#thaedus

You know why after Thragg's order Viltrumites looked at each other and then ALL started tearing each other apart?

Because they remembered every kind word, every gesture of empathy, every act of mercy a person to their left, to their right, had once offered to them. So they looked at each other and saw the same cancer Grand Regent Thragg was talking about. Because all of them at one point were kind. To each other. And maybe even to some "lower" being.

It wasn't forbidden before.

Not until Thragg started The Great Purge, anyway.

He says it himself, sickness (weakness) among us. He includes himself. Because HE decided to spare Thaedus, too, when he was talking to Argall. And he felt that Argall's death was his fault, because he had that sickness in him, too.

(And hey, he looks at his own hand as he says cancer)

He knew he deserved death, just like many others that were dying every second he sat inside the tower. But he was the Grand Regent. He could not just die like anyone else. He had to be the leader.

So while others slaughtered each other acting on his order,

... he sat on his throne, killing it in his own heart.

This "weakness" wasn't forbidden before. It used to be a normal thing. Maybe frown upon, especially when talking about the "lower" species, but actually normal.

Otherwise they wouldn't have tolerated Thaedus the Vegan for so long.

Thragg only says "It's troubling", nothing more. And Argall only Looks at Thaedus, nothing more.

As one Viltrumite kills another Viltrumite, they kill something inside them as well. Each time. Something warm, and kind, and strong weak. Until there's only a wound left. Bleeding, pulsing, hurting.

They killed not physically weak, they killed weak in spirit. The kind souls hardened, needing to survive, so The Great Purge was successful - it didn't just cut off the weak, it turned the weak (all off them. all of them were weak, that's why they all had someone to turn against, The Grand Regent Thragg didn't say "cancer" without a reason) into the strong.

An animal thinking it's in a steel bear trap, chewing off its limb. Not realising that there wasn't any trap, only its cubs not too far away. And now it's limping away from them, bleeding, starving, dying. Victorious yet blind and now mortally wounded.

It can't even articulate its pain properly. It's just hurting, and hurts everyone else within reach. All while crying and wailing. And longing.

That's Viltrum.

And after this disaster, after this civil war, after all those deaths, they, of course, go mad. You can't stay sane.

And you infect your younger generation with this poisoned blood from the wound you inflicted on yourself.

But you are still many. And you are strong. You are alive. If a bit hollow.

You have a statue now. It's a reminder. You did good, you killed yourself to be born anew.

"Good job, you made Argall proud!"

___________

And then the Virus hits.

and there is almost none of you left

and every and each one of you is so so lonely. and lost.

You thought you were destined for something so much bigger than this. You were supposed to spread the greatness of the Viltrum Empire. You were supposed to bring peace and order and perfection.

Instead you are here, smelling like death that surrounds you, death that became your world. Trying to stabilise crashing systems. Trying to restore data. Trying to repair machines. Trying to live for the dead, trying to execute their function.

But there were so many of you, before. you fought together, you ate together, you talked, you suffered, you cried. you hurt. you bled. you bled together.

and now there's only the void of space

and your poisoned homeworld.

the tomb.

Chapter 3 — Apparition

Tags: @queendalia @animelover100 ❤️

I don't know if you still want to be mentioned here in the fanfic, but here it is, and thank you again for liking my fanfic s2

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: Chapter 2

warnings: explicit violence, blood, explicit violence against children (Viltrum, right?)

I apologize, english is not my first language.

❝ the numbness in your arms screams for you to keep going, not to give up. That churning feeling in your stomach twists sharply as trainer Wyriu times you.

Training in Viltrum was… relentless. Your fingers were now bruised, and you had lost a considerable amount of weight since arriving there.

How long had it been? 4 or 6 months? You could barely remember, carrying that weight on your small back while trying to breathe through your mouth — making noises that irritated Wyriu.

You hadn’t made friends or joined any specific group. You only knew that there were others like those beings dressed in white.

Little by little, over those six months, you began to understand how the system worked.

You were trapped in a rigid training camp for Viltrumites. Most of them were hybrids, but from the moment they were born, they had been raised with a single purpose — to serve the Empire.

( name ) is a rare case, extremely rare. The combination of the blood of two Viltrumite warriors whose names you didn’t even know. You only knew that you had inherited their strength, agility, and also… their facial and physical traits.

At first, just thinking about meeting your parents made your stomach churn.

