-Chapter 20-
Cautiously walking through the old, musty tunnel, the group kept quiet. Keeping their eyes out for any potential threat that could have been lurking in the shadows after a hundred years of vacancy. Jaden and Jesse held each other's hands tightly, not about to create the possibility of them being separated somehow, though in such a small tunnel it seemed an unlikely outcome. Winged Kuriboh flew beside his master, trying hard to sense any danger around, but the dark aura of the dimension itself was making it difficult to detect almost anything. Jesse too, seemed to be affected by the looming darkness, his bright inner light not mixing well with the heavy aura surrounding them.
"So, this thing'll really take us all the way to Viper's dungeon?" Hassleberry asked, turning his gaze over to Axel, hoping that it was really true. They'd been walking down the dark tunnel for what seemed to be forever, and it would be really frustrating for it to be wrong.
"That's what they say." Axel answered plainly, keeping his eyes forwards, leading the group from the front, keeping the way lit with a little flashlight he had attached to his vest.
"Well then, let's hope these stories of yours are true, Axel." Jim said, looking back to Shirley for a moment to make sure she was doing alright in the nearly pitch black tunnel, revealing to Axel the bandages over his right eye that the brim of his hat had kept hidden from the mercenary until then. Tensing a little bit at the sight, Axel couldn't help but ask.
"What happened to your eye?"
"Oh, this?" Jim questioned, putting a hand gently up to the bandages over his eye, surprised no one had bothered to ask until now. "I lost my eye in an accident when I was a kid. Basically, I've been half blind for about ten years now."
"Oh. Uh… sorry about that." Axel replied, reaching back and awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, not entirely sure what to do with that information. He'd seen a lot of things over the years, and known people with plenty of different problems, but he'd never known someone who was hardly able to see before. Honestly the thought of being even slightly impaired was frightening to him, but not being able to see was just downright terrifying.
"Nah, it's not so bad." Jim shook his head at the apology, a small chuckle escaping from his lips at the thought of being apologized to in the first place. People had always done that when he told them about his eye, it was something he was used to. But still, something about the way Axel had said it was amusing to him. "Besides, I have Shirley here to look after me." Squirming on his back, Shirley let out a little growl, warning the new presence that if he tried anything funny or that could endanger her precious Jim, she would personally tear him to shreds with her teeth. Chuckling again, Jim patted Axel on the shoulder having noticed his wary glance to the growling croc on his back. "She's a bit protective, but she's a lovely girl."
"Uh… sure."
"Jaden, are you sure we can trust this Axel guy?" Jesse asked quietly, keeping his voice as low as he could to avoid Axel overhearing his mistrust. It wasn't that he didn't think the guy was on the up and up or anything, but that was exactly what he was thinking. The whole thing was just a little too convenient for Jesse's taste. "What if he's just leading us into a trap?"
"I don't think so, Jess." Jaden answered, giving the bluenette's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I know it's weird, but I don't feel anything bad from this guy. I think he legitimately wants to help us rescue Sy."
"Maybe… but it just seems weird to me." Jesse shrugged in response, really just hoping they could get this all sorted out as soon as would be possible. "If he was the one who actually kidnapped him for Viper, I don't understand why he would just turn around and decide to rescue him, y'know?"
"Yeah, I get that. But whatever his reason, it's still his own business." Jaden replied, keeping his brown eyes focused on the mercenary as he led them through the dark tunnel. "You'll just have to ask him and hope he chooses to answer, I guess."
"Maybe.." Jesse sighed, just trying to alert his special one to the idea that maybe what they were doing wasn't exactly the best or smartest plan.
"Well, since we're questioning things at the moment..." Jaden began, honestly a little nervous to ask, though he knew he wouldn't stop being haunted by it until he did. "Is destroying Yubel... really the only way...?"
"What?" Jesse questioned, raising an eyebrow at the confused brunette. "Where did that come from?"
"I dunno, it's just...whenever I think about it, it just..." Sighing, Jaden thought back on their last encounter with Yubel, how as angry as he was with her for hurting Jesse and causing everyone so much trouble, he was almost sad to see her in pain. "It doesn't sit right with me, that's all. It doesn't feel like it's the right thing to do..."
