Reeling back like a viper poised to strike, the dragon prepared to unleash one final blaze to blow the gang's cover to pieces. A furnace could be seen through its massive teeth, charging destructive flames that illuminated the room beyond what even its natural fire could produce. Sensing the oncoming inferno, PB and Jake huddled close, practically smothering the weakened Finn between them.

The blast knocked them clear into the wall, earning a few grunts of pain and sore buns. As the trio gathered themselves against it, their attacker loomed overhead, gazing upon its prey. Terrified, the Ooocians braced for the end. Just as the beast was about to smite them however, it suddenly stopped, its eyes growing wider as it studied Finn closely. Lowering its wicked claws, the dragon brought its head down to their level.

Up close, everyone could feel the immense power emanating from the mythical creature. Even though he was nearly passed out, Finn managed to stare back into its mysterious gaze. After a moment of tense silence, the dragon lifted one claw and gently reached out, tapping the young man in the center of his chest.

Immediately, his watery body began to solidify, his heart rate increased, and his awareness clarified. In essence, he seemed to be returning to normal, in every sense of the word. Peebles and Jake watched in awe as the aquatically-toned skin of their friend gradually shifted to peachy flesh, renewing his true self as the last human in Ooo.

Realizing what that meant, Jake quickly stretched part of his body under his bro, preventing him from being cooked alive by the kingdom's heat. After a moment, Finn was able to stand up, shaking off the last of his dizziness. Seeing that the dragon was preoccupied with whatever it had extracted from the hero, his two friends carefully joined him.

"Dude, you're back to normal!" Jake cried happily.

Finn looked himself over, patting his chest, flexing his limbs, and wiggling his fingers. Satisfied that it was the truth, he grinned.

"Cool. Being water was awesome and all, but I think I'd rather stick with good ol' flesh."

The trio shared a laugh, which seemed to catch the attention of the ancient being before them. The dragon actually looked shocked as it saw Finn for what he really was.

"You!" it bellowed.

The friends nearly jumped out of their skins. Jake hid behind his homie, cowering. Their adversary leaned down once again, reviewing Finn's form as he kept his cool in the face of danger, as he always did.

"You are human."

The hero nodded.

"Yeah, so what?"

The dragon brought its claw to eye level, revealing a swirling object levitating above its palm. Finn recognized it as the white half of the strange symbol that he'd been seeing everywhere.

"How many more of you are there?" the creature demanded.

Finn tightened his fists, feeling a conflict coming on.

"As far as we know, just me."

He took his chances and stepped forward.

"Who's asking?"

The dragon narrowed its eyes.

"I am Kami No Ai, the Yin-Yang Dragon."

The Ooocians all gasped in astonishment.

"The guy from the story?!" Jake blurted out.

No Ai slightly nodded.

"It was I who bestowed the Equinox Scale upon humanity, hoping it would finally break the barriers that kept their kind from freely choosing the ones they loved."

His expression hardened.

"But I was naive. Humans will never learn. They are unwilling to go against old ideals and spread anew."

He pointed to Finn with his free hand.

"And you are apparently no different. You used my scale, and here you ended up, dying. I may not be willing to end you myself, but my mercy ends there. You're kind destroyed themselves because you couldn't unite, because you refused to embrace the diversity and beauty bestowed upon all of you."

He turned away.

"I lost faith in humans the day that scale blackened. Now the world bares a scar visible to any who gaze upon it, and it's all your fault."

No Ai looked to the object in his grip.

"Ironically, it is your actions that will give me the power to restore the earth's balance."

At those words, the group became nervous.

"What do you mean by that?" Finn asked.

The dragon held out his free hand to the Equinox Scale, whereupon the object lifted off the ground and drifted over to the beast's appendage. He carefully took hold of it between two claws.

"You and another both added your chi to this scale, an event that also transpired several years ago. By combining these energies with my own, I can finally break my body free from its stone prison, which has grown weak over the centuries."

He eyed the hero.

"Once my spirit and flesh are reunited, I will have the strength to cleanse the world of all unnatural elements and allow civilization to rebuild from fresh soil."

The gang grew increasingly horrified as the dragon unveiled his intentions.

"All artificial structures will fall, all poisons will fade, and every trace of humanity's last weapon of mass destruction will disappear."

