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His rage consumed him, billowing out into a fiery form that could, and was, shattering galaxies as he rushed forward, anger pushing him onward, DRIVING him to kill the Aeon and simulation in front of him, to finally FREE everyone he loved from this wretched cycle. His partner was waiting for him, his friends were counting on him, he NEEDED to succeed, and-
He was falling. He had managed not but a scratch upon that arrogant fools face. He could only imagine the rage that damn Theoros was feeling, yet he couldnt care less. He had failed. The simulation of whatever that THING was, probably another Lord Ravager, his mind bitterly thought, had been too much for him in the end. Even now, he still wasn't strong enough, even now HE was not ENOUGH. He could not save them, he could not save himself, he could not save anything.
As his body began to fade, absorbed by the damn Iron Tomb that Lygus was so infatuated with, he took one last look at The Destructions face, and felt it.
The gaze was something he had felt before, many times on this cycle in fact. It was a comfort, even if it was a blazing heat. Yet why was it here now? Was his partner watching him somehow? Watching his failure? He hoped not; he doesn't think he could bear it truthfully. Yet no, fading though his vision was, he knew they weren't there, they were elsewhere, about to be sent back to fix everything.
It was the Aeon, he realized, Nanook's gaze felt the same as theirs, and as he plummeted, he saw the emotions in THEIR eyes, subtle, hidden behind THEIR face of permanent indifference and yet he could read them all the same. Pain and Rage were expected, yet not directed at what he thought.
The Pain was towards him, a pain he had felt many times before, a pain only brought about by seeing a comrade fall, or worse, having done so yourself. He felt it himself so many times as he ripped the coreflames from his friends' chests. As he slaughtered them to save them. As Mydie had breathed his…
The rage was not, it was at something else, the black tide that was consuming him, the THING that caused this whole simulation, why? Was this not one of THEIR chosen?
He had not expected sorrow, as though what was happening HURT them to see, as though THEY CARED as he fell, wingless, dying, a failure.
Yet there was pride too, of what small thing he had accomplished, of the heights he had risen to; it was all so confusing, he couldn't make sense of it! Why! Why were THEY feeling this?! Why did THEIR gaze feel so much like-
And it clicked.
And he RAGED.
The HATE in his chest reignited for the 33,550,337th time, his fury billowing outward as he realized why. His partner was doomed to a similar fate as he, and yet so so much worse.
And as he was finally subsumed by the Virus known as Lord Ravager Irontomb, The Deliverer screamed a furious scream, for yet again he could do nothing to save someone he held dear.
Nanook would become his partner, and his partner would become Nanook.
And he could do nothing to stop it.