"Maybe not, Jaden, but it's what you were created for." Jesse sighed in return, not really understanding how Jaden could feel that was about someone so evil. But he did realize that even though it was fairly minimal, Jaden did have more life experience than he did, and the brunette also just had a innocent naivety to him that Jesse didn't. His actions were dictated by his emotions, and he had a very strong connection to those emotions, even if he didn't fully understand them. In a way, Jesse couldn't help but be jealous of that aspect of Jaden. He wanted to sympathize with Jaden's uncertainty, to offer him a better answer. But no matter how he tried, Jesse just couldn't see past all the darkness surrounding Yubel's soul. Still, what he did understand was that Jaden was just that type of person. No matter what, the brunette would do anything in his power to help anyone, no matter what. And Jesse was prepared to assist him in any way he could. Such was his nature, after all. "I dunno, Jay. Maybe there is some other way? But right now, I think we should focus on getting the prince back safely. We can worry about Yubel after that."
"Good point.." Jaden agreed, although the thought still lingered on unceasing. He wanted to help his friend, that much he could never ignore, but also he couldn't ignore the ever growing feeling within him that there had to be a way to stop her without completely destroying her. No matter how much he thought about it, it just didn't feel right.
"I still think this whole thing is a bad idea." Chazz mumbled under his breath, hating every second spent wandering around in the dark like rats. The whole thing just felt off to him, like they weren't supposed to be there, or like if they continued on, there would be no turning back again.
"You think everything is a bad idea." Alexis mocked in response, growing very weary of his pessimism, though she had to admit to herself he almost had a point. Something in the air just didn't sit right with her either. But no way was she going to let him believe she actually agreed with him for once. "Just be quiet and walk."
"Whatever." He muttered back, resenting the fact that he had ever felt the need to repay his debt to her.
Reinstating the silence between the group, they kept walking for what felt like forever. In the darkness they all stayed close together, even Alexis and Chazz had managed to keep themselves quiet after their little exchange and attempt tolerating the other's fairly close proximity to one another, since the party didn't want to lose each other in the dark, despite how honestly difficult that would be with such a straight shot of a tunnel. Yet still, they knew anything was possible in places as old and untouched as these. Walking further, Jaden felt his head begin to spin. Stopping in his tracks, he closed his eyes for a moment, Jesse beckoning the others to stop as well.
"Jaden." The voice of Neos called out to him, the strong and powerful voice booming in his head as the others tried to rouse a response out of him, their own voices deafened by Neos's strong baritone. "Be warned. This is the path of no return. Yubel is near, and beyond, your destiny awaits you. Be cautious my child, and hurry. The young prince must not fall into Yubel's hands. The universe depends on it."
"Jaden!" Jesse called, shaking Jaden out of his little funk, the brunette looked around at the group, his eyes slightly widened in confusion having not been used to communicating with the celestials or spirits like Jesse was. The whole thing had taken him by surprise to be sure.
"Jess..?"
"What the hell was that about?" Chazz questioned, taking a step closer to the brunette, though Bastion threw his arm out before he could go any further, stopping him in his tracks. Shaking his head silently, the wizard silently warned him to leave the brunette be for now.
"I… I heard it." Jaden recalled, fully realizing what had just happened. "Neos' voice, in my head."
"What did he say?" Alexis asked, stealing Jesse's thunder before he could drop the question on his fellow celestial love.
"He said… this would be the point of no return…a-and that we can't let Yubel get a hold of Syrus. That the universe depends on it!" a mere second of silence passing between them Jaden felt a small twinge of pain in his chest. Gripping his chest for a second he gasped, realizing what the pain was warning him of. "She's here."
"Excuse me, what the hell is going on?" Axel asked, extremely confused though his tone was one more demanding than questioning. Before anyone could answer him however, the tunnel around them began to shake, and the dark aura surrounding them grew even thicker.
"Run!" Jaden commanded, grabbing Jesse's hand tighter than ever before he ran, leaving the others to follow behind.
"He's right, the place is gonna come down on top of us!" Jim reiterated, Shirley squirming and growling loudly on his back, demanding in the only way she could that they leave before her Jim could get hurt. Quickly giving her a reassuring pat, Jim tore off after Jaden and Jesse, the others immediately giving chase as the tunnel began to collapse around them, a dark and malevolent power bringing as much of it down as was possible. Sprinting through the darkness the party scrambled out of the way of the falling tunnel until they had successfully cleared the collapse.
