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Eternal Kamacite

Kamacite had lunged, but he never made it far enough to lay a hand on Heliodor. Despite his reaction, Kamacite had never been violent. He barely even managed to defend himself on most days. His fight or flight response was stuck on freeze, which was how he ended up in the Negaverse in the first place. A desperate attempt to not die, and he thought his life had been taken from him, anyway.

Until he started meeting people who made it worth it. Those who would teach him how to braid his hair, or teach him that his decade old scars didn’t define him. Those he thought were no more than rivals in a world where they were trying to survive, turning into something more. Friendship and loyalty and trust. Kamacite had been part of a pack once, as they’d called it. He’d told Faustite that he considered him part of his pack, his family, when neither of them had anyone else. Someone he cared for, trusted, loved, in as many language scrambled words as Kamacite could manage to express.

He’d collapsed in a heap in the sand and dirt of the Rift, a place he’d always hated, a place that had always made him uneasy and uncertain, knowing that he would have to visit far more often than his heart could likely handle if it meant seeing Faustite at all.

Kamacite had expected nothing but fire -- perhaps like the youma form that Faustite took when he used his pendant. Terrifying and untouchable still. So when the crystal melted away, when the powerful aura of the Queen joined them, Kamacite wasn’t sure what he was seeing.

He stared, using his burned and blistered hands to try and wipe the tears away so he could better understand. He looked to where Cymophane and Roselite were, hoping they would have a better explanation but… They could see clear as day…

He didn’t let relief wash over him yet. He held his breath, as if expecting this to be a horrible joke. He knew what aura he was feeling, but maybe this was just a surge of Chaos before--

General King Jet

Jet kept his guard up while the crystal formed and melted behind him -- flowing like ink into the ground. Like the purest form of Chaos -- like a blessing almost.

Or maybe it was.

He felt the auras before he turned to look at where the crystal had been. He could feel the Queen as well, and with one final glance around him to make sure they were currently safe from an attack -- perhaps that was a gift given to them as well -- Jet dismissed his weapon and bowed his head respectfully to Queen Laurelite, his hand over his heart.

And there, when he finally lifted his eyes to look, was the newest among their Sovereigns.

Jet let out the smallest breath of relief, maybe the first admission that he was worried about the outcome of all of this.

“Metallia has extended her grace to you, General King. Congratulations,” he said with sincerity and continued relief. Both by the results of this venture into the Rift and by Queen Laurelite’s presence.

Corrupt Super Fafnir

Fafnir hunched over his brother, prepared to feel someone hit him from behind. No weight crashed into him, no pain flared, and he relaxed marginally to ease his grip on his brother’s form. <******** brainless assholes… As much anger as he carried towards Helio, he was not going to let anyone hurt him out of hand. There would be a reckoning at some point and Heliodor would be punished, but these people had no right to do so, part of Faustite’s team or not. It added to the burning resentment in his gut, that even now he had to set aside his own well being to ensure his brother’s…

The blossoming of an overwhelming aura filled him with dread and called Fafnir’s attention outwards. General King Jet was still there, and he’s still felt his signature, so this must be one of the others, come to punish the lot of them for failing so very badly… and then everything was awash with the feel of dark, rich Chaos. He could barely breathe for the oppressive weight of it. Lighting flashed somewhere above, as startling as anything else. It was like the whole of the Rift rebelled against them… And the Queen appeared, dark and regal, among them. Bent to offer a hand to another figure. Fafnir didn’t understand what was happened, arms still loosely about his brother, but his grip was slack, his blue eyes wide.

He watched with amazement and a deep, primal fear, as the Queen helped Faustite to his feet. Whole again, but different. Irrevocably changed. Helio pushed agains this arms and he let them fall away as he knelt in the grit of the Rift, his skin pale in the violet-flashed light. Fafnir had no answer for him, words escaping him entirely. How did one explain this, when you didn’t even fully understand it yourself? Faustite had been dying, falling to the youma inside of him, and yet now he was not. They’d said they couldn’t help him… that there was no way to save him from his fate other than that god-forsaken, hopeless plan…

That silver haired corrupt, the one who’d carried Faustite here, spoke the questions before they could fully form in Fafnir’s mind and he found he wanted to know the answers as well. He didn’t know if he should be shocked, angry, or hysterically happy, and all he could do was turn his eyes away from the miraculous sight to the figure of their Queen, begging silently for answers.

Cymophane crouched down next to Kamacite, his attention on his friend rather than the Queen or Faustite.

Who wasn’t a youma.

Who wasn’t even a General.

Funny, almost, that after all that he should become a General King. Not that it didn’t suit him. Not that it wasn’t deserved. It was just that they’d failed, yet they hadn’t lost anything.

They’d actually gained something.

Cymophane smiled ever so slightly. He put his arms around Kamacite and gave him a reassuring hug. He closed his eyes and held on, rubbed at Kamacite’s back, let the Rift fade in the back of his awareness, knowing they were safe.

Laurelite’s eyes darted to Taenite, and though she wore the same pressed little smile she always did, one eyebrow lifted in either amusement or offense.

“Taenite, you can’t think the Negaverse has time to play such games. It isn’t just congratulations. Though, they are warranted.”

