The Fifth Horse Rises, Nature Strikes Back

It's been two days since the whole tennis incident. Since then, Serena has noticed a distinct change in Thedon's behavior. He seemed more on edge, as if expecting an attack from anywhere at any time. The problem was compounded further when three new students from overseas joined the class. Thedon seemed to have some rather poor history with them the seemed to further sour his mood.

Furthermore, whatever it was that Carrow did, it seemed to unearth some traumatizing memories from Thedon's past. These memories seemed to plague his dreams, resulting in a much more severe sleeping problem then the late night love line incident. At Amy's suggestion, the girls tried to take Thedon's mind off his problems by taking him to a nearby park the Amy frequented since her early childhood. It seemed to be working; Thedon could literally feel the accumulated stress melt away at the soft sound of the wind in the trees, the light rustling of the lake water, and of the heavy machinery destroying the landscape…. Wait, what?!

You could hear the serene atmosphere shatter like cheap glass on a stone floor. They moved further into the park to try and escape the noise, and came across the parks caretaker, Mr. Baxter. He told them about how some British super-company bought out the parks original owner and began clearing the land to make room for a supplies warehouse. Now this peaked Thedon's interest, since he knew that a certain amount of time needed to pass before such development could begin, at least two months. But from what Mr. Baxter was saying, whoever was in charge of this project waited only one week before starting.

"Mr. Baxter, I think I can help you. Have you tried telling the police about this? As a child of two major business moguls, I'm well aware of the various regulations involved in such an operation, and I'm seeing at least one major violation." Mr. Baxter just sighed before answering.

"I appreciate you trying to help, Thedon. But I already tried that. The police questioned the head foreman, only for him to walk out of the station and the police forgetting about the whole thing. Enjoy the park while you can kids, because it will all be gone by next week." Mr. Baxter heaved another sigh before returning to work on a nearby flower bed. Serena, Amy, and Raye were disheartened by this news, while Thedon felt his rage surging like a tidal wave at the obvious injustice that was being ignored.

Later that night, Luna was looking for the gang at the arcade. She got rather concerned since they usually don't go a single day without meeting here. While looking for them, she saw three new faces among the clientele. They were three boys, all in their early teens; that much she could tell. One of the boys was very tall, although some of that height could be contributed to his long neck. He also seemed to lack a noticeable chin, had a flat head with small hairs, wide-set eyes which seemed to look in two different directions at once, and a noticeably thick unibrow. He wore a green jacket over a red and white striped shirt and a pair of somewhat baggy jeans.

The next boy was the second tallest of the group. He had a noticeably larger chin, an almost diamond-shaped head, and wore a sock-like black hat with white stripes. His facial features didn't stand out much except for a small gap between his top front teeth. He wore a red shirt, thick purple shorts, and red socks that reached up to his knees.

The final boy was the shortest and seemed to be the leader. His head was flat like the first boy, with three strands of hair on his head. Facial-wise he was nothing special, except for some tan lines around his eyes. He also seemed to exude an aura of smugness, greed, and gullibility. He wore a yellow shirt with a blue collar and a red stripe down the front and back. He also wore a pair of baggy jeans which were lighter in color then the first boys.

The names of these boys were, from tallest to shortest, Ed, Edd, and Eddy. They met Thedon three years ago when his father visited to supervise the construction of a new candy shop which soon became a frequent hangout spot for the three. They were also known for concocting numerous scams to fleece the neighborhood kids of their allowances, with Thedon being a frequent target due to his family's wealth. Almost all of these scams were failures in one form or another, resulting in hospital bills and repair costs that robbed them of what little money they obtained.

Eddy was also known for being a womanizer, seeing himself as god's gift to women. This was demonstrated by his attempt at hitting on Serena and Amy two days ago. While he was rebuffed, he wouldn't take no for an answer, which resulted in Thedon having to reprimand him in a somewhat violent manner.

Back in the present, Luna was so busy watching the boys that she wandered into the street, and stopped in front of an oncoming truck. The sound of the trucks engine caught her attention, causing her to scream. She closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable. She expected there to be a lot of pain involved, but all she felt was a pair of arms scooping her up. She opened her eyes and saw Thedon above her, clutching her to his chest and breathing heavily.

"Luna, I know I haven't been my normal self lately, but trying to get yourself killed won't solve anything." Before he could continue talking, Serena, Amy, and Raye managed to catch up to him. Having witnessed the almost accident, they were concerned for Luna's safety, but they were also bewildered by Thedon's sudden burst of inhuman speed. Shoving those questions aside, they rushed over to Thedon and Luna. Serena got there first and started fussing over them.

