Ch.141: Happiness isn't a Curse! A Desperate Plea Reaches Out!

Up topside, as the quakes grew worse underground, Pokémon were fleeing from their homes as cracks opened up in the ground. Ava stayed behind to mitigate the damage, casting psychic barriers to cancel out the shockwaves. She strained against the earth's power, feeling all the quakes pressuring against her barriers.

The Grand World Tree wasn't looking any better, either. With each rumble, the tree looked like it was shifting closer to its sides. Ava feared if any more stress hit the tree, it would be knocked out of place and topple to the ground. Not only could it kill anybody unlucky to be in the area, the destruction of a historic monument to nature would be devasting.

She bared her teeth, sucked in a breath, and slammed her hands down. A psychic shock vibrated through the ground, casting a teal glow over the surface. The shocks lessened, the ground ceased splitting wider open, and the tree stopped rocking, if only for a brief moment.

Ava exhaled and stepped back. Her arms ached, and she had a splitting migraine from overtaxing herself. Lifting hundreds of tons of rubble was one thing, but holding up against a centralized earthquake took a great deal out of her.

"This is getting ridiculous." She looked up at the sky as the sun began to set. "They've been down there for hours. What happened after Morgan went after them?" She stared warily at the ground, feeling the suppressed rumbling beneath the psychic sheet. "Morgan, what are you up to?"

"Ava, darling!" Her beloved husband raced to her side. He was short of breath, taking a moment to collect himself. "We got…all the villagers to safety. They should be out of range now."

"Th…Thank you, dear." Ava groaned and collapsed onto her knees.

"Ava!" he gasped.

"I'm fine," she assured him. She pinched between her eyes. "I'm exhausted. Who knows how long before another powerful quake hits the surface? I can't keep up. The ground feels like it could collapse at any moment."

Vince bit his lip, understanding the stress his wife must be going through. He touched her shoulder and proclaimed, "Allow me and some of the crew to go down and search for them."

"Absolutely not," she dismissed. "If you go down there, you might get buried, too. Plus…I can't bear the thought of you running into one of those monsters."

"But Ava—"

"I have faith in the kids. We just need to give them more time—"

"Madame Ava! Mr. Vince! Hey!"

Their heads shot up in surprise, spotting the familiar Espeon limping toward them. Her fur was disheveled, tears were found all throughout her clothes, and she had noticeable scrapes concealed under the hastily tied bandages she wore. She appeared out of breath, like she was running on wounded legs. She collapsed at their feet, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Ella!" Ava picked her up under the forelegs and lifted her to eye level. "Ella, darling, what happened to you? How did you get back to the surface?"

"I…I was rescued…by the Desert Beasts. One of them…is clearing everyone out." She clenched her eyes shut, shuddering from her injuries. "I ran back from their ship, hoping everything cleared up. Please, please tell me everyone's okay."

Ava bit her lip and looked to Vince for assistance. All he could do was shrug, just as concerned as her. Ava gulped, then looked back at Ella. "They're still underground, it appears. What happened?"

"Aeternus…changed the tomb into a maze. Everyone's scrambling around to find their way out." Ella's eyes widened in distress. "Ava, the fighting is getting worse. The Shadow King, the heralds…I could feel their strength throughout the maze. They're going to tear this place apart if we don't leave."

Ava grimaced. "I understand, but we have to wait for the others to get out."

"I'm fine now. I can go and—"

"Fine?! Ella, look at yourself! You can hardly stand on your own four paws!" She held the Espeon close in a tight hug. "I'm not letting anyone else go down there. As much as it pains me to say, your friends are on their own down there. You're just going to have to pray that they get out the same way you did. Have faith in them."

Ella's eyes glistened with tears. She pressed her face into Ava's shoulder and choked on a sob. "B-But…what if Wes and the others…? I…I can't lose them. I…I…"

Ava gently patted her back, as did Vince, feeling it was the only help he could offer now. As for Ava, she stared at the ground with forlorn guilt. She wished she could do more than she was now. Years off the battlefield, barely capable of matching the Shadow King, and unable to fulfil her promise to Garret.

She could only sit and pray for a miracle now.

Flint stood with Ambrosine hidden behind his tail, both cowering as Zaros approached them. Flint kept his Guardian on standby with it floating above him in a transparent shimmer.

Zaros dragged his finger across the stone walls, aging a line to dust. "I've always fancied Time magic. It's a miracle what you can do with it." He rubbed his fingers together, smiling gently at the dust caught under his nails. "When I apprenticed under Count Aeternus, I knew his Particle magic would suit my needs. The power to deconstruct time. Sounds fitting. Perhaps, with enough practice, I could deconstruct the past from existence."

Flint snarled. "That's impossible! You can't just undo time! There are natural laws that—"

"Don't bore me with the details." Zaros fired an Everto, nailing Flint in the chest.

"Flint!" Ambrosine cried, catching him in her arms. The burn wound was superficial, much to her relief.

