Hello everybody and welcome back to "To Eternity, My Witch". Hope y'all are doing well!
As you all know, Queen Elizabeth II has passed away earlier this day September 8, 2022. My heart goes out to her family and all the people of the UK and British colonies that held her as their queen for these past 70 years. I live in the USA, and I loved hearing news about the late Queen. To hear the news of her passing sent a pang of loss and sadness through me. I personally shed tears for her passing. I had hoped to get over to the UK to see her from afar before she passed; however, that will never come to fruition now. I pray and hope healing for her family at their loss of her presence and her gain to the next life. I also pray good fortune to them as they move forward with Prince Charles' coronation and Britain's good rule.
I DO NOT Own any of these as they are and were created by their respective creators. Marvel is owned by the late Stan Lee via Disney. Phantom of the Opera (PotO) is owned by Andrew Llyod Weber. LofZ : TP and OofT by Shigeru Miyamoto. Fire Emblem by Shouzou Kaga. Black Butler by Yana Toboso. And finally, Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi.
Ch 35 Demon King verses The Witch
Cautiously, the Avengers carefully, quietly, made their way out of the tunnels and into the courtyard, listening. Silence reigned in the city, save the occasional sounds from the battling armies outside the city walls. Occasionally they would see one of the dragons fly over the city to watch their progress. Silently, quickly, the Avengers made their way to the road leading to the castle. Upon arriving at the barrier barricading them from the castle itself, James ordered out, "I suggest everyone stay back and stand guard out for enemy scouts. Wanda and I will deal with the barrier."
Sam narrowed his eyes, "James… You heard Stefan's explanation on the barrier. There's no way to get past it. Besides… what about his suggestion at hitting the barrier?"
James sneered at Sam, who in turned glared back. Wanda growled, "James, Sam, I suggest you cut the darts at each other now. This is not the time to be throwing insults arounds carelessly. Especially at each other. We're on a mission to finish this evil. To answer your question, Sam…" She floated over and slapped Sam, who turned his sneering face to her.
She slapped him again, this time Sam simply frowned. The other Avengers also gave Sam pointed looks, causing him to give up the gun. "I have the fused shadows at my command and the Triforce of Wisdom. I believe I can get past the barrier with their help." She grew thoughtful for a moment before turning a confident look to her fellow Avengers and family, ordering, "Now do as James said and stand back."
Their friends and fellow Avengers did as James ordered and went on guard. James and Wanda turned to the barrier. Giving Wanda some space, James watched in concern as Wanda brought out all five pieces of the fused shadows that she and James had gotten. In an instant the pieces flew onto her head, joining the mask she had, creating a complete mask from the pieces. It caused her to fly several times against the walls of the colonnade before disappearing over the left wall. James and the others called out in concern, "Wanda!", "Are you alright, daughter?" "Doll?!"
Suddenly, James and the others watched in shock and awe as Wanda, changed into a massive creature with seven arms and an oversized fused shadow mask, come up over the wall. The mask was pulsing with the power of the fused shadow. She looked up and jumped high into the air. James and the other Avengers watched in awe as Wanda landed on the barrier, slipping a bit before gaining a foot, creating a larger-than-life spear from her powers, a spear that pulsed with the raw red light and glowed gold with the supporting power of the Triforce of Wisdom.
She had it in one of her appendages from which she harshly and rather forcefully hit the barrier with it sharp tip. The barrier, as hard as it was, broke under her blow with the spear, unable to handle the blow and the power she held with it, leading to the barrier shattering from the power surge in the spear. Stefan roared in the distance in victory, his children followed suit, even as Ganondorf's army moaned in defeat.
Wanda fell from the high place on the barrier, changing back into her impish form. She was unconscious. James rushed forward as she fell, and he caught her before she hit the ground. "Wanda!" He shouted, stroking her check. She came to and looked up to James' panicked eyes. She smiled, It's alright…I am alright, James. Just got knocked unconscious a falling barrier chuck before it disappeared.
