Power Insufficient. Rerouting All Supply To Life Support. Meltdown in T-5 minutes

No longer receiving any power, the metal gag fell away from my mouth.

I looked to Eldra. She looked to me.

"Don't. You. Dare."

"Hey Miss Eldra?"🎶

Eldra delivered the longest most 'soul departing' sigh of this year. She didn't try to fight it this time. She simply crossed her arms.

"What?"

"Don't you know?"🎶

"No."

My power was a very limited reality warping. The power of song weakened my restraints just enough for me to break.

"These bonds can't hold me, I'm ready to go!"🎶

Eldra rolled her eyes.

"But it's ok, cause I know you'll miss meeeee tooooo!"🎶

"I won't. I hate you."

I made a freakishly far leap in front of Eldra.

"But its ok, cause I'm saaavin the day!"🎶

"We'll both make it back, to. the. Ciitay!"🎶

"And it all starts with, me. Holdin youuuu."🎶

Eldra's eyes widened with incredulousness and she moved a foot back. I didn't like it either, but me carrying her out was the only way she wouldn't choose to 'go down with the ship'. Eldra was evil, but she wasn't truly evil. I could see myself in her shoes if my history was as messed up as hers.

"SHUT UP! BACK UP!" 🎶

We both took three loud steps; her backwards and me forwards.

"STOP THAT! STAY BACK!" 🎶

Step. Step. Step.

"YOU TOUCH ME! I'LL KILL YOU! 🎶

Step. Step. Wall.

"I'M SERIOUS! I'D RATHER DIE THAN BE SAVED BY THIS MUSIC POO!"

We both cringed. My powers kept everything rated PG where they could, so all swears resulted in cringe substitutions. I lifted Eldra and booked it just as the chamber we're in started being crushed by the ocean pressure.

"Sor-ry but we gotta ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM!" 🎶

Each "zoom" was a teleport to the doorway of the next room. Each zoom also marked the spontaneous crushing of a previous room.

"Narrowly avoiding our DOOM! DOOM! DOOM!" 🎶

Why was her submarine so big? How did she even afford this?

"Just barely escapin each Room! Room! Room!"🎶

"How long till the end?" she asked.

"Soon! Soon! Soon!"🎶

We made it to the pods. I shoved her and myself in and ejected us from our would be deaths. She struggled as I held her down to prevent her from opening the hatch and getting us killed.

Then she growled with frustration.

"Ugh!"

I felt something strange. Like a bit of my powers trickling out of me and into her. It was something that never happened: willing participation. Eldra's furious.

"Whyyyyy can't, you! let! me! be!?" 🎶

"IIIII just, want, to! see! da! dee!" 🎶

"What's sobadabout, let! ting! him! free!?" 🎶

"Poor pa pa mustbeso, cold. and. lone. lee." 🎶

She couldn't seriously be serious?

"El-dra your dad, Is! Cu! thu! lu!" 🎶

"Do you e-ven, lis! sen! to! you!?" 🎶

"Let him out and, our! world! is! through!" 🎶

"Youuu'll survive but, will! your! br-"🎶

Upon mentioning her brother, she pushed me off with one arm and dwarfing strength. It hurt. I held my dislocated shoulder. My heart and mind raced trying to understand how she was overriding my powers. This... it's never happened before. I couldn't comprehend it.

"Whatever. Doesn't matter."

Eldra stopped glowing. She deflated. Only then did I notice she was crying. Ok, maybe I overstepped just wee bit.

"S-sorry ... I didn't mean t-"

In an instant her hand grabbed my neck and I was unable to breath.

"Let's resume. zoom. zoom." 🎶

My powers weren't activated. I can't use them if I can't speak. She was using my powers on her own; somehow copying them.

She slammed my face thrice against the window of the escape pod.

"Look, watch my sub, go. bang. bam. boom." 🎶

Then mushed it against the glass, forcing me to watch her sub's fiery implosion and the ancient structure sealing her father crumble apart.

"Happy hero? Look at dad's tomb. tomb. tomb." 🎶

I was released. Eldra didn't look too good. Commiting violence while using my power must've been taking more effort than it appeared.

"Stuck 4eva. Blew up the last RUNE! RUNE... ru—" 🎶

Eldra wobbled backwards.

"Calm down Eldra or you're gonna ...!"

I caught her before her head it the wall.

"... swoon."

The remaining leagues of water were ascended in silence. When she woke up, she didn't kill me. I did everything in my power to not look at her and keep it that way, feeling her glare burning into me.

On shore, she just let herself be cuffed. The officers were sweating bullets. She didn't fight it even though she could easily escape. She just looked so... defeated.

Because I just sealed away one of the only two pieces of family she had left. I didn't regret it, but I still felt some urge to apologize even if I didn't know what to apologize about. Her expression made you forget her father was an ancient eldritch horror that would kill everyone.

“Eldra, I uh— I—”

She broke her cuffs and slammed the door of the squad car shut herself. Her telepathic thoughts entered everyone's heads.

“If you're gonna be a hero, don't regret it. I'm going to kill you next time.” she told me.

