Champion of the Isles
"This sucks, big time." A young man said, walking down the street to the nearest bus stop. "I get one lousy report card, and suddenly Richard and Nicole, think I'm a delinquent, and need to go to this summer camp."
The young man making his way to the bus stop, stood at around 5'6, with spiky scarlet red hair, wearing a green sleeveless zip up hoodie, and a dark blue shirt underneath, with matching cargo pants and black soled runners. He also had a gauze patch over the bridge of his nose, and a butterfly bandage over his right eyebrow, with a bruise on his cheek, indicating he got into a fight that left his nose broken.
"Doesn't really help my case, when I'm constantly protecting my classmates from bullies. Mierda."
"Midori?"
The now identified Midori looked up to see, one of said schoolmates a couple years younger then him, he always got in trouble for defending against bullies.
The Latina girl standing on the curb, waiting for the same bus as him, was someone he cared about, and was his only friend in the entire school. Her clothing consisted of a pair of ebony earrings, a short-sleeved half-white and half-indigo crop top hoodie, though the hood was currently down, there were cat ears attached to it, and with low waist jean shorts, her midriff was exposed, revealing a belly button piercing of a green gem on a tiny three link chain, with dark grey leggings, and a pair of white loafers.
"Luz?" Midori asked. "Guess you're waiting for the bus to the reformation camp as well huh?"
"Yeah, the bus stop for it is right across the street from my house. What got you sent to camp?"
"Well, I avoided summer school, but my parents still think I flunked after they saw my report card, so they're sending me to this camp to try and, straighten me out. They don't like that I keep 'getting into fights' when I'm at school." Midori said.
"But… you never fight at school, you're just always using yourself as a human shield." Luz said. "Not once, have I ever seen you fight back."
"I swear, it's like they adopted me just to have someone to torment. Plus both my first and last names mean the exact same thing in two different dialects, it's so lame." The young man sighed.
"Hey, come on now don't think like that." Luz said. "I think you're name's cool to be honest."
"Midori Verde?" Midori asked. "My name literally translates, to Green-Green, how in anyway is that cool?"
"The word green from both Japanese and Hispanic cultures. I think that's what makes it cool." Luz smiled. "Además, hablas español con fluidez, como si lo hubieras hablado toda tu vida. (T: Plus you're fluent in Spanish, as if you've spoken it your whole life.)"
"Sí, he estado aprendiendo español desde que me adoptaron cuando tenía cinco años, pero solo quiero que mis padres me vean quién soy, no quién quieren que sea. (T: Yeah, I've been learning Spanish since they adopted me when I was five, but I just want my parents to see me who who I am, not who they want me to be.)" He replied. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful they left my first name alone when they adopted me, but I can hardly remember my mother, and all I have left of her is a picture, and a necklace my dad left her with, before he vanished, the deadbeat." He said, gripping the pendant of the necklace around his neck.
"Hey, I get it. It's not easy dealing with losing someone you love." Luz said, before looking down as she heard a purring sound.
Midori looked down as he felt something pressing up against his leg, and saw a white and black striped kitten, weaving through his legs, and purring as it rubbed against him.
"Aww, look at you, cute little thing." Luz cooed, bending down to pick the cat up.
The cat meowed, and jumped away from them, running into the streets, before stopping in the middle of the road.
"What are you doing, stupid cat." Midori said, running after the cat, while also evading any cars that came driving down the road.
"Wait up Midori, that's not safe." Luz said, running after him with the cars still rolling by.
"Stupid cat keeps running off." Midori said, running after the cat, deeper into the woods behind Luz's house.
"It probably got hurt and spooked while on the road. We can take it to my mom once we catch it." Luz said.
"Gotcha." Midori said, grabbing the cat once it had completely stopped.
"Is the… little guy… okay?" Luz asked, huffing as she caught up with Midori.
"I don't see any injuries or anything on the little fur ball." Midori said, looking over the cat.
"Good, then we can just bring him to my mom, to take him to the animal shelter." Luz said.
"Uh Luz." Midori said, looking around. "I think we may have a problem."
Luz looked at Midori, before looking up and gasped as her eyes went wide. The world around them looked like it was spinning, going out of control like a hazy mist, before the duo found themselves in a dark cavern, with barely any light to lead the way, with the crevices in the walls, acting like shelves to the countless artifacts that lined them. Though something was off, as it looked like more then a few of the artifacts, were either damaged, or completely destroyed by something that came charging through, like a bull in a china shop.
"Midori, where are we?" Luz asked.
"I have no idea."
"I don't recall there being any sort of cave system in my back yard." Luz said, grabbing his arm.
"I think we should go this way." Midori said.
"But Midori…"
"Don't worry Luz, I'll protect you, just like I always have at school." Midori said. "An' if I can't, then at least I'll be able to give you a chance to escape. I am the only one in school with a Masters in MMA and other martial arts."
"Midori, don't be like that." Luz said. "We're gonna face this thing together."
"If there's trouble, I want you to run as fast as you can." Midori said. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do, what kind of question is that?" Luz asked.
"Then follow my lead."
Midori turned ahead, and looked towards the pathway they entered through, before they entered into a large spacious cavern, with seven thrones, and one of them being occupied by a man dressed in robes, with a lightning bolt emblem on his chest, with the other six, each having their own staffs leaning against the backs. Off to the left side of the wall, there were seven pedestals where statues belonged, surrounded by rubble, with each having a label, depicting one specific creature.
"Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Greed, Wrath, Sloth, and Pride." Midori listed off the labels, before his head snapped to the side, his eyes landing on the old man in the center throne.
"The Seven Deadly of Sin." Luz gasped in awe.
"Stay behind me Luz." Midori said, as they stopped in the center of the room, with the man in the throne getting up. "Uh, hi there. Could you help us? I think we might have gotten turned around, when trying to grab this cat."
"Midori Verde." The man said, as he began to descend the stairs.
"How do you know my name?" Midori asked.
"I am the last of the Council of Wizards; keeper of the Rock of Eternity." The man said.
"Oh, you're… hold on why does the Council of Wizards sound familiar?" Midori asked.
"The Council is mentioned several times in the Good Witch Azura series. But since you've never read it, there's not much going for a theory, on that end of the idea." Luz said.
"Listen, um we are sorry for disturbing you, and walking into your home, but we really need to be…"
"It is no mistake that you are here." The Wizard said, as the cat jumped out of Midori's arms, and in a shimmer of fiery sparks, grew into a fearsome white tiger, big enough for either Midori and Luz to ride on like a horse, and circled around the back of the Wizard.
