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He is a Cloud. Flames burn purple, renewing him, consuming and burning anything in his path. He is a spreading wildfire, burning bright and scorching hot. He is a fighter, a survivor. He is a Cloud and he will roam free. Skull is proud. Skull is stubborn. Skull is a Cloud. Skull deMort, the Immortal Stuntman, the Cloud Arcobaleno. He is strong, Skull will not break. Skull... wasn't always Skull. -0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0- His name is Freak. At least, he thinks it is. Freak is a small kid. He's weak, defenceless and so young. Freak knows nothing. Freak is afraid, so very afraid. Freak just wanted it to end. Freak grew up hated. Freak grew up abused. Freak became The Boy and forced to fight a war not his own. He was used and thrown away when they no longer needed him.In the end, they sent him to the slaughter. They had moulded him into the perfect martyr. So, he died and the last of his brilliant, beautiful orange shattered and faded to make way for the purple flames of his soul. Finally, his true colour could come through. There was no one to grow tired of him, everyone who had used him was dead. By the War or his own hands. The Boy burned. He went up in flames and destroyed everything keeping him chained. The Boy became Skull and broke out of his cage. Skull is different. Skull is free. As Skull, his unable to be chained down, to be caged no more. No longer is he For the first time in his life, Skull truly feels that now he can finally soar.Skull flies through the sky, engine purring underneath him as he skillfully weaves between every dangerous stunt. He twists and he turns in the air, the roaring cheers fanning the flames and making his blood race. Skull drifts, never staying in one place for long like a true cloud. He won't be tied down, he can't be. Until Checkerface came to him with an opportunity. A chance to have a family. A family that wouldn't hate him, that wouldn't want anything from him or chain him down. He's told all about the flames, the brilliant purple fire that has saved his life so many times, and what they can do. Checkerface spins tales about mafia and the Vindice, who sound eerily like dementors to his mind. But Checkerface is a fool, in the end, and only looks at him for what he isn't. A strong, civilian Cloud that would be easy to manipulate into his plan.It's stupidly easy to hold his mask up in front of the others. He plays his part perfectly. Skull is the loud, stupid civilian that is unable to do anything right. And for some strange reason, he's a part of 'The Strongest Seven'? What a joke! Right? He's careful to hide his grins and bites back the snarky comebacks that just beg to come out. Ah, if only...But in all honesty, it's a blessing in disguise, the title 'Lackey'. No one there looks to him for guidance, for leadership and his mistakes are just that, mistakes! He can mess up and nothing happens, just a shake of the head with just there fondness and 'Of course, stupid Lackey.'He'd grown fond of the group. His protective instincts latching on and staying, not budging no matter what. They were his, his to protect, his to keep safe. The Arcobaleno were his family. So of course, with his luck, it all came crashing down. They were cursed and everything fell apart. Tensions were high and everyone was so, so angry. Angry at the world, angry at Luce for betraying them, angry at Checkerface for manipulating them, even angry at each other. Reborn, his Sun was one of the ones hit the hardest. Not to say it was easier for the others, but the Sun was the closest to the traitor Sky and Skull suspected he had a flimsy bind with her.They all scattered and once again, just like after the War, Skull doesn't know what to do. Time passes and he is dull, listless. He goes through the motions, not really registering what happens to him. Skull knows what he's doing, but it just doesn't feel real. He spends a lot of time with Death as his only companion. He keeps tabs on his family though and it's the only time he can truly feel. But then, the Curse is broken and while he's not whole again, he will be. His Lightning, ever the smart one, created a serum that allows them to grow up faster than they ever would have. The only downside, to them at least, was that for it to work and keep their flames stabilized they all had to live together. For the first time in decades since the Curse chained him down, his smile is bright and Skull throws himself at Verde for a hug.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Invited to a meeting of this scale, Skull has no choice to arrive at the perfect time. To be the last to arrive at the meeting, of course. It appeared like a meeting of very high importance, it was for the I Prescelti Sette, the Strongest Seven of the world. Skull was certain it was a trap in the first place, if not, then crawling with arrogant assholes that thought themselves above everyone else.