"Now just what the hell was that!?" Hassleberry asked urgently, panting for a moment while he and the rest of the party took a moment to catch their breath.
"Yubel." Jaden answered, clenching his fist at the thought of her being nearby somewhere with Syrus around in need of their help, and no doubt in need of protection as well. Also, he was still extremely angry with the demon for bringing Jesse to harm, and for what she had done to Alexis and her brother. He could never forgive her for that. "She's here somewhere. I could feel it."
"Well that's not good…" Alexis sighed, not exactly surprised by the collapsing tunnel anymore. In fact, the whole thing made just about perfect sense now.
"Okay, who's Yubel?" Axel asked, seriously starting to hate not knowing what the hell these people were talking about almost every time one of them spoke.
"We've little time for a full explanation now. But know that she is a being of pure evil. And must be stopped." Bastion explained, narrowing his eyes at the thought of encountering that monster again.
"Uh, sure." Axel nodded in response, not exactly satisfied but understanding of the vague answer given the circumstances. "Well anyway, that collapse got us to the end." Gesturing to what appeared to be a makeshift door or something of the sort "If the stories are right, we should already be in the dungeon."
"Well then, we'd better get moving." Jaden responded, giving Jesse's hand a squeeze as the group approached the exit, preparing themselves for the task to follow.
Meanwhile, after countless hours, the dimensional council continued on. With Zane growing more and more impatient and frustrated, as the council almost seemed to refuse to come to an agreement on what to do about the little prince's abduction. Unaware of the events Atticus and Crowler had previously set in motion. As the bickering amongst the council and Zane's roaring anger continued to consume the meeting hall, Viper could somehow sense that something was happening within his fortress. Something amiss, and yet the winds of fate he thought to still blow favor his way. Chuckling darkly to himself, Viper turned for the useless bickering about the room, taking his leave with no regard for the protests coming at him as the others realized he was going to depart.
"Pardon me, gentlemen. But I must step out for a time. It seems there is an urgent matter I must… take care of."
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Jaden asked, following closely behind Axel as he led them through the underbelly of Viper's fortress, the extreme concern he held for his dear friend only increasing the further in they went.
"For the hundredth time Jaden, yes I'm sure I'm sure." Axel spat back, starting to get increasingly annoyed by Jaden's endless questions, especially considering it was more or less the same question being asked over and over almost every time they entered a new corridor. Of course, he couldn't fault the guy for being worried about his friend. Also, since he was the one who actually carried out the deed and kidnapped poor Syrus in the first place, Axel realized that putting up with Jaden was probably only the beginning of his punishment, also realizing how bad things were going to look for him when they brought Syrus back to Zane and Aster. Most likely, the king would probably throw him jail, if not just try to kill him on the spot. But still, it was better than hanging around any longer with even Viper having turned against him, so helping Jaden and the others liberate Syrus was the least he could do. "After all, I was the one who kidnapped him to begin with. I have a pretty good idea where he's being held."
"Yeah, we know." Jesse added, keeping his arm linked with Jaden's, an overly uneasy feeling coming over him in that place. There was a darkness surrounding the entire dimension, a great malice lurked there in the shadows. Everything about the place made him more than a little on edge. "You already apologized for that. But I'm still a little confused about why you and Viper turned on each other. And why are you helping us anyway?"
"Easy." Axel said, keeping his eyes front and on the lookout for guards blocking their path. "Because I disagreed with his methods. The only reason I kidnapped the prince was because I was under orders. I didn't think twice about it at first, but when I saw just how weak and defenseless he was, I knew Viper had gone too far." he explained, lowering his voice for a moment he listened, waiting to see if the coast was clear before moving on. Satisfied with the silence around them he led on, keeping himself on high alert. "I always thought of myself as a loyal soldier, I did anything I was ordered to without question. But it was then I realized just how wrong the things Viper had ordered me to do were. How nonexistent his sense of morality was. So I confronted him about it, and he banished me. Branded me a traitor and an outcast. I decided after that, I'd go with my gut instinct and take the kid back and put a wrench in whatever twisted plan he has. And now, here we are."
