Chibiyu: I should watch anime more often for ideas!

Nick: Kill me now.

Chibiyu: Perhaps later, Jonas-kun.

I don't own JONAS!

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Nick smirked at this, though he felt no humor from the grim truth; anything with the Four is bound to be dangerous, especially for a Normal with the one force that can destroy it.

But will you destroy it?

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Though he had expected this to occur again, he would never be prepared for the feeling of complete suppression. Every wall he had managed to feebly construct, every thought he had carefully organized, any resistance he could offer, they were all thrown away without even the slightest hint of effort. He was victim to the near intoxication that was true-power.

"Father," he whispered words that were not his own, powerless to stop even his own lips. "I trust by now the Elder is dead?"

In the control room, Tom Lucas started, his eyes only on the back of his son's head.

"You know what the Four is capable of. What Necrophere is capable of," the power made him utter. He felt his neck turn and eyes shift, but his vision was not his to be used; he could see nothing but the color of red - the thoughts of the Four. "What I am capable of."

That laugh, Tom thought as his fingers squeezed the edge of the desk, does not belong to my son.

His finger finally found the button to the speakers. "Necrophere," he addressed, not liking the way Nick's lips curved up to smirk and the gleam that flashed across his eyes. "Leave my son out of this. He has done nothing to you!"

"But you Heroes have done everything to him. And to me."

Tom Lucas was stunned at this quick refute, not because of the message, but because this was something his own son would have said.

"You're lucky that Nicholas is hidden away from me," the evil continued as it spoke through the Normal, "Or else all of you who stand in the Council would be burning in the flames of my revenge."

Nick sighed once, a clear change of subject about to approach as his expression lost its malice. "But that is not why I am wasting my time with this child. Now that the Elder is gone, nothing is actually stopping me from retaking this world. Nothing but the thing around your son's neck."

Tom Lucas slammed his fist on the desk, the orders already sent to get to his son as quickly as possible.

"However I cannot kill the Bane without suffering as well, so I will turn to the next best thing: it's master."

"Get to my son!" Tom shouted, just as Nick's eyes widened to an impossible size.

DON'T YOU DARE!

But even the Bane's order could not overcome Nick's scream.

For Tom, is was the most horrible thing he had ever seen: his son, forehead pressed against the cold metal bars of his hanging cell, his scream echoed horribly in the chamber, and the way his whole body seemed to spasm from pain; it was too much for anyone to watch. But it was worse for Tom. Not only because that his son was literally dying before his eyes, but because he was fighting it as well. He threw everything he could at the Four, tried to protect his son to the best of his capabilities, but it wasn't enough.

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tom breathed into the intercom, his hand over his heart when he too felt the true force of the Four shove him back into his own person - his fields no longer in effect. "I'm sorry."

For Nick, to hear the break in his father's voice was harder than this. He could nearly see the tears that slid down his dad's cheeks, and he could only imagine the shame and useless feeling that crept over the man: he was a Hero, but he wasn't enough of one to save his own son.

"D-don't be," Nick managed to choke out.

But that was all Nick could managed before the Four lashed out, the extent of its power forcing a scream from the Normal. What it felt like, even Nick couldn't describe it. All he could see was red. All he could feel was the Four conscience crushing his own. He couldn't feel the spasms in his limbs. He couldn't even hear his own screams anymore. All that existed was the Four.

And me. I did warn you that I would do this. Say goodbye to this world.

Nick's eyes shot open as a bright light filled the chamber, but he couldn't see it. His breath stopped as the Bane forced it's way to the heart of the Four's power and began to fight back, to suppress. And for the Normal, all feeling left him.

He felt like he was drifting within his own mind, no longer even capable of human thought. He was stuck between the two pendants, wanting to fall into the promising images the Four provided, and at the same time, wanting to feel the comforting embrace of safety from the Bane.

'Nicholas,' the Four whispered, its voice quiet and strained.

Child, the Bane whispered, it's voice weak as well.

'This is goodbye.'

No.

The Normal forced his own eyes closed as his hand gripped the pendant around his neck so tight that the dove's edges dug into his hand, a line of blood now trailed down his arm.

This isn't goodbye. Not yet.

He allowed himself to dive straight into the war of the dying powers, right into the flickering light of their candles.

Nicholas if you do this,

'You could die with us.'

But he had to do this. He had figured out the Four's plan. Realized why he was held here. Knew what he had wanted to do before. And Nick would rather give his life to fulfill his plan than to be free without being haunted by his past memories.

And if you're wrong? the Bane's voice was no more than a whisper now.

I'm not.

'Or so you think.'

Nick took a deep breath, one that he well knew may be his last, and he forced his own conscience in between the nearly finished process of the pendants' last war.

A light filled the chamber as Tom managed to finally pry open the door to get to his son and turn off the power-vacuum, but he realized that once they lifted Nick's cage to the platform he now stood on, it could very well be too late. He watched the heavy chain slowly ascend, his chin set in a scowl and eyes filled with worry.

"Nicholas?" he called, but the same name was the only thing answer him as it rebounded from the tunnel's walls.

"I'll get him."

Tom couldn't even turn in time to see Ray vanish from besides him. In two seconds, she was back, the Normal in her arms.

