Darkness Reborn

Hello, here is chapter 21 of my story. A couple of you messaged me about there being any action in this story, and I assure you, there will be action soon. But until then, enjoy this chapter.

In the World of Darkness, it had been a full night since the feathered had escaped the prison, and now they were at Blu's underground hideout, resting there until they could make a plan. But what they were going to do was unknown for now.

It was early morning in the World of Darkness, but it did not look much different than it did at night since it was a world of darkness or course. Inside the main room, Rico was still asleep in the armchair he collapsed on, and he had not moved since.

The only company he had was Nico and Pedro, who were both sitting with each other on one of the couches pressed up against the wall, talking with each other. The blue macaw family was each in their own rooms, Rafael and Eva were in one of the guest rooms, and the captain of the light macaws was in the smallest guest room on his own. As for his two men, they both stayed in the medic room.

Inside Blu and Jewel's personal room they were sharing, Jewel had slowly begun to wake up from a good night's sleep since she had that accident back in Rio de Janeiro. When she was fully awake, the first thing she saw was her baby girl cuddled into her good wing.

Jewel did not remember having Jessica with them both before she went to sleep, but nevertheless, she did not mind. She brought her little girl close to her chest, allowing her to get comfortable in her wing.

Before long, little Jessica had woken up from her sleep where she was greeted by her mother, who held her in her good wing. The little chick smiled as she spoke to her mother shyly. "M...Morning...Mommy."

"Good morning, sweetie." Jewel greeted, turning to her side for moment to face her daughter. "When did you get in here?"

"I...I was scared...Of the dark." Jessica admitted. "I didn't...Want to...Be alone."

"It's okay, honey." Jewel assured her, planting a kiss on her baby girl's head. "I don't mind."

Before long, Jewel felt warmer all of a sudden, and she looked around herself where two feathery blue wings had moved around her. She smiled as she turned her head around her husband rested his head just behind hers. "Hello, handsome."

"Hello, beautiful." Blu greeted, cuddling himself near her closer as he kept his wings around her. He looked towards her good wing where he could see Jessica, who was hiding behind her mother's wing. "Hello Jessica. It's okay. You don't need to hide from me."

The little chick looked towards her father where she smiled shyly.

Blu shifted his attention back over to Jewel while he looked down towards her bandaged-up talons that were resting against a cushion. "How are your talons feeling, Jewel?"

Jewel turned herself onto her back while she leaned up and examined her broken talons. She wiggled her toes a couple of times, checking for any pain, or to see if anything changed in her condition. "They're feeling okay, I guess. Just a little numb."

"Better get use to it, Jewel." Blu replied, leaning up himself while he sat behind Jewel and placed his wings onto her back, helping her sit up fully. "They're going to be like that for two months." he paused when he realized what he just said left a worried expression on her face. "Oh, don't worry. They will recover. It just takes time."

"I know, Blu." Jewel assured him, resting her head against her husband's shoulder for a moment as he placed his left wing around her. She sighed, not knowing what was going to happen next. "Blu, what are we going to do? Just sit here and wait?"

"No, of course not, Jewel." Blu reassured her, slowly rocking her side-to-side for a moment with both of his wings around her. "The captain said we were going to make a plan first thing today. Everything's going to be fine. All we need to do is find the Angelus and our older selves, rescue them, and hopefully, the Angelus can restore my light powers."

"I hope you're right, Blu." Jewel hoped, wishing that everything could have just turned back to the ways use to be.

"Now, would you like some breakfast?" Blu offered her, trying to change the subject at the same time.

"Sure, I am a little hungry." Jewel admitted, knowing full fact that Blu was just trying to keep her mind off things, but she decided to play along nevertheless. "Can you carry me to my wheelchair?"

"Of course." Blu smiled, standing up for a moment before kneeling back down to her while he placed his left wing under her neck while keeping his left wing under her talons. He grunted a little as he carried her out of the nest. "Wow, you're heavy."

