Bought time I pumped out a chapter. Been keeping you guys waiting far too long .
"Well, physically, there's nothing wrong with you," Anubis said. Umber lay on his back on the examination table while Anubis scanned him with his mechanical hand.
"Except for the fact that my magic is gone!" Umber exclaimed, sitting up as Anubis drew his hand back.
"This is most curious. I've heard of how the Nullus family was able to temporarily suppress the powers of others, but outright stealing magic? I-it's unheard of!" Anubis cried in disbelief and awe as the pair exited the cyborg jackal's hut back on the Veil.
"Umber!" Azure shouted in worry, dashing up to her brother and hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!"
"Don't even start with that, Azure," Umber said sternly, putting a stop to her line of thinking right away. "None of us could have known that's what the Orb would do and even if I did, I'd do it again. But what I want to know is why the Orb is capable of stealing magic in the first place. All our records and legends said that it's power was to bestow great strength to members of our bloodline. There was never any mention of it being able to syphon magic from someone!"
"Well, a lot of information didn't make it past the Purge," Anubis noted. "It's possible the Orb is capable of far more than what we have recorded. We don't even know the full extent of power of the relics we have now."
"Is there any way to get his powers back?" Azure asked.
"It's possible that if the Orb took them, they can return them to their rightful owner. Magic usually flows both ways. But we would have to get the Orb from Garnett in order to test that theory," Anubis noted.
"Then we have to track him down!" exclaimed the young dragon.
"No," Umber interjected.
"What? Why not?"
"Garnett has the means to steal our magic. What happens if we try to capture him and he steals someone else's magic next? I'm not just going to throw someone in his path!"
"Then what do we do? Just sit here and wait for him to come at us?" Azure argued.
"I don't know!" Umber cried. "I don't have all the answers!"
"When Garnett used the Orb and stole your powers, he was so weak he could barely stand afterwards," Azure explained as Anubis joined the conversation.
"Hm, that's not unheard of. Most often magical relics require supplemented energy from whomever is using it in order to function. Perhaps Garnett's body was severely weakened by his use of the Orb. If so, that would mean he wouldn't be able to use it in quick succession to steal more than one power at a time."
"So I should just offer up someone to him like a lamb to the slaughter? I won't do that!" Umber protested.
"I wasn't suggesting you do, Umber, but the longer we wait, the sooner Garnett recovers and the stronger he becomes. If we do not act soon, he could very well take the Veil by force," Anubis cautioned. "If we manage to get the Orb back, there is a chance we can reclaim your magic."
"But how can we be sure any of us can use it?" Azure asked.
"What do you mean?" asked Umber.
"Right before you guys arrived at G.U.N., Garnett said to me that only Mythos himself or those marked by him could use it and that he had found some way to make it work for him," she explained. "He wouldn't say that unless it meant only certain people could use it, regardless of Mythos blood."
"'Those marked by him'? What does that mean?" Anubis asked.
"I'm not sure," Azure shrugged.
Umber stood in quiet thought as he pulled out his family seal, which contained his family's crest emblazoned on the front. "Well, the first thing I think of with the mark of Mythos is this, our family crest."
"So, someone has to bear our family crest in order to use it? Maybe you should be able to get your magic back with the Orb if you have the seal with you," she suggested.
"I doubt it's that simple. Magic is rarely that simple. There must be some secret here that we're not seeing," he said as Anubis and Azure hovered over him.
"Perhaps something on the emblem relates to something in the real world, like Divinus' crest also being the symbol of the Prophet's Eye and Psyche's crest appearing as markings on their hands. What if the circle of Mythos' crest represents the Orb?" Anubis suggested, pointing to the circular portion of the crest. Umber extended his hand out and covered the circular portion of the crest with his thumb, allowing them to focus in on the rest of the emblem.
"That looks familiar. I mean, it's obviously familiar; it's part of our family crest… but I feel like I've seen this somewhere else before. I can't quite put my finger on it," Azure said, looking at the portion of the crest.