"Thedon, Luna, are you two alright?"

"I'm a little winded, but otherwise fine." He looked down and gave Luna a quick glance. She seemed to be unharmed aside from a scare. Sadly for them, the commotion drew the attention of the Eds, who rushed out to see what happened. Being the arrogant person he is, Eddy was the first to open his big mouth.

"Well, if it isn't the spoiled rich kid and his groupies. Trying to drum up some more praise from the masses?" His nerves already frayed, Thedon had to really fight the urge to lash out at Eddy.

"Eddy, I have no time for you right now. So why don't you do both myself and yourself a favor and GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT?!"

Sadly, while this was happening, Nephrite was busy divining his next victim, who soon turned out to be Mr. Baxter. Meanwhile in the rafters of his mansion, the Lemurs were just leaving in preparation for a meeting with the penguins.

Back with the gang, Serena was busy with a sailor V game while Thedon and Raye sat off to the side. Raye couldn't explain it, but ever since she met Thedon and helped with his injured hands, she found it hard to not think about him. Not being the type to sit in the background, she decided to take the initiative.

"I've been wondering, Thedon. What was that crazy speed of yours back there? You don't really seem like some kind of fitness freak."

"Well, while I might not be a fitness freak, I do still work out. My parents raised me with a strong sense of honor and discipline so I didn't kill myself overindulging in chocolate and other such foods. That little display outside was part of an old fighting style called Rokushiki."

"Six Powers? I don't think I've ever heard of it."

"Not surprising, really. There are very few people alive who know of it and fewer still that practice its disciplines. An old dojo master tutored me in this style. Sadly, my training was cut short when he passed away in his sleep. His last words to me were on a note saying how much potential he saw in me and his hopes of me resurrecting the Rokushiki fighting style."

"How far along did you get? Maybe I could help you; my Grandpa taught me martial arts since I was a kid."

"The Rokushiki revolves around six techniques that grant the user super-human abilities, but requires one to train their body to the point of exhaustion and beyond in order to achieve even the basic moves, and they must be learned in a set order to be fully effective. I only managed to master the basics of one move before my Sensei passed."

While Raye was getting to know Thedon, Mr. Baxter looked on in sadness and anger as the park was torn down. As he looked on, he couldn't help but notice how a select few people were waving sticks around while giving orders. Another similarity he noticed was the British accents in their voices. He was so caught up in his musings that he failed to notice Nephrite, in the guise of Maxfield Stanton, walk up behind him.

"A real shame what they're doing to this park. I used to play here as a kid, and now it's being torn down."

"I know, but what can I do? Not even the police will help me."

Nephrite merely smirked before turning to Mr. Baxter. "I might know a way to stop them, with your help of course," Nephrite paused for a second before saying, "or the help of your pathetic human body!" Mr. Baxter was so surprised that he couldn't move, allowing Nephrite the time to implant a monster in his hat, leaving his seal behind. The influx of Negaverse energy caused Mr. Baxter to pass out, leaving Nephrite alone with his thoughts.

'Now I will harvest the energy of that human as well as all the animals in this park. And I might even lure out the Sailor Scouts and that annoying human.'

Unknown to either Nephrite or Mr. Baxter, the Eds witnessed the entire exchange from the treetops, having gone to the park to collect themselves after their encounter with Thedon. Edd, being quick to panic began doing just that.

"Eddy, this is not good, we just got ourselves caught in a supernatural conspiracy. We need to get out of here and warn the authorities, the army, the government, and the masses!"

"Take a chill pill, Double D. We aren't telling anyone about this. In fact if we play this right, we could be rich by the weekend." Eddy punctuated that statement with dollar signs in his eyes.

"Eddy, I've gone along with plenty of your ideas before, but this is crossing the line! Unless someone stops this, innocent people could be hurt!"

"What and no one ever got hurt in any of your failure ideas, Double D?"

"Don't you dare bad-mouth my ideas, the only reason they failed is because you and Ed always do something to mess things up!"

While those two were arguing, Ed was keeping an eye on Mr. Baxter. Ed was never well known for his intelligence, spending most of his life reading comics and watching sci-fi and horror movies, and so a lot of his opinions were tuned out. However, something in his gut was telling him to keep an eye on Mr. Baxter.

It could have been minutes; it could have been hours, all Mr. Baxter knew was that when he woke up, he felt his anger and rage boil like never before. His rage seemed to be contagious, as the next thing he knew he gave out a shout of rage and a swarm of butterflies assaulted the construction site, breaking the equipment and harassing the workers.