"Who decides what is impossible? The victor, that's who. Conflict, debate, history's records; everything has a victor and a loser. That is the natural world, Ravenfield. We live in a society fueled by this competitive nature. I'm simply fulfilling my role as a member of society by working towards personal victory." Zaros smirked. "The gods get to decide such things, and they created the one artifact capable of fulfilling that dream."

Flint sat up and clutched the burn wound, scowling back at him. "The Idol of Origin…is not meant to be tampered with."

"What is the Idol of Origin other than the true manifestation of magic?" Zaros cupped his hand to his cheek. "After all, magic has developed so much since the Grand Imperium Age. What the idol can do now will become irrelevant in several hundred years. Maybe less." Zaros smirked. "I'm doing the world a favor."

"A favor?" Flint growled.

"You got angry about me destroying the past, right? Well, imagine if no one knew how to cast magic, save for one person?" Zaros grinned. "I'd be doing the world a justice, essentially living as a god. The man with the better weapon is deemed the ruler of the world by comparison. First comes the age of stone, then iron, then the basic develop of Pokémon and elemental advantages paves the way to a form of equality. Then magic gets caught in the mix. Suddenly, some are born special. And those special ones get a little too curious and decide to test their limits.

"Did you know the Guardian was originally just a reanimation spell on some clay? That's what Elemental Guardians basically are, just with limited sentience. I think you can understand where I'm coming from. We came a long way to Celestial Guardians, now with the ability to go further beyond. How far can a society grow until they create something far out of their control?"

Flint narrowed his eyes. "What are you going on about?"

"That's the philosophy, at least, the Shadow King subscribes to." Zaros spread his arms out. "A world cursed by its own ambition to develop. The farther we go to create new medicine for new diseases, the same principle applies to magic. As new obstacles and curiosities break the mold, the bar keeps rising until it becomes unachievable, only for some prodigy or lucky hobo to accidentally become the modern Merlin. Eventually, everyone will become a god, and we will be our own destruction.

"The Shadow King wants to suppress that future, and I don't agree with it. True, I don't want literal gods running around, but I do believe in breaking limits." Zaros extended his hand to Flint, grinning cheekily. "The world would be better off if the development of magic was managed, controlled, and known by one responsible being. That power truly belongs to a god, and I wouldn't mind exploiting that position. The world will eventually doom itself, so they need someone like me to set them straight. History, magic, ambition; everything under my domain. I'll undo the Shadow King's damage once I reach my peak, then I'll make it so the world worships me as I become the arbiter of the past."

Flint bared his teeth. "Is this all just to satisfy some sick power fantasy of yours?!"

"Hmm, maybe a little, but can you really deny my claim?" Zaros smiled slyly. "Say with a straight face that society wouldn't tear itself apart once it reached godlike status. Either they become corrupted by the power, or Pokémon were already corrupted to begin with. The sad fact is, not even a pure saint should be trusted with the powers of a god."

"That will never happen!" Flint yelled, shooting up too fast onto his legs. His weak leg collapsed and plopped him back to the ground.

"You don't sound convinced." Zaros summoned his Guardian and ordered it forward. "Is it possible you're putting up one last brave face to keep your world from crumbling to pieces? Is the truth too much to swallow?"

Ambrosine cowered and hugged Flint as the Guardian's hand drew closer. Purple smoke seeped from its hands. She dragged her crush back with her, trying to stay away from the hand.

Zaros grinned. "Well, I guess that's the least of your worries crumbling away." Something patted him on the shoulder. It hardly felt like a hand, though. "Huh?"

"Cute speech. I was at the edge of my seat. I have a question, though." Zaros was spun around, where he took the brunt force of a headbutt from Mack. Zaros went sailing through the air and crashed into his Guardian, knocking them over Ambrosine and Flint. Mack raised his head and smirked. "Is godhood worth giving up pain?"

Zaros picked himself off the ground and glared. "I'm sorry?"

Mack crouched down. "I'm just saying, with your lazy ass plopped down all day on a throne like a generic king waiting for someone to enter his royal chambers, you seem to forget the fundamental rule of mortality."

Zaros raised his brow. "And that is…?"

"Pain…is the expression of life. And godhood…that's just shit dweebs wish for to sound edgy." Mack narrowed his eyes. "So, forgive me if I don't give a shit about some future where I'll be rotting in the ground by then. If I can still feel the aches and pains I've developed over the years, that's a better future…than being some immortal god."

Mack rocketed forward, blowing Flint and Ambrosine aside, and locked fists with Zaros' Guardian. Zaros bared his teeth against the foreboding aura surrounding the Sudowoodo, amplified by the unnerving smile that wouldn't go away.

"Then again, being dead's a lot better, too," Mack added. "Long naps as a spirit! Maybe I can just simulate pain! It soothes me to know my body hasn't been damaged beyond sensing basic touch."

Zaros shoved the Sudowoodo back, then had his Guardian attack with a flurry of punches. Mack summoned his Timor Persona and let it tank the punches. Mack whipped Eclipse out and elongated it towards Zaros, who caught staff before it struck his face.

