I Die to Rise: Resurrection System-Chapter 59: Absorbed Madness!

Rook stretched out his hand, and the sounds of Emma and Lizzie screaming drowned beneath the roar of the explosion and his resolve.

Kurt heard nothing except the sudden shift in the air, and saw nothing except the blinding white light that had been expanding outward, ready to vaporize everything for miles.

The explosion suddenly began to reverse direction, flowing backward. The Nuclear Titan’s critical mass, the nuke that would erase everything was being sucked in.

"What the hell’s going on?!" Kurt shouted, his eyes wide as streams of energy curved through the air, all of it funneling directly into Rook’s outstretched palm.

Lizzie grabbed Kurt’s arm, her voice rising in panic. "He’s absorbing it! He’s absorbing the explosion! Kurt, he doesn’t do energy... he NEVER does energy because it gives him a huge power boost but it messes with his head! Like, scrambles his brain, makes him go full berserker, and—"

"Lizzie!" Emma snapped. "Not helping!"

But Lizzie kept rambling, her words tumbling over each other. "Last time he did this, he went on a rampage for three days! Destroyed an entire city in the D-rank district! Rook doesn’t even remember doing it! He woke up in a crater with no pants and—"

"LIZZIE!"

The energy kept swirling into Rook, a vortex of white light spiraling into his body, and his entire frame began to tremble. He dropped to one knee, his hand still raised, teeth gritted so hard his jaw looked ready to shatter.

"Rook, stop!" Emma shouted, but her voice didn’t reach him. "So help me God, I’ll shove Storm King so deep up your ass, you’ll taste lightning!" She protested but Rook kept going.

Thin, glowing cracks began to spread across Rook’s skin. Fissures that spread like spiderwebs across his arms, his neck, his face.

Steam hissed from the fractures. But he still didn’t stop. He pushed forward, step by agonizing step, until his hand finally closed around Braun’s massive shoulder.

"What—?" Braun’s eyes went wide, his mouth opening in a silent scream as the energy was torn from his body.

His fifteen-foot form began to shrink, collapsing inward like a deflating balloon. Twelve feet. Nine feet. Seven feet, returning to his base. Then Rook’s hand plunged into Braun’s chest.

There was a wet, sickening sound of flesh tearing, bone cracking, and when Rook pulled his arm back, he held Braun’s still beating heart in his hand.

Braun’s body collapsed to the ground, lifeless. The white light faded entirely, leaving only smoke and silence.

There was an unnatural stillness afterwards as no one moved. They all stood frozen, staring at Rook’s back, and Kurt could feel the tension radiating from the others.

Emma’s grip on Storm King tightened. Cassandra’s hand hovered near her blade, and Lizzie had gone completely still, her usual vibe replaced by something that looked disturbingly like fear.

Kurt swallowed hard and took a cautious step forward. "Rook? Buddy? You okay?"

Rook didn’t answer. He just stood there, breathing heavily, and when his hand opened, the heart dropped to the ground with a wet thud, blood pooling around it.

Kurt’s stomach twisted. "Rook?"

Rook turned slowly, and Kurt saw it. His eyes were wrong. The calm, controlled blue was gone, replaced by something feral and wild.

His pupils were dilated, his breathing ragged, and the cracks in his skin still glowed faintly with residual energy.

One second he was ten feet away. The next, his hand was wrapped around Kurt’s throat, lifting him off the ground.

Kurt choked, feet kicking as he was lifted off the ground. His hands clawing at Rook’s wrist, but it was like trying to pry open a steel vice. "R-Rook—!"

Emma immediately aimed her spear at Rook’s head. "ROOK! Let him go!"

But Rook didn’t even glance at her. His eyes were locked on Kurt, and there was no recognition there. No humanity. Just raw, unfiltered rage.

"No, no, no—" Lizzie’s hands flew to her mouth, while Cassandra drew her blade, saying nothing.

Rook’s grip tightened and Kurt coughed, laughing even while gasping for air. "H-hey, mate... easy... it’s me..."

"Stand down Rook," Cassandra said, pointing her blade at him.

"Bloody hell," Kurt wheezed, grinning through the pain. "You’ve got a hell of a grip, mate."

Emma’s voice cracked. "Kurt, this isn’t funny!"

