Chapter 3: Spears, Demons, and Clouds of Fear

Watching Michael turned out to be a lot harder than they had anticipated. Although he was a Dragon, he was a non-elemental, music not being an element (duh!). He seemed to have a sixth sense about when he was being observed.

Those times, he would wander aimlessly for hours before they realized that he was just having them on. Whenever they attempted to read what new things he had written in the notebook by randomly dropping in on him, he would snap the book closed.

Admittedly, they weren't doing a very good job of keeping him from suspecting. Omi would follow him around and try to go everywhere with him. And when asked if something was wrong, Omi would smile his huge fake smile that lets you know something is wrong. They'd watched him while he slept because they were watching for Chase.

On the other hand, none of them noticed that Mara looked happier than she had since she had arrived. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact they were all totally focused on Michael. Or they could have thought it was due to Teran, seeing as he was such a comedian.

What they failed to notice as they watched Michael was that Mara would often disappear during the night. She was waiting for the guy to come back to see what her decision was. She had made up her mind that night. He had understood her through and through and had seen her deepest desire.

All she wanted was for her worth to be recognized, and no else but him had seen that. She would accept her destiny to rule. After all, she was descended from royalty; she knew it in her heart. No one could have convinced her otherwise now that she had the tiara. It had fit perfectly. Both on her head and with her personality. Something was nagging in the back of her mind, but as she wore the tiara at night, her doubts were silenced. But Chase still did not come.

CHASE'S LAIR

It wasn't that he didn't care. Actually, he couldn't show up at the temple since the monks were watching Michael so closely. Also, the fact that Michael was watching Mara closely in turn, made it even harder to find time to show up there.

Wuya and Jack weren't helping things either. Jack kept banging on Chase's door at all hours, trying to work up favor with him. Wuya kept pestering him too. She would nag about collecting Shen Gong Wu and attacking the temple. She did not understand the delicacy of his plan.

"Wuya, please, collect Jack and get out of my lair."

Wuya frowned. "Why?"

Chase rolled his eyes, but kept his calm demeanor. "Because I can't think with both of you annoying me. Because I have better things to do than play host. Because this is MY lair, not yours." With that, he turned and walked away to another part of his lair.

Wuya stuck her hands on her ghostly hips. "Because it's my lair...blah, blah, blah!" she mimicked. Nevertheless, she collected Jack and left. It was dangerous to push Chase's patience. You never knew when he'd suddenly go dragon on you.

After they were gone, Chase gave a huge sigh of relief. "Time to implement Part II of my plan. And there's no better time than tonight."

THAT NIGHT

Mara sat on the Temple roof, all alone, tiara placed on her head. She and her brother had kept up with their daily routine of color changing since the color from the day before always disappeared during the night. As midnight came, her hair went glowing white again.

Watching silently from one of the other roofs was Chase. He was obscured by shadow from one of the taller buildings. He teleported so that he stood next to her. She didn't look up. But she spoke. "I knew you hadn't forgotten me. I knew you'd come back."

After his initial shock of her sensing his presence had passed he answered her. "Of course I wouldn't. After all, you are the most special one. I didn't introduce myself properly last time. I'm Chase Young."

At that she looked up to stare him in the eyes. "I accepted your offer. No one here seems to care about me, they're too focused with Michael." she spat out her brother's name. "So I've decided that I'll go with you. And if you want, I'll help you get rid of these annoying monks."

Chase was surprised. His plan was working so much better than he had hoped. The tiara was designed to feed on her hate, make it come out. She must have had a lot of stored up hate for it to work that well.

"Very well. How would you like to become my apprentice? I'll lead you to greatness and help you to fulfill your true potential."

"I pledge myself to your teachings, master. I shall be the best student you've ever had." Mara said, getting onto one knee and bowing her head before him.

"I'm sure you will be. Now, rise and come with me, it is time to begin your training." He held out his hand politely. She touched it and was transported to Chase's lair. "Welcome to your new home."

THE NEXT MORNING

Once again, upon waking, the monks discovered the Oracle's Mouth sitting on the table. Master Fung was already there. Michael and Teran were still sleeping having yet to adjust to the Temple's morning routine. Kimiko had noticed Mara's absence, but assumed she had gone out for a walk like she had often these days.

