Needless to say with Fai Long's latest statement their vagabond group came to a screeching halt, and Sef couldn't help but feel the intense seriousness in the demon's eyes. And here he'd been hoping that his suggestion was some sort of joke or sarcasm.
"You didn't say what I think you just did…surrender to Ganderyn? Fai Long, we just spent time and energy trying to flee from him and the hordes of demons he's sent after us! I'm not about to give myself up when you've come and given us hope! I was ready to do that just a few minutes ago but Jade inspired me to keep resisting. And now you're telling me to accept defeat and allow him to use me?" Sef all but shouted, probably gaining the unwanted attention of every demon within the seething, putrid realm.
In fact they could hear the grunts and mutters of said beasts approaching them, and the splatter of the saliva hitting the ground as they imagined how they would devour the other mortals. The Enforcers looked off into the shadows praying they were further away that they feared they were.
Fai Long continued to look utterly monotone, as though this radical idea had been obvious the entire time. "I know it does seem contradicting and foolish, but you must understand Sef that even with my strength I cannot confront the sorcerer and win. It will only be a matter of time before he becomes weary of having these demons attempt unsuccessfully to capture you before he does the work himself, and I will not be of much use against his spells and incantations," Fai Long explained with a solemn expression, and Sef realized this was all true.
Ganderyn seemed to have initiated this cat-and-mouse game between them and the lower demons just for entertainment and sadistic fun, but soon enough he would probably grow tired of it. From what Sef had been able to see Ganderyn was exceedingly arrogant, and would finally find using his superior abilities would be more satisfying to his ego. Sef clenched his fists weakly and managed now to slide from Jade's arms, though barely able to stand and keep his balance. His returning strength was beginning to slow and falter; he felt tired and strangely battered with the amount of energy that Ganderyn had managed to steal from him in order to revive Dark Sef.
"But…but what if he uses me to hurt you in the end? What good would it do to give in rather than go down fighting? I mean, I know I'm not much good without my energy; I can barely even stand right now. But you said it yourself, Wepwawet's abilities are locked within me and I can still reach them to protect all of my friends," Sef murmured softly, stumbling a bit but managing to stay on his feet. A glare towards Jade and the Enforcers told them he didn't want help and needed to get the feeling back into himself on his own, and they didn't step forward to offer his a hand but looked worried.
"Exactly," was all Pai Long said in reply.
"What do you mean 'exactly'? Ganderyn might do something horrible to Sef! And you're telling us we should just go ahead and let him?" Jade said angrily, watching as Sef did his best to keep standing. He seemed so helpless, and the demon's words were stabbing into her like daggers. She didn't know what she'd do if she was forced to watch Sef's soul be torn apart or manipulated, especially after all they had been through together.
"I mean that whatever Ganderyn plans to do may unlock Wepwawet's abilities. I believe he wants to use Sef in order to find some way into the mortal world, and from what I've seen whatever is happening on earth is currently weakening the barrier between the two worlds," Pai Long said, his eyes slowly climbing to the darkness above, "The Underworld is an unstable realm by nature; in containing so much evil and sin it wavers between destruction and existence. Wepwawet's presence here managed to give it balance, and even with his spirit placed into the amulet, his presence within Sef still managed to keep the forces in equilibrium. But now that he's been removed from Sef and has been fragmented, the worlds are beginning to fall into one another, meaning that they will inevitably merge and become one. I believe that Ganderyn is aware of this and wishes to speed up the process so he can rule over the humans that shall survive the merger, but he needs Sef in order to do this," Pai Long turned to the boy, who stared in horror as he watched the overhead bleakness indeed begin to crackle with heated lightning, signaling the merging forces.
Sef could almost taste the tension in the air that followed, along with the scent of shed blood that was to come. All of humanity would be at the mercy of demons, and there was none to be spared.
"Then…Ganderyn really is our only option. Even if it means giving myself up…if I could somehow get my abilities unlocked or he found a way into the mortal realm again…we could get back and stop Daolon Wong…or at least you guys could…" Sef said quietly.
"Don't say things like that! We're going to beat him together!" Jade shouted, but all Sef did was smile hopelessly.
"Let's face it Jade, my soul may not be able to take whatever Ganderyn has in store for it. But if you guys can get back and save everyone then isn't that sacrifice worth it?" Sef said, suddenly utterly serious but looking angered. "This isn't the time for questioning or false hopes! I'm counting on you guys going on with or without me, and if I don't try saving me; there are countless other lives that need to be freed and preserved."
Sef hung his head slightly but the smile came back and remained, his entire body shaking with the prospect of what he had agreed to. "I might not be able to come back with you, but promise you'll give my body a proper burial. That's all I ask of you if the worst happens."
