Thanatos may be done, but this arc is far from over!
John: Thanks. And yeah, it is getting kind of creepy in some parts.
Demon Fan: There are a few reasons Thanatos did not even bother with Demon Rue. I think you'll realize why some time in the near future.
Chapter 12: Seized
"You heard?" Hope whispered.
"Yeah… I had no idea you felt like that."
Hope blushed slightly, looking away. "Well…"
Brandi went on before Hope could put her thoughts in order. "Hope, I apologize for how I acted. I was being a big jerk to you. I just thought about Max, and nothing else." She shook her head. "I was sure the only way to end his pain, and ours, would be to kill Thanatos, and due to that, he would die at the same time. But that wasn't true. He's still alive, at least for now… I wasn't thinking straight. I also didn't know why you wanted to come so badly, so I just thought you were being selfish. That was wrong of me. I was the self-centered one this time. So I'm sorry."
"It's alright… I'm sorry too," Hope replied. "I should have told you the truth. But I was unsure of myself. Ever since Max told me, when he had amnesia, that he thought he loved me… well, I wasn't sure of it at first, but I knew all along that I loved him too. When you were leaving to face him by yourself, I knew that you would do anything to stop Thanatos and end Max's agony, which is why I went after you. I couldn't stand the thought of him dying. I didn't want to be a burden to you though, and I didn't want to make you mad. So I should have explained. I'll accept your apology… will you do the same for mine?"
"Of course," Brandi smiled.
"Thanks," Hope said softly.
"Likewise." Brandi thought for a moment. "I have a question though. Why were you out of it like that? It was like you were in a daze or something."
"I don't know… I think I was in shock," Hope replied. "Nothing made sense to me until you started talking to me…"
"Odd." Brandi slowly got out of bed. "I want to check on Max. Coming?"
"Definitely," Hope nodded, getting up as well.
When they left the room, they found Gaston and Mana standing outside of the door.
"Hope! You've finally come around!" Gaston exclaimed happily.
"Yep. Sorry to worry you."
"I'm just relieved that you're ok!"
"Brandi? Are you sure you're well enough to move around?" Mana asked.
"I'm positive," Brandi sighed. "Really, it's nothing serious. I just needed to rest for a while. I'm ok now. What about Max?"
"We haven't seen him yet," Mana told her. "Lilian isn't done yet. Why don't we visit the others while waiting?"
"Where is Larka?" Hope inquired.
"She went to the condo to wash up," Mana explained. "She should be back any minute."
Suddenly, an excited howl came down the hallway as Malon ran over to Hope and Brandi, jumping at them gleefully.
"Malon! Down! Down I say!" Larka snatched him up. "Sorry about that. So how are you two?"
"We're fine," Hope assured. "What about Fell?"
She looked away. "I've already seen him… here, it'd be easier if you saw."
They went into the room. Malon yelped at Daine from his position in Larka's arms. Daine eyed him calmly before looking at the others.
"I am glad to see that you two are alright."
"Thanks," Hope replied as they went over to see Fell.
He was still unconscious, breathing lightly. Hope gazed at him sadly. "Thanatos caused so many wounds…"
"Will he recover?" Brandi inquired.
"Eventually," Daine answered. "The only question is when that will be. There is not much to see when it comes to him. How about you see Will and Miles?"
"Yeah," Larka nodded. "We should… I'll be back again later, ok Daine?"
"I will look forward to it." He glanced over at Malon. "I would tell you to behave, but I know it is pointless to ask you to do that."
Malon yipped happily before running out the door.
They went to Miles' room next. Gen looked over at them as they entered.
"Hi. How is it going?"
"Thanatos is vanquished," Gaston stated. "Fell was injured, and Max is still hurt as well, but otherwise we are fine."
"That's excellent," Gen sighed. "I've been needing some good news."
"By the way you say that, I'm assuming Miles has not awakened yet?" Brandi inferred.
"You're right. My worries grow deeper with each passing day. But I know he will come to eventually."
"Of course he will," Hope assured him. "It will just take some time."
"We're going to check on Will," Mana stated. "See you in a bit."
"Bye," he responded as they left.
Neo was almost asleep, even though he was sitting in the hard chair the hospitals had in their rooms. He probably would have dropped off if they hadn't entered the room when they did. He sat up swiftly, shaking his head.
"Hey… nice to see you guys."
Mana looked over the weary swordsman. "You should get some sleep. Getting sick by not resting won't help Will at all."
