As usual, a big thanx to everybody who continues to read these stories. I really appreciate it; I can't stress that enough. So I'll thank the reviewers, since they mean so much to me, and we'll get on with things!

Raya: You know how it is with me and suspense. I like it!

chyp: Yeah, I'm trying to set things up for later action, so for now, just bear with me!


"Y'all haven't even heard the rest of it," John said quickly.

"That's crazy!" James exclaimed. "There is no way on Earth, or anywhere else, that we would ever resort to working together with the Council!"

"They try to kill us on an almost daily basis," Wesley added. "It makes for much distrust."

"There has to be another way," James said. "It could never be as serious as that."

"If I could finish," John said, annoyed. "Way back in the day, before anybody y'all know were born, magic was discovered by a group of people, who called themselves 'The Alpha Order.'"

"How long ago?" Wesley asked.

"About five thousand years," John said. "Anyway, it wasn't long before the group became separated. Half of them wanted to use magic for good, and the other half wanted to use it for evil."

"Of course," Wesley said, rolling his eyes.

"Shhh!" James shushed.

"The Great Battle was fought," John explained. "It was the first battle of good versus evil. Although there weren't a lot of people actively involved in it, many innocent people lost their lives indirectly because of it. It was an event that was fifty times more gruesome than anything you could ever imagine. Naturally, the battle ended in a draw, since we all know that neither good nor evil can actually truly stamp out the other.

"From the two separated groups in The Alpha Order came two books. One of them was called the 'Book of Light,' and the other was called the 'Book of Shadows.' They were the first two magical books to ever be created. The Book of Light is a book of good and was specifically designed to guard against evil. It was also destined for the three of y'all to have. The Book of Shadows, however, was designed the other way around. Good can't touch it. It's called a 'Grimoire,' which is just a fancy name for an evil spell book."

"So," Wesley conjectured, "you mean to say that a book was made for us five thousand years ago? And there is another one somewhere out there? It's an interesting story, John, but where are you taking this?"

"Fortunately," John explained, "the Book of Shadows was lost in the Great Battle. No one knows where it is, and even if they did, it's written in a language that nobody has ever heard of. The point is, we all think that the new demon could be a surviving member of The Alpha Order, the half that went bad."

"Would there be anything in our Book about it?" James asked.

"No," John said. "After the Great Battle, the good side wanted to start fresh in order to keep things as pure as possible without reminding themselves of what they had to experience. The bad side, though, recorded anything and everything, so any info on this new demon would most likely be in the Book of Shadows."

"But we can't get it," Wesley said. "You just said that. And even if we did, how are we supposed to read it if it's written in some extinct language?"

"Calm down," John said. "If you would just listen… There's a way. It's a long shot, but it's worth hearing out…"


"That is not an option!" Andras exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table. "To work with the very people who we seek to destroy is…heresy!"

"What use are they, anyway?" Tenebrion asked. "They cannot gain access to the Book of Shadows."

"The Book of Shadows mentions them specifically," Mastiphal said. "I only need more time to decipher the rest."

"They must truly be legendary if their destiny precedes them by thousands of years," Anamalech said.


James and Wesley continued to hurl question after question at John, hoping that he would eventually break down and give them a straight answer instead of cryptic clues that only took them in circles. However, as much as he wanted to, John simply did not have the information that they wanted to hear. He could only tell them what he knew, which, although seemingly a lot, was actually very little. As he tried to answer their questions, none of them noticed a small demon hiding in the house. He was a spy demon, sent to see if the Complete knew anything about the current situation. He stared at them intensely from his hiding spot in the wall nearby. Actually, he wasn't inside the wall. His power of camouflage allowed him to "blend" into the wall, much like a chameleon.

"This is just all too weird," James said. "It seems like an awful lot of work to do just to get rid of a demon, because at the end of the day, they're all just demons. What makes him so unstoppable?"

"He's been around for five thousand years," John said. "Magic is like a plant; it grows. Can you imagine how much your powers can grow in five thousand years?"

"Oh," James replied defeatedly.


So that's why they shouted 'no.' They have to work with the Council? And the Council's thinkin' the same thing, only in reverse. Things must really be bad if they have to consider working with each other! Meanwhile, what's Matt gonna do? Without him, Jimmy and Wesley are at a serious disadvantage…