⠀
( saint’s palm landed 𝑐lean .
the heel of it cracked hard across darius’ lower jaw , snapping his head sideways &&. sending a hot—white pulse through his skull . his teeth cut into the inside of his cheek . something along the hinge protested sharply enough that , ⤸
⠀⠀
Replying to @ASSISTlNG
⠀
lower limbs against darius and himself. slamming upwards into soft space between abdomen and ribs ﹚
⠀⠀
mouth twisted . )
𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗙𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗘 , 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗣𝗜𝗗 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗗——- I’M TRYING TO HELP 𝒀𝐎𝐔 .
( another pulse of red heat rolled through his palm . HARSHER , this time . his eyes never left the 𝐫ing . )
𝑶𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐓 .
( … , despite all ⤸
⠀⠀
゛𝐑aging , 𝐑ighteous . retweeted
/ oomfs are finding me at a very orange time of my life please. please darius is fighting him to get that orange ring off our dear normal saint will return Soon Have faith have HOPE
⠀
scarlet light burned at its head , wrapped tightly around something unmistakably alive ⠀⠀…⠀⠀ flesh carried inside enough energy to turn a man into a PROJECTILE .
whatever was coming had chosen a line directly through her position .
no hesitation .
no coincidence ⤸
⠀
⠀
swallowed him whole .
he left earth in a scarlet ascent , carving through cloud &&. atmosphere beneath a discipline almost at odds with the violence carrying him upward . the ring mapped aircraft , satellites , tumbling debris——- every obstacle between ground and open ⤸
⠀
⠀
and somewhere beyond those impossible distances , @psibird would feel something answer .
a presence sharpened by rage came tearing through the dark at a velocity that rendered distance meaningless , neither slowing nor veering once it found her across the cosmos . ⤸
⠀
⠀
creation itself .
stars stretched into pale wounds around him . solar systems seemed to collapse backward into distance as whatever waited at the edge of the sector grew louder inside his senses——- not merely fear now , but vast enough to make fear feel like an 𝑒cho . ⤸
⠀
⠀
dark , faster than conscious thought could follow .
only when the blue curvature of the planet sank behind him , and near—earth space opened into clean black , did that restraint finally disappear .
⠀⠀⠀…
FTL took him like a round fired from the chamber of ⤸
⠀⠀
⠀
darius felt it before the ring ever thought to warn him . fear rolled through sector 2814 like a pressure front , immense &&. unnatural , carrying rage beneath it , grief beneath that , and something 𝑠tranger still threaded through all three .
his hand settled against ⤸
⠀
⠀
the red lantern battery with none of the urgency the moment deserved . his expression simply went still as the name surfaced anyway .
“ p͟a͟r͟a͟l͟l͟a͟x . ”
the ring touched crimson metal .
light bled across his knuckles as darius began , voice low &&. measured . ⤸
⠀⠀





