Chase easily deflected the young dragons' efforts as they fought their way towards the Eagle Scope. As time had worn on, the Xiaolin monks had began to get restless in their attempts to defeat the Heylin. And they knew they would only achieve the knowledge of how with the Eagle Scope coupled with the Fountain of Hui. Omi sprung in the air, chopping and kicking, keeping the warlord extremely amused.
Kimiko was collecting a few Arrow Sparrows from their bag to assist the small yellow boy, Raimundo readying himself to use his wind powers to guide the fiery birds to the evil target. Chase could sense their anxiousness in completing their plans and gave his foe a wicked grin. Suddenly, the Heylin man was gone. Omi fell to the marble floor mid-kick, baffled by his enemy's disappearance.
"Omi..." Chase's voice rang out around the throne room, echoing off the empty spaces surrounding the monks. The immortal man appeared behind the small monk and the battle continued. Shouts, crashes, cries, roars and wicked laughter rang throughout the mighty mountain keep louder and louder. So loud that no one heard Jack come into the palace. So loud that no one noticed the albino boy walk into the throne room, the Monkey staff gripped in his hand. No one noticed... Until Clay threw the Big Bang Metrorang at Chase, and missed. Then the only sound was Jack's scream.
The monks froze, gaping at the pale boy as Jack fell back onto the blue marble floor. Chase watched in horrified awe as blood the color of Jack's eyes poured from the wound in the teen's side. Then the warlord leaped over the shocked Xiaolin dragons to the fallen boy. Chase knelt down, taking hold of the dark material that covered Jack's torso and tearing it clean off his body. A sharp gasp from the self-proclaimed genius made the monks physically shrink; Clay looked like he was going to be sick.
Young ignored the four teens at the moment and looked at the wound in his young admirer's side. It was deep and the damage to his internal organs was severe from the sheer force and magic behind the blow. Jack whimpered then coughed, blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth as he did so. Chase pulled Jack up more or less into his lap.
"Spicer."
Jack didn't say anything. His red eyes were screwed shut from the pain, his hideous makeup was running with his tears down his face. The pain... Oh god, the pain!
"Spicer!"
The albino coughed again and began to feel tired. The pain seemed to be going numb and he was getting a sense of peace. Peace and sleep. It seemed to make sense. He was safe; he was with Chase, of course he was safe. Jack looked up at the warlord, his expression tired. The look in those crimson eyes was pure trust. Sleep made sense.
"Answer me, Spicer!"
Jack ignored the older man and felt his eyes droop. Sleep... He was falling asleep in Chase's arms. A small, genuine smile creeped onto the young man's face. He felt at peace in the arms of his idol; the man he looked up to, respected and loved. Slowly, and still smiling softly, Jack let himself slip into sleep.
"Jack!" Chase howled as the teen let go of his last breath. Silence. Jack was gone. The albino's blood was trickling down Chase's legs, through the links in his armor and soaking his silk trousers, spreading in a puddle on the floor of his throne room. The monks were left standing off to the side, forgotten as Chase continued to stare at the peaceful and dead body he held. Chase had lost friends, seen people he knew die of old age, disease or slaughtered. But none had hit him as hard as this young man's end. Jack was only.. what, 16? 17? So full of life and energy. He'd admired Chase...no. No, Chase thought surprised by the tears the began to sting his eyes, He loved me, trusted me. The last look Jack had given him echoed in his mind's eye. Complete trust. Complete love.
And now it was gone.
Gone forever.