"I you trying to call me fat?" Jewel inquired, frowning for a moment as her husband carried. "Because if that's so, you're one to talk, tubby."

"Hey, I'm not tubby!" Blu argued, but he was lying completely as his stomach was a little big than the average bird size should be. According to his math anyway. "I'm in perfect shape for someone my age."

"Sure you are." Jewel replied, rolling her eye balls around with a smirk across his beak. She waited as her husband as he placed her down into the wheelchair, being extra careful not to harm her further.

"There we go." Blu said, while he knelt down and picked up little Jessica in his wings, and kept her close to him as she snuggled into his chest. "Now, let's go into the room. Maybe the others are awake."

Back in Rio de Janeiro, Nexus, with Vadin and a group of dark macaws had left the World of Darkness into the care of Kate, and now they were back in Rio de Janeiro to continue the search for the scroll. They had just reached their destination which was a large open area full of marmosets, who were dancing around as loud music filled the air.

Nexus and his men flew down into the middle of the area where the entire group of marmosets stopped where they were and moved aside, fearing for the worse as soon as they saw a hawk who looked much unusual than the average bird. When is it every day you see a glowing dark hawk?

Nexus approached the end of the area where the leader of the marmosets was standing on top of a large chair he claimed to have "borrowed". He performed flips as he jumped down to the hawk, who was much taller than he was.

"Hello there." Mauro greeted him, smirking as his eyes were half-closed while he folded his arms together. "My, my, you don't look so good. You're kind of glowy."

"Don't get on my nerves, monkey." Nexus warned him, causing all the other marmosets around the area to jump in fear at the sound of his deep voice. "Now, I am not in a good mood, so I will cut to the chase; I am hunting down a certain scarlet macaw by the name of Exo, and I want your services to find him."

"And what's in it for us?" Mauro inquired, completely forgetting about the last time he said this to Nigel which ended up with him going high in the sky.

Nexus grunted as he gripped the marmoset's throat in his talon and lifted him up in the air, choking him slightly. He watched as Mauro begged him for mercy, and this is just what he expected to hear. "Now, do you have your attention?"

"Yes, sir." Mauro replied, managing to nod his head slightly while he was held in the air still.

"I know you and your men here are experts and hunting." Nexus admitted, losing his grip a little so the monkey could reply to him when he was finished. "And I want you to send them to find Exo the scarlet macaw. He is here in this jungle somewhere. Understood?"

"Uh-Hu." Mauro obeyed, turning his attention towards his men, who had been gathered around in a circle by the dark macaws. "Uh, boys! You heard, uh...What's your name again?"

"It's Nexus." Nexus introduced himself, tightening his grip a little as he brought Mauro's face only inches from his own. "But you will refer to me as "Lord Nexus". Remember that."

Mauro gasped as Nexus dropped him to the ground in front of his entire men. As soon as he recovered, he quickly obeyed the hawk's command, and ordered all his men to scatter out. "Boys! You heard Lord Nexus! Go out there and find him! And don't return until you do."

The other marmosets obeyed and quickly scattered out from their hideout. Some of them ran through bushes and plants while others climbed trees and swung on vines.

After they were gone, Nexus looked up where he noticed this area had no sunlight shining on it, and this made it perfect for him. For now, he decided this is where he was going to stay until they returned with the whereabouts of Exo.

"I think this is where I am going to stay for now." Nexus said to Vadin, while beckoning the other dark macaws to spread out and do as they wish. "Do as you will for now, gentleman, but do not leave the area unless I say otherwise."

The other dark macaws obeyed as some of them sat down against trees to take a break for a while. As for the others, they were comfortable enough to talk with each other until they were instructed otherwise by their King.

Nexus turned his attention back towards the center of the area where his eyes caught Mauro trying to slowly sneak away without anyone noticing. But unfortunately for him, Nexus had a sharp eye, and rarely missed anything around his surroundings.

