Welcome back everyone! The final chapter of Soul Sever so soon? Well, yes. I wanted it to be done! In a departure from my normal pattern, I have added combat to this episode. Enjoy!
All chaos broke loose. Soul Sever's eyes flared red, and all diplomacy was out the window.
Lion-O immediately regretted giving his brother the nod of approval. It seemed like Soul Sever had been genuinely considering allowing them to bring Leopara. Maybe he would have even given them a ride, since time was of the essence.
But then, they had to screw it up by going behind his back to steal the Book of Omens anyways.
He was such an idiot.
Spotting Tygra so close to the Book of Omens, Soul Sever opened his hand and unleashed a sickly-green arc of electricity. Tygra let out a scream, entangled in the green web of the jolt, and collapsed to the ground.
Before Lion-O or Panthro could rush to his side, Soul Sever's mechs pounced. The floor around them shook from the force of three robots crashing into it.
Whiskers!
Lion-O knew exactly what was about to happen: they were about to unleash that nauseating green light that would incapacitate the both of them.
Well, Lion-O wasn't about to let that happen so easily. He doubled back, turning to face Panthro. "Throw me!"
"With pleasure."
In perfect synchronisation, Lion-O lept at Panthro. As his feet landed on his arms, Panthro hurtled them away from him, sending Lion-O soaring through the air and rocketing across the room. With a flip, Lion-O landed behind Soul Sever.
"I'm sorry for your family, but you stole that book! It's time to give it back." Lion-O rushed Soul Sever as he spoke, hoping to catch him off-balance and give Tygra enough time to recover.
That didn't happen.
Soul Sever's left scythe, which protruded from what would be his shoulder like a birdman's wing, effortlessly blocked the Sword of Omens as he spun around to face Lion-O. His other scythe swung hard, but Lion-O had the Spirit Stone in his gauntlet. With just a flex of his claws, the pink shield erupted, catching the blade mere whispers from connecting Lion-O. He pushed hard against Soul Sever, driving him closer to the table with the Book of Omens on two hunches.
First, that Soul Sever would be at a disadvantage if his mobility were limited.
Second, that Soul Sever would do nothing to put the Book of Omens at risk of harm.
That meant, while Soul Sever could easily get out of this corner with a quick slice of the table to open their environment, he wouldn't.
To Lion-O, that meant Panthro had to keep the mechs entangled long enough for Lion-O to incapacitate Soul Sever and for Tygra to recover. More mechs could come at any moment, especially with Soul Sever being threatened, but Lion-O suspected that they were too far away to be of immediate aide to the robotic man.
Besides, none of them were better suited to damage those blasted hunks of metal like Panthro- he wanted payback for what they did to the Thundertank.
Lion-O's plan worked, until it didn't.
He kept Soul Sever on the defensive, driving him into the table to secure time for Tygra.
But he had only accounted for Soul Sever's blades in this conflict. He was taken completely off-guard when Soul Sever bodily grabbed him, and surprised again- which was never good- when Soul Sever effortlessly lifted him from the ground.
Lion-O swung at his head. He didn't really want to kill Soul Sever, but if he had to, then he had to.
It didn't matter anyways, Lion-O noted ruefully, because Soul Sever's scythes swiftly change their position to cover his face and focus extensively on blocking all of Lion-O's sword strikes and punches; the kicks did not seem to affect his robotic body even one bit.
"You wanted to help my cause?" Soul Sever growled. Guilt swelled in Lion-O, recognising the betrayal this was. It was technically his fault, but he had really hoped Tygra would have picked up the context cues to abort his sneakery… Soul Sever continued on in a dark voice, eyes still red. "Well then, your souls will be the next to be severed."
Before Lion-O could say anything else, two jolts of Soul Sever's electricity burned through him, tearing a scream of pain from his own throat. The Sword of Omens clattered on the floor with a clang!
