”
Elric frowned. A offer to save his life? What nonsense was this? An act of mercy from an enemy that didn't care to slaughter thousands of innocents? He nearly laughed, as if he would accept such an offer.
The figure raised his hooded head, finally showing his face. Elrics eyes widened in terror as he saw the purple eyes and the two scares in the face.
Elric was staring at his own face.
“What... what abomination are you?” he finally asked breathless. The other Elric stayed silent this time, slightly rolling his head to the side.
Only then Elric realized that the other had one scar on the lower left side of his face not the lower right. The other Elric was mirror-inverted.
Elric sighed in relief, it was a mask, a mask reflecting his image like a mirror.
”Why are you lying to yourself?” the masked one now continued. ”Why are you so afraid to speak the words that linger so deep in your heart?”
Elric gave the other an puzzled look, what was he talking about?
“I don't want to die.”
Elric stared again into the mask, this time in disbelieve. It was his voice that had spoken, did he saw his lips move in the reflection? Had he said that himself?
”Understandable.” the voice of the masked one answered in Elrics head.
“No! I...” Elric stopped mid sentence. Suddenly he realized all the pain again he somehow had forgotten. He heard his heart beating weak inside his chest, felt the blood dripping from his face and flushing out of the wounds that covered his body. The air in his lunges rattled with every breath.
He would surly die. And it was the most terrible thing he could think of.
Elrics vision blurred again, but this time it was not because of blood.
”It is not fair, right?” the voice echoed understanding through his head.
“I... I...” Elric stammered with a broken voice. Than he slightly nodded.
”It never is... but worry not: You are chosen. If you want, you will live.”
“I don't... don't...” Elric shivered.
”Say it!
“I don't want to die!” he admitted. The tears had that gathered in his eyes finally broke free, streaming down his face and mixing with his blood.
The dark robed figure stepped close to Elric and reached out with his gloved hand.
”Then I shall present you with two gifts: Life and Truth.”
Gently he touched Elrics forehead with the tips of his fingers.
Now awaken... my Child.”
When there was pain before, it was nothing compared the pain that swept through Elrics body now. A feeling like every single cell in his body was boiling while something tried to claw its way out of him. Elric screamed, But he was not the only one. There was another mechanical scream mixed with static that slowly faded away. Carnage.
The next thing Elric could remember was, that he was lying on the floor, face down, breathing heavily. He slowly pushed himself upwards into a sitting position. The pain was gone. He looked down to his hands, no broken Barrier Jacket, no blood, he was completely healed.
But something was amiss.
Turning his right arm, Elric looked at the top of his Device. Now he knew what the AIs fading scream had meant. The core of Carnage was gone, and with it, the AI itself. A small feeling of sorrow surged through Elric, but was quickly replaced with determination. Elric clenched his hands into fists and looked up into the mask that was reflecting him.
His now red glowing eyes widened a bit in surprise as he realized that the veins that once grew out of Carnages core now even reached through his neck into the sides of his face and surly though his whole body now.
So that was what happened. He and Carnage now were one. But not like in the past, were one dominated the other. There was no fear and uncertainty anymore. He was born a new and powerful being.
”What is your name, my Child?” the masked one asked solemnly. While the question seemed strange and out of place, Elric knew why he was asked. He was reborn after all.
“Carnage.” Elric said after a short moment. If the AI was gone, he will at least bear its name from now on.
”Then I ask you, Carnage, Dark Lord of the Shadow. Will you stand with your Sister, the Dark Lady of the Nocturnal Glacier, against the usurpers that defiled the light, and blinded the people from the truth?”
The one once known as Elric Thorn, glanced over to the woman he fought only moments ago. She was standing in respectful distance and returned his gaze with her cold glowing, blue eyes. But Carnage also saw fellowship in those eyes and a faint smile had appeared on her face. He looked back to the one he owed everything.
“Yes!” The new Dark General bowed deep before his one, true king. “My... Master!”