ME: The votes are in!!!
Alia: III
Allison:
Kaleb: I
Jason: I
Chris: I
Calyph: I
ME: Thanks to: Shad0wedEmerald, Ms Hobgoblin, Jalico, Rumi-Chan, Hades of hades
Arashi Doragon: ME: ^__^U Guilty as charged! I'm glad you like my stories so much!!! But I feel your stories are better. Especially Balance. Even though Ty-kun was killed. ¬¬*** But if you ever leave this site, I will hunt you down like the…authoress you are! ^_^
Skittles the Sugar Fairy: This chappie is the best! My personal favourite!
Shad0wedEmerald: ME: *shudders* Dear lord, not that!!! Anything but the puppies!!! ^0^ Anyway, you made Angy a very happy girl!!! Angevar: ^_______^ Someone voted for Jason!!! YAYY!!!! ME: -_-;;; WE get the point Angy
Ms Hobgoblin: ME: Something along the lines of that…This is more serious than my other fics. There's a lot going on that we understand only in pieces. Glad you liked the gum. There's another contest here. ^___^ This time with free cookies.
Jalico: Yes, you can. Your votes are there. No worries!
Destiny DS: ME: O__O Wow!!! ^___^ Thankies!!
asa-chan: ME: ¬¬** Well, you better put it up soon or else… *fingers her mallet*
Rumi-Chan: ME: *pushes Calyph towards Rumi* ^_~ He's all yours!!! Calyph: NOOO!!!! *grabs a hold on the wall* You can't do this to me!!!! I wanna live!!! I WANNA LIVE!!!! ME: And do I care? *thinks hard* Nope!
Hades of hades: Your vote is there. Glad you liked it. I've read your stories and bio. Very nice. ^___^
CS: ¬¬** It's about time you updated.
ME: *grins sheepishly* I really couldn't help it, you know.
Kai: Just how long were you stuck on this chapter?
Tyson: You have no idea Kai.
Tala: *grumbles* I hate her…
ME: ^^ Still sore about that, Heidi? I thought you would be nicer with me since I started to write that TyTa.
Tala: Still…
ME: ¬¬+ Bug me and I'll lock up the closet!!!!!
Everyone: o0; Yes, ma'am.
DISCLAIMER:
ME: Ah, there he is!!!
Allen (From Escaflowne): What?
ME: Can you do the disclaimer for me?
Allen: Anything for a beautiful lady like yourself.
CS: o0 Did he just say what I thought he said?
Allen: Timmy does not own Beyblade or its characters. The only thing she owns is the plot and some OC's. The Gangstaz are copyrighted by Angevar.
ME: Thank you Allen. I never realized how nice you could be.
Allen: No problem. Anything for an angel. *leaves*
CS: OO
ME: …I can't say anything. It's too easy.
Chapter Nine
Something unexpected and something preordained
Tyson rushed into the capital. Kai followed him just as fast, but he lingered, drinking in the sights.
Tyson's mind was in a panic. Had Dragoon gone to war? What about Farren and Hanna?
Where was his family?
He approached the palace, not stopping for breath. Please let them be there…
Please….
"Tyson, wait up!" Kai ran up to him, breathing heavily. He shot a look at Tyson who was also gasping for breath. But invisible tears ran down his cheeks. Kai gently touched Tyson's cheeks and wiped the tears.
"Ty-koi," Kai said softly, "You can't give up…not yet."
Tyson smiled despite himself, "Alright."
They slowly pushed the doors open. The corridor stretched before them.
"Woah…" Kai said. Their Keep back at home wasn't very small, but this palace was huge.
Tyson ignored him as they walked forward as Kai remained wide-eyed.
The walls had intricate designs on them. Kai squinted at them and realized they were basic shapes of wind, fire, earth and water. They had been twisted, distorted to look like…storms.
Tyson watched Kai's eyes roam and explained, "Storm is all elements combined. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Light and Dark…they all are parts of the storm. There is a legend of the storm that reunites all."
