Liar Liar ( minor event )

Finally finding a window to crash through, Levi covered his face and broke through in a dive. Rolling onto his feet, not missing a stride, Levi jumped straight up through the floors as his body glowed for a moment before he made his first jump, his muscles bulging and his skin hardening as he thrust his fists upwards, looking straight up as he crashed through the ceiling of each floor, using Sun Step to continued his ascent as needed. As soon as he made it to the room just underneath the dome, he made a platform of light and hopped onto it, placing the ceiling with in arms reach. He tensed his body, summing his strength before he began to join Aldritch in beating the shit out of the ceiling directly underneath Knuckles, hoping to simply drop him through the floor and out of harm's way before he was executed. Though he and Knuckles were not close, a human life was on the line and Levi was not about to let Alexei kill another human on his watch. Levi yelled as his anger fueled his assault on the ceiling.  

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!" 

Knuckles fidgeted only slightly as he felt the blade against his neck. His breathing was still heavy, his heart racing. He knew the time had finally come when her sword pulled away and raised. Every last inch of his being screamed out, a defiant roar as the last seconds of his member life approached. A burning sensation tore through his gut, the reaper implant resonating rom within, a deep red aura arising, but only briefly.

"M-MAACHT!"

As Tatiana's blade swung in, Knuckles body rapidly and violently began to expand. His skin and muscles reddened as his vains darkened. And as her qi blade struck the buldged side of his neck, a deafening concussive blast would rip out from contact, large blood boils had formed pulsating on his corpse, before exploding. Multiple shards of blood stone, varying in size would rip away from his shredded frame, spewing in every direction from the middle of the dome, assaulting the glass from the inside.

Whether or not it effected the others, was no longer a worry of his. The large, bloody frame slumped to the side, little flesh left on his bones and headless to boot. A bloody mess left behind as Austin's shell left behind as his soul separated from his body.

A king is gone, but not forgotten.

Is this a tale of Johnny Rotten?

It's better to burn out.. Than to fade away.

A king is gone, but is not forgotten.

-----------------------------

Out of the blue and into the black, Austin's world shifted into darkness. He heard nothing, saw nothing. Emptiness was all he experienced. But out of no where, a pin prick of light. At first tiny, but slowly expanding. In a flash, like someone had turned a light on in a dark room, Austin was laying on a bed. A white room, black and white tiled floor. Pictures hung on the wall, but the images blurred. None if it seemed to register to Austin as he sat up in the bed. Both hazel hues staring toward the doorway in front of him that opened, a bright beam of light blinding him, yet his hands remained at his sides, staring toward it.

Get off your lazy ass, bitch!

The voice escaped him, but only for a moment. As a silhouette appeared and waved him on, Allen Hollows face came into view. He remembered his face well, he had been one of his best friends. Austin's mouth dropped open slightly. Allen was dead. The man who had taken his eye, Allen's older brother Aaron, had given him a gift and a letter. The letter had explained Allen's demise.

C'mon man, we don't have much time!

Knuckles would stand, stepping slowly forward as if being pulled into the doorway by Allen himself. However as he neared it, Allen's form faded as he walked into the light.

As he continued to walk, he could hear another voice. It was faint, but masculine. Familiar, yet lost within memories. He saw nothing but white, but could hear the voice growing with every step.

Life.. Life is nothing but struggle and choices made. Ups and downs, Twists and turns.. It's all just a ride. Just keep your head on straight and you'll make it out just fine.."

The voice became reconizable as it drifted closer. It had been so long since he heard his father's voice. He couldnt remember exactly when this moment had taken place, but he had been young when he heard his father's words. Through the white doorway, the light would dim and he would find himself in an old garage. Various motorcycles, tools and parts were strewn about. His eyes settled upon the figure of his father, hunched over while tugging at a bolt with his wrench. Just the sight of it made him feel warm, bringing a smile to his face.

Heeey little man. I missed you. But I got a whole buncha crap to finish up, kid. Your mother is lookin' for you anyways- What'd you do this time?

Before Austin could even say anything, he felt an unseen force drag him toward the right and another door opened. This time he found himself in a dark lit parlor, his mother sitting in front of him on the sofa. As hew drew closer, his eyes fixated upon the middle of her forehead, a hole bore into her forehead. He knew what had caused it. Himself. He had shot her in the face not too long after arriving at #552.

Austin, please promise mommy that when you get older you will run- Run away from your father, from the charter. Run and be free, or suffer the same fate as he will..

Knuckles right hand extended, touching at the bullet hole on her forehead. It would react, sealing up in front of his eyes. His mother had spoken with her own eyes closed, but now they were open. A frown on her face, she would begin to cry as Austin once again felt himsef pulled toward an exit. He would reach for her, but find himself yanked backwards, back through the door he came from as he screamed out for his mother.

This time he found himself on his back, back on top of the building he had breathed his last breath on. No dome, no city skyline. He rested there for a moment, before he heard the caw of a crow above, which landed upon the edge of the roof top. When he stood and tried to look out over the edge of the building, he was met by a group of silhouettes. As the settling sun above him slowly went down, he would begin to pick out faces.

Siohban, Macht, Ira, Leon, Valo, Shugo, Paige, Levi, Lexington, Vivi. People that had made impressions, left their marks on his heart in some way or another. Austin would approach them, a smile on his face as he looked from right to left, sweeping those hazel hues over there faces one last time. His 'friends'. Though some were more of acquaintances than true friends. Regardless, he knew they were the ones that would one day avenge him.

Without hesitation, Austin would move forward toward his best friend, Macht. This was now his fight to win and Knuckles needed him to know that he believed in him. He would step close, grab the back of Macht's head and push his forehead into his, hazel hues staring into his friends.

"Macht.. I'm sorry I left you in the middle of this shitstorm.. But I know better than anyone.. You can do this. You can make these bastards pay for everything they've done. Always know I'm rootin' for you. You got this.."

Time is up, bro.. Let's get out of here.

Austin cocked his head and glanced behind him to see Allen, the crow resting upon his shoulder. It would caw out again, signalling Austin to finish up. He would step back from his friends, giving one last smile and cocky salute, before stepping back to stand next to Allen.

"I believe in all of you.. Good luck, I'll see you all again someday.."

And with that, he would take the form of a crow himself, along with Allen. Out of the blue and into the black, dark wings would carry him away into the afterlife. Releasing one final crow call, Knuckles would fade.

Xaier had been doing his best to ignore the situation at hand. This wasn't the kind of thing he deemed nessicary. They could have just locked the Apex co-leader up or something along those lines. Instead, they would murder him like barbarians.

Xaier would glance over his shoulders one last time toward 'Tatiana' and the soon-to-be-executed Blood Dragon. It was there he noticed Alexai approach, placing his arms around Ira and himself. He didn't quite understand the sensation he felt. But his eyes were drawn toward the two in the center.

When Tatiana's qi sword raised, Xaier's heart skipped a beat and those emerald eyes widened in preparation for what he was about to witness. However he had not expected Austin's roar and final attempt at retaliation. The explosion ripped shiny, hard red blood stone upon impact and Xaier felt something strike him hard enough in the chest to lift him off his feet and drop him onto his back.

At first he didn't realize what happened. His body was going into shock. Those glassy emerald hues glanced doen to see one of the shards burried in his chest, a strange red hue eminating from the shard. His left hand staggered slightly as he lifted it upward, gasping and groaning from the pain, but unable to speak before he blacked out and his own blood began to spill onto the roof top.