Thunder and lightning roar through the sky as hailstones pour down to the ground. A quick lightning strike blows Jessica's cover, the floating platform demolished, debris drifting in the storm. The twins were long gone, either another disappearing act or they were too swept away in the storm. None of that matters now to Jessica.
Jessica holds onto a stone piece for dear life, the winds swirling her around in a tornado. The pain from the scars vibrate throughout her entire being. Her fingers are about to give way. She recalls the words from the twins.
'Think Jessica! There's gotta be some mental block!' But it's hard to think with the pain.
Another block of rock and moss flings straight at Jessica, smashing her rock shelter to smithereens.
"Argh!" Jessica screams as she gets sucked into the tornado vacuum. Her wings are too weak to combat the blazing winds. She gets a good look at the creature in the heart of the chaos. Its eyes spark electricity, staring down at the twirling wind gormiti. Cawing boldly, it flies to Jessica, pulling out its claws. It lands a strike on Jessica, then another one and another. Jessica is a mere toy to it, a bean bag to be tossed about.
"Urk!" Jessica grunts, the creature flinging her to another stone debris. It caws again to mock her for her weakness. Jessica tries to stand, but her arms give up.
"Damn it." She curses, laying on the ground. Her vision blurs and Jessica screams in her head to not give up. But she is too weak to go against that thing. Nonetheless, she couldn't give up hope.
A strong conviction, she needs a strong conviction.
The monster caws a third time, swiping its claws again at Jessica, returning her to the cycling winds. Her vision grows hazy and she becomes numb to the hailstones pelleting her body. Her thoughts go to the guys and she wonders how they're holding up. They must've defeated their orbs by now.
A small smile creeps to Jessica's lips. Toby would be raring to go test his new powers. And Nick would beg the Old Sage to send him straight to Gorm in search of Kagami. He clearly has a thing for her. Lucas would have to calm him down, convince him not to be so reckless. Jessica had probably worried them by now. Mr. Ono seems the most concerned over the whole 'merging with the orbs' deal.
Jessica sighs. To lose like this, having become a burden to her friends, it's embarrassing.
Small sparks crackle from her fists.
Jessica couldn't give up. Not now. She'll prove to the guys, to herself, how strong she is. She won't be beaten. No, she's making it out and nothing is going to get in her way.
"Urgh!" Jessica grunts, finding the strength from within to bring her hands close. The sparks grow in intensity, the crackling getting louder, she surrounds herself with dashes of sparks. The pain doubles but Jessica pushes through it.
'Just a while longer.' She reassures herself.
At the heart of the storm, the creature is watching. The hailstone launches down like bullets, harder and faster. The winds speed up. It acknowledges her resolve through the storm.
Jessica won't lose this time.
Jessica's wings flap against the wind with renewed resolve. Her eyes and scars light up, the electricity around her charging to greater heights. Bellowing out a battle cry, in a burst of energy like never before, she zooms straight towards the powers, the flapping of her wings blurs by the speed, leaving a trail of light. The wind eagle replies, flying towards her, its claws out.
And boom! They collide in a ball of electricity, spreading out until all that is left is white. Just white.
Nick and Lucas land on a rock cliff along the outskirts of the earth capital. They get a good look of the city from the view. But what they saw isn't pleasant. Homes, wrecked and torn, the beautiful architecture of the earth gormiti in shambles.
But what catches Nick's eyes are the deep cuts on the run-down buildings. They were clean, too clean to be done by any meagre attack.
"There." He signals Lucas to the cuts. "That's gotta be the monster's doing."
"Then what are we waiting for. Let's follow the cuts. It might lead us to the monster."
And so they follow the monster's path of destruction, through the wrecked village and into the earth nation capital. Roars and sounds of fighting can be heard in the distance.
"We're close." Nick says and the two dash closer to the sound.
They reach a steep cliff and below fighting ensues. Earth gormiti soldiers against the lava gormiti. The monster is amidst the fighting. However, it's unclear whether its on the lava gormiti's side or it considered both sides the enemy. It flees the battlefield before the boys could find out. Nonetheless it didn't change the fact that Nick and Lucas need to get down there to help.
"Now's a good time to test out those new powers!" Razzle says, dropping down from Lucas' shoulder. Razzle would rather stay as far as he can from the chaos, especially with that thing on the loose.
"You ready?" Lucas poses to Nick.
