Chapter 28
"Just what was that light show?" Cody asked.
"I don't know but it sure got Gwen scared." Duncan smirked as he turned back to face them. "Ain't that right...Gwen?"
The rest of Team Amazon looked around realizing that a few of them were missing.
"Gwen? Dawn? Elliot?" Cody called out. "Guys!"
"They were right next to us a second ago!" Courtney looked around. "All right, Gwen, come on out! I'm not in the mood for your jokes!"
"Dawn? Elliot?" Cody called out. "Where are you?"
"This is has got to be trick. Chris brought them in on whatever crazy scheme he's come up with." Courtney sighed in annoyance and turned around...
Only to stop in front of a cabin that came out of nowhere!
"Wha?!" Courtney jumped back along with the remaining members of the team. "Where'd this come from?!"
"It's a cabin." Cody said.
"Cabin? As in the Departed Witch's cabin?" Heather scoffed. "Yeah right, we just happened to stumble upon the cabin of the so called Departed Witch by walking around in circles."
"It does look a lot like the one in the sketches." Cody pointed out. "Maybe it was here the whole time but it was camouflaged."
"So what do we do?" Duncan asked.
"We walk in, do the documentary, wait for Chris and get off this stupid island." Courtney grabbed the camera from Cody's hands and walked inside. The inside of the cabin was dark without a single light on making it hard to see but sitting at the window they could see a jar sitting on the edge with a red liquid inside that looked a lot like blood.
"Hello? Chris? Gwen? Dawn? Elliot?" Cody called out as they walked inside.
"Okay, we're here. We found the stupid cabin now come on out Chris and get us off this island!" Heather shouted.
There was no answer, only an eerie silence.
"Oh come on, Chris don't star with the stupid horror show. Just congratulate us and take us back!" Courtney growled.
There was no answer, no laughter from Chris or Chef or the camera crew that was supposed to be filming them as they screamed in horror from whatever game Chris had thought up.
"Now what?" Cody asked.
"We wait for them to show up and get us off the island." Courtney sat on the floor with her arms crossed.
Cody didn't think that was a good idea. This entire cabin just screamed danger and death to him and he found himself wishing to leave the moment he had stepped in. The jar filled with blood on the window, he really hoped it was not blood, the bloody markings on the walls.
"I got to admit, Chris outdid himself this time." Duncan tapped the wall with the bloody hand prints.
"Duncan, please don't do that." Cody asked, sounding more scared than he intended.
"Relax, dweeb. It's not real blood, it's just painted on." Duncan chuckled. "I have a few horror movies that'd make your skeleton jump out of your skin."
CREAK!
The teens jumped as a creaking sound was heard, a sound so loud that their ears almost literally started bleeding from how loud it sounded.
"What the f..." Duncan started.
"The walls! Look!" Cody pointed the camera at the walls.
They all watched in silent shock as the walls started peeling, literally peeling like they were actually skin with blood flowing out!
"What?!" Courtney jumped back as the blood splattered across the ground.
Heather screamed and ran for the window but it slammed shut, knocking the jar of blood over and when it cracked open blood splattered everywhere.
"Heather!" Cody cried out.
Heather stepped back, trembling as she looked down and saw blood on her skin and clothes. She screamed as she tried wiping the blood off frantically.
"Get us out!" Cody screamed.
The walls started to cave in, threatening to crush them as Duncan kicked the door opened and they ran out screaming in fright. They didn't stop running once they were out of the cabin, they kept on running through the woods with Heather whimpering as she tried to wipe the blood off her. They stopped running nearly fifteen minutes and Heather sat down, grabbing leaves to wipe the blood off her.
"What was that?" Cody gasped for breath. "That was no Chris trick."
"Oh what do you think it was?" Duncan asked rhetorically.
"I don't care what it was! I just want to get off this island!" Courtney cried. "So let's get to the boat and get out of here!"
"What about Gwen, Dawn, and Elliot?" Cody asked.
"Let them find the way to the boat!" Courtney stood up and started walking. "They might be waiting their anyway."
Cody was against leaving Gwen and her friends back wherever they were at but even Duncan had no complaints against that as he followed Courtney and Heather. He wanted to look for Gwen but at the same time he was terrified of being alone so he followed them praying that Gwen would be all right.
"Hello? Is anybody here?" A voice called out.
The teens stopped when they heard a voice calling out from somewhere in the forest.
"Hello?" Courtney called back.
"Hello?" The male voice called back.
"Here! We're here!" Heather shouted.
"Is anybody out there?" The voice called again, not seeming to hear Courtney and Heather calling out ot it.
That was when a man came out of the forest wearing clothing that was from a different period of time and he kept on calling out, not noticing the teens in front of him.
"Hello?"
"Hey! We're right here!" Duncan walked up to him...
And passed right through him.
"What?" Duncan turned and stared at the man in shock.
He reached out and his hand went through the man's back and out his chest.
"Whoa." Duncan pulled his hand back.
"It's got to be a hologram." Courtney walked up and punched through the man's face. "CHRIS! It's not funny anymore! Get out here and take us back to the plane!"
"Hello?" The man walked past her, still calling out. "Hell-AH!"
They all jumped as the man collapsed and faded into nothing, screaming as he vanished.
"What the hell?!" Duncan commented, stepping back in shock.
"Okay...something else is wrong here." Cody said, after a moment.
"Don't say it, Cody." Heather held up both hands. "Please don't say it."
"There's no way it's a real ghost and there's no witch!" Courtney shook her head in denial. "It's just a trick..."
"But guys look around!" Cody spread his arms out. "Those blood markings flash red, a cabin appears out of nowhere, the walls start peeling and bleeding and now a ghost appears!"
"So what? That means that we're being haunted by the ghost of a witch now?" Courtney threw her arms out. "No way! There's no such thing as ghosts!"
"But come on, there's no way Chris is doing all this! He's not this good and we'd have seen him by now! And Gwen, Dawn, and Elliot disappeared when they right next to us. There's no way they could have left without us noticing." Cody reasoned.
"So what do we do? Get on our knees and pray to God that we'll be saved. Get a stake or cross and wait for the witch to come and get us?" Duncan asked rhetorically.
"You tell me what's going on." Cody replied.
"I..." Duncan started but trailed off.
"We all know something weird is going on here. Let's do a rewind of the camera and see if we can find out what happened." Cody reasoned.
No one argued as Cody held out the camera and rewound back to the time when they came upon the bloody markings.
"Here's when you touched the markings." Cody pointed at the small screen.
"Yeah...Gwen said don't touch them." Duncan listened as Gwen shouted her warning.
"She shouted at everyone to run." Heather pointed out.
"How would she know?" Courtney asked.
"Gwen and her friends obviously know something." Heather narrowed her eyes. "Think they knew what was going on here?"
"Why would they do this?" Cody asked.
"Maybe because they don't most of the people on this team." Duncan shrugged.
"They're not like that." Cody shook his head.
"How do you know? You their best friend or something." Heather asked. "When did you hang out with them when they were talking away from the rest of us?"
"Or when they were helping each other through each challenge?" Courtney asked.
"Or how about when they helped us win each challenge? Like in Japan when you two were arguing and Gwen stepped in to piss you both off into walking away so we could make our own commercial and win?" Cody retorted.
"They did what?" Both girls asked.
"It's true, they did do that." Duncan agreed.
"They're way too nice to pull a prank off on us like this and how could they know that those markings were going to do...that?" Cody asked.
"So now what?" Heather asked.
"You help us."
A giggle made all four teen freeze as they looked up, staring at something behind the leaves of a large tree. A pair of what looked like glowing eyes staring at them with a hungry look that sent shivers down their spines.
"This is not real, it's a fake!" Courtney shook her head in denial.
"Why is it a fake, Courtney?"
They spun around and they spotted men, woman, and infants coming out of the dark forest, all of them dressed in white immaculate clothing and their eyes...
They were completely white with no pupils!
"Who are you?" Heather trembled.
"We are the denizens of her island." A child, a boy around nine years old answered.
"Didn't you hear the tales?" A woman asked.
"No way..." Duncan stepped back in shock.
"And now standing in front of us are four ready to be added to her collection." Another boy said.
"What collection?" Heather whimpered.
"Mine." A woman whispered behind them.
They watched in horror as the eyes came out of the bushes, wild black hair that fell over the wrinkled face like a hood, yellow glowing eyes, pure pale white skin, and wore a pure back torn cloak that covered everything except her head.
"No, you're not real! This is just a hoax set up by Chris! CHRIS GET OUT HERE!" Courtney shouted at the top of her lungs.
"No one can hear you child, you are now in my domain." The woman replied.
She started circling them while the people surrounding them chuckled and giggled.
"You touched the runes of my personal Method, Realm of the Endless Time." The woman, Elizabeth Darke bettern known as the Departed Witch smile cruelly. "Of course you would have no idea what this means since certain events prevent you from knowing."
"Wh-what's that?" Cody gulped.
"It is irrelevant now. What matters now is that right now you are all useful to me for getting what I need."
"What do you want?" Duncan asked hesitantly.
"Blood." The woman smiled evilly, revealing sharp fanged, glowing teeth.
Courtney and Heather screamed as they backed away in sheer terror but they could not run away with the other ghosts stopping them.
"More precisely, the blood of the three Spirit Avatars." Elizabeth floated back away from them.
"Spirit...Avatars?" Cody asked.
The ghosts all hissed and snarled at the mention of their Mistress's most hated enemies.
"You wouldn't know but three of them were among you earlier and now they will be following you soon." Elizabeth explained.
"You mean...Gwen?" Cody's eyes widened in horror.
"Ah, Gwendolyn Rivers, Avatar of the great Andromeda, Heaven's Star along with her two friends." Elizabeth chuckled. "The main reason you are all here now."
"What do you mean?" Duncan asked.
"I manipulated that foolish host into sending you over to my island, feeding you the history that started the legend of the Departed Witch. Those three have been an inconvenience to a client of mine which will soon be rectified." Elizabeth chuckled. "But you won't see how that will happen.
They were ready to run when the ground beneath them turned into quicksand and they sank until just their heads were above the ground.
Xxx
With a mere touch of the runes the three Spirit Avatars appeared in the same spot the others did earlier.
"That cabin..." Dawn shivered as she stared at the cabin. "It reeks of dark intent."
"That's the cabin Chris spoke of, the one the Departed Witch lived in." Gwen looked at it. "I suppose the first thing the others would do would be going inside."
"Yeah, they don't seem that smart. You don't go into the haunted cabin." Elliot walked up to the front door.
"Hold it, Elliot." Her earring flared brightly. "Do not step inside without some method of protection."
"He's right." Gwen's sword appeared in her hand as she kicked the door down.
The cabin was deserted but they could see the blood markings on the walls and the jar of blood sitting at the window.
"No dead bodies so we know they're still alive." Gwen looked. "This doesn't look the kind of cabin someone would have lived in. No furniture, no bed, and no fireplace. How could anyone keep themselves warm during the winter in a place like this?"
"Obviously someone who was concerned whether they lived or died." Andromeda spoke up as Gwen's necklace flared.
"I don't like it here. It feels colder than the coldest Ice Age." Dawn shivered.
"I feel it as well, Dawn." Luna said, a little hint of concern was heard in her voice.
"So where are they?" Elliot asked.
A scream from outside the cabin answered her question.
"That was Heather!" Dawn remarked.
"Come on!" Gwen ran outside with Dawn and Elliot behind her.
They ran through the dark forest, listening to the screams until they came upon a clearing.
"Guys?" Gwen stopped when she stepped out of the bushes and gasped.
Heather, Courtney, Cody, and Duncan were buried up to their heads in the ground.
"Gwen! Get us out of here!" Heather and Courtney shouted.
"Oh boy." Gwen sighed in relief. "I was expecting a lot worse."
"Speak for yourself." Elliot stifled a giggle.
"Please, Elliot, this is no time for humor." Dawn walked up to the buried teens. "How did this happen?"
"The witch is real man! She's real and she's after you!" Cody exclaimed. "Get out of here before she gets you!"
"Us?" Gwen asked with widened eyes. "Where? What's going on?"
A giggle echoed through the woods making the three Avatars look around warily.
"I hate this part." Elliot groaned.
"Me too." Gwen narrowed her eyes.
Emerging from the woods came spirits resembling humans of various ages, dressed in white and their eyes were literally white with no pupils.
'Andromeda, what are they?'
'Pawns. A spirit is capable of absorbing more than just life energy if it has a Method that can bind the victims to it in spirit form.' Andromeda replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. 'All these poor souls, victims stripped of their free will and lives.'
Gwen could only stare at them, taking note of their empty smiles and their white eyes. It was a fate that was cruel, very cruel. Stripping a person of their free will, no emotions and no sense of self. It saddened and angered her greatly.
'Where is she?' Gwen pulled her sword out.
Dawn held her arms out in a defensive position with her silver bracelet glowing brightly while a large sword made of bright energy appeared out of a flash of light in Elliot's hands.
"Welcome." A little girl said.
"We've been waiting for you." A boy said.
"We've heard much about you three." A middle aged woman said.
"And now we are happy that you've come." An old man continued.
"We can welcome you to join us." They all spoke as one.
"That actually sounded creepier than Children of the Corn." Gwen said after a moment of silence. "Stephen King would be so jealous."
"Gwen..." The star necklace flared from Andromeda's tone.
"Right." Gwen shook her head.
She looked around carefully, watching the gathered spirits and looking for something different. Something that would tell her that the spirit or demon responsible was nearby.
'Where is she?' Gwen thought.
'She's there, watching from the shadows. It's how her kind works; they need to drive the victims wild with fear to the point of hysteria. It makes them stronger and when the victim is reduced to a terrified mess that is when it strikes, taking the victim's life energy and essence.' Andromeda explained with a hint of disgust heard in her voice. 'You need to force her out. If she likes to hide in the dark..."
'A blast of light will make her scream her ecto guts out.' Gwen nodded. "Dawn, Elliot, we need a bright flash to bring the big one out!"
"Right!" Dawn nodded.
She held up her bracelet and it glowed brighter, bright enough that anyone watching her considered her bracelet to be the full moon itself.
"What the...?" Courtney covered her eyes.
"I can't see!" Heather wanted to cover her eyes with her hands but she was still buried up to her neck.
Gwen looked around, noticing the spirits flinching from the bright light and a second later she spotted her target. A dark cloaked figure hiding in the trees staring at her with malevolent glowing red eyes that were filled with hunger.
'That's not an Onyro.' Gwen thought.
'No, it's a Familiar.' Andromeda replied grimly.
Familiars, the demonic version of a Spirit Avatar and much more dangerous than most spirits. Like Avatars, a Familiar is born from a contract forged with a human but it is a demon that offers the contract. Demons were malevolent spirits that for the most part unable to enter the mortal dimension because of their nature. The Spirit Realm decreed that Demons could not enter the mortal realm until; they found a loophole.
Like spirits who forged a contract with humans to create Spirit Avatars demons offered contracts to humans in exchange for any kind of wish that human had but there was a price to pay. This price would either bind the single human or its entire family until the demon received what it had been promised and most often the humans did not receive whatever the demon promised them. Malevolent spirits are cruel and see people like mortal as mere walking bags of meat and see no reason to honor their part of the deal. Familiars were given access to the powers of the demons they were bound to and they rivaled even the strongest Avatars at the height of their strength.
It was only fortunate that there was only a small number of them and not nearing the same number of Avatars in the world. The resulting struggle would probably devastate the Earth.
"My apologies if you were waiting for me." The Departed Witch moved out of the woods like a Wraith, leaving no sound in her steps. "I had forgotten Avatars are not susepticle to the same level fear humans are."
For a second Gwen thought she was staring at Elly Kedward AKA the Blair Witch. She remembered Andromeda telling her that the Blair Witch Project had been inspired by real life supernatural encounters with spirits classified as witches when they were alive.
'They made that movie real life like and more accurate than most other horror movies.' Gwen thought as she leveled her sword at the Departed Witch. "Hello...you old bitch."
Elizabeth Darke laughed her voice thick with madness. "My first time actually encountering an Avatar and it's more amusing even though you are not trembling in fear. After seeing so many scream in fear it's actually refreshing to meet someone who's actually brave."
"Good for you." Elliot leveled her sword at the Witch. "How about when that victim fights back?"
Elizabeth simply grinned, showing her fanged teeth. "Would you harm these poor, innocent people?"
She gestured to the gathered Pawns, standing still and still smiling at the Avatars.
"Like you have any concern for them." Dawn's voice now turned cold which was surprising to Gwen and Elliot.
Even when angry Dawn's voice never before had such coldness in it. She must be really angry with Elizabeth Darke for what she had done.
"You are exactly as what he described you to be. I have been waiting for the chance to meet and defeat an Avatar for a long time."
"He?" Elliot asked.
"The time for talk is over." The Departed Witch spread her arms out, her fingers becoming sharp claws and her cloak changing into wings.
Her body seemed to be made of nothing but pure darkness covering everything but her head which now looked more demon than human.
"I am Elizabeth Darke, what you call the Departed Witch and Familiar. I have gained over ninety three humans and you all will complete my end of the deal with my master having over one hundred." The Departed Witch spoke, her voice now sounding completely demonic with barely a hint of her human voice left.
"Try it." Gwen said as the Star Necklace glowed and released Andromeda's power in the form of a silver aura.
A pale white aura surrounded Dawn and a bright blue surrounded Elliot as they prepared to fight. Elizabeth grinned and threw her arms out, releasing a black cloud that shot at them like a bullet. Gwen gritted her teeth when she realized the rest of Team Amazon were behind her and would be hit by the blast if she moved. Luckily Dawn had anticipated that as she ran out in front of the blast.
"Interception!" Dawn thrust her arms forward and an orb of moonlight hit the black cloud. "Ninety Degree Angle!"
The cloud flew to the right of the direction it was originally heading but it suddenly turned back around and slammed into Dawn. The pale blond haired girl gasped in pain as she flew back and hit the ground hard.
"Dawn!" Gwen glanced back for a second but turned her eyes back on the Departed Witch.
"An Interception Method, able to sabotage the inner workings of a Method. Child's play compared to me, Avatar of Luna." Elizabeth laughed.
"How about this then? I never actually like the stories of burning witches but I'll make an exception!" Gwen quickly the symbol for the Method she was casting in the air with her Omni-Glove. "Phantom Flare!"
A blast of blue fire erupted from her finger and shot at the Departed Witch who simply raised her hand and another black cloud appeared, forming a wall that blocked the blast of fire.
"Damn!" Gwen growled.
The black cloud faded, showing Elizabeth smiling at them. "Take them."
Gwen and Elliot looked around as the Pawns moved forward towards them.
"This is not good." Gwen remarked. "I'd try to use Galaxy Storm again regardless of the danger but there's too many of us that could be hurt."
"I'd try using Arondight but I got the same problem as you. Arondight's full power would wipe everything in the forest." Elliot glanced at the rest of Team Amazon. "This sucks, this sucks big time."
"And now to finish it!" Elizabeth grinned.
"NO!"
Gwen and Elliot turned and saw a pillar of light explode around Dawn as she stood up, glaring darkly enough at Elizabeth enough that if she could she'd set the Departed Witch on fire with just her mind.
"This is unacceptable. You have tainted the nature of this island for your cruel deal and stained it the blood of so many." Dawn stepped forward, the aura around her flaring. "What is worse you did not just rob them of their lives you robbed them of their existence. This crime shall not go unpunished."
Her silver bracelet emitted a brighter light.
"Dawn?" Gwen asked as Dawn stepped past her. "You're not thinking of taking her on alone are you?"
"Her Methods are too powerful and too well developed for yours and Elliot's power to overwhelm, thus I will deal with her with my power." Dawn held up her bracelet.
It released its power that covered Dawn as the Pawns lunged at her. However they recoiled in what seemed to be pain as bright electricity sparked around Dawn's body, repelling the Pawns easily.
"Uh oh." Elliot gulped.
"Uh oh? What's the uh oh for?" Gwen looked at Elliot.
"It's for them because Dawn is pissed." Elliot replied.
Gwen looked back at Dawn, taking note of the shining hair, the hair waving like it was being blown by wind that was not there, and the bright glowing eyes. Gwen never took Dawn to be violent but she was very passionate for what she believed in and when anyone threatened something she treasured not even Heather or Courtney would dare incur her wrath. From way it looked the Departed Witch had yet to understand the reckoning she might have unwittingly unleashed. She simply unleashed another black cloud to attack her but Dawn stood her ground and held out one hand.
"Shining Judgement." She said simply.
A blast of white lightning shot from her finger and collided with the cloud even though it should have passed through it. The cloud seemed to consort in pain as white electricity pulsed through it. The Departed Witch frowned as her cloud dissolved into nothing. With a wave of her hand the Pawns surrounded her and tried to attack her.
"Contain." Dawn whispered.
Around her appeared the same kind of symbols Gwen had used for the Seal of Constraint Method on the spirits of the Haunted Mansion. The Pawns were literally sucked into the symbols and turned into cards as they fell to the ground.
"The Seal of Constraint Method?" Gwen asked.
"Partially, it's an upgrade version. If an Avatar is outnumbered they can use more than one seal by mentally projecting it in their minds." Andromeda explained. "Dawn seems especially skilled in using more than one Method at a time. Perhaps even more skilled than Sarah..."
Gwen looked back up as Dawn stepped towards Elizabeth Darke who glared darkly back at her. The Departed Witch created two orbs made of black smoke and they shot towards Dawn like speeding bullets.
"Reflect."
A glass wall appeared in front of Dawn and the smoke bullets were reflected off the wall and sent straight back at the surprised Departed Witch. She managed to dodge one but the second slammed into her chest and knocked her down. She got back up, glaring hatefully at Dawn who continued to approach her.
"Stay away from me, wretch!" She thrust her hands forward and fired a blast of lightning.
"Reflect." Dawn whispered again.
The lightning collided with the wall and shot back at the Witch like her previous attacks. This time she avoided the blast and it collided with a tree, scorching it in a blast of flames.
"She's...good." Gwen remarked.
"I know. Dawn's been considered a prodigy in the area of Methods, she practically absorbs the knowledge on how a Method works and applies it to a degree that Luna believes that Dawn was blessed." Elliot replied. "She even believes that if not for the fact Dawn was a human she'd have considered that Dawn was a spirit of nature like herself."
"Something that very few spirits find in their avatars, a human who can naturally wield the power and skills of the spirit they make the contract with." Lancelot agreed.
Gwen turned back to Dawn, watching as she continued to march towards the Departed Witch. The Witch seemed more cautious now as she raised her hand and telekinetically threw several trees at Dawn. She responded by using her Interception Method and sent the trees flying in different directions instead of their original target.
'I wonder just how much Dawn held back in the last few fights. If she had been with us when we fought Corin we could have defeated him without Carlos's help.' Gwen thought.
'Perhaps but even with her help Corin would still have been a formidable opponent.' Andromeda pointed out.
Gwen nodded in agreement even if she didn't fully believe Andromeda's advice. From what it seemed Dawn was more skilled in Method than any other Avatar except Kurt who had Merlin as his spirit. That was saying a lot as Kurt was considered to be one of the most powerful Avatars in Canada, the very reason he had been selected to help Andromeda train Gwen on how to be an Avatar. The only Avatars she could think that might give Kurt a good fight would be Carlos, Alessa Morgan, Bobby Collins, and Alonso Carter.
"Heavenly Judgement!"
Dawn released a shockwave of light that blasted through the dark forest as it neared the Departed Witch. The Witch responded by diving down and fazing through the ground.
Dawn placed her hands on the ground. "You will not get away that easily. Heavenly Judgement!"
The ground lit up with bright electricity and the Departed Witch flew out of the ground, screaming as electricity coursed through her body.
"What are you?! How can you be this powerful?!" The Witch growled.
"I am Dawn, Avatar of Luna, the Heavenly Light and the most powerful spirit nature in the world. You have committed a number of great crimes against nature by accepting the contract of a demon, killing innocent people, and then robbing them of their free will to fuel your strength." Dawn explained, glaring at her with glowing eyes. "You may have the advantage here but Luna has the power to disrupt the inner workings of any Method, even yours. Your advantage is the Method you used to create this world but Luna's power disrupts the workings of a Method down to its very existence and with as her Avatar I can manipulate the very spirit energy around me, making me just as powerful as you are. Only difference is that I know how to set things right."
With that said Dawn clapped her hands together and thrust them forward, releasing strings of light that wrapped around Elizabeth Darke and quickly bound her arms and feet. The Departed Witch struggled to break free as Dawn walked up and stood over her.
"It's useless to break free of those bonds, only I can sever them. I want to know why you have chosen to attack us. Are you a member of Black Star?" Dawn asked.
The Departed Witch stopped struggling and growled.
"You aura confirms to me that you are working with Black Star, hence you are another servant of the Stalker in the Stars and his master, the Red Marauder." Dawn stated. "Nebula sent you to attack us and since he allowed you the chance to kill everyone on our team that means that it's unlikely his Avatar is on Team Amazon."
The Departed Witch only growled and snarled at her like a rabid animal.
"This is the effect of becoming a Familiar, losing all traces to humanity. Your life, your emotions, your very soul are offered up and sacrificed just you can become this. You are no better than the Pawns you created from the people you killed." Dawn stepped back. "The crime against these people and you very self is what has led you here."
She clapped her hands and spread them out, releasing a blast of light that surrounded the Departed Witch in the form of a bright orb of light.
"Elizabeth Darke, you have been a blight upon the people of this country for a long time and now for your crimes I sentence to the ultimate form of Heavenly Judgement!" Dawn declared her voice much louder as her aura flared. "May the light burn the evil away!"
The orb began to shrink around the Departed Witch who fought to escape but screamed as she touched energy around her. The light burned away at her, it felt more painful than anything she had ever felt before. Her screams louder and high pitched as the orb shrunk until she couldn't move and continued to shrink until it was about the size of a foot ball. In a blast of bright light it exploded and there was one final scream before Elizabeth Darke, the Departed Witch was gone forever.
Dawn stared at where the Witch had been for a moment as the around her faded. "It's most likely whatever fate awaits you will be unkind. Never the less I'll offer a small prayer that you learn your lesson."
She then turned and faced spectators who had been shocked into silence. As she walked up to her friends the surroundings around them faded and they now returned to the real island. The shocked members of the rest of Team Amazon were released from the ground. They did not move as they stared at the three girls in stunned silence.
"We better hurry and get back. Chris and the others will be waiting." Dawn simply said.
"Right. Oh, by the way guys..." Gwen turned around and drew a certain seal.
"Wait a second! What's going o..." Heather started as the seal glowed bright blue.
"Seal of the Void!"
They all screamed in shock as they fell over and lost conscious.
"They'll be okay. She never hurt them; she just used them just like Corin did." Gwen looked over them for injuries.
"I saw her aura up close; I know that she was an associate of Black Star. The very same group Corin worked for and was asked by Nebula to attack." Dawn nodded.
"Great, so the big bad Nebula sends another one of his goons." Elliot groaned. "I am getting tired of this and wish we'd find his Avatar already."
"The fact that Nebula endangered the members of your team shows that it's possible his Avatar is not one of them." Andromeda remarked, referring to the unconscious members of Team Amazon. "The death of an Avatar automatically releases the spirit that Avatar had bonded with. If they had died Nebula would have revealed himself but fortunately the Witch didn't harm them."
"We might not be lucky next time. I think we should get into contact with Kurt and the others and ask what they know about Black Star." Gwen sighed and shook her head. "It's getting too risky to walking blind into these traps now."
"I agree, this was too dangerous." Dawn nodded.
"Finally, we're doing something!" Elliot sighed in relief. "I was getting tired of sitting around and doing nothing productive!"