"Reunites all?"
Tyson smiled serenely. Kai wondered at the change.
"There will come a day when a storm so fierce and powerful that all the elements would combine and the end would come."
Kai was suddenly struck with a sense of déjà vu. A ripple ran down his spine.
Tyson didn't notice Kai's apprehension. He walked on, his footsteps echoing in the long corridor.
Kai followed him, his heart drumming against his rib-cage.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Is the target set?"
"We're ready."
Not we're not…we'll never be
"Nathan?"
Nathan turned to face his Mythical Weyri.
"What is it?" Nathan said, trying to keep his voice neutral.
"…You don't want to do this, do you?" Weyri asked, his voice neutral.
Nathan whirled around him, "And since when did I have a choice? Look around you Weyri! We're. Going. To. Die," He spat out.
Weyri hadn't even flinched at Nathan's outburst, "So? Do you really want to live?"
Nathan's anger drained out of him. Weyri continued, "Do you want to live in this world? Calyph doesn't."
"Calyph's principles are twisted," Nathan said, rubbing his forehead, "There's always another day."
"Not here," Weyri said, hoisting his spear, "We fight or we die. The darkness is here. You must embrace it and be embraced by it."
"So old friend," Nathan's eyes shone, "Shall we go embrace it?"
"We shall," Weyri turned to watch the sunrise.
Calyph was on his Mythical who was in his bit form, "We shall end it here! The last war! We shall cover the lands! We are the Metal Brood! We twist the world to our making! The rule of the Overlord is over!"
A sea of voices erupted as Calyph smiled.
"First who shall fall are the Lords of the Storm!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So…" Allison asked, trying to start a conversation. Jason, Kaleb, Ray and Alia have been unusually silent lately. Even Max hasn't said nothing.
And the suspense was killing her.
Really, it was.
"Ok, spill! She yelled, startling them, "What's with the doom and gloom attitude?"
Jason turned his tawny amber eyes at Allison's cloudy blue, "The war is started."
Allison snorted, "And you knew this how?" She asked, "It's not like we got some signal or something…"
Ray glanced at her, shocked, "You mean, you haven't felt it?"
Allison blinked, "Felt what?"
Ray gestured to the sky, "The…balance…"
Allison growled low, "Are you going to stop being cryptic on me and tell me?!"
Ray flinched. Allison can get scary when angry, "Well…one of the reasons all the tribes split up is because there were…inequalities."
"Inequalities?"
Jason sighed, rubbing his forehead in a patient manner, "Think of it this way; you mixed sand and sugar together in water. But the water overflows, because there is either too much sand or too much sugar."
"So what you're saying," Allison said, grasping at threads, "Is that we separated is because there were too much of one tribe?"
"Exactly. This is the Balance (A/N: Thinkin' of you Arashi Doragon!) of the World. However, since the Elemental Stones shattered, the balance is upset. The Earth feels it, the Sky senses it. You are an Earth Child. You should felt it."
Allison felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment, "Sorry."
Jason smiled, "Don't worry 'bout it. The sooner we reach Gailen, the better."
Alia gripped the handle of her katana, "What about those Hikoris?"
Jason turned grim, "We fight them. What else?"
Kaleb muttered, "Fight against something which supposedly some weird magical creature that can rip us to shreds. Lovely."
Alia shoved her elbow into Kaleb's stomach, "Lighten up! It can't be all that bad."
"Yes, it can," Jason said.
"Well, you certainly are a ray of sunshine," Allison commented.
Alia smiled at the tall blonde, "I guess the guys are just chicken," She said snickering earning four full flushes and heated glares at her direction.
Max smiled as he fingered his whip, "Ancient guardians or not, those Hikoris are going to regret ever tangling with us!"
~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tyson cautiously approached the door. This was the throne room. The only times he entered this place was when Dragoon attended some meeting with Myros. Tyson never really liked this place. The walls hade been decorated with grotesque pictures of war. Now that he remembered his vision, he felt war was something that should be left untouched.