"Eddy, Double D, you guys got to see this!" Eds shout got the attention of his bickering friends, and soon they too bore witness to the fight in the construction site. Eddy was starting to feel a little unnerved while Double D descended further into panic. The commotion caught Mr. Baxter's attention, and soon the three kids were running through the night being chased by squirrels and birds.

At the same time, Thedon was getting ready for his evening training session. Master Rokushi informed him that his body was now capable of handling the strain that the Rokushiki would put on him. So, every morning and every night he would set a lap time by running on a suspended gym track that spanned the circumference of his home, which in itself was quite impressive, and then he would strap on some arm and leg weights, and continue running until he either exhausted himself or matched his original time. Every time he managed to do so, he would increase the amount of weight and repeat the process. He typically didn't go to such extremes, but he needed something to exhaust his rage. The penguins would take shifts with keeping track of his times, making notes on every little difference they could find. They also had to keep a close eye on Thedon to make sure he didn't cause any sort of permanent damage. They finally decided to call it a night after Thedon had done fifteen laps with twenty pounds of weight on each limb.

Soon a new day dawned on Juuban, and since it was the weekend, Thedon decided to give himself a break from his training. Despite this, the goings-on a Fairview park kept nagging at the back of his mind. According to the supervisors at the construction site, the natives of the forest were becoming restless and violent. While he was pleased that the clearly illegal construction project was grinding to a stand-still, he couldn't help but think that there was something else involved, something Negaverse related. He was brought out of his musings just in time to catch someone who had tripped, who turned out to be Raye.

"Whoa there, Raye. Where are you going in such a hurry?" He noted that Raye was wearing a school uniform, probably from weekend classes. He couldn't help but notice how cute she looked.

"I was actually going to find you. I did a little research on the Rokushiki fighting style and found some of the principles rather extreme. I wanted to make sure that you didn't hurt yourself."

"I appreciate your concern Raye, but the penguins are quite adept at making sure I don't wear myself out. But, as long as you're here, how's about you join me for some lunch? My treat." Thedon saw Raye practically light up with happiness at his offer, which she eagerly accepted. They started walking towards a local café, with Raye practically wrapping herself around Thedon's arm. A small part of his mind couldn't help but notice how natural the position felt.

While they were talking, Serena and Luna were walking down the street, with Serena enjoying an ice-cream cone. They had just spotted Thedon walking down the street, and were going to ask him to join them for lunch, until Serena noticed Raye running and tripping in front of him. She looked on as Thedon caught her before she could hit the ground, and felt a confusing mix of serenity and jealousy for some reason. She was brought out of her musings by Luna.

"Well, it seems Raye and Thedon are hitting it off quite well. I have to say, they make a cute couple." This statement caused Serena to experience another wave of conflicting emotions, and decided to follow them for good measure. Luna could do nothing but sigh and follow Serena, confused as to why Serena was acting so possessive. Serena meanwhile was thinking to herself, 'I am not losing Thedon to Raye. I met him first, and Raye will just have to get in line if she wants to be with him. Wait where did that come from? Thedon is mine, period.'

Elsewhere another kind of drama was unfolding. In a small shed in the park where Mr. Baxter normally kept his gardening tools, the project leader was having a meeting with the man. The project lead was a regal looking man with long, blonde hair. His clothes consisted mainly of flowing, robe-like attire, all of which was either very dark in color or entirely black. The man continually tried to convince Mr. Baxter that his protests were a lost cause, while Mr. Baxter himself simply set across from him with a scowl on his face. The meeting came to an end with nothing having been covered, and the project manager was grumbling to himself. "Stupid muggles, thinking their opinions matter. Once the Dark Lord returns, all of them will be put in their proper place, groveling at our feet." The man finished his thought by spitting out some chewing tobacco without a second thought, unaware that a squirrel had seen the act, a squirrel whose eyes flashed red for a second.

Back with Thedon and Raye, they were enjoying their lunch while Raye continued to question Thedon on the aspects of his fighting style. Unknown to them, Serena and Luna were just outside the café keeping tabs on them. Serena was still experiencing two conflicting emotions. Her pride was screaming at her to get Thedon away from Raye, while something deep in her heart was telling her that it would be just fine. Luna, having finally caught on to Serena's jealousy, decided to egg her on. "It's too bad you can't make yourself invisible." That gave Serena an idea, one which Luna protested about.