"Whoa, big kitty." Luz said. "But magic is real."
The Wizard slammed his staff on the ground, causing sparks of magic to fly around and start showing Luz and Midori a scene from millennia past.
"You are standing in the source of all magic, within this realm. The Rock of Eternity, seven thrones, seven wizards." The Wizard stated. "But long ago, we chose a champion, and we chose recklessly."
The image showed a man, made of pure light rising like a titan from the ground, and using his power to destroy a civilization, unleashing several demons unto the world.
"He used his power for revenge, releasing the Seven Deadly Sins, into your world." The Wizard explained. "Millions of lives were lost, entire civilizations, erased from existence. That is why I vowed, never to pass on my magic, until I found one truly good person. Unfortunately, some years ago, he was released from his imprisonment and rought havoc on his home nation of Kahndaq, in an attempt to protect it."
"Teth Adam, or as he's more commonly known in modern days, Black Adam." Midori said, understanding what he was being told. "I remember reading old news paper articles about him online. He fought off the Justice Society, and even defeated Sabbac, the demon champion of the underworld."
"Though he proved himself to be a guardian, he still was wild, and untamed, thus nearly seventeen years ago, when he ended up destroying another civilization outside of Kahndaq, I sealed him away, and banished him to another realm." The Wizard said. "However, my power grows ever weaker, and the seal I placed on him, is not as strong as the one I placed five thousand years ago. It is breaking, and he shall return soon, just as the Sins have, not too long ago."
"Where'd they go?" Midori asked, looking at the piles of ruble, realizing the statues that most likely stood there, were the demons prisons.
"They have chosen their own champion, a former candidate who failed to prove himself worthy of my power. But thankfully, even though it was after he bested me once he'd became the vessel for the Sins, I was able to take him by surprise, and seal him away, in the same realm that I sealed Teth Adam in." The Wizard explained.
"What does this have to do with Midori?" Luz asked.
"As I said, I vowed never to pass down my power, until I found a truly worth person to inherit them." He said, holding his staff out to Midori, and putting it in the ground. "One who's strong in spirit, pure of heart."
"You've got the wrong guy for that." Midori said. "I've got a darkness within me, a darkness that may turn me into a villain if you give me this power. I get into fights at school, I argue with my parents, hell I even got arrested by the police once, because I had a nervous break down from all the pressure my parents were putting on me, and I got violent."
"You, Midori Verde, are all I have. All the realms have." The Wizard said. "Though you have this darkness, I believe and trust that you will do what is needed with this power. The world, doesn't always need a White Knight. Sometimes, it needs something, much darker to keep the balance. Someone, who'll use that power, to protect people, no matter what it takes."
"Midori." Luz said. "I know you can do this. You underestimate yourself, and don't see the kind of person you can be, the kind of hero you can be."
The Wizard slammed his staff on the ground once more, causing it to echo through the room.
"Lay your hands upon my staff, and say my name so that my powers may flow through you." The Wizard said. "I open my heart to you, Midori Verde, and in so doing, choose you as Champion. My brothers and sisters were slain by the Sin, their thrones lay empty. My magic, and the magic they left with me, must be passed on, and shall be passed on to you. Now, speak my name."
"What… what is your name?" Midori asked, hesitantly taking the staff.
"Shazam."
Midori looked to the Wizard, then back to the staff, and with a deep breath, he let the word flow through his lips, somehow feeling a great weight lifted from his shoulders.
"Shazam!" He declared, before the jewels in the staffs on the thrones lit up, and each of them shot lightning at him, before he was struck by a spear of lightning from Shazam's staff.
"Midori." Luz gasped, backing away as she was not expecting her friend to be struck by lightning. "This might have been a bad idea."
"Yes, carry my name." Shazam said, as Midori fell to the floor, and the wizard raised his staff. "An' with it, you carry all my powers, and the powers of my fallen brothers and sisters. The Wisdom of Solomon. The Strength of Hercules. The Stamina of Atlas. The Power of Zeus. The Courage of Achilles. An' the Speed of Mercury." He declared, a spear of lightning striking the gem of his staff with each name and ability spoken.
The dust build up seemed to disperse as Midori threw his hand on the ground, catching himself as he fell, and he was shocked to find his arm was beefier and his clothes were gone, revealing he wore dark red Gi pants, and a matching vest with a blue interior, with a black sash around his waist, and Shazam's lightning bolt on his chest, outlined in white, and linked to the vest via gold chains. He slowly rose from the ground, shocking Luz as she saw he now stood at least at 6'3, and was ripped enough to look like the Rock's stunt double. His hair was longer, wilder, and thicker, with a dark violet shadow trim around his eyes, and on his eye lids; the bandages from his injuries lying on the ground, as if they'd been removed.
"Oh man, that was… wait, what's happened to my body, what's happened to my voice?" Midori asked. "What'd you do to me?"
"You have been transformed into your true potential, Midori Verde. To change back, all you have to do is say my name." Shazam said, presenting his staff back to Midori, as his body began turning to dust. "With your heart, unlock your greatest power and fulfill your destiny. The thrones of our brothers and sisters await. My time has come, my end is neigh, and I shall be reunited with our brothers and sisters once more."
"Shazam no." Luz said, running to him and Midori, but there was nothing she could do, as the wizard turned to dust, and blew away in the wind.
Midori just looked at the ground, where the man who passed his powers onto him, had died, and then back to the thrones, before stepping up to the stone thrones, and putting the staff on Shazam's, with the tiger coming up and nudging against him, like an affectionate house cat.
"Midori, what are we gonna do? How are we gonna get out of here?" Luz asked.
"I think I know." Midori said, coming back and putting a hand on Luz's shoulder, while keeping one on the tiger's head. "Return us to the world of man."
Luz and Midori were enveloped by light, before they found themselves back outside, at the bus stop, more specifically, across the street from it in front of Luz's house.
"Shazam!" Midori said, returning to normal, with the tiger now looking like a normal cat in his arms again. Luz looked at him, and saw that his injuries that had been covered by the bandages, had vanished, and were no longer there.
"How did you know that was gonna work?" Luz asked.
"He said that the Rock of Eternity is the source of all magic. An' I thought that if that were true, then while I was in my Champion form, it had to obey my commands, so long as I had a clear picture in my mind on where I wanted to go." Midori said, before the door to Luz's house opened, and out came her mother, Camila Noceda.