Kai gently shook his shoulder, "Tyson, you're zoning out."
Tyson blinked, "Sorry."
Kai wanted to pursue the subject, but one look from Tyson's face told him to let it be.
/Tyson? Here?/
A slow smile formed on Tyson's face, "Dragoon! I'm here!"
Kai looked apprehensive. Suddenly, a tornado appeared in the middle of the throne room. The tornado faded away to nothing, but a tall man with silver hair and soft almond blue eyes. Kai narrowed his eyes at him.
Tyson didn't have any problem with that, though.
"Dragoon!"
Dragoon embraced Tyson tightly, "Glad to see you're alright."
Tyson smiled back, "Me too," But his smile turned into a puzzled frown, "But where is everybody?"
"They had to go—,"
A loud crash interrupted their conversation. Kai's face grew grim.
"Trouble," He said, unsheathing his scimitar. Dragoon looked thunderstruck.
"But—But all the soldier's gone," He said slowly, his eyes going wide. His face contorted in fury, "Bastards! They took advantage of our troops' absence!"
Kai snarled, "Better get ready."
Tyson peeped out of the window and gasped audibly, "It's Calyph."
Kai jerked at the mention of that name and Dragoon remained confused.
"He's the one responsible for the Shattering of the Elemental Stones," Tyson explained to the perplexed Storm Lord.
Suddenly a clap of thunder startled them.
"Lord Myros!" Dragoon breathed.
Tyson and Kai just stared. Myros was a tall striking man with wizened eyebrows and dark eyes. Tyson lowered his eyes and bowed to Myros, "I salute you, Lord Elder of Storm."
Myros's lips twitched into a smile, "I am no longer The Storm Lord."
"What are you sayi—," Dragoon started, only to be interrupted again by a resonating boom.
Myros acted quickly, "The halls have been breached. You must leave or you shall be killed!"
But Tyson and Dragoon were loathe to leave, "But we can't leave you behind!" Tyson protested.
Myros's eyes flickered to Kai, "Fire-Born, you know what to do."
Kai bowed low, "I wish we could have met under better circumstances."
Myros smiled benignantly, "So do I. Now take the child! I will buy you time."
Tyson didn't move, "But…"
Kai grabbed the teen by the wrist and started to pull him away.
Their footsteps faded from sound.
Dragoon stared his uncle in the eye, "You will die."
Myros shrugged, "I was tired of living anyway."
A lump grew in Dragoon's throat, "I…"
Myros laid a hand on Dragoon's shoulder, "Go."
Dragoon nodded, "Goodbye Uncle."
Myros's eyes said the words for him. Dragoon vanished in a whirlwind of dust, leaving Myros to watch the hordes enter the castle. His hands glowed.
They will encounter a Storm Lord like no other.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kai ran headlong, avoiding the falling debris. The Metal Brood had succeeded in shattering the foundations of the castle. Now all he was worried about was whether he and Tyson can make it out alive. Tyson was panting heavily, but Kai ignored that.
"Kai, we won't make it! The castle is collapsing too fast!" Tyson gasped.
Kai didn't answer and ran headlong into the corridors. A pillar fell down, missing the two lovers by inches. Tyson gaped at the column, but didn't have time to goggle.
Then the unthinkable happened.
The two pillars which supported the entrance collapsed. Kai covered Tyson protectively as shards of stone flew everywhere. The entrance had caved in.
Tyson stared at the entrance with despair, "Now what?"
Kai got up and summoned his power. Streams of flame escaped his palms and hurtled towards the entrance.
The rock melted a bit, allowing the light to enter.
Tyson suppressed his thoughts as he summoned his power as well. Bolts of lightning crackled as they flung themselves against the door. The stones remained solid.
Tyson slumped against the wall, "Sorry, but lightning doesn't help much against stone."
"I'll try again," Kai insisted as more jets of flame hurled themselves at the caved entrance. But he was tiring and he knew it. He couldn't keep this up.