James sighed in relief; the other Avengers concerned as well, now breathed a sigh of relief, respecting Wanda even further. Her control of her powers and the fused shadows was awe-inspiring. She was easily the strongest Avenger. Of all Avengers. Wanda and James looked to the castle as he stood. The other Avengers did as well.
"Ganondorf has most likely seen what you have done, Wanda. We should go straight through to the throne room where he most likely is awaiting us. You…" Steve stated glancing at James before staring up at the rising palace, determined.
"Come. Now that the barrier is broken, we can move forward with this. And end it." Thor ordered, gesturing. Stefan landed behind them all and transformed, and he joined them as they entered.
It started to rain as they moved towards the castle and soon all were drenched and cold from the chill of evening. It was late in the evening of the second day now of the battle, night quickly making its move on the realm. Moving through the palace doors, the Avengers were met with more difficult foes as they went. They were forced to move through the many rooms of the palace, facing enemies along the way, in a roundabout way to the throne room itself on the third floor. Nearing the second level's entrance to the third, James, Steve, and Wanda were the first to arrive there.
The others were battling just outside the room against several dark elves, darknuts, Dinolfos, and corrupted Twilight. Here, two rather impressive mighty darknuts with seven dark elves stood guarding the entrance to the throne room, awaiting their arrival. Steve, James, and Wanda watched from their hidden alcove, talking.
"From battling with these corrupted soldiers before, keep engaging them. Their armor is weak at the knees, under the upper arms, and the neck. If you by chance can slash at those areas, their armor will become useless and dangle off, forcing them to rid themselves of the dead weight." James whispered an order to Steve, who nodded in agreement.
"With my presence as a distraction, it will be easier as well." Wanda mumbled.
Steve nodded, stilling looking at the two enemies, "I'll take the one on the left, James."
James smirked at him, "On your right, punk." Wanda simply shook her head, a smile on her face at their jovial remarks, a tribute to their days before and during World War II.
Steve and James came out of their hiding spot and walked towards the two darknuts, who upon seeing them, got in battle stance. Tried and true, Steve battled the one on the left and James the other. Within minutes, both darknuts and all seven dark elves lay dead on the floor, both James and Steve breathing heavy. Wanda had taken care of the dark elves herself, her powers easily over taking all seven within moments.
Steve turned to James and Wanda, "I will await here for the others to arrive. As much as I would like to join you two in there. I am sure that me being present would cause me to be a liability."
James shook his head, putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, "Being a liability was something part of your pre-serum days, Steve. Not so much now though. I'd say you were and are a big help. If it wasn't for you and the others, Wanda and I wouldn't have gotten this far into defeating Ganon… Punk." They shared a moment, friend to friend, brother to brother, like days gone by. It was a moment like they had during their time in the War decades ago. Now it was a bond that tied them together as brothers, in everything but blood. Though the moment disappeared when the roar of anger could be heard beyond the door.
"Go. Kill that bastard for us. For the universe. For Amelia," Steve commanded, before he turned to guard the entrance to prevent any other enemies from joining the fray. James raised a brow at Steve, he rarely ever swore, especially in front of ladies like Wanda. But being where they were, he had every right to.
James let out a sigh to release his tension. A hand on his shoulder brought him face to face with Wanda. "Together, soldier. Until the end of the line."
With her smile and confidence, James felt his courage raise to the heavens and confidence rose as well. He opened the door and made his way up the stairs with Wanda right behind him, to the throne room of Asgard castle. Inside the throne room, James and Wanda were saddened to see it such a state of disrepair, since the last time they were there, it was used for their wedding. Now many of the tables, chairs, and such were gone, the large throne room was empty except for the throne itself and a few pieces of rubble here and there of the Asgardian sovereignty symbol that was destroyed.