When the electricity stopped coursing through Lion-O, and he could no longer find the strength to move his limbs, Soul Sever dropped him to the floor. Lion-O crumpled in an unceremonious heap.
From where he lay, Lion-O could just barely make out Tygra's prone form on the other side of the table. He couldn't see Panthro at all, but he could hear the sounds of fighting.
This! Is for! My! Baby!" Panthro was shouting. The clang and crash of metal punctuated his words.
Once again, until they did not.
Lion-O clearly saw the green-white light filling the room. Panthro groaned, and there was a thunk as he hit the floor.
Whiskers. We really messed this up…
Before Lion-O's vision faded and his world went dark, his eyes drifted up towards Soul Sever, who was glaring down at him with narrowed eyes.
It wasn't Soul Sever, however, who occupied Lion-O's mind as he thought, I'm sorry…
Amun began his story with a simple disclaimer, "Until we meet again in your time, I will keep my story brief." He waited for Leopara to nod in agreement, and then continued. "My home was the city Sahar, the crown jewel of the deserts. Our city knew peace and prospered; art and culture flourished, and so too did our studies of magic."
While he spoke, a mirage rippled across the sands, showing to her a river that glittered like sapphires in an afternoon sun. From this river, trees and vegetation sprouted forth and sandstone homes sprawled forth into a vibrant, lively city. From where they stood, apparently at the entrance of a grand temple with a massive staircase leading to the streets below, she could hear the distant din of conversation, mirthful laughter- the sounds of a people, alive and well, living well.
Amun turned and she followed his example. In awe, she stared at the stone temple. Her eyes were drawn to the four twelve-foot-tall statues carved from marble that guarded the temple's entry.
Each one appeared like a human, except they bore the heads of animals- an eagle, goat, bear, and a crane- set into the sockets of which were eyes made of lapis lazuli. Usekh around their necks were gold and turquoise. Cuffs around their wrists and biceps matched, and so too did the belt around their waists. So exquisite was their craftsmanship that it took Leopara several moments to realise that their accessories were not merely painted gold and socketed with precious stone; they were made of gold and turquoise. Through what must have been painstaking effort, these had then been installed onto incomplete statues.
"Under the guidance and care of the Ancient Spirits of Good," Amun continued before she could wonder aloud at the statues, "-we accepted any into our fold who possessed a genuine desire to study and learn magic. I had many students, but my responsibilities were first and foremost to protect the Book of Omens from misuse."
With these words, Amun led her into the temple.
Leopara couldn't help but marvel at the grand structure. Massive columns held up the heavy weight of the ceiling above and the interior was surprisingly well lit, with dozens of mage lights flitting about. The walls were painted with many murals, in which she could spy white-and-blue spirits many times. Students dressed in simpler white robes milled around the temple, practicing, studying, and talking quietly.
"This is what ultimately brought myself and Mumm-Ra into conflict." Amun explained as they entered a smaller chamber. Here, the Book of Omens floated above a pedestal on a raised dais. Under their feet sprawled a mural of colorful stone, depicting the Ancient Spirits of Good once again. "He was a student of the temple, but grew impatient. In the successes and progress of others, he saw only his own failures and stagnation." Amun brushed his hands over the mirage of the Book of Omens, causing it to ripple. "Believing we denied him the secrets of power, he tried to steal the book- his attempt was thwarted, but we were left with no choice but to banish him from the temple. Pride and resentment had long since replaced his desire to learn."
Leopara shifted uncomfortably.
Sahar reminded her a great deal of Thundera; peaceful and prosperous (supposedly), the crown jewel of the lands, and rich in art and culture. Perhaps, she reasoned, that was why this story of Mumm-Ra in his youth brought to mind Uncio.
Her chest tightened. She hoped Uncio hadn't become depraved like Mumm-Ra.
What felt like ages stretched on before Leopara realised Amun was staring at her- no, not at her. She followed his gaze to her-
Before Leopara could see what had snatched Amun's attention, her spectral legs buckled. In the same moment, he lunged forward to catch her and lower her gently to the ground. His magic washed over her again, like cool, refreshing water- but this time it did little to alleviate the swarm of discomfort and pain she was in. Her head was pounding so hard it felt like it would explode- like if she had been holding her breath for too long-
Or if she weren't breathing.
Suddenly, she was all too aware of her heart hammering in her chest like a wild meese being chased by a bird, metaphorically thrashing for its own survival. There was a hot breath on her face and something pushing against her chest. Over the pounding of her heart, she could faintly make out a voice telling her, "Oh no, nonono, you have to keep breathing, lass…"
"Leopara," Amun said, cutting through her panic. "I can strengthen your tether with my magic, but you must heal yourself. Your body requires nourishment from your soul to live."
"H… heal?" Leopara slurred. It was hard to think, to form a coherent thought, let alone to command her body or process Amun's words.
He grasped her hand and led it back to her tether. As her hand wrapped around the cord, she tried her best to push her magic through.
Relief was immediate. She instantly sucked in a deep breath of air and her mind regained clarity within moments. "Wh…" Leopara looked around, regaining her surroundings. The mirage of Amun's past had faded away, leaving only the vast desert expanse and Amun. Her eyes settled on him. "What just happened?"
"Your body is dying." Amun said. "Allow me to explain." He reached down to draw a figure in the sand. "Do you know where you draw magic from?"
Leopara had a couple of false starts as she tried to speak. "From… from with… within."
He nodded. "That is correct. What is it within you that this is drawn?"
"Um." She considered the question for a few moments. Then, she hazarded a guess. "The soul?"
"Correct. All living creatures possess a soul, that is why all living creatures also possess the potential for magic. The soul is a wellspring of life and energy." Amun drew some more to demonstrate, while she hung onto every word. It was hard with the dull ache between her eyes, but she knew what he was telling her was important. "Magic passes through your mind, where knowledge and creativity are centered, and your heart, where your emotional center dwells. This creates your will, which you use to manifest magic."
Leopara considered his words carefully and through a spike of pain in the back of her head.
The mind and heart…
She had spent years struggling with magic, desperate to please Jaga and prove herself to him, but struggling to understand magic. Was it logic, like she had been taught for so long? Or was it emotion, as she had come to learn?
It's both?
The thought sounded correct to her.
Amun gently grasped her hand. More of his magic flowed through him and into her, helping her think with more clarity. "When your mind and heart work together, you will be capable of more things than you can ever imagine, Leopara. The more you understand the world around you and yourself, the more you can stretch the limits of reality."
"Thank you. I've… never thought of it that way." she admitted
The smile Amun gave her was kind. He helped her stand "When we see each other again, it would be my honor and pleasure to continue your lessons in magic."
"Really? You would teach me?" When Amun nodded, Leopara had to fight the urge to cry. She wasn't sure why crying was her first reaction. Her second reaction was to hug Amun as tightly as possible- instead, she pursed her lips and thought very hard for a more dignified response. "Thank you. I would be honored to be your student."
Before either of them could speak more, Leopara suddenly felt as though she had been punched straight in the chest. She gasped, winded, and reached back instinctively for her cord.
It was fraying.
That's not good.
It came as a shock to Lion-O when he awoke.
It wasn't as surprising that he, Panthro, and Tygra were all bound on beds of metal with three metal bands securing them to the surface. This served to keep them from escaping and to keep them from falling; the beds were standing vertically at an angle.
"Oh good," Tygra remarked, "you're awake."
"Welcome back, kid." Panthro added. "How are we getting out of this one?"
Lion-O looked around. With the bed in the way, he couldn't fully crane his head around to see what was behind them, but he could hear something whirring there "Let me think…" he said. Truthfully, he wasn't sure. It didn't seem likely he could talk their way out this time. They'd already blown that chance, and just when it seemed to be going their way.
Was Leopara's soul still in the book? Was she alive?
He didn't know that either, but he knew the answer would be "no," with certainty, if they didn't get out of these restraints and get that book.
Before he could think much more about it, Soul Sever's voice interrupted them. Apparently, he had been waiting for Lion-O to wake up.
"Your book has allowed me power I only ever imagined." Yeah, that's what I was afraid of, a small part of Lion-O remarked ruefully. He really was an idiot for thinking this could end any other way than 'badly.' "No longer must we know our greatest weaknesses- disease, age, pain."
"You know, I really don't mind most of those." Tygra told him.
Lion-O's thoughts spun, desperately looking for the right combination of words that would put them back in Soul Sever's good… well, his better graces. However, it was like the treads of the Thundertank spinning in a pool of mud; going absolutely nowhere, fast.
"You will be free of life's greatest restraint," Soul Sever continued, "-death."
A chill ran down Lion-O's spine.
All that lived were doomed to die. That was the nature of life- that was what made life precious. Emrick had taught him that.
"But first, for the sake of my loved ones, I must be sure the process will work."
"What in the blazes are you planning to do to us?" Panthro demanded.
Soul Sever didn't answer. The chill that had taken Lion-O before broke out into a cold sweat. He had an idea what Soul Sever was going to do to them, but Panthro hadn't heard his declaration that their souls would be the next to be severed.
I swear by Thundera and the Great Sky Cat, if this maniac puts me in a machine body, I'm going to rip him to pieces.
With that thought, Lion-O began to struggle against his bonds. His shin guards bore the brunt of the force of the lower band, allowing Lion-O to struggle against it with impunity. On either side of him, Tygra and Panthro began to grunt with exertion. Lion-O couldn't spare them a glance to see they were also struggling against their bonds.
"Now, this won't hurt at all. In fact, nothing ever will again."
Lion-O finally slipped his feet free when his bed began to move. Still, he thought he might be able to hook his feet around the lower band and use it to help wiggle and pull his way to freedom, if he could just squish his face against the bed enough to clear the band around his chest. He was sure he could…
Before he had the chance, the metal bands abruptly retracted and the bed ground to a standstill.
Above Lion-O, Flicker flitted in the air, chittering at him.
Lion-O grinned. "Thanks."
Flicker chittered in response, and then charged Panthro with a gigaspark. Unlike Lion-O, Panthro's bonds didn't retract. He was safe, but he wasn't free.
But before Flicker could save Tygra, the metal hand of Soul Sever swatted him from the air. Lion-O barely had time to raise his gauntlet- Soul Sever hadn't bothered to remove it, but he also hadn't sheathed the Sword of Omens within it either- to defend himself as Soul Sever bull-rushed him. Both scythes swung at Lion-O in quick succession, bouncing off of the shield projected by the Spirit Stone.
"It's a pity you cannot see what I'm trying to do!" Soul Sever lamented.
Something inside Lion-O's head clicked into place. "It doesn't matter how long we live, only how fully!" Lion-O roared. Using the barrier, he shoved Soul Sever back. "It's what we do with our lives and who we share them with that matters!" Soul Sever staggered backwards from the force of his shove.
Lion-O hadn't thought too hard about it before, but he would like to share his life with Leopara. Growing old with her while they watched their cubs and grandcubs grow up sounded fantastic, actually. He also wanted to grow old with Tygra, reminisce about the "good ol' days spent kicking Mumm-Ra's butt," and have nieces and nephews to tell embarrassing stories about Tygra to.
Couldn't do that if Leopara died or if either of them got stuffed into a machine body.
That'd suck.
Before he could strike again, Tygra's scream tore through the air. Lion-O whipped around to look.
Whiskers!
Tygra was inside the machine, thrashing against his bonds. Lion-O wanted desperately to run to him, but the whoosh of one of Soul Sever's blades narrowly missing his head, instead shaving away a few precious red hairs, demanded his full attention.