"Damn…" Hassleberry muttered under his breath, keeping his exclamation as quiet as he could to avoid bringing any attention their way. He knew a thing or two about people doing bad things to others without questioning it. After all, he was experimented on for nearly two years before Jim came along and set him free, putting himself in danger for the sake of someone he didn't even know beyond his identity as a test subject. Still, he sympathized with Axel's tale.
"Even so, we deeply appreciate your help, Axel." Bastion said, nodding in acknowledgment of Axel's recounting of events, though his own sympathies were a little lost on the others around him. "It is imperative that we return the prince home safely, would that his brother decide not to declare an inter-dimensional war over the boy's abduction. Besides, we all know how terrible that would be. More than his majesty could know."
"He won't if we get Syrus back home before he gets hurt." Alexis informed, having known Zane longer and better than anyone else there she was confident her statement would be accurate. "As long as he's safe, Zane won't make any decisions that could risk changing that. Which means we could put a serious wrench in Yubel's plans."
"Well, let's hope you're right about that Alexis. Because who's to say we're even right about her plans anyway? For all we know, all of this could just be a front for something else." Jim sighed, tipping his brim of his hat for a moment as he thought about just how devastating an inter-dimensional war could be, yet also worried that they had been completely wrong about her intentions to begin with. Feeling Shirley squirm on his back, he reached his hand back, giving the croc a little scratch on the back. He too was worried about Syrus's safety, just as they all were. But at the same time he was worried that no matter what happened, it wasn't going to end very well for any of them.
"So… how much further, Axel?" Jaden dared to question, raising his left arm, he placed his hand over Jesse's which held tightly to his arm. Wanting to give the other celestial boy some comfort in the dark and malevolent fortress, he gave Jesse's hand a small squeeze. Hoping to the gods that everything would turn out okay in the end.
"Not much further." He answered, quickly motioning for the others to stop. Signaling for them to stay quiet, Axel pulled a dagger from his belt, creeping forward slightly as Jaden noticed what it was Axel had seen. At the end of the hallway before the next fork, there was a guard stationed. It seemed he wasn't paying enough attention to overhear the quiet conversation going on a short ways behind him, but that was of course to Axel's favor. Creeping up behind the guard, Axel whipped his free hand up, clamping his hand over the guards mouth he raised his dagger to the guard's throat, hastily slitting it before there was even a chance for the guard to fight back. Dropping the man onto the ground, Axel motioned for the others to follow once again, leading them even further into Viper's dungeon. "Just a few more corridors."
"Hang in there, Sy." Jaden thought, picking up his pace just a little while still being mindful of the fact that Jesse still had a strong hold on his arm and as such, more or less had to keep up with Jaden's pace. Following Axel as closely as he could, Jaden worried deeply for his friend. Hoping to each and every celestial that he was safe. "Just a little longer, okay? We're almost there."
Following as Axel led the group ever closer to Syrus's cell, the others kept a sharp vigil about them, Chazz and Alexis taking the initiative to fell any guards that dared approach before they could call for backup. Luckily for them, Axel had a good handle on the layout of the fortress, dungeon included. So he was able to help them avoid the majority of the guards on the way in. Unfortunately, he knew the same couldn't be said for the way out. As soon as the prince was liberated from his prison, the entire fortress would be in an uproar. It would be next to impossible to escape without a fight, even with the prince's portal powers. It was true he could open them even without the dimensional veil being thin enough, but Viper knew about this as well, and implemented an anti-magic field around his fortress to specifically suppress the prince's powers. Meaning so long as Syrus was inside this fortress, even though Bastion's wizardry could remain mostly unaffected, Viper's enhanced anti-magic field could still stop Syrus from using his powers to create an escape portal. Rounding the final corner, Axel stopped them, checking one last time to see if the coast was clear.
"We're clear." He informed quietly, the others finally starting to loosen up a bit despite how tense they still felt. "Looks like the guard for this block hasn't made his rounds yet. We'll have to be quick. Got it?"
"No problem." Jaden nodded, more than determined to free his best friend. Feeling Jesse's hand release from his arm, Jaden turned to him, catching a determined nod from Jesse before he returned it with one of his own, glad they were on the same page. He doubted any of them wouldn't be, after all they had all come with the same goal in mind. But still he felt better with that little bit of reassurance of that anyway. "Let's get him outta here."
