Part 25

Everyone stared as Fuse kneeled down beside his sister who was lying on the floor with a knife through her back. She was gasping and gripping for Fuse's clothes. Fuse just caressed her hair while hushing gently. Alan stared in horror at the pair and then turned to Scott and Virgil. Scott moved Alan and Gordon behind himself and Virgil. Virgil stared at their enemy. He had seen him throw Havoc out at sea but he had never expected him to actually kill her.

"F-Fuse", Havoc stuttered and blood started pouring from the side of her mouth and her nose. Fuse must have hit a lung.

"Sssh sister", Fuse soothed. "Go to sleep now… your pain will end."

"Y-you…"

"Hush now, just go to sleep. It will all be over soon. Just go to sleep."

"B-bastard…"

To everyone else's shock Fuse started singing a lullaby while he rocked Havoc in his arms gently.

The second star to the right
Shines in the night for you
To tell you that the dreams you plan
Really can come true

The second star to the right
Shines with a light that's rare
And if it's Never Land you need
It's light will lead you there

Twinkle, twinkle little star
So I'll know where you are
Gleaming in the skies above
Lead me to the land we dream of

And when our journey is through
Each time we say "Goodnight"
We'll thank the little star that shines
The second from the right

Havoc looked at him with tears going down her cheeks. Then she scoffed and closed her eyes. Mumbling something that only Fuse could hear. Fuse gently picked her up. Virgil noticed that he seemed to have shrunk again. He figured it was due to the spirits escaping their prison. Fuse looked at each of them and nodded before turning to leave.

"Where are you going", Kayo asked, her voice thick with emotion. Once she had been close with both Fuse and Havoc, they had been friends… almost siblings even. Memories of them, good memories, started surfacing when Fuse sang. She remembered the song, it came from her island and her father, uncle and mother had used to sing it. She felt her father's hands on her shoulders.

"If you don't mind…" Fuse said without looking at them. "We'd sooner avoid prison. Havoc she… she's a free spirit. Being in a cage… it would break her heart."

"But Fuse she is…"

"I know. But she is still not fully gone… hey Kayo… what say you ship out with us? Fuse and Kayo full of ourselves and no ties to anyone?" He turned and looked at her. Kayo smiled and put her hand on her father's.

"You know…", she replied. "A few years back I would have taken you up on that offer in a second. But I met these", she smiled fondly. "Little boys and they taught me that I can chart my own course. That's what I'm gonna do."

"And what do you see off that bow of yours?" Fuse asked her, the same thing she had asked him hundreds of years past.

"A future", Kayo replied. Fuse chuckled.

"Well look at you… glowing like the sun", he smiled softly. "You're something special Kayo, you always have been. You're gonna rattle the stars you are."

Kayo looked at the people around her and smiled. No one looked hostile, no one looked as if they wanted Fuse to pay for what he had done. Losing his sister was punishment enough.

"S-stay out of trouble", Kayo choked out.

"When have I ever done otherwise?" Fuse asked and walked out of the cave and crouched down. Then he jumped and was gone. Kayo sighed and looked at her father. Kyrano smiled and caressed her cheek.

"I am proud of you", he said. Then the earth shook again.

"Save that for later we are not done yet!" the Mechanic shouted. The staff was almost completely broken, only one gem remained glowing and it was casting light rays all over them. Burning where they hit.

"We need to fully destroy the staff!" John shouted moved in front of Eos when she ran to him for protection. John also felt Virgil's hand on his shoulder.

"But how?" Gordon asked.

"There are two gems left", Penny told him. "Parker!"

"Yes my lady", Darkness asked calmly and appeared beside her.

"Destroy the yellow gem."

"My pleasure."

Parker walked up to the staff and put his hand over the yellow gem. Darkness sprung up all around him, like black flames. The spirits all took a step back, John spreading his arms out to protect his brothers, while Kyrano pulled Kayo closer. The staff had luckily stopped spurting flames a long time ago, but the light that came from it was clearly burning Parker in places where it met his bare skin. Eos pulled Sherbet to her, hugging him close and protecting him. Questa and the Mechanic were protecting Penny. Parker hissed and groaned but he was not giving up and then… the staff exploded, leaving only a small portion with a purple gem hovering in the air. The light that had escaped from it started taking a form, a form of a very angry woman. Her hair was flowing all around her as did her dress. The boys recognized her instantly. All five brothers felt nothing but rage at the moment. She paid most of them no mind, her sole focus however was John. It took two seconds and then she was in his face, screaming.

"Do you realize what you have done!?" She screamed.

"Changed fate?" John asked coolly.

"You destroyed the staff!"

"Yes."

"Do you realize the magnitude of what you have done!? There will never again be a way to collect all the spirits if the Ocean Deity dies!"

"Yes there is and we are standing on it."

"This won't work! It requires the Souls to be willing!"

"And how is that bad?" John asked and crossed his arms. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Well said lad", Questa said and glared at Lucy. "How is it bad for Souls to only give up their existence if they wish to?"

