The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Book I: War

The Moonscare stood proudly on the tundra it was located. A monument to the Master's will over all things some might say, but to most it was a dark trap for the unfortunate. No dominion or any other could remember it ever being built. That part of the Tundra was deserted, of no importance to the Dominion. A dominion sage named Alcole found it in running from the Contingency. Standing as a giant on the mostly flat wasteland none could miss it yet it was hidden from even the eyes of the Praetors, the closest to the Master. Alcole only lived long enough to tell Asriel, the former Master of Assassins, before he died at the Praetors hands. Asriel then traveled there discovering the strange machine that was built there. Seeing as a stage for him to wield a hold over even the Master, Asriel turned it into the Contingency's greatest asset for even prescience could not find it. Sincion was the most skilled of all the dominion in Asriel's contingency. He of course found it soon after it was put into use by the Praetor. Sincion's assignment was to keep it hidden from the knowledge of the Master of Crafts, Osiris, the Strongest of the Praetors and perhaps all the dominion, save the Master himself.

It is important that it is understood that Sincion was once a rebel as Tanneth and Kyra, and that he had his own agenda at that time to destroy the Praetors and usurp the Master from his dominance over them.

Sincion did well in hiding the knowledge from the Praetors as the Contingency worked its fowl agendas from the fortitude of its walls. The Moonscare faded into the blackness of the dominion when the contingency deserted it when the Master was killed was killed. Asriel did not survive to tell much of any one else, but Sincion remembered the old fortress and with the aid of Tanneth and Argon made it into the epicenter for their movement, and to ever more irony it was then the tool to find the rebel that reopened its gates. The power of the Moonscare frightened even the mightiest of the Dominion. Prescience was viewed as their greatest asset; those able to wield it considered the most skilled, yet a lone mountain on the forgotten wasteland could deflect it. This fact alone made it ideal for Sincion. He would be invisible from Osiris and Warlock, his fellow Praetors. While he may use his power and the machines of the Moonscare to finally complete what had set out so long ago.

He laid in that chamber for hours to days to weeks to even months, lost in a meditative trance. He barely needed food or water and no one would disturb him in that state. Even Argon kept his presence from that chamber. Then he sat before the blue metal staff, where the stone that took centuries of human chronological units to find had once sat. The key to using the mechanism to undoing the legacy was stolen by its advocate. His mind forced his thoughts lost, he felt for the traces of Tanneth. Tanneth himself could not be found but he could followed to an extent.

The sounds of confusion filled his ears. Someone was causing a disturbance, good. Sincion kept void of the concern of the sphere stone. The confusion grew louder into a panic. He heard the joyous shout of human and the fearful pull of…. other.

He could feel it. It was strange, foreign to him. Something unexpected. He became even more focused on the moment. Sincion must the source.

Cold and.....silver light, the mark of what? It's fear, and remorse…….desire! His hands and feet began to shake. Sweat came over his for head. It was powerful, but uncontrolled. It was other than human or demon, what it was Sincion could not tell. He over came the fatigue of the surprise and realigned his focus. The presence was not that foreign and forceful then. It was focused on someone else, and it was chasing him the unrestrained malice. Another voice from a misty tomb he sensed as well. Who are you, why are you afraid, who is it that pursues you? The question went unanswered. The fear draped away then. Sincion tried to stay with the presence, but was too swift and clouded. The trail faded into silence and Sincion was left in a void.

What was that? It wasn't Tanneth. Or……no. Where did it go? This may be a threat to both of us Tanneth, if you are near find it! Sincion would not have any other destroy what he was trying to do. Though Tanneth betrayed once again he stilled shared the same convictions. The same principles that the domino were gradually losing into time.

He started again keeping his mid clear of distractions and falling back into the current. Then he found it again. It stopped and cried out. Sadness and regret, malice and benevolence fell in disarray. Sincion push forth with all his and tried to find him.

Sincion's eyes fell open. His heart stopped suddenly, his mind flown into shock.He had been thrown back, by what? Nothing had power, only the Master had ever. It was unexpected, but it made no sense, it was powerful but uncontrolled. Such phenomena had disappeared long before then.

The physical world slowly came back to him. His heart began to beat once again. Sincion thought of it. The experience reminded him of his lost years of training; the haphazard learning of prescience. Oddly enough there was no real way of perfecting the art of it.

He moved hi arm and push his body up. It gave way and he lay once again on his back. What ever he had just experienced had to correspond with something related to Tanneth. No one else in the human world had that kind of knowledge of prescience to even imagine such an event. He rolled onto his stomach and crawled to the staff, pulling him self up.

"ARGON," he shouted!

Several minutes passed then the great steel doors opened and the commander walked in.

"What has happened?"

"Nothing of importance. Though that is bad news since we are looking for Tanneth. His trail is disappearing if we don't move soon…"

"I have made it clear that we must conceal ourselves if we are…."

"If we are going to succeed in this we must retain what Tanneth has. His knowledge and that he has the sphere tone makes him our priority, all others as of now are secondary." Argon's frustration was apparent his bond to rely on bounty hunters and pitiful demons was an insult to him.

"You know why we need to keep the solidarity of the Moonscare complete if it is to succeed. Tanneth is smarter and more elaborate than you ever give him credit. He did what we thought to be impossible remember?"