Unknown to them, Thedon heard them plain as day, but decided to ignore the ruckus in favor of spending time with Raye. He was distracted once more by cheering from his subconscious coming from Crypto. A question from Raye brought him out of his musings.

"So Thedon, you said that this martial arts style revolves around six techniques that must be learned in a specific order to be fully effective, am I right?"

"Yeah, now this is mostly speculation on my part, but I believe that the training required to learn each successive technique prepares one's body for the potential strain brought on by each technique. These techniques in order are Soru, Geppou, Kami-e, Rankyaku, Shigan, and finally Tekkai. As of right now I'm still trying to master Soru, but I am making progress." They spent the rest of their time exchanging funny stories and making small talk.

Serena was sitting a few booths over, reluctantly sharing a milkshake with Melvin and straining to hear what they were talking about. Luna had since wondered off and found Amy, who was becoming increasingly distressed with Mr. Baxter's sudden change of mood. Their attention was suddenly grabbed by a man shouting. What they found was the project manager being attacked by squirrels, what's more was he was waving a stick around frantically shouting various words and phrases that sounded like Latin. He was finally forced to leave, still covered in angry squirrels and shouting curses.

Luna and Amy were both worried and perplexed by what they had seen. Luna was the first to break the silence. "I don't think squirrels are supposed to act like that. There's definitely something wrong here."

"I agree Luna, but what about that man? You don't think he could be like Carrow, do you?"

"It's a possibility Amy; we better get Thedon and the other scouts down here fast."

Having finished their lunch, Raye and Thedon decided to rent a boat. Being the gentleman he is, Thedon paid the rental fee and did the rowing. With the pause in the construction, the rhythmic lapping of the water against the boat produced a sense of peace one couldn't find in the city. Despite the peaceful atmosphere, Thedon's mind constantly wound its way back to one thought; that there were people and forces in existence that would destroy this sanctuary without a second thought. Thedon was brought back the reality by Raye.

"Thedon, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong Raye. Just thinking about how anyone or anything could be as callous as to destroy this bastion of nature. As if there wasn't enough misery and suffering in this world that people actually acknowledge, compound that with a supernatural force and now the possibility of wizards thrown in and it all seems so hopeless sometimes." Raye's mood was somewhat dampened by that thought. "But," Raye perked up again, "when I see places like this, the smiles of happy people enjoying life, the sheer beauty and innocence no matter how brief it is, it reminds me that there are still things in this life worth fighting for." Raye's spirits were lifted by Thedon's speech.

Serena meanwhile was still watching them from a nearby grove of trees, bemoaning the fact that she couldn't hear what they were saying, and the fact that she had Melvin tagging along. Finally she had enough and left the grove, leaving Melvin alone in his confusion. She ended up running into Amy and Luna, who told her about not just the squirrels, but about the project manager flinging spells to fight off said squirrels. But, before she could think on it, Mr. Baxter saw them.

"What are you doing here? No one is allowed in my park!" This declaration scared the girls. "Now I'll punish you for abusing nature, and I'm afraid it won't be pleasant!" It was at this moment that Nephrite decided to unleash his monster, Petasos. After a flash of red light and a shifting of shadows, Mr. Baxter was lying on the ground, his hair a noticeable white. Beside his body stood a female with purple skin, root-like feet, dark green hair, a carapace-like bustier, long eyebrows shaped like beetle pincers, pointed ears, and tight light-green pants. She also had flower petals growing out of her wrists and ankles.

The girls gasped seeing this, with Amy calling out to Mr. Baxter. The monster simply said, "Forget about that clumsy old fool, he's just a memory." The monster shouted, calling up a flock of birds to attack all people in the park. Amy simply responds by transforming into Sailor Mercury.

"MERCURY POWER!"

Serena followed up a short time later.

"MOON PRISM POWER!"

Unknown to them, the attacking birds chased the Eds out of the woods where they were hiding, and they inadvertently saw the two girls transforming from the shadows. Ed was feeling ecstatic about all these other worldly happenings, he simply couldn't contain his joy. Double D, being the most logical and least likely to believe such circumstances, was silently having a panic attack. Eddy, however, just kept quiet and tried to ignore everything that had happened. Sadly, the noise made by Ed and Double D attracted the birds attention, chasing them into the lake.

When Serena's transformation finished, Thedon felt a pulse from the scar on his hand. His attention was then drawn by the sound of splashing, looking in that direction and seeing the oncoming flock. Thinking fast, he grabbed Raye and attempted to shield her from harm, causing the boat to overturn in the process. The flock passed just as they came up for air. "Hitchcock must be laughing up a storm right now. Raye, are you okay?"

