The Rio the Darkness Saga Remastered
Rio the Darkness 2
Chapter 9: The Angelus
Hey everyone, here we are with chapter 9. I'm back after going away for the weekend on a small vacation. What better way to celebrate than with a new chapter!
Author shout out: CJ Ambrose
As mentioned in the previous chapter, today's author shoutout is CJ Ambrose. Formerly known as "Project NICK", CJ begun writing their first stories back in 2011 and have released quite a few Rio stories, mostly covering the first movie before releasing one or two related to the second. I must say, they are very good to read and have a lot of fond memories reading them. What I love about CJ's stories is how consistent they are with Rio's tone. Each time I read one of their stories, I immediately get the impression that this is something characters would say and do, so props to them for that.
Overall, CJ's stories are definitely enjoyable to read. You can definitely feel it's consistent with Rio's atmosphere. For their writing style, CJ's style is very basic, but not a bad way. You could get through them pretty quick if you're looking for stories that are fun to read and have a great story. Although CJ's stories are relatively short on their own, if you read them all as one continuity, you would have a lot of stories to read. CJ has great produced some great work and I recommend starting with "Rio: Lost In Paradise".
Jewel jolted awake from her sleep, leaping out of the nest as she approached the exit of the artificial hollow. Upon gaining her bearings, she came to a screeching halt and practically fell onto her back, gasping while doing so.
Her sudden outburst had not gone noticed by her loved one. Almost simultaneously, Blu had woken too. Upon noting her terrified state, he did not hesitate to ease her worries, quickly jumping forward and holding her within his wings. "Jewel! What's wrong?"
The familiar comfort and sight of her loved one immediately calmed her down, her gasps got smaller and lesser until her fears passed. Now fully aware of her surroundings, she leaned up and returned the hug. "Blu…It was just a bad dream."
"Wanna talk about it?" Blu offered.
"I'd rather not," Jewel declined with a shake of her head.
Blu pulled her closer and patted her back. "Shh, it's okay, I've got you. I understand everything you've went through has been scary. I'm scared, too. But it's over now, we won."
Though a small part of her mind doubted that, she mustered a smile. "We did."
As Blu opened beak to reply, a powerful anguish of pain shot around Jewel's mind, forcing her to collapse and away from mate's embrace. She groaned in agony while slapping both wings against her head, desperate to tame the pain however possible.
"Jewel, what's wrong?!" Blu asked concerned.
Without warning, Jewel lunged away out of their hollow, landing upon the ground with incredible speed. Blu was in awe for a few seconds until he snapped out of his trance and jumped after her. As he was seconds away from jumping out of the hollow, he noted a similar aura surrounding her. Without warning, she stood upwards with both wings spread and released a large light of energy in every direction.
Unable to break past her energy, Blu held on for dear life while holding one wing against his eyes, forcing away the light from damaging his sight. A mixture of thoughts waved around his mind as he desperately tried to understand the situation. What was happening to her? Was this another trick of the Darkness? No, the Darkness was still trapped within the siphon, no way it could have freed itself.
The blinding light slowly came to an end, the whiteness dispersing with every second. Finally, the room became tolerable that Blu could now lower his wing from his eyes. Though confusion and terry mixed around his mind, his first course of action was focused towards his loved one.
"Jewel!" he cried and leaped from the hollow, landing firmly against the ground. Despite the small impact that risked breaking his talons, he fought through pain and jumped towards her.
Jewel knelt in the center of the room, head bowed with one wing pressed against the ground. Blu prepared to help her, but an unusual sight before him caused him to freeze. Jewel stood before him, her appearance had changed significantly. Her coat of feathers was now glowing white with small streaks of blue remaining, an aura of light surrounded her, and she had appeared to have grown a couple of inches in height.
"Jewel?" Blu called, his voice now softer with worry.
Whenever she heard him or not, Jewel slowly stood up fully and opened her eyelids, revealing her eyes were now a laurel green color with black pupils. Though her presence was deceiving, Blu was afraid to admit that the Jewel he loved and cherished was now gone.
The figure of light levitated a few feet above the air without the use of her wings, examining her new appearance intently. "This power…This form…"
Blu's beak remained open, stunned to the sight before him. Now he understood how Jewel must have felt when he transformed for the first time. Shaking of his dizzy state, he raised his voice and called out firmly. "Who are you?!"
The new presence snapped her head towards him, focusing on him precisely. "We are the Angelus. The world has gone too long without my light."
