TW: A LOT OF GORE/SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

I know at the start I said I wouldn't warn ya about gore. But holy shit. There's a lot. Prepare yourself.

(For the next few chapters)

———

Nickel, before he could launch the hot air balloon, turned around. "Balloon—?!" His eyes widened.

Cobs was floating, Fan next to him. Cobs had used his powers to summon threads that looked darker than a black void. His eyes were filled with malice. His smile was wicked.

"Going somewhere?" He sneered with a slight sadistic laugh.

Nickel gasped, horrified. "BALLOON! NO!" He summoned his claws, and tried to attack Cobs, or at least destroy the threads. Which were slowly wrapping around Balloon more and more.

"Fan, deal with him." Cobs commanded.

Fan nodded and trapped Nickel in the mass of darkness he formed with his powers.

Nickel yelled and collapsed as he was slowly consumed in the substance. It spread around his body and made him feel weak... So... Weak...

The tiny strands of darkness felt like a million needles in Balloon's skin. Slowly constricting him. Tears fell from the poor boy's eyes and trickled down the small strands. He watched the boy he loved get caught all because of him...

Cobs yanked him over with his powers, the small threads still spreading. "My, my... You really thought you could get away? You're struggle is amusing..." Cobs chuckled, and clenched his fist, which harshly tightened the restraints on the poor boy's body.

He whimpered in pain, unable to say a word due to the ones over his mouth.

Cobs's glasses flickered in the sunlight. His smile was evident. He teleported the four of them back into the room that Balloon had been trapped inside before. "Uncover the Coin's eyes..." Cobs commanded.

Fan snapped his fingers, which allowed Nickel to see.

"I was going to wait... Before I took his power..." Cobs explained. "After all, I wanted to let them grow, and manifest. But... You want to know what I've realized?" Cobs sneered.

Nickel didn't like where this was going...

"Infinite power... Is infinite, yes? I practically have the perfect battery right in my arms!" Cobs laughed.

Nickel tried to shout many horrible HORRIBLE insults at the disgusting man... But his mouth was still covered.

Cobs laughed at Nickel's anger. "All I need to do is make sure he can't escape..." Cobs muttered. "And I realize, your friend doesn't do well with pain. So I ask you this... What do you think would happen... If his own body became his prison?" Cobs asked.

Nickel was confused... he didn't understand...

Cobs waved his hand. The threads wrapped around the rest of the boy, leaving no part of his body visible. Except his wings.

"What are you going to do...?" Fan muttered in confusion. Also not understanding...

"See his wings? Watch." Cobs used his powers to manipulate the wings around the boy, as tight as the joints and bones would let him naturally, then wrapping the threads around his wings tighter.

"That's it...?" Fan asked raising an eyebrow. "That doesn't seem that ba—..."

CRUNCH

Nickel's eyes widened in shock...

Cobs had tightened the strands of darkness harshly around the wings. Crushing him in his own feathery limbs. Bones tore through the flesh of the wing, blood pouring down, as the wings were forced into an unnatural position.

Fan's eyes also widened. "Oh. I see it now..." He said, slightly horrified.

Cobs gave a bitter laugh. And then turned to see Nickel's horrified and tear filled eyes.

"Fan, do what you please with him. I'll let my power do it's work." He turned and left, waving his hand, the strands of shadow pulsed and tightened on their own. This continued slowly, and surely once again after a few minutes.

Balloon couldn't move, he couldn't talk, he couldn't see. It was pain... Only pain, and he felt like parts of him were being ripped away from him... like his soul was being shredded into pieces and stolen from him. He tried to scream, but he felt the pulse, and the tightening of his prison that followed. He felt some of the threes pierce his skin, and he began to bleed.

Again.

Bones crunched with sickening noises, he felt his throat fill with blood, the pain was unbearable, he couldn't breathe... He wasn't dying, why wouldn't he die?! Why wouldn't he pop?! He wanted it to end.

It had to end! It HAD to! It hurt! He couldn't take it! Warm blood was pouring out of his body. More blood than he should even HAVE. He HATED it... tears mixed with the blood that were trickling down the threads caused him pain... Agonizing pain.

Why?! WHY?! He couldn't take it! It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair! He couldn't take any of this anymore! Not his life, not his pain, and not his stupid powers! It wasn't fair!

IT WASN'T FAIR!!!

Nickel struggled, and fought as he watched Balloon get crushed, and as his wings bent around him in horrifying ways. Tears spilled out of his eyes. Balloon didn't deserve this... not one bit... bones cracked, crunched, and tore through skin. Blood was pouring down the dark strings as if it was a waterfall. Chunks of flesh from his arms, legs, and wings were being forced through the tiny gaps in the threads.

The worst part was he heard no screams. Balloon's silenced agony was horrific. Nickel saw Fan step in front of the gory scene which had been unfolding before his teary eyes.

"You know... I think the tables have turned! Hahah! Look who's trapped now~!" Fan chimed with a sick smile.

Nickel was completely appalled. How could Fan not care about what Balloon was going through...?!

Fan moved the shadowy goo from Nickel's mouth to hear him speak.

"YOU SICK BASTARD! BALLOON IS SUFFERING!!!" Nickel screamed in anger.

"I was suffering too..." Fan growled through his teeth.

"NOT AS MUCH AS HIM—!" Nickel grimaced at the loud crunch as the threads pulsed, then tightened once again. "WHY...?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Nickel cried.