"I'm fine…" he said tiredly. "I need to stay awake. Will has been having nightmares lately… I try to be there to keep him from panicking."
Gaston smiled. "It's great to see that you're so devoted to him. But don't kill yourself over this. He wouldn't be happy if he knew what you were going through."
"Probably not…" Neo agreed. "But it's the least I can do for him. So I will continue to protect him from his fears. Oh, speaking of which, I'm glad to see that you are safe Hope."
"What do you mean?" Hope said in confusion.
"Will was talking in his sleep again. But this time, he shouted it out, frantically. 'Hope! You can't die! You must tell him!' Then, after a pause, he said in a more calm tone, 'It has come to pass.' I don't know what he meant by this though. Do you?"
Hope's eyes widened as she realized what Will had probably been talking about.
Gaston sat down in the other chair, and faced Neo. "Let me tell you everything that has happened. Then you will probably understand."
As Gaston told the tale, Hope lightly touched Will's skin, where it had turned black. She jerked her hand away almost instantly. The heat was unbearable. She remembered how she had felt when she had been branded by those similar markings, and shuddered.
"That explains," Neo said. "So Hope was nearly strangled by Thanatos? Is that right Hope?"
"Yes… Gaston, how did you know?" she asked.
"Your neck was bruised quite a bit when I found you. So I just assumed that was what had happened."
"Oh…" She felt her neck, and noticed that it did seem to still ache a little, but not too much.
"So that means that almost everything Will has said has occurred," Larka realized. "He predicted what would happen with Miles accurately. He knew Hope would nearly drown. He was aware that Fell would be wounded and that I would be heartbroken over it. And he knew that Hope almost died."
"Wait a minute," Neo interrupted. "When did he say anything about you or Fell?"
"I was the only one who heard him say it. 'Don't cry. Fell's tough, isn't he? Stay strong for him, Larka.' I didn't tell anyone else, hoping it would not mean anything. But I was wrong…"
"That leaves only two things," Gaston realized. "For one, we don't know what he meant when he said Draken was talking to someone. And the other is when he said, 'You must tell him.' What do you think he meant by that?"
Hope felt her face redden, and quickly turned to look at Will once more. Brandi was the only one to notice, fortunately.
But as she did so, she heard him whisper something. "No… leave her alone… leave Brandi alone! What did she do to deserve this pain?" With that said, he was silent once more.
"Hope? Is something wrong?" Gaston asked, noticing her silence.
"No, nothing," she responded, standing up. "Should we check on Max now?"
"Yes," Brandi replied. After bidding farewell to Neo, they went to the door to Max's room.
Brandi knocked on it softly. In a few seconds, Lilian opened it.
"You can come in. I'm done."
They did so, looking over at Max. His arms were bandaged, as was his chest. He was very pale, and might have been seen as dead if he hadn't been breathing.
"Here's what's happened to him," Lilian began. "His left arm was damaged, but his right arm was even worse. It's cut up and has been completely punctured, although I don't know how."
"Will's kunai most likely," Gaston stated. "Go on."
"His ribs are cracked, and he had several deep slashes on the front of his chest. There are some more shallow ones as well, but they didn't help matters. His body has also been pushed to the limit, and he has had a lot of emotional stress. The blood loss was terrible; it will take him a long time to be able to regain all of it."
"…Will he live?" Brandi asked quietly.
Lilian looked away. "Well… yes. He will live… but not for very long."
"What do you mean?" Mana said worriedly.
"He's been weakened far too much, for one thing. But there's another problem. His Soul Monster has been killed. We have known of others like that, and they just can't live as long as most people. The fact that Max has been injured so much will only make his life span shorter."
Hope closed her eyes, trying not to show the tears in her eyes. Gaston, noticing this, said, "How long would you say he has to live?"
"We have no way of knowing. He could die any day. I'm sorry… but that's all I know now."
Brandi nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
"When… do you think… he will wake up?" Hope asked. Her voice betrayed her emotions at this news.
"I can't be sure. I will let you all know at once when he does, or when any of them do."
"Thanks," Larka replied softly.
"By the way, Ender still has not regained consciousness. I'll be keeping an eye on him as well, alright? See you later."
As they left, Brandi said, "I'm going to visit mom. Can you guys wait here for a few minutes?"
"Sure," Larka responded. Hope nodded, still trying to get over the news about Max.
Brandi went into Abby's room, shutting the door quietly. "Hi mom."
"Brandi… hi. How are things now?" Abby inquired.