Raye came up for air a few seconds later. "I'm okay, Thedon. But what was that all about?"

"I can only think of two possibly reasons for such activity. 1. Someone is filming a sequel to Hitchcock's "The Birds," or 2. A monster just made itself known. Judging by the obvious lack of camera crews, I'd put money on the latter. As much as I utterly loath to say this, we'll have to put the rest of this outing on hold." The sound of splashing drew his attention. "And now we have to play life guard." Thedon simply sighed, swam over and fished the Eds out of the lake.

The Eds frankly were completely lost. First there was the incident last night that forced them to stay in hiding, and then there was the sudden attack by birds, after which they saw that monster and those two girls transforming, and now they were floundering about in the lake only to be fished out and tossed onto the docks. Ed's excitement from earlier had yet to wear off, so he didn't seem all that effected by it. Edd took a few minutes to collect himself before focusing on Thedon.

"Thedon, thank goodness you're here. We need to leave, now!"

"Calm down, Double D. Now what are you whining about and why were you three in that lake? In case you didn't notice I was having an enjoyable outing with Raye. Now start talking before I throw you back in there."

The feeling of anger he was emanating more than convinced the Eds to start talking, so they told him everything they saw since last night. When they were finally finished, Thedon's expression changed from shocked to irritated.

"Are you three absolutely sure about what you saw?" They nodded rapidly. "Well I suppose the cats out of the bag now. Raye, go help Amy and Serena, I'll be there as soon as I can." Raye simply nodded and rushed off. He turned back to the three boys. "I expect you three to keep what you saw to yourselves until I say otherwise. Like it or not, you three are now a part of this. Now get to somewhere safe and don't come out until either I or one of the girls tells you it's safe. Am I clear?"

While Thedon was dealing with the Eds, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury were having problems of their own. They were attacked on all side by a swarm of butterflies, while Luna was being besieged by squirrels. Petasos stood there, smiling in triumph until,

"MERCURY BUBBLE BLAST!"

The mass of bubbles burst into a freezing mist, which disabled the butterflies and squirrels. It was all too much for Luna, who was officially knocked out. Sadly, Petasos wasn't done with them. She transformed one of her hands into a flower, and shot out a green seed at Sailor Moon. It stopped a foot in front of her, and then unraveled into a mass of vines that tied her up. Petasos then turned to Sailor Mercury, turned her hair into vines, and ensnared Sailor Mercury. She gradually tightened the vines, intent on squeezing her to death. Sailor Mercury tried to escape, but the vines wouldn't budge and only grew tighter. The situation seemed most dire, until,

"MARS FIRE IGNITE!"

In a flurry of activity, both Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury were freed. Sailor Moon rolled around, frantically trying to separate herself from the now burning vines, while the vines holding Sailor Mercury fell to the ground in pieces. Sailor Mars jumped beside the still freaked out Sailor Moon, while appearing in a flurry of motion in front of Sailor Mercury was Thedon, who now sported a Katana with an ornate sheath.

"You nearly set ME on fire Mars, and why couldn't Thedon rescue me?" Sailor Moon whined indignantly. Raye simply responded by saying, "Is that any way to talk to someone who just rescued you?" Mars then turned to Petasos. After saying a few words with Sailor Mercury, and getting Sailor Moon all worked up about stealing her lines, Petasos simply laughed and attempted to use more of her green seeds, only to be interrupted by Thedon.

"HANAUTA HACHIMATA!" Thedon then disappeared in a burst of speed, seeming to attack from eight different directions, and then he reappeared before the Sailor Scouts with his sword drawn, walked eight steps towards them, then sheathed his sword.

"YAMATO GIRI!" Petasos took eight hits simultaneously, shredding her seeds and severely injuring her in the process. "Sorry, Sailor Moon, but I didn't want to risk maiming you in the process of freeing you. My swordsmanship is a bit rusty, but enough about that, hurry up and finish her off while she's stunned." Sailor Moon simply nodded.

"MOON TIARA MAGIC!"

Petasos saw the attack coming, but couldn't dodge due to her injuries. This resulted in the attack reducing her to dust. With her death the spell of rage cast upon the animals was broken. Thedon looked around, smiling at the return of serenity to the area, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. His excessive caution paid off, as scant seconds later he heard someone shout,

"VENTUS!"