Finn's heart skipped a beat, recalling something Bubblegum had said about the origins of Ooo's various inhabitants.

"No…"

Kami No Ai lowered his brow.

"What?"

Finn bared his teeth at the dragon.

"There's no way I'll let you do that. Dozens of species who live here will die!"

He leapt at the creature, aiming a punch straight into his eye. Unfortunately, he was grabbed by a lightning-fast claw, rendered helpless in the dragon's hold. As he struggled, No Ai seemed to telepathically float the white object over to the scale, where it phased right into the artifact.

"All must pay for their mistakes. I will mourn the loss of those who shall be swept away, but you shall be humanity's final observer to your kind's sins."

He threw Finn back to the wall, where Jake was fast enough to catch him before impact. No Ai then noticed a sound, swinging his head around to eye the other side of the room. Flame King was flame-dashing weakly towards the nearest door, hoping to escape with his life. The dragon rushed over to him in a flash, capturing the tyrant once again and holding him close to his face.

"You are not escaping! The scale will now give justice!"

No Ai held the Equinox Scale to the large jewel on the front of FK's armor. The moment the two touched, a crimson aura was seen being ripped away from the helpless fire elemental, who fidgeted as if he were being electrocuted. The aura was absorbed by the scale, becoming still once more as judgment was completed. Flame King was in a daze, unable to even speak. The dragon dropped him to the floor, where he groaned in pain. Eventually, the former ruler was able to get to his feet, attempting to continue his fleeing. However as he tried to shift into flames, nothing happened.

"W-what?"

He held out his hand, trying to send out a fireball or at the least create a spark. Again, there was nothing.

"What did you do?!" he shouted in fear.

Kami No Ai bashed the armored man away with his tail, causing him to land upside down against the wall.

"You lusted for power, and now you are stripped of it."

Staring with terror into the ancient's gaze, Flame King surrendered to his exhausted body, collapsing to the ground and losing consciousness. Satisfied, No Ai turned around, taking in a breath before unleashing a torrent of flames at the roof, blasting it open and leaving a gaping hole. Finn wasn't done.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

The dragon briefly eyed him.

"To retrieve the Yin."

With that, he soared off into the skies of the Fire Kingdom, leaving the Ooocians to watch him depart. Finn turned to PB.

"What the heck is he talking about?"

The gummy princess thought hard, biting her lip.

"Well, he said he was a 'Yin-Yang' dragon. That black and white symbol definitely has some connection to him. What he took back from you looked like half of it. Perhaps…"

Finn felt a chill run down his spine.

"Flame Princess."

Ignoring the hostile environment, he took off towards the door. His friends followed close behind, shouting with concern.

Aqua Prince lashed out at another beast digging its way through the rubble. His whip was effective at staving off the ascensions, but he knew it was a temporary solution. The water elemental had resorted to collapsing the flooring above the two corridors. Trapping himself and his friends but also keeping the crazed beings out.

However they were gradually digging their way inside, threatening to overrun the infirmary any minute. Pyris was at FP's side within the room, keeping an eye on the critically injured girl while AP did his best to crowd control the ascensions.

Suddenly, a crash alerted him to a breach in the debris. Knowing he couldn't hold them off directly with his remaining strength, the prince fell back into the ward, slamming the doors behind him. Pyris watched as he did his best to keep them shut as the creatures repeatedly rammed them.

"How long can you do that?" she asked with worry.

AP grunted as another bash injured his back.

"A minute or two, I think."

The fiery girl darted her eyes around the room, searching for anything that would help secure the entrance. She stopped at the metal table. Running over, she formed a flame sword, cleanly slicing off two of the legs and causing it to crash to the ground. Aqua Prince watched as she grabbed the metal rods and came to the door.

She pressed one of the legs against the crack that separated the doors, beginning to heat up the material. As it turned orange, AP couldn't help but grin at her ingenuity. After the seal was finished, the deformed metal tightly held the entrance shut. Applying the second one took no longer and soon Aqua Prince was able to stand away from the doors without anything being able to burst in.

"Nice. How long do you think it'll hold?"

Pyris bit her lip.

"Twice as long as you could've."

The water elemental's hope dropped as he frowned.

"Oh."