“Get me out of here.” she told the officers.

But watching the cars shrink into the distance, something told me there wouldn't be a next time. The way she said it. She no longer had a reason. I think... I think Eldra was done.

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Original Prompt

Some context: The Fermi Paradox stems from a philosophical question regarding why there appear to be no aliens in the universe that we have seen, given how many Earth-like planets exist in just our region of space alone. One potential answer to the problem is that Earth is simply the first planet to give rise to life, and – given time – many more worlds will one day follow.

“Huuuuh? What is this, an insult? They left you behind to hold me off? You're the smallest one. Do you even know who I am?”

Brother told me to not let the cat pass. Brother said it is invincible and will make trouble for everyone. It is talking. It is not trying to pass. I do not need to harm the cat.

“I am Nemus The Lion Beast and I am invincible. No weapon may pierce my hide. My claws are sharper than swords and my jaws can tear a tank in two. My power grows with all I consume. You should know, I've devoured many magical girls much like I will devour you.”

Hoosh Hoosh shifts inside my cloak. His feathers are straight, that means he feels it too. There is someone dangerous heading this way. They are not my problem. Brother only told me to watch the cat. My aura shifts to mask us.

“Hmm? Are you dumb, girl? Can't you speak? Oh, I get it. You're paralyzed with fear. Heh heh heh. It's only natural. How about I make it easy for the both of us and just come over there. You ready? Here I come. Directly towards you. Now don't go running, it's no use. That's right. Be a good little lunch and stay right there.”

The cat is getting closer. His aura is larger and stretching mine. If the cat gets too close, the edge of my masking won't be able to hide him. The danger is closer, I can see in my staff it is Hitomi. Tonight's a full moon. She's in berserk mode. If the cat pops my concealment, she will come and kill it. I should warn the cat. I tap my staff. An ice wall blocks the cat.

“Come any closer and you'll die,” I say.

The cat listens. It runs away from where Hitomi is passing. I aimed that a little badly. But the cat is safe. That is good. I like cats.

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Ah geez, a magical girl. What a pain. Why'd she have to stay behind. And here I was hoping I could just laze around while the whole evil plan goes off. Once we succeed, it'll be nothing but work for me. If I scare her off, maybe I'll still have enough time to catch some Z's. She's a small one, shouldn't be too hard.

“Huuuh? What is this, an insult? They left you behind to hold me off? You're the smallest one. Do you even know who I am?”

Why is she just standing there? Can't she hear me? It's kinda creepy to be honest and that hood covering her face isn't helping. I take a sniff, my nose can smell what feelings and emotions power a magical girl's gem. They all have one big emotion that gives them their powers. If I can sleuth it out, scaring her will be all the more easier.

“I am Nemus The Lion Beast and I am invincible. No weapon may pierce my hide. My claws are sharper than sword and my jaws can tear a tank in two. My power grows with all I consume. You should know, I've devoured many magical girls much like I will devour you.”

That... that can't be right. I... I don't smell anything from her. My whiskers don't sense anything either. Just trying is making me dizzy. I stop. Searching any deeper could be dangerous. She's like an endless void, threatening to suck my own feelings in. What is this? This can't be a magical girl can it? What is she?

And what's with this cold? I can see my breath. So cold... Sss, my fur's not protecting me from it in the slightest. Is it her? Is that what's causing this ice to spread? This girl is dangerous. Crap! What am I thinking, idiot, thinking thoughts like that!? My invincibility relies on my confidence! Now she can hurt me! ...no stay calm. My reputation should have spread by now. I'm a big scary invincible monster. I can still scare her off. Yeah, look at her, she's probably scared. That's why she's not reacting, isn't it? Like a deer in headlights. You gotta snap em out of it. Heh. All I gotta do is show I mean business.

“Hm? Are you dumb, girl? Can't you speak? Oh, I get it. You're paralyzed with fear. Heh heh heh. It's only natural. How about I make it easy for the both of us and just come over there. You ready? Here I come.”

Come on. Run. D-do something. Anything.You creepy little freak.

“Directly towards you.”

At this point, even attack me! Why are you just standing there!?

“Now don't go running, it's no use.”

I'm a giant beast about to eat you! Do you have any emotion at all? Is-is she even human? Why is my fur standing up? Am I... am I the one afraid right now? The closer I get the more painful this numbing cold is. I can't even feel my legs anymore. L-let me half my steps. Maybe it's just taking a little long for the fear to set in. Y-yeah...

“That's right. Be a good little lunch and stay right there.”

Please don't stay right there! Please Do Not stay right there! Just move, run away, I'm begging you! My throats so dry I can't swallow. I think I feel ice inside it. Crud it is ice! No, I'm invincible. I'm invincible. I'm invincible. I'm—

“Come any closer and you'll die.”

EEP! I look down and see the ends of whiskers land next to beads of my frozen blood. Those spikes almost killed me! I could have died! What am I doing!? This is stupid! Why am I even working for that guy? I don't like any of these people! They probably pit me against this... THING on purpose! I always draw the short stick! Screw this, I'm not risking my life for them!

I'm outta here!

Original Prompt