The Oracle's Mouth began its recitation again.

One shall fight with

Ancient spear

The other comes

Riding clouds of fear

As they fight

The world dies

Given to Beelzebub

Lord of the Flies

"Wait. When did the other stanzas come true? I thought we were watching Michael's every move." Raimundo asked them.

"Perhaps you were worried about the wrong twin." Master Fung suggested, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Mara! But she never seemed like she would. Besides, healing is a good talent, not one that can be used for evil." Kimiko said.

"Healing is for everyone. There are medics on both sides during a war." Master Fung said, once again, not betraying any emotion.

"That's different." Kimiko said stubbornly, although she knew it was a lost argument.

"It is no different. Each side views the other as wrong, regardless of who really is. We can never know who really is for each of us have our points of view." Master Fung added.

"Well, now we know who'll be------ um, on the one side. The least we can do is find the, um, weapon to help Michael. New assignment everyone. Look through the scrolls to find any mention of it so maybe we can find it." Raimundo ordered.

MANY HOURS LATER

The four monks were in the scroll room when Michael and Teran woke up. The two of them wandered in, still sleepy. "Anyone seen Mara?" Teran yawned. "I need to give her back one of her puzzles."

The four monks exchanged looks. "Teran, I don't think Mara's coming back." Kimiko said gently.

"Where'd she go?" he demanded, the facts not really sinking into his sleepy brain.

"Mara's gone with Chase. She's no longer on our side."

"Why?" he demanded again, this time, the reality sank into his mind.

"I know why." To everyone's surprise, Michael spoke up. "I've always been the one to take care of her. No one else really cared about her. Our mother was fond of me for my musical gift, but because Mara had killed our Aunt and Uncle-"

"Killed! How?" Omi broke in.

"I was getting to that. They had been caught in the middle of a gang fight and were badly wounded. My mother knew that Mara could heal. She was told to heal them. She tried, but had no control over her gift. She killed them instead. She can still kill people with her gift, when she hates them enough.

"But it wasn't an isolated incident. Before this, our father had doted on Mara. But since she had killed his little sister, he was angry at her all the time. She grew scared of her power. When another Aunt and Uncle were mugged in the park, we were with them. The mugger left us alone because we were only nine and not much of a threat. I told Mara to heal them, but she refused and ran away. She was scared she'd kill them again. They died anyway. I think Mara blamed herself for all of their deaths, but it gave her a reason to seal herself away from everyone but me. Because we're twins, it would have been really hard to distance herself from me. We're sort of connected.

"She despised our father from that point on. He was always mad at her and blaming her. Our mother ignored Mara most of the time, having only wanted a son. I think she resented the fact that I receive all the attention. I think she often believed that she didn't exist in this world. When you guys started to follow me around and just ignore her, her hate grew again. That made her easy prey for your Chase Young guy."

"But I didn't ignore her!" Teran protested.

"Yes you did. You were off doing your own thing too. She felt like she didn't have any friends left."

Teran sank to his knees in sorrow. "I guess I'm so used to being alone. I'm like Mara. I've distanced myself from everyone so much I didn't notice when my one real friend disappeared."

"Don't blame yourself. We're all to blame." Kimiko consoled him.

"Come on Teran, let's go for a walk. It'll help you calm down." Michael said patting Teran's back. Teran rose to his feet again and followed Michael out.

Clay turned back to his reading. He found the mention of a spear and read closer what was around it. "Hey, Y'all come look at this."

Raimundo read it aloud. "The Godlike fights the Darkness, — , um, weapon in hand. Bright shining silver destroys the legions of the dark, like a moon piercing the night. Warm gold inlaid, wrought of love, disperses cold searing sorrow. Fire laced crystal shaft, ruin of icy stone hearts. Two parts of one, forever in conflict."

Stunned silence followed. "The, um, lance, that's a good word for it, has a name. The Phoenix Spear. That-----, grrr, lance is what we need to find. No location written though." Clay said

"That's interesting. We can say the thing when it comes in a name, but not on its own. That aside, how are we going to find that Phoenix Spear?" Raimundo said thoughtfully.

