No Man's Land

It was sunset by the time Shendu arrived at Hong Kong. One of his servants mumbled, frightened, about how the ceremony was ready to begin. The fire demon wasted no time in marching through his palace until he came into the throne room. He all but threw open the doors in his rush to get there, and his frustration at the situation. Chan was as elusive in this reality as he had been in the previous one, and still had a habit of ruining Shendu's plans. What's more, because of the human, this perfect moment would now not be as he'd dreamed it would be. But he would have to make due.

And then all thoughts fled him.

The monk, Daolon Wong, stood at the foot of Shendu's throne. Dressed in long brown robes, the old man's pale features, pale hair and miss matched eyes stood out. In his hand he clasped a book over a small table. A golden cloth was placed over the table, with black glyphs stitched into the fabric. A bronze bowel and a large, wicked knife glinted.

But stood by the table, waiting for him, was a picture of loveliness.

White satin fell to the floor, straight and cascading like water, tight fitting in places yet flowing in others. A tight bodice clung to a thin waist, sweeping down to leave half of her back exposed. Long sleeves were tight all the way down to her wrists, and her hands left bare. Lace patterns adorned the dress in beautiful swirls, blooming flowers and other intricate patterns only visible to the eye that lingered. She wore no jewellery, apart from a pair of diamond earrings, her soft curve of her throat left exposed. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a bun, strings of pearls intertwined with the strands. She turned her face to look at him, her lips painted blood red, her eyes shadowed with dark smoke. The corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly into a relieved smile, her eyes sparkled.

Shendu felt as if someone had impaled him through the chest. He found himself short of breath. Without remembering how he'd gotten there, he was by her side, shrunk down to a more human-scale size. He reached for her hand, gently taking it in his, as if he feared this perfect moment was made of glass and would shatter at the slightest pressure. They both inhaled sharply at the rush, but made no move to let go.

Valerie looked up at him, and squeezed his fingers with her own. He felt her heart race slightly, she was nervous, possibly even afraid. Yet still she carried on. Once more he felt that twist in his stomach. How could she look upon him like this? Why did he feel so happy yet so wretched at the same time?

He turned his attention back to Daolon Wong, but paid no attention to the monk's words as he droned out the sacred words and incantations to appease spirits and chi's and all forces of the universe. Shendu only had eyes for one creature in this world. He kept sneaking glances at her, but she didn't notice.

"Will Your Highness, most esteemed Emperor Shendu, Lord of Fire and most powerful Master, take this woman to be yours for all eternity?" the monk asked.

"I do," Shendu said.

Daolon Wong turned his attention to Valerie. "And do you, Valerie Payne, swear your loyalty and devotion to your great Emperor?"

"I… I do," she murmured.

"My Lord, take her hand…" the wizard gestured with a long and sharp nail.

Shendu let go of Valerie's left hand and instead clasped her wrist. His grip was tight, but he made sure not to be painful. Her palm was open and held up to him. For a moment, he saw the colour drain from her face, a fleeting look of panic in her eyes. He paused, waiting for her to tell him to stop. Would he? If she asked, would he?

In an instant, he decided… yes, he would. If she asked it of him, if she demanded it be so, he would stop all of this at her word.

But then, she schooled her features and built her composure back into place. Shendu waited for a second longer for any other doubts or second thoughts. This was the last point for them to turn back, the last chance of redemption. After this, nothing could stop it. But none came. Now it was up to him.

With his other hand, he brought the claw of his index finger and placed it against the corner of her palm. He pressed the tip into her skin with careful slowness. He felt her skin pop and tear, a bead of blood bubbling up to the surface. Valerie winced and set her jaw but didn't show any other discomfort. Shendu then dragged his talon across her palm, slicing it in a diagonal line, ending underneath her index finger. This time, Valerie had difficulty disguising her pain, his grip on her wrist the only thing keeping her in place. Shendu sent her an apologetic glance.

Blood pooled into her hand. Already it was singing to his senses, beckoning him, pulling him in like a fish on a hook. Boasted by the magic tension in the air, it was almost deafening.

He almost didn't hear Daolon Wong intone loudly, "With this blood, the half is merged, the life is given, the payment made."

Shendu brought her up to his lips. He was suddenly drunk on the mere smell of it. Something between a growl and a purr was echoing out of him. He found it hard to keep himself in control, coherent thought difficult to grasp. His eyes found hers, red meeting blue in a stare that couldn't be broken. With a soft hiss, his tongue darted out and dragged itself across her hand, lapping up her red essence. The woman shivered, a blush sweeping down her neck.

Something detonated inside Shendu's chest. A choked cough almost burst out of him. He dropped Valerie's hand, eyes going wide, every muscle in his body stiff. He could feel himself being altered, changed. A foreign presence was carving its way into his chest, rooting itself in the very centre of his entire being. He felt his demon chi explode like a blazing bonfire, the flames igniting every drop of blood in his veins. Power unlike anything he'd ever experienced, even when touching Valerie, flooded his system. But it was too much, it was a battle with himself just to not let his body explode with the pressure. His eyes felt like they would pop out of his head, his brain hurt from the force, his heart was beating so fast he thought he would suffer a cardiac arrest.

"Take him, now," he heard Daolon Wong snap. Shendu wanted to snarl at the man, to roar to tear him apart with the very air with just a single thought. But he couldn't move, he feared if he did, his bones would shatter.

He felt soft little fingers take his left hand. The touch burned and froze him at the same time. He grit his teeth against the pain, knowing instinctively that this was necessary to help save him. Eyes wide with fear and desperation, he watched as Valerie held the large knife in her hand. She pressed it into his palm, her own movements seeming to be frantic, frightened. She knew something was wrong with him and wanted to stop it. Her brow creased when she had to force so much pressure into just attempting to break his skin. The knife was sharpened incredibly, and was enchanted for this occasion.

But still it took a lot to force. Shendu had just about enough sense of mind to control the impulse of the horse talisman to prevent him from healing instantaneously. Finally, he felt the knife bite into his flesh. Valerie cut a line into his left palm, identical to the one on her own. She directed his hand so that it was held over the bronze bowl, the drops splattering into it until a small puddle lay at the bottom.

Daolon Wong raised his hands and face to the sky and chanted loudly: "With this blood, the half is merged, the life is given, the payment made."

With shaking hands, Valerie lifted the bowl to her lips. She hesitated, and Shendu almost screeched. He didn't know how much longer he could keep himself together, already his legs were shaking, and his knees threatened to buckle. But then she tipped the bowl back gulped it down. He heard her cough and gag, but she forced herself to continue drinking, until the last drop was finally gone.

The bowl clattered to the floor, the bang deafening in the eerie silence of the throne room. Valerie shook, gagging and choking as she held her throat, eyes wide with fear. Shendu wanted to reach out, to help her. But couldn't move.

He felt a hole emerge in the depths of the swirling hurricane inside him. It drained just a little out of him, and he felt the pressure slowly ease. Something pulled him, a chain forming around his heart. He felt it build itself link by link until it connected to another on the far end. It was like a beacon had been lit inside of him. He could sense that light, unmistakably a life force, now always connected to him, feeding him constant energy as he fed it in a constant loop.

And all at once, he was fine once more. No, better then fine. The greatest he had ever been. He felt young, strong enough to move mountains, he could feel the magical energies in everything around him. It was as if his eyes had been opened to suddenly look at the world around him and see so much life in all corners of it. He could see the light, taste it, touch it, it was now his, not some forbidden realm that he despised out of bitterness. The universe seemed brighter, stronger, brilliant, alive.

He looked down at his left hand, and was surprised to a scar, a white raised line, running across his palm. It was perplexing to him, for he'd never had a scar before, such was the miracle of magical healing. But he knew that it was now the testimony of the joining, the proof of it, the mark that said he now belonged to another. He glanced over and saw that Valerie's hand too had an identical scar.

Valerie straightened next to him, the pain gone from her features. She blinked as she looked around and then looked at her hands. The same wonder eclipsed her expression as it undoubtedly had his. Shendu stared at her, she now seemed to glow in his eyes, for he could feel the magic, the life, coming out of her. She was beautiful.

He reached for her, but when he touched her there was no painful exchange of energy. No, instead there was now a warmth, a hum, a feeling of belonging that settled deep in his chest. He pulled her to him, bringing her body flush against his. His hands eagerly took the opportunity to feel her skin, the mould of her flesh, the density of her body. It had always been chaste touches before, but now they were allowed to touch all they wanted. Her hands slid up his arms, his chest, a smile working across her face.

"You and I are one," he whispered to her. "Now and forever."

"Now and forever," she echoed back just as quietly.

And then he captured her mouth with his. Deep and hungry her took her, but gentle and passionate at the same time. He felt her lips open to him and snuck in his tongue to meet hers. She was delicious. She let him in, let him take from her all that she offered, meeting him with equal fervour.

He could feel himself getting lost in her, and knew he had to break it off before anything else could happen. Reluctantly he pulled away from her. Once more he cursed Chan and everything he'd done to deny him this happiness.

"I must go," he rasped.

She frowned. "Go?"

"The traitors are making their way to No Man's Land. I must stop them."

"No, stay here with me," she said quickly, her hands gripping his arms tightly. Something flashed in her eyes. Fear? But not for him, he couldn't sense it. Why was that? He brushed it away.

"I will. But after I have them. By the end of the night, it will be over."

"What if something happens?"

"Nothing will."

"Can't your siblings deal with this?"

"They have called upon me. We can't let them get to it–"

"Get to what?"

"Nothing." He said quickly. Damn him! He couldn't let it slip out now. "Worry not. All of us are going to deal with this. It will be easy."

"But–"

"I promise," he said. He nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent. He felt her tremble against him, and whispered into her ear. "I'll return later for you. Wait for me, and it'll be a night to remember."

And with that, he slunk away from her, releasing the spell that kept him small. Now towering over everything, he walked out of the throne room and away on his mission.

Valerie watched him go, chewing her lips uncertainly. She couldn't shake the suspicion something was wrong. A part of her could sense something inside Shendu, especially when he'd been so close and in her arms. Something wasn't right. Was he in danger? Were the Chans? Jade's words came back to haunt her – was there any truth to them? Any at all?

A fire was burning steadily in her chest now, an impulsive, reckless side of her now awakened. She couldn't stand by and do nothing anymore. And she had no time to lose.

Dismissing the monk, she picked up her lacy skirts, and marched through the palace. She had no time to change, and whilst this was very impractical, beggars couldn't be choosers. So in wedding dress and all, she made her way to the stables. Most of the dragons were out patrolling on extra alert for any suspicious activity or a few had gone with Shendu on his hunt. But she knew that one dragon had still remained. And as she stepped into the stable, he poked his head out of his stall and gave a trumpeting chirp of greeting.

Valerie released Ryuu from his stall, and the dragon stepped out, instantly pressing his head to her chest as he sought affection. She happily gave it to him. For some reason, it was as if she could now almost see the dragon's thoughts whenever she caught his eyes, as plainly as if he were speaking. Was this a benefit of being joined to Shendu? She took advantage of it as she placed a hand beneath Ryuu's chin and made him look up into her eyes.

"Follow him," she said softly. "Take me to No Man's Land."

The dragon snorted, almost as if it were an affirmative. He laid down, and offered her his back. Shaking off her heeled shoes, Valerie lifted her skirts and climbed onto the dragons back. She heard a piece of the hem tear on a spike, and winced at her carelessness. But she paid it no mind. She had more important things to worry about.

Holding Ryuu's whiskers like they were reigns, she held on as she urged him outside and into the sky. The dragon gave a bark of anticipation and eagerly leapt into the air.

It was only a little past dawn when they finally made it to the fortress.

Jade had thought she'd never make it. So many problems, so many obstacles, this place had seemed like a far off dream, the holy grail that would get rid of all her problems. And now she was here. The Book of Ages was so close she could smell it. She felt awesome.

"The book lies behind those walls," she said and turned to the others with a smirk. "Ready team?"

They each held up their talismans. Jackie glared up at the stone fortress. "Let's make history."

Tohru held up the rabbit talisman. With a flash he was gone, only a trail of dust in his wake around the side of the fortress. A moment later he reappeared with another blast of wind and dust behind him, only from the opposite side.

"There is no way in," he reported, his brows furrowed in concern.

Jade just smirked up at Viper. The woman gave her a matching grin as she held up the Dragon Talisman. With a single blast of fire, a hole exploded in the side of the building. Not exactly subtle, but Jade liked her style.

But that only lasted momentarily when shadows poured out of the gaping hole. An army of Shadowkahn, many more then even Jade had expected formed around them. The girl gulped quietly. Uncle hadn't been kidding when he'd said 'army'.

"Guys in pyjamas," Viper shrugged. "They don't look so tought,"

The Shadowkahn leapt at them. Tohru and El Toro wrestled the shadow-ninjas with their brute strength. Viper used every sneaky, flippy, acrobatic move she had, and Jackie leapt and kicked and punched like a pro. Jade couldn't help but grin with pride as she watched her uncle work. It was like he'd never left.

"I am good at this…" he murmured, surprised.

"Duh," Jade grinned. He smiled back, and then leapt back into the fray.

"He's not bad," Paco murmured beside Jade. "But –"

"Don't start."

She then looked to Uncle as he held up his dried lizard by its tail and chanted. "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao… Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao… Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao…"

And with that, the Shadowkahn melted away and were no more.

Jade whistled as she and Paco stepped out onto the now empty battlefield. "And they didn't even use the Talismans…"

But her jubilation was short lived. The earth shook beneath her feet. Dirt shifted loose, even the bricks of the fortress vibrated and threatened to fall. El Toro and Jackie quickly made their way to the children, protecting them in their shadows. The adults had turned a shade of pale. In the distance they saw a cloud of dust erupting from the earth as it moved towards them. The closer it came, the harder the ground rattled.

Jade spotted a pair of horns jutting out of the ground and ploughing through it, like a Shark's fin in the water. In no time it was upon them, stopping just in front of them. The next quake was enough to knock the humans off of their feet as the earth split apart as something emerged from the broken soil. Dai Gui, the earth demon, in all his intimidating glory just as Jade remembered him.

To the side of him, water leaked up from between the stones of the earth, sucking itself out of the plants, even from the very air itself. It condensed itself into a whirling tornado of roaring water. It formed, arms, a body, a long fish-like tail, and a mass of tentacle hair. Bai Tza hissed down at the humans as her body became solid. A laugh from above had Jade looking up as a figure descended through the clouds with a whirling mass of dark energy, and the tall imposing figure of Tso Lan landed opposite his mermaid sister.

A roar broke the tense silence. Jade felt the blood drain from her face. A dragon burst through the clouds, whirling through the air and shooting a stream of fire from its wide mouth. Shendu sat atop it. He wasn't even half way to the ground, when he suddenly leapt off of the dragon's back and fell to the earth. He landed with a rippling blast of dirt and dust, causing the humans to cover their eyes for fear of being blinded. But the demon didn't even seem hurt as he stood to his full height. Jade had to blink. Was Shendu taller? For some reason he seemed more imposing, bigger, the shadows on his face, the bright light in his eyes, the very power that emanated from him, he just looked scarier. As if he could kill them all with a single thought, and she knew it. His siblings seemed a little wary of him, taking an involuntary step back as they took him in. What was different about him?

But more importantly, how had the demons known where to find them? How had they managed to catch them so fast?