"Sef!" Jade said, suddenly grabbing both his shoulders and shaking him violently in a rage. The Enforcers looked distraught while Sef didn't look surprised at all. He allowed her to wrench him back and forth as she raged. "I'm not going to leave this horrible place if it means abandoning you here! Not even if it means losing my soul too! It isn't fair, you didn't do anything wrong and you're left to make choices like this…how could I ever live with myself knowing I left your soul to rot here…or be destroyed altogether…" Jade faltered, allowing a few tears to stream down her cheeks. Now Sef was utterly surprised; he had never once seen her cry or look as though she were coming close to doing so; she always had a look of determination on her face that seemed to possess uttermost courage. Now she was crumbling, and he felt worse than before about this decision.
"Jade…I know this is hard. But if I can accept what can potentially happen then you should too. And if losing my soul means keeping yours alive then its worth it, its worth doing again and again. I can't begin to tell you how I feel, here I am still healthy yet it feels like Ganderyn's already tearing me apart. You have to prepare to let go, and as I said don't give a second thought about saving yourself. It wouldn't be worth anything having both of us die and disappeared senselessly…" Sef broke off, suddenly pulling her into a swift embrace that caught everyone by surprise. Seeing her sad made him weep a bit as well, and for a moment they were quiet.
The only thing that shattered the horrible silence was the lightning up above, cutting across the skies with a wrath that condemned their emotion, and finally Sef was forced to pull away, his cheeks still rosy and puffy from the welling tears.
"Sef, if you are going to carry these plans out…then you must do them swiftly before the worlds become too integrated," Fai Long said quietly, and Sef nodded, still staring at Jade as she gripped his vest, unable to let go.
"You'd…you'd better stay alive Sef or I'll find some to bring your soul back and I'll kill you again," she said with a smile, her hands shaking as she finally released the fabric from her fingers.
"Fai Long," Sef said, turning to the demon. "I'm going to Ganderyn on my own. I want you to take care of Jade and these guys. Make sure once the portal is open that they're the first ones through it back home. And don't worry about me; I can take care of myself."
The Enforcers had been so stunned by this entire development that they hadn't said anything, but now they were weeping like children with Sef and Jade's small display of affection. "We're sorry about what happened a few days ago kid! For everything we did!" they blabbed a bit embarrassingly, and Sef laughed nervously with the humility in the air.
"You guys really are something, you know that? Make sure Jade is safe once you've crossed over, I'll catch up as soon as I can," Sef said, and with those last words he turned and began limply slightly towards Ganderyn's castle in the distance, still visible over the treetops of the bleak, deathly forest. They all stood silently, motionless, watching as Sef slowly vanished into the shadows, breaking into a solid run as he rushed towards the castle.
He knew any demons that got into his way would be more interested in getting their prize than devouring them, and he was left to guess the fates of the others as he leapt over vines, fallen trees and other obstacles that presented themselves. 'I just hope I get there on my own. I'd much rather accept defeat than arrive in the arms of some greedy, bloodthirsty demon, soaked in its filthy stench,' Sef thought to himself, noticing the smell of sweat and blood in the air from past slaughters. 'This place is filled with such death and pain; these demons are so murderous that they take pleasure in harming one another than coexisting peacefully. I'd find it sad if I didn't see just how brainless and vile they truly are. They don't even have souls that can truly exist in the mortal realm; they were all born into existence within a world unsuitable for light and happiness.'
He crossed several rivers and sights of where demons had cut each other down in the race to get to him first, their bodies beginning to decay and causing a reek that made him feel ill. The castle was getting closer and closer, and finally he could hear shouting in the distance.
"This is worthless, wasting our time as though foolish demons kill one another into of those disgusting humans. They could anywhere by now and those blundering idiots have chosen to turn against one another," Dark Sef spat bitterly as he stalked about the front of the palace, watching as Ganderyn stood at the end of the drawbridge before his home. The lava passing beneath it cast a monstrous glow upon him, lighting his spectacles though there need be no illusion. His eyes glowed a bloodied crimson with the excitement of what he would commence when the child was captured and brought to them.
"Patience, for now we shall wait and hear for any news on their location. If I can discover where he is we shall go after him ourselves and begin the process to breaking the barrier. Can you feel what's brewing in the air? The mortal world pulled into the deathly embrace of the Underworld, drowned in its darkness. All of humanity will bow at our feet so cheer up a bit," Ganderyn said, "And stop sulking as though you are a small child, it's beginning to irritate me."
"I hate being called by the name of the brat I was born from; I will give myself a new name if only to separate me from that weak, defenseless brat," Dark Sef declared, stalking about as he thought and raged.
"I have one for you then. I delved a bit into Egyptian mythology long ago when I heard of the vanished god Wepwawet himself. In the Book of the Dead, Sef is a lion god who faces towards yesterday, while another lion called Tuau faces towards the day of tomorrow. Tuau shall be your name, for once the Underworld and mortal plain are merged we shall be the kings of tomorrow," Ganderyn said, and Dark Sef smiled a bit, silently accepting it as he shed his old, shameful title.