Angelus. Blu remembered the name clearly as day, recalling the story that Andre had foretold. Gritting his beak, he yelled out once again, now in anger. "Where's Jewel!?"
The Angelus placed one wing against her head, concentrating strong yet swiftly. She reopened her eyes to face him. Blu couldn't help note that Jewel's previous injury was now completely healed, her eye showing no signs of injury. "Do not worry, she is still in here. And after all you put in her through, she still loves you. But the Darkness cannot rise again. It must be purged."
"Give her back to me!" Blu demanded.
Although his sight remained locked, Blu was not expecting her to move with such speed that surpassed Vadin's. In less than a second, she stood less than a foot away, startling him. She raised one wing and placed it against the side of his face. "Do you not understand, Blu? The Darkness has caused too much destruction, hurt the lives of many. It ends now."
Blu moved backwards, breaking free from her frightening yet soft touch. Too many emotions raced around his mind, barely containing his rage as he tensed up one wing. "The Darkness is gone. It's sealed, it's no danger. Let her go!"
"Do you think it is so simple?" the Angelus responded. "The Darkness cannot be destroyed! No amount of containing will ever prevent this. The only way to prevent such a tragedy is to eliminate the chosen host…"
Blu's eyes widened in horror to this realization. He stumbled backwards to escape, though this was short-lived as his back pressed up against a tree shortly afterwards.
The Angelus eyed him curiously, observing his terrified state. "Fear. You are afraid."
Though terror was practically paralyzing him, her last statement raised a small puzzle for Blu to process. "I am…You took Jewel…And now…You're going to kill me."
"Unusual. There was but one other species before you that possessed such power," the Angelus noted curiously. "Anger, hatred, lust for power. I sense none of these emotions within you. Forgive me, I take no satisfactory in my actions."
Blu clutched his eyes as the Angelus raised one wing in front of him, charging a small, energy ball within a single wing. Though his mind raced with fear, a single tear dripped from Blu's eyes as he awaited his end. After everything he experienced, all their adventures, the challenges he had been though. It was all going to end with a single blast. Worst, this was technically his own mate killing him.
"Grande estrondo!"
The Angelus snapped her head towards the source of the unfamiliar voice. Instead, she was met with the powerful impact of a blue energy blast. Unable to raise a defense, the impact launched her into a nearby artificial tree, hitting with a heavy thud. Relieved, Blu quickly joined his ally as they stood together against the Angelus.
Andre held out one wing, preparing to fire another energy blast if needed. However, he remained in awe as the sight before him. "The Angelus…She's real! I can't believe it!"
Blu was in no mood to hear more fantasies, breaking his friend's concentration. "Andre, she has Jewel! You have to do something!"
Though his knowledge of the mysterious entities surpassed that of a normal bird, Andre had no answers to give. "I-I-I don't know! It isn't right! Legends say doesn't just bond with her host, she permanently links them. I can't do nothing!"
This was not the answer Blu wanted to hear. Growing more impatient and virtually on the verge of a breakdown, he turned towards the Angelus who recovered in so little time. Only now, the side of her face was heavily burned with small smoke emitting.
"Andre!" Blu exclaimed. "You hurt Jewel!"
"No, I hurt the Angelus," Andre corrected. "You think that was enough to stop her?"
Slowly, the Angelus raised one wing and rubbed the side of her face. Shortly after, she removed said wing and revealed the injury of Andre's attack no longer ceased to be. "The Grande estrondo. A clever technique, a powerful one for that of a mortal. Sorcery will not be tolerated!"
With her injury healed in a matter of seconds, the Angelus stepped forward and raised one wing, beginning to channel a small amount of light energy forward. No doubt she was now more caution to fall for the same trick twice.
"I think I made her angry," Andre noted nervously. "Not good."
"You have to do something!" Blu pleaded. "Anything!"
"SHE is the queen of light, an eternal being with hundreds if not thousand years of knowledge!" Andre exclaimed while simultaneously firing small blasts of his signature attack. Each one was blocked with little to no effort by the Angelus as if they were nothing more than playthings to her. "I don't know what to do!"
With little time to think, Blu had to decide fast. Run away? No, with her speed there was no chance of escaping. Fight? No, they were far outclassed with or without Andre's power. There were running out time fast.
As Blu speedily scanned the area around them, his eyes eventually landed upon the light upon the ceiling that single-handedly lit up this entire room. "If light defeats darkness, then vice versa means…Andre, the light!"