"…I want to tell you what's been happening to us. It will help you understand the situation better."
"Then go ahead."
Brandi told her mother about everything that had happened, except Hope's confession. She had decided to let Hope explain that when the time was right.
"So Max… will die?" Abby asked.
"…Yes. Sometime soon," Brandi replied, not looking at her.
"…Two at once. It's just too much," Abby whispered.
Brandi sighed. "Yes. I don't know how I'm going to be able to continue, knowing that Max… that Max… could… any day…"
"I know," Abby said softly. "But we must. For his sake, we have to go on."
"Yeah…" Brandi got up. "I have to get back to the others."
"Then I will talk with you later."
"Right… bye mom." She left the room, and went to the waiting room, where the rest of them were waiting.
"Shall we go back?" Larka suggested.
"Let's," Mana agreed.
-----
Hime and Chasity arrived back at the condo to find it empty, save for Zack, who was still out of it. Assuming Larka had gone back to the hospital, they thought nothing of it.
Chasity was sitting in the living room, flipping through random channels for something to watch, when she heard the door open. She barely had enough time to see a brown blur before it flew into her, licking her furiously.
"Malon! Get down!" Chasity protested.
Larka ran over and pulled him off of her, glaring into the puppy's innocent eyes. "I doubt I will ever be able to teach him to not do that."
Hope, Brandi, Gaston, and Mana also came in. Hime entered as well.
"So what is the news?" Hime inquired, glancing at Chasity. With an impatient sigh, Chasity turned off the TV and went to her room. She had gotten used to Hime wanting her to not hear any of this information.
Brandi gave her a brief update to all of their friend's conditions while the rest of them waited nearby.
"I see…" Hime stated as Brandi finished. "I guess it could not have been avoided though."
"I'm afraid not," Brandi said sadly.
"So what will you do now?" Hime questioned.
"I guess we will just wait for everyone else to get better," Larka replied.
"No… there's something else," Hope said. "Remember what I said before? That someone must be working with Thanatos? Well, shouldn't we find out who that is?"
"You're right," Brandi nodded. "We may be a bit safer now that Thanatos is gone, but that doesn't mean we are done yet."
"So you will be going to Teknisk Wereld?" Hime assumed.
"Yes. That would be the best place to start," Hope confirmed. "This virus looks a lot like the Black Snake Sickness. If so, its origin is probably in Teknisk Wereld. I don't know how it is possible, but that is where we should begin searching."
"Then I wish you good luck," Hime said before going into the kitchen.
"Should we start now?" Mana asked.
"We might as well," Gaston replied. "It's a pity we're the only ones who are going though. With only six of us, this could take a while."
"Make that seven."
They turned to see Zack looking over at them. Gaston and Mana stared in shock while Malon yipped excitedly.
"Zack! You're finally awake!" Hope exclaimed.
"I'm sorry… I should have told you guys earlier," Larka said. "When I came back, he was up, and said he was almost done with repairs. So Zack, do you feel up to coming?"
"I've nearly recovered completely," he answered. "So it should not be a problem."
"Then let's get going," Hope suggested.
Soon they were all unconscious.
-----
"The forest again? We seem to arrive here often," Gaston commented as they got up.
"We have nowhere better to start," Hope shrugged.
They suddenly heard something come over the trees. The wind blew leaves everywhere, and the great shadow passed over them before it was gone.
"What on earth was that?" Hope wondered.
"It wasn't on earth," Gaston pointed out. "In case you forgot, we're in Teknisk Wereld now."
"Must you be so literal?" she said in exasperation.
"It was probably just a wild monster, or a Soul Monster flying someone over the forest," Brandi stated.
"Want me to check?" Mana inquired. "You never know; it might be the people we are searching for."
"That's doubtful…" Gaston responded.
"But it could be true. Monsters that can fly usually don't go over the forest at this close a range," Brandi said. "Other people's Soul Monsters don't like to come in this close either. So it is kind of strange… alright Mana, go ahead and check it out. We're going to walk on down here. Meet us outside of the forest."
"Sure thing." She rose up to the top of the trees, and the rest of them walked on.
-----
Mana scanned the tree tops, and saw a figure flying away. But it was too far away to see what it was.
She went to the edge of the forest and landed. "I guess it was nothing after all…"
Distracted by her thoughts, she was taken by complete surprise when she felt iron clamp around her wrists, ankles, stomach, and head. Before she could say anything, a black cloaked figure had gagged her, and was bringing out a card. Another cloaked one took out iron bands and handed a few to his partner.
