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PART 16
"Hope - Found and Lost"
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Gentle beams of sunlight warmed Betsy's sleeping features, giving her a soft reminder that it was time to wake up. With a yawn and a stretch, she opened her eyes and took a deep breath, instantly finding a reminder of her battle with Kwannon as a sharp pain shot through her side. She sighed and laid back, smiling as white feathers tickled her nose. She turned to see that Warren had fallen asleep on the floor beside her, he had kept his promise to watch over her all night. Betsy reached out and softly stroked his powerful wings and whispered to him.
"Warren... wake up, love, it's morning," she leaned over and lightly brushed her lips against his cheek. His eyes slowly opened and looked up at her, he grinned.
"My wings are going to be stiff for a week from sleeping down here," he muttered, sitting up and stretching his unusual appendages to their full length.
"The watchful eye was much appreciated, my dear," she said with a sigh. They exchanged a quick kiss and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Cooking was not one of Warren's great skills, Betsy thought to herself as she forced herself to swallow the burnt eggs he had prepared. She managed to get through it without making a face, and turned as Warren put the morning news on. "You know I hate to watch the news in the morning," she groaned, "there's never anything positive on---" she paused for a moment, her eyes growing wide as the screen showed the image of several costumed teenagers battling a giant wearing a strange dome-like helmet on his head.
"We're watching images of the X-Men, a team of teenage mutants trained by Charles Xavier, battling a mutant identified as the Juggernaut," the anchorman, Frank Lee, said, "these events took place last night, and greatly aided in the Senate's decision to pardon the X-Men from the destruction caused by the Sentinel incident. In related news, Charles Xavier was found several hours after the battle, imprisoned in the same cell that the Juggernaut had occupied." Betsy brought her hand up to her mouth, letting out a soft gasp. Her search was over, the X-Men were alive! A small smile crossed Warren's mouth.
"Well, I guess this means you're going to be off to find them," he said, trying very hard not to sound disappointed. Betsy nodded slowly.
"Just to let them know that I am still alive," she said, looking to him, "I have every intention of staying here with you, Warren." He smiled at her, crossing the living room to give her a light kiss. As their lips met, Betsy felt the same horrific chill she had felt the previous evening as she used her telepathic abilities to reach out to Jean and the Professor. She closed her eyes, backing away from Warren, clutching at her head as it suddenly began to throb painfully.
"Hello, Elizabeth," she heard a chilling voice say softly. It seemed to be coming from all around her. She opened her eyes to find herself in complete darkness, hearing an occasional psychic echo. She supposed that she had once again returned to the Astral Plane, that would explain her sudden change in locale. "I hate to crush your sudden joy, but I am afraid that I am going to need your body for my own purposes." A horrific face suddenly appeared in front of her. Betsy let out a scream and leapt back, the features disturbed her so greatly. The grinning head featured two glowing red eyes and an abnormally wide mouth. Slowly, a body materialized underneath the head. It was large and sinewy, with long, sharp claws for fingers, its skin was a deep shade of blue. The face grinned, a truly gruesome sight, for its teeth were long and dagger like.
"Wh-who are you?" she stammered, her entire Astral form shaking in fear.
"I am the Shadow King, my dear," he said, reaching out one of his finger talons to softly stroke her cheek, "the man who is now the guard to the prison your very soul shall be locked in forever."
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TO BE CONTINUED
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PART 16
"Hope - Found and Lost"
================================
Gentle beams of sunlight warmed Betsy's sleeping features, giving her a soft reminder that it was time to wake up. With a yawn and a stretch, she opened her eyes and took a deep breath, instantly finding a reminder of her battle with Kwannon as a sharp pain shot through her side. She sighed and laid back, smiling as white feathers tickled her nose. She turned to see that Warren had fallen asleep on the floor beside her, he had kept his promise to watch over her all night. Betsy reached out and softly stroked his powerful wings and whispered to him.
"Warren... wake up, love, it's morning," she leaned over and lightly brushed her lips against his cheek. His eyes slowly opened and looked up at her, he grinned.
"My wings are going to be stiff for a week from sleeping down here," he muttered, sitting up and stretching his unusual appendages to their full length.
"The watchful eye was much appreciated, my dear," she said with a sigh. They exchanged a quick kiss and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Cooking was not one of Warren's great skills, Betsy thought to herself as she forced herself to swallow the burnt eggs he had prepared. She managed to get through it without making a face, and turned as Warren put the morning news on. "You know I hate to watch the news in the morning," she groaned, "there's never anything positive on---" she paused for a moment, her eyes growing wide as the screen showed the image of several costumed teenagers battling a giant wearing a strange dome-like helmet on his head.
"We're watching images of the X-Men, a team of teenage mutants trained by Charles Xavier, battling a mutant identified as the Juggernaut," the anchorman, Frank Lee, said, "these events took place last night, and greatly aided in the Senate's decision to pardon the X-Men from the destruction caused by the Sentinel incident. In related news, Charles Xavier was found several hours after the battle, imprisoned in the same cell that the Juggernaut had occupied." Betsy brought her hand up to her mouth, letting out a soft gasp. Her search was over, the X-Men were alive! A small smile crossed Warren's mouth.
"Well, I guess this means you're going to be off to find them," he said, trying very hard not to sound disappointed. Betsy nodded slowly.
"Just to let them know that I am still alive," she said, looking to him, "I have every intention of staying here with you, Warren." He smiled at her, crossing the living room to give her a light kiss. As their lips met, Betsy felt the same horrific chill she had felt the previous evening as she used her telepathic abilities to reach out to Jean and the Professor. She closed her eyes, backing away from Warren, clutching at her head as it suddenly began to throb painfully.
"Hello, Elizabeth," she heard a chilling voice say softly. It seemed to be coming from all around her. She opened her eyes to find herself in complete darkness, hearing an occasional psychic echo. She supposed that she had once again returned to the Astral Plane, that would explain her sudden change in locale. "I hate to crush your sudden joy, but I am afraid that I am going to need your body for my own purposes." A horrific face suddenly appeared in front of her. Betsy let out a scream and leapt back, the features disturbed her so greatly. The grinning head featured two glowing red eyes and an abnormally wide mouth. Slowly, a body materialized underneath the head. It was large and sinewy, with long, sharp claws for fingers, its skin was a deep shade of blue. The face grinned, a truly gruesome sight, for its teeth were long and dagger like.
"Wh-who are you?" she stammered, her entire Astral form shaking in fear.
"I am the Shadow King, my dear," he said, reaching out one of his finger talons to softly stroke her cheek, "the man who is now the guard to the prison your very soul shall be locked in forever."
================================
TO BE CONTINUED
================================
