Chapter Thirty-Seven: Trial of Avo's Tears

"Oh shit! He saw us! What do we do?!" Kyler asked looking towards Connor.

"It's simple! We buy Connor time! Voltage, get Connor up that mountain and find the sword!" Neo spoke pointing to the mountain before facing the others, "We need to do everything in our power to buy them time!"

"Light their weakness! We just need gunpowder like last time! Or fireworks!" Jaya suggested.

"Not gonna find that in the jungle! If we enter that city we will end up asleep too," Tercero noted looking and noticing the Indolentor was not moving forward, "he not moving?"

"Why?" Connor asked seeing the Indolentor just staring at them, "what is he planning?"

"Let's move then, we can pick the big bastard brain later!" Voltage spoke running up a mountain trail.

"Go, Connor! We got this!" Mika spoke watching Connor and Roscoe run after Voltage.

"What do you see Tercero?" Neo asked the assassin who was peeking through his binoculars.

"The people are still asleep; he has an army at his disposal so why not make them come after us?" Tercero asked looking at Neo for the soldier's input.

"Why peruse when he can keep them as hostages," Merlin spoke.

"You think he's using the citizens as a shield?" Ash asked adjusting her glasses.

"That's what I'd do, this one is not as arrogant as Pride was, he may be the Sin of Sloth but I am willing to wager he's not gonna charge head first into a fight like his brother did, this one no fool" Kyler spoke placing his hammer on his shoulder glaring at Sloth who even with a mask on he could tell was smirking at them, "bastard mocking us."

"We can't enter the city, we would end up falling asleep like the people," Mika noted looking at Neo, "is that helmet airtight?"

"I would normally say yes but since it transformed upon entering this world I doubt I could go into space safely again," Neo spoke holding his rifle in his hand.

"Then we stand guard then," Kyler spoke glaring at the enemy.

On the mountain, Connor looked back to the city in the distance seeing the Indolentor remaining in the center of the island, "what are you planning you bastard?"

"Connor!" Voltage called getting Connor attention who climbed till they both looked at a closed cave entrance with a Guild Seal carved on the door.

"Now that looks promising," Connor spoke touching the door, "how do we open it?"

"Maybe brute strength?" Voltage suggested both the heroes pushing on the door to try and get it to budge, "Come on you damn door!"

"Ngh!" Connor grunted stepping back, "it no use!"

"Hmmm," Voltage hummed touching the seal carved in the stone, "maybe magic?"

"Good idea, step back!" Connor spoke waiting for Voltage to step away before forming a spell in his hand, "INFERNO!"

Hitting the door, the seal glowed blue before opening up leading into a dark cave. Forming the Light Spell Connor looked down the stairs into the mountain, looking to Voltage who nodded and followed behind Connor down the stairs.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs unlit braziers began to light up along the walls revealing to the heroes a tomb where they saw at the center of the room on a pedestal was a black urn.

"That it?! A dusty old vase?" Voltage spoke watching Connor approach and pick up the urn twisting off the lid to see ashes inside.

"Ashes? These must be Zane's cremated remains," Connor spoke sealing up the urn and then began to examine the urn for clues.

"Ok, where is the damn sword?" Voltage asked looking around and approaching a mural of the heroes Zane, Leo, Ace, and Whisper.

"Maybe..." Connor spoke recalling what he had to do in the South Island Chamber of Fate and closed his eyes holding the urn close to his chest with his Will markings glowing, "Talk to me."

Opening his eyes, he found himself in a white room looking around to see Roscoe and Voltage gone and the urn that was in his hand was gone.

"Hello?" Connor called out looking around till he turned around to see a tall warrior in armor before him with Avo's Tears in his hands, "is this a memory too?"

With his helmet on the warrior attached the sword to his back before removing the helmet to reveal Zane at the prime of his life when he defeated Jack of Blades, "I don't recall meeting you in my lifetime."

"Oh, shit you're real!" Connor spoke taken aback before clearing his throat, "Uh hi? I'm Connor your descendant."

"I know, we all know," Zane spoke as Connor saw a ghostly image of Ace Finn, Leo Miles and Whisper appear around him.

"Why do you look 'solid' and them ghostly?" Connor asked watching Zane's friends vanish.

"Because I choose to bond my soul here, I've waited a very long time to meet you," Zane smiled approaching, "breaks my heart that history seems to repeat itself in our family, your parents would be so proud of you son."

"Oh, thank you, I sure hope they are," Connor smiled a little embarrassed by Zane's kind words.

"I know they are, take it from a parent," Zane chuckled before his smile slowly vanished, "you came for Avo's Tear, I will admit I am hesitant to give you the sword."