Acting on instinct he used Soru to intercept the attack, raised his sword in a guarding pose, and took the full brunt of the attack without his Furon shield. The backlash from that attack coupled with the strain of executing an advanced sword technique on the fly was too much for him, as Thedon collapsed face first to the ground. The Sailor scouts rushed to his side, fearing the worst had happened. Sailor Moon got to him first, and slowly turned him over so he didn't suffocate.

"Thedon, are you alright? Please say something!" Thedon couldn't do much but grunt in response. The sound of malevolent laughter drew the scout's attention upwards toward a man with long blonde hair and an air of extreme arrogance to his person. The black robes would have presented a more intimidating appearance, if he wasn't covered in scratches and bite marks. He was pointing a black stick at them that they recognized as a wand.

"Carrow is truly pathetic. To think he was sent running by a bunch of weak, muggle children. But no matter, at least my plan was a success." Sailor Moon and Mars were a bit confused by this statement, until a look of realization appeared on Mercury's face.

"Is that all this was, a plan to lure us out? This mindless destruction of nature was nothing more than a ploy?"

"Rather clever for an inferior animal, but only partially correct. After Carrow returned and gave his report, it became apparent that the Ministry needed more of an influence in this pathetic island. All it took was some minor spell work and all this was accomplished. But on to other matters, I'm not as loose-tongued as that fool Carrow. By direct order of the Minister of magic, I'm placing all four of you under arrest for illegal possession and misuse of magic, the penalty for which is immediate incarceration within the magical prison Azkaban. But first, I think a little fun is in order. I'll start by sending that boy to hell with his own sword."

The wizard advanced toward Thedon's downed form, his intentions clearly written on his face. However, he found his way blocked by the Sailor Scouts. Luna, having regained consciousness several minutes ago, also stood between the wizard and Thedon. Although she knew that it was in vain, she tried to talk sense into the spell casting madman.

"Enough of this nonsense, do you have any idea what would happen if you went through with this? Or did Carrow fail to mention the monster he saw while he was here? If something happens to them, this entire universe, your world included, would be in danger of ceasing to exist."

"I will not be talked down by a filthy beast like you, of course Carrow mentioned that monster and how easily it was defeated. Such weak garbage would never pose a threat to us pureblooded wizards. Now stand aside before I have you stuffed and mounted in my home. Whatever happens to these pathetic muggles is none of my concern."

This final statement caused something within the scouts to snap. Although he referred to himself as something else, the fact was that he was still human, and as such the scouts were reluctant to attack him. But having heard his utter disregard for human life caused all hesitancy to drain from their minds.

"MERCURY BUBBLE BLAST!"

"MARS FIRE IGNITE!"

"MOON TIARA MAGIC!"

All three scouts attacked him at once, hoping to put this murderer down before he could do anymore damage. At first, it seemed to work, but as the dust settled, they saw the wizard still standing there, albeit his flowing black robes were torn in various places. He slowly looked up at them, his eyes screaming in unbridled rage and hatred.

"I was going to let you girls live to spread the word about our eventual coming, but now I've changed my mind. You three worthless bitches, that talking cat and your little boyfriend will never see tomorrow. When you get to whatever hell awaits inferiors like you, tell them that Lucius Malfoy sent you." He raised his wand, the utterance of a single spell on the tip of his tongue that would end all their lives, only to once more be interrupted by none other than the Eds, who started chucking rocks at him. Lucius turned to face his latest assailants, only to receive a mid-sized stone on the bridge of his nose, which addled and stunned him.

"Bulls-eye, excellent shot Ed." Double D complimented Ed on his accuracy before loading another stone into a crudely fashioned wrist-rocket slingshot. Eddy and Ed were using an improvised catapult to launch larger rocks, with Ed throwing a few to keep the heat on while they were reloading.

"Hey Lumpy, get a move on will ya? That blonde wizard could get up at any minute!" Eddy shouted as he eyed the downed Lucius nervously, looking for even the slightest twitch to indicate when he would get up and retaliate. Eddy was very apprehensive about doing this, until Double D and Ed reminded Eddy of what they lost back in the Cul-De-Sac. The scouts took this opportunity to move Thedon to safety and confront the Eds. While Sailors Moon and Mercury pulled Thedon to cover, Sailor Mars went towards the Eds to get answers.

"What are you three doing here? Thedon told you to get somewhere safe." Eddy fired back with, "He also said that like it or not, we're a part of whatever it is that's happening here. Besides, we lost our home to his type, so this is payback."

"BOMBARDA!"

The shout of that spell called to groups attention to Lucius, who was now conscious and launching his counter-attack. The Eds turned with looks of shock before Eddy shouted, "SCATTER!" Mars jumped back to the other two scouts while the Eds ran in three different directions. The spell struck the spot where they once were, blasting dirt and rocks in every direction.

