Chapter 03: Will of the Blue Moon

 

  Meanwhile, somewhere very close...

 

  "S-so cold... Can't see... Is this...?"

 

  Suddenly, moving images flashed right before his eyes.  One picture was showing a boy - about six years old - who was crying out loud as his parents tried to get him out of the house.  They were supposed to go to hear mass, but he didn't want to because his favorite show was on air that time.

 

  Then there was the same boy in the other, but he was older this time - who was playing video games.  He looked really focused, as if he was trying really hard just to stay alive in the game.  Just then, somebody called out to him - and he lost a life.

 

  Another was showing him talking to a girl who had her right arm bandaged.  Another girl appeared, and it suddenly got hot around him.  The new girl was telling them off, and the heat suddenly disappeared.  But then he heard a scream - a man's voice - and he pulled the girl who he was first taking to towards his back, and he covered his face with something.  It was all black after that.

 

  "This is... my memory... so am I..."

  "You are not dead, but you are not alive either.”

  "W-who's there?"

  "Had it not been for my powers, you would have gone straight to the other side."

 

  A bright blue light pierced through the darkness, and Axess went to its source

 

  "Your actions earlier have given me hints, but I still was uncertain."

  "Uncertain? Of what?"

  "I have looked into your heart, and have finally found you.  The one who has received the will."

 

  The light then traveled to his right arm, and everything grew suddenly brighter.

 

  "What kind of heartless monster are you?" Tina shouted, who was supporting Stream

  "I am Arctic Hydra, and I have been sent to make sure you infidels are erased from this world."

  "Sent? by who?" Stream asked

  "No need to know - it won't do you any good once you die..."

 

  All of a sudden, a brilliant blue light shone radiated the area.  It was coming from Axess's ice cube.

 

  "W-what is that?" Tina asked, looking back

  "This light..." Stream said, pained and weak

  "HMPH!"

 

  Arctic Hydra's dragonheads attacked the light source all at once

 

  "Impossible!!! No effect?"

 

  All the bullets he shot were immediately disintegrated the moment they came into contact with the light

 

  'My right arm...'

  'You have unlocked the seal of my power.  I give it to you to use as you wish.'

  'I can feel it! Power is surging through my body!'

 

  The light then grew weaker, but it still remained there.  There was just enough light for everyone to see that Axess broke out of the ice block, and something seemed different.  He was no longer wearing an armguard; instead, his lower right arm was completely covered in something that looks like an arm-mounted cannon.  However, he could still feel his right hand, and it was still holding the armguard's grip like before.  The light was coming from a blue orb that was attached to where a hand was supposed to be.

 

  "AXESS!!!" Manny shouted in joy

  "No way..." Stream said in amazement "He's the one?"

 

  'Now go! The enemy is right in front of you.'

  'Yes, but what do I do?'

  'Focus the power in your right hand.'

 

  Axess focused everything on his right arm.  He could feel the heat of the energy gathering in the arm-mounted cannon.

 

  'Like this?'

  'Right.  NOW AIM!!!'

 

  The voice had a commanding tone in it that Axess just did what he was told.  He just pointed his cannon at the dragonhead that is right in front of him.  Axess then felt the gathered energy leave from his right arm, and he saw it shoot out of his cannon.  It was a direct hit on the target, and it was completely destroyed.

 

  "W-what did I just do?"

  'JUMP FORWARD!!!'

 

  Again, Axess just did as he told.  It was a good thing, because the remaining dragonheads attacked him.  Axess got up, and turned around

 

  "So there are four of them remaining..."

  "Don't just stand there! Use the Blue Buster again!!!" Stream shouted

  "You... Huh!?"

 

  Axess saw that all of the dragonheads were preparing to attack again, but two of them weren't aiming for him.

 

  "Please don't let me miss!" He said, as he once again collected energy. 

 

  Axess fired two shots from his cannon.  He didn't know how, but it seemed that he just knew how to stop all the energy from releasing at once so he could make another shot.  One of the heads was down for the count, but the other was able to evade it.

 

  'MOVE!!!'

 

  He warned Stream and Tina, as he too evaded the attack from the other two dragonheads.  The dragonhead that Axess missed was still aiming to attack the two girls.

 

  "What do you think you're doing? Use the Eagle Eyes so you won't miss!" Stream screamed as she and Tina landed to safety

  "Eagle Eyes?" Axess asked, as he kept dodging the attacks "Huh?"

 

  All of a sudden, Axess was able to see the dragon head that was coming from his back - without looking.  At the same time, he is also seeing the other two dragonheads that are right in front of him.

 

  Axess saw that the dragonhead behind him was about to attack, and he jumped sideways to avoid it.  As he did, he once again charged up his cannon.  The moment he landed, he aimed at it without even looking at it.  Like before, the collected energy just went out by itself, and it took out that dragon robot.  He then quickly re-gathered his power, and this time aimed for the dragonhead that was right in front of him.  It too was taken out.  Axess then turned and faced the last one.

 

  "So, this is the sealed power.  The one that must never be wielded..." the robot said, which was now only a dragonhead

  "BE GONE!!!"

 

  In one swift motion, Axess raised his right rand and fired a shot directly at it.  However, it was able to evade it

 

  "You're slow... DRAGON VULCAN!!!"

 

  The dragon fired continuous shots at Axess, which he dodged by rolling sidewards to his right.