"Wait why? Am I not worthy?" Connor asked concerned why his ancestor wouldn't give him the sword.

"Oh no, you are more than worthy! It's that creature," Zane spoke making the white room become the inside of the mountain where they could see the Indolentor in the distance, "the minute you bring the sword out of this realm he will strike."

"Damn, bastard! So that means I can't get the sword yet," Connor sighed seeing Zane raise a brow looking at the Hero's Sword on Connor's back.

"My boy, may I see that sword?" Zane requested and pointed to Connor's sword.

"Huh? Uh sure," Connor spoke removing his sword and holding it out for Zane to examine, taking it in his hand, the sword transformed in Zane's hand into a much older style.

"Very interesting," Zane spoke flipping the handle and noticing an empty single Augmentation slot, "I think I know what we must do."

Handing the sword back it transformed back into its current form in Connor's hand, "what the plan?"

"We will use our combined Will powers to transform Avo's Tear into an Augmentation," Zane explained.

"Turn the sword into an Augmentation? Is that even possible?" Connor asked seeing Zane hold the sword before them.

"It is possible but very difficult, Augments are spells and enchantments embedded into a host, the gems are the most common host," Zane explained looking around, "damn we have no gems or any means to make one!"

"It would take too long to search this mountain!" Connor growled.

Thinking of an idea a solution came to Zane, "What if...yes that could work."

"What would?" Connor asked seeing Zane look at him with determined eyes.

"My ashes, we can create the gem we need to hold Avo's Tear powers from my ashes," Zane explained.

"Wait what would happen to your soul if we do that?" Connor asked.

"It could destroy my very soul or set me free, a sacrifice needs to be made to ensure that the sword won't fall into evil's hand," Zane spoke.

"No forget it, I won't sacrifice you, you've already sacrificed enough! You deserve to be with your friends and family again," Connor said seeing Zane smile.

"That kind of you but this is my choice, they will understand, this must be done Connor, you know that," Zane spoke.

Outside Roscoe and Voltage watched seeing a light form before Connor and the urn floatted from Connor's hand and opened the ashes slowly slipping out and beginning to spin around Connor.

Seeing the ashes before him Connor formed Inferno in both of his hands holding them forward with Zane opposite of him doing the same their fire spinning around the ash that began to spin and form a ball.

"More heat!" Zane yelled his flames turning blue and his eyes glowing blue.

Nodding Connor eyes also glowed blue with his flames the heat transforming the ashes into a blue clear gem.

The urn then floated down where Voltage caught it and peeked inside before taking the lid and sealing it up watching Connor and the light making the gem float between them.

In the realm, Connor and Zane looked at the gem, "seeing that I am still here I guess my soul is intact, but it is also a strong possibility that I am now bound to the sword permanently."

"I'm so sorry," Connor spoke seeing Zane shake his head.

"Don't be, it was my choice, it needed to be done," Zane explained holding the sword in his hand, "now comes the hard part."

"I'm ready," Connor nodded seeing Zane's eyes and Will markings glowing blue.

"By the blood of our ancestors give us the power," Zane spoke holding out his hands with the sword and gem floating in front of him.

"By the blood of our ancestor give us the power," Connor repeated his eye and Will markings glowing like Zane's a Guild Seal then formed under their feet with Avo's Tear glowing and began to spin faster and faster with the gem under its hilt absorbing the magical energy from the sword that flowed into it.

Holding their hands forwards Connor and Zane created a barrier around the sword and gem keeping all of the magic inside and leaving it nowhere to go but into the gem that began to glow bright and brighter.

"Connor Lionheart," Zane spoke with his body turning into light slowly vanishing with the sword, "I see that you are pure of heart, I judge you worthy, may Avo's Tear burn through the forces of evil in your hands."

Having to close his eyes from the blinding bright light Connor slowly opened them when he found himself back in the cave and watched the newly made Augmentation float towards him.

Holding out his sword the Augment floated before attaching itself to the Hero's Sword creating an aura of light around his sword, "thank you, Zane."

"Where is the sword?" Voltage asked seeing Connor hold up his sword and point to the Augmentation.

"Right here, Zane knew it wasn't safe to bring the sword into the real world if the Indolentor was waiting to snatch it, so he suggested we turn Avo's Tear into an Augmentation to increase the Hero's Sword power, Connor explained.

"So now both powerful weapons have become one, would he be able to try and take your sword then?" Voltage asked.

"Not sure," Connor spoke looking at his sword and concentrating making it vanish in light then made it reappear again, "whoa!"

"Now only the worthy can summon it, that will even our odds!" Roscoe spoke.