He used his dash ability to move directly in front of the marmoset, who gasped as he fell down onto his back. Nexus grinned as he folded his wings together, finding it amusing for the marmoset to be in fear like this. "And where do you think you are going?"

"Uh, no way." Mauro lied, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

Nexus did not reply. Instead, he placed his talon onto the golden watch around Mauro's waist and pulled it up over his arms, followed by tightening it, securing his arms to his sides. He grabbed Mauro's neck and held him up into the air again. "Now, you are not to leave until your men return. If I see you move again, well, let's just see I hope you can survive without your head."

Mauro gulped in response as Nexus threw him back over to the bottom of the huge chair. He landed directly in front of the tree with his back pressed up against it. With his arms secure and dark macaws watching him, there was nothing he could do to escape, and could only hope Nexus would spare him.

Meanwhile, back in the World of Darkness, deep beneath Nexus's castle was a small prison dungeon that Nexus kept his most valuable prisoners down there (even despite the fact he had a prison not far from his castle).

Trapped inside that dungeon were the two blue macaws from an alternative world older Blu and older Jewel. They two had been locked in there since they were brought in there from Rio de Janeiro.

The two were sat against a wall (Blu on the right, and Jewel on the left) with chains attached to both of their talons. Both of them had chain cuffs attached to their feet as they shared the same chain, and to make things worse, the end of the chain was connected to the wall, preventing them from going anywhere.

Older Jewel grunted as she attempted to pull the chains cuffs off from her talons, but found that they were too tight to just slip off. She sighed as she fell down on her back. "I can't believe this. A couple of days ago, me and you were enjoying a peaceful life, and now we get dragged into this world where there's another two of us, then we are captured by some hawk with magically powers, and now, we're locked in a dungeon in a world with no light."

"I just don't see how we got tied into all this." older Blu replied, crossing his wings together as he examined the end of the chain attached to the wall that was on his side. "Why did that Nexus guy bring us down here? I heard a guard mention that they took everyone else to some prison in this world."

"Beats me." older Jewel replied, standing up for a moment where he had managed to walk towards the door, almost dragging Blu with her. "Hey! Let us out of here!"

"Quiet in there!" a guard from outside of the dungeon warned.

"Jewel, sit down!" older Blu ordered, but he soon regretted what he said when his wife look towards him with an evil look. "Uh, I didn't mean that! It's just, they got some huge macaw with one wing, and he's really scary!"

Older Jewel merely sighed as she walked back towards Blu and sat back down beside him. She fiddled with the chains across her talons while trying to lighten the mood during their current situation. "Guess we're chained-to-each-other-birds again, huh?"

"I guess." older Blu smiled, placing his wings around older Jewel, comforting her in this current situation. "It'll be okay, Jewel. We'll get out this."

"You sure?" older Jewel asked, resting her head down against his chest.

"I'm one-hundred percent positive." older Blu assured her, looking towards the ceiling of their room where he could see a couple of bats hanging upside down. "Don't worry, Jewel. If we can defeat a crazed cockatoo, half an army of gangsters, and a gigantic eagle, then I'm sure we can get out of this."

"You're right, Blu." older Jewel smiled, closing her eyes for a moment as she used Blu's chest as a pillow while he used his wings like a blanket. "I'm sure our younger selves, Rico, and the rest of them are looking for us."

"I hope so." older Blu replied, remembering the accident that had occurred when he witnessed the other Jewel having her wing cut open, and her talons broken. "The other you, she was injured. She broke both of her talons."

"Ouch." older Jewel admitted. "That must have been painful. You think she's okay?"

"It's hard to say." older Blu answered, looking back down towards his wife as she rubbed her head against him. "But I think she will be fine. If you can survive anything, than I am willing to bet, the other you can."

"Hmmm, yeah, I...I guess." older Jewel replied, trying to get some sleep as she closed her eyes, and the only thing she could hear was Blu talking and the bats flapping. "Let's try and get some rest for now. I'm pretty tired."

