Dark Matter
Chapter 2

Psio and Jedi walked past Sieg and Crystal. Psio rolled his eyes. "Xalinians," he mumbled, watching as Sieg gently pushed his wife against a wall and gave her a small kiss, followed by a hug.

"Aw, what's wrong with Xalina?" Jedi asked, smiling.

"Oh please. Look at the way they act, the whole lot of them. They're the cockiest, rudest clan members I've ever met. They're worse than the Majutsu Kai members."

"Wait, wait, what's wrong with Majutsu Kai?" Jedi asked, more seriously. "Crystal's probably the best leader they've ever had. I remember a couple years before she came into rule. I went to visit their territory and her mother gave me the name of a hotel to book. I had to pay to stay there, and then on my way back home, I woke up in the middle of a dark alley, stripped of all my clothing and belongings."

"What's your point?"

"You obviously haven't been lately. She gave me the best room in the castle, and I didn't pay one gold coin while I was there. The food was better, the service was better, and she was a lot nicer than I expected. I got pick pocketed once. I kept my clothes."

Psio frowned. "You make it seem like you would have preferred to be allied with them."

"I wouldn't have denied it," Jedi replied solemnly. Psio scoffed. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just surprised you'd throw away years of friendship for one free stay in a clan full of thieves. Then again, Rock did the same thing, so it doesn't matter."

Jedi laughed. "Still upset about that princess?"

"Yes." Psio coughed. "If Rock hadn't have stepped down, that buffoon Crimson wouldn't have told the princess, 'You really shouldn't marry someone you don't know,' and I would be married right now." Jedi laughed, then shook his head, motioning he was sorry for the outburst. Psio smiled in spite of himself. "So what do you think of this Dragon girl?"

"DragonOfGold? Well, I don't know. I haven't seen her much. But the leaders are getting younger and younger. Crimson being eighteen, and then Dragon, Sieg, Kovu, and Crystal being in their early to mid twenties . . . It's becoming rather frightening. The rest are late twenties. It seems like you and I are the only ones over thirty."

"We are," Psio sighed reluctantly. "I think we should head back to the room." Jedi nodded and they walked off. The others noticed the two walking towards the room and followed. Jedi told Rock not to let anyone in the room, Rock nodded, and everyone entered.

"All right, where did we leave off?" Jedi said calmly, looking at each person in the room. Then he heard a door fly open and jerked his head to see Rock standing in the doorway. "Rock, I thought I said no one comes in here. That includes you," he said sternly, shocked his second in command would disobey an order.

"It cannot be avoided, sir," Rock said quickly, rushing towards his leader. "There seems to be a situation."

"Well, out with it."

"Um, well, two forces are coming towards Auron Castle. They look ready for war."

Jedi blinked and then looked at the table. "Which two forces?" he asked suspiciously.

"Xalina and Beshimo," Rock answered quickly.

"Sieg!" Crystal shouted, shocked.

"—The hell?" Sieg shouted and jumped up. He looked at Apocalypse.

"If you set this up—" both started to say at the same time, but then stopped and stared at each other.

"A couple people . . . have been killed, your holiness," Rock continued. "Your house . . . has been burned."

The females gasped, Jedi stood stiff as stone. "My . . . house? What of my parents? . . ."

"I cannot find them sir. We have a small search party going through the woods, but most of the people are defend—"

"Have them sent back to defend the fortress," Jedi said quickly. "My parents are capable of taking care of themselves." He turned to Apocalypse and Sieg. "What is the meaning of this, you two?"

"I have no bloody idea!" Sieg said, walking to the window. "I never contacted my clan with any kinds of orders!"

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm not behind this," Apocalypse answered.

"Why don't you guys just go down there and talk to them and ask them what's going on?" Dragon asked.

"And what will they hear? They will hear they have no authority anymore," a voice from the back of the room answered. Everyone turned to see a hooded figure lurking, sneering in the corner, leaning against the wall and tossing an apple up and down. He took a bite of the apple and threw it down on the ground. He kicked the apple, and it rolled to Jedi's feet. "I have taken the . . . idea of your alliances and thoroughly screwed them up. Six clans no longer have leaders. I've been nice and kept two clans—one on each "side"—and kept their clans unaware of the current chaos. Majutsu Kai and Auron. Why? Well, Auron, you can't have anarchy with all eight leaders and this sorry excuse of a man," he pointed at Kovu, "in the area. That's no fun at all. Majutsu Kai; well, I have my reasons."

"Who in hell are you and why are you here? More importantly, how in the hell did you get in?" Jedi asked furiously as Rock bent down to get the apple. Rock smiled and threw the apple so it hit the mysterious figure's shoe. He chuckled, then shrunk underneath Jedi's glare.

"I am your worst nightmare."

"Oh give it a rest," Sieg shot out. "'I am your worst nightmare.' How cheesy is that?" Crystal turned and shushed him. He obliged.

"No, really, who are you?" Kovu asked. "This is rather . . . sudden, to say the least."

"You've had it coming for a while, actually. All the leaders walking out, getting assassinated . . . It was only a matter of time until someone was upset." The figure walked towards the table and into better lighting. People strained to see his face, but there was magical protection on his cape. "I liked things the way they were. I was important, I was needed. Now I'm a henchman for some loser? No. I am more powerful than any of you combined. I am going to be your worst nightmare, Sieg, because I'm going to haunt you in and out of your dreams."

"Are you by any chance Xalinian?" Psio shot out, earning himself a chuckle from Jedi. Jedi coughed and resumed his angry state. "No, really. You're cockier than Sieg."

The figure smiled. Or at least something that resembled a smile. "I'll take that as a compliment. I guess you picked the wrong guy, Crystal. Not that I would have taken you."

"All right enough of this crap. What are you here for?" Apocalypse was getting impatient.

"You're going to dig yourselves out of this hole I've placed you in. And I'm going to enjoy every second of this. If I were you, I'd head to Majutsu Kai first. It's your best chance of surviving. I guess after that, it's all up to you." And with that, the figure disappeared in a shimmer of green light.

"Either this guy is on crack or he's serious," Sieg said after a long silence. "Does anyone have any idea what this is about?"

"I don't know," Crimson said quietly, "but we have to find a way to stop that army." The group walked towards the window, watching the giant cloud of wyvern riders and generals and seeing no way out.