"Quick! Uncle!" Jade shouted. "The spells!"

Uncle held up the ingredients that were left for the other demons to be banished –

Shendu blasted a bolt from his eyes. The ingredients disintegrated into a thousand pieces. Jade, Uncle and all the others watched the pieces fall, horrified. The demons cackled.

"What spells?" Shendu taunted with a sickening grin.

The eyes of the demons glowed brighter as their laughter grew louder.

"Go! Go!" Jackie shouted.

They didn't have to be told twice. All of the humans ran for their lives towards the fortress. Jade heard the blasts of heat-beams from Shendu follow them. The group dodged to the side to avoid each one. One by one they ran into the shadows inside the fortress. Jade heard another blast, but this time it was accompanied by a scream. The girl paused and turned.

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw Viper lying on the ground just before the entrance. Blood dribbled from her mouth, smoke rising out of her back. She was barely breathing, body twitching, pain contorting her face. Jade saw Shendu's hand reached for her friend, pulling out the talisman from the dead woman's grasp.

"Viper!" she screamed.

She went to race back to her friend, but Jackie caught her before she could go back outside. He pushed her deeper into the fortress. "No! Run!"

Jade had no time to mourn. Even with tears streaming down her face, she ran for her life. The only way she could save Viper now was to set things right. She kept telling herself that even as she heard an explosion further behind them at the entrance, followed by Bai Tza's scream: "Destroy them!"

It pushed the team further on. That is, until they came to the end of the corridor, several different paths branching out in front of them.

"Quickly!" Uncle said. "Locate the Book of Ages!"

"We'd better split up," Jade suggested.

And so they did. Uncle, Jade and Paco went down one corridor, whilst the others went down a separate one each. Jade could only pray that they would reach the book in time.

Most of her hair had been pulled out of its neat bun, leaving it in a windswept mess. But Valerie didn't pay attention, only clinging to Ryuu as hard as she could to prevent herself from falling off of him. As if he could read her mind, Ryuu was careful not to jostle his mistress unnecessarily, but he also sensed her need for urgency and pushed them on. In another time, Valerie would have been thrilled by the thought of flying, she would've been enjoying herself as she never had before. But her concentration was required elsewhere.

When they came across the hot and arid land of No Man's Land, Valerie at first thought she'd have to strip out of her dress. What kind of country was this hot? But she kept her modesty. Of course, that all paled in comparison when they found the ominous fortress. It was large and just as foreboding as all the stories had described it. But that was her destination, so Valerie directed Ryuu to land just outside of it.

She was surprised to see such level of destruction; a gaping hole had been left in the front of the building. Valerie climbed off of Ryuu, and as her bare feet hit the hot ground, the bottom of her dress instantly became stained with the red dust of the soil. She must look quite the picture now.

As she looked into the fortress, the mark on her hand began to tingle. Since joining with Shendu, she was not constantly aware of the magic now just bubbling beneath her skin. It was as her husband had described when training her: the magic came easily to her now, a fountain of wealth at her fingertips. The temptation was there just to blink and let a little out, but she kept it in. Especially outside of the fortress, she could feel the magic inside coming off of it in heavy waves from its aura. She knew she had to go in.

A moan distracted her. Her eyes widened when she saw a woman lying face down in the dirt. Running to her side, Valerie knelt down by the beautiful dark haired woman. She had a severe burn on her back, blood trickling out of the wound and her mouth. Rolling the woman over, Valerie was relieved to see that she was still alive. Though barely. Was this person with Jade? Was the child alright?

Fearing the answers to those questions, Valerie knew she had to hurry. She stood and rushed to the entrance. But she was jerked back. She turned to see Ryuu holding her skirts in his mouth, halting her from taking a step further. His eyes pleaded with her not to go, it was the first time she'd ever seen the dragon afraid.

"I have to go," she said. The dragon released her, but still whimpered loudly. She turned and ran her hands over his snout. "I have to make sure everything's alright. Don't worry, I'll be back."

The dragon rumbled softly, sadly. He shifted from foot to foot. His wings were restless and he let out a shriek of frustration.

"You can't come with me." She seemed to know what he wanted again. "You can help me though, and get this woman to some help."

Ryuu looked at the injured woman by their feet. He snorted, lip curled. But he had to obey her. In a rushed movement, he pushed his head against Valerie's chest, nuzzling her desperately. It was as if he thought he'd never see her again, as if he were saying goodbye.

"I'll be back," she whispered. She gave him one little kiss on the end of his snout. "I promise."

And with that, she turned and ran into the fortress.

Finally, after what had seemed like hours, Jade, Paco and Uncle had found the corridor that lead straight to the green portal. Jade didn't think twice and ran for it, even with Uncle and Paco staring in wonder beside her.

"Come on! This is it!" she urged them, and they all ran through the portal together.

Once more they were taken to the white temple that looked as if it had been made in the sky. Once more on the far side of the room, Jade saw the huge golden book standing amidst the shrine of candles. But something was off. The girl looked around for the Guardian. Wasn't it meant to be there waiting to judge them?

But then her eyes glanced upwards. Her eyes widened in pity. The guardian, the frail looking old man, was being held suspended by chains that were wrapped around him tightly. The old man looked worn, tired, and miserable. He'd never looked more pathetic. As if sensing her eyes on him, the Guardian opened his eyes and looked at Jade. She knew instantly that he recognised her.

"Set it right…" he whispered in a choked rasp.

She nodded and ran for the book.

Uncle and Paco were right behind her. All three of them came to the book, it dwarfing them all in size. The brush was waiting in its ink pot beside it, as if begging someone to touch it. The written words were in ancient Chinese script. Jade could pick out individual words, but the full page was like jargon to her. Too much to take in at once. How would they know what to change?

"Locate the page Shendu altered so that we may change it back," Uncle instructed.

"No problem," Jade said as she knelt down and pulled out the corner page from her shoe. "Look for a page with a missing corner!"

They began to look. Uncle flipped through page after huge page. Each one was false. With each second that passed, Paco shifted about nervously. Jade agreed with him. She was about ready to burst.

"There's like five million pages here!" she exclaimed.

Still, Uncle searched, one by one. Jade and Paco began to pace. Where was everyone? Hadn't they found the corridor by now? She could only hope that they were keeping the demons busy.

"Get away from that book!"

The three of them turned at the sound of the angry voice. They gasped, as Shendu, Bai Tza, Tso Lan and Dai Gui all stepped through the portal and into the temple. From their hands, the rest of their teammates hung limp and unconscious in their grasps. Paco gave a strangled cry when he saw El Toro without his mask, blood trickling from a small cut at the back of his head. Jade felt the same as she saw Jackie hanging limp and lifeless in Shendu's cruel claws. She silently begged him to do something, anything.

As if he saw where her gaze had gone, Shendu threw Jackie down onto the floor between them. He glared at her, as if he knew that she was the one responsible for all of this. "Surrender. Your team has been neutralised."

"Big whop." Jade glared, trying desperately to hold back the wave of despair in her. All her plans had come to nothing. She pushed Uncle out of the way, and turned to the back of the book. She picked up the brush and put it to the paper. "If I can't find Shendu's changes, I'll make some of my own… and then, Jackie grew twenty feet tall!"

As the words were written, the book glowed green. A light shot out of it and encircled Jackie. Instantly the man awoke and as Jade had written, began to grow until he was as large as Shendu himself. Wow, Jade thought, I could get used to this!

"Now Jackie is the greatest!" Paco said in awe.

"You!" Shendu roared and charged for Jade.

"Shendu!" Jackie shouted, just as he leapt through the air and kicked Shendu in the small of the back. The demon shouted out in pain, and fell to the floor.

"The girl!" Dai Gui shouted, and the other demons also went with Shendu's plan and rushed towards Jade.