"I know!" Kurt coughed again, his vision starting to blur. "But if I’m gonna die, might as well go out with a joke, yeah?"

"Kurt. Always thinks everything’s a joke," Rook finally spoke, his grip tightening.

"Ah... so you can... talk," Kurt taunted with a strained voice. "Thought you... were both mad.. and dumb."

Rook ignored Kurt’s jab at him, flexing his free hand, as the cracks glowed brighter across his skin. "You feel that? All of it... mine now."

Emma’s spear began to crackle with lightning. "Rook, snap out of it! Don’t make me hurt you."

Rook laughed, his voice distorted. "Hurt me? Please Emma, let’s not kid ourselves."

He swung a fist at the air and the shockwave alone sent all three of them diving. "Weak! All of you, always so weak! You needed me to save you again!"

Cassandra stepped forward, her blade raised but not attacking. "Rook," she said, her voice cold and measured. "You’re not thinking clearly. Look at who you’re holding."

"I’m seeing a whole lot more clearly, thank you. And you know, I’m beginning to think this whole mess was your fault, Cassandra." He took slow steps towards her while Kurt choked in his grip.

Kurt’s feet kicked weakly, and his hands fell limp. His vision was tunneling now, darkness creeping in from the edges, and he could feel his consciousness slipping.

Then Lizzie’s voice cut through the chaos. "Rook, please!" It wasn’t her usual energetic rambling. It was small, broken and desperate.

"You promised," Lizzie whispered, tears streaming down her face. "You promised you’d never do this again. Y-You promised you’d teach me that stupid hammer throw!"

Rook’s hand trembled.

"We’re your family," Emma said, her voice tight. She lowered Storm King slowly. "We’re not your enemies. We’re your family."

Cassandra sheathed her blade entirely. "Perhaps you’re right. But I’ve come to appreciate this guild... and as much as I hate to admit it, the people in it."

Kurt’s lips moved, barely audible. "Come on, Rook... don’t... make me haunt you..."

Rook’s eyes flickered. The feral glow dimmed slightly, and for just a moment, clarity returned.

He looked down at Kurt, at the way his face had gone pale, at the way his body had gone limp, and his expression shifted. Horror replaced rage, and he quickly released him.

Kurt collapsed to the ground, gasping and coughing, his hands clutching his throat. Emma was beside him in an instant, helping him sit up, and Lizzie rushed over, her healing glow already surrounding him.

Rook staggered backward, staring at his hands like they belonged to someone else. "I... I didn’t..."

"It’s okay," Emma said quickly, though her voice was shaking. "You stopped. You’re okay."

Rook dropped to his knees, breathing hard, and the cracks in his skin began to fade. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."

Kurt waved a hand dismissively, still coughing. His voice came out raspy, damaged. "No harm done, mate. Well... minimal harm."

Lizzie punched his shoulder weakly. "Don’t joke about that!"

They sat there for a long moment, all of them breathing hard, exhausted down to their bones. Kurt finally sighed, leaning back on his hands, and looked up at the smoke-filled sky.

"It’s finally over," he muttered.

Suddenly, a pool of shadow that wasn’t there a second ago formed in their midst, and from it emerged Zaza.

She straightened, brushing dust from her dress, and looked around with mild curiosity, before her gaze landed on Braun’s corpse, and she tilted her head. "Oh?"

Everyone went on alert immediately. Emma raised Storm King, Cassandra’s hand moved to her blade, and even Kurt pushed himself to his feet despite the pain.

Lizzie squinted at her. "Who’s the creepy emo chick?"

Zaza’s blank expression didn’t change, but she spoke softly, pushing her glasses up her nose a bit. "That’s rude."

Kurt stepped forward cautiously, one hand still rubbing his throat. "You lost, love?"

His eyes moving to Cassandra, whose blade was already halfway out of its sheath. "Third Lieutenant. Zaza Gates," she said. And Kurt understood in that moment that they were screwed.

Zaza waved at Cassandra, her expression still blank. "Hey, Cassandra."

Then her gaze shifted to Kurt, and her eyes began to glow faintly purple. She tilted her head, studying him with the same fascination someone might give a particularly interesting insect.

"Will you let me see it again?" Zaza asked, her voice soft and almost curious. "Will you... die for me?"