The first one seemed to understand Mana's wordless question. "Sorry that we have to do this, but orders are orders. And you'll be the key we need to complete them." Then he activated his magic card. The iron bands instantly became burning hot.
Mana had only a few seconds to feel terror before the first band burned into her skin.
-----
"We've finally made it," Hope said as they walked out of the forest about an hour later.
"It's about time you did."
Malon yelped joyfully and leapt at the person who had spoken while everyone else stared.
"Hey, I'm happy to see you too," Draken told Malon, stroking him over the head. "What's with the silence guys? Forget who I am?"
"Draken! Darche! What are you doing here?" Gaston said in amazement.
"We came to try and find you," Darche stated. He had been standing next to Draken. "Our Blue Eyes White Dragon finally thought it could detect something here, so we landed outside the forest to wait for you."
"So that's what we heard!" Larka realized. "That big creature must have been the Blue Eyes!"
"We had to pass pretty close over the top of the forest to try to find you," Draken explained. "Sorry if that shocked you. Hey, where is everyone else?"
"It's a long story," Hope sighed. "We can tell you about it later. But we are the only ones fit to come here. So it's just me, Brandi, Larka, our Soul Monsters, Zack, and you two."
"Your Soul Monsters? But what about Mana?" Draken asked.
"Mana? She was supposed to meet us out here…" Brandi trailed off, realizing the problem. "But she isn't here… why?"
"Because we needed her."
They spun around, to where the trees were. Standing there were two men. Both of them wore completely black uniforms, with black cloaks and hoods they wore up.
Beside them was an evil, torturous looking contraption. It had two thick, steel, spiked sections that came out of the ground that had two manacles, big enough to restrain a human's legs. On each side were two big, metal, connected balls that had a spike producing from each. Then above those two, another, bigger ball was there, with two pole like objects producing from it. The poles were spiked on the outside, but on the inside was a manacle that looked big enough to hold a human hand. Between the two big balls, one on the left and one on the right, was a clasp that could fit around someone's waist.
The other object looked like a vice of some kind. It had a metal band that could go over the victim's head, with two yellow poles, one on each side of the band, for fastening into place. On the outside of the sticks was a metal ball that had three more metal balls connected to it through thin silver poles. It had two more steel balls with spikes above the band that seemed to form shoulders for it, of some kind-it was the best description Hope could form. What was the creepiest thing about it though was the face it had. There was a small, purple head with crazy eyes and a wicked grin. Around its head were purple sparks, and two drills came from it, one on each side of its head.
But that was not what worried them. For inside the larger of the two, held fast by the manacles, and with the smaller contraption attached to her head, was a familiar figure.
"Mana!" Brandi exclaimed.
Her Soul Monster was in terrible condition. In several sections of her body, her skin was burned, leaving it red and raw. Her eyes were half closed, trying to ignore the pain but failing horribly. She could not speak, due to being gagged.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing with her?!" Draken snarled as Gaston and Darche drew their swords, and as Zack's switchblade came out of his arm. Malon barked fiercely at them, teeth bared and ready to bite.
"Oh, it's not her we are very interested in," the first man said. They realized he had been the one talking from before. "We actually need the girl that is her companion. That would be you?" he inferred, turning to Brandi.
"What do you want with me?" she growled.
"It's part of a deal our bosses had with Thanatos," the second one explained. "We told him that if he failed with what we had asked of him, we would have no choice but to take what was most precious to him-his sister."
"Thanatos wouldn't care about me," Brandi spat.
"Perhaps not, but orders are orders. So we are to give you a rather… long and painful death," the first snickered.
"And how do you expect to accomplish that?" Hope demanded. "We aren't about to stand by and watch Brandi die!"
"True. That is why we needed her," the first stated, indicating to Mana. "If you do not agree with our demands, she will be killed instantly."
"How do you expect to kill her?" Draken asked.
Zack was looking at the device trapping Mana. He suddenly stepped backwards, his switchblade going back into his arm. "Those aren't machines."
"What do you mean?" Hope said in confusion.
Gaston's eyes widened. "Zack's right! They're Soul Monsters!"
"You've got to be kidding!" Draken exclaimed.
"They are correct," the second stated. "So any second now, we can order our Soul Monsters to kill your friend. The larger one restraining her, my partner's Viser Shock, can easily slay her if he wishes to. And my Iron Demon Viser Death could do the same. It wouldn't be any challenge whatsoever."
