~ Kingdom Spirits ~

[Roxie1563]

~Invasion!~

Leon had been resting his eyes while waiting for Damhan to arrive so they could get the new visitor all healed up when all of a sudden he jumped up on his feet, eyes wide open as he heard the familiar sounds of Nightmares echo throughout the Districts then the unmistakable yell of a fellow soldier as the man was tossed into the air by something large. With a running start then bounced up in the air, Leon managed to grab the soldier with a single hand of his then down they went with a small thud as they breathed heavily, gulping air into their lungs.

Slowly, Leon got up on one knee while helping the fellow rebel and with a shorten burst of examining the young man in his 20's, he simply nodded his head to him as to let him know there wasn't any broken bones minus the blood from his nose from the sudden increase and decrease in air from the toss. Then the swordsman asked him what, who and why this was happening.

"Sir, the Reapers breached the Third District with the help of a powerful Nightmare that seems to be awfully familiar to the old King for the Apes." The rebel spoke as he massaged his neck, looking down on the ground. "Not only that, they somehow have an army of clad knights and I don't think I'm that well versed in history but I believe that's kinda new for us."

Leon hid his surprise very well from the young man but in a way, he knew holding the fort wouldn't be easy and now it had became even more harder than ever and started to get up and began to grab his necklace that would summon his weapon, the Gunblade, to his hand and help out repelling the invasion when he groaned as the sound of the train arriving.

"Perfect.." Leon muttered to himself. That's just like Damhan to appear when things turns into shit as was it the custom between the former mentor and student. While he wasn't exactly happy to babysit his old mentor, he had a responsibly for the town and so then he assigned the Pawn solider to guard the Station with his life and anyone else who came out of that train, which the man took it very seriously such was the need to keep the peace a great cause for him.

With that, Leon grabbed his necklace and summoned his Gunblade in hand then ran off in the direction of Second District as Nightmares appeared in the First District and jumped up in the air, weapon in hand as he came on on the first victim as he smashed his weapon on the wolf in half then twisted around, slashing the other across the side then uttered the most simple magic spell in his moveset which was fire as it burned the third Nightmare away, howling then fading away into darkness.

This is going to be the most difficult job Leon ever had to face since coming here and making it his second hometown to live as his first town quickly became part of the Reaper Empire eight or nine years ago, depending on how his memory reflected on that as he kept on destroying Nightmares coming to his path, wondering how the others were faring.

----

Leo sat on his haunches, watching everybody as they scrambled around, trying to get in touch with their friends on the front line and trying to also gain some information, but seeming to unable to reach them. The king could feel a powerful presence growing outside the base and turned to his right to see the medic Aerith and both his friends and kings, Zuko and Caesar as they walked in, the two gawking around then seeing him looking at them quickly came to his side.

"Leo!" Zuko and Caesar said in union and while Leo was happy to see them, he couldn't help but be slightly amused at them for being so late as they gave each other hugs which only lasted a minute as it was his sister and leader of the Traverse Town rebels, Kiria interrupted them. While Kiria is younger than Leo, she shared their father's leadership and nonsense way of life as seeing it was she that kept the town at bay for many years.. until now, that is.

Kiria walked up to them and scolded them for taking time away when they could help out here. "I know everything, guys, as Leo told me of recent events." The lioness rang out as all of them walked up the stairs and past Aerith as she appears to be talking to someone on by the use of cell phone, her face ashen with worry and determination. Leo would have to guess she was talking to her youngest sister, Yuffie and making sure things were all right as he continued on, the doors closing on them for they were in the War Room, a place where Kiria and the gang has taken advantage of in case of an massive invasion which appeared to be happening as of now.

The Kings each had their own War Room, but none like Kiria's for it was huge enough to hold at least dozens and dozens of people all the while elegant enough to make it appear to be just a fancy room to dine around. There laid a round table filled with recent information, maps and letters that appears to be enciphered in a language only intended for Kiria.

Even Caesar let out a low whistle only Leo and Kiria could hear while Zuko had some difficulty with his hearing as it came with age. While Leo and the others stood behind her, he could tell everything had shifted from a happy time into an emotional time as all of them had their eyes trained on the projectors that the mages had brought up to keep eyes on all Districts. There was low mumbles from a few soldiers that there was an massive Nightmare on the loose that somehow resembles the old king for the Cities of Apes and it was on the way to the Second District. Shooting a look at his ape friend, Leo knew by the look at his eyes that it was Kerchak that somehow became a tool for the Reapers. While he ensured that Caesar wouldn't leave without him and Zuko, the lion knew it would be a matter of time until the town would be taken; but that doesn't mean all three of them can't stand around doing nothing but watch.

Walking up to Kiria and explaining to her their plan, Leo put his head over her for just a slight moment and then left alongside both Dragon and Ape for they were about to engage the very dangerous former king and friend of theirs.

----

Alex didn't think she'd actually enjoy talking to a girl slightly younger than her, but within minutes it was like talking to a sister with many shared hobbies and interests such as kicking asses and taking names. Sure, for Alex when it came to school bullies but for Yuffie, who she had to content with the Dark Ones over the years yet it was one of many things for them to discuss.