"BECAUSE. THINGS CAN FINALLY BE NORMAL AGAIN! Cobs is going to help me..." Fan snarled, before laughing with a bitter grin.

"Normal—?! 'NORMAL'?! OH YEAH! I totally remember in school when crushing a sixteen year old, and watching each and everyone of his bones BREAK while he's in AGONY is normal! Oh no, wait... I DON'T! Maybe I just wasn't there that day...!" Nickel yelled, trying to bash som sense into Fan's thick, and deranged fucking skull.

Fan stomped on Nickel.

Nickel yelled in pain. And looked up at Fan with anger in his eyes.

"You are gonna suffer just like I did in that fucking closet..." Fan spat, as he raised a hand and charged up an attack. This time, with the side engulfed in shadow, his hand glowing blood red.

Nickel tried to use his powers, his eyes sparked and flickered purple, but only dimly. The substance constricting his body was weakening him too much to fight back.

Fan smiled, as he now had the ability to hurt Nickel without ANY resistance.

———

Earring held on tightly to Lightbulb as they felt wind rush past his face. He was quite scared of heights and has never been this high before. The dragon was also scary. And cute at the same time, he didn't really know how to feel about it.

Lightbulb seemed to be focusing on which way they needed to go.

"Where are we going...?!" Earring asked, a bit scared.

"To check something..." Lightbulb answered, trying not to sound angry.

"Why did you need to bring me...?!" Earring asked in scared tone once again, hugging onto Lightbulb tighter as they flew.

"Well... You're small. You can hide very easily!" Lightbulb replied. As she kept her eyes on the sky.

He frowned and nodded slightly. He felt nervous, why would he need to hide...?!

Then he saw it in the distance. He's seen the Meeple building in TV before. And looked confused. "Are we stealing...?!" Earring yelped.

"Well... We're checking if the people INSIDE stole something from us." Lightbulb directed Baxter towards the building.

"What do you think they stole?" Earring raised an eyebrow.

"A person." Lightbulb stated, quite bluntly too.

"WHAT." Earring tightened his grip on the older girl.

"We will be fine! In and out. No big deal." Lightbulb shrugged.

"THIS IS A BIG DEAL!!!"

"Well, it's only a big deal if they DID steal somethin! And don't worry. If anyone tries to fight us, I'll kick their sorry ass." Lightbulb boasted with glowing hands, she then watched as Baxter landed in front of a... Destroyed entrance. "Well that's no good..."

Earring looked skeptical of this supposed rescue mission with a lack of ANY plan. "Well NOW what do we do...?!" Earring whined.

"We do this!" Lightbulb hopped down, and focused her energy, she then lifted the rocks off the ground with her powers, and threw them off the cloud. "That probably won't kill anyone." Lightbulb crossed her arms in triumph.

" 'probably'...?" He muttered in a concerned tone.

"You'll need to go inside." Lightbulb explained. "We will split up. I'll search brighter areas, where I won't be seen as easily. And YOU can search darker areas! Where you won't be seen as easily!" Lightbulb gave a reassuring smile.

Earring looked... Disturbed, but nodded.

"Just scream if somethin goes wrong. Me and Baxter will come right to ya! Just try to not get seen okay...?"

"A-alright..."

———

The agonizing pain of his bones being crushed. They snap and cracked. Pain was too much. His body wouldn't let him pass out, or die. He didn't understand why... He didn't get why this was happening. He cried... The pain was destroying him mentally as well as physically at this point.

Balloon stared into the black nothingness as pain consumed his mind. He was like a ticking time bomb. He was ready to snap. He wanted it to end. The relief of feeling absolutely nothing forever...

It would be such a huge act of mercy.

He couldn't even begin to describe his pain. And his hatred towards the world. It wasn't fair. He hated it all. He hated how he was damned to suffering. Who got to decide that? Has he done something to deserve it? Maybe in a past life? Or in the future? He just couldn't understand.

He had nobody to point the blame at but himself. Who else was he supposed to blame? OJ? Paintbrush? Nick—... No. He didn't want to blame them. They didn't tell his parents to take the subway. They don't take that stranger's hand. They didn't make him shin and manipulate everyone. They are all decisions HE made.

So it must be his fault.

Right?

He wondered if there even was an afterlife. And if so... We're his parents proud of him...? Did they care about him still...? Even after how much of an idiot he was in the past? He wondered if the afterlife was real, he'd even get the chance to be in their arms ever again. His mind spiralled further into despair. Nothing could be worth this pain.

Was he damned to his suffering forever?

He felt his wounds be healed as the threads pulsed and crushed him further. His body was letting him die. He didn't understand it. Was he immortal or something...?! He couldn't even breathe, or... He could, every sharp breath that followed his surges of agony. Caused his lungs to fill up with more blood.

Someone... Please...!

Help me...

Just let me die...!

It's not fair...!

It hurts!

It hurts so much!

My body...

My mind...

My life...

Its not worth it...!

Oh but child... You are destined for such greatness... Your time is not now. It never was.

What...?! Who are you...?!

You don't need to know my name. We will meet in due time.

Can you help me...?!

I wish I could... Your suffering brings me great sadness. It's true. I'm sorry... But there's nothing I can do.

You can't leave me...!

Please DON'T go!  I'm begging you!

Do not fear child.

Everything will be okay soon.

Just hold on.

A little.........

....Longer....

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