Without a second thought, Andre threw his wing upwards and fired a small energy blast that collided with its source. Upon impact, the light shattered to pieces, leaving the room within a purge of darkness.
The Angelus lowered her wing and inspected the area around her, noting the darkened state. Though curious, she did not appear to be deterred in anyway. Instead, she frowned and resumed her focus towards them. "Did you believe that would work? You are more nave than I anticipated-ARGH!"
Before she resumed her attack, a sudden, aching headache broke her concentration. She felt to the ground, holding one against her head.
Blu was now puzzled as to whenever or not his strategy had worked. "What's happening to her?"
"Who cares?" Andre responded and raised both wings yet again, slowly emitting a longer energy attack. "With her guard down, I might be able to do some damage this time. Just need time- "
His plan was short lived as Blu pushed his wings down. "No! I don't want Jewel to be hurt!"
Fighting through the agony, the Angelus raised to her feet while struggling to contain her hold. "She is strong…Very strong…Incredible."
"Let her go!" Blu demanded. "You don't need to do this!"
His pleas fell on deaf ears as he levitated into the air. Growing frustrated with too much inner conflict to control, she turned towards the exposed air vent and dashed forward, leaving a trail of light behind along the way.
Relieved, Andre collapsed and panted in exhaustion, both from mental and physical fatigue. "That was a close one. I can't believe it, that was the Angelus! I can't believe it's true! It's incredible! Tragic, but incredible all the same! What do you think? Blu?"
The blue macaw was silent, eyes locked upon the air vent that she exited. Blu wanted to follow, to chase after her and rescue his loved one. Instead, his body froze. Not out of her fear, but from lack of hope. Clutching his wings, he closed his eyes and whispered to himself. "Jewel…Come back…Please…"
He failed her. He promised to protect her, to never let her go or anyone to harm her again. Now she had been taken, consumed by an entity of light. Even if they pursued her, what then? The Angelus was too powerful to beat, her abilities and power far surpassing that of Vadin.
Andre's expression softened as he approached his blue macaw friend, patting one wing over his back. "I'm so sorry. I-I wish there was something I could do."
Unable to hold back, Blu did the one thing he had never done in his life: crying. Slow tears left his eyes as he broke down into sadness, unable to handle the thought of his loved one in danger. Andre could do nothing but sympathize with him.
"Is there anything I can do?" Andre offered sincerely. "Anything at all?"
Unless the answer was Jewel, nothing else could satisfy him. She was all he had now, the only bird that mattered to him. They had been through too much together, experienced more adventures than anyone could have ever imagined. Was this the end?
No. This wasn't the end, never. Raising his head, Blu raised a single toe and wiped the tears from his eyes, changing his expression to one of determination. "There is one thing you can do, Andre."
Andre nodded. "Anything."
Blu inhaled a deep breath, a part of him deeply regretting what he was about to do. He would never forgive himself, but it was all for her. "Get the siphon. I need the Darkness."
"Are you crazy!?" Andre exclaimed in disbelief, skeptical as to the request. "You want to reclaim the Darkness? After all that hard work, you're gonna reclaim it?!"
"Listen! I don't have a choice!" Blu responded impatiently. "Jewel is out there, and I'm not gonna let her go! Show me where you buried the siphon!"
Andre still had his doubts, uncertain if revealing the location was the right thing to do. "But Blu-"
Reaching the limit of his patience, Blu turned and placed both wings against the top of Andre's wings with pleading eyes. "Andre, take me to the siphon. Please, Jewel is my mate, my wife, my everything. I love her, I can't let anything happen to her.
Andre sighed, knowing there was no convincing him otherwise. "Wait here, I'll go and get it."
Without another word, Andre turned and flew behind one of the artificial trees. While Blu waited as patiently as he could, it was not long until the familiar flapping of wings approached from the air vent. Blu was initially preparing a fight or flight response, suspecting the Angelus had returned o soon to finish the job. Seconds passed before two faces appeared: a canary and a red-crested cardinal.
Nico landed on the ground first, enthusiastic as ever. "Hey, hey, we're back!"
Once again, their enthusiastic greeting was not returned as expected, leaving the duo feeling quite unwelcomed.
Pedro could not avoid another frown. "Why everyone always got the long faces when we show up?"
"Not a good time, guys," Blu regrettably informed them, closing his eyes to avoid releasing anymore sadness. "Jewel's gone."
Nico cocked his head to the side. "Where she'd go? We don't mind waiting."