While Yuffie promised her that the doctor wouldn't be this mean, Alex was indifferent to it; Doctors are doctors and they have other patients to deal with and that often meant being filled with patience when it came to waiting. So, while waiting for whoever it was that came to check on her, Alex and Yuffie pretty much talked over the hours until it became obvious that Alex decided to pepper her with questions regarding Traverse Town and its citizens and all that which the ninja replied to each and every one of them.

"Basically, this is the second home for us; we lost our home like nine years ago and that was just when I was little, really." Yuffie spoke out to her as she cleaned her knifes. "To be honest, I don't remember much of it so I guess you'd probably say it was a good thing."

Alex couldn't help but feel sad for her and her family. "I suppose that's why you're fighting to save everybody and this world; After all, I'm fighting as well too!" she smiled at her as memories of her brother, family and friends shone through her mind while subconsciously playing with her short hair that has been dyed with a mixture of pink and purple.

Yuffie smiled at her and nodded her head in affirmation to Alex's answer when all of a sudden the guard that had been protecting them both bolted in, her face etched in fear as she made her way to Yuffie then whispered something that Alex couldn't hear but could see that whatever it was caused Yuffie to go pale.

"Shit.." Yuffie mumbled to herself and quickly excused herself out of Alex's room as her phone chirped out; It was Aerith, whose voice filled with worry. "Are you all right, Yuffie?!"

Yuffie swiftly got her older sister to calm down and managed to get all the more details than she did with the guard earlier and all the while establishing order throughout the medical bay as she hung up her phone then set it back inside her pocket in the back. Within minutes, Yuffie and some guards managed to get everybody out of the bay and into the tunnels that would lead to the location where Aerith has been working hard to ensure the tunnels won't collapse under the weight of the mighty Nightmare when she got shot down and landed on her side.

Moaning and trying to get up to her feet, she looked up to see her attacker and realized it was the same guard! Not only that it was her, but she already had shed her military uniform into her civilian clothes and had proceeded to radio ahead then disabled the barrier that kept the base safe. That caused the lesser Nightmares to swarm in and in the process already attacked the guards whom were able to hold their ground as the nurses, doctors, and their patients ran through the tunnels for their lives.

"Why?! Why would you do this, Eve?" Yuffie snared at her as she held her shoulder, blood seeping out and down her hand and arm. Eve did not respond to her yet smiled as she leveled her gun at her. Yuffie shut her eyes closed and waited for the shot that would end her life when she heard the thud of someone falling down. She then opened her eyes and saw Eve on the ground, unconscious.

She turned her head to her left and saw Alex as she made her way to Yuffie. "Did you do that to her...?" Yuffie asked her as she gingerly got up on her feet then grabbing her knife out, managed to get the bullet out of her shoulder and uttering the word to heal her up which took seconds.

Alex nodded her head as she stretched around, already out of her gown and into her Tamer robes. "Yeah, I just kinda flicked one of those pans at her pretty hard and hoped I got lucky." She smiled sheepishly as she glanced at the unconscious lady then back at Yuffie.

"Come on, we got some asses to kick and people to save!" Alex spoke in earnestness to Yuffie as they stood side by side, weapons in hand then proceeded to destroy all lesser Nightmares that came their way. The young Tamer went after one of the Nightmare rabbits and attacked it by delivering a few hits and punches with her hands and legs but got hit back by its ears as it bounced toward her.

Just when it was about to attack her again, Alex rolled back up on her feet while throwing her knives at it then followed up by taking both ears in her hands and circled it around like it was a rope and managed to hurt its buddies as the rabbit's body hit them then went on to be destroyed by slamming down to the ground, disappearing into darkness as did the others.

Glancing at Yuffie to be sure she was okay, both of them managed to clear the room and escaped to the main HQ via the tunnels as Alex and Yuffie ran on, both minds filled with worry yet determination to do what they can as they continued on, even managing to keep up with the guards and doctors, nurses, and many more.

It became apparent they managed to reach the end of the tunnels when Alex felt a sudden tremble from above and looked up. There, a crack had appeared and was threatening to crush them down; but thanks to Alex's skills, she were able to push herself and Yuffie out of the tunnel and into the cool concrete of the main HQ as they laid, mouth agape and watched as the tunnel became no more.

Both Alex and Yuffie were pulled back up to their feet and brought into the War Room where Yuffie's leader is doing her job as well Aerith when she heard the news and made her way to them, her eyes filling with happy tears, glad to see her sister and her new friend safe. Alex just smiled but even more when the older woman pulled both of them for a hug.

"Sister, please!" Yuffie wailed in embarrassment as she struggled to break free. Alex gave out a snicker quietly to herself, but the hug soon became no more when Kiria cleared her throat and bade Aerith to get back to work.

"You must be Alex." The lioness stared at the young Tamer as she made her way down the stairs, her feet making mute sounds. Alex quickly realized what Nala meant by her source; because what there is no better way to get everything going on here than a member of the family like Kiria as the girl got on one knee and gave her respect to the leader of Traverse Town.

"I am, Madam." Alex spoke out of respect. "I was told you might know where my partner is and so-" She continued on but quickly got cut off by the lioness.