To their shock, floating between the two curved decorative metal posts above the throne where the Asgardian sovereignty symbol used to be, was Amelia, her lifeless body. Her eyes were closed, chest still, body limp and thin. Her skin was pale, grayish even, and her dark brown hair dull and straight. The outfit Ragnar had forced her to change into was still on. The chains were still glaringly obvious on her wrists, ankles, and neck as they dangled and swung ever so slightly above the throne.
Sitting on the throne below Amelia's lifeless body, was a man dressed in black and gold lined armor, awaiting them. Ganondorf. He was dark skinned, like that of aged stone. His hair was red, held back by a weird circlet that was silver, and his eyes were a sickly gold. He held his head with a fist, staring at them with an amused, yet poison filled, smile, "Welcome to my castle." He let out a chuckle devoid of all humor. He held a sword in his other hand as it rested across his legs. He had much forgotten his time within the realm of Hyrule before.
James brought out Psipherion as he and Wanda approached. Stopping, Wanda smiled Cheshire cat like with sickening sweetness, venom clearly dripping from her voice, "So you're Ganondorf?" James glanced at her before looking back to the man on the throne with his perfected sneered from HYDRA. Ganon sat still, sword in hand as he smiled with poison down at them.
"I've been dying to meet you." Wanda said, her voice feverously dripping poison itself, her powers leaking out her hands. James readied his stand somewhat as he glared at Ganondorf.
Ganondorf stood, a glaringly obvious wound in his chest that glowed. He let out a humorless laugh, "Your people have long amused me, Wanda. The Twili and the humans, to defy the gods and us demon slayers and demigods with such petty magic… only to be cast aside… How worthless… As worthless as they all were though, they were useful to me, and served me well… Their pain and anguish were my nourishment.
"The Twili's and humans' hatred bled across the void where I was, and it awakened me. I drew deep of it and grew powerful and strong again. They lacked true power, even though they had skill. They lack the kind of absolute power, chosen by the gods." He dropped the fist he made while talking, and walked perpendicular to the throne, still looking down at them. He turned to look up at Amelia, who still dangled there, motionless.
He turned back to face them, smirking with confidence and hatred. He frowned and lifted his right hand, presenting the back of his hand where the Triforce of Power, appeared brighter than the other two triangles. "He who wields such power would make a suitable king and leader for this world, don't you think?"
Wanda sneered, "Ha… Such conceit… But if you're one of the chosen wielders of power… as you claim…" She screamed as she let of snaps of her powers, "Then I will do everything to deny you!" James held his sword at the ready, prepared to face Ganondorf.
Ganondorf sneered, and then it turned into a sinister smile, "How amusing… Shadow has been moved by light yet again." He lifted his hand, specs of Twilight coming from his feet, "Very well… Deny me, then! Yes, try to deny me… You and your little friend…" He looked up to Amelia again with a sinister smile as the Twilight specs grew in number.
Wanda gasped in fear and raced up to Amelia. James shouted, as he tried to stop her, "Wanda! Don't…"
However, Wanda made to float in front of Amelia to shield her from Ganondorf's onslaught. Said man smiled in malicious intention before becoming Twilight specs. He came up to her level, and violently bombarded Amelia and Wanda with his specs as Wanda tried to protect Amelia in vain. Amelia's body shaking violently at the bombardment, the chains rattling loudly.
Wanda looked about her confused to no end as to why he didn't harm her. She turned to Amelia, who skin turned to a sickly grayish shade with black jagged Twilight lines going through it. Sneering, she reached out to try to hurt Ganondorf, but realizing she couldn't harm Amelia, instead went to touch Amelia's check. Ganondorf had possessed Amelia's body, and in that moment opened his eyes, Amelia's eyes, which had turned into a sickly muddy color of gold.