Lucius was beyond livid at this point. What he thought would be a quick bit of mayhem was turning into a drawn out battle, with every minute adding more risk of mass exposure before the appropriate time. "That's it. I've had enough of you filthy vermin and your impertinence. I'll kill you all; even if it means destroying this entire pathetic warren you call a city."

While all this was happening, Thedon was having an internal conflict. "Why, why am I so weak? How can I be able to fight monsters, but not a wizard with a god complex? Was all my training, all my suffering of the past 9 years for nothing?" He looked up and found himself in complete darkness save for the spot he occupied. He also became aware that he wasn't alone.

Across from him stood a skinny man in a purple suit complete with top hat, coat-tails, yellow tinted glasses, and a cane. He also had a noticeable gap between his two front teeth.

This was someone Thedon was hoping to never see again. "Why are you here, Warden? Come to gloat about how helpless I am in protecting those I care for?" The man, now identified as the Warden, simply showed a smug grin before replying, "I don't know what you mean, Thedon."

"Cut the Bull-Shit, Warden. I'm not the same eight-year old you tortured for three months in that madhouse you call a jail. Now tell me why you are here before I beat the reason out of you."

"I simply wanted to see how you were coping with the outside world since your release. As I'm sure you are aware, no-one walks out of super jail the same as they went in."

"You don't need to tell me that. I spent the rest of that year in therapy before I could close my eyes without seeing rooms covered in blood and body parts. Now, let me wake up before something bad happens to my friends, not that you would understand the concept with how you act."

"Still the over-optimist even on the low ground, eh? Well, I'm afraid I can't simply let you leave after insulting me like that." Before more could be said, the Warden suddenly found himself suspended against an invisible wall. He looked around frantically, trying to find the source of his restraint. At first he thought it was Thedon, but he looked just as confused. Then another, much older voice spoke up. "Whatever disagreement you two have will have to wait until later."

Out from the surrounding shadows stepped a short, wizened old man with a beak-like nose and beady, birdlike eyes. He wore ceremonial robes of an unknown make and had a feather boa made of black feathers. There was also what looked like a hellish, green ornament hanging from chains surrounding his torso. He turned and slowly started to walk towards Thedon, paying no heed to the indignant shouts of the Warden.

"While I appreciate you restraining that annoyance, might I ask who you are and why you are here?"

"All in due time, young one. I've come here on behalf of a powerful entity that has observed your deeds and is quite impressed with your actions, and has expressed an interest in assisting you. The name I was given upon my birth has long since been forgotten by the annals of time, but most would refer to me as the Crowfather."

The Crowfather took a moment to pause and collect his thoughts. Thedon took this chance to inquire further. "While I'm grateful that a higher power is taking interest in my problems, might I ask who or what this entity is?"

"The entity I speak of is a group of beings known collectively as the Charred Council. They have existed for countless eons and are responsible for maintaining the fragile balance that allows man-kind to prosper." The Crowfather noticed that Thedon looked a little confused, and decided to elaborate.

"Long ago, when humanity was still in its infancy, a great war was being waged between the forces of heaven and hell. For eons, both sides fought a bitter war to a constant stalemate, and began to spread slowly into other worlds like a virus, threatening to destroy worlds before they truly began. Then, one day, as the war was approaching the fringes of the Garden of Eden, the Charred Council finally intervened. They managed to establish a tenuous truce between the combatants, stating that neither side will attack the other or interfere in the development of other worlds. Furthermore, the treaty stated that when humanity was deemed strong enough, seven seals would be broken in sequence to signal the start of one final battle which would decide the victor once and for all. To ensure that both sides would adhere to the terms of the treaty, the Council called upon four members of the warring Nephilim, a race born of the union of demons and angels. The Nephilim were nomadic warmongers, traveling from one world to another destroying or enslaving the original inhabitants. But, there were four members that grew tired of the constant fighting. These four met with the Charred Council, and in exchange for their loyalty and cooperation, were granted untold power. When the Nephilim were upon Eden's doorstep, mere moments after the treaty between heaven and hell was struck, these four stood by the exhausted angels and slew their own brethren to ensure humanity's survival. These four enforcers would later be known by a different name, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

The Crowfather stopped to catch his breath after that long explanation. Thedon took this moment to once more speak up. "That's truly a fascinating story, but what has that got to do with me?"