Feeling the island shake Connor and the others raced back up the stairs looking to see around the city the Indolentor had unleashed a thick red fog that began to spread across the island.

"Oh great! What is he doing now?!" Voltage growled narrowing his eyes at the enemy.

"He spreading his sleep powers!" Connor warned pulling out his seal, "Guys look out!"

Unable to escape the heroes below the mountain got enveloped by the fog, the fog then reached the mountain cave entrance where Connor and Voltage drew their weapons.

With the fog covering them Connor tried to see but felt his eyes were starting to get heavy, "Roscoe?"

Looking around Connor stumbled and fell to the ground looking over to see Roscoe lying on the ground and Voltage falling over across from him.

"M-must...must stay..." Connor spoke trying to stay awake but looked over in the fog to see glowing massive eyes appear before him.

"No need to fight it any longer, you must be so exhausted, always fighting, always on the run, it's okay, I'll keep you safe, give yourself to the world of slumbers," the Indolentor spoke his massive claws began to reach out to Connor who vision began to get darker and darker, "and give into the realm of nightmare~"

Gloating towards the center of the city, the Indolentor pulled the chains making the limp heroes float around him, "let's see."

Moving a clawed finger, the Indolentor began to count, "Ten heroes, but only two are of main interest."

With a flick of his claw, the heroes floated around the massive creature, the Sin of Sloth than brought Kyler and Connor towards him, "The Hero of Strength and the chosen hero of William Black, now Wrath wants the rest of you eliminated but he wants that power you're hoarding."

Spinning his finger sand began to flow from his hourglass creating a gem prison around each of the heroes, the gems then began to move and all connected to become one singular gem around Connor.

"The labyrinth is nearly done," the Indolentor spoke waving a hand that created an image on each gem showing each of the heroes trapped in their nightmares, "now then, let's see what secrets Black hidden away inside you."

Down below all Merlin could do was watch as she flew back to the city, "Not good! Not good! Not good!"

Flying through the city and over the fallen bodies of those trapped in slumber Merlin came to a halt and glanced over to one of the bodies, recalling the recorded message Hal left about his A.I. attempting to take over someone's body.

"Maybe I can..." Merlin spoke approaching a sleeping child's body before looking back up to the Indolentor, "There's no choice!"

Entering the child's sleeping body Merlin gasped to find herself in her A.I. humanoid form in a dark forest, "It worked! Hell yeah!"

Looking around Merlin heard crying and walked around a tree and found a child crying, "Mommy, where are you?"

"Oh, you poor thing, your nightmare was getting lost?" Merlin spoke looking around before smiling and taking a seat next to the child, "Hello there!"

Hearing Merlin the little girl looked up to see what looked like a ghost, "w-who are you?"

"I'm a Dream Spirit!" Merlin spoke thinking quickly, "I guardian for children with bad nightmares! I came because you need me, sweetheart!"

"You did?" the girl sniffled feeling Merlin touch her cheek and remove her tears.

'Wait...I felt...she warm...' Merlin thought before smiling, "Everything is going to be alright now, everyone has a bad dream sweetie but it takes someone very strong to turn a bad dream into good!"

"How do I do that?" the girl asked seeing Merlin stand.

"By positive thinking of course!" Merlin spoke looking around, "You see dark scary woods, what I see is that the woods are sleeping."

Approaching a tree Merlin made the tree turn from a dead tree to a large oak tree with lush green leaves that began to spread brighten up the woods.

"Wow," the child spoke in awe watching the grass under her feet grow.

"You know what's missing? Flowers! What is your favorite flower?" Merlin asked with a smile.

"Dandelions!" she smiled.

'Not really a flower,' Merlin thought but didn't voice, "Oh? is it because you can make wishes on them?"

"I like watching them blow in the wind," she smiled up at Merlin.

"Make them grow," Merlin spoke taking the girl's hand and having her touch the grass below their feet watching many dandelions sprout from the ground the seed blowing in the wind flying in the air like snow in the spring.

Seeing a bright light appear Merlin saw a crystal door form where she approached and peeked in gasping to see a realm of floating gems each one having someone trapped in nightmares.

"Looks like it's my time to go, now remember sweetie, bad dreams can't hurt you, so long as you think happy positive thoughts! Hold onto those dreams!" Merlin waved before exiting the gem doorway.

Glancing back Merlin watched the child's nightmare gem shatter and vanish, "interesting, by conquering the nightmare I can help set the people free, there are too many to take on at once."

Looking around Merlin heard faint dark laughter in the distance, "but if I found the heroes, we can take out what keeping these poor people prisoners!"

Flying through the realm of gems Merlin began her search for the heroes.