Argon remained silent. He seems different now, more as he sued to be. Maybe anger is the way to pug him of corruption. "If Tanneth find s a way to hide we will be thrown back much farther than your judgment can see. Start using you facts." A great insult to a Contingency master.

"You may know this commander if we don't find a means to bring him back all will fail and our heads will belong to Osiris! I will not have this fortress brought down by malcontent dominion." Argon eyes began to glow fiercely at that term. "Yes, we are that close to damnation. I see your point Argon." He turned and walked down the dim hall. "I see why we must hurry, but haste will be a much greater enemy than other at this point. We are so close to the end, we must find the golden path! We must rebuild. Our kind must change or forever perish in an inferno." The aura of fear that once surrounded Sincion began to dim for that moment. He was himself again; the dark power was push back. They walked to a corridor that led to a lift. It carried them to a long empty shaft. It stretched above and bellow for a long ways.

"All most hard to believe."

"Yes, Argon, we had built so many of these. Yet one that was forgotten and by no means greater or grander than any other, would be to the one the revitalize our race. We are close we can't fail at it now."

The shaft was almost an endless void of darkness. No power or light ran through it. Strangely enough it was a mirror of the truth of what was to come.

It weighed heavy on him, whatever it was. Tanneth pulled himself onto the roof of the office building leaving young Skyler below yelling at what he was doing.

"Tanneth what is it? Why are you up there?"

Cold. It's now cold. His mind was going over hurtles he never had taken before. The feeling of pain and agony, something being tortured by the thing he knew all to well much to his fear. St. Petersburg was all quiet. The sounds of street cars and the muttered voices of street goers was the only sound that filled his ears. He then began to doubt himself again. It could just be him, a side effect perhaps. The wound Sincion had given was still making itself known to him. He hadn't slept in many days. Fatigue was very uncommon in dominion, but sadly not unheard of. He had been worked far worse than that before, but he never started to hallucinate. The cold began to be only what he sense. Whatever it was it had probably died then.

The thought of that pain filled him. He had only experienced it once. That was at the hand of the Master but e was gone. He knew what was feeling it was not human. It couldn't be simply, humans were not that sensitive. The truth was obvious and impossible. A dominion would be in the city besides him. Gaol was thousands of mile away, and no dominion can travel to that world without the aide of Sincion or himself, and Sincion would not move to a new world that hastily. More and more he began to feel as if he was loosing his fragile sanity, looking over the beauty of St. Petersburg. A sigh came from him. It was his edge slowly moving away. He was occupying his mind to much on the future that can make a commando as himself to lose some screws so to speak. Skyler loud voice finally came piercing into his meditation.

"Tanneth what the hell are you doing standing up there? We almost got to the apartment!"

Tanneth casually stepped off., falling the levels to the street floor. "It was nothing. I need some sleep."

"So do I. Next time don't just take off like that." He walked silently behind her. His head was lowered when he walked. Lost in his thought once again. This was out of his character. Skyler several times looked back at him. He seemed off his game since head gotten into the city.

The sky was beautiful; that night. The strong arm of the cities lights could not hide it as they did in so many other dense places. Tanneth saw the bright holes in the blanket. The night sky was always the same. Whether he had been on a planet which in the day the sky was blue, orange, or crimson the night was pure. Knowing that some things could not be changed was a comfort to an old soldier. Closely he saw the faint red and blue mixed with the brighter white; the stars of different sizes showing off their magnitude. In time he began to make shapes of them, creating constellations in his mind. Wolves, bears, and more beats unknown to man came out of old memory. Like all dominion each had their obsession. Whether it was death, enigma, wisdom, exploration, animosity, or love one thing seemed to consume each one of them. Something they all shared save the Master. Always he was beyond their understanding. Regret came to mind as Tanneth walked looking up at the sky then down at the dirt. Regret for not himself but his kind. Fear ruled them for untold time. Changing, warping, distorting whether in malevolence or benevolence, to turn them into separate sects. Distant cousins from one another as lions are from tigers. He remembered seeing Xavier perform tasks he could never follow and read science and data beyond the quickest of the human's artificial thinking machines. He was not that fast. Sincion's prescience, and Argons endurance, other examples of their break form one another, though are still referred to by others as dominion. Cruse them for there selfish imperialist dogma. That the others must destroy them to build to their interests was a travesty to Tanneth's conscious. He longed to see the grand unity of his brothers once more. That was why he joined Sincion.

He looked up. They showed no less than the time before. He thought of the distance that he had to travel for one mission in his soldier days. When he and countless others flowed through the gates and the ships to settle disputes conquered rebellions, hunt down creatures, and expand the hold. Billions upon billions of miles. Even for him the number was so amazingly astronomical. Humans had a long way to go, but hey are so far already then. They could much if they just would slow down.

It dawned upon him. He had been deceiving himself in believing others would only come from Makai. Dominion could not move through the dimensions freely anymore, but there were many on this plane. Out there. Billions upon billions miles away from where Tanneth was yet they still were on that side. It would still be strange for one to be on Earth. Humans and other primitive cultures were best left alone since they are no longer rulers of time. Would one seek solitude here? It is possible. They surly where at a time here, why not now? Tanneth knew if they were dominion he had to find them. Their help would be something that the prescience of Sincion and the arm of Argon could do nothing about. He could find the solution he needed. It was not to be though. None of them were there and none would come.