"Yeah, you're right…" Umber added, trying to figure out where he had seen the familiar emblem before. "Hang on, I-"
All of a sudden, the sunlight shining in from the window was blotted out and the sky darkened. "What in the world?" Anubis questioned out loud, looking outside his window as the sky suddenly became pitch black and the entire island darkened in the absence of the sun.
"What's going on?" Azure cried, running outside with her brother. "Why'd the sky go black?"
"It's not the sky," Umber said. "It's a shadow dome. These are my powers at work!"
Azure quickly leapt into the air to survey the area and saw that the entire island was encased in this shadow dome. She landed back on the ground next to her brother. "It's covering the entire island!"
"Anubis, get everyone to the Catacombs. We're under attack!" Umber ordered. Anubis nodded and dashed off as Umber and Azure went the opposite direction.
"Do you think it's him?" Azure asked, flying alongside Umber as he ran, all the while red emergency lights that lined the island lit up.
"It has to be. Who else has magic like mine and knows the Veil's location? When we find him, I want you to stay behind me. We can't let him get anyone else's magic." He stopped in his tracks and looked behind him when he saw Azure stop in mid air and land on the ground. "Azure, did you hear me?" he asked.
"Umber…" she muttered, her eyes wide in fear.
"What's wrong?" he asked, walking towards her.
"I can't move!" she cried.
"What are you talking about?" Umber asked. Once he got close to her, Azure suddenly drew back and delivered a swift punch to Umber's gut. He coughed and doubled over, quickly stepping back. "What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry! It's not me! I mean, it is me, but I-I can't control myself!" she exclaimed as she suddenly lunged into the air, ready to drive her heel down over Umber's head, but he managed to duck out of the way. However, he wasn't able to avoid the wide sweep of her tail that knocked him on his back.
As Azure stood over him, Garnett emerged from the surrounding trees, clapping his hands. "Ah, of all the elements I've missed the most, it would have to be darkness. You really underutilized the magic you were gifted with brother," he said. As he raised his hand, Azure's body mimicked his movements. Umber narrowly avoided another attack from his sister and as he rolled to safety, he noticed Azure's shadow extending farther than normal and connecting with Garnett's shadow. "The power to control the movements of another, like a puppet," he grinned. Garnett lunged forward with a punch as Azure copied his movements, continuing to attack Umber, who managed to block the attacks this time.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she cried, unable to control her own body as she attacked her brother.
"It's ok, it's not your fault!" he assured her, blocking her punches and kicks with his arms. Just then, the earth beneath them shook as a small fissure opened up in the ground, splitting the connection between Garnett and Azure's shadows, freeing her from his control. Vines suddenly shot out from the bushes and wrapped around either of Garnett's wrist, pulling him back as more vines sprouted and began wrapping around him.
"You two ok?" asked Sepia as he and Shamrock arrived on scene.
"Yeah, we're fine," Umber said, helping Azure up. "Where's Payne?"
"With Sapphire. Why?" Sepia asked.
"We need him, now!" Umber exclaimed.
"My vines won't hold him for much longer!" Shamrock cried.
"No, they won't." All four turned around in shock as Garnett rose from his shadow behind them.
"Careful, he's got my darkness magic," Umber cautioned.
"Yes, and soon I will have the rest. So why don't you save yourselves the trouble and surrender now?"
"Never! Sepia!" At Umber's call, Sepia punched his fist into the ground, causing the ground right beneath his feet to give out into a pit. With the stomp of his heel, another slab of earth slid over the pit, sealing Garnett within.
"That won't hold him for long," Sepia remarked.
"Then we better hurry. We need to find Payne and get our hands on the Orb," Umber said as the four siblings rushed back to the center of the island.
"He definitely didn't have the Orb with him and there's no way he'd just leave it behind," Azure added.
"So Pine or Ghost must have it," Sepia deduced.
"But what does Payne have to do with this?" asked Shamrock.
"Garnett said that only Mythos himself or those bearing his mark could use the Orb. Either of you ever notice how much the birthmark on Payne's forehead looks like our family crest?"
"Yeah, but to be honest, I never thought much of it," said Sepia.
