I'm back again! Again, apologies for the long periods between uploading. Things are actually quite hectic in Japan for a change. Not good hectic, more like bad hectic. But you bite your tongue, you close your eyes, you get a little on the side, you get thru it!
Raya: Hey, if you wanna be British, go right ahead. Who am I to judge you, right? But we all know that Americans are better… The spinoffs are rarely better than the originals, but America was an exception! And I don't even side with America; my loyalties lie with Texas! And thanx for the reviews! Keep 'em comin'!
chyp: Not much to say to you, except "THANX!" As long as you keep reviewin', it's all good!
"That doesn't make any sense!" Wesley exclaimed. "How could both us and the Council have a common enemy? We're on opposite ends of the scale!"
"Have you not been listening to anything?" John asked, annoyed. "The new demon has the power to overtake any other evil that exists, which would mean that the Council would become old and outdated."
"So," James asked, "if we did decide to work with the Council, what would we do? I can imagine a lot of awkward silences."
"Can't we get Matt back first?" Wesley asked in a whiny tone. "I think we could all benefit from hearing what he has to say."
"Working with the Complete has never been an option," Tenebrion said, "nor will it become one."
The Council's meeting was suddenly interrupted when the spy demon materialized into the mystical chambers. Immediately, the conversation stopped as all the attention turned to this demon. He meekly stepped forward to the five members, continuing to keep his head bowed low in reverence.
"What information have you obtained, Yuji?" Andras asked.
"The witches are at a major disadvantage," Yuji answered. "It seems that the middle brother is missing. They think that the new demon has him."
"The new demon is making matters even more complicated than the witches," Mastiphal said. "What else do you know?"
"Their Guardian has told them of the possibility of having to work with you," the spy demon said. "And they aren't too thrilled about it."
"Is there anything else?" Anamalech asked.
"No, sir," Yuji replied. "Shall I return back to their house for more information?"
"No," Ardad said. "You have served your purpose."
With that, Ardad extended his hand and Yuji was suddenly engulfed in flames. The other Council members looked on as the Yuji screamed in agony. After one final scream, the flames that consumed him won and he exploded in a small fiery blast. Ardad and the others moved on with their discussion without a second thought.
An entire day had passed with very little progress. James and Wesley were still trying to figure out what their next move would be, while John was giving them as much information as he could provide. Without Matthew there, it seemed a lot harder to put any kind of clues together to come up with an answer. It was times like this when the two brothers really relied on Matthew.
"So let's recap," Wesley said to an exhausted James and a tired John. "We don't have any idea where our brother is. We have to work with the Council. There's a new superdemon on the loose. The Book is missing. And we can't find Matt. Does that cover it?"
"You said the Matt one twice," James said.
"It's twice as important!" Wesley quickly snapped.
"Well is there a way to look for Matt?" James asked. "Maybe a spell would bring him back here?"
"If the demon is as powerful as he's supposed to be," John said, "I'm sure he could easily block it. Why don't y'all try to scry for him?"
"Scry?" Wesley asked. "What the hell is that?"
"Think of it as a supernatural tracking device," John explained. "All you need is a map, a crystal on a string, and something that belongs to Matt."
"Well let's take this into the basement," James suggested. "Everything is down there."
They made their way to the basement and began going through their magical things, looking for the required materials to scry. Fortunately, their parents had left them a plethora of items that they used themselves, which included a scrying map and a somewhat dull crystal, tied to a simple white string. Wesley had gone upstairs to Matthew's room, where he found Matthew's house key, and rushed back to give it to James, who tied it around the string. James then held the string over the map and, together with Wesley, they chanted a short spell that activated the scrying process:
Find our brother Matt!
Wesley and John waited somewhat patiently as James let the crystal swing freely over the map. It undulated back and forth across the paper. After a small eternity, it began to home in on a certain spot before it finally stopped and landed on a space, as if it were attracted magnetically to that area. Wesley and John leaned in and recognized the spot as their own house.
"Does nothing work around here?" Wesley yelled in frustration. "How can he be here if he's obviously not here?"
"Did I do it wrong?" James asked.
"No," John said. "Scrying never fails. If he's here, maybe we haven't looked everywhere."
"If he's here," Wesley said, "wouldn't he have been kind enough to join us by now?"
"Where are you, Matt?" James asked openly.
Where, indeed. Nothing's goin' right for anybody, it seems. The wrong people are having to end up working with each other, and nobody really wants to work with anybody else. It's all chaotic, but stick around and it'll all make sense sooner or later!