The end that was so unbelievable when he was young was not far off. The Dominion had been brought to its knees. Broken by their own fear and by Tanneth's actions. It ate at him now. He spent so much power in destroying the Master; so much time had been spent by him and countless others before he had seen the truth. Looking back he saw how it had doomed the Dominion. He stopped on the street, paying no attention to humans passing him by and giving him strange remarks. Dominion had little hope of rebuilding. He saw Sincion's reasoning, why should they put the welfare of other races above their own?

Perhaps it was because of guilt. The suffering the Dominion laid upon all others in their conquest, the endless campaign which stole the soul of many of his own kin and gave it to the Master. Still, thinking back he missed the wonder of the vast paradigm that they held; the mastery of their world and the power they exercised. Tanneth then felt so powerless, as he had felt long years before that moment. And like then he would not sway in trying to prevent the vengeance of the other races and the broken heart of the masters destroy him and the Dominion.

Pride came back to him. The rich spirit of the soldier reawakened in his eyes. He could stay in the sanctity of St. Petersburg for long. He was a commando. The elite, the best of the combat units; as one he was supposed to indifferent in the odds of failure and death. Tanneth once again turned to the stars; they shown all the brighter as his spirit reawakened on earth.

In this the drum beat almost was not heard by him. He was off guard but still the feeling pricked his nerves. A drum like a beat of a drum it came. Weak and grew stronger. Tanneth felt a burning is limbs. It was so close to him. He knew it and yet he had never experienced it. It felt as his mind was going. He felt afraid for an odd reason. It was so strange. He felt weaker as it came in shorter beats. Like a drum, two consecutive beats then a pause then another two consecutive beats. Constant it came and Tanneth became very afraid. He had sensations like this but only in dreams. He was awake then. It wasn't in his head this time. It began to rise in rhythm. Speeding up the pace. Not like a drum like a drum then more like a heart. He identified it then. He felt it in his nightmares; the cold heat surrounding him and the dreaded eyes piercing into his being.

It was pain. Something was in pain. The fear let go of Tanneth. It was near him, only some miles away still in St. Petersburg. He focused. He accelerated faster than he had ever before and raced along the edge of the roof tops. The beats became almost too powerful for him to have control of his body. His instincts told him to run. A chill gripped his nerves each time he felt one of the pulses. He heart felt as though is going to break. Still he accelerated. It was the presence he felt earlier. But was it truly a dominion? He picked up the pace in the face of fear. Whoever was in pain he must find? The being had power that demons and humans could not have, to affect him like. Tanneth ran as fast as his legs could allow. Soon he came upon the source.

Chen lay in complete shock on the snow. A flow of energy came from him with the every pound of his heart. He paralyzed on the ground. He was too afraid to open his eyes for fear of the beasts which wear stalking him. He felt as if he was possessed by opposing elements and was being torn to pieces by their battles. Flashes of blue and red spirits came into eyes on the ground. He was Listening closely enough he heard voices of some stranger. He tried to listen hoping to end his sorrow, but with every beat of his half heart came an indescribable thrust of vigorous pain. Chen tried to call out, but only whimpers escaped from his lips.

He didn't want it. Why was like this, he was not insane. Why did he deserve to suffer? Chen only wanted it to end. The fiends circled around him; he heard their wings fold and flap as they came near to him. He heard the breath and the gargled voice which seemed to wish him pain. He was ripped by them and his own mind. He wanted to fight to rise up and take his life back, but the felt too afraid and unable to muster any strength to fight for his life. Death seemed to come closer. He wondered if one of the beasts circling was there claim his soul and rag him to hell.

The dismay of his heart lifted and a new force came to play in the whole of his body. It drove him and urged to stand. Chen tried to comply but again pulled at him and the cold snarl of a demon echoed in his ears. He lifted his arms and fell back down. Again the force came. His arms stretched out and rose from the ground. Creatures dove and flew at him, biting and slashing him in the back and head. He felt there teeth strike him. No blood fell but the pain was just as real. He stood full upright and opened his eyes.

Red lightning bolted around him and a stream of energy. St. Petersburg was river a red and white light, but the stars shone just as bright. The energy flowed over the land moving through the buildings which then were just shadows. He eyes focused lower. The beasts flew around him with great speed. The stinging of their claws grew as he watched them. They attacked and attacked until the wounds no longer caused harm to Chen.

Then the monster came. Chen's heart sank as it approached. Its body was long and with great bulk. Its wing sanded nearly forty feet which Chen could see. Covered with long scales of black armor it moved around as a snake. Chen wanted to run but how could he escape such a beast? It flew long then lunged at him. Chen felt the teeth move deep into his flesh, ripping apart his organs and spilling then onto the ground. He fell onto his back. The force which willed him had fallen he was left to own demons then.

No, not this, I WILL LIVE!!

The force was not a different one. It wasn't from some other place coming to aid him in his pain. It was Chen Shin. Emotion found its footing once again as he pushed up from the ground. On his knees he saw the beast. The invention of his nightmares they were stalking him, coming to make a kill on his spilt state. He would have it. He was his own master he ruled hi future. He great cry came from him and his heart gave a thunderous pound. A wave of a better power erupted and the creatures themselves became insane. They flew in panic attacking each other until a second wave ripped their being to shreds.