Quickly, frantically, she put the quill to the paper and began to write as quickly as she could. "Here comes… super Tohru!"

A flash of green light, and she heard Tohru shout with triumph before launching into the demons.

Jade wrote again, this time with added venom in her voice. "And then Viper came back… but not just as Viper… Robo-Viper!"

A flash of green light again. Jade looked over her shoulder, as if to be sure it worked. Viper appeared out of thin air, though this time decked out like a cyborg.

The woman aimed a missile right for Bai Tza's head. "Like nuking fish in a barrel…" she shot and Bai Tza fell apart with a splash, right before she reformed. Jade grinned and put brush to paper again–

"ENOUGH!"

The roar was accompanied by something in the very air trembling violently. Shendu stood, but somehow there seemed to be more of him. He towered over everyone in the room, even his fellow demons. Wind stirred around him, the temple itself shook and seemed to bend to his whim. His eyes were glowing so brightly that they flashed. Green energy crackled off of him like lightning.

Jackie went to leap for him. Shendu held out a claw and the man stopped in mid-air. Jackie shrieked, alarmed before he was hurtled back fifty feet with the speed of a bullet train. He crashed through several pillars, before lying on the floor in a heap of rubble. Shendu then directed his attention to Jade and the others by the book. His eyes flashed, and as if on command, the book snapped shut with a loud BANG.

Super-Tohru and Robo-Viper both aimed their attacks at Shendu. The demon thrust his hands down, and the pair of them crashed down to the floor with enough force to make craters. El Toro, only semi-conscious at this point, tried to stumble towards Shendu, until he was flung across the room once more. With a savage snarl, Shendu stalked towards the last of the humans.

He waved his hand and Uncle and Paco were tossed aside like ragdolls. Uncle even held up his special dried lizard and began chanting, but Shendu was completely unaffected by it. With a snap of his fingers, the lizard disintegrated into ash. He held out his hand towards Jade as if he would grab her. The girl gasped when she felt a force of hot air surround her and sweep her off her feet. Like a magnet she was flung towards Shendu and straight into his hand. His claws wrapped around her and squeezed.

"You!" he spat, ignoring her pathetic attempts to struggle. "I will not let you destroy everything I have worked so hard to achieve!"

Even as she was slowly being crushed, Jade still had the nerve to glare at him defiantly. "I won't ever let you get away with this, Shendu!"

"You won't live long enough to try again." The threat was made especially clear as he squezed tighter. It was getting very hard to breathe.

"Someone will stop you!" She choked out.

"Who? Your friends? Your family? All of you are nothing. I should've erased you from existence when I had the chance. Allow me to correct my mistake."

"No!"

"Struggle all you wish, child." His fingers twitched tighter, pain growing through her cracking ribs. "My power cannot be destroyed now."

Jade looked down at him, brows furrowed. "What did you do?"

"I am now complete. Your friend Valerie helped with that."

"What?! No! I'll stop you! I'll undo it!"

"Foolish child! There is no undoing it now!"

"Whatever you've done to Val, I'll –"

"Done to her?" Shendu cackled to himself. "She came along willingly."

"Liar! The real Valerie would've never done this! You've changed her, the way you've changed everything!"

"And is she not better for it? I have made her a queen, she is mine, and everything is now as it should be."

"It's not really her though! What you've done to her is unforgiveable!"

"There's enough of her in there for me to be satisfied with." He sneered. "The rest of her will come with time, but it is too late to change what has been done."

"You don't care about her! You bewitched her, forced her. Everything about her you took from her to make her what you wanted. She's not a person to you, she's a puppet!"

Shendu squeezed harder.

"… Is it true?

The meek little voice was deafening in the frozen silence. Shendu dropped Jade unceremoniously as he spun to see what he refused to believe his ears were telling him. At the back of the temple, behind them all, stood Valerie. Her dress was stained and slightly torn, her hair dishevelled, and her eyes were rapidly filling with tears.