But you noticed that no child there was ever visited — they all remained confined to their harsh daily training, forced to wake before sunrise to begin a flood of intense missions.

The training facility had a relatively low number of young warriors, only 25 aspirants in total, each divided by category, age, and base.

You were in Base D — the second worst base, only better than Base E, which consisted of children aged 6 to 9.

Even being in the worst base, your roommates were terrifyingly strong. Every punch, every kick caused a burning pain — but you were getting used to it, definitely, with each blow.

Your mind wandered, questioning everything… How had you ended up in Kyerian? Why did the Viltrumites kill with such cruelty? But you never asked — fear pounding in your chest… and the longing growing stronger.

Sometimes, in the mist of the shower, you allow yourself to cry — never for them, not anymore.

“ You’re still far too slow for someone who has 100% of our blood, sub-species ” Wyriu exclaims, visibly frustrated as he watches your tiny body tremble while trying to remain standing with a rock weighing tons. “ I wonder if Thragg really made the right choice keeping you alive. ”

Thragg.

You had heard of him. Regent Thragg. And your legs tremble slightly, not out of fear, but because you can’t hold the rock on your back any longer. Your ( eye color ) eyes burn, your throat tightens, and you control — or try to control — your breathing.

Wyriu approaches, his harsh mustache sending chills down your spine. He was responsible for training Class D, a cruel and punitive man who often practiced breaking the bodies of those who failed his expectations.

“ Drop the rock ” his command comes like an angelic warning, your body nearly collapsing backward as you let it fall.

Your body still wasn’t used to such weight. Of course, you already sensed your overwhelming strength and agility, especially compared to beings from Kyerian… but here in Viltrum, you were small.

Your ( eye color ) eyes fix on Kyerian, then on the dust at your feet:

“ I told you to carry a rock that weighs only 100 tons for three hours… and you nearly pissed yourself like a filthy sub-species ” his voice is sharp, and everyone around you turns to look.

“ I—I… ”

“ Quiet, sub-species ” his voice echoes, and you fall silent immediately. The air seems to leave your lungs, your throat trembling and suddenly… your tongue shakes.

“ arzioph xayaman·¹ ” your tone is low, but Wyriu hears it.

His eyes widen slightly as he realizes you insulted him in Kyerian — his shoulders tense, and suddenly, the atmosphere shifts.

Without hesitation, Wyriu grabs you by the neck, lifting you. He is bigger, stronger, and you are nothing but a toy in his hands.

His grip is crushing, and you gasp. The children around were used to his brutality… but this… this was new.

“ WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, SUB-SPECIES?! ” he shouts angrily. His brows remain furrowed as you struggle, scratching his wrist with all your strength — but he doesn’t budge.

Suddenly, Wyriu throws your body against the wall, cracks spreading as the building shakes. You groan, blood escaping your mouth from the impact.

Your body collapses to the ground, groaning in pain, saliva and blood filling your mouth. You were getting used to the taste of blood… and forgetting the taste of the food your mother used to make…

Suddenly, everything falls apart. Tears sting your eyes, dry sand clings to your wounded fingers, but you say nothing — you don’t even allow yourself to cry as Wyriu approaches with heavy, grotesque steps:

“ You will learn to obey Viltrum, and you will learn to obey me, sub-species. ”

Your old spacecraft lands near the capital of Talescria, with great difficulty — you could hear the metal creaking, as if it would break at any moment.

Your breath stops as your feet step outside, taking in the magnitude of the Viltrumite ship — lasers striking the population.

Your arms tremble, your breathing feels heavy, and your pupils dilate.

They were here.

Your ( eye color ) eyes lock onto the Viltrumites exiting the ship, along with their slaves, shooting at anyone they see, spreading chaos through Talescria.

You don’t hesitate to launch yourself toward the danger, moving so fast and fiercely that your ( hair color ) hair scatters wildly.

The sight is… grotesque.

You were used to it — destruction, blood, innocent lives lost. But you would never get used to that part. Never.

Your hearing sharpens as you notice Thaedus fighting two Viltrumites at once.

And with all your strength, you join in.

You arrive like a streak of energy — your fist strikes the Viltrumite attacking Thaedus with such force that his jaw dislocates, hanging loose.