"Tuau? Well, I'll give you originality on that one, but I'm not so keen about the 'kings of tomorrow' thing," came a sudden voice, and they both looked up to see a small figure approaching from the kicked up dust and grime.
Tuau smiled, brushing some hair out of his face. "You're even more foolish and stupid than I ever could have imagined, walking right back to us as though you'll receive mercy. Though it does save us the trouble of hunting you down."
"Do you think turning yourself in will save your friends? Those demons will continue pursuing them until your friends are resting gently in their stomachs. Once beasts like that have the scent of a human they won't stop," Ganderyn said, suddenly leaping down from the small guard tower he had been sitting upon before the drawbridge, landing just a few yards away from where Sef had paused.
"Ah, I'm not too worried about them. They can take care of themselves, and stupid brutes like the ones chasing us aren't half as smart as Jade," Sef remarked solemnly as though he were unaware of the danger he was in, but the greedy gleam in both their sets of eyes of course told him differently.
"You already know of our plans it seems, perhaps an informant was amongst your group before you returned," Ganderyn began to approach him, and it took every pinch of strength that Sef could muster not to back down, "But I matters little. We need you puny body as a channeling vessel in order to stream a portal into the mortal world and finish this painfully slow process. You see I've been able to sense the deterioration of the barrier since you first arrived here and knew you and Wepwawet must have something to do with it. Now," he said, suddenly reaching down and grasping Sef's wrist oppressively, "You're going to come with us and help nurture this transformation."
Sef didn't fight but did fidget under the sorcerer's tight grip, and Tuau quickly caught up as they began to walk around the base of the volcano. Sef watched nervously as they walked dangerously close to the edge around the lava river. The molten rock bubbled and spewed as they passed, some of it splashing up onto the rock just inches from Sef's bare legs. He flinched and managed to move to the side a bit without any notice from Ganderyn.
They walk for about ten minutes across the barren, scorched plains of the unbearable world, Sef coughing almost continuously from the thick and rancid brimstone and smoke pouring through the air. Ganderyn seemed utterly used to it, and Tuau simply cast the debris away using his energy. Sef was left to cover his face with his T-shirt and allow Ganderyn to tow him wherever the barrier was weakest. He prayed that Fai Long and the others had managed to keep watch over his movements and would know where to be when the portal was first opened. That way they could make their way through and Sef could find some way to stop the process.
"This is becoming tiring, aren't we close to the weak spot yet?" Tuau asked impatiently, crossing his arms and bearing his teeth, acting as though being aggressive would change anything.
"Actually, we've just reached it," Ganderyn said, stopping and gazing blankly into the air. Sef and Tuau looked above as well to see if they could find it as well.
It wasn't hard to notice. A patch of the 'sky' above the Underworld was faintly shining through with a light shade of sapphire, the evening sky of the mortal world partially seen through the gap. Sef thought he could even see distant stars blinking in the small exposed part of the nightly sky, but before he could admire seeing his home again he was violently pushed ahead and shoved as though he were a burden. He stumbled for a moment attempting to regain his balance even with his paralysis still partially restricting him, and then Ganderyn suddenly began to chant.
It was in an ancient language that Sef didn't understand, and frankly didn't want to. The conjuring itself sparked the presence of a demonic force around him, spiraling in a cyclonic fashion as he covered his face with his arms and cried out, frightened outwardly now of what was to come. The darkness was burning at him from within; his sensitivity to dark energy had become far stronger since the amulet had been taken from him, thus removing its protection.
"Tuau, once I have his aligned with the tear, aim your stronger energy attack at him. It should pass through him if powerful enough and segment the worlds further, allowing the merger to happen far swifter if concentrated enough," Ganderyn explained, and Sef watched as his darker half stood next to the sorcerer, smiling as though he were already expecting great job from what he was about to commence. Sef gulped and found himself unable to move hardly if at all. His arms and leg felt stiff, outstretched to the sides so he couldn't shield himself.
"Survival of the fittest was always one of my favorite philosophies. Finally I'm going to obliterate you…" Tuau muttered before he surged a scorching blast from his outstretched hand, and Sef shut his eyes, preparing for the strike.
But nothing could have prepared him for this. He had never felt such pain before, nor heard himself scream so loudly. It was like he was being torn away and then reborn again only to suffer the same fate. The energy literally torn itself through his soul and then up into the sky, meeting the weak point and slowly expanding it. He turned his head slightly to see it growing at the same pace as Ganderyn's triumphant grin, and Sef prayed and waited for Jade and the others to appear and jump through back to their home. But the suffering made it hard for him to remain that way, and he was left to watch the ground and his attackers below as they faded and his vision faltered.
