Chapter 34

The Teen took a deep breath in and stared long and hard at Kasey. Something in him couldn't believe she'd once again failed him, even with the power boost Ni had granted her. It was impossible to conceive he might be loosing this. Just impossible. Turning away from her he found himself plotting his next move. He had to kill Mai if he wished to continue, but did he have the strength to do it himself? Steadily he began contemplating possible scenarios in which he confronted Mai. Most of them ended up with him falling completely under her power. And with each of those the longing which stemmed inside of him from the First grew.

'What will you do now,' Duke's voice was a brittle whisper of the person he used to be.

Slowly the Teen turned his attention towards him. He'd been so preoccupied with his own affairs he hadn't noticed the thinning of his much needed companion.

'Replace you,' the words were exactly as callous as he'd intended.

'What?'

'I can only exist like this if someone is around to maintain me. The longer I'm around the more strain that puts on the person who's maintaining me. I need to replace you before you're completely used up if I am to survive.'

'You need me,' there were small amounts of surprise in Duke's tone.

'Had you not worked that out for yourself yet?'

'What if I refuse to allow you to leave me,' he pulled himself out of the shadows, revealing it was more than just his voice wasting away now.

'When did you become so thin,' the Teen frowned.

'After she left.'

'Who?'

'The woman that was here, I don't…' his voice trailed off.

'She was giving you extra strength,' the Teen tried to maintain his cool, 'I should have realised that, but I guess its too late now.'

'You never answered my question,' he took a step towards him, 'what if I don't want to let you go?'

'Then you'll die and I'll lose my power over the First.'

'I see.'

'You don't want to die Duke,' he folded his arms, 'you want to live, that's why you'll let me move on.'

Slowly Duke began nodding, but it appeared to be little more than a vacant movement and not an actual agreement to what the Teen had said. Clearly Duke understood him, it was just…

'You're loyal to me, aren't you Duke,' the Teen coaxed carefully. 'You'd obey every order I gave you, right?'

'Because I have no choice.'

'No, because you want to.'

'I have no wants anymore,' he shook his head in the same vacant manner he'd nodded it. 'I only have this.'

'And what is this?'

'I don't know.'

'I can give you back want,' the Teen made his tone as alluring as possible, 'all you have to do is let me go when I find someone to replace you.'

'But what if want does not return.'

'It will.'

'But it's been gone for so long.'

'Duke I promise you it will.'

'Do promises have any real meaning from you,' Duke tilted his head in a strange manner. 'Did you not promise you'd take care of Mai?'

'And I will, its just proving to be more difficult than I intended it to be.'

'Then let me do it,' Duke stumbled towards him, reaching out a hand as he did. 'Let me be the one to deal with her for you. As my final act as your slave.'

'I thought you didn't have any wants.'

'I don't.'

'What you're asking sounds like a want to me.'

'But it's not my want; it's yours.'

'And that makes all the difference.'

'Yes, don't you see that?'

For a few moments the Teen mulled it over. Something in him told him Duke couldn't be trusted. That he'd use the time as an excuse to let the others know about the Teen's impending doom and allow Duke to sacrifice himself to stop him.

'We'll go together,' the Teen revealed nothing of his suspicions in his tone, 'after all the times I've tried I deserve to see her perish myself.'

'Of course,' Duke nodded, 'and the girl.'

'Let her sleep here, no one will find her.'

'Of course.'

'Now,' the Teen grinned slyly, 'let's go.'

Mai was half-heartedly fending off Kashmana's advances, when the Teen and a skeletal looking Duke arrived before them. Instantly her eyes moved towards Duke, there was something hauntingly familiar about the way he looked. Something which reminded her of what she'd seen in the hell future. At that moment her blood turned cold. All this time she'd believed they'd stopped hell from rising, but what if they'd only delayed it? It would explain why everything was working out the way it was, because hell was always destined to rise and there was nothing any of them could do to stop it.

Slowly Mai began backing away from them. She couldn't stand the thoughts she was having anymore than she could stand the sight of Duke, but somehow she couldn't tare herself away from either.

'I won't let you kill her,' Kashmana moved into a defensive position, 'no MacTay here will.'

'I'll defeat you all,' the Teen shot him an arrogant look.

'Will you now,' he smirked. 'Because many have tried to do such a thing in the past and yet the House of MacTay stands as strong as it ever did. If not stronger. No one man or being, however powerful, can destroy us all.'

'You're not afraid of me?'

'Why should I be afraid of anyone who hides behind a little girl?'

Mai could barely concentrate on the confrontation going on before her. For some reason their words began to blur into obscurity. She felt as though she couldn't breathe. As though everything around her was turning to black. As though she was dying along with the safety of the multiverse. She could feel something building up inside of her. Rushing through her like water down a waterfall. Only the water was moving upwards, instead of down. Everything became a blur to her. Even her own thoughts became unobtainable. All she could feel was the rushing of water. The pounding of her mind. The word…

'JOEY!'