"I know that, but Leo is not here; He already left to go deal with a.. friend, if you like." Kiria stared at her yet Alex could detect that she is very worrisome yet knows that when Leo's mind is set, it's hard to break him out of it. "I know you would like to go, so I won't bother changing your mind but take caution; this will be your first time in a full out war, so go to the First District and help this solider keep the Station safe."

Kiria smiled at her as she explained briefly what the Station is. "Now, be careful and may the Spirits be with you."

Alex simply nodded her head and with a hug to both girls and a bow to the lioness, the young tamer took her leave as she left the War Room and into a portal that instantly brought her into the First District where she quickly explained the solider her reasoning why she's here. The man simply became glad that he wasn't alone and gave her his name, Adam and now they were partners in defending the Station.

Alex gave out a sigh as she got ready for a fight on her hand. Yeah, this was going to be dangerous but Alex didn't give a crap about it now because all that is important for her to do is to help people out.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Temple of the Sky -~

Sky wasn't happy to watch them run out the door; she'd only talked to Rizan for a few moments, but he struck her as a nice kid, and she prayed that he'd be safe. And the girl, Natasha... would she really be okay?

Would both of them be okay?

"Focus, Sky," Devon said softly, drawing her attention back. She looked up at him, catching the moment when Largo leapt onto Devon's shoulder in his Toyger form. Absently reaching up to scratch the Spirit behind the ear, her brother continued, "Cormac has experience enough to help them out, and Leah said Nat's no slouch either. Focus on what needs to be done now with Allegra, and then we'll go from there."

The doe walked forward at the same time that Ezio settled on the couch behind Holly's head. Allegra watched Sky for a moment, her big, brown eyes soft and gentle, before saying, "Are you ready?"

Sky could sense Allegra's own nervousness as the Spirit stood before her. Watching her, Sky noticed when the doe slid the slightest of glances away, and it didn't take much for Sky to follow it to where the black stag stood near Leah. Hadn't Allegra said that he was her brother? Softly, Sky asked, "Have you been in this war long?"

Returning her attention to the Tamer, the Spirit shook her head and said, "You're my first partner."

"Well then, I guess that makes it where we're on the same page, doesn't it?" Sky smiled at the doe, and she was rewarded when Allegra smiled back at her ever so slightly. Reaching a hand out, Sky smoothed down the fur on Allegra's cheek as she said, "So, let's do this thing, right?"

"Right," Allegra said. Stretching her neck out, Allegra touched her nose to Sky's forehead at the same time that Ezio reached out to Holly. Sky had just enough time to see Holly's eyes go unfocused before her own vision went dark.

~- Lingering Memories from the Fall -~

“Go on now, Kerchak… tear it down… tear all asunder…”

"They took one of the great Kings. How could they do that, Mother Aria?"

The young wolf Spirit tore her eyes away from the chained gorilla Nightmare, her gaze resting on the she-wolf at her side. The older wolf didn't answer at first, her silver-blue eyes intent on the Nightmare that used to be the Spirit King Kerchak. She was sitting for the moment as the pack circled on a ledge above the Nightmare and Reapers in the Fourth District below, her tail wrapped protectively against the swell of her belly and the life she guarded within. Even so, the younger Spirit knew Aria; even as a Pack Mother well on her way with pups, Aria wouldn't let her sisters and daughters go into battle without her. The law of the pack was that all the sisters protected each other and aided in battle; Aria wouldn't withhold herself from battle until it was nearly time for her to give birth.

"The Old Ones are stirring, just as the Moon Mother said," Aria spoke softly. The black wolf rose to her feet, causing the other she-wolves to slip into battle readiness as well as the Nightmare continued, "The Old Ones awaken, and the battles begin anew. Spirits fall, and Nightmares are cleansed of their crimes. It's as it was before, and as it always will be, young one. Prepare yourselves, sisters. It's time to strike."

Aria threw her head back, a sad, achingly beautiful howl rising out of her that the rest of the pack joined her in as they too took up the battle cry. Then, as one body, they moved, leaping from the ledges they'd been on into the chaos of knights and Nightmares beneath them.

~- Vintage Misery -~

The tentacle Nightmare was quick to respond. Despite the swath that Matt had burned away, more of the beast's tendrils remained than had been destroyed, and those smoky coils were lightning fast in their retaliation, whipping around Matt's tail and lower legs, keeping him immobile as another mass of them shot through the air to strike at Nimbus. Matt roared, a warning that reached the Spirit just in time for the raptor to just barely evade capture as he pin wheeled through the air, Matt shooting more flames to burn back the tentacles that tried to ensnare the flying Spirit.

That wasn't the last of Danu's revenge, however. Holding Matt's gaze, deep purple to blue-violet that blazed through the dragon gold, the Nightmare Queen slammed her staff down, causing the river a rapid plunge in temperature that Matt could feel deep in his chest. The drop was the single warning the man got, right before Danu's attack hit him full bore as water coursed over the bridge.

It was a torrential river, tons of water that was ice cold and had the force of a freight train behind the deluge. The dragon clamped his mouth shut, flattening his ears and nostril slits against his head as he squeezed his eyes shut, doing what he could to ride out the battering assault. Ten seconds. Ten minutes. Ten eternities. Matt didn't know how long the attack went on for as he focused on weathering it out.