She returned her gaze to Faustite. “I would apologize for the secrecy if I hadn’t thought it necessary.” But, she must have, because she didn’t apologize before she continued. “These things always require delicacy. Perhaps you would be surprised to know how much energy it takes to promote someone like this.”

Her eyes glided over Faustite’s form, as if she were looking for imperfections or weaknesses. “Or how much it takes to strengthen a weakened starseed before it crumbles. We have energy in reserve but there are limitations to how much we can tap into. You’ve got some very passionate supporters, though.”

She looked around at the group that had gathered there and smiled politely. “Here, and elsewhere. I came as soon as the energy was secured. But we’ll talk about that later, Faustite. For now, the important thing is that you are alive and in one piece. Though, I imagine you’re rather sore. I’ll want you back in the infirmary soon. Your situation is unique, so I won’t lie and tell you that any of us were convinced that this would work. We were hopeful, though. And glad that it did. I am sorry that you had to suffer until now. This was no show, no trial. Just timing. You did everything you could, and so did we. The Negaverse is all the better for it. I don’t usually like to do promotions like this with an audience, but given what you’ve all been through, I thought it was worth the exception. You’ll be fine, Faustite.”

She said it for him, for the rest of them.

“Metallia is proud of you. I am proud of you. We couldn’t lose you. Thank you for holding on for so long.”

Of course Laurels'd had a plan this entire time!! He should've ******** known--- Just like he shouldn't've ever doubted anything, not ever at all, not even as he'd prepared for every worst case scenario and shored himself up to face it wholeheartedly. The hell was he, just some Senshi, to have counted Metallia outta the mix.

Albite was scrubbing his bruised n bloodied face roughly clean with the edges of the too many sashes round his waistline, getting unsteadily to his feet with still wet eyes and the most sloppy smile because he still wanted to cry out -- just -- for entirely different reasons now, better reasons, happier ******** Faustite was a Sovereign!!!!

"Never--" hoarse, wet, oddly happy and it was rough going, finding his knees, dragging on Taenite to get himself somewhat semi-standing all the hell over again, and ohgod did it ache; everything ached from the top of his head to the tips of his dreads, but damn it all he was going to be standing for this!! "You absolute a*****e. Never will I ever be done gawking at you!!" barked joyously as Albite squeezed Taenites hand for good measure, tugged on the ringed fingers grasped in his own, and then launched himself towards at Faustite bodily. How could he not? How could he possibly not lay hands on Faustite and confirm he was real, there, alive! That even if he'd ******** up n failed he hadn't failed too terribly -- not nearly as badly as he could have!

Because Laurelite was standing there and Metallia was proud of them.

Poor Jet n Aqua -- he'd have to apologize to them later, for a bevy of cardinal sins he'd committed on and off the field. All the flying off the handle, n the over the top PDA, and his mentally encouraging the open display of spousal abuse between them, because it was ********' cute to watch them outta the blurry corner of his eye and imagine all the ways he'd be at Aquas door asking about protocol for being straight up married to a General King----

The ******** did that even look like when walking around the halls all normal like!? What did he tell people? How did he play this off!! Most importantly, he'd have to thank Laurelite, maybe once he got his face cleaned up and his kicked-a**-act together enough to present himself to her while not an absolute blubbering mess of mixed emotions riding rollercoaster drops and sugar-happy-highs that would've given anyone else an aneurism.

"After all the ways you ******** scared me!! If I had magic left in me I swear--" and all the things he wanted to swear to were being poured filthily through the linked earring he and his husband shared. All sorts of ridiculously erratic thoughts that had congealed into the most sickly, sappy, of loving oaths mentally transmuted in ways so loud they could probably be seen on Albites face as he wrapped his arms around Faustite like he'd need to be pried off with a crowbar. He knew they would eventually make it inside, he knew they would go back through that screaming hall and all it's shadows, but not a second sooner than before he got to feel Faustite properly and confirm the reality of what was before him. That this wasn't some fever dream, some shard of broken mind telling him the youma before him was in fact still mostly a man and not a ravenous Senshi eating machine.

Faustite was still firmly on fire and absolutely himself!!

Faustite was alive----

"Laureliteee....thankyouthankyouthankyou..."

Corrupt Super Fafnir

All this, and they could have just... waited an hour? It wouldn't have mattered if the purification had failed, things were even arguably better that it had. Fafnir didn't know how to feel about this, still. Helio had still disobeyed orders and ruined a mission. He'd still helped, even if there had been nothing else he could have done. By rights they should still be reprimanded for it. His promotion was still on uncertain ground. He hated the uncertainty, and the feeling like a fool.

As Helio pushed to his feet and rushed forward, Fafnir rose more slowly, settling on both feet with his arms loose at his sides. He wasn't one of Faustite's husbands, this time was theirs now, to celebrate the survival. Later, perhaps, he could offer his own congratulations... and accept whatever punishments the superiors decided he'd earned. There was hope that the outcome would counterbalance some of the severity, but it surely couldn't erase all of it. The whole situation left him uneasy, on uncertain ground. Unsure how he should really respond to everything, or feel about it.

He was happy for Faustite, of course he was. He was glad they had gained a General King, not lost a General. But there was a sense of being an Outsider here, despite how long he'd been part of the team and how much he had done with them. Unsure what to do with himself, when that was so rare for him. Fervently, he wished for the same thing as Faustite... that they could all just take this back inside, and he could escape.