#19 My Name is.......

A/N yeah I know, pic. ain't so great, but at least its original.

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When I come to, I realize instantly that this isn't real. The canyon battle has disappeared and was replaced by a black void. There's some sort of ground underneath me, but it has the same lightless color even though I can see myself just fine. I'm sure that I fell off the cliff, but I feel nothing in this place.

     I jump when someone taps me on the shoulder. I spin around and come face to face with someone........ familiar. It's hard to explain, but I know he's a Shadow. The stranger is dressed like me me, but his clothes are dirty and ripped up. Some kind of karate blackbelt is tied around his waist. The most frightening thing about him is his face. His skin is a sickly green tinge, and half his face has actually rotted away. I can see the right half of his bottom jawbone. There are red eyes, and he also stinks.

"Hey Ty. It's been a while", he smiles, his voice rough and scratchy.

     "Who are you? What is this place?", I ask him, but I think I already know the answer.

     "My name? It's Deadlox, but you already know that", he chuckles a little, "And we're stuck in your own mind at the moment.

     "Wow. Not much going on in here", I can't help but look around the black space.

     "That's because you're unconscious, dipshit", Dead throws back. 

     "And why am I knocked out? I should be helping to fight!". Dead's smile falls a bit at that, and he becomes more serious.

     "Listen Ty, I'm your 14th Shadow. There are 15 of us. Ghost and I just have the same trigger, so only one of us can exit at once", he starts explaining in a rushed tone, "We've done this before with the Hunters attacking, but only I can remember it right now".

"Done this before? What do you mean? I'm pretty sure hat I would remember coming to this place before now", I look at him, confused. He really is another of my Shadows?

"Like I said, I'm the only one who remembers. Over the last thousand years, we've fought the hunters in this canyon four different times. This is the fifth. You're the protector of this place. Think about it. The people in the White room knew that you had more then one or two Shadows".

     "I'm their protector? But I can barely fuse with a Shadow for a few minutes, never mind long enough to fight seriously".

     "That's because you're doing it wrong. It has to be all of us, Ty. Even me. Every single time we fight, seven of us vote to kill all the Hunters, and seven vote to spare them all. You've always decided to be the eighth vote to spare them. And then they come back in a hundred years. You have to break the loop this time". Kill them all? There's so many people out there! How many are just following orders? How many are just like Mitch? This is all happening so fast.

"Do I have to kill them all? Dead, that's a lot of people. If what you say is true, there's a reason I chose to refight this battle", I look back up at him.

"Well, that's alright, too It was a long shot anyways. I understand", my Shadow's shoulders slump, "Still, it's time to go back. I'll wake us up, and we can get them all to leave. It's alright". Dead holds out his hand to me. He wants to save everyone as much as I do, even if it's not permanent.

I take his hand.

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I wake up on my back. The hot dessert air feels almost foreign on our decaying skin. The others may be shocked to see me, at first. The sound battle is all around me. There's rubble from the cliff scattered about. We sit up with a groan, intent on pausing this battle. It's what's always happened, so I'll accept it if that's the majority vote.

     I sit up and look around to see the other Shadows scattered around. Ender is the closest, shocked and gasping for breath. Ty's heart stopped for a moment. If I wasn't in control, we'd all be gone.

     "Ender, come on. We need everyone's help for this", we shout at him, standing up. Ender looks up at me and immediately sees my decaying form. He looks alarmed for a moment, but then some part of him must have recognized me. He pushes himself up and takes my hand.

     I'm just another fragment. I look around, but Demon is already up and heading my way. He understands that it's time. I'm Drake again, but this time I don't feel as confused. The battle is around me again, and I have to find Ghost. He's the next piece to form the another fragment. This goes on until I can gather everyone. By the time I reach my 14th Shadow, I'm shaking from the strain. I feel so sick, but when I take Beatlox's hand, it all goes away.

      I take a big breath of fresh air, siting on my knees in the dirt. I'm me again. I have to protect everyone again. I remember it all now. My previous sickness is gone now. Unlike one of my fragments, I'm completely stable. My two pairs of wings are pitch black with shimmering scales on the underside. They look like the night sky. My hair is also black, but my skin is as pale as snow. My height is also very different. I stand just above nine feet. I'm sure if anyone were paying attention, they would compare me with the mural. My name is Herolox.