Finally, the waters receded, and with it, Matt's dragon form as scales shed from his skin and he shrank back to his human size. The man spat water, an ache piercing his side with every wheezed cough; a metallic, coppery taste filled his mouth, confirming his suspicions of injury when he spat blood on the ground. He'd never stood a chance against Danu and her Nightmare partner, but having it laid out before him in such bare terms made his situation even bleaker.

However, he wasn't going to go down without a fight, no matter how hopeless the situation. The rapid decrease in his size and mass had left holes in the Nightmare's grip, allowing Matt to squirm away from the tentacles. Even so, he didn't go very far just yet; escaping the beast's grip had his vision swimming laps around him, bringing to his attention a head injury as well.

Get out of here, Nimbus.

The Spirit's fear and displeasure at the command was instant, sizzling across the link to the Changling Tamer as he planted his feet wide, taking the deepest breaths he could manage without stabbing pains in his side. The bird's loyalty was a welcome sign, but Matt couldn't take it as Nimbus snapped, No way in hell, partner; I can tell you right now you've got at least one broken rib and a concussion. You're not in any condition to fight by yourself; you're almost at the stage of not being able to fight at all. I'm not abandoning you to her mercies!

Don't be an idiot, Nimbus! Matt snapped, keeping his eyes on Danu even then. He raised a shaky hand, wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth as he growled softly, "Anything else, bitch? I could keep this up all day." To Nimbus, he said softly, Leyla and the kids need you, Nimbus. They're all greenhorns. Even Sammy; even Devon and Sky. Get to Damhan's; I heard the old man's back in town, and he should be able to help you and Leyla out. Send out the call, Nimbus; the Nightmare Queen is walking the Real World, and we need to find the All Mother if we want a chance against Danu. Go, now!

There was reluctance across their bond, but Matt sensed it when Nimbus finally gave in. The Spirit cut away at an angle, diving and dodging the tendrils that snapped out at him until he was finally safe of their reach. Matt started coughing, reflexively raising a hand to cover his mouth while he fought for air, his other arm wrapping around his chest in an effort to ease the pain somewhat.

Matt's hand came away wet with blood when the fit finally eased. In this case, though, it worked to his advantage. No one knew why the Changling magic had died off, but it had been known that Changlings could access the greater strength of a merge with their partner without the partner present; the trade-off came in a greater risk of being trapped in that form, as the Changling was closer to the Nightmares and Spirits than most Tamers and Reapers were.

Matt dipped into this magic as he clenched his bloody fist, his voice rising in volume as he sang out, "So we can take the world back from the heart attacked; one maniac at a time we will take it back. You know time crawls on when you're waiting for the song to start, so dance alone to the beat of your heart!"

Wings unfurled from Matt's back, feathers the red, orange, and gold of a fire's heart as heat filled him. The same flames filled his eyes, snapping in swirling whorls blue-violet moments before flames consumed him. Out of the fire, a phoenix emerged, his feathers made of fire as he soared off the bridge, arrowing straight for Danu herself.

~- Darkness Will Fall -~

~ Two Nights Ago ~

"Wow, they did a number on this school, didn't they?"

Dahlia looked up at Aaron as he spoke, the cat's eyes dilated in the darkness as the Nightmare said, "Well, when you have Unbonded running amok as they were here, as well as several Tamers and Spirits that get in the way, what else would you expect?"

"Still..." the boy's voice trailed off as the partners started walking again. She considered jumping up on his shoulder and letting him do the work of travel for the both of them. However, she knew he wouldn't care much for that, and she didn't feel like dealing with another argument tonight. They'd been on the road for the last week, and Reaper and Nightmare both were tired and cranky. Dahlia just wanted a bed that didn't move and didn't smell of stale smoke and long dead mice.

The boy's backpack bounced against his jacket as he dragged his suitcase behind him, his eyes taking in the sights of New York as he finally continued, "So, where are all these allies supposed to be, Dahls? I thought you said there was a fairly decent sized cell of Reapers in New York, ones that would help to train us?"

"I'd heard they were in New York; I didn't hear where they were stationed. We've been here just a few hours, give it some time, Aaron; and don't call me Dahls!" She hissed at the end to lend more weight to her agitation.

"Yeah, yeah..." the boy said, returning his attention to the task at hand. Dahlia growled and chuffed a little, but she returned her own focus to studying their surroundings. She already loved this boy to pieces, but it didn't stop the irritation; she really needed a good night's rest, before she considered using him as a scratching post despite her growing affection for Aaron.

The partners walked on in silence for a while, their attention caught up in trying to find this Reaper cell. Aaron was new, and Dahlia hadn't seen battle in fifty years, so she was rusty. She almost missed the soft rub of gravel against leather as someone walked up behind them. Instinct on high alert, she hissed, "Aaron, loo...!"

It was too late, though. Two quick stabs in the throat, and it was over. In and out. In and out. The shadow that had been behind them disappeared, leaving two bodies behind that would be down to one by morning as the Nightmare's body faded away into nothing.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- The Storm's Beginning -~

Angie recovered first, cheeks turning slightly pink in embarrassment, she hissed under her breath, "Dallas! You shouldn't say such things about an ally!"