"Lemme check something." Kimiko said and pulled out her PDA. Since Mara had gotten her the pirate signal, she could surf the web just like before. She felt a twinge of guilt using it, but shook it off as she looked up what she wanted to. "Check this out guys. How could we have missed it before? Mara's name means 'dark' and Michael name means 'one who is like God'. We should have guessed that their names would fit them so well. But it also applies to what's written there." She did a quick search on the Phoenix Spear. "Oh and that, er, lance is probably not a Shen Gong Wu. It was supposedly the weapon used to banish the fallen angels to hell, depending on what religion you believe in. I wonder if they know they have a knack for fulfilling prophecies. That scroll is over 2,000 years old!"

"That still does not inform us where to look." Omi said, annoyed.

"Sure it does Omi. Right here." she pointed to the screen. Omi stared, eyes bugging out. "The Museo Civico Correr in Venice. San Marco 52, Ala Napoleonica, piazza San Marco." A/N That is a real place, but the spear is not really there so you can't go see it…

"I'm thinkin' we better make durn sure that it ain't a Shen Gong Wu. I'll ask Dojo and check the scroll." Clay said and walked out of the room. He returned five minutes later. "Nope, absolutely certain it ain't."

"Then let us be off to Vence!" Omi said.

"That's Venice! And I agree." Raimundo said, rolling his eyes.

"Shall we collect Michael and Teran?" Kimiko asked.

"Sure, fine with me. We'll pick them up on our way out." Raimundo agreed. The tracked down Dojo again and convinced him this was an important trip. They got on and hunted down Michael and Teran who were wandering around one of the gardens. Once all six of them were ready they set off for Venice.

On the way, Michael asked what was going on. "We've located a , um, long pointy stick that will help you fight Mara." Raimundo said.

Michael gave him a confused look. "A what?"

"A throwy thingy, like a long arrow."

"I don't follow."

"A long pointy thing that you throw! A thing that looks like a big arrow without the fletchings!"

"Why can't you just tell me what it is?"

Raimundo clenched his fists. "Because I can't say the word! What did you call it Clay?"

"A lance."

"Right, a lance that will help you to fight Mara."

"But I don't want to fight Mara." Michael said. "She's my twin."

"Look Michael," Kimiko said, "you need the Phoenix Spear to fight her and have any hope of winning. Since you're evenly matched otherwise, it'll give you an edge."

"But I might hurt her!"

Kimiko rested a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes we have to hurt the people we love in order to save them."

"We're here!" Dojo called back to them. "Now let's find this thing and leave. I don't much like the idea of being caught stealing from a museum."

"I'm with you. Although, for some reason, I think this is gonna end badly." Raimundo said as they went through the door.

"I wonder why." Kimiko remarked sarcastically.

"Maybe because nothing else usually does." Raimundo shot back.

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "I was being sarcastic. I guess that kind of thing is over your head."

Raimundo mimicked her behind her back. "I was being sarcastic...na na, blah blah!"

Kimiko turned around and clobbered him. He went flying back down the street and into the dirty canal water. Kimiko's hair was fixed the same way it was when they were in New York and it flew about her face when she slugged Raimundo. "Now, can we get in sometime before the museum closes."

Kimiko went first, followed by everyone else, Raimundo last, having had to drag himself back onto the street.

The first thing they noticed when the stepped through the doors was the huge desk and guard sitting behind it. Cautiously and casually, they walked past him, trying not to appear suspicious. Unfortunately, that didn't work so well. Michael and Teran could have passed as natives, mostly because they spoke the language, but the others were fairly conspicuous.

Teran said good morning to the guard in Italian, and once they were out of earshot, he explained that he had two years of it before he had run away. They spread out to search for the Phoenix Spear. Ironically, Michael was the one who found it.

"It must be your destiny." Kimiko remarked once they had all collected in front of it. The marvelous item was tucked away in a little corner and most of the tourists were passing it by. Michael brushed away the three-inch layer of dust that covered the bronze information plaque. It looked as though it hadn't been touched in years.