'This is it…my soul really is going to be torn asunder and I'll cease to exist all together. I can't believe it had to end this way…I just wish I knew the others were safe…that they had found some way to pass through the portal…'
Suddenly he couldn't think anymore; the suffering had cut away all feeling and his body felt like a rag doll, hanging limply in the air and suspended solely by Tuau's ability. And that was when it happened, first with the beating.
His heart was suddenly loud and piercing, pounding against his eardrums like listening to bombshells exploding all around him. The energy itself actually made little noise passing through him, crackling and flickering when it reached a rough spot in his own energy, but the beating in his ears was stifling and painful.
But that was only the first thing; suddenly his own energy was resisting Tuau's, yet he was still being held in the air. He watched as a strange, glowing energy suddenly came around him, pulsating in rhythm with his struggling heart as he suddenly found himself solely keeping the portal open.
'Fai…Fai Long was right…this did bring out my abilities. It must have been an instinctive reaction of my energy…' he thought to himself, and slowly the excruciation pain seeped away. Below, Ganderyn and Tuau looked baffled and stunned at his emerging power.
"It seems we've been deceived," Ganderyn muttered, though sounding more intrigued than angry. "He must have known that this could potentially awaken his own abilities, otherwise I don't believe he would have given in to us so quietly."
"That damn brat is really beginning to anger me. Every time I think I've got him where I want him something happens and he's triumphant," Tuau said bitterly, clenching his fists tight enough to draw blood.
Sef didn't have time to waste; he spun around looking for where his friends could be, his eyes scanning the darkness below for moving color and listening for Jade's shouts. He could feel the energy faltering, untamed and threatening to go outside his grasp. If only he had the time to harness it completely before moving on to more pressing priorities.
'C'mon Jade, you have to be nearby somewhere…' he said, his eyes darting back and forward so rapidly that they threatened to unscrew, for below he could Tuau preparing to launch an attack against his suddenly empowered state.
"You foolish child, do you honestly believe that you can fend us off? I won't allow you to escape me this time!" Tuau shouted in a loathing hiss, suddenly leaping from the ground and gaining flight on an updraft that surged from the desert floor. Sef was left unbalanced in the air as he panicked, unable to wrench himself free from Ganderyn's restricting transference beam. 'You have to be kidding me! I finally find power of my own and I can't even use it to defend myself properly!'
"You're going to pay for thrusting me aside as though I were mere waste!" Tuau shouted fiercely as he ascended, bringing back a clenched fist and gathering energy into its center. Sef was panicking but there was nothing he could do to get out of the way in time, and Tuau was moving in rapidly.
"You thought you could simply eliminate me from your being. You are merely the weakness of the past, I will thrive in whatever dark future is bestowed upon the earth, and you shall perish!" he proclaimed hatefully, and Sef gasped and drew back only slightly as Tuau suddenly closed in for his attack.
What happened next came in a blur of fast and sequential events. Sef had expected to receive a crushing blow, could see Tuau's half-gloved fist coming down to knock him out of the air, when suddenly a weak light shined directly onto the wrathful being's face. He shrieked inhumanly and was thrown off balance, and Sef immediately followed the light source back down to the ground where he could see a gathering of figures. Jade was smiling at him, his revived flashlight shining through the lens of Chow's glasses once more as Tuau continued to move about incoherently, seeming blinded in the way he moved.
Unfortunately, he didn't realize he was moving towards the channeling beam, and before either halves of Sef could do anything about it, Tuau had fallen headlong into the crimson being and was pushed forward by its rushing force.
And of course, all the energy was being passed through Sef, and suddenly their original goal was being carried out. Both Tuau and Sef let out a startled yelp before their bodies made contact, and then the beam began to merge them together as an unstable orb of light formed around them. Down on the ground, Jade, the Enforcers and Fai Long all watched in silence. Ganderyn rubbed his forehead as though this were but a slight obstacle and simply watched the process occur.
It lasted only a moment, and when it was finally coming to an end the transference beam suddenly fizzled out and died as Ganderyn contracted his original energy back into himself, and thus the process was halted whether it was finished or not.
When the kicked dust and energy finally dispersed and cleared, there remained only one being, still hovering in the air.
Sef lowered his arms and looked ahead of him. 'Did…did what I think just happened happen? I…I merged with Dark Sef…er…Tuau I guess….'
"Sef! Are you all right?" Jade shouted from down below, and Sef lowered his gaze, smiling faintly as he did so.
"Yeah, and it doesn't feel much different having Dark Sef back…" But just after he had uttered this statement, a burst of energy suddenly emitted from his hands and left two gapping holes in the ground below. He smiled nervously as he held his palms away as though they were disease. "Or maybe not…"
Ganderyn sighed and reached up to rub his forehead, frustrated with the events that had just occurred before him. "I suppose it's as the saying goes, 'when you want something done right you have to do it yourself,'" he muttered slightly angrily to himself, looking back up into the air and raising his half-gloved hands into the air.