Chen felt calm for a moment. The pain subsided and the voices ceased. Then he felt drained, bleeding from pseudo wounds inflicted by his assailants. The pain came back. His mind became to split. His chest was gripped as though a knife was in it. There Chen's hope failed the panic which he experience before set in he screamed out as he was being pulled in two.

Chen felt a thud near him, something else had come to claim him. He rose in a fury and attacked the stranger.

Tanneth had watched the seen for some minutes before he approached he could not believe what he was seeing. Invisible to most but with concentration he saw the life force of a dominion being spilled out of him. It would the same as if a human saw a demon consuming another human. This never happened to a dominion. They never where torn apart by an unseen force. He had seen his own kind in more whys than he had ever whished to know but this he had never imagined. He saw the boy scream and shout in pain.

Almost in and mostly in horror he witnesses the scene before Skyler came up near him.

Her eyes grew wide immediately. She was confused and gave several glances to Tanneth who was in shock. "Well……are you…….will you help him?!?"

He voice seemed to strike a cord and his reason came back, he approached the boy quickly. The kid shot up from the ground and swung his fist at Tanneth.

Not even shock could remove the reflexes which Tanneth possessed. He caught blow and tried to restrain the kid, but he was fighting too fiercely. Kick and a punch he removed him self from Tanneth's arms. With a speed which Tanneth had not expected hi knocked Tanneth onto his back. Tanneth rolled off the ground then forced the boy down to the ground. Again he was met with something he did not expect. The kid was dominion but he had strength beyond what he should. Tanneth was thrown off.

Tanneth stood off a bit and starred at Chen. He was bleeding from a cut on his hand when Tanneth forced him down. The red blood oozed slowly staining the white snow. The idea then came. It wasn't known to him he had thought about it many times but again he never would consider it to be true. Something in which in all the millennia had not happened.

"You're a hybrid!" Tanneth had little time to react as Chen rushed him quickly, stretching his arm to strike. Tanneth dipped low on his knees watching the flow of Chen's body. He seized the hand and twisted the arm throwing the half-breed to the ground; one punch to the head he was out. Tanneth was in true wonder of this kid. A hybrid of a human and a dominion, it was possible?

Several moments passed before Skyler spoke. "He is a hybrid?"

"Yes."

"You mean he is human and one of your kind."

"Yes."

"So a human mixed with one of you, then one of your kind had been…."

"I don't have time to explain it to you. Hybrids of my kind are not supposed to be able to exist."

"Why can't one exist?!"

"Because we are a higher race." The words Tanneth knew would agitate her agitate any other race but his own. It was the cold truth.

Skyler said nothing to him so he continued, "Our physiology is much more advanced. We may appear to be human but that is only the structure. Our bodies are incompatible to other species. Hybrids there for don't live long and this one seems to meeting the end of his life." Tanneth pulled him up by the neck and held him firmly. Chen was still able to fight if he waked. Tanneth held his knife to Chen's throat.

"What are you doing?!!"

"He can't be allowed to grow any further. He is a danger everyone and especially humans."

"You can't kill him! You said you don't like killing!"

"I don't."

"THEN STOP!" Skyler threw her self at Tanneth, attempting to knock him away. She felt her wrists swiftly seized by a strong hand.

"Trust me on this. It is the first time a hybrid has appeared. Nothing but devastation can come. In him is a power that he will never be able to control." Skyler continued to squirm in his hold. "Think of the humans in this city who don't want to die. All the people in this world who don't want to die. They will die if he develops any more. There are forces and energies that are reacting here, reacting to him maturing and to me just being present. I have to end him so these reactions don't tear space time to ribbons."

Skyler stopped struggling; daring to look up into Tanneth's fierce eyes. Tanneth took the acknowledgment. Tanneth held the knife close to his victim. He saw that the boy had all the traits a dominion should have.

It was regrettable. One should never have to kill one of there own kind. Unfortunally for Tanneth he had to on too many occasions, too many of his race being killed and here was one more to add to his long tally.

The air drew icy cold as death crept near Chen's tormented soul. The pain he was in gave some solace to Tanneth, but not much. Being merciful and ending pain was an old excuse for merciless killing of beings. Torment was a part of life. Death is meant to end life. With a choice most would choose life.

His knife was sharp sharper than any demon blade. The boy would likely not feel the cut. He pointed the tip down on the neck, positioning it for a quick thrust and exit from the half heart. Tanneth own heart raced as it was the first time he ever had to murder one as young as Chen. He could the active quantum energy bubbling in his half dominion spirit. Only chance, Tanneth brought the knife onto the boy.

As if the energy had waited for him, a pike of power came from Chen. Tanneth felt it and shuttered it was dominion but not one that was as bright and glorious as his own. He felt the hatred of it to him. It wasn't from Chen but who. A stream of charged particles ran rapid from the pours of his skin. They weaved through everything, even Tanneth's own armor. He felt the scare the Sincion had given him before he departed burn with a growing fury. The sting made him wince and the particles began to push him away from Chen. He swung one last time attempting to cut Chen's own head from his shoulders and save the boy his possession, but his knife was dissolved and melted into its elements in Tanneth's hand. Tanneth managed a look in to Chen's eyes before he was forced away. He saw the pain fade into malice of ancient properties take hold. They were not his own eyes.