Both teens backed away until they were at the foot of FP's bed. The princess was still in visible pain, dividing her protectors' attentions between defending her and worrying for her. The elementals formed their weapons, ready for a final stand against the ascensions ramming their way inside. To the twos' amazement however, something changed.

They stopped.

As the newly created silence lingered, they looked at each other with confusion. The door was still, damaged, but still. No movement could be heard or felt on the other side. Cautiously, AP approached, ever ready for an attack from behind it. Sadly, he was not prepared for an attack from behind, period.

A massive crash threw both him and Pyris to the floor, as bits of candy molding scattered all over the room. Light burst into the room from the outside, brought upon by the giant hole now present in the building. The elemental duo struggled to recover, getting on their hands and knees. Once their heads stopped spinning, they managed to find and help one another stand up, rather shakily of course. Finally, they looked to the source of the crash, gasping in shock.

Kami No Ai was scanning the room, searching for the energy he needed. His eyes stopped when he spotted FP's motionless form. Carefully, he reached down with one claw towards her chest.

Pyris exploded, surging with adrenaline as she charged forward with the strength of a comet.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

The collision was too much, even for the ancient dragon to stop. Both he and the enraged fire elemental tumbled down the side of the castle. No Ai attempted to rebalance himself, but found it difficult with Pyris repeatedly slashing at his face with a flame sword. He grabbed at her several times, but she simply slithered around his grip and continued attacking him from different angles.

Soon enough, No Ai felt the painful impact of the ground on his back.

Aqua Prince watched the dust cloud form, kicking up sugary particles and obscuring view of the fight. Although knowing how strong his friend was, he still worried for her safety. Strikes could be heard from below, indicating that at least Pyris wasn't harmed by the fall. He turned his attention back to Flame Princess, who seemed rather peaceful at the moment. At first AP was relieved, but then panicked.

"Oh Glob…"

Rushing to her side, he felt for a pulse. It was there, but dangerously weak. The water elemental gritted his teeth, darting his eyes to the horizon.

"Come on, Finn. Hurry, damn it."

His vision of the outside suddenly became blocked, as a large form rose to cover it. Aqua Prince's eyes trembled as his mouth dropped open. Kami No Ai stared unamused at him, holding what appeared to be an unconscious Pyris with his right claw. The Equinox Scale levitated near him, ominous and silent. With one casual motion, the dragon tossed the defeated fire elemental into the room.

On pure instinct, AP made a dive for her, catching the girl just in time to lighten the fall. He ignored the imposing creature outside and cupped her face in his hands, shaking lightly.

"Pyris! Pyris! Wake up, please!"

He continued for what felt like forever, but eventually, the golden-haired girl's eyes opened slowly. They roamed for a bit, then managed to focus on the prince. She tried to speak, but a trail of magma leaked out, halting her words. AP wiped it away, telling her not to speak. He embraced her, feeling his heart beat strong enough to echo through Pyris' own body. She clearly noticed, placing a hand on his cheek.

"It's ok," she hoarsely whispered.

Aqua Prince scowled.

"I said don't talk!"

Pyris stared back at him for a moment, then gave him a small smile before being silent. The water elemental kept her close, simply hoping that her flame physiology would accelerate the healing fast enough. As he remained there on the floor, he didn't notice No Ai studying him. It wasn't until AP cared enough to even glance at the dragon that he spotted the observation. He was too worried to glare at the ancient.

No Ai, however, seemed somewhat intrigued. He watched for a little longer, before giving off a soft sigh.

"If only humans could have seen this. Two opposites, bonded together."

Aqua Prince took in the statement, then finally found the sense to give an angered expression.

"A human has seen this! In fact, he lived it!"

Kami No Ai was caught off guard by the response, softening his features.

"What?" he asked in a soft voice.

AP tightened his hold on Pyris as he stood up to the dragon.

"My friend Finn, the last human in Ooo, he went further than anyone, even me, risking his life countless times, refusing to give up on finding a way to be with the one he cared for."

He motioned to Flame Princess.

"And there she is, the girl he loves, and who loves him."

No Ai grew more stunned with each sentence.

"He'd go through any pain, any challenge to be with her. He was willing to defy nature the very first day he met her, because his heart knew it was worth it."

Pyris watched the prince's face, amazed by his vigorous attitude.

"Burn after burn, he endured it, all for her. He doesn't care about the pain, he only cares that she's happy."

