Just to keep myself, and others, from forgetting, the remainder of the group is DarkMagicianmon, Dimensiondude, Hikari Ino, X Prodigy, Anti-TLSoulDude, BlackcatRin, and The Shadow Syndicate.
Last time, TLSoulDude continued his fight with Shendu's son, Drago. However, the demon absorbed all the powers of the eight other demon sorcerers. Airnaruto, Loony, Nukid, Ranger, and Ross arrived on the scene just in time. The Life Auras gave TL enough strength to go into his Archangel Form and finally defeat Drago…at the cost of his own life.
Chapter 35: Mourning the Lost—Why This Happens to an Author
"I was…always proud…of ya…Loony." TL said, between gasps of breath, "But this…journey…I've gotta do…on my own…"
"What-what're you talking about?" Loon asked.
"Loony, I know what he's talking about." Airnaruto said. TL glanced over to the group and grinned.
"Lunatic…take this…" he gasped, grabbing something from his mane and jamming it into Lunatic's hand. It was the Ultima Medallion.
He then shut his eyes and didn't move.
"TL!" Lunatic said, shaking the hedgehog, whose head flopped around, limply, "TL! NO!"
Lunatic held TL's head close to him as tears began to fall from his eyes. Airnaruto walked over, dumbfounded, and held the head of what was once the Fictronian Ultima Master. He had died. Lunatic burst into tears.
"Guys, we've gotta get moving." Nukid said before saying to Loony, "And Lunatic, pull yourself together."
"WHAT DOES IT MATTER?!" Lunatic snarled, glowering at Nukid, "MY BROTHER IS DEAD!"
Airnaruto tried a different tactic—sympathy.
"Loon, I know what you're going through." Airnaruto said, putting a hand on Loony's shoulder, "It happened to me several times. I've lost Giatso, Minato, and Mace Windu."
"It happened to most of us several times." Ranger pointed out, "I've seen good people fall in battle, but I still bounce back."
Loony's response was to shove Airnaruto's hand off his shoulder and snarl, "LIKE HELL YA DO!"
"Maybe…you should talk about this." Ross said.
Lunatic stifled another sob. He then said, shakily, "I…lost my parents when I was really young. But this…this feels like losing them all over again." Lunatic looked at the body of his older brother. Lunatic's tears came down faster as he continued, "It's just…how can this happen to ME?!"
"I smell a musical number." Ranger said.
"Well, it's been a while." Airnaruto pointed out, "Plus this could help Loon let his feelings out."
Lunatic then broke into song (A/N: I do not own this song. Simple Plan does.).
Lunatic121: I open my eyes
I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light
I can't remember how
I can't remember why
I'm lying here tonight
And I can't stand the pain
And I can't make it go away
No I can't stand the pain
How could this happen to me
I made my mistakes
I've got no where to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me
Everybody's screaming
I try to make a sound but no one hears me
I'm slipping off the edge
I'm hanging by a thread
I wanna start this over again
So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered
And I can't explain what happened
And I can't erase the things that I've done
No I can't
How could this happen to me
I made my mistakes
I've got no where to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me
I made my mistakes
I've got no where to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me
As Loony's song ended, Airnaruto put his hand on the Fictorian Ninja's shoulder again.
"He ran his last race. He died to protect us." Airnaruto smiled, "He's gone to a better place."
AFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAF
TL always liked the feel of a spaceship's yoke in his hand. He loved flying through space. He loved the feeling it gave him. It was that feeling that he felt right now…as he was floating through nothingness.
"What happened?" TL asked himself, voice echoing in several other voices, "This is…strange. I remember…pains in my chest…" TL thought for a while before saying, "My heart gave out. Ironic. The thing I relied most on was the thing that caused my death…" he glanced over at the plain whiteness and asked, "Where am I? Am I dead? Alive?"
"You're dead…for now." Replied a voice. TL glanced around to see something that looked like him, but was completely black.
"Who are you?" TL asked.
"I'm you." Replied the black entity, "Or at least…part of you. I'm the part that was created when you were born. I'm your shadow."
"Isn't this kinda cliché?" TL asked, confused.
"That question, I'll ignore." TL's Shadow deadpanned.
"Why're you here?" TL asked.
"To see if you're ready to go on." TL's Shadow replied before springing at TL and brought a fist into the hedgehog's face. TL flew back, but regained his composure and flew back.
"LIGHTNING CLAWS!" he shouted. The red claws sprung from his right hand and…
"LIGHTNING CLAWS!" the Shadow snapped. Black claws met the first pair.
"Can't honestly say I'm surprised." TL said.
"Face it, TL, anything YOU can do, I can, too!" TL's Shadow growled. He then tossed a black aura arm into the hedgehog, who was sent, flying back.
"How many people have taken this test before me?" TL asked. Strangely, he didn't get injured, though he still felt the spot where the aura arm hit him.
"Every being in the universe." Replied the Shadow, "Some win, some lose. The winners move on, the losers are sent back until they're ready."
TL nodded at this. If he won, he'd be able to go to the afterlife. If he lost, he'd go back to the mortal world.
AFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAF
DM closed the comic book with a shocked look on his face.
"TL…is dead?" he simply asked.
"But there's still hope." Sylar answered, "I made a painting that showed me and TL going onto a ship."
"What's going on?" D-Dude asked.
"Don't tell him." DM said, quietly, to the other Authors, "It'd break his heart to hear that one of his brothers is dead."
The Shadow Syndicate: It's you and me now, suck-up.
???: NO, IT'S JUST ME, VAMPIRE!
The Shadow Syndicate: Time to find out who the best gunslinger is!
Next time: TSS vs. Malice pt. 1—Heavy Artillery Combat!