The particles picked Tanneth up and threw some ten feet away. He recovered quickly. His face was littered with burns. The wound had reopened and Tanneth could feel fresh blood pour into his armor. Put pressure and winced at the burning. Another wave of the particles followed and Tanneth feel into a nearby wall.

Chen began to tremble with all the power surging in his body. He cried out in the pain. Skyler covered her. It was piercing in the night. She heard it echo through out the city and arouse several thousand people. It was full of pain and suffering; sounding as though it came straight from the pits of hell.

Chen fell to his knees, wallowing in despair. He tried to rise and run, he didn't want to die, but the suffering was too great for him to stand. The clamor in his mind blocked all reason and strength from coming back to him. The voices he heard were many. It was as the sounds of a crowd all speaking into amplifiers at once. All seemed to have one purpose though. One malignant tone rode every small word. He put his hands on his head, rolling on the ground. He was powerless nothing he could do would silence them.

The sky darkened as Chen's hour grew near. The stars glimmer grew fainter and fainter until they no longer shed light in that dark city. Skyler could hear the low thunder from above her. She saw a halo for min the sky. It was as fiery lightning. T grew brighter as Chen feel deeper into insanity. The halo let out an aura brining day to night. A deep growl came and red lightning hit the ground in a storm.

Tanneth slowly found the will to bring up onto his feet. He had rarely ever been struck that hard, by any dominion. The boy didn't have that long to live. Tanneth did not know what would happen if failed to kill him. That much power released into this world spelled devastation to the human race. The population of St. Petersburg would likely not survive, including him, and the sphere stone might also be ruptured. That may bring the destruction of that planet.

A bolt of lightning hit the ground in front of Tanneth. It was not electricity that came into his body but dominion power. It surged gave a spicy awakening to his tired muscles. On his back he saw the red halo in the darkened. He his began to beat in earnest. He is opening a door way? How? How could he possibly have the knowledge when only three know and one is dead? He stood on his feet and watched the halo as it hit the ground with red lightning. He heard the low growl in the air. He knew it. It was the same dread he had in his dreams and that he felt when he discovered that boy. He knew what it was that was somehow touching him and using him. "Leviathan."

Tanneth felt Chen's spirit splitting, his two selves dividing. From his chest came a stream of blue and crimson. They swarmed with each other as a force of bees them divided. They slowly came together color by color, first making a head and then the wings were formed. Two creatures as Chen had seen in his dreams of red and blue now swarmed around him. The blue floated elegant and peaceful while the red lashed through the air snapping at Tanneth.

Tanneth knew these beasts were Chen himself his persona forced into its separate entities, leaving there human half not far bellow.

The lightning grew all the fiercer as Chen slowly died and the beasts of him were set free. Tanneth didn't wait any longer. He jumped bellow the red dragon sprinting to Chen. The blue then came to block his way, Tanneth starred into its eyes just as he starred into the cherub's eyes in the Proxi. The dragon never flinched nor hesitated. Tanneth put his hands together and formed a red sphere. The light hit the eyes of the blue dragon and it backed off.

Tanneth was at Chen's side in a moment. He went to strike but froze. He couldn't just kill him now. The beasts were free to roam where they wished. The power was free he couldn't just end the source now. He picked Chen up and a loud growl was heard from the halo. A bolt hit Tanneth knocking him down for a second. He reached into his satchel and removed the sphere stone. This will work. He slowly crawled over to Chen and activated to stone. With a great thrust his pushed the stone into Chen.

Chen reawakened. He cried out as a wave pushed Tanneth away. The two dragons radiated with hundred times what they had shown before. They flew high then returned to Chen. Another growl was heard and a powerful bolt of red lightning came from the halo. Chen felt the bolt hit him. He felt the fear of those creatures come back. He heard them roar a wail. Then he other presence returned, the voice he never knew but trusted.

The bolt was thrusted back into the sky. The sky turned a great red as the halo sparked and broke apart. Then pieces came together then rocketed out in the sky, burning the sky as they went.

Tanneth pulled himself up painfully. He had nearly let the human word be destroyed by a seventeen year old hybrid of a dominion and human. He rose and looked at the boy. Humans and dominions were very similar. Similar enough when they are combined the reaction of their spirit power set ablaze the skies above St. Petersburg. He wondered of to do with this boy. He couldn't let wander as he wants for he carried the sphere stone, and Sincion surely would know of that fire fight. Chen couldn't stay there nor would a hybrid be safe wandering with him.

The sphere stone made his power controllable and the fact that he was half-breed he will be able to do things no dominion then could. He was to be the first and only of his kind.

"What happened," asked Skyler?

"Something unexpected….it seems like I have another infant to look after."

Tanneth looked to the sky once again. The red light slowly was fading and the stars began to show once again. He put his hand on his wound. It burned still, and was bleeding freely. Tanneth began to wonder about himself, about his skill in battle and about what he was doing. What he had hoped could bring to the Dominion liberty was locked in the heart of adolescent. The fact that he now had two traveling companions was not helping. He looked to the sky it always indifferent to whatever he was doing. Tanneth hated what he and the Dominion were becoming. All the power they worked build was now at the mercy of those they once ruled with an iron fist. If I fail, we fail, Sincion, and then we are forever damned to hell!