Watching as Dallas watched her, she eyed the feline back; trying to get him to understand just how important it was that he didn't say such things. Watching as he shrugged her off, Angie nearly screamed when Dallas hopped up onto Christa's lap and investigated the cup of water that his partner had. Hearing a soft growl from Nightshade, she reached out and gave the feline a scratch behind the ears.

Hades on the hand, seemed to have dismissed the two younger feline Dream Eaters from his mind.

While she couldn't blame Hades, Angie personally found it a little insulting. Xeo didn't seem to notice his partner's apparent sulk fest. Instead his eyes were glued on Christa, evaluating her for whatever he was thinking of. Which, knowing Xeo, could either be a good thing or a bad thing. Kicking him lightly under the table to get him to stop, Angie glared back at her brother when he shot her a look for the gesture. Performing a hand sign again, she noticed the way that he scowled in response to it.

Before he could respond though, Angie felt the increase of pressure in the air. She didn't have to look to see that Christa and Xeo had both detected it too. Three chairs scraped across the floor in unison, and three sets of blue eyes darted to the door. Three sets of low, rumbling growls reached Angie's ears as the feline partners slipped away from them and headed toward the door, Hades being in the lead with Nightshade and Dallas flanking him on either side.

Staying focused on the door, Angie started to walk toward it; zeroing in on the source of the increased pressure. She heard faintly Xeo calling out to her, and even Christa's panicked shouting; but that didn't matter to her. She needed to find out who all was fighting, and who was threatening one of her playthings. And if there's one thing Angie couldn't stand, it was someone else messing with one of her playthings.

~- The Hunt Begins -~

The streets are empty, so that is nice. It makes it easy to move around, and makes it less likely on killing someone. Not that stretching a little bit would hurt. Dismissing the thought, I continue moving through the streets, searching out the strong souls. I want to fight them. It'll be fun to see how long they can stand against someone with this amount of skill. Especially if it's one of them. They would be the most fun to fight given the situation.

No, I have to stay focused. There is no point in getting distracted.

Distraction is weakness after all.

Love is a weakness.

I sense the fights that are exploding throughout the city, and all of the combatants are alluring. But who to pick? Who to test their true abilities? A drunk-like laugh escaping, I spin around in a circle, trying to figure out which way to go. This is always the funnest part about the hunt. The choosing of the target.

My partner calls out to me, trying to figure out if something is wrong. Tilting my head to the side, I laugh in response, "No, nothing is wrong. Let us continue moving, my friend."

They give an affirmative, before they focus back on whatever task they're doing. A smile turns my lips upwards, this is going to be quite a bit of fun. It's been at least a hundred years since I last got to have any fun. May as well start the fun now, right?

Time for the hunt to begin.

~- Tranquility -~

A Few Days Ago, Japan

Hazel smiled a little, her feet were in cool water which helped to ease the soreness from the ten mile hike she'd been working on. Although that wasn't the reason for the smile, nor was the fact her partner, Calypso, was enjoying the temporary reprieve and playing in the stream down from where the young tamer was dipping her feet. The skirt for her shrine maiden uniform was pulled up to her knees, and she could just hear her teacher scolding her in her mind.

Shaking her head, she turned violet eyes to the source of her amusement as she brushed dark brown almost black strands out of her face. The source of her joy were two children, a boy with black hair and blue eyes, about ten-years-old, and a young girl with white-blonde hair and green eyes, the girl being no more than four. She'd been given permission to take the children out to this stream as long as she had them back within twenty-four hours. Watching them a little longer, she heard the girl scream in delight as her friend splashed water at her. The little girl laughed, a half-hearted protest escaping her as she asked her friend to "stop".

Hazel knew that the protest wasn't real, just as the boy did since he continued his antics. Her smile drifted into her eyes, lighting the violet orbs up even bright than they normally were. She didn't flinch as the children got closer, nor when the boy accidentally splashed her with some water. A laugh escaping her, Hazel returned the attack that the boy started with some water of her own. The children gave a shriek of laughter before they ran upstream from her, before the girl turned to look at her and called, "Come on Lady Hazel! Come play with us!"

She shook her head, not at the invitation of playing but because of the way they asked. Seeming to understand why she refused, the girl got a horrified look on her face and bowed deeply as she said, "My apologizes Hazel, I didn't mean to cause any disrespect."

A gentle look returning to her face, Hazel stood up in the river and moved forward to the girl. Bending down in the river, she was well aware of her skirt becoming soaked to the knees and knew she'd hear about it from her teacher when she got back to the shrine. "Yui, it's fine. There's no need to apologize, nor is there any need to cry." Hazel spoke soothingly, her voice taking on the quality of a mother comforting a frightened child. Not that she'd ever know what that truly felt like, with her status she'd been forbidden to marry or have children.

Hearing the softest of sniffles from Yui, she felt some of her happiness return as Yui got her despair under control. The boy stood back, watching them closely to see if they'd be able to continue playing or not. "Shiro, coming along now. We need to head back to the village." Hazel said firmly, but still in a gentle fashion so as to not upset either child.