"That's not how it works!" Lucy screamed.

"Well then that needs to change", Eos said as she stood in front of John and Questa, glaring at the Light Spirit.

"You are lost in your own head Light", Parker said as he stepped up beside Questa. John felt another hand on his other shoulder.

"I've always done things my own way and will continue to do so", the Mechanic said, squeezing John's shoulder.

"As will I", Kyrano added and stood with them as well. Lucy glared hatefully at them.

"You've ruined everything!" she screeched. "Things would have turned out perfectly if Havoc was given the staff! The powers would have destroyed her and Fuse would have taken over. He would have killed the Ocean Deity and taken its place. Then he would have seen the error of his ways and would have destroyed every demon and demidevil in existence! The world would finally be filled with only light and no darkness!"

"But the world needs Darkness", John said firmly. "Without darkness we can't see the light."

"Darkness is evil and needs to be eradicated!"

"You've lost it Light", John said and shook his head. "Try to remember what your life was like."

"Excuse me!?"

"Mum", John said firmly and she glared at him. "Remember? Don't you remember what you told me during all my lessons?"

"What lessons?" Lucy asked and looked highly suspicious.

"What matters most is my brothers' lives", John said. "If that is true can't you see why I did what I did? I did it so that my brothers would not hurt, I did it so that they could fulfill the prophecy. I did it so that they would be okay. I did it so they would never risk unhappiness due to me still being the Ocean Spirit. I did it for them. Like you made me promise." He moved towards her slowly. "Mom… listen to me."

"Shut. Up!"

"No for once you are going to shut up and listen to me!" With John's shout the water in the room exploded. Kyrano hurriedly covered Questa within a rock coffin to protect him from the water. John took a calming breathe. His eyes were ice cold as he met his mother's burning gaze.

"Here you are alone, and you deserve it", John said. "Your heart has turned to stone and that's on you."

"Shut up!"

"You had a cause to serve but did you serve it? Or did you see yourself in a way that wasn't true?"

"I am perfect!"

"This is not your bloody fairytale! And no, it's not our fault you fail. So when your story comes to light make sure the story that they write goes: 'Once upon a time a girl tried harder. Once upon a time she tried again. Once upon a braver choice she took a risk she used her voice.' Now that will be my once upon a time this time."

"You don't know what you are talking about boy."

"Why tell all those lies? You feel unworthy? Like there isn't solid ground for you to stand? But a stack of lies is not a firm foundation you cannot build a castle on a mountain made of sand. This is not Parker's dark desire. And no, it's not your dreams on fire. Turns out it's you who's not awake so if there's change you wanna make take…" He looked around and his eyes landed on Scott. He marched over and placed a hand on Scott's shoulder.

"Once upon a time he fought a dragon", John spat. "Once upon a time that beast was me!" He walked over to Kayo and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Once upon a misspent youth she faced herself she spoke the truth. That's how she sees her once upon a time this time."

"That's cute but not perfect and you have ruined everything!" Lucy screamed angrily.

"Life is not a storybook but life unfolds in chapters", John spat at her. "Turn the page and start to make amends. There's no pre-written guarantee of 'happily ever after'." He looked at Gordon and Alan. "Step into your greatness before your story ends. So when your story ends they'll say once upon a time a boy flew higher!" He turned to Lucy again. "Once upon a time he made things right!" The Mechanic smiled slightly at that. "Once upon a tie that bind she changed her heart to change their minds!" Kayo and Penny both smiled. "That's got to be my once upon a time this time."

"It does not changed the fact that you six have doomed the world!" Lucy yelled and the light exploded around them again. "The staff has been destroyed and no more heroes can collect the Souls and bring forth a new god!"

"And why is that bad?" Kyrano asked. "Gods are meant to be eternal are they not? What if we got it wrong? What if the Ocean Deity has never been gone?"

"They faded into the ocean!"

"And yet the ocean still exist", Questa snorted. "Lass you have truly lost your way, blinded by your own right. Open your eyes again and see what we see."

"You see nothing", Lucy spat and walked towards the cave entrance.

"No mother you are then one who is blind", John called after her, putting his arm around Eos when she moved closer to him, even though he could not physically touch her. "You lost the sight of what truly matters, something you told me to never do."

"I need not change for anyone or anything… I am perfection."

"Mother knows best", Virgil called after her and with a huff she left. She disappeared into the light of the rising sun. The sun entered the cave and blinded most of them for a short moment. The light hit the last gem, making it sparkle darkly. Parker looked at it and then turned to John.

"Take it to the bottom of the ocean and leave it there", Parker told him. John nodded and moved past Eos, she stared at him worriedly. He smiled at her.

"Don't worry I won't do it myself, I can't", he said. John then smiled to his brothers. He pulled his hand back and threw the gem as far as he could. A hand made of water reached up and grabbed the gem and pulled it under. Virgil collapsed onto a nearby rock. It was finally over and a new dawn was breaking and… by the looks of it. It looked as if it would be a perfect day.

TBC