It was late or early depending how judged it, when it happened.

Yusuke Urameshi lay awake on the hotel, lying on his back. He had been like for an hour or more starring at the art painted on the ceiling. He never had trouble with sleeping before but the events that he had just taken part in gave him a lot to think about. He closed his eyes periodically trying to sleep from time to time always reopening them as he thought it more deeply. While was concerned about the case he had been assigned his compatriots seemed to have no trouble shrugging off the stress and snoring loudly as they drifted off in to never never land. He began to hate stress and how it kept you awake, a bad reason for him never giving the effort in his scholastic career. The level of noise finally began to quiet off and he was left alone with his thoughts.

Dominion….

Genkai, his mentor and trainer had in the last night suggested to him that the reason humans had their powers and their spirit awareness was in fact because they are somehow touched ore are related to the Dominion or a dominion. It made think of himself and his own power as well as Kuwabara's. He knew he was in some small way a demon, there of his power is probably largely demonic. Kuwabara was human in entirety. Then of course if humans got their power from the Dominion then wouldn't it be true for the demon races as well? After all, according to Koenma, lord of Spirit World, dominions originated in the Demon World, Makai. They once ruled everything including Earth and Makai. Does all life originate from some dominion being was the question he wanted to know.

Yusuke turned on to his side and starred into the clock. It read eleven p.m. He fell back onto his back and continued starring. I am never going to get sleep until this guy is either killed by some demon bounty hunter or by some miracle surrenders himself to me, and most likely he will never do any of those choices. By this guy he of course meant the dominion renegade that broke the barrier between the worlds and that he was charged to apprehend and bring to Koenma for what ever reason the small lord had in mind. Thinking of Tanneth his fugitive) he was reminded of the other dominion he had met and fought, Gaol.

Gaol was an old brute he thought. He was powerful to be sure. His speed was more than what he had seen Hiei even run before. Gaol also laid a heavy beating to the usually over confident fire demon Hiei. His own fight didn't go that well either. While he kept his own Gaol was clearly not using all the tricks had. He wanted to see the power of the new spirit detective and held back his true dominion power. Yusuke had to admit though, what he did demonstrate was almost out of human imagination. He showed as short of acceleration that over tripled his usual speed. A trick he would to know. He did not lose to Gaol but he didn't win either. What disturbed him was that Gaol had said Tanneth was much more powerful and much faster than he was. Even if that were slightly exaggerated it was very bad for him and his friends.

Lying down with is hands behind his head he began to wonder if the Dominion were so powerful that they just disappeared a long time ago? If they ruled for so long why give it up and drift into the shadows of Makai with a bunch of demons? Why the hell is this happening why are they chasing one of their own kind? Damn! What did he do? It was a fair point. Tanneth was being pursued by some dominion who did not think highly of what he had done or something along those lines. He didn't care much for the reason but what it was it was going to take up a lot of his time.

He sighed deeply at his disposition and stretched out his arms and his legs. He hoped that case wouldn't end being death or success or another end of the world scenario. Those had never ended with well him. They always had repercussions that often spun the worlds further out of control. The Dark Tournament came to mind then and his battle with the Toguro brothers. Then that spring boarded the opening of the portal to demon world. To make a long story short, bad situations make worse situations. This could be the worst to come. A huge empire that once controlled all with absolute power and commanded the masses as a puppeteer commands strings. He didn't want to think about the Dominion invading the human world. He was told that they had control over spirit world in only a few hours and that was a mere warning to Koenma and his father. Any conflict would be over long before any human affective defense could be organized. He had to find this guy. Tanneth, this ghost character was the holder of all the dice. What his luck turned out to be would shape the luck of everyone else in both the human world, Earth, and the demon world, Makai. The thought of it was grim. The first in all the desperate battles he had to fight he truly felt out of his league.

He then laid there, starring blankly caught in a deep trance of thought and anxiety. "Shit," he said. He flipped out of his bed and walked over to the bathroom sink. He filled the basin and splashed water onto his face. The cold made his skin burn slightly and he for a second forgot about the case. He hated worrying abou8t stuff like that. He thought it just made people hate their lives.

He stopped for a second. A faint deep crack echoed through the room. He stood motionless and listened. Another boom came. It was like an explosion far off. Yusuke could tell it was from the window or rather coming through the window. T had to be in some part of the city. It sounded like dynamite but it was so far off it was hard for Yusuke to tell. He walked slowly to the window and look out. The city seemed just as normal as New York City could be. He heard another crack this time louder than the others. Still then as nothing to see like before. He scanned the street bellow and looked down the intersection. He saw nothing but traffic and people bickering about every other thing.

"I must be losing it." He turned away from the window and buried his face in his hands. Get a grip Urameshi. The stress is getting to you since when does that ever happen. I hate this case. He put out his arms and stretched out his back, trying to rid his mind of his woe so he could sleep.

Anther one came. The glassed on the night stand shook a slightly. Yusuke quickly turned his attention to the window. Over the horizon he could se a faint glow a huge fire in the distance. He heard another deep sound and then another each one consequently getting closer and stronger. The glow on the horizon began to get brighter and spread higher in to the sky as the sounds became closer. Yusuke leaned his head close, pressing his face against the glass trying to get a better look at the view. It was coming over the ocean like if the Sun was rising, but it was way too early for that to happen.