Watching as Shiro nodded, she felt Calypso slide up behind her to lend support. A laugh escaping her, Hazel stifled the sound as Yui and Shiro stared at Calypso in wonder. They'd met the polar bear before, but they were always wide-eyed whenever she was around. Hazel wished she could return to that childlike state of wonder and innocence, but she knew that was far from possible. Helping Yui onto Calypso's back followed shortly by Shiro, she started walking back to the village with Calypso close behind her.

Turning back to look in the direction they'd come, Hazel narrowed her eyes at the trees as some crows took to the air. Noticing Calypso's own caution at that, Hazel turned back toward the village and picked up her pace. She had to get the children back, or as close as possible, by nightfall. If she didn't the children were bound to be in danger from whatever had startled the crows. She also didn't have a doubt that whatever it was wasn't anything pleasant nor something she wanted around the children within her care. Climbing up onto Calypso's back along with the children, Hazel gave her partner's back a quick rub and ordered, "Get us back to the village, Calypso."

Without further prodding the polar bear took off running, Hazel kept a tight grip both on the bear and her two charges; doing her best to comfort them as they asked her what was wrong. All the while keeping her attention focused on the wrongness feeling of something at her back.

 

[sephiroth2]

~~~~~~Spirits and Tricksters~~~~~~

The first few crows to startle and take flight were no more than a warning for Hazel and the others, and as Calypso fiercely ran, with the three riders on her back away, from that once serene stream and calm section of forest the birds caws quickly faded too into the distance. The quickly dipping sun soon started to cast everything in its glow of orange and reds, and with another hill taken by the giant steps of the great spirit, the village now capable of being seen in the distance was another large step closer.

The eruption of crows from all throughout the forest was an explosion of frightening sound, not to mention the sheer sight of so many seemed to threaten they could block out the still dim-light covered sky with their pitch black bodies. And though the huge streams of these black birds continued to erupt from the dense forest, swirling and pooling together in the sky, as quickly as they appeared they left, flying towards the setting sun as if wishing to stay with its light for as long as possible.

The hillside was suddenly covered in silence. Every step, every gentle rustling leaf, every tiny bit of gravel or dirt that would have shifted under Calypso’s paws seemed to try and fill this emptiness, becoming much more loud and noticeable than ever before. The trees along the dirt carved path began to shake with a brief gust of wind, the old twisted roots keeping the entire forest weighed down and firm against anything nature could throw at it.

The soft rustling of the leaves brought along a faint sound of ringing bells, as something unnaturally long and swift-footed darted through the covering provided by the thick leaves and branches high above the group. The tingling sound only came with each new gust of wind, and every time it came it was always different. Fainter, louder, sounding far away and then suddenly the next it was as if it was close enough to reach out and grab.

But nothing ever came from it. The sound merely continued. It continued its routine even when the wind sometimes grew loud as if trying to drown out the ringing. It continued as the sun grew so tired that even its last colours had started to fade and bring the dark with it. It continued as a gnarled arm of a branch twisted and swung down towards Hazel and the others, its rough trunk of a body now sporting some resemblance of a blind-eyed face and mouth, while the thin but extremely long figure peered down at the scene from atop of the living tree’s crown.

~~~~~~The voices call for you...~~~~~~

The freezing deluge continued to pour over the steel bridge, the water rushing violently by easily causing the towering arches and cables to shake and creak from the power and strain. Eruptions of water sprayed into the air from the invisible tendrils that failed to strike Nimbus, attacking the water instead before quickly erupting yet again to try catching the Spirit once more. The water had soon enough returned back to the river, taking with it much of the obstacles that would have provided any sense of cover in another battle, but had proved already useless here and now.

The once mighty dragon had disappeared, leaving behind the much frailer human in its place in the swirling mass of tendrils, the icy water still clinging to their tar-like hide, allowing them to be seen. The rigidness in their movements gave some sense to the affect the water had on them, and along with the sudden decrease in size made it all the more easier for Matt to slide through a gap, aided by the even more slippery skin.

The smaller tendrils continued to crack and whip through the sky after Nimbus, failing each and every time to catch the Spirit, but just as easily learning and improving with each fail. At the time a collection of the wire sized tendrils began to gain a hold on one of Nimbus’ talons, the mighty bird Spirit took off in a graceful dive and dodge, tearing free and flying off with a chunk of the now lifeless tendrils still attached but soon fading into nothingness.

It wasn’t long until the flaming eruption consumed Matt where he stood on the bridge, the sudden display of power causing the masked Danu to turn away from the disappearing Nimbus, and once more back towards the one that truly mattered there and now. Her steps soon brought up off the mist and again upon the metal arch of the bridge, the mountain of said mist sinking down just enough to completely submerge what lurked within and allowing Matt a straight, blazing, shot towards her from the ground.

It was the thick tendrils that acted first, their invisible forms carving through the mist but soon brought forcibly into the real world as Matt’s flaming body sliced through, the searing chunks of stalks flailing and writhing and having done nothing to stop the Changeling’s path. Each new stalk ended up the same way.

In some cases their suddenness would cause Matt to change an angle or add in a loop of his own, but each would end the same, with Matt carving through the disgusting tendrils like they weren’t even there. The more he closed the gap between himself and Danu, the more the tendrils increased their willingness to bar Matt’s way. Almost as if it was on purpose.

The head of Danu’s staff pulsed as she raised and held it across herself, her eyes focused on the blazing phoenix hurtling towards her through the mass of tendrils, and as the two forces were to meet and her arm swung down, there came an almighty eruption of tendrils between them that it was as if the river below the mist had become this tidal wave of squirming tentacles.

Huge swathes of the thin tendrils, the same that had been dealing with Nimbus, curved wildly through the air, circling around Matt in all directions as others shot in to deal with the Changeling himself. Matt’s raging fire had no problem dealing with the trunk sized ones from before, and so it would have been a great surprise when his fire could only scorch the much thinner tendrils hide, and in those moments allowing them to coil and dig into his flaming, feather-covered body and extinguishing them.

The voices would have immediately started again once the last bit of sunlight had been blocked out by the tendrils, the whispers and sounds of hundreds would have been more difficult to deal with during this second time than the first. And as the clammy cold hand reached out and cupped Matt’s cheek, the voices would have seemed to stop for this moment, for him to look up at the masked covered Queen inches from his face and know of a smile he could never truly see. The mist had already started to fade by this time, and with the last remnants of it disappearing across the water below there remained absolutely nothing but the small tear in the sky sealing itself closed.

~~~~~~Unchainable rage~~~~~~

Women and men struck with everything they had at the Nightmares which poured into the district. Streams of fire would manage to keep the Nightmare Panthers and Leopards away for a time, while chunks of ice hurtled through the air to strike and dislodge the clambering Lizards that climbed in from over the gate walls. Even when the armoured figures began to march in with their swords drawn to fight, the soldiers of the rebellion were able to hold their own far longer than imagined. Especially with the lumbering beast that barrelled through.

The former king Kerchak soon had a gathering of Wolves, Nightmare and Spirit, blocking its path when it first came through the Third’s gate. The great gorilla had stopped for the moment, but gave no attention to the group, its blank eyes staring straight ahead more as if planning its next path than of anything else. And so it was only when it started off once more, its great knuckled fists straining the cobble-paved ground as it moved, that the many Spirit and Nightmare wolves leapt upon the former king.

Fangs and claws ground and dug into the gorilla’s tough grey hide, and still it pressed further on into the district, caring no less of the passengers it now had. The more that latched on however soon seemed to bring some attention from Kerchak, the small shakes of its body clearly an attempt to dislodge some annoyance. What was once shaking soon grew into violent thrashing, the gorilla soon breaking into a run as it barrelled through Nightmares and Spirits alike, and into the centre of the district, hoping, and somewhat succeeding, to remove some of its occupants.

Prying off a Nightmare wolf latched on its arm, the former gorilla king peered up and away from its arm with its blank eyes, staring at the sight of three familiar figures now approaching. To the three kings it looked like Kerchak, but more as if something had tried to drain the colour from his entire form, leaving behind this giant husk of a Spirit. Any words that came from the three would have fallen on silence for the old gorilla king as its slow approach soon turned into a full on charge at them.

~~~~~~Something to stay the tide~~~~~~

The young Adam could do nothing but pace back and forth in the same spot, listening to the sounds of fighting and screaming from the various districts in the distance, usually taking a moment to turn his gaze and attention away from it all to peer at the stopped ethereal train now docked at the station. The sound of creaking soon could be heard throughout the tiny little district, Adam turning to watch the large gate creak open a crack as a small group of Nightmare Leopards strode in as if on a hunt.

Though slightly shaky and weak, the soldier already had the short-sword out, taking his time down the station steps as he waited for the small group of Nightmares to take notice of him and Alex. They were off like a shot when they had though. Crossing the tiled square in a matter of seconds, the Leopards dodged and circled the two of them, Adam managing to make short but quick swipes of his weapon on any of them that tried to spring onto them and making the Nightmares back off a little before another would try their own luck.

Each one struck down was soon replaced with at least two more, a much larger gathering soon beginning to fill up the small station district and blocking any chance of reaching the only gate in and out.

“Such a pitiful force…”

The sound of the fighting from the other districts soon grew strangely silent, not as a sign that they were soon ending, but as if something was now blocking it. Only the sound of growls, sharp pawing of the ground, and the now tapping of wood on stone, filled the little area.

“To think… such nuisances would be enough to waste her time… to stop her from taking control of this measly town… pathetic…”

The hooded figure shuffled as it came from the direction of the large gate, now firmly shut as its twisted hunk of wood cane tapped the cobbled ground with each of its steps. Though it came to a stop on the opposite side of the crowd from Alex and Adam, the figure’s voice was as clear, as deep, and as piercingly heavy as if he was speaking face to face with them.

“And you… you must be the one who came from the Human Realm… yes… weak… but you will do well enough… take her now…”

The figure remained where they stood as his orders immediately caused the Leopards to bare their fangs and slowly approach the two before them; their gaze set more on Alex than Adam. Even when the young soldier took swings at the approaching Nightmares, it was only the odd one that would ever take notice and strike back, but the majority continued to approach Alex.