"Oh, good morning Midori." Camila said, locking the door.
"Hola Camila. Cómo estás?" Midori asked.
"Estoy muy bien, cómo estás?"
"Estoy bien."
"Oh who is this little guy?" Camila asked, switching back to English, looking at the kitten, as it playfully swatted at her fingers.
"Little guy's been following me around all morning. Figured he might as well stick with me since he seems to enjoy my company." Midori said, coming up with a cover story on the spot. "I just hope the councilors don't throw him into the wild as soon as I get to the reforming camp."
"So, I take it your parents are sending you to the same camp I'm sending Luz too, huh?" Camila asked.
"Yep. They think that it'll change me into who I'm supposed to be." Midori stated.
"Oh don't worry you two." Camila said, giving both of them a hug. "Now don't worry, Summer Camp is only gonna be for three months. You'll both be so busy balancing checkbooks, pay taxes, maintain a steady job, and learning to appreciate public radio, it'll feel like the time's just flying by."
"But I don't like any of that stuff." Luz said. "Neither of us do. I like editing anime clips to music, and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories."
"An' I like practicing my martial arts, and putting bullies in their places if they get too rowdy." Midori added.
"Midori, Mija, your fantasy worlds are holding you back. Do either of you have any friends? Real ones, not imagined, or drawn, or reptilian, or feline?" Camila asked.
"I'm standing right next to a martial arts master, who is literally my best friend." Luz stated.
"Yeah, what am I chopped liver?" Midori asked. "Actually some sauteed liver sounds pretty good right about now."
"I mean besides each other." Camila said. "Summer camp is a chance for the both of you to make some more friends, but you both have to try."
"Why should I have to try and change who I am, just because others don't accept it?" Midori asked. "I like who I am, and I don't wanna change. If no one can accept me for who I am, then they're don't actually care about me."
Camila just looked at Midori, before her eyes landed on Luz as the girl threw her Good Witch Azura book away. Turning her gaze back to Midori, Camila didn't feel right about what was happening with both children, but she still felt like she had to say something.
"I'm not your mother, Midori. So I can't ask you to try." Camila sighed, before looking back to Luz. "But I am yours. Can you at least try to make some friends for me?"
"Yes mom." Luz said.
"Oh, I gotta go to work." Camila said, answering a message from her phone, as it went off. "Your bus is coming soon, text me when you get there. I love you Mija." She stated, kissing Luz on the forehead, before heading off to her car.
"Bye mom." Luz said, before Camila drove off.
The instant Camila was out of sight, Luz went rummaging through the trash, searching for her book.
"Come on, come on, where is it? Why can't I find it?" She asked. "It was right on top of the garbage."
"Hoot-hoot."
"Uh, Luz." Midori said, tapping her shoulder.
Luz looked up to Midori, before looking to where he was pointing, to see a small brown owl, holding a bag in its beak, with the book she was looking for, clear as day in the bag before it began hopping away.
"Huh, tiny trash thief." Luz gasped, chasing after the owl into the woods behind her house.
"Hold up Luz." Midori said, giving chase to both of with the kitten on his shoulder. "Is this how she felt when I ran after you?" He asked the kitten, only getting a meow in response.
Following the surprisingly fast little owl, Luz paused when she saw she was following it to a creepy abandoned looking house, this giving Midori a chance to catch up.
"Whoa." Luz said, before noticing the owl going inside. "Hey, get back here." She called out, chasing after it.
"Luz wait." Midori called to her, as he was practically at her side this time.
Passing through the door, Luz wasn't aware of what was happening as it closed behind her.
"Stop adorably hopping… away you…"
Luz stopped when she saw that the area she'd ran into, was filled with all sorts of different items. There was even a fridge filled with garbage.
"Whoa, I thought I had a lot of weird stuff, but this…" She paused to pick up a coat hanger connected to a baby doll head, missing an eye, with the body of a rat, the right arm of a lizard, and the left arm was a fork. "This is impressive."
"No kidding." Midori added.
"Finally you made it back." A woman's voice said, spooking Luz and Midori as the girl dropped the doll, missing how it was reaching out to her. "Now let's see what you brought."
Heading for the opening of the tent, Luz and Midori peeked outside to see a gray haired woman in a torn blood orange dress, with multiple shades of red, wearing a green bandanna over her head.
"Alright, let's see what you brought mama." She said, reaching into the bag and pulling out, an I-Pad. "Trash." A Diamond Ring. "Garbage." The Holy Grail. "Junk." She tossed them all into the same bag. "Aha, here we go." She said, reaching into the bag, and putting on a pair of spring gag glasses. "These are gonna make me rich."
"I tossed those because they were defective." Midori stated.
"While this, can make for some good kindling." She said, reaching into the bag, and pulling out Luz's book. Luz gasped as the woman held the book over a lit candle, and acted without thinking, causing Midori to freeze in panic.
"Sorry, that's mine. Gotta go." She said, quickly snatching the book back, and running for the door the two of them came through. "Come on Midori, let's move." She stated, running past him.
"Right behind you." He said, coming up from behind.
But before they could go through the portal, the door closed and folded up into a brief case.
"Not so fast." The woman said, causing Luz to turn to her in fear.
"Midori, say the word, say Shazam." Luz said, a bit panicked.
"I don't want the first fight with my powers to be with some old lady." Midori said, before lifting the wall of the tent. "Quickly, through here."
Luz turned back to the wall of the tent as she put her book back in her bag and followed Midori, as he went under the material, before running for the forest, stopping as Midori held his arm out, showing they'd reached a ledge, both of them gasping when they saw a magical world filled with different monsters, demons, and other oddities.
"Oh my gosh. Where are we?" Luz questioned, before a tiny pink creature flew next to her. "Oh, hello little fairy, are you here to tell us this is all some sort of mystical, fantasy dream we're having caused by residual magic left from Shazam's power transfer spell?"
"Give me your skin." The fairy said, showing its large and sharp teeth, lining its jaws.
"GAH." Luz cried out, before Midori karate chopped the fairy to the ground, and kicked it over the ledge like a soccer ball, with the kitten hissing at it. "Oh how did this happen. Did I die? Am I in, the bad place?"
"Gah/Eep." Midori and Luz cried out, when the old woman grabbed their shoulders, and stood between the two of them from behind.
"You wish." The woman said, before pulling them back.
After dragging the two humans back, the woman just looked at them as she tossed Luz on a stool, and Midori on a chair.