Yusuke kept his eyes fixed on it, starring at the glow in complete awe and wonder. He eyes widened and a long trail of fire came from it and shored over the city. It lit up the night as it passed giving off embers that fluttered they dissolved into the black night. Soon after it passed he heard a low crash. Others followed it. Some passed high over the city and others he saw crash into the Atlantic. Very soon the sky was full of the meteors.

Yusuke backed slowly away from the window never moving his gaze from the scene. He then remembered Kuwabara's dream, the one where the city was destroyed by a red light. This couldn't be it.

He quickly pulled on some pants. He burst from the door and ran out down the hall. This is insane what the hell is happening to this world? He sprinted faster keeping his eyes for ward. His head ran rapid of what was going on in the city down there. Chaos was the correct word for it. He had no idea of what he was going to do but people could defiantly be killed the kind of human and demon riots that could ensue. He was caught up in his reasoning that he didn't see the door open soon enough and he ran head on into Kuwabara as he was stepping out. It was almost he hit the wall. Yusuke heard the bones hit each other as the two detectives hit the ground.

"Would you watch the hell were you're going Urameshi," Kuwabara shouted at him!

"Well you shouldn't get in someone when they are running full speed like that you idiot." Yusuke heard a high pitched ring as he stood. "Ahh my head."

"What on Earth is happening out there," asked Kuwabara.

"I don't have a clue. I was going to find out until you got in my way."

A few moments later Botan came running down the hall and stopped. "Did you….?"

"Yeah we know what is going on. It's like World War Three out there," said Yusuke.

"I don't thin it's that," said Kurama who had recently arrived to the scene, "those are not nuclear missiles or meteors."

"Then what are they," asked Yusuke?

"I guess the only way to describe them is fire. I suppose they are huge balls of fire. As that Hiei creates with his spirit energy just that I have never seen anything like this in Makai or Earth," said Kurama.

Silence came over the four till Hiei emerged from his room. "If any of you would like to tell me how you brought the apocalypse so soon I would like to know," he said in mockery of what was happening.

"This isn't funny Hiei. Its complete chaos out there," shouted Kuwabara.

While he was speaking the entire hotel shout violently as if an earthquake had hit followed by a loud crack.

"What the fuck?!" said Yusuke.

"One of the pyres must have hit near by. We better get going and see what is happening."

It took them a few minutes to get out side since the shock wave knocked out the elevator system and they were fairly high up. The stairs took no time fore Hiei to trek but Yusuke and Kuwabara were another story. The street out side hotel was in complete pandemonium. People ran ever which way. Many of the near by buildings were set ablaze by the impact of the pyre. The street was difficult to move through since the cars were literally pilled on top one another. The people were the biggest problem, especially for Hiei. New Yorker's had no problem with running the detectives down as they tried to escape from the fire area.

The crowd slowed them down a lot, and the fact that the pyre that hit the city was rather large there for the area to was fairly big to the center. The chaos that was in the streets didn't help with the fact that the streets themselves were unfamiliar.

They arrived at the center to find it unsurprisingly deserted of people. Save for the vehicles of NYC fire fighters and police officers. The buildings were most put out save for some still smoked and others were completely incinerates. The temperature was probably twenty degrees higher than what it was in the hotel. Yusuke noticed as he walked that the tar on the surface of the roads was sticking to the soles if his shoe. He felt the rubber became very hot and walked faster.

"It's like a bomb went over here," Kuwabara.

"What the hell do think sent over here it wasn't a missile," asked Yusuke?

Genkai, who had recently caught up to them as they made their way to the epicenter of all the fire in New York, said, "Some one across sent it. I don't know who but they would have to be incredibly powerful."

"Do you think it was Tanneth, Botan," asked Kurama?"

"I never heard of any thing like this," she responded.

Yusuke looked around the area. He sensed something wrong besides the fact that there was a giant crater in the street. He felt something strange about it like it wasn't just any normal fireball that hit it. He saw nothing strange until the fire truck caught his eye. He looked at it closely. There visible damage to the cover or the windshield. The only missing was people. That was it. He looked around. No one. Not one police or fire personal was doing their duty. Not even a trace of their bodies was any where.

"Hey guys look, no one's here," he said.

"What the hell are you talking about, Yusuke? We're here," said Kuwabara.

"No I mean there are no fire men or cops around see."

Kurama looked and saw the empty police cars and the unmanned hoses rolling on the ground. "You're right. We are along here."

"They were probably incinerated when the pyre hit," said Hiei.

"No then their trucks and cars would have melted as well, and there wouldn't be any of the buildings left standing," replied Genkai.

"Then either they all dropped what ever they get paid to do and decided go get a donut instead or something grabbed them and killed them, which is more likely when it concerns fire from the sky" said Yusuke.

"Yeah I hear ya. Whatever it is I'm guessing it also likes fire and is not that far away." He detectives all raised their guard. The sense of dread amplified from their won anxiety. They walked forward slowly; Yusuke in the front followed closely Kuwabara and Kurama. Genkai and Botan walked some feet behind them.

