Chapter 159. Emptiness
Wolfram had just revealed himself to be Denki’s parents' murderer. I clutched my chest tighter as I felt as though my heart would burst out if I didn’t put pressure on it. I was hyperventilating, and I could feel Denki slowly fading inside of me. I don’t know what was happening, but Denki wasn’t mad right now. He was sad, so filled with grief that it made it seem that he didn’t even want to go on. I could feel Denki slowly dying inside of me. I fell to my knees as I clutched my chest with one hand and my head in my other.
In between gasps for air I cried out for Denki. “Denki! Stay with me! Don’t leave me! Please! I need you!” I pleaded for him to come back, to not leave my side. I didn’t want to lose my partner… My friend. Wolfram chuckled while walking over to me. “I think I broke him.” After he said that in his mocking tone, I felt hatred. He had ruined Denki’s life, and was killing him right in front of me. I stopped reaching out for Denki, and slowly stood up and snapped my vision to just stare at Wolfram with wide unblinking eyes, and a blank expression, that showed the emptiness that I felt right now.
Wolfram stuttered back a bit from seeing me as Nemuri ran in the room. I never noticed her, or how David Shield was having flash backs while he just stared at me full of grief. all I had in my vision was red. This wasn’t Denki influencing me right now. I didn’t find any fun or joy from the anger that I felt, or the fear I was causing. I just wanted to destroy every atom that bonded Wolfram together. “You… You killed his parents, and now he is gone… It’s just me now…” I spoke darkly and full of bloodlust. Never speaking louder than a low tone, that somehow managed to travel across the whole room, and froze anyone that heard it.
I slowly opened the box that I had in my hands, never breaking eye contact with Wolfram who was trying to gather the courage to move, knowing full well that if he so much as tried anything I could kill him on the spot. “You have taken away Denki… It’s just me now… You killed him…” Those were the only thoughts that I could say right now. I felt so empty inside without him. He was always by my side, and gave me so much help all of the time. He was more broken than I was, but he always gave me everything he had to help. He was the best friend a person could ask for.
“And you took him away from me…” Wolfram baring his fangs yelled out to me. “What the hell are you!?” I stared at the helmet in my hands in thought of what I was. I wanted to do what's best for everyone, but I failed at every turn. I wanted to protect others but failed to protect my partner. “I don’t know what I am… You took away the part that truly knew, away from me…” I looked back at Wolfram who had his hands to the ground. He already activated the metal around him to tie me down, but I quickly went into 'Overdrive' to out maneuver the metal, and put the helmet on before he got my arms.
Turning it on I could feel my body was starting to change drastically. My body was able to create so much more electricity that I felt like I could never run out. I steamed and my entire body started to glow, as the red lines on my left arm started to grow over my body, and shine through my clothes. My hair was standing on end through the gaps in the helmet, and caused the helmet to spark as well from how I was powering the helmet even more, causing a feedback loop of more power begetting more power. My arm had become completely red, and almost looked white hot in places. I stared at Wolfram who’s face had changed from checkmate to checkmated in an instant. My heated up my left arm quickly melted the metal off of me, my eyes never leaving from Wolfram. I was able to keep all of the electricity in my body at this point to stop from accidently shocking Wolfram to early. I wanted to grab him with my own hands. Wolfram kept moving back while using more metal to stop me but it only slowed me down with how much power I was putting through my left arm, and how slowly my body was becoming too hot for the metal to stay on me as well.
Wolfram screamed while continuously trying to stop me as I slowly gained ground on him, until he suddenly fell on the ground in a slump. I then could smell something sweet in the air as my watch started beeping at me. I looked over and finally noticed the audience we had. I felt tired from Nemuri’s quirk, but I didn’t want to sleep yet. I took off the helmet and melted it as I did so, and with that, the lines covering my body were slowly receding back to my left arm. I then felt comfortable with passing out, I didn’t want to feel like this anymore. With those thoughts in mind I let the gas take me, and passed out next to Wolfram.
I opened my eyes to be inside of the void again. “Denki! Denki! Please come back!” I yelled for anything to bring Denki back to me, but I was alone in this void of nothingness. After realizing that, I sat down and started to weep from all of my grief of my fallen friend. As I was doing that I could feel my body slowly being wrapped by someone. I quickly looked up to see a woman with dirty blonde hair that had her bangs cover her left eye. I instinctively knew this was Denki’s mother.
I stared at her with shock as she gave me a large happy smile. Seeing this just made me cry harder. I looked down, refusing to meet her gaze while explaining to her. “I failed your son… He’s gone now, and I failed to keep him safe… I’m so sorry…” tears fell as I just acknowledged how bad I failed my partner. I could then feel Denki’s mom start to pet my hair calmly. I slowly looked up to see she still had that large smile on, as if to say that I was worrying over nothing.
She began to talk with that big smile, in a soothing voice. “You saved my son when you first met him. I was so scared he might take the easy way out. I’ve seen him grow with you in ways that I would have never believed. I’m glad he found a great friend in you.” She then gave me another hug as I stammered with confusion. She laughed a bit before getting me to look her in the eye.
She moved her hair to showcase an eyepatch blocking her left eye from being seen. “Life is messy. We make mistakes, and screw up. I’ve screwed up a lot more than most.” She laughed a little before continuing on. “As long as you keep trying your hardest, and never give up on him, he will always do the same for you.” And just as she said that I could feel her disappearing. She looked at herself a bit to notice this though. “Oh… Looks like my time is up! Don’t worry, I’m sure my son isn’t gone… You’ll be with him soon enough.”
And with those parting words I could feel myself waking up. I woke up with a start and tried to reach out in the air to talk with Denki’s mother more. There was nothing there for me to catch as I was in the dark. I looked around to see I was sleeping on the large bed in our hotel with all of the girls surrounding me. They were all fast asleep though, I didn’t know the time but it was late, the only light was coming from a dim lamp in the corner of the room. I then noticed Nemuri on a seat by the bed just staring at me.
As soon as we both matched each other's gaze Nemuri said with a very serious voice that gave me chills. “Who are you right now?”