"Damn it…" Draken muttered as Gaston and Darche reluctantly sheathed their swords.
"What can we do now?" Larka said.
"The only way to save her is to give yourself up, Brandi," the first stated. "If you do, she will be released instantly. It's that simple."
"I don't get it… how did you guys even know we were here?" Gaston questioned. "We were trying to get a head start on you! But you knew where we were?"
"We have our ways," the second replied. "But enough stalling. Brandi, if you want to save your Soul Monster's life, surrender now."
Mana shook her head frantically, but Brandi forced herself to ignore her. Without looking at her companions, she took off her Duel Disk and let it fall to the ground. "Fine. Let her go and I'll come quietly."
"But Brandi…!" Hope protested.
"I can't just stand by and watch Mana die," Brandi said firmly. "Please look after her for me, alright?"
"But…" Hope trailed off, knowing that it was useless to say anything as Brandi went over to them.
The first one took out some rope and bound her hands behind her back. When he was done, the second made a gesture to the two Soul Monsters. They released Mana instantly. She collapsed, too weak to move. Then the first one began leading Brandi off to the forest.
The second one turned to the group. "We will know, every second, where each of you is located. If you come after us, we will slay her instantly, so do not try it." With that being said, the second one went after the first one.
While the rest of them watched the second one leave, Hope went over to Mana and shakily undid the gag. "Mana? Can you hear me?"
"Brandi…" Mana moaned. "She… shouldn't have done that… why…?"
"It's alright," Hope tried to assure her. "We'll save her somehow."
"But how?" Draken asked. "You heard what he said. If we go after them, Brandi's dead. What are we supposed to do?"
"I don't know…" Hope admitted. "But there has to be a way. There just has to be!" She brought out a Goblin's Secret Remedy and gently pressed it against some of the worst burns. It did not help much, but it would do until they could afford to spend the time to heal her completely.
-----
"You think this is good enough?" the second asked when they were about five minutes into the forest.
"Sure, why not?" the first shrugged. "It isn't like we're going to be interrupted by them."
With that, he untied the ropes around Brandi's wrists, retying them so that they were attached to a thick tree limb by another section of rope.
"You don't have to worry about having to deal with them," the first told Brandi as she eyed their Soul Monsters warily. "We enjoy torturing our victims ourselves, after all."
With that, the first took out a leather whip from inside his cloak. The second drew a knife, and sliced open the back of Brandi's shirt with it. Then his Soul Monster came over to him, bearing a bucket of water.
Brandi didn't have the time to wonder about the strange object as the whip suddenly came down. It struck her across the back, but she did not make a sound. But it came down again, and again, and again, dealing more pain each time it struck. As her back began to bleed, she could not help but cry out as it hit her.
This… pain… it's all I can do… to endure it…
Then the second one picked up the bucket of water, and threw the water onto her back. Agony flared through her as she realized it was salt water.
It was too much. She could not stop herself from screaming.
-----
They all thought hard, but could not come up with a way to rescue Brandi. If they really did know their location, it was impossible to get any closer to her without them knowing.
Then a scream came from the forest. They all leapt up.
"Brandi!" Mana cried, trying to stand but failing.
They heard another cry of pain.
"Damn it… we need to get to her, now!" Draken exclaimed, pale.
"But how?" Hope said desperately. "We're helpless to stop them!"
"As long as they know where we are," Zack agreed. "But there must be a weakness to their method…"
Larka had been silent, face etched with worry for her friend. Malon whined shrilly.
Then she had an idea. She looked down and Malon, and picked him up. Then, without telling her friends what she was doing, she pressed a button in her Duel Disk menu and vanished.
"Larka! Malon! Where did they go?" Gaston exclaimed.
Another scream tore through the air.
"She must have exited Teknisk Wereld…" Draken stated. "But why? They would still know where she is, right?"
"Maybe she wants to pull Brandi out of Teknisk Wereld?" Hope suggested.
"It won't work," Draken told her. "If the Envoyant Machine is shut off, she'll still be trapped here. She has to use her Duel Disk to get out, but since we have it..."
"Maybe she couldn't stand this," Gaston winced as he heard another cry. "I know that I for one can't. It's as though I can feel the pain she's going through just from her screams."
But Larka… she wouldn't abandon Brandi, Hope thought. She cares about us too much… she would do anything for one of us. That's what her aura's told me countless times. Larka, I don't know what you have planned, but I pray that it works, for Brandi's sake.
To be continued…