"I'll just have to deal with this little intrusion myself," he murmured, and suddenly a weaving sorcerous energy emitted from around his arms, coiling first there like serpents as it was summoned from his own dark soul. Sef was entirely unaware of the danger he was in, and Ganderyn wasn't about to let the opportunity slip him by.
"You are a an annoying nuisance Sef; though I must admit I underestimated your intelligence by allowing you to unlock your abilities and then simultaneously merge with your darker half as you had wanted, but I'm not about to let you cripple my plans on escaping this disgusting realm," his voice was suddenly filled with an stirred hatred, and he was just about to release the energy to devour the child when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye.
He looked back down just in time to he hit away by Fai Long, who had had sense enough to have not forgotten the sorcerer's presence there. He turned back to Sef and the Enforcers as Ganderyn quickly recovered, standing up again and loathing wiping the shed blood smearing down his spectacles.
"You must take haste and leave now Sef, take your friends and escape this place!" he shouted, and Sef turned and nodded swiftly before outstretched his hands, praying that he could now exercise the appropriate control over his abilities with Tuau within him and his own power finally freed. Indeed another energy came of him as he silently called for it, streaming through him and then down around his allies as they stood waiting, smiling up at him in happiness that they would finally be rid of this place.
"Where exactly will be end up by traveling through this portal?" Sef shouted back down to Fai Long, who was continuously making sure that Ganderyn was still too off guard to attack.
"You will materialize back within your bodies at the point in the mortal world where the forces of darkness are at their peak at the moment you begin to cross over. You must remember to seal the portal into the mortal world once you are there, or any creatures of the darkness will be able to travel through it!" he shouted, and Sef nodded, gently pulling his friends into the air within the secure orb he had formed around them, thankful he appeared able to maintain it.
He said but one more thing to the defending demon below. "Thank you for helping us! We may never have been able to escape here alive if it wasn't for you!"
"I thought I had told you already," Fai Long said with a slight grin. "You needn't thank me."
And that was the last Sef saw of either of his ally or enemy, for in that next moment her and the others were pulled in the empowering light overhead and escaped the clutches of the Underworld. Sef was forced to close his eyes due to the brightness of their passage between the dimensions, and when he reopened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the others coming to at the same moment.
Sef looked down, suddenly able to feel his heartbeat and vitals pumping and thriving within him again, almost strange after having spent a while as a lifeless spirit. He was so joyous for the first moment, along with the others, that they hardly realized what had happened to the city in their absence. Then they finally looked all around in absolute horror, their feeling of victory suddenly sacrificed to fear.
"Looks like a lot has happened since I was banished…" Sef barely got out sarcastically, even him finding sarcasm inappropriate at this time. It was especially hard on the others, who's home this had been and was now lying in potential danger.
"The Underworld's pull on this one is beginning to strengthen, I can feel it now. The two worlds are merging and I don't know what to do!" Sef suddenly shouted in a panic, but before he could become too out of control they suddenly heard a faint noise.
They looked down and Sef muttered but one thing as they stared down in renewed horror.
"Uh oh…"
And the damaged roof they were standing on suddenly gave way under their combined weight, metal torn asunder as they were thrown headlong into the near darkness below.
Wepwawet was barely conscious, his vision blurred and failing every few seconds or so. He could make out a few distorted objects around him, equipment that had been lying around the compound gathering dust until it had been cleared away for a place to rest him. Above his unmoving form a fluorescent light provided the only illumination and flickered randomly, sometimes casting the entire room into utter darkness.
"It was meant to be; you really should have surrendered your powers long ago Wepwawet. Even being a youthful god such as yourself these abilities were slowly eating away at you from within, the reasoning behind making yourself dormant within the amulet of Kekewey and sealing your soul until the chosen host came," it was Daolon Wong speaking, standing but a few yards away surrounded by unwilling servants and ingredients for the essential chi spell he was beginning to concoct. "It comes as little surprise that your father Anubis wanted to keep you away from the mortal realm as much as was possible; your energy itself could have torn the bindings between the dimensions if he had remained here."
"And it is your inability to you that energy that is destroying this world; how can you mock me when it is your weakness that is sentencing this peaceful world to an unjust fate?" Wepwawet spat back, though his voice was weak and dry. Considering he was now in a mortal state, the debilitating effects of hunger and thirst were gnawing at him as he laid there paralyzed and his anger welling up from within.
However, his truthful statement seemed to have taken an effect on the chi wizard. "You won't be ridiculing me for long; one spell and you'll belong to me just as all beings within this city already do. You'll be nothing more than a mindless slave," Daolon Wong hissed, and though he didn't allow the emotion to take form, this statement had a profound impact on Wepwawet.