"Found in a small palazzo in Venice. Appears to be either a ritual spear or a decoration as its delicate crystal shaft would break upon impact." he read aloud. "That's real informative." he snorted. Then he noticed something in the pile of dirt and junk that had accumulated in the corner. He pulled out a piece of notebook paper. "The Phoenix Spear was originally from China, where is was locked in an underground chamber. Obviously it had great significance to the Emperor because he kept it under lock and guard. The shaft is actually made of diamond and hollow. If hit with the correct pitch I believe it will cause an explosion in the hollowed out chamber. Thus contained, it would appear to have flames on the interior. The blade is made of silver with gold inlaid, a difficult process to say the least. There are no seams and it looks to be made of one big piece and it looks painted. Even when no light is shined on this spear, it seems to glow with an unearthly light. My research on this artifact will continue until I have unlocked all its secrets." he read aloud again.

He flipped the scrap of paper over and continued. "My best guess is that it somehow reflects the inner soul of the wielder. I think that if a person were split in two, with the help of this spear, one half would be able to defeat the other and cause them to merge again. Although, as an afterthought, I don't see how one could split oneself in two. Perhaps it is as the 'informative' plaque suggests, just a worthless decoration with no other purpose than that."

Michael paused. "I can't read what it says next. There are a bunch of scribbles and sketches along with a couple sentences that have been crossed out beyond recognition. The person was trying to say something, but didn't know how to say it, I think."

"Excuse me, but may I inquire as to what you youngsters think you're doing." said an elderly man in a crisp voice from behind them. He had a British accent.

"We just wanted to know about this spear. It looks really cool." Kimiko supplied.

The man looked suspicious. "Nice one. What are you really doing? I studied that thing for ten years and not a single person noticed it was there but me. You wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it."

"Sir, I believe this paper is yours then." Michael said quickly, handing the man the paper he'd just read.

The man's eyes grew wide. "My missing paper. I threw it on the floor all those years ago and never saw it since. It turns out that I needed it. I couldn't remember what I had figured out. You see I was close to something. Yes, oh so close. I was there, but I couldn't quite grasp it. It's there, just beyond the reach of my fingertips. It constantly eludes me, taunting me from just outside my grasp."

"Must be extremely frustrating. I read it and you mentioned something about splitting in two. What if there were two people that were like two halves, but were separate people too. What would happen instead of binding them back together?"

"Are you perhaps referring to twins? I do not know. Any number of things could happen. But one side must always be stronger than the other. That is the way life works."

"Do you think the museum would mind if we borrowed it for a little while?"

The man laughed. "I doubt it. Someone could literally walk out of here with it and the guard up front could care less. However, I did discover that if it finds its rightful owner, or a member of that family, it will shrink for easier storage." He leaned in close to Michael's face. "I'm not a believer in magic, but this spear is teaching me otherwise. There's something else I found out. Something I'm not even sure I believe myself. It's part of a never ending battle between good and evil. Sometimes good wins and sometimes evil, but it is whichever side possesses their special weapon that wins. It has the ability to bring your other half back onto the right side, but it also could push them further into the darkness. It is a spear and therefore it will seek to cleave apart. Be careful of it and remember that it is the wielder that controls the weapon." he stepped back and merged in with the crowds of tourists.

Michael was frozen in place. He shook off the cold feeling settling in his heart and looked up at the spear. It seemed to be calling his name, speaking to him. Forgetting that he was in a museum full of people, he reached up to take it. Teran grabbed his arm.

"Not yet. Too many witnesses. I don't really want to go to jail again." Everyone shot his sidelong glances, curious, but extremely wary now. Teran definitely had a past he wasn't sharing with them, or anyone else for that matter. Despite that, they all say together on a bench, waiting and watching for the opportunity to take the Phoenix Spear.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN CHINA

Mara stood with Chase, observing the terror and destruction his diabolical plan had caused with obvious glee. He knew she could kill just as easily as she could heal and was looking forward to unveiling her in front of the whole world. But first he had to do one last thing. Mara was wearing the tiara all the time now, but even though it fed off her growing hate, it would soon overload. Chase took this opportunity to present her with a gift. He was fully aware that if she found out that she was being used, she could turn on him far more easily than her brother.

"I have something for you. Something befitting one of your station." he said, silkily smooth. Mara looked at him. He produced a beautiful crown from somewhere. It was like the tiara, delicate silver twisted to form vines with silver leaves and flowers of diamond. She took the crown from him and removed her tiara. Then she placed the crown on her head.

"Thank you master. You are too kind to your servant."