He sent out a shock wave at that moment, causing Wanda to go flying back to the entrance of the throne room. She screamed in pain as she went flying. Hitting the ground hard, Wanda fell unconscious from the force of the blast and hitting the ground hard, not able help in anyway as she landed right outside the throne room entrance. James raced with Psipherion in his hand to try to help Wanda, yet as he drew close, a barrier went up, blocking him, preventing him from getting to her.
He growled and turned to sneer at Ganondorf, who now possessed Amelia's body, as he approached. Ganondorf walked towards James, hate-filled eyes as he approached, bringing out a rapier from nowhere, "Both of you, faithless fools who would take up arms against the king of light and shadow…" Ganondorf sneered as he stopped and floated upward into the air, the chains rattling, as James glared and sneered back at him with enraged fury. "So, you chose, and now you will feel my wrath…"
James growled in frustration as he avoided several balls of electrified energy, only figuring out by accident that he needed to use Psipherion to hit it back at Ganondorf's puppet he made of Amelia. And he was forced to bat it back at Ganondorf longer each time. His vibranium arm was almost as effective bating it back, though it always sent a small jolt of pain through him from the electricity.
Not only that, but the chains dangling from Amelia's wrists and legs served as ropes for James to slam Ganondorf's puppet into a nearby pillar, stunning him long enough to send out an arrow to hit Ganondorf, each time James grunted in pain. None of the arrows, the sword blows, or the slams into the pillars seemed to leave marks on Amelia, for which he was grateful for. Someone… or something… was protecting her from being hurt, even while she was dead. Unknown to all, it was the supernatural power from God through the prayers from the Twili, Dragons, and others asking for her protection that held her from being harmed.
As the hours dragged on, James was able to bring Ganon to the ground, unable to withstand his assault with Psipherion. Ganondorf soon became too exhausted and harmed from the electrified balls and the slams with the chains, and he grunted and panted on the ground. The barrier went down, and as it did, Wanda regained consciousness, and floated into the air, furious beyond words. She brought out the fused shadows, whirling around her as she sneered at Ganondorf.
James moved out of the way of Wanda, knowing she was in it to kill Ganondorf. Watching from the side of the throne's platform, James watched in awe as Wanda changed into her creature form willingly with the completed Fused Shadow Mask, rushing two massive hands forward to grab the Ganondorf possessed Amelia, who in turn put up a hand in vain to protect himself. She brought Ganondorf's puppet to the throne, pushing him out of Amelia's body as he screamed in pain.
James sighed in relief as Wanda's hands came back from Amelia, who was now free of Ganondorf and sitting on the throne, hands clasped against her heart. Though her eyes remained closed, chest unmoving. Wanda, now back to her normal impish self, came floating over smiling at her handiness at getting Ganondorf out of Amelia, leaning on his left arm, and they shared a smile. Though they soon turned and watched with determination to defeat Ganondorf as his specs turned him into his monstrous form, Ganon, a massive chimera form of a boar and a wolf. Ganon roared at them, jumping back before coming at them in a charge.
James rushed to grab his bow, shooting an arrow to hit the jewel hanging from Ganon's crown, causing Ganon to groan in pain and fall to his side. James growled and raced over to strike at the wound that had presented itself on Ganon's chest. Obvious sword wounds became visible as he attacked Ganon, more blood seeping from his chest wound. One more blow, Ganon rolled away and raced around the throne room, before he disappeared into a portal. James and Wanda remained on guard looking for a new portal opening.
James spotted a portal to his left. It faded in and out, angry red and glaring. Until it stopped and turned blue. He wiped out the bow and aimed, hitting Ganon again deep into his skull. Once more he slashed at Ganon's chest wound before the monstrous Ganon rolled away from him and disappeared into the portal universe. For several times after that and unlike before, the bow did not work, each time Ganon dissolved into the air in specs.
Wanda shouted, "JAMES! We need to fight creature to creature. Wolf to wolf!" James nodded without question and allowed Wanda to change him. She sat on his back as they waited in tense positions for Ganon.