"Midori, say Shazam, say it and get us out of here. I don't care if you have to fight her, I don't want her to eat my skin." Luz said holding up her arm.
"Eat you? Why would I want to eat, potential customers." The woman said, showing the sign of her work.
"Huh?" Midori and Luz asked, gasping in confusion.
"Can I offer you a human foot filled with holes?"
"Is that a crock?" Luz asked.
"A bar of green human candy, oh how about this black shadow box, that reflect only sadness." She pitched, holding up a crock, a bar of deodorant, and a mini portable television.
"Is that my old portable television?" Midori asked.
"That's not all the black box can do." Luz said, hopping down from the stool and taking the television. "Here, let me see it. Midori?"
"Right. I need some batteries and… of course you have a lethal electrical conductive, labeled as human candies, along with other non-edible items." Midori said, grabbing some batteries from the tin labeled, human candy, before he put them in the television and Luz turned it on, revealing there was an 80's workout special on the, probably, only channel. The sound and visuals of the box began to draw in a crowd. "An' suddenly I'm reminded why I tossed this piece of junk. It only has one channel."
"I'll pay you 40 snails for the screaming box."
"I'll give you 100."
"Can I eat the tiny person inside?"
"But apparently they all like it." Luz said, looking back at the crowd.
"What did you say your name was?" The woman questioned, looking to Luz.
"I'm Luz, Luz Noceda."
"Midori Verde."
"Well Luz, Midori, that was pretty clever… for a couple of humans."
"That's kind of a weird thing, for another human to say."
"Luz, I don't think you're accurate on that."
"Why do you say that?" Luz asked.
"Given where we are, I don't think this woman is human." Midori said.
"Oh, he's correct dear child, I'm not like you." She said, pulling off her bandanna, revealing her pointed ears. "I'm Eda, the Owl Lady. The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles."
"A witch?" Luz questioned.
"I wonder if she knew the Wizard who gave me my powers." Midori pondered aloud.
"I am a respected, feared…"
"Busted." Someone said, destroying the television.
"Hey, careful of the glass."
"Run it's a guard." One of the customers said, before the others ran.
"Eda the Owl Lady, you are wanted for misuse of magic, and demonic misdemeanors." The guard said, holding up her wanted poster.
"Whoa, Witch Criminal." Luz said.
"Damn it, we're probably gonna get arrested for being accomplices."
"You are hereby ordered to come with me to the conformatorium." The guard said, grabbing Eda's arm.
"Would you guys quit following me around? I haven't done squat." Eda said, pulling her arm from the guard's grasp.
"An' you're coming to." The guard said, grabbing Luz by her hood. "For fraternizing with a criminal."
"Hey, let her go. She did nothing wrong." Midori said, grabbing the guard's arm and pulling on it, while the kitten hissed and swatted at it.
"You're coming as well." The guard said, grabbing Midori by his own hood, resulting in the kitten biting at the guards arm.
"That's it, I don't care if you're the law enforcement, you can't just treat kids like this. Shaza…"
"Alright, you win. I'll come along quietly. Just let me grab my stuff." Eda said, stopping Midori from speaking, before reaching down to grab her stuff. Thought when she came back up, she pulled out her owl staff, and swung it at the guard like a baseball bat, knocking him over and using her magic to clean up her booth. Almost instantly, after grabbing all her things, and using her magic staff, with the cute owl as the head, flew along the ground after Luz, before grabbing her and putting her down on the staff.
"Hop on." Eda said looking to Midori.
"There's not enough room. I'll catch up." Midori said, putting the kitten in Luz's arms.
"Alright kid, just run in the direction I fly off in, until you reach an old house with an owl face on the door." Eda said, before flying off.
"Right." Midori said.
"Midori." Luz called out to him, as Eda took off.
Running through the town, Midori memorized the general location Eda took off in with Luz.
"What the hell Midori, you just let her fly off with your best friend." Midori cursed. "She doesn't seem bad though, so I'll trust her for now."
"Hold it right there." A guard called out, running after him.
"Not good." He said, before noticing two more guards coming after him from up ahead.
Midori made a sharp right turn, and went down an alleyway, before sliding to a halt, as it was a dead end. Looking over his shoulder, Midori backed up a bit, before running forward, and ninja jumping the walls of the buildings he was surrounded by, and flipped over the blocked end of the alleyway.
Landing in the three point stance, Midori continued running and turning out of the alley, before some invisible force grabbed him, as he was surrounded by a red energy, and forced to stand stalk still, before he was turned around, and was face to face, or rather mask, with someone around his height, wearing a white robe, with a golden mask covering his face.
"Fuck." Midori cursed.
"Nice try scum, but… wait. Those ears, you're human."
"No shit Sherlock." Midori stated. "Now let me go, I did nothing wrong."
"Why are you running then?"
"The Owl Lady cornered me and my friend to try and buy something from her, but when one of the guards confronted her, we were pulled into her charges, when we'd never even met her before. So why the hell do you think I'm running?"
"Hmm…"
"Golden Guard." One of the guards chasing Midori gasped, when they managed to make their way around the building.
"At ease, I believe you've falsely accused this citizen and his friend."
"I don't think so, the Owl Lady took his friend and escaped, leaving this one behind." The main guard who had started this whole thing said. "It's possible he knows of her whereabouts."
"Is that so?" Golden Guard said. "Why would she take your friend?"
"Beats me, probably because she didn't want her to get caught up in this whole mess?" Midori theorized. "But even if I did know where the Owl Lady was, I wouldn't tell you."
"Well then…" Golden Guard paused to put Midori in chains. "Take him to the Conformatorium."
"The what?" Midori asked, as he was dropped, with the guards grabbing him.
"It's where all you unsavory people, who don't fit in society, go to reform and learn to be normal." Golden Guard stated.
"Sounds an awful lot like the summer camp, my parents were just about to send me to." Midori glared.
"Good, then you should be familiar with our program."
~Conformatorium~
"Stay there." The guard said, throwing Midori into his cell. "Vice Warden Wrath will have words with you in a moment."
"Some prison." Midori chuckled. "They didn't even take away my personal belongings. What is this, the 1600's?"
"Don't know what those are, but the guards are ordered to leave us alone after bringing us to the conformatorium." A woman's voice said.
Looking out the cell, Midori saw he wasn't the only one there, and had three other prison inmates to keep himself company.
"What are ya in for?"
"I have knowledge on the Owl Lady's whereabouts, and I'm not willing to give it up, because it'll put my best friend in the crossfire of her little squabble with the government of this realm."