"Where are you looking?!" Zaros gasped as Mack charged full speed and rammed his fist into his gut. Mack grinned wildly and punched Zaros across the tunnel. "Don't ignore me, bastard!" He leaped at the Watchog, laughing maniacally. "I want you to feel just as mortal as me!"

Zaros tumbled onto his feet as his aura glowed around him. "You do not have the right to enter my domain. Tempus Point: Skip!"

Something weird happened that Mack couldn't quite describe. He was certainly flying toward the Watchog mid-lunge, but now he was standing right where he intended to attack Zaros, who disappeared as well.

"Wha—" An arm swung across his face and bashed him against the walls.

"As I said, I've been studying Temporal magic." Mack opened his eyes wearily as Zaros and his Guardian approached him. "Tempus Point can do a lot more than just freeze time. Within my domain of time, I sent everyone five seconds into the future, with only me standing outside the flow of time."

Mack scrunched his face. "I'm sorry, what?"

Zaros smirked and snipped the air. "Think of it as me removing a single page from a book during a climatic action scene, only the main character noticed the jump forward. You leaped forward in time with no space between your actions. And I can safely observe it without any worries to myself."

Mack grunted. "Time magic…"

Zaros lifted his finger and started up an Everto. "I'm learning more and more each day. Once I reach my peak, no one will be able to stand in my way."

Mack smirked evilly. "A shrimp like you thinks he's invincible? You're good at jokes. Here's mine!" Mack's mouth suddenly widened, spewing chains from his mouth.

"What the—" Zaros activated Tempus Point and sidestepped before resuming time. Suddenly, someone decked him in the back of his head and threw him into 'Mack', who gleefully grappled the Watchog.

"When I swung Eclipse at you, I switched places with my Timor Persona." Zaros' eyes widened as the Sudowoodo now stood in front of him, swinging his staff around. "Freaky, isn't it? I'm not sure how that little spell of yours works, but I can tell you can't use it multiple times, otherwise you would've used it again to flex on me. Why is that? Did you just learn it? Or is it something you can't spam?"

Zaros gritted his teeth as the Timor Persona regained its natural form, grinning eerily at its captured prey. "You're smarter than you look."

"And unlike the fluffball, I don't mind killing." Mack pulled a dagger from behind his waist and lunged, aiming for the throat. "Send me a greeting card from Hell!"

Zaros' eyes flashed. His Guardian's arm quickly manifested and caught Mack's wrist. "Don't underestimate me, whelp. I am still in control." He wiggled his arm loose, then gripped the persona's arm. "Temporal Destruction."

The arm rapidly withered to dust, much to the persona's anger. It tried to bite his head, but a second Guardian arm socked the monster back. Zaros disintegrated both arms, then kicked Mack into the opposite wall.

"I have no time for this nonsense." Zaros spotted Flint and Ambrosine, both trying to flee. "This time, I won't let you escape. Tempus Point: Skip!"

Again, a weird sensation befell the tunnel. Though Ambrosine and Mack could only sense a tiny disturbance, Flint's senses raised alarm bells as a palpable energy washed over his body. Suddenly, Flint found himself and Ambrosine a couple feet farther in their escape, along with Zaros directly over their heads.

"I will remove you from my grand design—" Zaros slammed his palm into Flint's face and shoved his head against the ground. He dug his claws into Flint's skin. "—by weathering you to dust."

"Get away from him!" Ambrosine sprung up and punched Zaros in the cheek…or rather, attempted to. Her fist staggered to a dead stop. Zaros' face barely twitched, like he was made of stone.

Zaros gave her the sideways 'seriously?' look, then blasted her into the wall with Vento Nero. She groaned and slumped to the ground unconscious.

"Well, that was something." Zaros turned his attention back to Flint. "Now then, about you…"

"Zaros, please! You don't want to do this!" Flint pleaded as he tried to pry his hand off.

Zaros smiled coolly. "Who doesn't want to be the wise sage of the world? My ambitions have only cleared the path ahead. It's been nice knowing you, Ravenfield. You were a…commendable rival."

Flint's eyes shrank. "No, don't—"

"Temporal Destruct—" Zaros paused for a moment, then lifted his head down the tunnel. "Wait…"

Flint relaxed briefly, then stretched his ears. He heard something…flickering far down the tunnel. They sounded like sparks. Electric sparks.

Flint gasped. "TONY!"

Zaros bared his teeth. The Dewott!

"TONY! HELP! HELP—" Zaros lifted and bashed Flint's head into the ground again.

"Enough! Temporal Destruction—"

A blue flash bounced off the walls, then rammed into Zaros' face right as the destructive magic took form. He flew down the tunnel and skidded off his face, shattering his glasses.

The blue flash landed beside Flint. He jumped a bit as a worn out Scrafty fell down beside him, gasping for breath. "Oh dear Arceus, I'm going to be sick…"

Flint sat up and beamed at Tony, who slouched and panted with exhaustion. "Tony, thank goodness! I thought I was a goner! Are you okay?" His eyes widened when the Dewott turned around.

