Chapter Eleven: The Pain of Separation

"Gwen…" Gwen woke up in the night as she looked around in surprise at the voice. "Who's there?!" Gwen called into the night around her. Ben woke up and instantly went to battle mode because he could feel Gwen's fear even across town when Gwen called into the darkness around her faintly. "I'm on my way, Gwen!" Ben said as he went XLR8 and raced to Gwen's house. "What is it, Gwen?" Ben asked as he appeared beside her in his Kineceleran form. Gwen held up a hand at Ben's question and closed her eyes. Focusing her energy, Gwen expanded her senses to other dimensions and times. When she reached past the veil, Gwen received a momentary shock as she sensed Ben's energy. Looking beside her in doubt, Gwen saw faint traces of Magic coursing through her Ben's body, but it was being blocked by the Omnitrix. Gwen shook her head in silent rejection that the strong mystic SOS came from her Ben.

Then, she turned her eyes back to the stronger source of mystical energy with Ben's signature. Gwen concentrated and felt her body become covered in blue energy. "I'll be back, Ben." Gwen said as she gently caressed his cheek. Ben only stared at Gwen in fear as she began to vanish from his sight. Ben reached quickly with his hand to make sure that he went with her, but his plan didn't count on the Omnitrix's animosity towards all things Magic. Ben screamed in pain as Gwen's energy raced through his alien body. The feedback from the Omnitrix sent Ben flying away from Gwen into the back of the room. He managed to look at Gwen one last time and register the frantic steps of Gwen's parents before the boy passed out and reverted to his human form.

Once Gwen crossed into the distress signal's vicinity, she shivered at the sight. Why would this Ben be in the Null Void? Gwen thought with a shiver as she closed her eyes and recited a levitation and propulsion spell together. Gwen felt the spells pull at her energy reserves with a hard yank and quickly decided a strength spell with jumping from rock to rock would be more effective and less taxing. Gwen couldn't help thinking of her and Ben's stent in the Sumo Slammers game world. Why is jumping always faster than walking in games? Gwen thought passively before she squelched the thought away and continued her search for Lost Ben.

Lost Benjamin sighed as he scoured the bleak landscape for food aboard his Null Guardian steed. Benjamin was dressed in a fur that resembled an alien variation on a grizzly bear, six eyes set in its skull and blood colored fur along with a tail that had been cut into a rope with its venomous tail spine resting in a bow fashioned from the jaw and tendons of a vulpimacer. The rest of the vulpimacer hide had Its forepaws tied to Benjamin's neck like the Nemean Lion pelt on the hero Heracles of old.

Benjamin smiled at the thought of what Gwen would say to him if she saw him. The momentary smile on Benjamin's face at thoughts of Gwen evaporated as Benjamin shivered at the last words Gwen said: "Ben, no!" The teenager shivered and fought back a sob. The Null Guardian Benjamin rode let out a mournful cry. "I'm alright, Draco," Ben told his only friend in this wasteland. "It's just an old ache that acts up now and again." The creature turned itself back to what lay before it in acceptance of Benjamin's words.

Then, Draco let out a joyous roar and shot straight down. Shocked by the sudden movement, Ben cried out in fear and vaguely felt his legs tighten around the creature's ribs. "What has gotten into you?!" Ben yelled at his mount. Then, Benjamin observed that the creature had spotted a pack of Havoc Beasts and grinned as he saw lunch coming toward him. Ben sighed as his stomach growled in anticipation of the meal to come. Ben grinned at the meal he caught and cooked it with a fire spell that also burned the fur off of the Havoc Beast's body. Right as Ben took a bite of the flesh and moaned in delight, he realized Draco landed…and was licking someone like an excited puppy. When Ben finally saw the object of Draco's affection, his eyes widened in shock, and Ben jumped off the Null Guardian and ran to Gwen in disbelief. "GWEN?!"

Gwen shivered as she looked around frantically for any sign of the boy she thought she would find. Ben, why are you in the Null Void instead of with Grandpa and your Gwen? Gwen thought as she heard a familiar chittering. Gwen shook her head as she saw Havoc Beasts coming after her. Gwen shook her head and readied as spell to attack the creatures but saw one of them get struck by a strange weapon and dragged off into the sky. The other beasts stared at their comrade as he was taken and scattered in fear. Gwen then heard a rush of wind that told of a rapid-growing fire. Then, Gwen gagged as she was licked by a Null Guardian. Finally, Gwen's eyes looked up just in time to see a large teenager attack her in a bear hug while he yelled, "GWEN?!"

In the middle of their happy reunion, Gwen failed to notice a breach to their right, but Benjamin picked his head up from Gwen's shoulder a moment before the portal open as if he expected it. Both stood back in their battle stances, Benjamin armed with his bow and rope/arrow. Benjamin's eyes widened and settled in anger when he zeroed in on a silver-haired witch. "Charmcaster, what are you doing here?" Benjamin growled as he readied his bow to strike Charmcaster. "Is that any way to greet the person who brought Gwendolyn back to you." Charmcaster said with a slight bit of venom in her tone.

Benjamin's eyes settled on a hand in Charmcaster's, and he quirked an eyebrow at Gwendolyn at seeing their hands together. Before the brunette could comment, Gwendolyn ran to the brown-haired wild man and kissed him gently as tears rolled down Benjamin's face. "She has the expertise to get here, and I had the raw power, Doofus." Gwendolyn explained before she hugged Benjamin tighter and enjoyed his presence after so long. Benjamin and Gwen didn't fail to notice the crestfallen look on Charmcaster's face but only Benjamin heard Charmcaster begrudgingly wish Gwendolyn happiness. "You're happy with him, Red, and I can live with that." Gwen smiled as she watched Ben and Gwen combine their Magics to leave the pocket dimension.

Gwen's smile widened as she came back to her own universe, but a thought nagged at her, Why was Charmcaster visibly affected when my alternate went nuts over Benjamin? Gwen shook the thought away as she ran to Ben and knelt by him. Frank and Natalie watched the exchange from the hallway. "Ben?" Gwen asked as she knelt by her boyfriend in worry. "What happened to him?" Gwen asked as she turned toward her Mom and Dad. "He was going to chase you into the portal, but he was shocked and thrown back. He's been out for a few hours." Natalie said with a smirk. Tears stood in Gwen's eyes. "Come back, you Doofus!" Gwen commanded as her eyes and hands glowed blue. The Omnitrix started beeping wildly. It took Gwen a moment to understand, but the Omnitrix beeped out a message in Morse. "Deactivate energy dampeners?" Gwen translated as she looked at the device in worry. Then, Gwen smiled and tapped once on the faceplate. Ben's body glowed with green aura for a moment. Then, Ben stirred. Gwen felt her heart jump and hugged Ben tightly. "What…happened?" Ben asked weakly. "The Omnitrix has a bad reaction to my Magic, and the feedback knocked you out." Gwen explained quickly. Ben sat up. I feel fine." He said to her as he smiled at the warmth in her arms. After a moment, Ben gave a hesitant look at the Omnitrix. "I have a choice to make. Don't I?" Ben asked his redhead girlfriend and cousin. "Not right now but you will have to soon." Gwen confirmed. "Know this, Ben 10 or Magis Verdis, you will still be MY Doofus." Gwen said firmly.

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Author's Note: Magis Verdis is not mine. The idea belongs to csgt and is actually Ben's Wizard alter ego in his stories "Mystic Vanguard" and "Watch Boy and Lucky Girl".