"This realm? I don't know where you think you're from kid, but as far as I know, this is the only realm in known existence." The woman said. "Name's Katya."
"Midori." He said. "An' I'm from the human realm."
"The human realm? That place is nothing but a myth. Just like the great Wizards of Shaz." Katya said.
"Did these wizards happen to number in seven, with lightning bolts on their chests?" Midori asked.
"So you're familiar with the lore? They're rumored to have been around, longer then time itself, but their powers were too great for this world, so they had to leave for the human realm, where no one knows what happened to them afterwards, so it's kinda obvious that they're nothing more then legend."
"Not really legends, when I met the last survivor of their group, just this morning." Midori said. "That is until he died after giving me the powers he and our brothers and sisters possessed."
"Our?" Katya asked.
"Apparently, I joined his family, when I accepted his power." Midori said, before his ears perked up, as he heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming to the corridors.
"Alright." A deep, angered voice said as someone new entered. "Time to give the new prisoner, the welcome treatment."
From within his field of vision, a large man wearing a white uniform, with a black hood, and a Plague Mask, stepped into view, and turned to his cell.
"I'm assuming you're Vice Warden Wrath?" Midori inquired. "Gotta say, I was expecting someone a little more… intimidating."
"Warden Wrath." He said, raising the lever and opening the door to his cell. "I am still Warden, no matter what the newcomer in Emperor Belos's favor says."
"Ah, so this new guy took your place as Warden, and you're sour about it, huh?" Midori asked, before he was wrapped in Wrath's tendrils that formed his arm, squeezing the breath out of him. "I hit a nerve huh?" He wheezed out.
"You're coming with me." Wrath said, dragging him through the corridor.
"If you really have the power of the Shaz kid, you might wanna use it to escape this place." Katya called out to him, before the door shut him off from the other inmates.
Struggling in the Vice Warden's grip, Midori tried to break free of the demon, but not being in his Champion form, made him far weaker then he should have been for escaping. When Wrath pulled Midori into one of the rooms closer to the corridor, Midori's eyes widened when he saw that the room was filled with all sorts of torture tools, and not the fun kind he found in the basement of his adoptive parents home one time.
"Take a seat." Wrath said, throwing Midori onto a platform, and strapping him to it. "Now… you're gonna be telling me, where the Owl Lady's hiding."
"I'd rather not." Midori growled. "My best friend is currently with her, and I don't want her getting caught in whatever attack you do."
"Oh, I'm sure I can find some way that'll change your mind." Wrath said, shifting his right hand, into a blade.
~Luz: Sometime Later~
"Whoa, check it out." Luz said, heading down the corridors of cells, with a black furred demon on her shoulders, and her cat eared hood up. "King, this place is enormous."
"I know. But I can feel my crowns power, it's near." The little demon said.
"Hey cat lady?" Katya questioned, grabbing their attention. "How'd you get out of your cells?"
"Oh, I'm not a cat person, and we're not criminals." Luz said.
"Not yet you're not." King stated.
"Neither are we. Stupid warden, or I guess Vice Warden now, likes to lock people up who don't fit in." Katya said, pulling out a red book and opening it to a story. "I write fanfic's of food falling in love. I like food, I like love, just let me write about it."
"I'm here, because I like eating my own eyes." The cellmate to the left said, taking out one of his five eyes, and eating it before it grew back.
"We are agents of free expression, they will never silence us." A small creature said.
"Yeah, she's really big into conspiracy theories." Katya stated.
"The world is a simulation, we are but play things for a higher being."
"Wait, none of these are actual crimes. None of you actually did anything wrong." Luz said before pulling Eda's wanted poster out from her pocket. "You're all just a bunch of weirdo's, like me."
"Luz, we gotta hide." King said, pulling on Luz's hoodie, and dashing off as the ground began to shake.
As they hid in one of the empty cells, Luz made sure to close the cell, before the large bulky figure of Vice Warden Wrath came through the door, and into their line of vision.
"I can hear you." Wrath said.
Luz just remained still, not sure if she should try anything or not, as Wrath continued talking.
"I was in the middle of the best part of greeting the new prisoner. Just what are you fools whispering about?" He questioned, before looking down and seeing Eda's wanted poster, to which Luz had dropped. "Ah, the Owl Lady." He said, picking it up, before the crumpled the poster into a ball, and turned his fist into a hammer, slamming it against the cell the two were hiding in, bending the metal badly. "I'll get my hands on her soon enough." He declared, before looking into the cell, and only seeing Luz, cowering in the corner.
"Fight against the oppressor. We will resist, we will conquer. We will never be afraid of you, you old creep." The conspiracy theorist declared, before Wrath stepped up and opened her cell.
"Not good." Luz hissed.
"Hooray I'm free." The theorist said, before she was grabbed by Wrath.
"I think the new prisoner could use a little company. Let this be a lesson to all of you. There's no place in society for you if you can't fit in." Wrath stated squeezing tighter on his victim, before marching off to deliver more punishment to her.
The moment he was gone, Luz and King crawled towards the damaged door, opening it with little to no effort.
"New prisoner? There was someone else here?" Luz asked.
"Yeah, that was his cell you hid in." Katya said. "Vice Warden Wrath took him nearly six hours ago, and he hasn't returned yet. I think his name was, Midori, or something like that."
"Midori?" Luz gasped. "Oh no, this is bad. If he hasn't said Shazam yet, then that means he's in trouble."
"You know him?"
"He's my best friend." Luz said, running to the lever of Katya's cell. "Don't worry, I'll get you all out, before I go help him." She stated, trying and failing to push up on the lever. "No, my weak nerd arms."
"What's the point in us escaping. He's just gonna catch us again, and lock us up."
"Like he always does."
"Just go, before the Warden catches and tortures you too."
Luz just looked at the two prisoners, before she turned away, and began running through the corridor.
"Luz, where are you going, the vault is that way." King said, pointing in another direction.
"I'm going to get Midori. He's strong enough to help, and get everyone out of here." Luz said, following the sound of Wrath's footsteps.
Being careful not to be seen, Luz followed the goliath of a man, but stopped when she saw him stop, and began talking with someone else. But before that, she'd noticed him stop at a door, right as who he was talking to, called for him.
"That has to be the door leading to his torture chamber." Luz said.
"How can you be sure?" King asked.
"Because it literally says, torture chamber on it."