The chest wound, the bandana around his face, the bruises and cuts accumulating over his body, and the ragged appearance told a thousand tales to the Flareon. And yet, they didn't compare to the tragedy in Tony's face. His eyes were reddened with fresh wetness running down his cheeks. He clutched a familiar pair of metal claws in his hand, which shook tensely.

Flint turned to Rico, who didn't look any better. His eyes were also red and noticeably bloodshot. He had been crying, too. Flint narrowed his eyes worriedly and asked, "What…happened to you two?"

Tony took a moment, feeling like his lungs were on fire. Having mowed through an entire tunnel of shadows, he could barely stand, much less breathe. "I…In…Indi—" He cut himself off and dodged an Everto. He turned and scowled furiously at Zaros, looking a tad scuffed up minus the broken glasses.

"I'm at my wits end with you, Lightning Thief." Zaros lit up his finger again, but ceased as another tremor shook the tunnel. He groaned, then opened his Dark Escape. "But it appears I need to disappear for a while. I leave it up to the caverns to bury you insufferable do-gooders alive. Ciao." He hopped through right as Mack tried to tackle him.

"Get back here!" Mack yelled as the portal closed.

"Forget it, Mack!" Flint yelled. "We can't worry about him. We need to get out of here."

Rico picked Ambrosine up and placed her on his back. He wiped his eyes and asked, "How…How are we going to get out of here?"

"We're nearing the top," Tony stated through gritted teeth. "That last quake isn't disrupting the tunnel as severely yet. One more level and I might be able to blast a hole out."

Flint frowned. "You sure?"

"With my last breath."

"Tony, you look like you should—"

"I said I'm fine!" Tony roared, scaring the Flareon backwards. "Now hurry up! We don't have all day!" He clamped the metal claws to his waist and dashed ahead.

Flint, shaken and confused, look to Rico for answers. The Scrafty narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and ran after Tony. Flint decided it was a later problem to discuss. He stood up and proceeded to limp as fast as he could after them.

He paused only to watch Mack run in the opposite direction. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going to make sure Voss doesn't deliver those keys to the Shadow King!" Mack yelled before sprinting off, glaring seriously. "I'll give Voss something he can't possibly refuse."

"Crap, crap, crap!" Pain Train cried as rock rained down over his head.

His group rushed through the collapsing tunnel, losing more ground with each step. They had to jump over potholes in the ground likely leading to certain death. Drake carried Tyrone and Ray since they couldn't keep up with the collapsing floor and rumbling.

Cheshire held an arm over his eyes and asked, "Anyone know how long until we find an exit?"

"I don't even know what floor we're on!" Malcolm yelled, springing over ground collapsing under his feet. "This is nuts! Just how powerful are these guys?!"

"The Tribe of Shadows or Ravenfield's team?" Ray asked.

"Both!" He sidestepped some falling rock, looking around for an exit.

"Hey, you guys!" Their eyes brightened upon spotting Graham and Smith down the tunnel, waving them down. "Get over here, now!" Graham yelled.

"You guys okay?" Malcolm yelled as they raced over. Graham created a barrier once everyone was close, reducing the shockwaves.

"Yeah, Smith and I have been rounding up the crew and getting them back onto the ship, including the Espeon."

"I wanted NO part in this!" Smith yelled.

Pain Train's eyes lit up. "Right, you can transport us back to the ship!"

Graham nodded and clicked his fingers, opening the Warp Tunnel. "No time for discussion. Get in and situate yourselves. It's too dangerous to stay in the village. The second the locals see us, we'll be arrested on the spot."

"Can do!" Pain Train prepared to leap through, but stopped as a powerful tremor shook through the barrier.

The others fell over and watched the tunnel start to split open. Rocks came down on the barrier, immediately putting strain on Graham. Rocks piled over them, sinking the dome on them. Graham stood up and raised his arms, applying more magic into the dome to keep it stable.

"Go, now!" Graham yelled.

"What about you?" Drake asked.

"I can handle it, just—" An extra dozen rocks fell on top and pushed Graham to one knee. His arms shook as cracks formed in the barrier. "Hurry!"

"We can't just leave you!" Cheshire exclaimed.

"If I leave through the portal without setting up a waypoint, I won't be able to rescue the others! Get out of here already—AGH!" More rubble came crashing down on the barrier, pushing it to its limit. "Freakin' seriously?! Hurry up and—"

"Mystic Beam!"

The pirates gasped as a powerful purple beam struck the barrier and destroyed the rubble piling on top of them. Graham channeled all the barrier's strength into that one side, withstanding the beam's power. More rubble came down as the rest cleared away, but mountains of sand paved the walls and crushed the debris.

When the dust cleared, Graham dropped the barrier and fell back on his rear, panting heavily. He grinned wearily at their saviors. "What took you?"

Wes and Arid ran to them on a bridge of sand. "Are you all okay?" Arid asked.

"Oh, you know, almost crushed to death, but we're good," Ray waved off.

"Get me out of here already," Tyrone groaned with shaky knees.

Graham glared at the disheveled state of the two. "What happened to you two, anyway?"

"They fought the Shadow King," Malcolm stated, much to Graham and Smith's shock. "And we ran into the doctor. He's fighting the Shadow King, isn't he?"