Tyson clutched his arm tightly, "We have to try!"
Kai smiled and tried again, but beads of sweat began to fall from his face and his legs felt like they've lost their backbone.
And all this is burning in my soul,
It fills up to my throat
It fills up till my heart is breaking [1]
A blinding flash filled the room and the doorway burst open. Kai and Tyson covered their eyes but Kai spotted a familiar figure.
A figure he knew too well.
"Well, Kai, as usual you needed me to bail you out," Chris said, his eyes twinkling.
"Chris!"
Chris held his hand to his mouth in mock horror, "Will wonders never cease? You said my name! And without adding a 'hn' to it."
"Very funny," Kai grumbled, though his lips were twitching, "How did you—," He stopped when he heard a familiar voice belting out commands. His eyes narrowed.
Calyph.
Tyson's face turned dark, "I'll kill him for this." He swore. Chris shook his head and pushed them out of the entrance, "You have to go! I'll distract him!"
"But…" Kai protested. Chris smiled and put his hand on Kai' shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Kai's blood-colored eyed grew as wide as dinner plates.
"Now Go!!" Chris jostled them. Tyson and Kai ran out and vanished into the depths of the city. Chris turned his eyes to Calyph, who had his mace out.
"Hello Calyph," Chris said neutrally, "Ready to play?" His hand blades arched themselves.
Sounds of thunder were heard echoing throughout Gailen.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Allison sat up the tree, watching the citizens run from the Metal Brood. Her face was angry. Not even the children were spared. Buildings fell and blood spilt.
This was her first taste of war. And she wasn't very happy about it.
"Alls! What do you see?" Jason cried out.
"The Beacon is untouched!" She yelled back, "They're avoiding it for some reason."
"For some reason?" Ray muttered.
Kaleb shook his head, letting stray strands of black-blue cover his face, "I think we all know the reason."
Alia scowled at him, but didn't say anything.
Allison's face grew taut, "Calyph is there. He's fighting with some Fire-Born!"
Kaleb jerked, "Who is it?"
"His name's Chris, right?" Allison said, squinting.
Kaleb's bottle green eyes went wide with horror, "We have to help him!"
Alia peeked through the foliage, "He's doing pretty well, so far but he'll be overpowered soon."
"That's why we have to help him!" Kaleb insisted.
Max said nothing, a thoughtful look entering his eyes, "If Chris is distracting Calyph, can't we slip in Gailen and enter the Tower to light the Beacon?"
All of them stared at Max. Ray smiled at him, making Max blush.
"But Chris…" Kaleb trailed off.
But Allison spotted a flash of blue.
Allison jumped down from the tree, an evil smirk on her face, "I have an idea."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chris barely dodged the glancing blow. That mace was dangerous, no doubt about that!
Why was he here? He could have escaped when he had the chance.
He knew why, He thought as he slashed Calyph's arm with his hand blade [2]
*Flashback*
Chris was suspended in a world of white.
"How…" He trailed off, wondering where he was. All he could remember was the Elemental Stones shattering and the Overlord teleporting them somewhere.
But…where is here?
Here is the world. Waiting to be born anew. It is called 'De Novo'
Chris spun around to face the Overlord. But the Overlord was flickering as if he was fading away from existence.
"Why am I here?" Chris asked, puzzled.
The world is dying. It cannot survive this hate for very long.
"But how can I save it?" Chris asked.
You must unleash the storm. Light the Beacon.
"The Storm?"
The Storm will sweep over the world, destroying all.
"But I can't destroy the world! I won't do it!" Chris said angrily, a lump growing in his throat.
But there will be a rebirth. All who have died will return. But to a new world. A world without Magick.
"Without Magick?!" Chris said incredulously. That was the closest thing to blasphemy.
The Mythicals will pay the price of their power and shall be sealed, until humans discover to use Magick the right way.
"What is the right way?"
To help others and not succumb to the lure of power. Only the Chosen Few shall wield this power. One will be the Child.
"The Child?" Chris queried.