Nick nods. "Hm."
The boys stand firm. "For the power of white light!"
A beam of light falls from above. The boys are encompassed in a dome of light. The domes bright shine garnering the attention of the fighters from below.
"What's that?" a mere earth gormiti asks from the battlefield. He and his lava gormiti opponent stop their actions, staring in awe.
"Nothing good." The lava gormiti comments.
"Elemental Energies of the Earth!" Nick calls and his entire body is covered in white light. The light morphs into a solid white armour with markings that glow yellow. The stones from beneath him float, attracted to the strong yellow glow emitting from his chest. The rocks fling to Nick, burring in a mass of rock before an explosion of yellow. Out reveals Nick, now Lord of Earth in his new gormiti form.
"Elemental Energies of the Forest!" Lucas calls and his body too is covered into white light before morphing into a white armour instead marked like scratch marks are glowing greens. Veins wrap around him then burst in a flurry of green aura. There, now standing as the Lord of Forest in his gormiti form.
"Woah!" The boys gawk at their new forms, eyeing each nook and cranny of their new bodies.
Even Razzle can't help but stare before redirecting his gaze. Their armour shines too strongly, almost blinding in brilliance. Like the same brilliant aura of the one and only Supreme Luminous.
"I didn't think white would be so blinding but here we are." Razzle comments to himself.
The boys rush to join the battle. Nick jumps off from the pier high into the sky. Like a shooting star he comes crashing down to the battlefield.
"Seismic Smash!"
And Boom! He pounds his fists to the ground. His attack ricochets off the ground, spikes of stone shoot upwards, knocking almost half the soldiers off their feet. The aftermath was that large.
"Oops. My bad." Nick apologises to the earth gormiti hit by the attack, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Nick, watch out!" Lucas warns, one lava gormiti recovers fast from the attack and is ready to aim a fireball at Nick.
"Bark Blast!" Lucas interjects, sending his fist out towards the lava gormiti. The gormiti is hit in the chest and is sent flying the other way, tumbling onto the stone, too far away for the lords to see.
"Since when could I do that?" Lucas questions, staring at his hand.
"We're definitely stronger. That's for sure." Nick says balling his hands into a fist in determination. A familiar earth gormiti rushes up to the Lords. Bullrock, the earth champion.
"Lords!" he calls, stopping in his tracks a slight distance away, relieved but stunned at their new forms. They were blinding, his eyes needing to adjust to this new brilliance.
"Bullrock, what's going on?" Lucas asks.
"The lava gormiti. They attacked us and let the monster loose from our prisons. It's headed to another village on the outskirts of the earth capital." Bullrock answers.
Another squad of lava gormiti approach, ready to engage in another round. Lucas lifts his fist at them.
"First we gotta handle these Lava goons."
Bullrock lowers Lucas' fist. "No, us earth gormiti will handle the lava gormiti. Your powers are needed in taking down the beast."
Before the lords take off, there's something Nick had to ask Bullrock first, remembering the reason he's here in the first place. "Bullrock! Uh, did you see a female lava gormiti in the attack? Purple armour with horns?"
"I've seen an unfamiliar lava gormiti during the skirmish, but he doesn't fit the description. Should we be concerned?" Bullrock answers.
"No, never-mind. Just keep the lava troops distracted." Nick says, unable to mask his disappointment. He couldn't lose hope just yet. Kagami could still be out in the earth plains somewhere.
Bullrock leaves them with a thumbs up before engaging with the recovering lava gormiti. Lucas and Nick head off in the direction the monster was last spotted, bulldozing through hoards of lava gormiti. They reach another clearing, close to another settlement, a tall stone statue visible in the distance.
A large piercing wail is followed by a muted scream, that of a child.
The lords run as fast as they can to the sound, the monster backing a small earth gormiti child to a wall, bearing its fangs to the child.
"We have to do something!" Nick says
"Already on it! Bark blast!" Lucas shoots a fist at the monster, diverting the monster's attention towards the lords. Lucas shoots multiples rounds of bark blast, the monster moving towards the lords in a steady slow pace before picking up speed. The child runs off to the settlement gates.
Nick collides with the monster first, his bare hands stopping the creature in its tracks. He feet dig into the ground, dragging backwards, slowly. Regardless, Nick still holds his ground.
"Lucas, do you have anything to keep this thing at bay?"
Lucas smirks in response, digging his hands into the dirt. "Creepers take root!"
