The Imagination Latibule: Moon Knight - The Rise of the Moon

Chapter 20

You decided that being sat alone in the darkness was no way to spend the end of the world. As you stood, you heard a pained grunting, like someone close to death trying their best to stay alive. You rushed over to the source of the noise. A man - an Avatar - crawling along the floor away from where Harrow gathered everyone. 

"Shit," you mumbled, running over and grabbing him. He was on his front, and cried out as you yanked him out of the main room, praying to not the closest God in the vicinity, but any others that you wouldn't be seen. Out of sight, you leant him against the wall, and he relaxed slightly in realising you were friend not foe. It was Osiris' Avatar, although you weren't sure if the God was still in the body.

"Are you... Are you the one who released Khonshu?" he asked, clutching at his chest. 

"Yes," you said, and then his eyes rolled back in his head and you shook his shoulders as he slid down the wall and to his knees. "Hey! Hey, hey. Hey. How do we stop Ammit?" you cried.

"This chamber is our most powerful place," he wheezed. "From here, we need to imprison Ammit in a mortal form."

"A body instead of a statue," you breathed. "She'd be vulnerable. Okay, how do we do it?"

"We need more Avatars than we have left..." the man said, and then his head lulled forward.

"What? No, no, no, no, no," you cried, yanking his arm towards you and feeling for a pulse. But he was dead, and Osiris showed no sign of coming back. "Shit," you cried, pressing your hands to your forehead. There was only one thing for it. "Taweret, are you there?"

"y/n!" Taweret screamed in delight, her voice coming through the dead Avatar. "I'm so thrilled. We're gonna have so much fun together." You hushed her as she startled rambling about her excitement, looking into the main room. Harrow was staring in your direction, his men converging on your hiding place. There wasn't much time. You sprinted away from the body, further into dark corridors of which you had no clue where they lead. For all you knew, you could be running into a dead end. Then you froze as you saw a flash of purple before you, and either Ammit or Harrow began to raze the pyramid to the ground. 

You tried to run, but grimaced as you felt a presence take hold of your body. "Oh! You've changed your mind," you said, although it wasn't you, it was Taweret. "I would be delighted to accept you as my Avatar." She bowed in servitude, which was obviously you bowing, and you groaned, pushing the God from your body and stumbling into the wall. 

"Okay, okay," you coughed as the ceiling above you cracked. "Temporary Avatar."

"Yes, of course!" Taweret cried, clapping your hands together. "Are we doing this or what? I have a fabulous costume in mind."

You opened your mouth to say yes when the ceiling above you gave way. You covered your head with your arms above you, bracing for your second death, but it was like the rubble bounced off of your skin. When the shaking had stopped, you stood up straight, suddenly in some strange costume.

"Your idea of fabulous, huh?" you muttered.

"I like it," Taweret said in your head, and you couldn't help but grin at the white and golden robe you adorned. 

"So do I," you said, and then you felt something prod at your back. You grasped at what felt like two handles and pulled, and suddenly beneath your arms were two golden wings. "Oh, I love it," you said. "Wait... Can I fly?" 

"Of course," Taweret said. "As easy as riding a bike, see?" Before you could protest, she'd taken control of your body, and inside your own mind you were helpless to do anything but watch as Taweret sprinted out of the hole in the side of the pyramid, and jumped off of it. Your fear was enough to wrench back control as you glided through the air, but your scream turned to childish glee as you soared over the sands. 

But the glee was short lived and horror returned as you rounded the side of the pyramid to see Ammit and Khonshu, the size of skyscrapers, fighting each other mercilessly. Ammit used her tail to whip at Khonshu, sending him to his knees. "Khonshu!" you cried. He strained against Ammit's grip, pushing her away enough to get back on his feet.

"Get out of here worm," he commanded, waving his hand in the air. his gesture sent a hurricane force wind your way and you tumbled turbulently over Cairo, where you heard chanting in Coptic somehow reaching every corner of Cairo and Egypt and beyond. You looked down;  DC Kennedy was standing in the middle of a square, a group of people surrounding her. 

"Followers of Ammit, judge everyone!" she yelled, and then came the screams, and you watched as the souls of the unworthy soared from their bodies and into Ammit, who grew more powerful as she absorbed each one. 

"There is so little difference in what we want for this world," Ammit hissed, kicking Khonshu back against the pyramid and pinning him with his own staff. "Why do this dance for the rest of time?" 

"You know the answer. I only punish those who have chosen evil" Khonshu answered.

"So do I, only I don't give them the satisfaction of committing it," Ammit hissed. She was stronger than Khonshu; there was no way he'd be able to defeat her. "Be at my side," she offered, but Khonshu wasn't about to say yes. As they continued to fight, you dropped down into the streets of Cairo, knocking away one of Ammit's followers as they tried to judge a child. That's when you saw a bright purple light flash from the end of the street, one too strong to be just a soul. Harrow.

You sprinted forward and jumped, soaring into the air like flying was a natural thing for a human. You were gonna kill Harrow if it was the last thing you ever did. As you rounded the corner, ready for anything, the one thing that faced you stopped you dead in your tracks. Moonlight bathed the city in an ethereal glow, casting long shadows that danced along the buildings. And then, you saw him—a figure cloaked in white, the symbol of the moon emblazoned on his chest. 

He was alive. Marc and and Steven. Moon knight, was alive.

But not for long. Harrow had him on the ground, his cane shaking with the imbued powers of Ammit. As he aimed a killing blow at Marc's chest, you all but dropped out of the sky and before he could fire, you barrelled into Harrow, sending him skidding across the floor, the power dissipating into nothingness as he cried out and you landed on shaky legs. 

"Marc?" you breathed in disbelief, watching as he stood. You weren't sure it was even him until his mask disappeared and you could look into his eyes. 

"y/n," he cried, staring like he'd never seen you before.

"Marc." 

 oh baby!" he cooed, running over and enveloping you in his arms. "You're alive." You threw your arms around his neck, burying your face into his chest in delight until he gently pushed your face up with his finger below you chin, looking you up and down worriedly. "Thank God you're okay. Me and Steven didn't know what to think. You just vanished; we thought we'd never see you again. How did you get back?"

"I wasn't dead," you said. "Just on the brink. I... God. Marc, Steven, I thought that it was it. You were gone for good." You pressed your lips to his, practically melting into his body as you felt nothing but him. The world faded away at his touch. 

"Never," Marc mumbled, and then his suit changed and Steven clung onto your arms as he pulled away with a grin.

"Wow love, you look amazing," he stuttered, and you blushed.

"Thank you Steven," you grinned. Lost in his eyes, you were suddenly brought back to reality as Harrow let out a strangled cry. You looked over to him as Steven stepped protectively in front o you. He was on his feet, and with a murderous glare, sent a ball of energy spiralling towards the two of you. You lunged forward and put your hands out, metal wings acting as a shield that repelled the energy straight back at him. Harrow went flying, and Steven clasped your hand. 

"As if I couldn't love you any more," he said, and you kissed him gently.

"Come on," you said. "Let's end this." 

"Hey, I'm really jazzed about showing you these new skillsets we have," he said and you chuckled as Harrow's followers began to descend on you from all sides. You felt a hope you'd never felt anywhere except for at Steven's side as you nodded firmly. 

"All right, show me what you got."

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah."