This is it. At last, the final chapter in this arc has been reached!
Demon Fan: Yes, Will dies. Game over. We're all screwed. End of story… OR you could read on and see what happens. As for Viken dying, I thought that each Fell and Larka should have their chance for revenge.
John: Let us see, shall we?
Chapter 20: Rage of the Sky Dragon
Vlad shook his head. "So Viken is dead as well… I suppose I have no choice. I will be the one to slay them." He smirked. "I do not foresee much difficulty in that though."
-----
Fell jumped away from Rouki as the wolf leader lashed out again. He had spent most of his time in the fight so far dodging, and had not been able to get any hits in.
Rouki, on the other hand, had managed to slice into him a few times. The pain was great, but thanks to Compensation of Blood, he was still able to fight.
Rouki charged at him again. Fell leapt aside and lunged at him. Rouki swiftly turned, slamming his free hand into Fell. As he staggered back, Rouki brought down his sword.
Fell twisted away from it, but his left arm was still injured. A long cut ran down it. Now it would be nearly useless to Fell; luckily for him, he was right handed. But it was still a hindrance.
He leapt out of the way of another attack, his mind racing. He had to take down Rouki quickly, but he couldn't see how.
-----
After the hallway was the usual room with a staircase. They went up it and emerged in another empty room, like before.
But when they went down the next hallway, they came to a split. There were three directions to go; four including the way they had come.
"Where do we go now?" Draken wondered.
Daine sniffed the ground. "Vlad has been in all three. Let us begin with the room to the left."
"Fair enough," Darche replied.
They had only walked a short distance when they came across another metal door. However, this one did not automatically open for them as others had.
"Another electronic lock," Hope realized.
"Hang on a second." Zack concentrated on it, and then inserted the code. The door opened instantly.
This room was the first one they had seen with enough light to see by. The light in here was overwhelming, causing them to be blinded for a second after all the dark hallways and rooms they had trekked through. Their eyes soon adjusted though, and they could see where they were.
It was a huge laboratory. Tables filled with equipment, machines that were currently off, and other such things were scattered everywhere. They saw three glass tubes that were big enough to fit humans as well, along with three metal tables with glass coverings that could do the same.
"Viken's laboratory?" Draken assumed.
"He probably wasn't the only one working here," Brandi stated. "Vlad has other scientists too, most likely."
Larka noticed that Zack had grown strangely quiet. "Zack? What is wrong?"
"I feel like I've been here before…" Zack closed his eyes, trying to recall where he had seen this room. When that got him nowhere, he looked around it. It was when he saw the metal examining table that was in the corner of the room that he remembered. "That's it! This is where I was brought back to life!"
"They did it here?" Mana shivered.
"Yes. I've actually been in this base before. They must have deleted it from my memory with very high-tech equipment… I couldn't even remember anything about this place until coming in here."
"Well, we can't stay here," Hope said. "We have to find Vlad quickly!"
"True." Zack looked over the room one more time, and then they left.
"The one to the right this time?" Daine suggested as they went on.
"Alright, let's check it out," Gaston agreed.
They soon reached it, and found another electronic lock. Zack once more unlocked it, and although he seemed somewhat weary from the three locks he had needed to deal with, he was still able to keep up the pace easily enough.
There were six doors in this new, once more lit up room. Each one had a label as to what was inside.
"Vlademir, Viken, Malady, General Workers, Wolf Soldiers, and Mechanical Soldiers," Hope read. "I guess we aren't in the correct location. Let's go back out."
This time, they took the center path, which had one last electronic lock. After Zack took care of it, they went inside.
They were in yet another room with lights. There was a large table there, but it had nothing on it. There were also various pieces of equipment in the room. But only one was turned on. It was a huge, metal ball that was on a black pedestal. The ball crackled with energy that passed between it and the pedestal.
"What is that thing?" Brandi asked.
"Let me check." Zack gently placed his left hand on the ball, ignoring the electricity. Then he stepped back. "That's what controls all of the mechanical soldiers. It's their core, and gives them directions on what to do."
"Really? Then if we destroy it, they'll lose their power and won't be able to do anything, right?" Draken asked.
"Yes, so we should probably destroy it," Zack stated.
"Leave it to me!" Draken brought forth The Fused Weapon, Murasame Blade. "Step back guys! I'll take this thing out in one swing!"
"Wait!" Zack protested. "You should turn it off first, or else it will probably…"
He was too late. The explosion sent Draken flying across the room, the sword vanishing instantly. He landed on the ground, and rose shakily.
"Whoa…" Draken said. "I didn't expect that to happen."
"I was going to say that you should have turned it off first, or else it would have probably exploded due to the electrical currents," Zack said dryly.
"Thanks for the warning," Draken grumbled.
"Are the wolf soldiers controlled in a similar way?" Hope wondered.
"It's possible, but if they are, the core is not inside this room," Zack answered. "We should move on."
They went over to the other door in the room. It slid open, and they found a staircase behind it.
Daine sniffed the staircase, and then the air. "Vlad is up there. Be on guard."
Malon growled softly as he smelled Vlad's scent as well.
"Then I'll go first," Zack decided. "Follow at a short distance; if it's an ambush, we won't all get caught at once."
"Sounds good to me," Draken said.
They emerged on the roof. It was still in the dead of night, with several stars out. The full moon may have been over, but it still cast enough light to easily see by.
Standing in front of them was Vlad. He held the radio-like device and had a Duel Disk strapped on that was like the ones Thanatos, Malady, and Viken had carried.
Seeing him, Kisara immediately brought out her Soul Card. Kazel appeared, glancing down at Vlad. Now that they were on the roof, there was more than enough room for her.
"Vlad…" Zack growled. "Are you going to hide behind more soldiers, or will you face me this time?"
"You have all made it this far; I will give you the opportunity to duel me," Vlad said. "It is only fair, after all."
"Wait! What about that control device?" Larka demanded. "It wouldn't be fair if you took control of Zack in the middle of the duel and made him lose or forfeit!"
"True," Vlad agreed. "I am not cheap enough to do that though. Since you don't trust me though…" He took out the remote control and tossed it to Larka, who caught it. "You may hold onto that until the end of the duel. If you win, you have the right to destroy it, if that's what you want to do. So, are you ready?"
"Definitely," Zack said, turning on his Duel Disk. Vlad did the same.
Zack: 8000
Vlad: 8000
"My two henchmen got to go first, so I guess you deserve to go first this time," Vlad stated.
"Fine by me. I summon Bowgunian. (1300/1000) Then I lay one card down and end my turn."
"Already going aggressive? That may not be such a good idea with such a weak monster," Vlad commented. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and three cards face down. That is it."
"I'm not planning on attacking with Bowgunian," Zack said as he drew. "It's his effect I wanted. On each of my standby phases, he does 600 damage to you."
Zack: 8000
Vlad: 7400
"I switch Bowgunian to defense mode and lay one monster in defense mode. I'll also lay another card down. It's your move."
Vlad smirked at what he had drawn. "Already, I have nearly won! First, I summon Magic Freight Car Bokoichi. (500/500)"
Zack eyed the train-like creature that had appeared. "It doesn't seem that strong."
"It isn't in my deck to be strong. You see, my next card is Machine Replication Factory! This allows me to choose a monster with 500 attack or less on my side of the field and special summon up to two more from my deck. So I special summon two more Magic Freight Car Bokoichis. Then I flip summon my face down monster, Magic Locomotive Dekoichi. (1400/1000) Its reverse effect allows me to draw one card for each Magic Freight Car Bokoichi I have on the field. So I get to draw three cards."
"You have still left four fairly weak monsters exposed," Zack pointed out.
"True, but I have my reasons. Now, Dekoichi attacks your Bowgunian!"
"Bowgunian may have been destroyed, but I can bring it back! I activate Time Machine. I can use this to bring back a monster that was destroyed in battle in face up attack mode. So I will revive Bowgunian."
"Irritating pest. I end my turn."
"Bowgunian does 600 more damage to you."
Zack: 8000
Vlad: 6800
"Then I sacrifice my face down Air Guard Gear Golem (800/2200) for Immense Battleship Big Core! (2300/1100)"
"There's a new card," Draken commented as the huge ship appeared. "It looks like he found some cards that he liked out of what Matt had to offer."
"When he is summoned, he gets three counters. I'll explain what these do when necessary. For the meantime, I'll have Bowgunian attack your Bokoichi!"
"I can't let you get away with that," Vlad said. "I activate Attack Nullification to halt your attack and end your battle phase."
"Very well. I end my turn."
Vlad looked at his next card and smiled coldly. "Now I have won."
"Can you prove that?" Zack questioned.
"If you want me to," Vlad smirked. "I sacrifice all three of my Magic Freight Car Bokoichis for Saint Dragon-God of Osiris!"
"What?!" Zack exclaimed.
"Osiris? It can't be!" Brandi protested.
The clear night sky suddenly began to be swiftly covered by thick clouds. Lightning danced around the clouds as they concealed the sky completely. Then the god appeared. It was just as they remembered it from the picture; a red, snake-like dragon that's infinitely long body emerged in some areas and stayed concealed by the clouds in others. Its hard, black scales on its underneath glistened in the lightning. It had several red wings, feet with three white claws on each, and many red spikes. On its forehead was a dark blue jewel that gleamed. It had two mouths, each filled with many sharp, silver teeth. Its fierce yellow eyes glared down at Zack, who was frozen in both fear and awe.
"So, you know what the god cards are? I should have known you would," Vlad said.
Hope was not listening to him though. This creature was just like Obelisk; she felt as though it was familiar, as if they were bonded. She was caught in the yellow creature's gaze as she heard voices.
Two unsealed…
Osiris, the secondary…
Another piece to the essence…
Only one more restrainer to cast away…
I was a fool to listen…
I am being reborn…
You cannot hold me forever, as we are equal…
All must remain in balance…
I will not follow you any longer…
Obey my commands…
I must have the three gods…
Come to me, my servants…
Become what you really are…
The truth will drive you into madness.
Hope gasped, falling back as she grasped onto her head.
"Hope! What's wrong? Are you alright?" Gaston asked, kneeling down next to her.
"Yeah…" She looked down at her orb shakily. It was overpowered with light, then darkness, then light… but was it a coincidence that the darkness remained longer than the light whenever it appeared?
-----
Rue was sitting at the chair he usually did, looking out the window. Claire had already gone home, and Ruecian was asleep. But he was not tired, so he just looked out of the window.
Then he felt a jolt. Looking around in alarm, he heard something.
"That's another one unlocked. Only one more to unseal, eh? He's doing pretty well so far."
Ever since the incident with Kouten, Rue had not heard him speak. But he remembered who that was.
Demon Rue?! What do you mean?!
"You'll see… ask your friends for details when they come back. They should know."
Hey! You're not getting away that easily!
There was no response.
Damn you…
-----
"I suppose I should explain how Osiris works," Vlad said to the stunned group. "His stats are the number of cards in my hand times 1000. So, since I have three cards in my hand, he has 3000 attack and defense. (3000/3000) So, as you would expect, drawing more cards increases his power. That is why I will activate Limitless Hand. This means that if we have more than six cards in our hands at the end phase, we don't have to discard. Then I activate my trap card, Sixth Sense. This allows me to call two numbers, and then roll a die. If I roll one of the two numbers, I draw that many cards. If I call the wrong thing, then I have to discard cards from the top of my deck equal to the number I rolled. So I call five and six."
The die came down, but it seemed to be going in slow motion to them…
"A six!" Mana groaned as she saw what it had landed on. "That's the worst thing that could come up at this moment!"
"So I draw six cards… quite useful," Vlad smirked as he drew. (8000/8000) "Now, I will switch Dekoichi to defense mode. And then Osiris attacks your Bowgunian!"
Zack had been frozen as the god card had glared down at him. Now, it reared up, yellow lightning forming in its lower mouth before sending it flying down at the Bowgunian.
He barely came to his senses. "I activate my own Attack Nullification! This will halt your Osiris' attack!"
"You can't be serious!" Vlad laughed. "You expect your puny trap card will help you against a god card's might?"
The barrier came up, but the lightning punched right through it.
Zack watched as it came closer to the Bowgunian, and knew he should move out of the way. But the being in front of him drove all sense from his mind…
The lightning bolt completely obliterated Bowgunian, and a portion of the lightning bolt hit Zack. He was consumed by the electricity instantly.
"Zack!" Larka cried.
"Oh gosh," Mana paled. "If this is anything like Obelisk's attack…"
The lightning finally faded from the original attack, but Zack was still glowing from it. The blue electricity flew out of his body randomly as he struggled to control it.
"Oh, I forgot; you can absorb electricity. Must be pretty painful," Vlad stated. "Especially since you lost such a large amount of Life Points."
Zack: 1300
Vlad: 6800
"Are you alright?" Larka asked anxiously.
"I… will be…" Zack staggered up, still trying to keep down the electricity. "It is overpowering me at the moment… but it will be at a manageable level soon."
"So, you can still duel? Good!" Vlad smirked. "I would like to test out Osiris' power a bit more, after all."
"You won't get the chance to," Zack told him.
"Oh? You think you can defeat a god card? Let's see you try!" Vlad snickered. "I end my turn."
-----
Fell dodged another strike, but as he did, stumbled and collapsed to his knees. The pain was finally beginning to effect his movements. But his wounds were not bleeding yet.
Rouki, seeing his error, came at him with his sword up. Then, the building suddenly vibrated.
"What was that?" Rouki growled, looking at the ground.
Fell took advantage of his distraction and leapt for him, claws slashing at his right arm. The wolf leader snarled, leaping away. But he was not fast enough. His arm was torn by the claws, leaving a severely deep wound. Without pausing, he threw his Crescent Blade over to his left arm, and struck. Fell crashed into the wall, but rolled away as the blade sliced into where he had been lying.
Although he could tell Rouki was seriously effected by the wound, he still battled swiftly and strongly. It was only to be expected; Viken had perfected him, after all. It did not make Fell's job any easier though.
-----
Zack looked at his next card and sighed. It's no use… I can't defeat Osiris like this. I'm going to have to stall… "I summon Drillago! (1600/1200)"
"That was quite foolish," Vlad sneered.
Osiris' top mouth opened and shot another thunderbolt at the Drillago. It was destroyed instantly.
Zack had been hit by the recoil; he got up, teeth clenched in pain as he tried to hold in the electricity he had absorbed.
"Whenever you summon a monster, Osiris takes away 2000 of their attack or defense, depending on which mode they were summoned in. Since your Drillago didn't have more than 2000 attack, it was destroyed instantly. A pity, isn't it?"
"…I switch Big Core to defense mode… and end my turn."
"You can't hope to live that long against me," Vlad said. "I now have nine cards in my hand, after all. (9000/9000) Osiris destroys your pathetic Big Core."
Zack braced himself as another electric attack came towards him. Even so, it was nearly impossible to hold in the energy he had taken in.
"I can't… duel like this…" He brought forth a large amount of electricity to his left hand, and slammed it into the ground. The energy went everywhere around him before fading away. "There… that reduced it a bit."
"It won't really matter, seeing as you are about to lose," Vlad smirked. "You have nothing to hide behind anymore."
Zack shook his head. "Actually, my Big Core is still acting as a pretty good shield."
"What?!" Vlad stared in shock at the battleship. "How did it survive?!"
"Big Core cannot be destroyed in battle. However, whenever it is in battle, it loses a counter. After it has a battle with no counters, it is destroyed at that turn's damage step. Now it has two counters."
Vlad relaxed. "Then it's no big deal; just a minor nuisance. I lay one card down and end my turn." (8000/8000)
I don't know of any cards in my deck that can stop such a powerful creature… I can't just surrender though. There has to be a way…
Zack drew, and stared at the card.
What… is this thing? He read over the card. It's perfect! But how did this get in my deck? I don't remember putting it in… wait! Now I remember what happened. Pure luck, but I'm very thankful that it occurred.
"I lay one card face down and one monster in defense mode. That is it," Zack said.
"You're lucky that Osiris cannot affect face down monsters," Vlad stated as he drew. (9000/9000)
"I figured it couldn't," Zack replied. Although expelling some of the electricity had helped, he was still overcharged with it. The sooner this was over, the better for him.
"This will be made even worse for you though," Vlad smirked. "I activate Careless Avarice! This trap lets me draw two cards. In exchange, I have to skip my next two draw phases. But that is worth it to power up Osiris!" (11000/11000)
Zack smiled. "That will be your downfall."
"What?"
"I activate my trap card, Massive Breakdown!" Zack declared.
"Massive Breakdown? What does that do?" Vlad asked.
"I can only activate this when you have eight or more cards in your hand. You're forced to shuffle them into your deck and draw two cards," Zack explained.
"But… that means…"
"Yes. Your Osiris' power has been reduced by a considerable amount!" (2000/2000)
"Damn it all! How did you know I relied on drawing cards?! You wouldn't have had Massive Breakdown in there otherwise!"
"It worked really well here," Draken grinned. "But it does seem like an odd card to use."
"It was a complete accident," Zack responded. "That stack of cards Matt left for me had it. When Hope was dueling, I was just about to read what this card did when Hope won. When the lights went out, I stuck it into my deck without thinking. I'm really glad I did now."
Vlad stared at his weakened Osiris with horror. "You had it out of chance? I can't believe this!"
"It seems like you are done with your turn," Zack stated. "Unless you wish to attack?"
"Yes damn it! Attack Big Core!"
Zack winced as the electricity coursed through him. "Big Core has one counter left. That's just enough for what I have planned. I switch Big Core to attack mode and attack Osiris with it!"
"You can't! A god card can't be destroyed that easily!" Vlad protested.
The battleship shot out several white laser beams at Osiris. It roared as the beams tore right through it. And then it exploded, fire flying everywhere from the sky.
"I believe it can be," Zack said calmly. "I lay another monster in defense mode and one card down. That's all."
"I-I can't draw because of Careless Avarice… I end my turn…"
"Then it's over for you!" Zack declared. "I flip summon my Cyber Raider! (1400/1000) And I sacrifice my face down Roulette Bomber for Machine King! (2200/1000) His attack is raised by 100 for each Machine Sub-Type on my side of the field. (2500/2000) I also equip Machine King with 7 Card! It raises his attack by 700! (3200/2000) Now, Cyber Raider attacks! Then Big Core attacks! And Machine King ends it!"
Zack: 1300
Vlad: 0
-----
Rouki brought down his sword, but Fell dodged yet again. They were getting nowhere with this; Fell could never hit him, and when Rouki did strike him, it did not slow him.
Fell suddenly winced, and looked at his left arm. Blood fell from the wound.
Compensation of Blood wore off… Fell thought wearily. Then, as he watched the approaching wolf leader, he decided to try something, and ran straight for him.
Rouki easily dodged the strike and slashed at Fell's side. But Fell was ready for this. He turned slightly, so that the blow would still hit, but not be fatal.
Pain exploded on his side, and he collapsed, lying on his uninjured side.
"Weak until the end, prototype," Rouki sneered, holding up his sword. "And now… it ends."
Confident that he had won, Rouki did not notice what Fell was about to do until it was too late. He suddenly lunged, clawed hands going for his unprotected neck.
The wolf leader's head flew away as the beheaded corpse hit the ground. Then Fell, weary but satisfied, collapsed again. This time though, he was unconscious.
-----
"No… I can't have… no…" Vlad fell back, staring at Zack.
Zack's switchblade came out of his arm. "You lost. You never set any conditions for this duel, so I'll decide your fate. And for what you have done to not just me, but all of us… that deserves nothing short of death." Then he walked towards him.
But when he was just a few feet away, Vlad pulled out something. "Hold on!"
"What?" Zack growled.
"I am not ready to die yet," Vlad stated. "So, I have an offer. If you let me live… I'll give you this." And he held up a syringe with clear liquid.
"What is it?" Brandi questioned.
"This is the only cure we have for the Black Snake Sickness. Viken made one, in case something went wrong. But he only created one syringe with it. If you kill me, the syringe will shatter and you will never be able to save your friend."
Zack stared at the man with hatred in his eyes, but let his switchblade slide back into his arm. "And if we promise to let you live?"
"Then you can have it; I have no use for it. I will also let myself be handed over to the officials," he said. "Jail time means nothing to me… I will endure it. So… how about it?"
"…I hate having to let you live," Zack stated. "But there is no way I can let Will die. Fine. Hand it over and we'll let you live."
Vlad eyed the cyborg cautiously before handing him it. Then Vlad took out a cell phone and tossed it to Brandi. "Call the officials from that if you want to. But before you do that, I want to say something."
"What would that be?" Gaston asked.
"Through all of my actions, I have made the point I wanted to," Vlad said. "I proved that humanity is too trusting. They placed all of their faith in me, and look where it got them. That is all I desired to prove, and I succeeded."
Nobody had a response for that.
"Go ahead and call," he told Brandi.
"Wait! One more thing," Hope said. "We want you to hand over Osiris."
"Oh, that… fine, here." Vlad tossed it over to Zack as well.
Zack almost dropped it. "What the… this card… it's burning me!"
"Burning you? What?" Draken came up to him and touched it lightly, and jerked his hand away. "Ouch! How can you even hold onto it? That's ridiculously hot!"
"We'll think about it later," Zack said, placing it into his Duel Disk. "Hope, could you please hold onto the syringe?"
"Sure." She took it gingerly as Brandi made the phone call, explaining to the officials what had happened.
Daine was not listening to her though. "I am worried about my master. Larka, can we go down and find him?"
"Yes, of course… Hope, I'm going to find Fell. I'll be up in a second."
"Alright. Be careful."
"Right." She ran down the stairs after Daine, Malon trailing behind her.
They swiftly descended to the third floor, and ran to the room where they had been ambushed. Larka saw her brother instantly, and ran over to him.
"Fell!" She looked at his wounds worriedly, and brought out a few cards. "Hang on, brother…" She inserted a Blessing of God, and then a Red Potion.
"Do you think he will be ok?" Daine asked anxiously.
"After some more of these, yeah," Larka replied. "It's mainly blood loss…" She inserted another Compensation of Blood. "It could have been a lot worse though. If Draken hadn't helped him, I don't know how it would have turned out."
Malon sniffed curiously at Rouki's head. Daine growled at him and Malon came over, tail drooping. Then they waited for Larka to finish looking over him.
-----
"The officials are on their way to your location in the real world," Brandi told Vlad, giving him back his cell phone.
"Alright. Then I will go to greet them." He nodded to the group. "I underestimated all of you. If we ever happen to meet again, I will be much more cautious." Then he vanished.
Everyone was silent until they heard Larka coming up the stairs. Soon she emerged, carrying her unconscious brother while Daine and Malon followed.
"How is he?" Kisara asked.
"Much better. I was worried at first, but he'll be perfectly fine. It was all thanks to Draken's assistance that he won."
"Glad I could help," Draken replied. "Now, we need to get that cure to Will, and fast. You guys up for it?"
"Yes. Let's hurry!" Hope agreed.
Kazel whipped her tail around in irritation. "We will not be with you when we return to the real world."
"True," Draken nodded. "So… after everything is taken care of, can I come back to stay with you guys for a few more days?"
"Actually…" Kisara said shyly. "I was wondering if you wanted to live with us."
"Live with you two?" Draken asked, astonished by the suggestion.
"Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be so against it," Kisara blushed, turning away.
"No, I'm not against it at all! It's been pretty lonely in that darn apartment of ours. If it's alright with you, I'd love to stay."
"Then it's settled," Kisara smiled.
"Aw… how cute!" Mana teased.
Draken glared at her. "Do us all a favor and shut up."
"For now I'll agree to do that, since Will needs help," Mana replied. "But I'm not done with you yet."
"Great," Draken sighed. "I guess I'll worry about that later. Let's leave."
"Let us meet again someday," Kisara said to the group.
"Yes, let's!" Hope grinned.
Again, they both felt as though they knew each other, but did not comment as Kisara and Kazel teleported out.
"Oh! Fell! Are you ok?" they heard Larka ask. Turning, they saw that he had woken up.
"Yes." He rose, glancing at her inquiringly.
"Viken is dead, and we dealt with Vlad; I'll go into more detail later," she told him. "We have to get Will this cure really quickly though!"
He nodded, and looked over at Draken, speaking a single word. "Thanks."
Draken blinked. "Uh… you're welcome…"
Fell teleported out before he could say anything else.
"The flying pigs missed their cue," Draken commented before following suit. The others teleported out as well, leaving the base abandoned, except for the countless corpses.
-----
Claire was sleeping on the fold-out couch when she heard a lot of activity nearby. She sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she looked around.
"What's going on?" she inquired as she saw them all getting up.
"We did it!" Hope said excitedly. "We found the cure! Now we can only pray that we aren't too late…"
"I'll come with you," Claire volunteered, jumping up.
"You found the cure? Good job!" Hime commented, walking in. Perseus entered as well.
"Yeah. We'll tell all of you about it later," Brandi promised. "You won't believe some of the things we had to go through!"
"But we have to hurry," Larka stated. "Sorry."
"It's fine. Go on, quickly!" Hime encouraged.
They rushed out, paying no attention to the beautiful night as they went to the hospital.
"We won't have enough room if you Soul Monsters are there as well," Brandi pointed out as they went inside.
"That's true. We'll wait in Miles' room," Gaston said. "Tell us how things go!"
Malon whimpered, trying to stay with Larka, but Daine picked him up by the collar and walked off with the others.
Hope knocked at Will's door, and in a few seconds it was opened by Neo.
"You're back!" he exclaimed. "How did things go?"
"We got the cure!" Larka replied. "Where is Lilian?"
"Right here," she called from Will's bedside. "Who has it? Please be quick; I don't know how long he has…"
They were shocked to see how badly Will looked. The tattoos were glowing wickedly as the teen uttered soft cries of pain.
"Here." Hope handed her the syringe.
Lilian looked at it. "How many of these do you have?"
Hope felt a pang of guilt. "They only made one…"
"So we're leaving countless other people to die," Larka whispered.
"It can't be helped," Lilian sighed as she prepared the syringe. "No matter what we do, we can only save one person. All of you went through the trials needed to get this; why shouldn't you have the right to use it as you wish to?"
"That's true," Draken nodded. "Alright then, use it!"
She eyed Will, who was still occasionally tossing and turning in pain. "Neo, I need you to hold him down. We only have one chance for this to succeed."
"Right!" He grabbed Will's arms, turning him so he was eagle-spread across the bed. "Will? Please, calm down. It's ok. The pain will be gone soon. You'll be alright… please, just let us help you!"
Will tensed, and then relaxed. "…Neo…? Where… it's so dark… too much… pain…"
"Now, Lilian!" Neo said.
She had found a vein as he had talked. Now she gently inserted the needle and injected him with the liquid.
Will let out one last cry of agony before suddenly becoming limp. The glow of the snakes faded away, but the tattoos remained.
"Is he going to heal?" Neo asked nervously as Lilian felt his forehead.
"It's too soon to tell. We can only wait."
"Then I'm going to get some rest," Draken said, sitting down. "That was one big rush we had!"
"How close was Will to dying until now?" Zack asked as he sat down too.
"Less than a day away. You came just in time," Lilian answered.
Hope sighed in relief. "That was too close…"
"How did you get it?" Neo asked.
"We'll tell everyone at once," Brandi said.
Lilian got up. "If he wakes up,
tell me. In the meantime, I need to look over Max." Then she left.
Draken broke the silence. "Now what?"
"Now we discuss something that needs to be decided," Zack said. He reached over to his Duel Disk and grabbed the top card, quickly putting it on the floor. "Max looks over Obelisk, but who will guard Osiris?"
"You found Osiris?!" Neo said in amazement, looking at the card.
"Yep. Unfortunately, he was unsealed before we knew our enemy had him," Draken said bitterly.
"Well… you won it from him," Larka said. "Why don't you keep it, Zack?"
"I don't think I have the right to," he explained. "Max never said anything about Obelisk burning him… so I think Osiris is telling me I'm not supposed to keep it."
"Then it doesn't like me either," Draken joked. "Larka? Fell?"
Larka carefully touched it, and yelped. "Nope, it's not mine."
Fell also felt it, and removed his hand. "It burned me as well."
Claire grimaced as she tried. "No chance."
Brandi went over and winced. "Not going to work for me…"
Hope eagerly reached over to feel it. Brandi was shocked to see, for a second, a dark look in Hope's eyes… one that seemed to be filled with greed…
Then she yanked her hand away. "Argh… no go." She sighed. "Well, it's apparently none of ours… but if nobody can hold on to it, I will."
"Let's test out the others before jumping to conclusions," Brandi said, looking uneasy. "Hope, could you tell the Soul Monsters how Will is doing?"
"Yeah, if you want me to." She left the room.
Brandi waited until she was gone before turning to the others. "Listen. We can't have Hope keep the god card."
"What? Why not? She would take good care of it," Zack said.
"Whenever something comes up about the god cards, Hope acts… odd. She wanted to know where Obelisk was a few days ago. I didn't tell her, and she acted as though she hadn't meant to ask… but it's making me suspicious."
"She wouldn't betray us!" Larka exclaimed, shocked.
"I doubt she would, but I'm still worried. So let anyone else have it; just not Hope."
"Alright…" Claire said regretfully.
Zack took the card and put it back in his Duel Disk again. "I'll hold onto it until we can ask the others."
In a few minutes, Hope came back in. "Malon really misses you."
"That's typical," Larka laughed.
Hope looked over her. "Shouldn't you change out of those clothes?"
Larka winced as she saw their condition. "Oh yeah… after we get back to the condo, I will. But I want to see how Will is doing."
"I don't blame you," Hope replied, sitting down again.
They waited in silence. The group members stayed close to the wall while Neo waited by Will's side anxiously.
Suddenly, Neo broke the quiet. "The marks! They're fading!"
They went over to see that it was true. The black was slowly vanishing from him.
"Thank goodness that we weren't too late," Hope smiled.
The tranquil moment resumed as they waited. By now, dawn was approaching. They began to see the sun rising out of the window.
Then, someone spoke.
"After being in darkness for so long, it's nice to see the morning."
They all spun around to see Will sitting up in bed, who had been gazing at out the window as well.
He smiled at them, who were all staring at him. "So, what did I miss?"
"Will! How do you feel?" Neo asked, greatly relieved and hardly daring to hope.
"Perfectly fine now," he replied. "I was being consumed by pain, but I heard someone speaking to me often. It kept me from giving in and just accepting death. Neo, was that your voice?"
He blinked, and then smiled gently. "Yeah. I think it might have been."
"Then I owe you my life," Will stated, getting out of bed.
"Are you sure you should be standing up?" Hope asked worriedly.
"Yeah, it's ok," he assured her. "I feel as though I need to move around. I've been here a pretty long time, haven't I?"
"You've been here for about three days," Claire answered.
"That explains… so, what has happened? I'd like to have you guys explain the events, even though I kind of already know it."
"What do you mean?" Larka inquired.
"When I was delirious, I kept seeing images. I think they were more than just dreams though… I believe they were visions."
"We think so too," Brandi told him. "You talked in your sleep, and everything you said came true somehow."
"Interesting," he replied. "I'd like to hear about all of this."
"You'll get the chance," Hope promised. "I don't know when though."
"I have a suggestion," Zack said. "How about we see if Rue and Max are up to moving around yet? If they are, then we can go to Miles' room and get all of the questions done at once."
"Good call," Will nodded. "Oh, by the way, are you alright Larka?"
She blushed slightly. "I still need to change out of these… sorry you had to wake up to see me wearing garments like these."
"I'm just glad to wake up, period," Will laughed. "So maybe we should go back to the condo for you to do that? I could certainly use some fresh air."
"Same here," Neo sighed.
Will gave his friend a closer look. "You look exhausted… how long have you been in here?"
"I didn't leave at all," Neo answered. "I fell asleep once, accidentally. Otherwise, I've been waiting for you to recover."
"You've stayed up for almost three days?!" Will exclaimed. "I'm glad you care about me, but don't kill yourself like that!"
"It's fine," Neo said."I'm so relieved that you're ok… it was my fault that you got infected in the first place."
"What? Where did you get that idea?" Will stared at his Soul Monster with concern. "It wasn't your fault at all. You tried to protect me! There's no point in trying to blame anyone. I'm fine, and I assume Thanatos is gone… is he?"
"Yes," Hope replied.
"Thought so," Will nodded. "So, there's no need to say who's guilty about it. Ok?"
"…Yeah," Neo replied, smiling wearily. "You're right."
"Good, you're actually listening to me for once!" Will opened the door. "So, shall we leave?"
"Hold on. Lilian wants to look over you, and then we will," Brandi said.
Hope went and got the nurse. She looked over at Will, and nodded when she was done examining him.
"You have completely recovered. I'm glad that you managed to pull through. It must have been a terrible ordeal."
"It was," he agreed. "No need to dwell on it though. So can we go now?"
"After we get the other Soul Monsters too," Hope said.
They went over to Miles' room, and Hope knocked on the door once more.
"It's still open," they heard Gen say.
"That's good; I was afraid you might have locked it," Hope joked as she opened it.
Miles has been talking with Gaston about something, but he lost track of his conversation instantly. "Will! You're ok!"
"Yep, and am I glad I am," he said. "We'll talk soon enough, so don't start throwing questions all over the place."
"We're going back to the condo for some rest," Hope explained. "We'll be back soon."
"Alright. See you guys later," Miles called as they left.
They left the hospital, soon arriving at the condo. Hime and Perseus were delighted to see Will. Chasity had not known how close Will had come to dying, so she was happier to see Malon come back.
"I'm going to take a shower, if you don't mind," Larka said to Brandi.
"Go ahead." Brandi looked at Fell. "You could use one too."
Fell glanced down at himself and shrugged.
"No, it's not nothing! Brandi's completely right! You're going first!" Larka demanded, dragging him away.
"Poor guy," Hope laughed. "What should the rest of us do?"
"How about getting some sleep?" Brandi suggested. "Hey, Hime! Could you wake us up at around ten?"
"Of course," she replied. "Go ahead and relax."
"I'm all for that," Neo declared as they went into the living room. He leaned against the wall and instantly fell asleep.
"He really needs that rest," Will commented. "Maybe we should leave while he's still asleep."
"He'd kill you when he wakes up," Mana pointed out.
"True. I guess he can catch up on his sleep later." He went towards the door. "I'm not tired at all. I think I'll take a walk, if that's ok."
"Go ahead," Brandi replied. "See you later."
Claire decided to stay with Chasity and Malon, since she was not about to fall asleep either. Hope went into the fold out bed, and was soon out of it. Zack went to his corner and began to recharge. Draken took a spot next to Neo. Brandi went to her mother's room, Mana following her. Gaston remained with Daine and Perseus, talking over a few things.
-----
She was in front of the painting again. But this time, Obelisk had glowing red eyes and Osiris had glowing yellow eyes. They looked as though they were at long last awake. Ra still seemed asleep though.
Satan still seemed asleep. The figure to the right was still in the shadows. The one to the left was starting to emerge though… something produced from the figure's head, and from its back… and the dark blue jewel gleamed…
Then, she heard Satan.
"Come back to me, my loyal servants. Join me once more…"
Hope could not resist. There was something he wanted, something he needed, and she had to get it for him…
-----
Zack woke up instantly, and stood up as he saw Hope stumbling over to him.
She must have triggered my security device, he thought as she came over.
"Hope? Is something wrong?"
The girl did not respond, but instead grabbed his Duel Disk.
"Hope?" He gently pulled his Duel Disk out of her grasp, and looked at her eyes.
They were still closed. Her breathing was steady and even as well.
She's sleepwalking, Zack realized. He watched as she took his Duel Disk into her hands again, reaching for the top card on his deck.
She's trying to take Osiris in her sleep? What on earth is going on with her? Zack moved his Duel Disk away again. "Hope, wake up. Please, respond to me."
She tried to grab his Duel Disk again.
"This is not working," he muttered. "Hey, Gaston!"
"Yeah? What's the problem?" He came in and caught sight of the two of them. "Hope, what are you doing?"
"She's sleepwalking," Zack answered. "Can I have some assistance please?"
"Alright." He grasped Hope by the hand and led her back into the fold-out bed, where she instantly lay down and remained still.
"What was that all about?" Gaston wondered.
"She seemed to be trying to get Osiris," Zack replied. "I'm concerned about this. She seems to want the god cards for some reason, but I cannot guess why."
"I'll keep an eye on her," Gaston replied, looking worried. "She has never sleepwalked before… I hope she's alright."
"As do I." Then Zack went back to where he had been.
Gaston sat next to the bed Hope lay in, deciding to make sure she did not try to sleepwalk again.
-----
"Hope, Draken, Zack, Neo, wake up!" Larka said, running in.
Hope was up instantly. "It was nice to have a rest, but I still feel weary. Oh well." She glanced at Larka's clothes. "It looks like you've finally gotten that shower."
"I forced Fell to take his first." Larka sat down next to her, looking disgusted. "He took as long as ever trying to do it, too. I keep telling him a comb would help, but of course he doesn't listen…"
Hope laughed at her expression. "So are we about to go?"
"Yeah, in a few minutes. Brandi's already awake. Will came back too."
"So, how are you Neo?" Will asked as he came in.
"A lot better, thanks," Neo replied.
"Is everyone else ready to leave?" Zack questioned.
"All but Brandi," Darche answered, coming in. "She's getting a new outfit."
"How would you know?" Draken asked.
"Just listen."
They soon realized what Darche meant by that.
"Those stupid torturers! They just had to go and tear apart one of my favorite tops! If Matt hadn't already killed them I'd be sure to, those damn punks!"
Draken raised an eyebrow. "Ouch. That's harsh."
Then they heard the front door open. Curious, they went to see who it was.
"Abby! You're back!" Hime exclaimed as her friend came back in.
"Yes, I am. I'm glad to see you," she smiled. "Where is Chasity?"
When Malon had run to the door, barking, Chasity had followed. Seeing who was there, she instantly ran to Abby. "Mom!"
Abby instantly embraced her. "I've missed you."
"Same here!" Chasity said, grinning.
The others had noticed the second person though.
"Max!" Brandi gasped, coming into the room and stopping as she saw him. "You're well enough to get up?"
"Yep. I'm pretty thankful too; it was getting really boring, just lying there all day," Max stated.
"I bet you guys will love this," Draken snickered. "But we were just about to go to the hospital. We're going to tell everyone everything that happened there, since Miles can't move around."
"Great," Max sighed. "You could have told us before we came here. Wait, will we all even be able to fit into Miles' room?"
"He's being moved to a bigger room since he'll be staying in the hospital for a while," Neo explained. "That's what Lilian said, anyway."
"Miles isn't my most favorite guy in the world, but I feel sorry for him," Max commented. "He's in for some really dull months."
"Well, we have to get Rue and Ruecian first," Perseus told him. "Then we'll go to the hospital."
"I'll stay here to look after Chasity," Abby said. "Hime can go and tell me what you discussed when you all return."
"That's fine," Neo replied. "See you two later."
"Bye!" Chasity waved as they left.
"We must look like the oddest group," Draken joked as they walked to the rehab center.
"Then it's a good thing nobody is watching us," Brandi pointed out.
When they reached the rehab center, Claire went towards it. "I'll get them. You guys wait here."
In a few minutes she returned, Rue and Ruecian with her. Rue still seemed awkward with the crutches but he was able to limp over to them.
"Max, Will! It's great to see that you two are up!" he said enthusiastically.
"Likewise," Will responded. "Can you keep up with us?"
Max normally would have made a smart-aleck comment in response to Rue, but remembering that in a way, he had been the one to break Rue's leg, he stayed silent.
"Probably not," Rue replied in a disgusted tone. "I still need to be at the rehab center a bit longer."
"I see. Oh, and by the way…" Will brought out his book, The Outcast of Redwall, and slammed Rue over the head with it.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Rue complained.
"Don't take my sayings," Will told him before beginning to walk towards the hospital.
Rue stared at him in amazement. "How did he know I said that a few days back?"
"Will's had some interesting visions," Hope said as Ruecian helped Rue get on Perseus.
"I hope he'll go over them in a bit more detail when we get to the hospital," Rue responded.
"So Claire told you where we are going?"
"Yep. So let's get there."
-----
"At least this place is roomier," Miles commented as he looked around his new room. It was almost identical to his previous one, except that this one was much bigger. "But do you think they'll all be able to fit in here?"
"We'll see when they arrive," Matt replied. He had come in a few minutes ago to see if he could hear the story as well.
They suddenly heard several footsteps coming towards the room.
"That'll be them," Gen confirmed. As Hope's familiar knock sounded on the door, he instantly called out, "It's open!"
"Well, this is an improvement," Draken commented as they stepped in. "If we all sit down, we just might be able to fit."
"I can't really sit down well," Rue pointed out.
"You can sit on the edge of the bed," Miles suggested. "It's not like I'm taking up this whole thing."
"Hey, it's been a while," Rue replied. "Ok, thanks."
Claire also fit on Miles' bed. Soon they all managed to fit in with a bit of room to spare. Even Perseus could stay.
Brandi had gone over to Matt at once. "I have to really thank you for Masque. He was a great help." She handed the Soul Card to Matt.
"I'm glad he could assist," Matt said, accepting it.
As soon as everyone was comfortable, Hope spoke first. "It's been a while since we've all been together, huh?"
"It's been at least a month, since Miles never did show up again," Draken pointed out.
"Oh, yes… Miles, would you please tell us about that now?" Hope requested.
Miles was silent for a few moments before nodding. "Alright. I have to, after all I've done. But please, don't interrupt me. If I'm stopped, it will be hard to finish."
"We understand. Go ahead," Larka encouraged.
"Alright… in the church, my ordeal was to face my own past, although I did not know it then. I was told to grasp my Soul Card, so I did. That brought everything back. So, here is what happened."
"I lived in a town that was in Illinois. It was a small, quiet place, but I liked living there. My mother died when I was about six, so I remember her a bit… but I was with my dad mostly. His name was Luke." Miles forced himself to keep going. "He was… a really good father. I loved him a lot… I still do, as a matter of fact."
"When I was ten… that was when it all began. Raven was a guy who had always picked on me before… I didn't have many friends back then, but Raven was always the worst. He always had several problems in things such a school, and I think his parents weren't exactly good influences on him and Robin… that's his brother, by the way. Anyway, Raven went too far one day and attacked me, all while saying things about my mother… like that she was probably happy to be dead, instead of having to deal with me… I could put up with that now, but back then I was nothing but a lost, scared boy. It affected me deeply."
"I told my dad what had happened, and he challenged Raven to a duel. If he won, Raven was to leave me alone for the rest of our lives, and if he lost, he would never step between us again. He easily beat Raven; Raven wasn't that good at dueling. Robin was better at it, but not enough to be called an expert. Anyway, Raven now wanted revenge on dad. One night, he broke into our house. When dad found him… Raven… he stabbed him… Dad… he just looked at me with those kind eyes of his… and then closed them forever… God, I still miss him," Miles said sadly.
"But I was afraid, yet angry. I stabbed Raven with his own knife, and then took dad's deck… and his bandana. That's why it's always been special to me," he added, fingering it. "I fled from the house, and saw Robin. So I ran into the nearest store, a bakery. There was a fireplace in the front room, so I grabbed a burning log from inside it and threw it into the hall, near a smoke detector, and ran out of the back door. I wanted a diversion to distract Robin."
"I hadn't expected what occurred though. Instead of just a small fire that could be put out, the whole building exploded. The town was ablaze in less than a minute. It didn't stand a chance."
"There was only one survivor, and that was Robin. He confronted me and managed to give me the scar on my neck before I got away. I ran until I collapsed in the woods, exhausted."
"When I woke up, I discovered that a Commander of Heaven had taken care of me. I was appalled at what I had done though. I wanted to kill myself… but instead, the Commander of Heaven offered to take away the pain of it. I accepted, and he erased my memory."
Miles closed his eyes. "The truth tore at me for the month I was away from you guys. When Thanatos came, he offered to erase my memory. Gen told me it was wrong, but I didn't listen to him. At the time, I was desperate, and I decided to take that route… but when I went through with it, I knew instantly that I shouldn't have. Being a traitor to all of you hurts much worse than an accident such as the one in the town. So… if you can forgive me, I would be forever grateful. But I do not blame any of you if you do not."
The silence after his narrative was broken by Will. "You said you started the fire in a bakery?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You chose one of the worst places possible," Will told him. "Flour acts just like gunpowder. When the fire connected with it, it must have blown up the bakery, which had a chain reaction on nearby houses."
"Oh… so that's how it happened," Miles said quietly.
"Also, I'd like to explain something," Gen stated. "Miles' memories were stored into me. I didn't know I held onto them, nor did he. That is why he held onto his Soul Card in the ordeal."
"Interesting," Zack commented.
Then Hope spoke. "Miles, I can't speak for the others, but I at least forgive you. You made wrong choices, but you recognize that now and are trying to correct them. I think that deserves a chance."
"Actually, I believe Hope just did speak for us all," Draken stated. "Any objections?"
Nobody spoke.
"Then remember that we're all with you," Larka said to him. "If you ever have problems such as that, please talk to us instead of hiding. Ok?"
"…Yeah… thanks you guys," Miles replied. "It means everything to me…" Then he trailed off.
Brandi was the next to speak up. "Now that that's settled, how about we tell everyone about what happened?"
"That sounds good," Hope agreed. "Should I begin?"
There were a few interruptions here and there during the tale, but otherwise it was told. Hope and Brandi did not tell of what Hope had said to Max in the forest, but otherwise no details were omitted. Fell even told them about how his fight with Rouki had gone. Will seemed to recognize a few parts of the story but did not comment. Everyone was shocked to heard that Malady and Viken had been alive and assisting Thanatos, and with Vlad being the true villain. They were even more stunned to hear that Vlad had gotten Osiris.
"That's about it," Hope concluded. "Vlad's in jail by this point, and the officials will destroy all the mechanical soldiers and wolf soldiers. Their souls are long gone… due to this, it would be kinder to kill them. Viken and Malady are dead, and we have Osiris in our possession. It may have been unsealed, but at least we have it."
"Can we see it?" Will asked.
Zack carefully drew it, and wincing at the burning feeling, put it next to Rue, who was the closest person to him that had not seen the god card.
"Wow… he's amazing," Rue said in awe. Then he reached for it.
"Wait! Don't pick it up!" Zack exclaimed, but it was too late.
Rue looked at the card he held before giving Zack a confused look. "Why not? It isn't like I'm going to bend it or anything."
Everyone who had seen Osiris before stared at Rue in amazement.
"You can hold it?" Brandi asked in disbelief.
"Uh… yeah. Why wouldn't I be able to?" Rue asked.
"It burned anyone who tried to touch it," Claire explained. "None of us could hold onto it. But you aren't affected at all!"
"So what does that mean?" Rue inquired, examining the card more closely.
"I guess that means you get to be its guardian," Zack stated. "I was just holding onto it for a while. He's yours now."
"Are you sure we want to trust Rue with this, out of all people?" Brandi teased.
"Hey! I'm better than Miles at things like this, at least!" Rue protested.
"I resent that," Miles muttered.
"If Rue can hold it, then it's rightfully his," Zack said. "No questions asked."
"Oh… speaking of which, Obelisk burned me when I tried to hold it!" Mana commented. "Max asked me to hide it, so I did. But it was extremely hard to hold onto!"
"So whenever we find Ra, we'll have to find its proper guardian as well," Matt inferred.
"That should be fun," Gaston said sarcastically.
"Larka, I have a question," Zack stated. "What did you do with that remote control?"
"I took a huge rock I found outside and smashed it. Was that ok?"
Zack blinked. "Uh… yes, it is actually…"
Hope waited for them to finish before speaking up. "Now what? We finished what we were doing here, so I guess we'll be splitting up again?"
"Yeah. I need to go back to Kisara's place," Draken replied.
"Draken, are you and Kisara boyfriend and girlfriend like Mana said?" Rue questioned.
"You weren't supposed to tell them I said that!" Mana growled.
"Ok, listen you two," Draken snarled, glaring at Rue and Mana. "We are friends. That is it. We do not love each other, we like each other as friends. That is it. Got it?!"
"Talk about denial," Rue joked.
"If you didn't have a broken leg, I would beat the tar out of you for that," Draken grumbled.
"Nice thing for you to say, old friend," Rue snickered.
"Rue and I will have to go home too," Claire said, interrupting the argument. "But Rue needs to spend a few more days in rehab before that happens."
"Damn that place," Rue muttered.
"Max and I will be going home obviously, as will Matt," Brandi stated.
"Same here," Will said.
"We need to fly back," Hope told them.
"Yeah, and get Zack back into that suitcase," Larka grinned.
"For all that is holy, no," Zack said dryly. "I am not going back. Got it? I will remain in South Carolina somehow, rather than go through that again."
Will took pity on the cyborg. "Well, we have a large house that only holds two people. How about it? You can stay with us for a while."
"Thanks, I would appreciate that," Zack replied.
"Aw… I'm going to miss having you around," Larka said sadly.
"I get the feeling we'll meet up again soon enough," Zack responded, smiling slightly.
Larka nodded. "That's true, but I'll still miss you."
"Mom won't," Hope stated. "She'll be delighted. If you get a thank you note it'll be from her, ok Zack?"
"Understood," he replied.
"And I'm stuck here," Miles sighed. "This is going to be as boring as heck."
"Don't worry. Neo and I will visit you two," Will assured.
"As will I," Zack decided.
"That helps," Miles grinned. "Too bad I don't have at least one arm to use to read a book though."
"I could read out loud for you," Gen joked.
"Hahaha… no," Miles said in disgust.
Ruecian nodded in agreement.
"Then let's get going," Max stated.
"We'll see you guys soon hopefully!" Larka called.
"For sure," Zack confirmed as they split up.
"I'll anticipate it!" Hope shouted before everyone had gone their separate ways.
-----
Sarius watched as the glow around The Child's ball slowly vanished. "Could it be that they have been unsealed?"
The Child did not respond.
Sarius sighed. "Oh well. That is not our biggest problem at the moment. Raid, Cyrus! Come over. We must talk."
They came to where their two companions stood, overlooking the lake.
"He is about to get serious," Sarius stated. "He wants to find them. We have to get to them first. Some preparations must be made, but soon we will find them. Do you understand, Child?"
"Hai, Tirran-sama."
"And you two?"
Raid hissed and Cyrus nodded.
"Alright then. You know what we must do."
And they walked away from the lake, not knowing what had occurred inside it.
For the painting had changed. Now, Obelisk's glinting red eyes were accompanied by Osiris' yellow ones.
THE END