Being called the best tends to inflate peoples egos
just
a tiny bit.
With an echoing bang, he opens the door, entering the room with a shout, helmet tucked into his side as he barges in. Loud and obnoxious, the perfect picture of annoying civilian that knows absolutely nothing. The chair creaks when he throws himself into it and he laughs noisily, grinning smugly at the others. Back to the door, facing away and closest to the woman who seems to be in charge by the way she is seated at the head of the table. Weak, exposed, vulnerable.
He expects the suspicious glares and the judging rolls of the other's eyes. He expects the sneer from the dangerous man with black hair and the muttering of time wasted from the person hidden under the cloak. He’s prepared for this meeting, ready for whatever this new world has to throw at him.
Skull, as he has been all his life, is ready for hatred. Ready for the underestimation, the doubt, that stupid ignorance that has saved his life so many times.
He doesn’t expect the warm smile, the welcoming eyes of the woman who seems to be in charge. She feels like some twisted version of freedom, overwhelming, suffocating. Freezing, his body locks up and his heart thuds loudly in his ears. Phantom pains of knives, carving away at his very soul, making his limbs shake and his mouth dry out. Vibrant purple bores into blue and Luce reaches out to him with her Sky.
The fake smile he wears slides off his face, blood turning to ice in his veins as the world around him stops. Luce feels
familiar
and it's not in a nice way. She feels like
him
, her soul so similar to that mans and it makes his skin crawl and he needs to
leave right now before anything can cage him again
.
On instinct, he shoves his soul fire into the back of his mind and locks it down tight. The writhing, almost alive, presence of his flame vanishes from the room as if he never had flames in the first place. No one notices, at least he hopes.
She's not him.
His mind whispers to himself. He's trying to keep the memories at bay while seeming completely normal on the outside. His smile returns, his actions smooth and practised as always but on the inside, he can feel himself falling apart. Faintly, he hears Skull laughing.
He'll be okay, he tells himself. Over and over in his mind. She is not him. No matter how similar to him she is. But he needs to be
careful
. Luce doesn't feel like him for no reason, it's because she's
like him
.
Skull needs to tread carefully when it comes to this woman.
-----
Something is wrong with that Cloud and it has nothing to do with his civilian status. Viper stares from under their hood, trying to figure out this enigma of an element who has come to claim a seat at the table of The Strongest Seven.
Nothing
fits
. Why would a civilian have an invitation to a meeting of the strongest flame users in the world, a meeting of
mafia
? Why would a civilian be Active in the first place and not be taken in by a family? A civilian
Cloud
at that. Clouds are rare, even the weakest Clouds are something like a trophy in their world, so how could a person like this go unchecked for so long?
Maybe the Cloud has only recently became Active, but that doesn't explain his strength or the control he has over his flames (no one else had noticed, but Viper has enough experience with matters of the soul and flames to tell when someone knows how to use them and
well
) when he closed himself off from the Sky. It doesn't explain why he acts so different from a true cloud. Every theory they could think up to answer their questions leaves hundreds more left unanswered.
Something isn't right and it bothers them.
The strangest thing isn't even that though. He's not afraid of any of them, not even wary. When the Cloud had barged into the room, he held no fear of the other five. The Cloud was comfortable with them, with mafioso that he was supposed to have zero connections too.
He was fine with them, but not with the Sky they were called to meet.
Why the Sky? Isn't that what most Elements aim for with their life? Why was it that the Cloud acted like they posed no threat to him, but was cautious with the Sky?
It was as if Skull was terrified of the Sky, the member that posed the least threat. She was a pregnant Sky separated from her elements surrounded by the strongest elements in the world that were more threatening and deadly than she could ever be in this situation. And yet...
Skull had never left his back open to the Sky, never letting the woman leave his line of sight. He hadn't accepted anything she had offered him either, even as she pressed down on him with the weight of her flames.
It was
strange
, Viper mused. But it was interesting. Maybe they should keep an eye on this strange Cloud...