Feeling my strength returning, I welcome the feeling of weightlessness as I slowly lift off the ground. My wings are more for decoration then actual use. I float higher up into the sky and back over the cliff. My movements are very floaty and unhurried. I don't even feel the effects from the fall. There's a large crater where the fireball hit. The Hunters are a lot closer now, and that have lots of military trucks and tanks creeping forwards. There are only a few winged Shadows flitting about and a few running on the ground. This isn't a military base; the people living here aren't all fighters. The Hunters are using guns as the Shadow Casters have to rely on their abilities. I'm here to throw the odds right back into those human's faces. I drop back down closer to the ground. I'm drifting above the Hunter army. I hear a few shout, and guns are pointed at me. A few bullets come close only to unnaturally veer away from my skin at the last moment.

I'll send them all back. I can make the Hunters forget that they found this place, just like I always do. Something little is different this time. It's always been kill or spare, but there's a different idea this time. It's not genocide or acting as a pacifist. I think over as I feel my fragments turning to this new idea. Alright then. I smile, finally able to make a different choice.

     My abilities are an amalgamation of the other's, but also unique. I reach out a thin whips of intent. My ability finds the few Shadows fighting below me, and calls them back to the canyon. Their retreat is almost instant. The Hunters think they're winning with the sudden withdrawal. I focus on them next.

      I seize their minds with a vengeance. It's challenging to hold them all at once, but very much within reach of my strength. I can pick up out the important and truly twisted people from the others. They have to stay. I cloud the other's minds, and peel away their memories. Trucks and tanks stop in their tracks. The entire army is suddenly still. Slowly, the majority turns back the way they had come. They'll be far away from this dessert before my abilities release them. They won't remember this place at all. As for the truly wicked people, I pull them out of their metal machines and out onto the desert sands. This is the part that I've never done before. I've always sent the evil back with the rest. Instead, I will destroy them like they've always destroyed me and my home. I've watched it happen for five lifetimes in a row. There aren't even any bodies when I'm done. They're just...... gone.

     Now I'm kinda tired. I sink slowly back to the ground, landing on my knees and sitting back on my heels. My wings drop limply at my sides. Now what? I've done what I'm meant to do. I've always sent them back, and then disappeared for the next round in a hundred years. This time........ I don't feel a next round coming. My attention is snagged away by footsteps. I slowly look up at the group rushing towards me. Huh. This hasn't ever happed either.

"Ty- uh, are you ok? What happened?", I recognize Seto now, looking me up and down in wonder. He probably realizes who I am. Blaze knows it as well. I don't say anything. Mitch and Jerome are also here, but the latter looks exhausted. There's a large gray wolf trotting at his heels; his Shadow. The last person is a short woman. There's too many whirling thoughts around her for me to discern. I don't know any of these people, but my fragments do. I care about them.

"Are you....... ok? Your name is Hero, right?", Mitch is quick to remember my mural. He's looking at my legs, witch haven't been moving at all. I still don't answer. My eyes squint a little, not fully understanding. I've never gotten this far before. Have I, Hero, ever actually talked to anyone? All my memories and emotions come from the others. I can't even stand and great him. My levitation is the only way I usually move. I'm not meant to remain together for long. It's all so confusing.

"Tyler! My little boy", Natalie seems to almost be on tears. Some part of me expected disgust. "I w-was so scared when you fell. And-And I know you hate me-".

"I.......", my voice is quite deep and raspy, with a slight echo effect to it. "I d-don't hate you".

Feeling like I got hit with a second boulder, Hero's figure spits us all back up and melts away. My head feels like Insanelox hit me with a steel baseball bat. I groan and look around at my Shadows who are all in similar states of disorientation. What the hell just happened?

"Fuck! Why am I the one with broken ribs!", the rough voice startles me. I look over at the decaying Shadow beside me as he looks disdainfully at the indentation on his side. It doesn't hurt him. Deadlox looks up, startled at seeing the desert.

"Hey, looks like we all made it out of that one", I laugh, spotting Ghost staring in wonder. All 15 are fine, well, mostly fine. It looks like Vampire's got a sunburn.

      "God, Ty, that was incredible", Seto reminds me of the audience. I look behind me to see them all smiling. It's nice to be back.

     "I totally thought we were going in for another round", Squid tries to get up too quick, falling right back over from the dizziness. I can remember a bit about our past now, and I'm sure the others do, too.

     I make eye contact with my mom, and for the first time in over ten years, I offer a little smile. It'll take time, but there may be a someday where I forgive her. I don't understand it all, but I think that it's ok to rest now. I can stay here in my true home now. Hero can rest now. I, and all my Shadows, can be happy now.
















A/N
I hope you guys enjoyed the story! It really was way overdue for an ending!
OC:
          -BeatLox (my glow-stick baby)
         -DeadLox (my decaying version who has a karate black belt and half the skin on his face gone. Kinda wanna wright something just for him, not gonna lie)
         -HeroLox (Might do something with him in the future as well)

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