'When you're a god, you just don't believe that anything like this can happen to you. I was wrong all those centuries ago, thinking I could survive my hiding myself and then seizing the body of a host. Sef and his friends might have perished by this time, and it's entirely my fault. I should have just refused Pharaoh Shen's proposal and helped him at no benefit to myself. Possessing Sef was acting no better than Daolon Wong…' Wepwawet decided to confess these things silently, keeping them within the private confines of his mind. Though it felt a bit better to accept blame for some of this, he knew at the same moment that free thought was to be lost to him in but a moment or so. All the preparations had been made, and Daolon Wong stood poised to begin.
"I wish your weak little host, Sef was it? And his annoying friends were here to see this. Their great god stricken down and made into my loyal servant? But alas, I sentenced them to a well-deserved fate; they probably helped feed some starved demon in the Underworld while you remained up here helpless to do anything about it. Well, have my words sparked some angry from within you?" Daolon Wong said, using his roughly formed staff to force Wepwawet's limp gaze towards him. "Aren't you going to do something to save yourself?"
"No, but they are," Wepwawet shouted, and Daolon Wong turned just in time to receive a well-aimed blow to the face, courtesy of Hsi Wu having snatched a sealed container from the floor as he swooped in from an overhead skylight.
Daolon Wong was thrust to the side, hitting against the far wall and letting out a sharp yelp of pain as Wepwawet stared at his unlikely savior. Hsi Wu merely smirked at him as he held the container over his shoulder in a casual manner.
"Well, what are you lying there for? Get up and help us fight them off!" the impatient demon shouted, but the god's anger had not quite been dispelled.
"Daolon Wong paralyzed me with a chi spell that affects divine energy! If I had the ability to escape wouldn't you think I'd have fled on my own by this time?" he hissed back hatefully.
Hsi Wu simply shrugged and tossed his weapon aside loftily. "I thought you gods were perhaps too proud and foolish to do so."
"What do you believe you are doing Hsi Wu? Remove Wepwawet from the enchantment circle!" came a sudden voice, and Wepwawet immediately recognized it to be Drago's as the thundering approach of the other demons commenced across the spanning floors of the warehouse. Wepwawet would have never guessed he felt so relieved to here them coming.
The sky demon turned and realized what Drago had spoken of; Wepwawet was lying in the dead center of a perfectly inscribed circle, ridden and embroidered with strange and frightening images needed to summon the needed amount of darkness in order to ensnare the mind of a god. Wepwawet noticed this at the same moment as well, turning his head a bit to see an undisturbed trail of black dust had been used to mark the metal floor.
Hsi Wu looked prepared to do so, crouching down and reaching towards Wepwawet's useless form when he was suddenly thrown aside by a sudden attack, and Daolon Wong finally managed to pry himself from the rubble he had found himself in after being hit aside.
"I would have never thought that demons of your caliber would be foolish enough to disturb this process or challenge me! If I could sever a god and drown this world in impenetrable darkness then what makes you think I cannot fend off you!" the raging chi wizard shouted, and another chaotic ray of dark energy lunged itself from the end of his staff towards the recovering demon. Hsi Wu let out a pained scream as he was thrown across the room, but luckily he landed on something soft, which happened to be Jackie as they had finally reached the storage unit.
"Fools! Do you honestly believe that you can stop me?" Daolon Wong shouted, and the demons all gave him looks that could kill.
"You either have endless courage or foolishness to challenge us mortal!" Tchang Zu said angrily, standing before his brethren as they stood in formation. Jackie was left with the air knocked out of him and watching as the events began to unfold.
"If you believe yourselves to be so powerful then prove it! Defeat me!" Daolon Wong said with a mocking grin towards them, and they immediately took action.
Each one at the same moment summoned their element, whatever could be spared from the laboring earth around them, and gathered what they could into the compound around them. Tchang Zu summoned up a storm from overhead, the natural storm forcing itself through the unstable tempest that was slowly devouring the world around them. Soon enough they had conjured the essential ingredients for their attack, and with a silent nod from Tchang Zu they commenced what they had been planning. Daolon Wong watched in interest as Jackie slowly crept behind the stacks of crates and cardboard boxes, hoping to get to Wepwawet and remove him from designated circle.
The demons then each distributed their gathered remnants of their elements, meshing all of them together into a single attack that none of them had needed to use for centuries.
"This combination is potentially unstable; be prepared for anything that may happen," Bai Tsa reminded them, and they all nodded in understanding as each their hands fell over the attack, keeping it in check. This control, they knew, would be lost to them when they unleashed it. Jackie and Wepwawet were dangerously close to where it would fall upon the chi wizard, but they had little other choice. Not that killing off either of them would have caused any feelings of guilt anyways.
And then, without another word they released the energy with a push and thrust from each of them in the direction of Daolon Wong. For the entire attack he had looked confident that he could easily halt the energy, but as it approached the chi wizard's once egotistical expression melted into one of terror, and the last they saw of him was being enveloped in the horrifically large attack.