His creepers crawl into the dirt, popping out near the monster. They twist and wrap around the monster tight.
Lucas clears his hands of dust. "This time I'm sure my creepers will hold."
Nick steps back from the monster. One thing is for sure, this was a lot easier the second time around then the first. "We should bring this guy back to the earth gormiti. Then figure out what the lava gormiti are up to, go from there."
A huge fire ball strikes the beast. The vines catch fire, but they hold, at least for now.
"Lava gormiti!" Lucas shouts.
"But from where?" Nick questions looking all over for the perpetrator.
A cold laughter sounds above the lords. Obscurio descends from the sky and he isn't alone. For another lava gormiti lands beside him. The one they fought in the Venutre Falls forests before Kagami departed for Gorm.
Nick growls at the lava gormiti. "You, where's Kagami!?"
"The girl?" Anchor lets out an awry laugh, before taunting the lord. "She's not here. No, she's more reliable back in Volcano Mountain. She makes a fine weapon for Lord Magor."
Nick grits his teeth, transforming his hand into a hammer. "What have you done to her?!" Kagami's far from a weapon. Are dare they compare her to such!
Lucas holds Nick back from attacking, catching on to Anchor's taunting. "Dude, calm down. He wants you riled up."
Nick reluctantly takes a deep breath. "You're right." If he wants to save Kagami he must be clearheaded.
Obscurio cuts in. "Unfortunately, we aren't here for you. Magor wants his pet back."
"We can't let you have it!" Lucas says.
The vines break apart near the monster's head, allowing it to wail in its signature high pitch. "Well then." Obscurio points his weapon at the lords. "You'll have to go through us first."
Jessica groans. A sudden wave of migraines makes her see double. She sits up from her resting spot, her head having laid on something brittle but soft.
"Jess, are you okay?" a deep voice asks.
"Mark?" Jessica questions, recognizing his voice, her head still spinning.
Mark helps Jessica up to her feet. Her migraines easing, Jessica takes the new environment. It's the hallways of the school, the rows of lockers going on endlessly it seems. The evening sunlight casts a ray from the windows, too fierce to make out the greenery from the outside. The hallways were empty, with only Jessica and Mark.
"No." Jessica mumbles to herself. She trails her gaze from her chest to her toes. "This can't be right."
"Jessica, is something wrong?" Mark places a hand on her shoulder. Another hand creeps to her chin, lifting it slightly up so she's looking at him. "You seem off. Let me take you to the nurse." With his hand on her shoulder, he leads Jessica off to the direction of the nurse's office.
"No!" Jessica stops, pushing his hand off her. "This, all of this -" she gestures to the room. "It can't be real."
Mark lets out an airy guffaw. "What are you talking about, Jess? This is real. You must've hit your head or something."
Mark attempts to interlace his fingers with hers but she steps backwards.
"Jess."
She takes another step back. Her memory coming back to her.
"No. I was just fighting that… thing in a huge thunderstorm covered in cuts and bruises. Then a flash of light and now I'm here. This doesn't make any sense."
"It was just a dream. You're being delusional." Mark goes in for a hug. She swats him away.
"I am not delusional. And you're the one who's not real." For a second the room flickers to complete white then back to the school hallways. That confirms Jessica's suspensions, she hasn't escaped the orb.
Mark successfully grabs Jessica's arm. She tries to yank him off, but his grip on her arm is too strong. There's a back and forth between them with Jessica's failed attempts to remove Mark's grip. "Let go or I swear - !" Jessica threatens, ready to sock him in the face if she must.
"Let her go!" Another voice calls, and in perplexation Mark relaxes his hold allowing Jessica to wriggle her arm free.
"Toby?" Jessica leans to the corner, to see Toby of all people.
Toby doesn't reply, instead he strides towards Jessica and snatches her arm, pulling her away into the opposite direction.
'Not again.'
Jessica digs her heels to the ground. "What the hell? Where are you taking me?"
Toby lessens his grip, but he doesn't let go. "The Gorm's in danger, Jessica. We need you."
Before Jessica could let out a word, Mark grabs her other hand.
"Jessica, stay here with me." Mark pleads. His expression stern but sad at the same time.
Toby tugs her to his side. "You can't leave the Gorm without their lord of air. What about Kagami? Didn't you promise Nick you'd help get her back? Are you a liar now, Jessica?" Jessica sighs. She did promise Nick she'd help. But –
"Jess -" Mark speaks up. "I know what you're going through, I understand everything."