Being sneaky, Luz and King crept along the wall, staying out of sight of Wrath, and the man he was talking to. When she reached the door, Luz quickly went through without making a sound, and carefully closed it, trying to avoid making any noise.
"Luz?" Midori's hoarse voice came from behind her.
"Oh my Shazam. Midori." Luz gasped, seeing him tied up and bleeding on the seated platform, his body covered in gashes and his left eye swollen and black, with his lips cut open, and blood trailing down over his right eye. "Oh, what'd he do to you?"
"Luz, what are you doing here?" Midori asked.
"I'm helping Eda and King get Kings crown back, in exchange Eda said she'd send the both of us home once you got to the Owl House." Luz said. "But look at you, oh esos monstruos. Por qué no dijiste Shazam y saliste?"
"What'd you just say?" King asked.
"If I had, then I wouldn't have been able to find the man, who freed the Sins. He's here, I know it." Midori coughed, spitting up blood. "Plus, they'd have come after you next. An' I couldn't let them come after my best friend."
"Oh Midori." Luz said, tears in her eyes. "Come on, let's get you out of here. An' meet up with Eda."
After untying Midori, Luz threw one of his arms over her shoulders, as King went and silently opened the door. There was no one in the corridors, and it seems Wrath had gone somewhere else, probably with the one he was talking to earlier.
"All clear." King said, before opening the door entirely, and letting Luz and Midori out.
Heading through the tower, Midori, Luz, and King made sure to keep themselves from being spotted, as difficult as that was with Midori in his current state, until they finally met up with Eda as the Owl Lady came flying in through from an open window, sitting on her witch's staff, a smile on her face.
"Hey, I just checked and… whoa, is that Midori, what happened to him?" Eda asked, the smile she had vanishing, as she spotted the young man being supported by Luz.
"Vice Warden Wrath happened." Midori groaned. "Someone called, the Golden Guard managed to grab me in the market earlier, and I wound up here. Wrath tortured me to get the information of where you lived out of me. But I kept my lips shut, no matter what he did."
"Here, let me cast a healing spell on you real quick." Eda said, drawing a circle of magic in the air, and washing it over Midori a few times. "Damn, these injuries are serious, this is the best I can do until we get back to the Owl House."
"This is more then enough." Midori said, now able to stand on his own.
"My crown. It's close, I can feel it's power." King said, running up and scratching at the door as they neared it.
"Aw he's so cute when he gets thirsty for power." Eda cooed.
"It's not fair that they are all in here." Luz said. "All those prisoners, they just wanna be themselves. Why does everyone think that wanting to be a weirdo is so bad?"
"It's just the true nature of this world Luz." Midori sighed as King tossed the doorknob at their feet, before opening it. "Seems like you and I were both expecting something else in this world."
"Come on, before he hurts himself." Eda said.
"Ow."
"Too late." Midori said.
Inside the contraband room, there was a massive pillar of light, that no doubt was the barrier only Luz or Midori could break through. King was on the ground rubbing his head, before he got up and went running at it again, only to be stopped by Midori grabbing and lifting him off the ground, by the scruff of his neck, and dropped into Eda's arms.
"Luz is here, remember?" She asked.
"Oh, right."
"Go on kiddo, do your thing."
Midori just watched as Luz went towards the barrier, his fears about it seemed to vanish as she passed right through it. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel something was off.
"Doing okay kid?" Eda asked Midori.
"Fine. But what can you tell me about the Wizards of Shaz?" Midori asked. "I heard part of the legend from one of the inmates, but they didn't go into depth about it."
"Well, what I can say for certain, is that they supposedly were the first Demons and Witches born of the Titans flesh, with the Titans blood itself, flowing through their veins. Unfortunately, with so many of them living in the same place, the realm couldn't contain them, so they split into groups of seven, and left for different realms, thus creating balance in ours."
"You gotta be kidding me." Midori heard Luz say, before she came out of the barrier as it dropped, revealing all that was behind it.
"My crown. Yes, yes." King cheered, jumping from Eda's arms and grabbing the paper crown in Luz's hands, and putting it on. "I can feel my dark powers returning. You there nightmare critter. I shall call you, Francois and you shall be a minion in my army of darkness."
"That crown doesn't give him any sort of powers, does it?" Midori asked, looking to Eda.
"Nope."
"So we just risked our lives, for a stupid paper crown from a fast food restaurant?" Midori asked.
"Yep." Eda said. "Oh, look at us Luz, Midori. King and I don't have much in this world. We've only got each other. So if that dumb crown is important to him, then it's important to me too. An' besides, us weirdo's have to stick together, you know?" She smiled giving them a wink.
"That's kinda sweet, I guess." Luz said.
"Well, we owe you both one. Now let's get out of here before the Warden finds us, and loses his head." Eda said, as a dark figure came up from behind her.
"Too late." Wrath said, before turning his hand into an axe blade.
"Eda look out." Midori said, grabbing her shoulders, and forcing her to duck, before an axe blade came swinging at him, and sliced his chest open, as he was sent flying into the pile of contraband.
"Midori." Luz screamed in horror.
"No, no, no. Stay with us kid." Eda said, as she and King ran to Midori with Luz. When they got there, their eyes widened. The gash was deep, and they could see his ribs through the blood and severed flesh, as well as his beating heart. "No, this is not good. A simple healing spell won't work on this, we need something stronger, a healing potion, or something."
"Here…" King said, grabbing a jar of blue liquid that had been in the contraband pile. "Try putting some of this on the wound. It's blue and glowy, same as the healing magic, it might help."
Eda took the jar, but before she could open it, Wrath grabbed her with his tendrils, and pulled the witch towards him.
"Finally, I have you cornered Eda the Owl Lady." Wrath said, using the tendrils of his other hand to grab King's crown. "My guards could never get you. But I knew that if I took your pets toy, you'd come running." He stated, before crushing the crown.
"No! My power." King sobbed.
"What do you want with me? I've never actually broken any of your stupid laws… in front of you." Eda said.
"That's not helping." Luz said, before noticing the jar of blue liquid at her side.
"Eda must have dropped it when Wrath grabbed her." King gasped as Luz took it.
"I want you… to go out with me." Wrath said, holding a bouquet of flowers to Eda, while taking a knee.
"Are you kidding me? You nearly torture Midori to death for that?" Luz questioned.
"Go boss." One of the guards said, while holding two thumbs up to him.
"You've always eluded our capture. You've always been the one that got away. I find that very alluring." Wrath said.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Luz said, as she poured the blue liquid on Midori's open chest wound. "Come on, please work, please work." She pleaded, as she could see his heart beat slowing down.