"Right." Axel nodded back, rounding the corner with the others in tow.
On the other side of the wall slightly further back in the corridor was a small cell about the size of a ten by twelve foot storage shed, lit only by torchlight despite the surplus of technology the sixth dimension typically used. Heavy iron bars kept the cell closed off from the rest of the corridor like any typical cell would have. The difference was the rest of the cells in the place didn't have kidnapped prince's inside of them. In the back of the cell, Syrus was still sitting on the little stone slab serving as a bench of sorts, his arms situated slightly above his head, shackled to the wall on either side of his tiny body in a further attempt to keep him from trying to use his powers to attempt an escape of his own. Conversely, heavy shackles bound his ankles to make sure he wouldn't be going anywhere no matter what, even with his tiny wrists chained to the wall, and the thick gag still remained tied over his mouth to keep him quiet. Even locked up and imprisoned as he was, the boy still managed to uphold his elegant appearance, the skirt of his ensemble still finding a way to flutter slightly despite the lack of breeze around them, and the white and gold pieces of his clothes as well as his light aqua hair were a lovely contrast to the otherwise dark and dank surroundings. Laying his eyes on his friend it only took Jaden a moment to see that his downcast eyes were sad. The abduction itself had to have been a scary experience for the poor lad, but realizing how much trouble and worry it had to have been causing Aster and his brother had to have made him feel even worse about the whole thing. Only standing still for another half a second, Jaden rushed forwards, clasping his hands tightly around the bars keeping him from reaching his dear friend.
"Sy!" He called, trying to keep his voice down still so any potentially nearby guards wouldn't hear. "Sy, look at me!"
Lifting his head slowly, Syrus laid his eyes on Jaden, a muffled gasp coming through as he realized his entire entourage was there as well, and what that had to mean.
"Jaden!" Syrus thought, a thick wave of relief washing over his small form, the shackles binding him rattling as he leaned forward, pulling against them as best he could for a moment before ultimately giving up. "W-What are you doing here?"
"We're here to rescue you, Sy!" Jaden said as if he had read the little one's mind, a soft expression making its way across his face for a moment, just relieved to see that Syrus didn't appear to be injured at all, making him feel more at ease than he had felt since they were told he had been taken originally. "Just sit tight a sec, 'kay? We'll get you outta there!" smiling at his friend for a moment, Syrus nodded, waiting patiently for them to set him free. Turning swiftly on his heels to the rest of the group, Jaden hoped one of them would have an idea of what to do. Because even though he wouldn't admit it, he had none.
"Logically, there should be a key somewhere." Bastion deduced, thinking aloud as he tried to devise a solution to their current princely imprisonment problem. "Though conversely, it's most likely to be held by the chief guard of the cell-block, which means simply unlocking the door is out of the question."
"Well we have to do something!" Alexis interjected, her protective mom-friend instincts starting to kick in now that Syrus was actually within their reach and was still technically in danger.
"Move aside, ma'am." Hassleberry almost commanded, politely pushing his way to the front of the group, flexing his extremely impressive muscles for a moment, grabbing section of the bars serving as the door of the cell, beginning to pull with all his might, gritting his teeth as he began to make short work of their little obstacle. "I'll have this open in a jiffy!"
"Uh, are you sure that'll work?" Chazz questioned, raising an eyebrow at the ever strange youth, not entirely convinced this was the best course of action to be taking in terms of effectiveness.
"Don't you worry about that, my friend." Jim reassured, crossing his arms as he watched the younger boy work, more aware of his abilities and impressively inhuman strength than the others were, having been present for more than one show of those skills while the boy was still the subject of their governments experiments. He had always hated them, thinking the experiments were immoral. But as a man of science, he couldn't help but marvel at what an incredible force of pure physical might the boy had become. "Hassleberry's a lot stronger than you've ever witnessed. Trust me, he can do it."
"Well he better hurry. If Axel's right, we don't have much time before the guards make their rounds." Chazz observed, crossing his arms for a moment. Really wanting to get this done with as little trouble as possible.