Wes narrowed his eyes solemnly. "Yes, he is."

"Will he be okay?"

Arid stepped forward before Wes could answer. "We should worry about getting you all out of here."

Graham stood up and dusted himself off. "Captain, we can't stay in the village. We'll—"

"—be charged for the crime if anyone sees us, I know." Arid glared. "Regardless of our betrayal, we're still associated with them in the public eye. We may have to disappear for a while until the heat dies down."

Graham nodded. "I agree."

Arid pointed at Graham's portal. "The rest of you, get back to the ship and prepare to leave."

"But the Wasteland is—" Malcolm started.

"We'll worry about transportation later. Just get out of here." The crew relented and dove into the portal, casting worried looks back at their captain before disappearing.

Smith dashed into the portal, stating, "Well, you don't need me anymore! Later!" The portal vanished right as he jumped through.

Arid shook his head, then looked to Graham. "Who's still down here?"

Graham crossed his arms and wracked his brain. "I collected some of the other stragglers, too. That just leaves Indigo, Leigh, Jones, Rico, Ambrosine, Zerif, and most of Team Ravenfield. And those bounty hunters. I got your Espeon friend out," he directed to Wes.

Wes nodded grimly. "Thank you." He looked back, sensing the intense fervor of energy still bellowing below them. "We need to hurry and find the others."

"Easier said than done," Graham said as he looked around the destroyed tunnel. "I still don't know where we are or any of the others. And breaking down anymore walls could result in another cave in."

Arid pressed his hand to the wall. "Actually, I may know where everyone else is. These shockwaves are extending the reach of my seismic sense. I can detect more bodies in the cave from farther away." He glared. "I'm sensing four bodies fighting in a large space. Three separate bodies, one homing in on their location. I…think there's two people fighting somewhere, but it's too frenetic. There's the two below us, obviously. One fellow on their own.

"And…there's a group of four near the top. They seem to be moving sluggishly."

Wes bit his lip. "I have a sneaking suspicion Flint's a part of that group."

"What about the others?" Graham asked.

"Based off what Arid listed off, they're holding their own still. We might as well get the weakened party out."

Arid nodded in agreement. "Good call. Everyone, stand close." Arid swiped his hand and wrapped a dome of sand around them. "Hold tight. This is going to be bumpy." He shot the sand through the ceiling as a drill and dug straight toward the surface.

"Hey Strings, wake up!"

Morgan's eyes fluttered open wearily. His head rested in his palm with his arm lazily standing on the picnic table he and his team were using. Ava and Alex were getting the lunch set up while Garret, Clara, and Willow occupied the time with idle conversation.

Morgan yawned and rubbed his eye. "Remind me again why we're here?"

Alex smirked. "Oh come on, Strings, we've been planning this for weeks now. We hardly get the time to kick back and relax for once."

"I would rather fill the day with bounty hunting," the Hypno grumbled.

Ava tutted. "None of that today. It's been mercifully quiet this past week, so we're taking advantage of this time while we still can. Try to appreciate it."

Morgan glanced off to the side. "What's there to appreciate? It's just lunch."

Garret caught that and grinned at the moody Hypno. "And what's wrong with that?"

"We always have lunch. Why is today special?"

Clara giggled. "We always have lunch while camping out and sinking our teeth into provisions. We never get the time to eat a proper, handmade meal prepared over something other than a campfire."

Willow nodded in agreement. "Though I would prefer hunting criminals myself, I can't deny some proper nourishment." She groaned. "Seriously, eating the same sandwich over and over gets monotonous."

Alex gasped. "I thought you liked my PBJs!"

Willow smiled apologetically. "Aww, baby, of course I love them! No one makes them better than you do!"

"I'd prefer white bread instead of whole grain," Garret muttered. Alex promptly chopped him on the head. "Ow!"

"No dissing my sandwiches! Whole grain bread's good for you!"

Clara shook her head. "I prefer eating straight out of the jam. Grape jelly's delicious."

"Yeah, but you're weird. We have to buy separate items because you experiment with your food!" Alex accused.

Clara chuckled. "Alex, I'm simply improving the health benefits to those items."

"How is mixing an unstable, explosive potion healthy?"

"Well, my studies have shown it clears the colon."

"Studies?! Who did you test that on?!"

"Remember that jerk with the flying carpet two weeks ago? The one we were hunting? Well, while you all weren't looking, I—"

"Ah! Don't want to know anymore!"

Morgan narrowed his eyes at the insane chatter. "So, we're not doing anything today just to have these…strange conversations?"

Ava laughed as she set the plates down. "Look Morgan, I know you're not the most sociable guy, but this is pretty standard stuff for friends. I wish you lightened up every once in a while. I'm sure you have some fun stuff to talk about."

"Not particularly."

Clara scooted up to him and wrapped an arm around his neck. "Aww, that's fine. If you want to sit and pout while scowling at us, we understand."

Morgan raised his brow. "I wasn't scowling."

