"-the subjugation of the Violet Titan has been completed"
The Nightmare squad stopped in their tracks as the voice came through their earpieces. All of them turned around to look at the city in the distance.
They were well over a hundred miles away from Westridge, their feet digging into the sand as they traveled at full speed to avoid the destruction that could potentially result from a fight against a Violet Titan.
The last time a Titan class Void Creature subjugation occurred, it had taken the lives of countless powerful Awakeners, including two of the most powerful existences only second to the Harbingers.
And yet the Harbinger cleared it alone within a short time, alone. The shockwaves of their grand battle had reached them, only serving to further mystify the image of the Harbinger in their minds.
The leader looked at the city with a hint of reverence in her eyes. She clutched the severed hand in her arms and bowed deeply, gratitude radiating from her actions.
Straightening and turning to her squad members, the woman possessed a new steeled look in her eyes.
"Let's hurry along, we have to report back to the headquarters"
-
"-the subjugation of the Violet Titan has been completed"
Emerald froze when she heard the voice come through her communication device, her bright green eyes widening in shock.
It hadn't even been an hour, and yet the Void Creature had already been slayed. A Titan class was already horrific enough, capable of threatening the continent, yet it was a Violet Titan, whose strength is many times greater.
The woman smiled, pushing up her glasses, "His strength has not dwindled in the slightest…As expected…"
Her mind wandered to one thousand years ago, when she was a little girl. She recalled a scene from her childhood, staring at the tall and imposing back of the man that had saved her life...
Meanwhile, back at Westridge, Noah let out another sigh. He put on his glove again, covering the tattoo on his right hand. He looked tired and lonely, shoulders too tense to droop down to reveal the weight he carried.
There was no visage of victory present on his face, only slight curiosity and confusion.
"That was much too weak to be a Violet Titan..."
While weaker variants of Void Creatures exist in their respective ranks, a Titan is much more than its immense size. They were monsters in their own category, each more powerful than the last. But they were anything but weak.
Furthermore, Aberrations and Titans were worlds apart, so it was impossible for the energy readings to be off by this much. The Violet Titan didn't even possess any concealment abilities from what Noah had witnessed, so that was off the table.
Noah shook his head, putting these thoughts to the back of his head. There was too much happening for him to spend this much time on a small matter.
He looked up at the sky, taking in deep breaths.
"I can't believe it's been one thousand years already..."
His voice was low, full of resonance and melancholy. And yet that tense feeling was omnipresent, as if he could not lighten up for even a second.
Noah looked down, scanning the empty city below with questions streaming through his mind.
Where did the past Harbingers go when they are immortal? Will there be enough positive energy for a Harbinger of Positivity to be born? What role will he play in this cycle?
Can he stop the cycle?
There was no one to answer his questions in the lonely sky, only the future that has yet to come, yet inevitable all the same. Only with enough time will the truth be revealed...
Then the first lights of the sun broke through the horizon, a deep orange hue seeping into the darkness, cleansing the shadows and the world of its impurity.
Noah had stayed where he slayed the Violet Titan, his lone figure in the sky catching all of the sun's rays. The bright lights shone across his face, bringing some life to his cold expression. The beauty of the world can heal even the coldest, darkest, hearts.
At last he moved, shadows encasing his body from head to toe before disappearing completely, leaving Westridge where the specialists were just arriving to prepare to clean up the remains of the Violet Titan.
-
Inside a large fortified skyscraper, tens of thousands of people walked about as a bustling city full of civilians lived below them.
More accurately, it was tens of thousands of Awakeners, Purifiers to be exact.
It was the tallest building in the world and the main headquarters used by Purifiers to gather to socialize, perform various tasks, and delegate requests made by other people.
A hundred miles away, an elegant palace had been carved out of an entire mountain, the resting place of Corruptors and serving a similar purpose. Its stone halls were etched in darkness despite the glow of the bright morning sun, and a constant tension remained in the air, as if a battle could erupt in an instant.
Two immense powers, two sides of the same coin, polar opposites, situated just one hundred miles away from each other. In the eyes of Awakeners, that was not a large distance.
So why did the two types of Awakeners that disdain each other to the very core decide to be so close to one another?
Right in the middle of the two headquarters was a city housing the most magnificent and modern facility. A three acre area built with only the most expensive materials, creating an architectural marvel worth trillions.
The Global Awakener Institute, a place where the strongest Awakeners, Purifiers and Corruptors alike, gather to make policies, judge situations, and progress toward the future together. Inside were some of the best centers for medicine, training, and more, further boosting its value and capable of making any Awakener drool.
Suddenly, the winds shifted, becoming heavier in presence. Hundreds of people approached the glass doors, entering with a quick scan of their wristbands.
It was a diverse group of all genders and looks, yet they all possessed similarities.
Donning black uniforms with differing symbols on their backs, they gathered into uniform rows and stood straight with their hands clasped behind their backs.
Eclipse
Night Weavers
Nightfall
Nightmare
Revenant
Void Reapers
Every single one of them stood at attention inside a marble hall, looking up at an elevated platform. The entire place was pristine and white in color, a direct contrast to the black uniforms that jut out like specks of dust.
Without warning, the temperature dropped enough for one's breath to be seen and the lights dimmed visibly. Every single person within the hall dropped down to one knee, with one fist planted and their heads lowered.
Atop the platform, a podium rose from the ground. Shadows converged behind the podium, growing darker against the white hall. It rose, solidifying into more defined features, gaining color, texture, life.
Noah Blackwell opened his eyes, the modern expanse stretching before him. The dimmed lights shined brightly again, and the temperature returned to normal. His cold gaze pierced through everyone present, as if he could see their secrets hidden beneath.
"Rise"