 

  "Where did it go?" Axess said, as he saw it suddenly disappear while he was rolling

 

  Suddenly, something came up from behind Axess.  The dragon robot used the building so he could go around unnoticed

 

  "What the..."

  "You dropped your guard, boy.  FROZEN SNIPER!!!"

 

  Arctic Hydra launched the same missile attack that he used on Stream

 

  "I can do this!!!" Axess said, as he aimed at the missile

  "Stop! The Blue Buster isn't strong enough for this."

  "Huh?"

 

  Axess jumped backwards just in time.  Had he not, he would've been worse than an ice cube.  That missile created a wide hole in the roof, and it went though the other floors.  In addition, the surrounding area by the holes was frozen solid as well.

 

  'That missile... that was what attacked Stream before she fell off' Axess thought

  ‘And I wouldn't be able to take another hit of it.’ Said the same inner voice

  ‘So what should I do?’

  ‘Focus all your power while evading his attacks’

  ‘Didn't you say that wasn't strong enough?’

  ‘The Blue Buster doesn't need ALL of your powers’

 

  Arctic Hydra launched a volley of bullets at Axess again.

 

  'Just hope this works...' he thought as he once again started dodging

 

  Hydra just kept bombarding with volleys, which Axess successfully dodged.

 

  'Is this okay?'

  'This would not do.  More...'

  'It's not easy evading, you know...’

 

  "Hey, you!" Manny shouted "The one with the staff!"

 

  Tina looked at him

 

  "Why are you just standing there?  Use your fire powers to help Axess!!!"

 

  She was definitely dumbstruck at this, for she too did not know the answer to that question.

 

  "He's right, you know..."

  "Stream!"

  "I'm gonna be okay.  You go and help him out..."

  "Stream... Roger!" she said as she gently let go of her.

  "Don't worry - I'll look after her for you..." Manny said, as he went to where the two are

  "I'm counting on you..." Tina said as she took off.

 

  Hydra was concentrating too much on Axess that Tina was able to sneak behind him.  She was careful not to get too near, or the blue gas coming out from behind it would freeze her.

 

  'I've used up too much of my power to boost the Atomic Fire to its maximum power.  Fire Storm's not that strong as well...'

 

  From where she was, she could clearly see that the gun barrel in Hydra's mouth is completely unprotected

 

  "That's it! FIRE STORM!!!"

 

  It was a direct hit, right under its chin.  It wasn't that powerful to completely take it out, but she was able to do that to the weapon mechanism

 

  "How dare you!!" Hydra shouted in anger as he turned around

 

  "What of it?  You don't have any weapons left, so you can't do anything."

  "Don't underestimate me, girl"

 

  Hydra charged at her, spewing more of the blue gas from his nose

 

  "No way!!!" Tina said, as she jumped sideways to her left away from the gas.

 

  Hydra quickly changed direction and went after Tina again. 

 

  "Ugh!"

 

  Tina tried to get up, but something in her left leg stopped her

 

  "TINA!!!" Axess shouted

 

  She sprained her ankle as she jumped away.  Hydra was still coming in close.

 

  'Damn it! Not yet?'

  'Just a little more... There!!!'

 

  Axess raised again his right hand, and aimed his cannon at Hydra

 

  "Get away from her!!! LUNAR LASER!!!"

 

  Hydra did not even have time to turn around.  A thick laser beam emmitted from the cannon, and it pierced straight through the robot.  It immediately exploded into nothing.

 

  "TINA!!!" Axess shouted

 

  She was caught up in the explosion that he himself caused

 

  "N-no way..." He said weakly, as he fell on his knees.

 

  "Don't jump to conclusions just yet..." Manny said

  "What're you -" Stream asked

  "Look closely..."

 

The explosion covered the area in a thick cloud of smoke.  It would be impossible for the naked human eye to see anything through it, but Axess was able to do so using his Eagle Eyes.

 

He was able to see something that looked like a giant sphere of flame.  Axess immediately hurried towards it.  As he got closer, the flames disappeared.

 

  "Tina!!!" Axess shouted in joy

  "*cough**cough* That was close...*cough*" Tina said, who was hidden inside the giant sphere of flame

  "Thank goodness..." Axess sighed with releif, as he offered his right hand to her

  "What am I supposed to hold?" Tina said, still coughing

 

  Axess noticed it.  His right arm was still inside the arm-mounted cannon.  The orb was no longer shining, however.  Axess moved it closer to him, examining it

 

  'W-what IS this?' Axess thought as he examined it.  He then moved his eyes closer to the orb.  All of a sudden, it glowed brightly once more.

 

  "What the..." Axess said, moving it away from his eyes

 

  "WOAH!" Manny shouted

 

  It wasn't only Axess's orb that was glowing.  Something in Stream's left hand was giving off a brilliant red light

 

  "I-is this..." Stream said, as she took out her dagger.  The light was coming from her orb.

 

  Out of nowhere, the orbs started taking in something from the air, as if they were vacuuming something in.  Axess wasn't sure what it was, but he noticed that the ice that froze things around him was disappearing as well.  When the orbs stopped glowing, all the ice was gone.

 

  "W-what just happened?" Axess asked, as he examined the orb again - from a distance this time.

 

  And just like the light appeared out of nowhere, darkness covered Axess's eyes.  He suddenly felt weak, as if drained of all energy.