He took in a breath.

"And the same goes for me."

Pyris watched as he locked eyes with her, a look of concern and strength put into one expression. She weakly began to bring her head forward, closing the distance between their faces. AP did the same, moving his lips to hers. The two gently joined a moment later, ignoring the outside world and everything it had to throw at them. Each felt the other's feelings, cradling one another's heart.

Kami No Ai's face was hard to read, but the pacified look in his eyes spoke for itself. He hung his head, pondering what he'd just heard. A human who had accomplished what he always wanted, opposing forces that grew attached, an impossible union they were willing to fight for.

Then, as the Equinox Scale's ugly appearance floated into view, the last several centuries suddenly drifted back into his mind. No Ai's pupils dilated, hearing the screams and roars of war and conflict in his ears. The hatred of countless generations, watching the world crumble as humanity obliterated everything it had built, city by city, nation by nation. The great bomb, the cries of the earth as a tremendous scar was etched across its surface, forever imprinting the species' evils onto its skin.

The atmosphere shook as the dragon's rage rekindled. The castle began to shake, breaking off the moment Pyris and Aqua prince were sharing. They returned their gazes to the dragon, who held out the scale in his massive claws.

"No! I have been led astray too many times! Nothing will change! There is no redemption left for this world; it will burn away the damage, and be reborn with a clean slate!"

The artifact unleashed twin streams of light, which instantly hit the two elementals, who screamed as a strange aura was being ripped from their bodies. The scale tugged harder and harder, until the energies were finally torn from their previous owners and returned to the relic from which they were created. As AP clung to Pyris once again, all he heard was sizzling and cries of pain.

Sharp stinging was felt on the prince's hands, as he nearly let go of the girl in his arms. Regardless of the lost resistance, he held on, keeping Finn's story close to his heart. At the same time however, he watched Pyris nearly brought to tears by the contact. He loosened his grip, afraid of what he was doing to her.

The moment she sensed his loss of strength, the golden-haired elemental glued her eyes to his, shaking her head.

"Don't. Stay."

Aqua prince struggled not to break down.

"I'm hurting you."

Pyris just kept shaking her head.

"I don't care."

She embraced him fully, which he followed by wrapping his arms around her tightly. In truth, the needle-like pain was bearable, but only because he was too concerned with her condition. Another noise drew attention back to No Ai.

The dragon had reached Flame Princess, having tapped her chest and causing the same strange aura to be pulled from her being. The process didn't seem painful, although admittedly she was already in a great deal of it. However, the moment No Ai finished removing a strange black, comma-like object from her, the fiery girl's condition appeared to drastically improve.

FP's skin was alive once more, returned to its golden glow. Her colors brightened and her blazing hair crackled and danced. After a moment, she opened her eyes, slowly shaking off the drowsiness. Meanwhile, the dragon brought the black object to the scale, where it phased into the tainted artifact.

Flame Princess sat up carefully, holding her head and quietly groaning. When she finally found the sense to look over her surroundings, her eyes were set upon the towering beast in the room. Gasping, she instinctually flame-dashed away and readied to defend herself. A second occurrence of astonishment came when she realized she was once again able to do so. Frantically looking around, she spotted her friends nearby, rushing to their side in a flash.

"What happened to her?" she asked worriedly while helping support Pyris.

As she did, part of her arm touched AP's, causing a sting that the fiery girl recoiled from.

"Aqua Prince, you're…"

The water elemental lowered his head, wishing he still held the scale's curse, something he never thought he'd think of. The trio was suddenly caught in a massive shadow, as No Ai towered above them, a threatening glare in his eyes. He raised the scale to them.

"If any of you interfere again, I warn you, this scale can instantly neutralize any element."

He turned to leave, only making it to the hole in the wall before feeling a hard mass strike his back. It splashed into puddles afterward, telling him it was a blast of water. The dragon swung to face the elementals again. Flame Princess was holding onto Pyris, while Aqua Prince stood defiantly in front of No Ai, an enraged look on his face.

"After what you did to her, I'm not letting you leave!"

He raised his hand and shot a pressurized blast at the beast once more. The dragon simply blocked it with the Equinox Scale, negating the attack. AP tried several more times, but was quickly brought to his knees, still feeling the exhaustion of holding off the ascensions. As he struggled to stop panting, No Ai pointed his artifact directly at him.