Willow giggled. "Maybe not, but they both make a point. I rarely get to see you smile, Morgs. Sometimes I wonder if you don't know what happiness is."

"Of course I do, don't say such inane accusations."

Alex leaned forward, snickering. "Then why don't you cut back on the moody attitude for one day and join us in our roughhousing and banter? You're going to look back on this one day and regret not participating."

Morgan scoffed. "Is that right?"

"I'm willing to bet money on it."

Ava sighed and shook her head. "Boys, no bickering. This is supposed to be a fun day to ourselves." She pulled out a bottle of wine and shook it at them. "Now, who's going to help me with this whole bottle?"

"Sign me up!" Garret grabbed a cup and stretched over the table.

"Garret, calm down! I'll get to you in a second!"

"Me too!" Willow joined in, shoving her cup in Ava's face. Alex and Clara grinned and followed in example.

"Agh! Guys, give me some space!"

Morgan watched silently as the group ganged up on Ava, who carefully tried to pour their wine. Morgan looked down at the cup provided to him, running his finger around the rim. There was always something about these five that annoyed him, yet he kept coming back for more. He could leave at any time, right? Why did he have to put up with a bunch of obnoxious thrill seekers more insane than the crooks they hunted?

Morgan gripped his cup gently. Just as he was about to lift it, wine poured inside. He looked up, catching a wink from Ava before returning her attention to the troublemakers of the team.

Morgan blinked in surprise, then looked down into the liquid, staring back at his reflection. With a neutral glare, he lifted the cup to his lips and gulped the wine down in one sip. No buzz in his future, but a delicious grape flavor satisfied him enough.

He sighed and set the cup down. A twitch of a smile formed at the corner of his lips.

Then again, the people who drive you craziest, yet you can't leave them…isn't that what family is?

Morgan panted heavily as Apollo marched around him, looking down on him in his pitiful state. "These pointless endeavors have brought you past the point of redemption, Wendrake." Apollo grazed the back of Morgan's neck, digging his nails into his skin. "You're too attached to your past. Why can't you just forget about the pain in brought you? I thought you were unhappy."

"You don't know me…" Morgan growled.

"Clearly not." Apollo stepped away from Morgan and gazed up at the tattered ceiling. "I have no further use for this fight. Without your regeneration, you won't make it to the top. I think I'll satisfy myself by eliminating those kids." Apollo crouched, preparing a jump straight out of the chamber.

Morgan's throat tightened, but he resisted and choked out, "You're…wrong."

Apollo stopped and glared back. "About…?"

"You thought suppressing my anger, my sadness, would make me a stronger warrior. Someone to serve and carry out your ideals so that no one could experience your pain." Morgan lifted his head, shining his red eyes. "You didn't suppress my anger, though. You suppressed the only thing in my life that kept me going. I was nothing without my memories of Senara."

Apollo's glare deepened. "What's your point?"

"You can stand there, pretending you're on some noble crusade to cleanse the world from its disastrous ambition or self-destructive emotions. I won't stop you, but…I won't sit here and accept that filth you pawned off to me. Cause even when I felt like I was at my lowest, I had friends to pull me back up. I clung over the abyss, but they pulled me back up. They're my light. They're my happiness. They're…my family."

Apollo grunted, then charged up Soul Piercer. "There's nothing special about happiness. It's a mask we wear. We're all just suppressing the fervor ravaging inside us—"

"I know that better than anyone, but…" Morgan clenched his teeth, then yelled, "Happiness…is never a curse!"

Apollo prepared to fire when Morgan's severed arm suddenly came flying back to its owner. It pressed into the wound, pushing the limits of Morgan's pain threshold, before string shot out of his mane and body.

They sewed the arm back into place, then weaved under the skin. The string illuminated through his skin like neon veins, stretching to the tips of his fingertips. The string shot out from under the skin and coiled around his wrist all the way to his shoulder.

It didn't end there. The string stretched out through the rest of his body, all the way from his torso to his feet. Morgan ripped the last of his shirt off and stood up, flexing his fingers. His reattached arm moved at their command like it was in working order.

"Puppet Style: Self-Made Automaton!"

Apollo raised his guard. "What the—"

Morgan kicked off the floor and threw his leg into Apollo's block. The kick took the possessed Scrafty by surprise, throwing him off his feet and into the far side of the chamber.

"Agh!" Apollo growled as his shadows quickly mended his arms. He broke all the bones in my arm with that kick. When did he get stronger? His eyes widened, sensing Morgan above him suddenly. A sharp axe kick drilled down on his head, stopped only by a thin veil of darkness.

Morgan bared his teeth. "I won't let you take the world's happiness away, not while I can still twitch a finger!"

Apollo released a magic pulse, throwing Morgan off, and scaled the walls to escape. He did something to his body. He wasn't hitting that hard before. There's no way he could've broken my bones with a single kick. He glared suspiciously. Unless…

Morgan landed and sprang off the floor. He ricocheted off the walls in rapid succession, no loss in momentum. Apollo kept track of his flight, then projected three layers of barriers once Morgan lunged with a flying kick. The force shattered two layers, with the third barely withstanding the rest.