"Come now Vice Warden, that won't do."
Eda, Luz, and King looked behind Wrath to see a bald well built, yet somewhat stocky man wearing a black leather trench coat, wearing a pair of sunglasses, with a scar over his right eye.
"Flirting with a wanted criminal? What would Emperor Belos say?" The man asked.
"He wouldn't say a damn thing, Warden Thaddeus Sivana." Wrath said.
"Wait, Thaddeus Sivana?" Luz asked, putting the empty jar down as she kept her eyes on the man. "As in the youngest son of Sivana Incorporated, who went missing two weeks ago?"
"My, you're well informed for a witch child." Sivana said.
"I'm from the human realm." Luz said. "Midori and I both. Your disappearance was all over the news."
"An' I have a certain Wizard of Shaz, to thank for that." Sivana said, removing his sunglasses and revealing his right eye was glowing blue. "Thanks to him, I was sealed away in the Demon Realm, and with no way home."
"You're the one." Luz gasped. "You're the one, who set the Seven Deadly Sins free. Shazam warned us about you."
"Oh?" Sivana seemed intrigued, before he was in Luz's face and she was instantly across the room, and slid across the ground before hitting the wall. "So you're his champion then?"
"Midori." Luz said softly, grabbing her arm in pain.
There was a burst of electricity from behind Sivana, causing him to look back to the supposedly injured teen, before the boy's fist made contact with his face, lightning charging through him to Sivana as the strike slammed him to the ground.
"She's not the champion." Midori said, cracking his neck, as his ears grew a little pointed, and the gash in his chest sealed itself, like nothing had even happened to him. "I am."
"A mere boy?" Sivana questioned.
"Shazam!" Midori called out, struck by the lightning. The dust cloud that came from the lightning strike settled, and Midori was revealed. His Champion costume had only changed in color, with the exterior going from red, to black, with the rest of his Champion form having changed. Midori still looked mostly the same as his normal self, but he still retained the size of a child, though with a bigger muscle mass, while his hair was still longer and wilder, but it was now a dark emerald green grating into red around his lower back, with the violet shadow trim around his eyes. Everything related to his champion transformation, were proportionate to his size as a sixteen year old boy, with three stripes on each of his cheeks, but now he had the features of a white tigers tail sprouting out from his lower back, and ears from the top of his head, with the canines on both the bottom and top halves of the jaw, having grown sharper and longer as he let out a feral growl.
"Whoa!" Luz gasped. "That's new, and different."
"That was not a healing potion, that was in that jar." Eda said, in equal shock.
In a flash of blinding speed, with blue lightning trailing behind him, Midori vanished from sight. Eda and the others remained confused, before Eda felt Warden Wrath's grip on her vanish, and she looked ahead of her to see he had kicked the Vice Warden in the head, knocking him back into his subordinates, rendering them unconscious.
"Eda, take Luz, heal her injuries, and get out of here." Midori said.
"Right." Eda stated, getting up and running to where Luz had landed, clutching her arm. "You okay kid?"
"I think my arm is broken." Luz said.
"I'm surprised you didn't try to stop her." Midori said, as Sivana faced him.
"I have no interest in the Owl Lady, only the Wizards Champion." Sivana said, taking to the air. "But to think he chose a child, yet I was younger then you when he brought me to the Rock of Eternity, and I still was denied the power, that's rightfully mine. So you will give me the power of the Champion, and you will do so before I kill your beloved friends."
"Well, if it's me you want." Midori said, before charging right at Sivana, and ramming into him with a double kick to the chest, and knocking him into the wall.
(Cue Music… Thunder: Imagine Dragons)
"Let's dance." Midori said, before he ran at Sivana again, ramming him through the wall.
"Midori." Eda gasped, as she saw them fall through.
Outside, Midori held his grip on the mans jacket, as they fell to the ground bellow, headbutting Sivana to keep him disoriented and unable to fly, before he spun Sivana around, and threw him to the ground bellow, with all the strength he could muster while in mid air.
Sivana's impact caused a crater to form near the entrance of the Conformatorium, while Midori landed on the ground, back flipping like a gymnast before he slid back in a three point stance, stopping in front of the door to the conformatorium, just as Katya and the other two inmates reached it, with Luz, Eda, and King on Eda's staff.
"Whoa." Katya gasped. "Is that Midori?"
"Yep. That's Midori, fighting the Warden." Eda said. "He has the power of Shaz."
Putting one foot back, Midori ran at Sivana and left a crater in the ground, while the shockwave forced the ground to move in a motion similar to rippling water. Getting right in Sivana's face as the man picked himself up, Midori managed to hook his arm around Sivana's neck, and twisting around, Sivana was pulled onto the boys shoulders in an airplane hold, with the young man pulling down hard on his body.
"Shazam!" Midori shouted, the lightning striking Sivana in the chest. "Shazam! Shazam! Shazam! Shazam!" He continued to shout, with lightning striking Sivana with each call of the Champions name, until Midori stopped, and jumped backwards in the air, slamming the villain into the ground.
"Ooh, hot dang, I should be selling tickets to this. People would enjoy this spectacle." Eda smirked, eating some popcorn.
"Where'd you get that?" Luz asked.
"Want some?"
"I'm good."
"How…" Sivana coughed, picking himself up as Midori jumped to his feet. "I've had two weeks to get accustomed, and train with my powers. Yet you've only had yours for less then a day, and are still managing to beat me. Tell me how this is possible."
"You might have trained with your powers for two weeks, but I've trained my whole body, mind, and soul, in martial arts. As an outlet for my emotions, I learned how to fight. For as long as I can remember, my body has been a living weapon, long before I got these powers." Midori said. "I am beating you, using experience. A powerful tool to have when fighting your opponent."
"No, this isn't over." Sivana said. "It's not over."
Letting out a battle cry, Sivana charged at Midori, and struck him in the face with a swing of his elbow, knocking the teen away, before he was on top of him and slammed his fists into Midori's stomach, and sent him deep into the ground.
Midori hadn't been expecting this kind of reaction from Sivana, but remembered he was utilizing the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins, meaning this reaction had to be the Sin of Wrath's doing. His thought were interrupted as Sivana pulled him from the hole he made.
"You wanna play the hero kid? Fine, I'll give you a chance to be the hero." Sivana said, his eye glowing as bog gray smoke rose from his body, with six monsters surrounding the escapees, as well as Luz, Eda, and King. "Give me the Champions power, or they die."