Jackie had expected to be eaten away from the tremulous attack as well, but as he looked around himself he found he was protected by a half-sphere extruding from the ground, composed of a faltering light. Wepwawet was smiling as he held but a few fingers into the air.
"It wouldn't be very thankful for all you've done to allow you to be harmed or murdered now would it?" the god murmured, managing to pull himself into a sitting position as the attack finally died down into nothing and dispersed into the air. Nothing remained there, and the demons all grinned maliciously at what their power had done. The walls and ceiling above were all heavily damaged as well, scorched and fragments in places by the energy.
"Wepwawet, are you going to be all right? Did Daolon Wong do anything to hurt you?" Jackie admitted what Jade had said was right; he did tend to speak like a younger person's father whenever he was concerned, even towards this temporarily mortal deity.
"I'm just fine; Daolon Wong's attack against me earlier was severe but short-lasting. It's beginning to wear off now," he said, leaning a bit on Jackie's shoulders and still grinning a bit. "I'm just glad this entire dilemma is over."
"Oh, but it this is not over yet!" came a deadly shout from over the darkness, and all eyes once again drew into the air to where the echoes emitted from.
There stood Daolon Wong, his robes torn and burnt from the attack and his flesh scarred and bloodied as well; unfortunately none of the wound he had suffered had been enough to keep him down for long, though his anger revealed the pain he must be experiencing. His staff was repaired and grasped in his hand, prepared to do his bidding for revenge as his being smoldered from the elemental barrage.
"I admit that attack was too strong for me to halt, but unfortunately my power was strong enough to defend me against it. And I will not allow you the time to gather that energy again, so prepare to return to the Underworld once again!" Daolon Wong spat, drawing his weapon into the air and summoning all the energy that he could from the amulet. The demons, Jackie and Wepwawet could only watch in terror and anger as he readied himself to finish them all off in a single wave of his staff, and he laughed down at them as the energy reached its peak.
"It's time for all of you to die!"
Suddenly there was a loud crash, and before Daolon Wong could even react he was struck by something that fell from the ceiling, and he disappeared into a stirred up cloud of thick dust and grime. Now the demons, Jackie and Wepwawet stared in confusion as their once ominous deaths hanging in the air vanished into bafflement.
When the dust finally began to clear, it could be seen what Daolon Wong had ended up crushed by. Fortunately Hak Foo had been the one who had landed primarily onto Daolon Wong, while the others had simple fallen onto one another as they had impacted the floor.
"Let's do that again," Sef said dizzily as he pulled himself from underneath Finn, spotting Jade atop the fallen forms of Ratso and Chow as they rubbed their heads and coughed from the dust. Nothing could have made this scenario any stranger it seemed as Jackie suddenly rushed forward.
"Jade! Sef, thank goodness you're both all right!" he shouted, pulling both of the children into his arms as they finally managed to recover.
"Uh…Jackie…?" Jade asked, and he looked down to see the both of them turning blue at the face as he continued to embrace them a bit too happily.
Wepwawet managed to limp towards them, using the scattered objects around as stabilizers. "I'm glad to see you managed to escape Sef, as well as your friends. I'm sorry about all of this, the misfortune I've managed to cause you…"
"Ah forget about it, I'm just glad to have gotten out of there," Sef said, and they all turned to see Daolon Wong indeed knocked out cold from beneath where Hak Foo managed to get his footing again and stumbled away awkwardly, the staff broken and the amulet having fallen from his neck in the process.
Sef stepped forward to pick it up, beginning to tie it back around his neck. "I'll be taking this back now. You know I've kind of missed…this…thing… wait a minute, when did you get a body?!" he suddenly shouted, pointing towards Wepwawet in a delayed reaction.
"We were pressed to find a way to retrieve you if you couldn't find your own way out, so we used one of the talismans to do this. But now that the amulet is back around your neck…" Wepwawet suddenly began to dematerialize as Sef made the final knot, vanishing and safely back into the slab of stone from where he had come.
"So Daolon Wong has been stopped, but can I ask what exactly they are doing here?" Sef shouted and pointed yet again, this time towards the Eight Demon Sorcerers as they remained in their isolated group, and while they indeed did stare loathingly at Sef, they didn't attack…at least not immediately.
"They were summoned here to help. We didn't if you would be able to escape or not and we needed to defeat Daolon Wong before the earth merged with the Underworld…" Jackie began, and suddenly everyone was forced back to reality as the situation around them continued. The sky became a bit darker as they rushed back outside, watching the blackness simmer in flashes of a crimson hue as the process commenced.
"I have to stop this before our world is lost," Sef said, suddenly aiming his hands towards the sky and summoning the energy again, this time harnessing all that he could without feeling in danger of harming those around him. The energy consumed his being and used every fiber of his being as a channeling guide, but it didn't seem to be enough. He had managed to stop the process, but the merger would begin once he let go.