"And I think it is time to get you new armor. Come with me and I'll show you." Mara followed Chase into a back room. There, hanging on a wall, was a new set of armor, similar to Chase's in color, but definitely outfitted for a girl. On the front, right beneath where her collar bone would be, was a Chinese dragon curled into an "s" shape. The armor came complete with a helmet that had a shiny black visor, so none could see her face.

A smile slowly grew on her face. "Go on, my apprentice. Try it out. I had it specially commissioned for you."

Chase left the room, leaving Mara to put on the armor. A/N This may sound like a ChasexOC story, but it most certainly is not! So there. No nasty thoughts about that kinda stuff. Mara stared at the armor for what seemed like hours. She eventually put it on. The shoulder plates were dark and the top ended with a curve that followed her collar bone. It didn't cover her midriff, and had a circular cutout above her belly button. (If you totally do not understand what the heck I'm talking about, visit my profile to get the website the pics are on and look at the pictures. There are pictures of everyone except Teran right now.) The pants had a wide belt and knee plates and were made complete with black boots. She placed the helmet over her head and became anonymous.

She exited the room and joined Chase in the main hall. He presented her with a sword. "Its name is Eclipse, a name that fits its purpose well." He could not see her face, but he heard a sharp intake of breath. She picked it up delicately, as if it might shatter in her hands. "Now my apprentice, we have places to go, people to make suffer." From behind the mirror surface of the helmet, an evil laugh wafted up. As he listened, Chase wondered if he had made a mistake.

IN VENICE

Eventually, the museum began to clear out. Clay was snoring, leaning up against the wall. Teran had given Omi the puzzle Mara had lent him and he was struggling with it on the floor. "I do not see how the pieces fit together." Omi frustrated, trying to pull it apart with his teeth. Kimiko and Raimundo were watching this with amusement. Teran was leaning back up against the wall, thinking about his life. Michael was staring at the spear and wondering what the old man had meant about the wielder controlling the weapon.

When they noticed that the room was empty, they quickly moved over to the spear. Michael reached up and lifted it of the dusty hooks. He studied it closer and wondered if the spear really did shrink. "Umm…Phoenix Spear…uhhh…Shrink!"

Lo and behold, it shrank to the size of a pen. "Cool." Raimundo said.

"Il Museo Civico Correr si chiuder in dieci minuti. The Museo Civico Correr will be closing in ten minutes. Le Museo Civico Correr sera fermeture en dix minutes. Das Museo Civico Correr wird in 10 Minuten schließen. O Museo Civico Correr estará fechando-se em dez minutos. El Museo Civico Correr se cerrará en diez minutos." An automated woman's voice went through the announcement in six languages.

"Well, I think we better go now." Teran remarked dryly. "We don't want them to find us with that thing."

"Let's stay in Venice for a while. It's one of the best places to visit." Kimiko said persuasively.

"I dunno. Wha'd you think, Clay?" Raimundo said cautiously.

"They have excellent food. It is Italy you know." Kimiko added.

"Well, durn it, I'm up for staying."

"I guess that decides it." Raimundo said. "We're staying here for a while."

The gang headed off down one of the streets. They popped into a café a little later, hungry and exhausted. At which point Clay and Teran ordered everything on the menu. There was a TV playing the news with English subtitles. They watched, realizing that the world had just erupted into chaos.

In China

Chase decided it was time to unveil Mara in front of the world. So, using his influence, if you know what I mean, he called for a meeting of all the countries leaders. A couple hours later, everyone was there at the designated place. Each country was asked to bring one hundred people, so you can imagine how crowded that would be.

Chase mounted the stage to the podium. He tapped on the microphone and the area became silent. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I have called you here. The reason is this. Meet my new apprentice, Mara." He presented her helmeted form to all the nations. "She is going to give you a demonstration of why you should never cross me in my new world. Bring forward the one hundred people from your countries."

The hundreds of people were separated into countries and placed in a line. "What do you want me to do to them?" Mara whispered.

"I want you to make them an example. Kill them. Kill them all."

Beneath her mirrored visor, Mara closed her eyes and concentrated. Slowly, the people began to drop, dead, the brains and hearts exploded. The leaders all gasped, though some of them seasoned generals and diabolical dictators; they had never seen anything like this. After a few minutes, all the non-leaders and non-press people had been killed.