"It was luck that I decided to come here when I did. Luck that Cascadea tormented my street and I felt the need to report it right now. Luck," she breathed, voice shaky as the father knelt by his son's still form. "Luck that he is still alive."

Tom shook his head before he carefully pried Nick's finger's from the Bane.

The Hero recoiled in shock as he stared at Nick's empty hand.

"It's over?" Loraine whispered in complete awe. "The Bane finally ended it to protect its master?"

Tom nodded once. "The Bane gave its life for my son. It saw something in him that we could not. That many refused to see."

Loraine ducked her head at the anger directed at her and the others around her.

"Ray is right," Tom finally broke the ashamed silence after he gathered his pale son into his arms. "We are lucky." The father stood, Ray on his heels. "Ray, take us home. Loraine, tell Nurse to meet us there." No one denied the man - his voice overpowered their own thoughts more than the Elder's ever had. "I'm in charge now," Tom Lucas stated. "And those are my first orders."

Ray instantly jumped forward and teleported the trio straight to the brothers' shared room. Tom gently placed Nick in his bed before he put on a straight face and walked to the stairs. "Stay with him, Ray."

"I will," the girl vowed as she squatted by the Normal's head. She watched his still face before she sighed once. "Thanks to you, it's over. But it's also thanks to you that it started...isn't it?" She reached over and brushed a limp curl from his face, unaware that the youth had heard every word.

"You can't blame me," Nick whispered and smirked when he felt the girl jump a mile in the air, "When it wasn't I who made the pendants."

He cracked open his eyes and regarded the Hero with a touch of disdain. "Tell Nurse that she won't be needed. I'm fine."

Ray pursed her lips, but did as told and was able to return before the Lucas's stampeded up the stairs. "So what happened?" was the girl's first question as the Lucas's continued to recover from their shock of seeing Nick awake and seemingly okay.

Nick only offered a shrug. "The Bane fought the Four. That's all I know."

Everyone was silent for they had caught the lie behind his words. But Nick offered them nothing more.

"What was it like?" Kevin asked just for the sake to break the silence. "Witnessing them fight?"

Nick looked away from them all for a dark shadow had been casted over his eyes. "It's not something I can describe. But I will never forget it; the pain."

To this, there was no lie, but there was the same silence.

"But it's over now," there was no mistaking the almost bitter tone to Nick's voice. "The Bane is gone, as is the Fo..." he trailed off. Suddenly, his head whipped around so he stared at his father, the intensity behind his rather fearful gaze made Tom Lucas take a half-step back. "The place I was held in," Nick commented quickly, as if to beat the panic that was clearly in his frame, "it affected the Bane. Could it have weakened it enough to not destroy the Four?"

Tom Lucas had no answer to this; his knowledge on the pendants was, regrettably, lacking.

"It's possible," he slowly guessed, all eyes on Nick as they watched him stare at his bedspread.

"No," Nick whispered after a moment longer. "It's not possible," everyone breathed out a sigh of relief. "It's reality."

"What?!"

Nick nodded his head once at the shock. "I felt the Bane dissipate, but not the Four."

"That's not possible!" Tom cut across his son with a touch of anger to his tone. "The Bane was specifically created to stop the Four! It can't have failed that task!"

Nick sat up, tongue clasped between his teeth to keep his doubt unspoken. It took him a minute, but he did manage to say: "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm just overreacting."

Sandy scowled at the lie, but she was the only one able to know of it, and the only one who felt Nick's plea to keep this in the dark.

"Nicholas," she sighed once before she dropped down to her knees and embraced her son, "I'm glad you're home. Glad this is over."

Nick couldn't respond, so he just chose to return the hug and ask: "Can I be left alone for awhile?"

The Lucas family, though they didn't understand, nodded and left.

Nick glanced to the fly which rested on top of one of his books and nodded to it. "Hey, Para," he greeted hesitantly. He watched the fly watch him, the insect too still to be anything but his friend. "I wanted to tell you that you were right," Nick sighed once, his head falling into his hands, "But I couldn't. I couldn't beat the Four."

"So you remember?"

At this statement, Nick looked over to see a girl now perched on the edge of his bed.

"No," he told her with nothing but truth in his eyes. "But judging from what I felt when the Four used me when I was locked up..." he trailed off with a shake of his head. "No human can stand up to that kind of power."

"Is that an apology for almost burning me?"

Nick's eyes widened, alarmed at this bit of news. "I almost hurt you?" he asked, voice weak from realization. "Oh god," he muttered, head now back in hands. "Para, I am so sorry."

A fist knocked into his shoulder as a light laugh met his ears. "I know. It just feels good to hear you say it, even though it wasn't really you. And it's good to know that something can beat you. I was beginning to think that you had a power after all," she joked, but the humor was lost to the other.

"So," she whispered as she stopped her escapade to change her friend's mood, "It was really that awful?"

Nick nodded once. "But that's not the half of it. You feel it too, don't you?"

"Feel what?"

Nick closed his eyes, his brow furrowed. "It's presence. The Four's."

Paragon withdrew slightly. "No, I don't. But you were connected with it."

Nick looked Paragon straight in the eye when he said this: "I still am. The Four is still out there, Para. The Bane has failed."

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Chibiyu: Tell me, what do you think the Four's next plan of action is? Until Next Update!