"That won't stop me!" Morgan flexed his fingers and sprang off the barrier. String attached to the wall behind Apollo, went taut, and slingshot Morgan back into the barrier, shattering it and kicked Apollo's head into the wall.

"AGH!" Apollo grabbed the Hypno's ankle and swung him against the wall, then slammed his foot into his spine. "Soul Cremation!" Neon purple flames erupted from his sole and lit the Hypno up.

Morgan twitched a finger and pulled himself out of the flames. The string batted away the flames licking his body, then propelled him around the chamber.

Apollo sprang off the walls, trying to keep pace with Morgan. He's definitely hitting harder. Too hard. He narrowed his eyes. The arm I severed is moving like normal. His nerves shouldn't be working. He's not actually moving. He's controlling himself like a puppet. He can twitch his fingers faster than any other part of his body, forcing them to move and hit with more force than he could ever generate.

Apollo smirked. More force than you can handle, though.

Morgan perched on top of a destroyed column, panting as blood dripped from his mouth. My bones are breaking. I never had to worry about breaking my body thanks to the regeneration, but everything's breaking and ripping itself apart. Morgan glared wearily. Hold out for a few more minutes. I need to finish setting up my trap.

"Soul Piercer!" Apollo fired off rapid shots.

Morgan sprang off the walls and glided on a web of string. "Compression Thread!" He fired a single string bullet, then lunged midair at Apollo.

Apollo casted a barrier, stopping the bullet, and aimed for another Soul Piercer. Morgan twitched his finger and instantly relocated himself behind Apollo. Apollo tried to turn and counterattack, but Morgan's newfound speed surpassed Apollo's, allowing a straight jab to the shoulder blade.

"Shadow Stitching!"

Apollo felt the string invade his body and tighten around his muscles. He gasped as his arm forced itself backwards, bending behind his head. He coiled so tightly that skin broke and blood spurted out. Morgan raised his leg and kicked Apollo to the ground, then slingshot himself down with a spine-breaking landing onto the possessed Scrafty.

"Soul Cremation: Release!"

Morgan covered himself from the explosion of flame shooting out of Apollo. The blast threw him backwards, burning off the skin of his arms. He dragged his feet and came to a stop before mending his arms in string. He felt the bones cracking and losing stability, even with the string keeping them bound.

Apollo pulled himself up, all injuries healed and string burned out of his system, and fired off a lightning-like version of Soul Piercer that crackled violently burning a path through the ground. Morgan blocked with a Grid Wall, then dashed around it. He stretched his fingers like claws, prompting Apollo to block. However, when Morgan got close and swung, he instead dropped to one knee and leg-swept Apollo, breaking his knees.

Apollo endured and punched Morgan in the face. The shock blew Morgan back, as well as tore open the floor even more. The chamber was practically destroyed by this point with a giant crater as their battlefield. "Soul Cremation: Remote Release!" Apollo slammed his hands down.

A spot in the ground glow purple and, as soon as Morgan flew over it, exploded into a high-reaching pillar. Apollo rose and extended dozens of shadow arms from under his tattered cloak, piling them onto Morgan's smoking body.

The hands put up a struggle to repress Morgan until they were sliced to pieces. Morgan threw himself at Apollo and met him with a powerful kick. Apollo blocked with both hands while the ground tore up behind him, even splitting a huge chunk of wall out behind him.

Morgan felt his femur split into threes. He winced as he tried to bind it together in string. Apollo noticed the flow of magic. "I was right. You're breaking your body down piece by piece with this spell. You're sacrificing your health for power. Clever, but…" Apollo gripped Morgan's ankle and swung him around. "You're far from being my equal, Wendrake Vanderhart!" He threw Morgan with such force that a sonic boom went off.

Morgan crashed and obliterated the entire wall on impact. He spat blood as more bones crumbled in his body. Apollo flew in and slammed his knee into Morgan's chest, further crushing him. He grabbed the assassin's head and headbutted him with excessive force. The shockwave rumbled the chamber and brought down more the maze on top of them.

"No matter how many fatal hits you get off on me, you'll never defeat the apex shadow. I'm your master. You are nothing compared to me." He tossed Morgan up and raised his finger. "Soul Piercer: Maleagant!" The violent crackle of electricity fired from his fingertip and lit Morgan up.

"AAAAHHHH!" Morgan screamed, briefly losing control of his strings.

"What did you expect to happen coming here?" Apollo flash-flickered above him and kicked him down. "You may be one of my deadliest warriors, Wendrake, but you don't hold a candle to my power."

Morgan tried to get up, but Apollo came down on his head, sending a tremor through the ground. He kicked Apollo onto his back and pressed his foot down on his shattered chest. He bent down, leaning on his knees, and glared at the broken Hypno.

"No matter how hard you try, nothing will stop me from suppressing this world's dangerous ambitions. My dream will be realized once I tear the last Ravenfields to pieces."

Morgan gritted his teeth. He raised his arm weakly and grabbed Apollo's ankle. "I…never came here…with the intention to kill you."