"The forces of heaven and hell have started to become restless. If they see the earth being invaded by an outside supernatural force like this Negaverse you have been fighting, they might mistake it for a sneak attack by the other side and start the end war too early. By the terms of the treaty, the Council cannot directly intervene on this matter, so they sent me in their stead to find a suitable mortal to ensure that such a scenario didn't happen. I've spent half a millennium searching for such a soul, and you, young mortal, show much promise."

The Crowfather then held out his hand, and within it formed an iridescent, glowing ball of energy. The waves emanating from the mass made look like a hand-held sun.

"The Charred Council entrusted me with this, a small shard of their limitless power. This will awaken the true potential of any who accept it, capable of turning the weakest mortal into a god with proper training. I was to offer it to a worthy soul, who would use it for the right reasons, and as such I offer it to you."

Thedon was certainly intrigued by this. On one hand, this power could give him a much needed edge against both the Negaverse and the wizards. But one the other hand, the use of this power could attract unwanted attention and place his friends and family in more danger. He weighed the options in his head for what felt like hours before he made his decision.

"Crowfather, while I deeply appreciate the Charred Council's concern and offer of aide, I feel it best to decline. If word of such power got out, it might only cause more problems than needed. That and I would not feel comfortable using a power that wasn't earned."

Now Thedon had been expecting a few things, but what came next was not one of them. Several different emotions flashed through the Crow fathers' eyes, and then he smiled and slowly started to laugh. After several minutes of laughing, he finally calmed down enough to explain himself.

"Once again you mortals continue to surprise me. As I previously said, I've spent 500 years searching for a promising soul, and you were not the first. There were many souls who showed promise on the surface, but turned out to be unworthy. All those who came before you accepted without a second thought, and as such proved how shallow they really were. But you, young Thedon, you thought long and hard before making your decision, and ultimately turned my offer down. I've been waiting 500 years to say this: You have passed my test, and as such I bestow upon you the shard of power from the Charred Council."

The light flew from the Crow Fathers hand, stopped, and then engulfed Thedon in its ethereal glow. When the light cleared, Thedon felt amazing power course through his very being. After several minutes, the Crow Father spoke again.

"The Council's power will amplify your already impressive capabilities 10 fold, and will even allow you passive mastery of the other techniques of your fighting style. I would say more, but I think your presence is needed on the outside."

"AVADA KE-Pow!"

Lucious had prepared to cast one the most lethal curses in his arsenal, only to be stopped by a fist to the face. The Eds and the scouts could only stare in amazement at what they saw. Before them stood Thedon, only he was clad in skeleton-like armor and radiating an other-worldly glow. The surrounding foliage seemed to be caught in an endless, accelerated cycle of death and rebirth. The look in his eyes were those of one who bore witness to millions of deaths, embittered by tragedy, but when he looked to the scouts, they saw only kindness, protection, and mercy.

It took Lucius a few minutes to regain his bearings, and upon doing so, saw the boy he had knocked out, only know he looked like death incarnate. Every rational instinct was telling him to get the hell out of there, that he was far, far outmatched, but his pride and anger won out, telling him to make the boy suffer.

"You…you…I'LL KILL YOU! REDUCTO TRES!"

Three beams shot from Lucius's wand, streaking toward Thedon who turned as the spells whistled in the wind. The scouts screamed for him to move, but the spells came to fast. Within the span of several seconds, the spells struck, kicking up a huge cloud of dust in the process. Lucius smiled in triumph, certain that he had taken all of them out. When the dust settled, his smile was replaced by a snarl.

Thedon stood in front of the group, and he seemed to be holding the three spells in the palm of his hand, condensed into an orb. He then proceeded to absorb the spells, his aura growing stronger as the spells grew weaker until there was nothing left. He then raised his eyes at Lucius, and said,

"Lucius Malfoy, you dare tamper with situations far beyond your level of understanding. As I am now, I could kill you in the blink of an eye, but I won't. Do not mistake this mercy for weakness, for if you or any of your fellow wizards attack us again, I shall not be so lenient. Now leave before I change my mind."

As much as Lucius hated to admit it, the amount of power this muggle was putting out was far beyond even his former master. So begrudgingly, Lucius decided to retreat, but not before leaving some parting words.

"Fine, you filthy animals may have won this time, but this is far from over. Even now, my master is enacting a plan to bring himself back from the dead, and when he does, you all will rue the day you crossed me."

With that, just like Carrow did, Lucius disappeared in a funnel of smoke. Thedon finally relaxed his stance, reverting back to his normal self and allowing himself to fall. The scouts and the Eds rushed towards him, with Sailor Moon making it first.