"Just… one sec…!" Hassleberry grunted through his tightly gritted teeth, pulling against the metal door as hard as he could. Feeling a surge of strength rush through his body, he yanked on the cell door one last time, the sound of bending and creaking metal echoing around the corridor. Crying out as quietly as he could, Hassleberry gave in to the power rising within him, the metal bars clanging and squeaking before the metal door was ripped clean from the rest of the iron barrier keeping them from Syrus. Panting heavily, Hassleberry tossed the metal aside, leaving the way open for their princely rescue.
"My word…!" Bastion gasped, shocked by Hassleberry's overwhelming display of inhuman strength. He was aware that the boy held a great power within him, after all that was the reason they were drawn to him in general, but seeing just how powerful he could be, it was almost mind blowing.
"Syrus!" Rushing into the cell as quickly as he could, Jaden skidded to a stop in front of his tiny friend, his eyes wide with rest of the concern he had been holding in. Ripping the gag from Syrus's mouth, Jaden immediately proceeded checking the little prince over for any possible injuries they couldn't see. "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
Syrus shook his head, a small reassuring smile on his face while the others filed into the cell, also worried about the well-being of their royal friend.
"No, I'm fine." He said, more than ready to get out of there and go home. But of course, they still had to face a few obstacles first. Pulling against his shackles for a moment, Syrus's face took on a rather embarrassed look, his tone becoming a little more sheepish than before. "But, um… could you maybe get me out of these now…?"
"Oh! Right!" Jaden exclaimed, so worried about making sure Syrus wasn't hurt that he completely forgot he was still chained up. "Sorry, Sy."
"You leave that to me, Jaden." Jim said, pulling what looked like a small lock picking tool from the pocket of his lab coat, something he had prepared for just such an occasion. Giving Shirley another quick pet before approaching the prince, Jim stuck the tool into the lock keeping the shackles on Syrus's wrists secured. "I'll have you outta these in no time, highness."
"Better hurry, Jim." Jesse advised, alerted to the sound of footsteps beginning to converge in the distance. "Looks like they heard the cell door getting ripped off like that."
"Well lucky for us, I thought to bring this along. Though, it's only good for small locks like these, so we might have a problem if there are any more locked doors to break through." Jim responded, the lock on the chains clicking, releasing their hold on Syrus's wrists. Proud of his work, Jim moved on to unlocking the chains holding his ankles, making short work of the remainder of the prince's bonds. "There you are, highness."
"Thank you." Syrus nodded, slowly standing from his seat on the stone slab he had been positioned on. Wobbling for about half a second, Jaden quickly placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to steady him, only getting more worried by the second. "I'm okay, I promise." the little one reassured, not wanting Jaden and the others to worry anymore. "Don't worry."
"C'mon let's get moving. We don't have time to stand around like this."
Shifting his gaze to the familiar voice, Syrus's body tensed. Quickly grabbing onto Jaden, he hid himself behind his friend, frightened by the presence of the man who had carried out the deed and abducted him from his home dimension. Surprised by Syrus's reaction, Jaden turned his head for a second, catching a glimpse of Sy's frightened expression looking up at him for reassurance. Smiling down at the bluenette, Jaden patted him on the head for a moment, gesturing back to Axel.
"Don't worry Sy, he's on our side now." He explained, hoping to help him be less frightened. "Viper turned on him, so he decided to help us rescue you. So you're totally safe. Okay?"
"O-Okay…" Syrus nodded warily, still not entirely comfortable with the idea of traveling with his abductor, but so long as Jaden and the others were there to protect him, he figured it would be okay.
"Come, Axel is correct." Bastion asserted, gesturing for the others to follow as Axel turned to lead them out of the dungeon before too many guards appeared to bar their path. "We've little time before the guards arrive. Let us take our leave!"
"Syrus, you stay with Jaden and Jesse, okay?" Alexis instructed, more serious than she had been since she was trying to save her brother's life. "They'll look after you."
"Yes, ma'am." Syrus nodded, showing his fellow royal her due respect. The two love birds nodding to each other as well, they kept to either side of the young prince, swiftly ushering him out of the dark cell. Following Axel and Bastion back into the maze of cell blocks and corridors with the others in tow, the group was determined to get Syrus back home safely and as soon as possible, and finally put a stop to Yubel's twisted schemes.