A subtle smile appears on your face as Thaedus widens his eyes, surprised but relieved:

“ ( name ) ” he says with a hint of pride, his chest rising and falling as he approaches you. “ You came at the right time. ”

That satisfied smile remains as you block another Viltrumite’s attack with incredible agility:

“ I wouldn’t miss this fun for anything, old man ” you reply. Thaedus laughs, until another Viltrumite strikes him, sending him sliding across the battlefield.

The Viltrumite looks at you, swallowing hard:

“ ( name ) ” he straightens. “ It’s been a while, hasn’t it? ”

“ General Kregg ” your voice is low. “ It’s an honor that you remember me. ”

“ How could I forget? ” he laughs, wiping blood from his mouth. “ The Viltrumite sub-species who killed 23 of our warriors. ”

Your smile widens, dangerous.

“ It’ll be more… because I definitely want you on my list ”

You were about to attack when suddenly, you hear that voice.

“ VILTRUMITES! ”

Your eyes widen, your shoulders tense… your breath falters, and suddenly, everything turns red.

Just red.

Your eyes focus on the sky — the destroyed Viltrumite ship and… Thragg.

Thragg.

Thragg.

Thragg.

Thragg.

Thragg.

The one you swore to kill with your own hands. The one you dreamed of tearing apart, ripping his head off, destroying his body piece by piece.

Your body lunges forward, but Thaedus is faster, grabbing your leg:

“ Let me go, old man! ” you snap, struggling, but his grip is firm, almost painful.

“ If you go… you will die ” Thaedus says, serious. “ It’s not time to face Thragg… not yet ”

You stop.

You breathe.

You land beside him.

Your eyes follow the Viltrumites fleeing like dogs, but with their prize in their hands.

You bite your lip, your expression shifting as you notice the ship debris about to fall over Talescria.

You act fast, flying toward it — the ship is split in half, your fist ready.

Time seems to stop.

With a single punch, you send the massive wreckage flying out of the planet’s orbit. The impact creates a storm-like wind over Talescria.

One strike was enough.

Your breathing steadies as you return to Thaedus.

Everything is chaos.

Thaedus exhales, nodding slightly — you do the same, scanning the area.

Everyone is staring at… you.

And suddenly, you feel lost.

But you stay.

Wearing black leggings, a high-neck shirt, combat boots, and a worn red jacket.

“ ( name )! ” Allen rushes in, hugging you tightly, making you grunt from the impact. “ I missed you! Where have you been? ”

“ I—I can’t breathe— ” he quickly lets go, and you inhale deeply. “ Thanks… ”

“ ( name )? Who’s ( name )? ” a girl in armor asks, confused.

“ ( name ) is our greatest ally against the Viltrumites ” Thaedus says, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “ She is… Viltrumite, like us. ”

Silence.

Everyone freezes — except Allen, who stares at you like he’s seeing something unreal.

“ And let’s not forget she took down 23 Viltrumites alone ” Allen adds, punching your shoulder, making you stumble. “ Our strongest ally. ”

Another silence.

Heavier.

Denser.

Your eyes narrow, scanning everyone, stopping on a man — worn clothes, messy beard, long hair.

His dark eyes are fixed on you.

Confused.

Distant.

But intense enough to make you look away.

“ Well… this isn’t the time for formal introductions ” Thaedus says, sighing. “ We need to find out who allowed the Viltrum Empire into our planet. ”

But you don’t seem to care much about the traitor.

Thaedus, Allen, and the others are already focused on it…

While that man still watches you.

Your senses sharpen, catching even the smallest shifts in breathing.

And for the first time in days…

You focus only on helping — searching for survivors among the ruins.

Still…

That man keeps watching you. ❞

NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 4

Author's notes:

Hey everyone! How's it going? I hope you're all doing well!Now the Mark x Reader storyline is about to begin, and I honestly can't wait to introduce this relationship between the characters.The next chapter will probably only be released after the next episode of Invincible; I'll be introducing (huge) changes to the story to gain a better understanding of the character, but I'll want to bring you the chronology of the series.

Like. Man. Situation in which if you don't partake in the violence you will be culled at every single turn. Situation in which if you don't make everyone else scared of you you will be killed. Situation in which you don't know how to interact in anything more than violence. Situation in which violence has quite literally been bred into you through the generations. Situation in which you can't express the slightest doubt because you will be hunted down. Situation in which you will spend the rest of your life trying to be stronger but it will never be enough. Situation in which every single other species in the universe is terrified of you and hates you. Yeah.