"I warned you."

Energy began gathering on the scale, drawing a horrified look from both FP and Aqua Prince. The water elemental's heartbeat went erratic as he found he couldn't move. As the power fully charged, an orb of light was fired from the artifact, seconds from impacting AP. He could only stare and watch, as a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, taking the attack for itself.

The orb exploded, knocking back AP into the wall. Adrenaline managed to overpower his weakened body, forcing him up to scan the room. Nothing had been damaged by the force of the blast, but he was more concerned with what had saved him. He took a brief moment to see if Flame Princess was unharmed. She was, but her expression was one of despair, and she was alone on her spot on the floor.

Aqua Prince swung his gaze over to where he'd been standing a moment ago, seeing the collapsed form of Pyris lying before Kami No Ai, who paid no mind and continued, flying out the hole and out towards the rest of Ooo.

The water elemental was by her side instantly, gathering up his friend yet again. FP had shook off the shock and joined him, watching the poor boy break down as he looked upon Pyris' condition. She was out; no flames emitting from any part of her. He skin was a dark maroon, but rapidly fading to full-on black. Amazingly, she opened her eyes partially and placed them on AP's agonized face.

"I…"

The portions of her body that had reached a black state began to crumble away, settling as ash on the floor. Aqua Prince just shook his head.

"Why, just… why?"

Pyris curved her lips into a smile, as her hair and edges of her face began to deteriorate.

"I guess there's another thing you share with Finn: being a dummy."

She placed her barely solid hand on AP's cheek, just before it fell apart.

"Because... I love you, of course."

She was gone. The dark ash remained by the prince's knees, as drops of water from his eyes struck them. Flame Princess brought her hands to her chest, pained at the loss of her friend. Drips of lava were about to fall from her own eyes, when she suddenly felt the sensation of being suffocated.

Panicking, she looked around the room, trying to determine what was causing it. Soon, she figured out the air itself was becoming more humid at an alarming rate. She returned to Aqua Prince.

"AP, something is…"

She cut herself off, noticing how the water elemental's skin seemed to be destabilized. He had formed a fist, which was shaking. FP could feel it; he was the source of the climate change.

As Jake bound across the grasslands, he kept his large eyes set on the Candy Kingdom in the distance. Both he and his passengers noticed an explosion from the castle earlier, hoping dearly that their friends were alright. However, as he neared the cotton candy forest, splashes could be felt beneath his massive paws. Splashes, that became louder with each step.

As thunder sounded, he stopped altogether, frightened.

"Whoa, where did that come from?"

Everyone looked up, seeing that a storm system now hovered over Ooo, dark as smoke and surging with bolts of lightning. Eyeing the ground again, the gang gasped as they watched the land begin to disappear underneath torrents of water. Jake was already nearly knee-deep in the flood, growing taller in an attempt to stay above the mess.

"What in Glob's name is happening!?" the magical dog shouted over the storm.

PB shook her head, uncertain herself and frightened by the fact.

"I don't know. But at this rate, all of Ooo will be underwater."

Finn locked his eyes back on the candy castle, seconds before the building turned into a gigantic waterfall, spilling dozens of tons of liquid all over the surroundings. Jake struggled to move forward, feeling the growing strength of the tide.

"Is this that dragon's fault?" he shouted.

While Peebles tried to respond, Finn spotted a figure flying away from the kingdom; the definite silhouette of Kami No Ai. Realization hit hard, as he stared in fear at the flooded castle.

"No. Aqua Prince."

I'm really sorry about the disappearance. I was caught of guard by a few matters. Hopefully that won't continue and I can get these to you guys more often again. I appreciate your patience.

nrbuer: Indeed we are. And yes, it can be sad. However, it's even more sad when there is no ending at all.

Awolfx9: Yeah, thanks. I tried to fit in as many funny bits as I could, knowing the next part would get a bit dicey.

Don'tMessWithFire: She sure is.

Ventus Uzumaki: They never fail to present an epic challenge, don't they.

Broken In7: Oh we'll see.

Legionary Prime: I know, it just isn't right what they've been doing. And thank you.

SeungSeiRan: Wow, this is exactly what I like to hear, a very thought out and expressed review of a story's elements and designs. I greatly appreciate your time to give me this feedback.

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!