Destiny Islands Movie: The Crimson Eclipse of Babylon City and the Evil Rose
The Midnight Gate to Babylon
The air at the end of the defunct industrial Beltline didn't just smell like rust and old oil; it was heavy with static and a strange, sweet, ozone-like scent that was entirely wrong. Above, the sky was a deep violet-black, a permanent condition within a two-mile radius.
"This is it," Kyogi Kagimi said, gesturing with an open palm toward a monolithic, seamless structure rising directly out of the cracked asphalt. It wasn't a gate, or a road, but a tower of polished obsidian. "This marks the end of the Beltline. It's also the main gate-elevator to Babylon City."
"Which means we're in the right place, I suppose," Masaki Kursu muttered. "Or the exact wrong one."
The collective assembled was, to put it mildly, unstable. It was a fusion of the most dangerous and displaced minds in existence. Kyogi, the master of shadows and intelligence from Get Backers, stood next to his fellow "Get Backer," the blonde Ban Mido, whose eyes were unusually dark with concentration.
Towering behind them, seemingly indifferent to the reality of the others, was Xemnas. He was a being of total Void, his silver hair a contrasting beacon in the dark, and his face a mask of profound, detached nihilism. He didn't look at the gate; he looked through it.
Across from him, looking utterly and tragically out of place, was Usagi Tsukino—Sailor Moon. She was in her full Senshi form, her long twin tails a splash of light and gold, but her usual sunny disposition was gone. She was pale, and she was gripping her star-shaped brooch so tightly her knuckles were white. The presence of Xemnas filled her with a profound, spiritual sickness.
And then there was Akira. The 'King of Behemoth' from Air Gear. He was barely holding back his own violent energy, his spiky blue hair almost humming. The specialized Air Treks he wore kept him from ever standing still, and he circled the edge of the violet-black perimeter like a caged panther.
The air was tense. It snapped when Ban Mido finally exploded.
"Do you jerks do anything besides manipulate people and watch what happens to them?" Ban roared, his hand reaching for the concealed pistol he wished he had. He looked squarely at Kyogi first, then turned on Xemnas. "Because I swear, this whole setup stinks. Kyogi, you've been leading us along for weeks. And you, zipper-face? I don't know what you are, but I know you've been pulling strings for lifetimes."
"Ban, control yourself," Kyogi sighed, but he didn't contradict him.
A soft, empty chuckle drifted from Xemnas. "Anger. So primal. So useless. Do you not see? This is a crucible. The gate reveals all things, even those that choose to be ignorant."
Usagi’s voice was small, but it carried a strange, heavy authority. "He is right. There is an emptiness here. A void that wants to swallow everything." She looked up at the monolithic tower. "And I don't mean that monster. The tower itself... it’s hungry."
"Enough talk!" Akira spat, his wheels screaming as he suddenly accelerated. "Let’s just kick the door down and ride to the top! Behemoth rules!" He shot toward the smooth face of the tower.
Kyogi moved instantly. With a speed that surprised even the agile Air Trek user, he didn't just block him; he tackled Akira off his skates. "Stop!"
Akira rolled, popping up with a snarl. "What are you doing?!"
Kyogi stood, his expression utterly serious. He pointed not to Akira, but to the base of the tower where a cluster of large, fleshy, violet-colored flowers were clinging like a fungus.
"Ban," Kyogi said calmly, ignoring the furious biker. "Mido... did you forget? The 'Kisseian Flower.'"
Ban froze. "The Kisseian... wait. You don't mean—?"
"Yes," Kyogi confirmed. He pulled one from its host. It pulsed with a sickening, hypnotic aura. "This is an evil plant that controls people who are weak-minded. Anyone who touches the tower's base near them—or breaths its pollen near the opening—becomes a servant. Not just a zombie, but a sleeper agent." He crushed the plant, a black, viscous fluid leaking from his glove. "You better get behind that door before I get any closer."
The fury on Ban's face evaporated into real, deep-seated dread. He knew those flowers. He knew what they did. "We're done," he whispered, looking toward the open horizon of the city. "There's no forward."
Akira, shaken but defiant, picked up his cracked skate. He looked toward the violet sunset far beyond the zone boundary.
"So suppose we do get to another world," Akira began, his bravado gone. "I've always wandered... if there are other worlds out there. You know? If I could just... ride. All the way. But then you look at us." He waved his hand at the diverse, impossible group. A moon goddess, a Void-man, a mind-reader, and a biker. "Why'd we end up on this one? This specific city? Why us?"
Usagi looked to Akira. For the first time, she smiled, a sad, knowing smile that crossed boundaries. "Maybe... we’re here to save it."
Kyogi nodded, looking up at the impossible dark violet sky of the Beltline perimeter.
"If other worlds are out there," Kyogi finished, "and we can cross over, then this 'Brain Trust of Babylon City' is a bigger issue than we thought."
The five stood, trapped at the edge of the world. They hadn't opened the door, but they finally understood the size of the prison. The sky above them turned a darker shade of violet.
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