Kuwabara concentrated his spirit energy, having the best awareness among them he would have the best chance of sensing whatever it was that had killed those humans. He focused but only could pick up faint movements of energy and those he couldn't even follow. The strange thing that power was so diverse from any demon. It was as strange as that guy Gaol's power but not the same. That one was a lot different from Gaol.

They came closer to the crater and they heard loud sounds of metal bending. They paused as if to wait for an attack, but none came. The sounds persisted and the group inched forward looking over the end of the crater but couldn't see past the flames. The hot ground began to burn through Yusuke's shoes as he walked. The sounds stopped suddenly. The each tensed up in a defense position waiting for the beast to come out. A few seconds past. None of them spoke just starred blankly ay the crater. Then it came. A flaming object came through Yusuke's line of vision. They jumped back. The object flipped once in the are then came crashing down in front of them in a furry of burning metal. It was a police caught on fire. The thing looked as if it had fallen in to a lava bed. Closely Yusuke could see melted claw and teeth marks on the body where the painted NYC Police had once been. Whatever the beast was it was larger than any of them.

Yusuke pointed his finger ready to shoot anything with a spirit gun as soon as it emerged from the crater. Kuwabara formed his spirit sword, swinging it a few times around. Hiei drew is silver katana. Kurama formed his famed rose whip which much somehow be flame retardant.

The short moment that elapsed before the creature emerged seemed like the entire day had already gone by. With a great league and huge deliriums of fire the black beast came. It was unlike any Earthly creature, bearing huge harms with claws as long as Hiei's katana, a set of fiery orange horns topped his head, while the hair on his back was afire. It roared and showed its great tresses of fire to them. Yusuke uttered two words, "Holy shit." Within a moment the beast became air born and descended on the spirit detectives. It landed right on top of Kuwabara pining him to the heated tar. It clawed at his head trying to kill him swiftly. Kuwabara barely slipped away. Yusuke recovered onto his feet and shot his gun. The blue struck the bête noire exactly pushing a few paces from where he was but only to dissolve on his skin.

"Shit."

Yusuke dived away as the beast spat a hit huge molten fire ball at him completely destroying the building beside him. Kurama attacked slicing the beast aggressively with is rose whip. The beast merely seemed agitated. It swiped unrelentingly at them spiting molten fire balls where ever and when ever it deemed apropos to the heat, which seemed to be everywhere. Hiei easily got within strike range and hit the beast several times under the belly and in the back which had little effect but to piss it off a lot.

It thrashed every wear spitting red fire and black fire at him. Hiei was moving so fast he looked as to disappear and reappear when the fire came close to him. Kuwabara found a great source of courage and charged the monster eagerly with is spirit sword held high ready to strike. The beast turned to him and slashed down at his head. Kuwabara duck and sunk the blade in to the beats throat. Kuwabara grinned, "Yeah Gotcha." A shock or red lightning then surged around the beast.

"Kuwabara, get away from the thing," Yusuke screamed at him.

"Shut up, Urameshi, I know what I am doing." The red lightning flowed faster and bolts of it came flying from the monster's body hitting every one of them. Kuwabara lay on the ground, numb from the lightning. The black beast walked slowly over to him. Kuwabara saw the anger in its eyes as it towered over him. It raised it claws to site him when cried in agony.

While the detectives had fighting, and losing, Genkai had brainstormed the idea that the black beast may not like water. Using a fire hose at full pressure she and Botan spayed the demon with huge amounts of water. The beast screamed and howled as its fire diminished and it small bolts of red lightning flew over it. Yusuke too the opportunity and shot the beast in the heart with his spirit gun. The beast went silent and it black body transcended into a delirium of fire and lightning it hen took off in to the sky.

"What the fuck was that thing," said Yusuke painting?

"Mind your mouth dimwit. Because of your that thing nearly killed Kuwabara. Well I don't take a genius to say that it came from the fire ball from the sky," said Genkai.

"That means they are a lot more of those things all over the place," said Botan.

"Damn. It had to be the Dominion who sent those things no one else has that kind of power," Kuwabara.

"We don't know that, and we still don't have any real lead on Tanneth," said Kurama.

"That's our priority. the groups to Yusuke as he spoke, "He is the key to all of this hell. The first thing we do is we go to where those things had come from and get him."

"Okay, Urameshi may be you didn't notice the he scary monster but we have to stop all the other ones first," said Kuwabara.

"Look we don't have the time or the power to take on the hundreds of those things that came. This is the first time we have and idea of where is. Koenma can find where that storm started from. We go there and get them so this entire shit trial ends."

The group stood in a silent agreement. Every one of them was tired of not finding any thing and finally wanted to se the face of this master villain Tanneth.

They packed and left on the fastest flight out of New York to Eastern Europe. One thought remained on Yusuke's mind through the plane ride. He kept thinking of Kayko. He didn't understand why those creatures where too far away to make it over to where she is but he couldn't get over if she was safe or not. It was the same with is mother and she wasn't the best in the world. While he was tired these woes kept him from getting any sleep on the way to St. Petersburg.

-To all those who review, keep dong it.

Author's Note: This was originally a part of Chapter 11. Now you can see how long it was getting. Please tell me what sections you like so I can be reminded to use the same kind of style in the future.

Much thanks to all the people who sent in characters.

Rock on!