"Stop it." Midori growled, before Sivana sucker punched him in the face. "Leave them alone."
"Then give me, the Champions power. An' tell me how to get back to the human realm." Sivana stated.
Midori just glowered at Sivana, before letting his head hang back. He only saw one way out of this, and with fast movements, slammed his forehead into Sivana's, disorienting the villain, before throwing him into the air, and surprising himself, hit Sivana with a massive threads of lightning from his fingers.
(End Song…)
"Hey Sins." Midori cried out, gaining their attention as he held up his hand, and caught Sivana by the throat. "Unless you want your Champion to die, and you wanna return to being lawn ornaments, let them go."
The six Sins that surrounded the others looked to see if he was bluffing, but they could tell by the grip he held on Sivana's throat, that he wasn't. So without further questioning, the six Sins returned to Sivana, just as their champion fell unconscious.
"Whoa, did that really just happen? Did he actually just beat the Warden?" Katya asked.
"He did, and hot damn that transformation of his is incredible." Eda said.
"But this transformation is different." Luz said, her arm in a makeshift sling. "He's still his normal height, and his suit's black now."
"An' that's different from…?" Eda inquired.
"When he first received his power from the Wizard Shazam, his suit was red, he had transformed into an adult, and his hair was still completely red, not this grating color scheme. This is something else." Luz explained.
"You said Shazam?" Katya asked.
"Why is that important?"
"According to the lore of Shaz, Shazam was the strongest out of all the Wizards. With power that was rivaled by only one other person, the Collector." Katya said.
~The Owl House~
"Phew, what a long night it's been." Eda said, as they returned to the Owl House.
"You sure you're doing alright Luz?" Midori asked still in his Champion Form, while walking in with Luz in his arms, bridal style.
"I'm fine Midori, you can put me down. Eda said it was just a fracture, nothing a few more treatments of healing magic won't fix." Luz said, as Midori set her down on her feet.
"Well, a deal's a deal." Eda said, holding up the Portal Door Key, and opening the portal, and taking a wrist band from her hair. "Here, I've enchanted this bracelet with healing magic. Just enough to where it'll heal your arm completely over the course of the next two days. Don't take it off, until then."
"Right, I guess this is goodbye then. Thanks for the adventure, Eda the Owl Lady." Luz said. "Come on Midori, let's go."
Midori was silent, before he sighed and spoke up.
"Actually Luz… I'm not returning to the human realm." Midori said, the kitten jumping into his arms.
"What?" Luz asked. "But your parents, they…"
"Don't care about me." Midori said. "Those bandages I was wearing this morning, weren't from a fight I had in school. They were from Richard. He and Nicole abuse me, and they get away with it, because they make the claims of me being violent at school. They have their own kids, who are related to them, who back up those claims, and I'm treated as nothing more then an unpaid housekeeper, who gets beaten up if I don't do something their way. I don't sleep on a bed, I sleep on a sheet on the cold hard ground, and I'm fed table scraps for every meal that's not given to me from the school cafeteria. They weren't sending me to that camp because of my grades, or behavior, they couldn't care less about that. They were sending me away, because they didn't want me in the house during the summer, they wanted me gone."
Luz just looked at Midori, before she hung her head low, and walked towards him. Reaching him, Luz gently hit her forehead against his, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, as she moved her head to his shoulder, and hugged him tighter. Midori was shocked, and he felt tears coming from her, as she cried and he hugged her back.
"I'm so sorry Midori." Luz said. "I'm a terrible friend for not noticing you were in so much pain. If I had known, my mom and I could have…"
"Don't… it's not your fault." Midori said. "I don't blame you for not noticing, we're not even adults yet after all."
"But still. I should have been more aware, you're my best friend, my only friend." Luz said.
"It's not your fault Luz." Midori said, before turning to look at Eda over his shoulder. "I'm sorry to ask this Eda, but do you think I could stay here until I find a…"
"Oh kid." Eda said, her and King teary eyed themselves. "You can stay here for as long as you need. After saving our butts, and giving that Warden a good thrashing, it's the least we can do, to let you stay here."
"I'd like to stay too. At least until summer camp's over in the human realm." Luz said. "Can I at least spend one more summer with you Midori?"
"It's fine by me Luz." Midori said. "But I'd say that's Eda's call to make."
"What the hell." Eda smiled. "I can't deny her such a request. What kind of monster would that make me? Of course you can stay, but you're both gonna have to pull your weight around here."
"You can expect the best from me." Midori said.
"Same. Before anything else happens, you might wanna revert back to normal, Midori."
"Right, can't go around looking like the Champion of Shaz, all the time." Midori said. "Shazam!"
There was a moment as they waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
"What the, I was able to turn into the Champion, so why can't I change back?" He asked.
"I don't know. Maybe it had something to do with whatever we used on your injuries." Luz said, reaching into her bag. "I have the jar with me still, and I think there's a bit left inside."
"I'll take it to someone I know, to analyze it. Until then, I suggest you get used to being in that state kid. You're not gonna be changing back until we figure this out." Eda said, taking the jar.
"Well, guess this is my life now." Midori sighed.
"On the plus side, you've got that body you've always talked about having." Luz chuckled.
~Upstairs~
Midori sighed, as he opened the door to the room Eda gave him, there was an actual bed, with covers and everything. He felt like Luz should have it, but she said that she was fine sleeping in her room in her sleeping bed.
Surprisingly, Midori was able to take off the vest of his suit, and hung it on the hood on the door, before making himself comfortable in bed. He closed his eyes and smiled, hoping to have some good dreams for once, before a light shined from his chest. Looking down, he saw his mother's pendant, his birth mother's pendant, emerging and manifesting, before it was completely around his neck once again.
"Weird, but at least I still have it." He smiled, looking at the triple triangle pendant. "This is made from unrefined Eternium huh? Guess that makes it more valuable then just the sentimental value it holds."
"Ahem."
Midori looked to the door, and saw King standing there, holding his new stuffed bunny.
"I was wondering… if I could spend the night with you?" King asked. "You look strong enough to chase away any nightmares."
Midori just chuckled, before patting the side of his bed, allowing for King to hop up, and make himself comfortable.
"Why come to me?" Midori asked.
"I wanna bring you into my army, and make you my general. An' to do that I'm gonna win you over with friendship." King said.
"Sure King." Midori chuckled, closing his eyes to sleep. "Sure."