I suck at doing deadlines so I'm just gonna post what I have and hope I satisfy the masses.

Chapter 14

Paying Respects

Ray stood up and stared at his aunt.

"Well... I'm a superhero with a buffed out boyfriend." Ray just stood there as his family laughed. He knew his reply sounded like utter bullshit.

"Ok. So who wants dinner? I'm starving!" Aunt Nora turned and went back into the house.

"Umm... What just happened?" Ray queried as he fell back onto the grass.

"They don't care about who you date. We just want you to be happy. Besides, you're too valuable to the family to let go of." Aunt Nora joked and closed the door.

Ray, Kane and Vanellope sat there for 5 minutes before they spoke.

"So... Want some fried chicken?" Ray asked her.

"Is it chocolatey?"

Ray threw her on his shoulders.

"Not really, but you'll like it." Kane replied as they entered the house.

"So you're the leader of your own demon fighting team?" Ray was plopped on the couch with Kane talking about their secret not-so-secret lives.

"Well they're shadows, but they might as well be demons." Kane grinned. "What about you and that codemaster biz?"

"Just protecting the world of video games from terrorists."

"Mmgh..." the little girl on Ray's lap squirmed around trying to gain a comfortable resting place.

Ray sat up, saluted his cousin and helped a half-asleep Vanellope out the door.

"I swear V, my Aunt Nora must be an awesome cook if you're this sleepy."

"She's even better then Burger Time..." Vanellope yawned as she faceplanted on the lawn.

"To my house!" Ray pressed a button on his gauntlet and transported them into his living room.

"You can go to bed. I've got to find out what game Stinkbrain is in."

Ray hugged Vanellope good night and dragged his half-concious body to the kitchen.

"Princess Toothache! I need you to stay here today. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Where ya goin Ray?" Vanellope sat up in bed.

"I'm going to pay my respects."

"To who?"

"My grandpa."

Vanellope was speechless.

"Why so late?"

"I sent a look alike to the actual funeral and now I'm starting to feel guilty. A few hours in a graveyard won't kill me."

"The man forced your father to turn you into a dark paladin and you're gonna go mourn his death?"

"He was also the one who gave me the courage to be me."

"What?"

"Before the darkness consumed him, he was a great man. He always had my back, he never stopped believing, and he was always there. It wasn't my idea anyways, I'm doing this for my dad."

"Oh... Well did you want me to go?"

"I can't ask you to do that." Ray replied candidly. "Besides, I need you to receive a package that's supposed to arrive today. Only open the door if a guy named Carlton knocks. And if he does, please remind him that he has a key..." Ray deadpanned as he slipped his shoes on.

"Ok..." Ray hugged Vanellope, then walked off towards the cemetery.

"Glad you could make it." Ray's father, Frank, greeted his son with a hug.

"Let's just get this done. I've got someone waiting on me and I've got Carlton coming through later today for an update. I want to catch him before he goes back to the frontlines."

"I know you and your granddad didn't end off on the right foot, but you shouldn't be so nonchalant about this!"

"Well what'd you expect?! I'm the reason he's dead!" Ray snarled angrily. His dad ushered him to his car so he could drive him up to the plot of land where the Shadow King was buried.

Ray rode on with silence.

"So Ray... How's life?"

"Fine. How's Rene?"

"You know I'm not dating her anymore."

"Ok then... How about sports? I know I could care less, but maybe you could ramble on about touchdowns and shit while you drive."

"Ray! What's gotten into you?"

"Haterade and 12 gallons of the shit!"

They reached the grave site and Ray hopped out of his dad's car.

He strolled over to the grave site and stared down at the tombstone.

"What happened to you. You were such a great person. You had so much faith in life. Now look at you. Just another stiff."

"Aww... I think he was more than that." Ashton playfully cooed from behind him.

"What's your fucking damage?! Does the league pay you to make my life a living hell?!" Ray droned maliciously.

"Well, I just thought someone would like revenge and who better than your own grandpa, the former Shadow King!" Ashton shot a gray beam into the ground and from the shadows came his grandpa who looked exactly as he did before he was buried.

"NO! What have you done?!" Ray shouted as he dropped to his knees.

The regal gown he wore was purple and black with gold trim by the neck and sleeves. He wore steel boots that were pointed at the ends.

"Boy! You gon pay for puttin me in that hole!" He shouted before charging his grandson.

"No more bad dreams for Ray... No more bad dreams." Ray chanted as he flew across the grass as a result of a well placed punch to the chest.

"DIE!"

"NO! I WON'T!" Ray shot a bolt of electricity at his Gramps, but he deflected it.

"Codemaster! Wreck the code!" He donned his armor and continued to deflect his grandfather's blows.

"Stop! I didn't want to kill you! You chose the fight to the death that day!" The tears slid down Ray's face as he dueled with his grandfather.

"Lies! You always wanted to be evil! You just wanted me out the way so you could have all the power!"

"No! I always wanted to spend time with you! And now it's my job to put you to rest!" Ray slid back and dug as deep as he could. "As long as I never deny who I am and hold onto it, I can accomplish great things. This is the meaning I've been searching for. X-Mode Activate!"

The X wrapped around Ray's body, but his time when it covered him, lightning bolts scattered over his armor. Even his X's were lightning bolts.

"Huh? What's this about?" Ray was beyond shocked.

Shadow Gramps gasped at this form.

"You've accessed the true power of X-Mode? And so young..."

"Huh? Pops... What do you know about the Codemasters?" Ray inquired as he stepped to the evil being.

"The Codemasters and the Paladins have always been linked. You must find the connection yourself. Then you can bring peace to both worlds." Grandpa Hagane shot Ray a sad grin. "I always knew you'd grow up to do great things. I just wanted you to do them my way. I was wrong for that. Now set my soul to rest."

"I love you, Pops." Ray spawned his Thunderblade through his armor and drew the kanji symbol for rest under Shadow Gramps.

"Night Night..." He whispered the chant and the seal sent the Shadow King back into the ground.

"Ashton left during the fight. That weasel." Ray thought to himself as he walked up to his dad.

"I'm gonna head out. I've done what I came to do. I'll see you on New Year's Day..." Ray walked off into the distance and teleported home.

Ray found himself in the white room that night.

"Codemaster X! Where are you?"

"You rang?" He replied as he appeared from thin air.

"What's the deal with X-Mode? It looks completely different from when I used it before."

"You've accessed its full power." X stroked his chin. "When you found its meaning and accepted yourself, you allowed your soul to become light again. This brought out the true X-Mode. But have you noticed there is still one blank card left?"

"Yeah... What's that about? Is it because I'm supposed to be the leader of the Five?"

"It's the final level of the Codemaster. It's a level even I haven't achieved. But you can and will. Just follow your paladin heritage. This connection is the lock on your true power. Find the key and let it out."

The room started to fade but Ray had one more question.

"What do the Paladin clans have to do with the Codemasters? And what do you call the final mode?"

"Search for the answer to both of those questions yourself..."