"Let that be a warning to you. I can wipe out the entire earth with help from Mara and if you cross me, I will have her wipe your country and you off the face of the earth." He smiled his dragonish smile. "Welcome to my world!" He stepped off the stage followed by Mara. Though no one could see her face, she was smiling. Using her power had never felt so good.

In Venice

"Oh my God! Tell me I did not just see what I saw!" Teran said hysterically.

Michael just sat there, stony faced. Raimundo's and Clay's jaws were dangling wide open, just like almost everyone else in the café. Omi had fallen off his seat and Kimiko stared white-faced and wide-eyed at the screen.

Michael finally spoke. "You did see what everyone else saw too, Teran. That was Mara." he said in a detached manner. "I've got to stop her now, before she hurts anyone else. That Chase Young must have done something to her, because I've never seen her do anything like that. Ever. Not even when she wanted to kill our father."

He pulled out his cell phone and texted Mara. -meet me the open plain near the Temple-

"Venice is nice, but I've got to take care of Mara. Now. So let's go."

They all exited the café and made their way to a hidden place. Then they boarded Dojo and flew off, back to the Temple.

Mara and Chase were already there, waiting. "So you want to surrender, do you?" she asked calmly, arms crossed.

Michael approached her helmeted form. "I was hoping you'd surrender to me."

Mara snorted. "Fat chance. I've had more fun in the past half-hour than in the rest of my life. Do you think I'd just give it up?" She drew her sword. Calling upon its power, she let it feed off the fear of the world and buoy her up high into the sky.

"Hmph," Michael said, half-smile forming on his lips. He brought the pen-sized spear out of his pocket and enlarged it. Then, on impulse, whistled a single note. Fire laced the interior of the shaft, just as the old Englishman had predicted. He whistled another note and shot up into the air after her.

Down below, everyone, including Chase, fled into the Temple. Master Fung merely remarked, "Ah, youthful sibling rivalry." Everyone, including Chase, shot the old monk venomous looks.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, destruction was raining down. Every thrust Mara made was blocked by Michael and his spear. Every time the two weapons touched, explosions shook the earth. Back and forth they went, like partners in some sort of crazy dance. Attack, block, counterattack, block. Although smoke clouded the air around them, the weapons gleamed all the more brightly. Neither sibling was ready to give in, nor did either of them look the least bit exhausted, despite their raging battle.

Slowly the sun sank below the horizon, lighting the whole landscape a blood red. Night came, but that didn't stop the battle. If anything, it seemed to give Mara more energy. But soon enough the moon rose and cast a silver glow over the land. That in turn seemed to give Michael a burst of extra energy. Still, the explosions caused by the two weapons colliding lit up the area around the fighting twins with an intermittent strobe effect. For a time, all the monks could see was the glowing weapons striking against each other. But Mara could still see perfectly well, despite the helmet. Her brother could see just as well, if not better and he was using it to his advantage. He was pressing in on her.

Michael swung the spear, aiming to knock her helmet off, but she parried with ease.

"Dear brother, do you really think you can defeat me?" she taunted, laughing.

"Whoever said I was trying to win?" he shot back. "All I have to do it keep you from winning."

An angry look came over her face. A terrible, twisted look of hatred. And although he could not see it, he felt it bearing down on him. He cringed in pain and Mara took the opportunity. "And now you can die, a failure!" She brought Eclipse down upon him, attempting to stab his heart.

Michael barely raised the spear in time. Nonetheless, Eclipse's edge tore through his sweatshirt and shirt, all the way to his skin, ripping a jagged gash in his shoulder. He grimaced, but stood straight up again. Everything around them was flaming ruin, except the Temple. Calmly, he thrust the Phoenix Spear so quickly Mara could not trace it. She flinched expecting it to ram through her heart. But he had only paid her back the wound she had given him, perfectly equal.

"That hate of yours is going to destroy you, Mara," Michael told her.

"And it will destroy you too!" she screamed, flying at him in a rage.

Down below, the people in the Temple watched. All they could see was two blurs, both Mara and Michael moving too fast for normal eyes to track. Suddenly there was a mighty inhuman screech of pain or fury and one of the blurs began to fall.