"I'm afraid nothing can stop progress!"
Metal tore as Panthro finally freed himself. His freedom came too late.
"AAH!" Tygra screamed horribly from within the machine. Green light and blue electricity funneled into the mechanical scraps above Tygra. On the platform, a robot was rapidly assembling itself with green armor and a head painted like Tygra's.
Lion-O took the briefest of moments to find that disturbing. Did Soul Sever really taken the time to paint or assemble a head like that? Or did he just have it lying around? How long had they been incapacitated anyways?
"It worked. It worked!" Soul Sever exclaimed. It was at this point he ignored Lion-O in favor of his delusion, something which Lion-O was determined to make him regret. "Soon," he said to the soul canisters, "-you will all be in my arms once again."
Lion-O backed away from Soul Sever, nodding at Panthro. He didn't know how, but they had to save Tygra.
Speaking of Tygra, he lept down from the platform and landed before Soul Sever.
"Come to me, my perfect creation." Soul Sever said, beckoning him closer. While his attention was aptly focused on Tygra, Panthro reached across the distance, arms stretching, to grab both the Book of Omens and the Sword of Omens from Soul Sever's desk. Soul Sever paid no attention to this, instead backing Tygra up towards the desk himself.
This, Soul Sever was about to learn, was a Mistake with a capital 'M'. The colossal sort that one never comes back from.
That was because, as they drew near, something went wrong. Electricity sparked and crackled around Tygra's body. His robotic form shook and jerked awkwardly with a spasm.
"No!" Soul Sever cried. "This can't be happening!"
Oh, but it was. Lion-O didn't know what "it," was, but it was happening.
One of Tygra's arms launched itself towards the wall, and then the other hurtled towards the opposite side. Both smashed straight through the metal sheets. The long, exposed cables that had become his brother's arms began to attract and draw in chunks of metal and scrap, causing him to swell in size.
"I can fix this!"
"You can fix what?"
The cables contained in Tygra's armor shell undulated and writhed, looking more and more like a tangle of snakes.
Lion-O was glad Panthro had the Sword of Omens in hand, because the cables started getting feisty. Panthro threw the Sword of Omens to Lion-O. He swung it immediately, cutting through a cable that tried to wrap around him.
"Where's the book?!" he yelled across the distance.
Panthro grappled with two cables, keeping them from wrapping around him. "Blasted electric field got in the way!"
"Whiskers!"
"I can control this! I just have to make some adjustments." Soul Sever was frantically typing away inputs at his desk. Without much attention from him, his twitching scythes sliced through any cable that tried to sneak near.
Lion-O understood now.
"This is what the Necromeckers warned you of!"
The hulking form of Tygra slowly trawled across the room, in a fashion that reminded Lion-O of a slug. A slug with a hundred flailing appendages. The Book of Omens no longer seemed to command his brother's attention; rather, he moved directly towards the soul canisters that held the souls of Soul Sever's family.
"At this size, it will need to feed on even more souls to stay alive!"
All of the hairs on Lion-O's body stood up all at once. The Book of Omens was in Tygra's path, with both Jaga and Leopara's souls inside.
"Panthro, get out. I'm going for the Book of Omens and Tygra!"
Panthro looked like he was about to argue, but decided against it. "Good luck, kid." he grumbled instead.
"Thanks, I need it." Lion-O took a deep breath to brace himself while Panthro's footfalls faded away. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Stay away from them!" Soul Sever cried.
The monstrous and colossal form of Tygra had reached the canisters. He effortlessly smacked Soul Sever's diminutive form out of his way.
There was no time to waste. Lion-O sprinted, sword at the ready. He sliced through the cables, cutting a path towards the dais.
In a hooked hand, Tygra grasped a canister and pulled clear from the wall, shattering its glass as he did so. As if it were a glass of water in a drought, he tipped the canister and drank the first soul of Soul Sever's family.