"Me, too." older Blu admitted, leaning his head down against her own as he too tried to get some rest. He kept her comfortable as they both drifted off to sleep, hoping someone would get here and rescue them.

Back in the underground hideout, everyone else had woken up a short while later, and now they were making their next plan of action. Blu was sitting on one of the family couches with his children sat beside him, Jewel sat next to him on her wheelchair, Rico was happy enough to still be in the single armchair, and as for the toucan's and the samba birds, they were all sharing the other family couch.

The captain of the light macaws was stood in the middle of the room, discussing with the others their next plan of action. "Now, everyone, I was discussing with the medic officer last night, and we think we have a solution to make a plan."

"And that would be?" Rico inquired, taking a sip out from a whiskey bottle while the captain briefed them.

"Well, it means-wait a minute, where did you get that?" the captain inquired, crossing his wings together with an eyebrow rose.

"Found it." Rico simply answered, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

The captain ignored him as he got back to the previous subject. "Anyway, like I was saying, we received word from a couple of our men out there that the warden has been killed. So, we do not need to worry about him for now. We believe that the castle is where Nexus is keeping your older selves, and the Angelus."

"You're not thinking of breaking in there, are you?" Blu inquired, remembering the last time he went into that castle.

"Unfortunately, yes." the captain replied, rubbing his left wing with his right wing for a moment. "But we have word that Nexus took half his army with Vadin to Rio, and this means the castle will not be as protected as it should be. Only problem is, there's only one we in, and it's locked down."

"Not exactly." Blu joined in, standing up from where he is sitting where he walked towards the center of the room beside the captain. "I was there once."

"You were?" the captain inquired, slightly surprised about this.

"Yep." Blu smiled. "This may sound strange, but when I first went there when I was the Darkness' host, I met the ghost who was the first male of our kind ever, and he was my grandfather. While I was there, I discovered there was another way in. There was a small hole in one of the walls that is covered up in grass. It's our ticket."

"Hmm, interesting." the captain admitting, placing his wing upon Blu's shoulder. "Well done, Blu. I'm impressed, and I would be honored if you companied me there."

"It couldn't be more honored, captain." Blu replied, willing to help win this war with Nexus anyway possible. "Now, who should go with us?"

The captain had to think about this question for a moment. He had Blu and the medic so far, but who else here could be useful? "Hmmm." he hummed, looking around the entire room. "Alright, I think we will only need two more people. You and you."

Blu followed his two wings where he saw he was pointing to Nico and Rico. Both of them stood up as they walked their way towards him.

"I need Nico because if we need to get through any small places, he can help. And as for Rico, I am impressed when you managed to take on one hundred guards and get here in one piece. I could use both of you."

"Then it's settled." Blu declared, looking towards them where he had a five man team.

"I'm coming too."

Blu turned around where he saw it was Jewel who had spoken up. He shook his head, no way he was going to let her come with him in her condition. "Uh-uh. No, Jewel, you're staying here. It's too dangerous."

"I don't care." Jewel replied, pushing herself closer to her husband as she spoke up. "I'm coming like it or not."

"Jewel, no." Blu refused, trying to somewhat negotiate with her. "It's too dangerous, and in your condition, what if we run into trouble?"

"Blu, listen to me!" she ordered, shouting slightly. "I'm the one who got out of my cell and took down two guards before I found the rest of us. I don't care what condition I am in. Broken talons or no broken talons, I'm coming with you, like it or not...Please, Blu. The other Blu and Jewel are in our responsibility. This is something I have to do."

Blu closed his eyes for a moment as his wife held his wing with her good wing. He sighed, knowing Jewel was right about their older selves being in their responsibility. "Okay, Jewel. Just promise me you will be careful and stay close."

"I will, lovehawk." she assured her, planting a kiss against his wing. "I promise."

Chapter 21 is complete, ladies and gentleman. Blu, Jewel, Nico, Rico, and the light macaws are planning to rescue older Blu and Jewel and the Angelus. Let us hope they can be successful.