Apollo glared. "Of course. You came here to save your precious friend. Well, guess what? He's gone. He's been completely overwritten in my darkness. He'll never rise to the surface, no matter how strong his will is. Nothing escapes the darkness."

"I…escaped the darkness."

"No, you never did. No matter how far you go, you'll always skirt the edge." He pressed his finger to Morgan's forehead. "As long as you live, you'll belong to me. That branding on your arm will never leave you so long as you breathe. Sooner or later, you'll come crawling back to me." He huffed and stepped off Morgan. "Well, actually, I guess the window for forgiveness has already closed."

Morgan tried to stand. "Y-You—" His eyes widened, suddenly staring down the end of an intensely glowing finger.

"Your service is no longer required, Wendrake."

Morgan's vision was overwhelmed with light as Apollo fired a wide beam through his torso. Morgan choked on a scream with his face twisting in agony. The ground burned under him as the beam ripped through his stomach and chest and tore through the ground under him. Heat built up through his body. His eyes felt like they were on fire. He couldn't muster the strength to move.

Through the overwhelming light, he made out the red glow of Apollo's eyes glaring down on him. A look of disappointment and irritation, perhaps even a shred of guilt executing a warrior he admired.

Apollo finished off his execution and stepped back. Morgan was frozen in place, stunned by the overwhelming hurricane of agony throughout his body. A smoking hole in the center of his torso with bare space and nothing else. Morgan's jaw quivered while the light faded from his eyes. He fell to his knees, then dropped face first to the ground.

The string around his body snapped and dispersed into magical dust little by little. Blood poured out onto the ground, draining into the cracks. Apollo narrowed his eyes for any magical signature still ticking inside the Hypno, but no signs of life resonated from the corpse. He even kicked the body a few times to check. No involuntary twitches or anything.

Apollo huffed. "Pathetic." He turned and walked away. "You made your choice, Wendrake Vanderhart. You could've been a grand warrior. Instead, you chose to die a hero. A foolish, foolish hero. I hope it was worth it, protecting those Ravenfield boys."

Apollo clenched his fist and gazed up at the ceiling. "Speaking of, best I hunt them down now before they—" A pulse echoed through Apollo's mind suddenly, causing him to stagger. "Agh!" He gripped his head in pain. "What is—"

Mor…an…

"What are you—AGH!" A second pulse echoed through his mind, more crippling than the last. "This presence…!"

Mor…gan…

"No, you should've been absorbed into the darkness," Apollo growled. "Back with you, Alex Ghostwind. Do not mock me with your defi—" A third pulse echoed, this time with an ear-piercing ringing bouncing about. "AGH!"

Morgan…! Please…save me! Morgan!

"You're never escaping! I control you!" Apollo growled.

Morgan! Get…up!

"How are you fighting my control?! Why are you resisting?!"

Morgan, please! I'm with you! I need you! MORGAN!

THWIP!

Apollo gasped as his arms and legs suddenly bound together. Apollo choked as string wrapped around his neck and pressed down on his throat. He tried to activate Soul Cremation, but the string tightened and broke his concentration. Blood leaked from the cuts in his skin.

"What…is this?!" Apollo growled. "Where did this—" He looked around, only able to move his eyes, and gasped at the glyphs in the walls. They summoned string from all around, coiling him into an inescapable web. He couldn't so much as move his fingers. The slightest twitch aggravated the string into tightening and threating to cut him to ribbons.

"A delayed trap?" Apollo guessed.

"No. The perfect trap."

Apollo's eyes widened in horror. Somehow, just somehow, a purple aura blazed to life behind him, but fatally weak. The string turned him around to face the limp assassin. He gawked in bafflement at what he saw, something that defied all sense and reason.

"What…What is this?!" Apollo yelled.

Morgan stood awkwardly, one hand raised with a fistful of string wrapped in his fingers. His severed arm remained attached thanks to some string, but that wasn't what horrified Apollo. The hole in Morgan's stomach, even though the mere sight of it would make anyone claim the victim to be a dead man, was sealed shut by the injury's sides with a heavy sheet of string, keeping the insides from spilling out. Never before had Apollo executed someone that was still able to stand, especially with a gaping hole in their torso.

Morgan panted faintly, then worked the nerve to smirk. "W…What? I'm a doctor, remember? You didn't think…I hadn't planned for that, right? Hurts like hell, but I rearranged all my vital organs and kept them just out of the beam's path. Can't say it's the most…comfortable procedure in the world, but…" Morgan doubled over for a mouth and coughed blood into his hand.

Apollo's eyes shook in disbelief. "That's…you shouldn't be alive!"

"You…should know the basics of hiding one's aura. It's a trick assassins need to learn." Morgan glared wearily. "Still, you got me good, Your Majesty. You completely incinerated my stomach, my bones are shards at this point, and I'm losing blood by the minute. All that's moving me is magic string and pure grit now."

Apollo clenched his teeth furiously. "You…!"

Morgan narrowed his eyes, this time with a sad demeanor. "I've put up with this fighting for too long, running away from my crimes and my past. It's time…for my final atonement."