The blue portal solidified, and Ganon charged out of the blue portal, James braced himself as Wanda grabbed Ganon's head, stopping him in his tracks as James growled and dug his claws deep into the floor beneath. Wanda threw Ganon to their right and James raced over and jumped, biting at the wound furiously. He jumped back to the ground, growling as Ganon rolled away, groaning in pain, clearly getting to his end. James growled furiously, snarling with his fangs barred, his jaws bloodied from Ganon's wound. He looked like the predator he was… a terrifying wolf… an ookami…
Twice more James and Wanda brought Ganon to a stop and Wanda threw him to the side. James, for the fourth and finally time, attacked Ganon's wound, biting at it hard. He jumped back when Ganon roared in pain, rearing up as the wound bleed even more. Falling to the ground, unmoving, Ganon laid there as James and Wanda went to the throne to stand. Wanda changed James from wolf to human, both elated at Ganon's defeat.
As they looked over the defeated Ganon, whose body was now surrounded in slow moving flames, Wanda started to glow. She gasped as the light became brighter and separated into tiny orbs. She looked to Amelia as the orbs floated over to said woman, disappearing into her chest as the last of them came from Wanda and into Amelia. James was stunned, hope and joy rising, as was Wanda, as Amelia opened her eyes slowly, her hands lowering to rest on her lap. Zelda's lullaby faintly soundly from somewhere around Amelia, gentle and slow.
"A… Amelia…? I… I…" Wanda stuttered out.
Amelia looked up to James, whose eyes were tearing up in happiness, speechless, then to Wanda to who she softly answered, "Say no more, Wanda… Your heart and mine were as one… However briefly…" She closed her eyes, and she brought a hand up to her heart, "Such suffering and pain you've endured… Both you and James."
Wanda closed her eyes, bringing her hands to her heart. James just stared at her in awe, unable to speak and overjoyed she was resurrected, stepped forward as Amelia stood, wanting to pull her to himself and hold her close in case she was a phantom. Suddenly, a noise behind them brought them out of the precious moment. Wanda floated forward, quickly, in front of James and Amelia to protect them.
Ganondorf had changed again into his human form. He was panting in pain and exhaustion, an insane look on his face. He rushed forward, a sword in hand, to meet James in a fight and growled in anger, "HOW DARE YOU!"
He swung his sword, yet his sword was stopped at Wanda's hair appendage, intending to fight Ganondorf herself as Amelia took James elsewhere. James tried to rush forward, panic and terror written all over his face, just as Wanda gave Amelia the look. Amelia shouted, "JAMES!", as she jumped forward, taking hold of James' left hand and arm, preventing him from going after Wanda. Somehow, Amelia was able to hold him back even as weak as she was.
In what seemed like time stopping, yet happening in seconds, Wanda yelled to James and Amelia, "I'll hold him off until you two get back! Until you receive the power of the spirits and those who wish us to win!" Just as Amelia spoke at the same time, roaring, "SPIRITS OF LIGHT! Wielders of the great power that shines far and cross the lands of our worlds. In my time of need, grant me the power to banish evil!" Amelia and James were transported to a different plane, safe from Ganondorf. Not before James and Wanda caught each other's eyes, Wanda sending him a mind message.
"James, I have been your shadow so long since our wedding and Ragnar's invansion. Can you be mine… for just a short while?" Wanda asked, pleading as she pushed Ganondorf away and he stumbled to the ground as James and Amelia's light disappeared.
Wanda smiled and brought out the fused shadows just as James and Amelia disappeared. As the last of their light disappeared, the fused shadows came together, and Wanda transformed into her large creature formed, turning to face her foe. Ganondorf roared at her as he changed into a more incorporeal form. She floated upward and bringing out her red spear, grasped it in two appendages and brought it down with great force…
Again, I hope y'all are doing well and that y'all are enjoying this story. Please leave a review and/or like the story. Let me knew what y'all are thinking.
Until later good readers!
WS. Z.