You know who he is. Help him. Bring about De Novo. It is the only way to save everything.
Tears pricked Chris's eyes. The only way to save everything is to destroy everything?
He slumped and rubbed his face. When he looked up, his eyes were changed. He bowed low, "I understand."
And the white world vanished.
*End Flashback*
Chris yelled as he flipped when the mace grazed his shoulder. Another glancing blow knocked him to the ground, sprawling. He looked up to see Calyph raising his mace high to deliver the finishing blow…
…Only to have his hands frozen, incased in a block of ice. Calyph shouted in shock as he toppled over. Chris got up wearily, his stance ready and poised to attack.
"Hey Chris," Alia said, appearing out of nowhere, "Thought you could use some help."
"You think?" Chris grumbled, smiling.
Calyph managed to crack the ice around his hands and glared at them, "There's no way you can win," He stated flatly as his troops began to surround the two.
Alia smirked as she placed her hands on her hips, "I would look back if I were you."
Calyph snarled at her, "That won't work on me, girl."
Chris grinned as they began to edge away, "Seriously Calyph."
Calyph twisted his head and gaped.
A large dragon with silver-blue scales headed towards the army and began raking it with its claws. It grabbed Alia and Chris and headed towards the forest.
But that wasn't what made Calyph gape.
A large winged cat with saber like fangs lunged at the army. It began tearing through the army at ferocious speed. The cat had a large horn poking thorough its head and an ancient symbol was embedded on its limbs. Its eyes were a fierce stormy blue. It bared its fangs at the army, as it advanced. Calyph gasped.
"Stay back!" He yelled, "This is a Hikori!"
The army held back, but the Hikori didn't. It used its gigantic paws to swipe at the army. The wings flapped, bearing fierce winds. Even the Mythicals couldn't combat the power of the ancient guardian.
Meanwhile, Alia and Chris joined up with Allison, Jason, Kaleb, Ray and Max in the forest. The dragon transformed back into Dragoon. Jason smiled at the Mythical, "Thanks for your help."
Dragoon bowed, "Anything to stop those monsters." He morphed back into a dragon. The dragon gave them an approving look, spread its bat-like wings and flew off into the sky.
"That worked well, but what do we do if the Hikori finishes the army?" Alia said.
Allison and Jason exchanged glances and smiled, "This is what we do…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kai and Tyson gasped for breath. They turned back to see a pillar of smoke rise from Gailen. Tyson's shoulders sagged. Kai's eyes were dark with sorrow.
Tyson spoke first, "Do you…?" He found it hard to speak, "Do you think Chris made it?"
Kai bent his head, so his bangs covered his face, "No."
Tyson dropped onto the ground and clenched his hair tightly. Kai walked up to him and wrapped his hands around him. They were like that for a long time.
The pillar of smoke rose up to the heavens.
ME: *gapes at the chapter* 10 pages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CS: *glances at the word count* That's a new record. You've never written *that* much before!!!
ME: I had to put a lot of new ideas in this story.
Kai: At least they finally know what happened to Chris…
Alia: Everyone thought you just made him vanish.
ME: Well, I like Chris too much to do that.
Chris: ^_____^ I have a fan!!!!!*dances around in joy*
ME: …Plus, Angy would kill me if I killed off any of her OC's
Chris: …You had to ruin the moment, didn't you?
ME: ^^ I take pleasure in doing stuff like that.
ME: Reviewers receive—
CS: Chris plushies!!!
ME: Warning: Make sure your Chris plushie is never near anything resembling an automobile.
Chris: You're no fun.
CS: *tosses her plushie up and down* Review!
[1] From the song 'Unbreakable' by The Calling
[2] Hand blades: Imagine a weapon fixed onto your arms so you can just attack without drawing a weapon. However, they are extremely dangerous to use.
ME: Oh, And one last thing! Can anyone figure out what 'De Novo' means and which language it comes from? A chocolate cake for the people who guess! Hint: Look at the Overlord's speech. The answer is there, waiting to be found.