"Neither did I. But if that birthmark means Payne is marked by Mythos, then he might just be the key to finishing this," Umber said. Once they reached the center of the island, they narrowly dodged a wave of icicles sprouting across the ground towards them. The two sisters flew over the ice while the pair of brothers easily climbed over it. Just a few feet ahead, they saw Sapphire and Payne fighting against Pine and Ghost, the latter of whom held the Orb in his hands. "Get that Orb!"
The two opposing sides of siblings meet as the mighty forces of nature violently clashed all around them. The earth shook, the sky darkened with strikes of lightning and gusts of wind, the waves of the ocean crashed like thunder and raging flames burned intensely. A combined tag team assault on Ghost by the three sisters managed to wrestle the Orb from his clutches, but no sibling could seem to hold onto it for more than a second before having to toss it to another so they could defend from an attack. Despite outnumbering them, Garnett, Ghost and Pine put up a considerable fight.
"Payne!" Umber called, tossing the Orb to the unsuspecting griffin.
"Don't give it to me!" he yelled frightfully. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Use it!" Umber shouted, just barely dodging an ice attack.
"Use it? Me? Why me? Why don't you use it?" Payne cried, holding up the Orb for him to take it back.
"No! It has to be you!" the black dog protested.
"But… but…" he stuttered, legs shaking in fear as his knees threatened to give out from under him.
"You!" Payne gasped as he heard a shrill cry and saw Garnett dashing towards him at a maddening speed. "Give me that Orb!"
Payne yelped and held out the Orb while turning away and shutting his eyes in fear. Suddenly, the Orb and birthmark on Payne's forehead began glowing unison as the Orb hovered over Payne's hands. A brilliant white beam shot out from the orb and struck Garnett in the chest, knocking him into a tree trunk. The phoenix shrieked in pain as black wispy shadows were pulled from his body and trailed along the beam to the Orb. Once they reached the Orb, the beam stopped and Garnett fell to the ground on his hands and knees.
"You… What have you done?" he shouted in rage. He stood up on his feet, but his weakened body gave out and he fell to one knee. Payne looked at the Orb in his hands, now containing a dark, shadowy glow within. Realizing what it meant, Payne held up the Orb once more, this time aimed at Umber. The Orb hovered over his hands once again as the same beam of light shot Umber in the chest as the black swirling shadows traveled along the beam to his body. Unlike with Garnett, Umber did not cry out in pain, nor did he fall to the ground weakly once the Orb completed its work. He did, however, hunch over and rest his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He looked up at the shadow dome that covered the island as black shadows swirled around his eyes briefly before disappearing. Umber looked down at his hands, feeling his strength returning. He thrust his hands into the air as shadow tendrils emerged from them and pierced the dome above, quickly bringing it down and returning sunlight to the island. As they basked in the returning light, Garnett recovered and took Payne by surprise, tackling the griffin and seizing the Orb from his hands.
"Since you are all so intent on fighting until the end, I will happily grant you a warrior's death." Garnett raised the Orb over his head as the magical relic floated up above him. It began glowing bright and pulsated with energy before a bright beam shot out from under it directly onto Garnett. He fell to his knees and grunted in pain as energy swirled all around him, making his feathers stand up. The glow of the Orb grew so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes until the light finally died down. The Orb fell to the ground, discarded, as Garnett stood before them, or more accurately floated. His entire body was engulfed in flames, becoming fire itself, and two bright and glowing purple eyes turned to them. Garnett threw his head back and cackled maniacally. "Gaze upon my power! This is what it means to be a Mythos! One with the forces of nature! This is what it is to be a Titan!"
I know it was a bit on the short side, but it's really all I can manage right now. And I know some of you may be thinking that it's awful fast for Umber to get his power back (believe me, I considered it too), but I figured Garnett has no reason to hold back an assault now.
Next chapter: Titan Garnett unleashes his power, prompting the Mythos siblings to becomes Titans as well. But when Titan Garnett syphons the rest of the Orb's power, he becomes something dangerous and incredible.