Blu shook his head. "No. She's gone. The Angelus took her."
His lack of explanation only left the duo more puzzled. Pedro closed his eyelids halfway in confusion. "Angelus?"
"You been drinking that mango juice again?" Nico inquired. "You know too much of that stuff does funny things to your- "
"Stop!" Blu snapped, silencing the best friends in their steps. "Listen to me: Jewel has been taken by the Angelus, she's the opposite of the Darkness and now she has her. We can't stop her, not without the Darkness. I have to take it back to stop here, before it's too late."
Though startled by his sudden yell, followed with his swift explanation, the duo was in complete shock as to what their blue macaw friend had told them.
Nico was the first to speak up. "Blu, are you serious?"
"That's just crazy talk!" Pedro agreed. "You can't let that thing control you! That ain't cool!"
He understood their reasoning and hesitation, but their answers were not going to dissuade him. "I have to. For Jewel, I'd do anything. It'll be okay."
The two exchanged the same look, their faces filled with uncertainty. Nevertheless, they respected Blu's decision. Jewel was everything to him, they had been there since the beginning. They were the first to greet Blu into Rio, welcoming him into open wings and late rejoined him to the end. They witnessed his journey and watched his relationship with Jewel build in such a short time. Even against the likes of Vadin, they did not give up and joined them every step.
After a small thought, the two acknowledged his desire to rescue Jewel. Nico was the first to speak up. "We're with you, Blu."
Pedro nodded. "Always."
Since the kidnapping of his loved one, Blu finally mustered a smile. It was not long until Andre finally returned, holding a very familiar artifact within both talons. He wedged the siphon into the ground, stepping back as a purple mist surrounded it.
"Here it is," Andre said as stepped back to brush off his dusty wings. "Do what you need to do."
Blu nodded as he approached the siphon, taking a moment to gather himself. The very thought of bonding with that thing was a scary thought, one that sent chills down his spine. It was calling to him, begging to be released from its prison and ready to cause destruction.
Inhaling a deep breath, he placed both wings upon the siphon and lifted it, examining the ancient artifact intently. Before performing the action that would rob him of his will, he turned towards his friends as a free bird one final time. "Guys. Thank you. For everything."
In a quick swipe, Blu slammed the tip of the siphon within his stomach. Upon impact, he collapsed to the ground in agony, a painful sensation entered his body as the Darkness begun to bond with him. Fearing of getting caught in the crosshairs, his friends quickly took cover behind one of the trees.
"AT LAST! I AM FREE!"
Unable to tolerate the pain, Blu collapsed and released a scream of agony. Before long, his entire body exploded into a ball of purple energy. In what felt like forever which in reality was only seconds, a shockwave of dark energy detonated the entire room, shattering a couple of artificial branches and other material. The blast was so powerful that it lit up the entire room, even forcing the three friends to cover their eyes despite the tree barrier between them and Blu.
Finally, the energy around them dispersed safely, bringing the room to a quiet atmosphere. Feeling safe, Andre peaked from his covering position and did not hesitate to approach his blue macaw friend, who was now knelt against the ground, one wing around his stomach.
"The host returns…"
Slowly, Blu raised to his feet and raised both wings, examining himself with perfect attention to detail. To the average eye, he did not stick out (except for him being the last male of his species), but those who knew him recognized his new state.
"I did it," Blu confirmed. "The Darkness has returned."
"Hey Blu, I-I see you got your thing back!" Nico called from the tree he and Pedro were hiding behind.
Blu inhaled a deep breath as he allowed his body to adjust to the second presence. He gently pressed one foot against the ground and levitated with his controlled power. "I'm going to find the Angelus. I'll bring her back and make her give me Jewel back."
Andre nodded. "I'm gonna study through my notes. If I find any weakness, anything we can exploit against her, you'll be the first to know."
Blu did not respond but acknowledged his words. Turning towards the damaged air vent, he slowly approached and prepared to leave. Just before he was fully out of view, his crazed ally had one final piece of advice.
"Blu," Andre called, catching his attention. He offered him a smile. "Good luck."
This time, Blu responded with a nod as a gesture of thanks. Deprived of another thought, he turned and utilized his powers to fly fast, zooming down the air vents without a care in the world. There was only one thing on his mind right there, one motivation keeping him going.
Jewel.
And that concludes this chapter. The Angelus has arrived and has taken Jewel away as our host, leaving Blu alone once more. Can he stand up to the might of the Angelus? Stay tuned this Thursday to find out.