"I…I don't have the energy to do this! Wepwawet's abilities are still in disarray from what has happened!" Sef shouted, keeping hold of the beam while at the same time the ground began to shake under the force, cracking beneath his sandals and the others were forced to draw away.
Tchang Zu turned to his siblings, looking as though regretting what he was about to say. "Mortals may be sickening creatures, but I will not stand by and allow us to be cast into that putrid realm once again. We must focus our remaining demon energy into the boy and hope it gives him to strength to overpower the damage that has been done and heal this world."
The others demons looked disgusted by this as well, but they didn't have much choice unless they wanted to end up in that hellish world again, maybe even for all of eternity this time. They did as he said almost immediately and called upon the aura they used to control their elements, aiming it into Sef's immobile form as he continued to pour every ounce of his own power into it.
It began to take effect slowly but surely, and they could see the darkness beginning to fade into evening light as Sef let out several pained shouts but continued to hold onto their salvation.
"I…I don't know how much longer I can hold on…it's…it's too much for my body to take…I…don't think I can do this…" he murmured, when suddenly he opened his eyes to find Jade hugging him again.
But this time was different than when they had been imprisoned in the Underworld and al hope had seemed lost, and she was smiling regardless of the fact that now she had to suffer under the energy as well.
"I…might not be a god…but I…can help you…" she said in between surges, and Sef could only nod speechlessly as the light swept over her as well and surrounded them both, continuing to stop the merger from ever happening. It wasn't as though arguing with her at this time was going to change anything at all; Jade would hold steadfast to the end he knew.
But soon enough she wasn't the only one. Sef watched as the Enforcers one by one approached as well and placed their hands onto his shoulders, cringing a bit with the force but managing to hold tight regardless.
"You didn't think we'd just leave you hanging did you? We owe it to you after what you did to stop the Demon Sorcerers," Finn said as the last figure to come and help arrived.
Jackie needn't say anything and instead placed both his hands onto Jade's shoulders and for a moment everyone standing on the now abandoned street was illuminated in a raging light, the aura continuing to soar into the air as it healed the barrier between the different realms.
And then it ended abruptly when the barrier had been completely resealed once more. The energy died away and they all fell to their knees, all but Sef who collapsed completely into Jade's arms again, muttering things half-consciously as the prevailing winds fled from the scene and all was quiet again. The sky was sapphire and shimmering with new light. The streetlights flickered on around them and the confused voices and sounds of everyone throughout the city began a chorus of that traveled across the world once plagued with evil.
"So the merger's been stopped…" Jade murmured, and suddenly Jackie looked startled by something. Both of them tensed up, thinking some new villain had appeared.
"Oh, I have to go see how Uncle and the others are doing! I hope Daolon Wong didn't harm them when they were under his control," he said, sprinting off into the compound as Sef reopened his eyes and found himself lying against Jade. He suddenly realized the demons had turned and were departed, and weakly he got back onto his feet.
"Hey, why did you do it?" he asked, and the nine figures halted and turned with his question. "Why did you help us? I thought you hated mortals…"
"Don't think this alliance goes past this moment child; we just didn't want to see our prey wasted on lesser demons in that foul world," Tchang Zu said, and Sef stared after them as they vanished into their element without another word.
"That was abrupt; I wonder…if they really do care about this world, well, in a we-don't-give-a-damn way," Sef said as Jade came alongside him. "Are you guys all doing all right back there?"
"Yeah, just throw us a few dozen boxes of Band-Aids, ice packs and gauze when you get the chance," Chow said in a disoriented voice, and Sef laughed softly and turned to his friend as the Enforcers helped one another back onto their feet.
"That was a brave thing you did, first trying to rescue me from Daolon, then taking on part of the burden of the energy as well. You could have died you know; we all could have, or worse, lost our souls to that awful darkness…" Sef muttered quietly.
"If we hadn't done anything we definitely would have died or lost or souls or whatever. Who could have ever predicted all of this when Uncle mentioned hosting an exchange student?" Jade asked, and Sef shrugged as a renewed grin fell over his face. "I mean, of all the kids in Egypt, we end up with one that's possessed and has more enemies than I can count. What do you say about that?"
"Er…just lucky I guess?" Sef muttered, and Jade laughed and pulled Sef into a headlock though he whimpered with pain as she did so.
"Hey, I'm still healing here! I don't think I'm physically fit for handling the powers of a god…"
"Yeah, I see you as being more of a nymph or something with regard to supernatural beings…"
"Jade, nymphs are female…"
"And your point is? Oh all right, you can be an imp instead!"
"Hey, take that back!" And thus, Sef chased Jade down the deserted street as the first few stars of night emerged.
Author's Note: Of course my story isn't ending here. Sorry this chapter was so very long, but college has started and I wanted to get this section of my fanfic finished so I can concentrate on schoolwork.