Jessica's eyes light up, before reminding herself it's all in her head. The real Mark wouldn't understand at all.
"Look, I get it. You're destined to save the world but was it really your choice?" Jessica looks solemnly at Mark. No, it wasn't, at least not now.
Mark turns Jessica so she's facing him completely. "You've done enough for the Gorm as is. You deserve a break, a normal life." He cups her cheeks, consoling her. "Come back with me. I know your heart truly wants a break from saving the world."
Mark leads her to the direction he's standing, and Jessica is tempted to follow.
"So that's how it ends huh?" Toby voices, and Jessica stops. "You're many things Jessica, but I never poked you to be selfish."
Jessica gasps. "Hey, I am not selfish -"
"I am not selfish – says the girl that has the power to save the world and turns the other way." Toby says, mocking Jessica's speech.
"Are you really going to leave Nick, Lucas and Kagami behind? Your people?"
'Damnit' Jessica curses under her breath.
"Face it, Jessica. You'll never have a normal life. Even if you go with Mark, you'll live the rest of your life in guilt. Knowing you can help, knowing you can do something and looking the other way. Is that how you want to live, Jessica?"
Mark puts his hands on Jessica's shoulders, massaging them in comfort. "Don't listen to him, Jessica."
"But - "
"Don't, Jess, just turn around and don't look back. Nobody will hold it against you."
Toby scoffs, earning a menacing glare from Mark.
"What's funny?" Mark spits.
"Nobody will hold it against her? Really? Nick will never forgive her for abandoning Kagami!"
"Don't listen to him, Jess. He's just messing with you."
"It's either him or me, Jessica!" Toby shouts. "You can't have both."
Mark swiftly spins Jessica towards him, his hold on her tightens. "Choose me, Jessica. We can be happy together; I just know it!"
Toby yanks her around and her attention is now on him. "No, choose me. It'll be the right thing to do." Toby says softly this time.
The room flickers to white again with a short buzzing. The migraines threaten to return, and Jessica is hit with wooziness.
Jessica groans slightly, twisting her body right and left. Water from the bathtub spills over, some soaking Toby's pants but he didn't care. Jessica squeezes his hand tight. Toby lightly squeezes back, sending a telepathic message that he's here for her. But it'd never reach.
"The crystals continue to protrude from her body." Eliza states with the substance taking appearance onto Jessica's arms. "Should we wait?" Eliza asks.
"No." Toby answers before the older man could. "Give her time."
"She's in a lot worse condition than Toby. Her pulse rate increased exponentially over the past 30 minutes. She's sweating despite the cold water. And she's moving." Eliza further adds. The crystals haven't turned dark yet but still, she's far worse than the other guys.
"Just wait a little longer. I know Jessica can do this." Toby opposes, clutching Jessica's hand a little tighter.
'Come on, Jess! You can do this!' Toby silently pleads.
Jessica almost faints but doesn't fall over thanks to Mark and Toby both balancing her.
"Which will you choose? Me or Toby?"
"Choose me! It's the right thing to do!"
"No, me!"
God, would they both shut up! They are making her migraines worse.
"You'll be happier with me!"
"He's lying, pick me!"
Mark and Toby bicker back and forth, trying to convince Jessica to pick a side.
Jessica is at a loss at what to do. Who does she choose? Mark is right on one thing; her heart isn't in it to save the world. It's just what the twin said in the thunderstorm. She doesn't have a strong conviction, the desire to go save the Gorm and that confusion manifested in her powers. But Toby has a point too. She can't leave the Gorm defenceless when the lava gormiti are back in action. And Kagami, Jessica couldn't live with herself if something awful happened to her when there's something she can do. If she died when she could've done something. That'd crush Nick and her family. They weren't besties but Jessica still cared deeply for Kagami. She had to do something.
This choice, between the Gorm and her humanity, it's a test. Jessica didn't know if she should be honest, go with her heart and choose Mark? Or should she go with her head and go with Toby?
That's the right and just choice to go with but that's not what she truly wanted. The twins did say she couldn't hide her true intentions here.
The buzzing from before returns getting louder. Mark and Toby continue to bicker, too entranced with their argument to notice the growing buzzing and constant flicking to white. A small hole appears on the floor, emitting a bright light, like a stage light. Small cracks stretch from the hole, slowly covering the ground before making its way to the walls.