He didn't have to do anything to the next two canisters. They shattered on their own and were siphoned into his open mouth in a continual stream of blue.
There was a deafening, cacophonous roar of metal. Through it, Soul Sever screamed. "NO!" The room began to shake and collapse, large chunks caving in. Flashes of light from the lightning outside lit the room in eerie white light. "What have I done?" Soul Sever asked himself.
"How do we stop it?" Lion-O yelled over the din of destruction.
"We can't. Only a powerful electrical pulse into the book will disrupt the process."
Nearly forgotten in all the chaos, Flicker flitted into view and chittered. Relief like no other washed over Lion-O. "Like a gigaspark!" He raised his hands to let Flicker land for a moment. "Flicker, you know what to do."
Flicker darted for the book, but Soul Sever was faster. He snatched Flicker out of the air.
"What are you doing?"
"I can't let this happen. It will destroy more than that beast. Your friend's soul may have a body to return to, my family does not." I can't lose them."
"You already lost them. Now it's time you finally let them go."
A pause.
Lion-O wasn't sure if his words had resonated with Soul Sever or not. Not until he opened his hand, allowing Flicker to fly free.
He chittered, then hurried to the book and unleashed the biggest and longest gigaspark. It struggled against the electrical field for one heartbeat, two, three- and then the room erupted in red light.
With the electrical field disrupted, the book fell to the floor.
The mechanical beast began to break apart, collapsing on the floor with a deep groan. Four souls flew free from its maw. One, with a green hue, bounded towards Tygra's body. The other three lingered, bounding and dancing around Soul Sever. In a way, they were beautiful- and reminded him of the petalars.
Like the petalars, they were ephemeral, quickly dashing into the sky and eliciting a cry of, "No! NO!" from Soul Sever.
And then, they were gone.
"No." Soul Sever said more softly. Water spilled from his mechanical eye sockets.
Lion-O bent down to collect the book. As he did, his eyes rested on the prone form of Flicker. His bulb had shattered. "Flicker…"
Gently, Soul Sever picked him up by his hind leg and set it into his hand. In a dismayed voice, Soul Sever said, "He knew this would be the consequence. His programming shouldn't have allowed it."
"Which means something else did." Lion-O said. "Something greater."
Was a robot with a soul really so impossible?
"Go." Soul Sever said. "Take your book and let me grieve in peace."
Lion-O didn't need to be told twice. He had lost enough precious time as it was, he didn't want to lose Leopara too. Stopping only to help Tygra out of his bonds and to his feet, he hurried to meet Panthro outside and begin the long, long walk back to Jorma's shop.
They were somewhat surprised when, not even at the scrap yard, a brilliant blue soul erupted from the red gem of the book and surged forward.
Lion-O's jaw dropped open. "Leopara! Wait!"
He chased after it, heart pounding in his ears. The soul did not listen to him, instead dancing and weaving through the air with purpose and intent. Small fleck of blue peeled off from it. It moved much faster than his legs could, and they quickly lost sight of it.
He was exhausted when he arrived at Jorma's shop, followed by Tygra and Panthro. Heaving and panting, he called into the cave, "Is… is Leopara…? Is she okay?!"
Jorma popped into view with a large grin. "Yes! She's awake now!"
Lion-O wished he could say he ran to go see her, but the moment relief washed over him, it took with it the adrenaline that had been keeping him going.
He face-planted spectacularly on the floor. Before his consciousness, he heard accompanying thunks as Tygra and Panthro apparently collapsed too. Jorma shouted in alarm, and then Lion-O was out like a light.
Thank you for reading! A special thanks to The Night Whisperer, Heart of the Demons, and Hestia28 for reviewing! It means a lot to me that you all enjoyed the changes in dialogue and Lion-O's inner thoughts; can you believe I almost didn't cover Lion-O's side of things this episode?! See you guys next time in a transitional chapter!