Immediately upon seeing her, Bai Tza lunged with claws bared. She didn't make it far. With a wave of his hand, Shendu sent her flying backwards. The water demon screeched in fury, but found that she couldn't move from her position. Without any incantation or spell, Shendu had bound her and kept her in place and contained across the room.

He took a slow step towards his bride, one hand reaching for her tenderly. His eyes were wide, almost frightened, as if he didn't know how to handle this. When he spoke, his voice was an unsteady whisper. "Valerie…"

"It is true… isn't it." It was more statement then question.

Shendu went to open his mouth to argue, to reassure her, to sooth her. But he was stooped when he saw a single tear fall down Valerie's face, followed by another. And another. Until her whole face was drowned in the tears. His hesitation was all it took for her to know the truth. She squeezed her eyes shut, as if she couldn't bear to look at him a second longer. Her fists clenched, her veins popping in her neck as if she were trying so desperately to keep something back.

When she finally opened her eyes, there was instead something utterly furious in their depths. Tears of anger replaced the ones of sorrow, her pretty face contorted into vengeful rage. Her hands were shaking, and a green energy was crackling and snapping out from her left hand. Shendu took a step back, seeming to be actually afraid.

She stormed towards him, hair beginning to stick out as if there was electricity in the air. Her lips parted over clenched teeth, and her voice came out as a rasping hiss. "You vile, evil, accursed–"

"Valerie. Don't." Shendu said quickly, holding up his hand to stop her. His previous nerves were gone, instead he held a look as if he were contemplating a battle to come. "You don't know what –"

"I believe I've heard enough!" she snapped.

"Consider everything I've done for you–"

"You betrayed me! You've done nothing for me!" With her raised voice, a bolt of stray energy snapped away from her and exploded along the ground perilously close to Shendu's foot.

"Valerie, do not test me," he said quickly. "I have been generous, up until now. But I can be cruel."

"Generous?! After what I've just heard, what've you done that's generous?"

"Everything! Everything that you wanted, I have done! You asked for your problems to be taken away – I took them. You yearned for your father back – I gave him to you. I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"

"But at what cost? At the cost of my freedom? At the cost of my people? Was there ever a moment when you actually felt–"

"Of course there was, you know that."

"But you didn't tell me that I had another life. You played me for a fool."

"I loved you above all others."

She buried her face in her hands to hide her tears. "And yet you still pretended… You carried on the lie…"

"Valerie, look what I'm offering," Shendu murmured, kneeling closer to her. Slowly he inched forward, as if he didn't want to spook her. His knuckle brushed her arm ever so gently. "A world where we can be together, rule together. I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything that you want."

She glared up at him. "I want you to return everything to the way it was."

"No. You would never have me if we were back in that world."

"So this is the alternative? To make me a slave to your filthy games?"

"No, never!" he said quickly, horrified by the accusation. "My Valerie, we can still have it all back. Ultimate power is within our grasp!"

"Even after all this time… you never understood, did you?"

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave!"

"I didn't want a slave – I wanted LOVE!" she screamed.

With that sound, her tornado of emotions broke through. A force field exploded outwards from Valerie in a tsunami of energy. The stone floor cracked, the pillars crumbled, everyone was knocked backwards and to the floor. Jade screeched as she was sent tumbling into the shrine of candles around the book.

Too late did anyone notice the candle wobble and fall. Too late did anyone see the flame flicker too close. Too late for anyone to do anything as the flame caught on the old parchment and sent the Book of Ages up in flames.

The demons screamed in horror.

A second before the book exploded, and the world tore apart.

Author's Note: Yes, there is a deliberate Labyrinth reference at the end in tribute to the late and great David Bowie. I'm still singing "As the World Falls Down" So, kudos to anyone who spotted it!

Just a quick note: I'm going to go back through and re-work a few of the chapters. I've been reading through and some bits and pieces I want to change slightly. Nothing that will hamper the plot, but I want to tie off those loose ends before we get to the end of this story and then go onto the sequel!

And please review! I crave all of your feedback!