"Jessica, it's now or never. What's your decision?" Mark demands.
"I- I don't know." Jessica groans. The boys no longer supporting her, she collapses on all fours. The migraines double her vision again, her chest tightens and the vibrating pains from her fight grow.
"What do you mean you don't know? It's either Mark or me, Jess. You have to decide." Toby says.
"I can't! I don't know the right choice!" Jessica yells with her might. She takes a deep breath. The pain from her chest are like a growing heartbeat but with every beat Jessica felt a tightness, like a rope squeezing everything out of her.
The cracks get bigger, now encompassing the entire hallway.
Mark scoffs. "Choosing me is the right choice. It's the honest choice."
"No, it's me. The righteous decision." Toby claps back.
Jessica tumbles to the floor, paralysed in pain. "I-I don't know. I don't want to choose…" she faintly pleads.
Mark and Toby stand over her. The room is almost completely enveloped in white. "You only have two options, Jess." Mark says.
"You can't have both." Toby finishes.
"Is there… no other way?" Jessica croaks, her eyes glued to the floor, energy zapped from her to lift her head.
"There are only two options." Mark repeats.
"No…no..."
Jessica continues to thrash about in the bathtub, causing a mini tsunami.
"Jess! Jessica!" Toby calls out to her, but he only gets groans in reply.
"I-I don't know!" Jessica says out loud, followed by another groan. The crystal moves faster, her right
arm completely taken over.
"Jessica, wake up! Jessica!"
"I can't! I don't know the right choice!" Jessica yells.
"Old Sage!?" Mr. Ono says, insinuating to him to hurry up and pull the orb from her.
The Old Sage rushes to Jessica; hands out from his large sleeves to remove the orb. The crystals glow faintly.
"No!" Jessica yelps, pieces of light blue reach her face.
"Is- is it working?" Toby voices, his voice cracks with worry.
Jessica screams, splashing water everywhere as the crystals cover more of her body.
"NO!"
Mr. Ono lightly pushes the Old Sage away. "Stop it! You're hurting her."
Chunks from the crystals chip off into the pool.
Mr. Ono's hands shake again. "Not again." He smashes his fist to his chair causing it to tumble backwards. "We should've pulled the orb out before it got this bad."
Toby jumped a little when Mr. Ono hit the chair, not expecting the usually calm elder to go off like that. His attention goes straight back to Jessica.
"Jessica, I believe in you. Please." He pleads as he brings her hand to his forehead. "Please." The crystals don't stop, having covered half her face.
"Please!" Toby whimpers a little louder this time.
The old sage stopped pulling the orb out, but the crystals continue to glow, increasing in its intensity, almost becoming blinding.
"Jessica!"
"NO!" Jessica screams. She sits up and her eyes shoot open, revealing glowing blue pupils. She takes a shallow deep breath. The crystals absorb into her body, even the pieces on the floor and water.
Mr. Ono lays a hand on his heart, the stress of the situation taking a toll on his physical wellbeing.
Nonetheless he's glad Jessica's safe. And it wasn't just Mr. Ono who felt this way.
Toby leans in to embrace Jessica in relief, holding her tight and close. "You worried me there for a second." Toby admits, his hands grabbing onto the wet cloth from her back. Her skin was cold as an ice pop but none of that matters.
Jessica blinks aimlessly first, she stares at the adults standing over her, then at Toby. She returns the hug by wrapping shaky hands over his neck.
"This is real, right? Please tell me this is real." Jessica asks, her voice quivering.
"Yes, it's real." Mr. Ono answers and, for once since coming to the cabinet, gives one of his goofy smiles.
"You're back home, Jessica." Toby says.
For once, Jessica lets her guard down, burying her face into Toby's neck. "I'm glad to be back."
A/N: One more chapter of these mini-arc left. Wanted to upload this last week but life stuff got in the way. Idk when the next chapter is gonna be out, other then it's already written I just need to look back over it and send it to my beta-reader.
Part 2 of 2 (what I'm calling the next arc) is like 60-70%(?) completed. I'm gonna try and finish it this summer but it's up in the air when those chapters will be released. Might do another weekly upload or buckle upload when all or some chapters are 100% done but again up in the air when so eh keep an eye out but don't expect anything soon.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it's shorter then the last. See ya'll whenever.