Boots, pounding heavy but slow on the ground were heard at first, though mostly drowned out by the growling Nightmares. The piercing shot that rang through the tiny district however was anything but. The shot of energy ripped through the Nightmares which had forced Alex and Adam up the steps and towards the station, and just so happened made for a perfect angle to strike the creatures and the Hooded Figure on the furthest side. That would have been the case however if they were still there, the brief few seconds the Nightmares covered his form seemingly more than enough time to allow the figure to completely disappear, the shot leaving a smoking scorch where he had been.

Hefting the large sniper-like weapon onto his shoulder, the tall man smiled as he made his way towards Alex and Adam, towering over the two as he slipped out a small revolver from inside the thick coat he wore.

“Well now, it is good to see you up and about again, young miss Alex.” The thick accent of Damhan’s calling out as he stood by her side.

~~~~~~Into the familiar unknown~~~~~~

The elevator soon had its occupants down as far as possible, the familiar ding accompanying the large doors to squeak open and reveal the large and rather bare room to them all. Besides a few towering support pillars the chamber was pretty simple, most of it not even having foundation laid and appearing more like a carved out cave than anything semi-modern like the rest of the tower above.

“I shouldn’t be long, Samson. Should be just a quick pass-over and I will be back in no time… keep him company Utorem.”

“That I will try to do.”

“Good.”

Damhan smiled, petting Utorem’s white furred head as the wheelchair rolled along the slightly uneven, rough, ground and towards the sudden sheer wall of rock that was before them all. With his hand still on top of Utorem’s head Damhan’s eyes closed as his breathing soon began to grow shallower, and with seconds gone by, the doctor’s whole spirit seemed to disappear.

“He will be safe…” Spoke Utorem, glancing up to Samson with her many eyes.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Oddity -~

Hades threw his senses out, searching for anything that was out of the normal. The station he and his brothers guarded appeared in his mind, relief coursed through him when he saw that everything was silent for the time being. Zeus and Poseidon were discussing something he couldn't quite catch, but they didn't seem to be too on edge. He noticed something was tugging at his attention, and he turned his mind toward it to see what was happening. He wasn't sure where it was at, but there were two humans surrounded by leopards and a robed figure standing near them.

Shock hit him like one of Zeus' lightning strikes.

Stumbling a little, he was grateful when Nightshade wound up supporting him. He threw a look in her direction, showing his gratitude before he pushed away from her and started moving again; having regained control of his emotions. It was in her best interest if he kept control so Cronus didn't hurt her or Angie. Knowing that the young tigress would be curious though, Hades growled, "It's nothing to be concerned about Nightshade, I just wasn't expecting to see what I had."

He knew she'd be a good girl and wouldn't pester him. Nightshade was so similar to her mother that it was mildly terrifying. He was glad though that she wasn't like her older sister though, who scared the crap out of him if Hades was honest. Which given the older sister's status, was pretty amusing when Hades stopped to think about it. Anyway, he was getting sidetracked. He could tell Dallas wasn't sure if he was trustworthy, and honestly he couldn't blame the other tom cat. Hearing a question from Xeo, he stopped the boy's train of thought with a flick of his tail.

This was part of the reason why he adored the boy.

The other reason is that Xeo seemed to hold no fear, and he’d do anything to protect those closest to him. It had been ages since Hades had seen Xeo’s type of devotion in one of his partners. Dismissing the thought, Hades picked up that the best of the options would be to head further from Danu and toward the outskirts of town. Damhan was bound to know what was going on around here.

Hades almost considered Shadow Travel, but he decided against it before the shadows could form. There was at least a couple of kids in the group that wouldn’t be able to manage it, Xeo and Nightshade were the two that could probably handle it the best, and it still made Xeo lightheaded every single time they traveled that way.

So, regular movement it was.

Damn kids. Why couldn't they handle just a bit of Shadow Travel?

~- Not Just A Pretty Face -~

Hazel heard the deafening silence, only for it to be replaced by a gentle ringing of bells; but no matter how she looked she couldn't find the source. She could feel that something was behind them, it took just a quick mental order to make sure Calypso wouldn't stop. Hopping off of the bear, Hazel rolled with the fall to try and reduce the damage. Looking around her, she heard the bells again but couldn't find the source.

She didn’t find it this time around.

Tensing her muscles at the noise, she knew that if she needed Calypso the bear would be back in a second; but the bear's first priority was the children. Calling her weapon to her, Hazel was forced to jump away before the weapon could fully materialize, leaving the particles of it scatter to the wind. It took her brain a moment to realize that what had broken her concentration was a tree. It was then that she sensed the evil presence that seemed to be infusing itself to the trees.

Turning in a slow circle to try and avoid being snuck up on, Hazel called out calmly, "If you want to talk, show yourself. Otherwise I have no business with a coward that would endanger children!"

She felt hot anger course through her at the thought of Yui and Shiro being in trouble, stomping it down quickly, Hazel pulled out a slip of paper and tossed it at a tree. When the tree was struck, Hazel felt the cleansing power of the paper chase the evil energy away. Telling her that something with malicious intent was present, or at least in her book currently that's what it meant. Summoning her ribbons, Hazel watched as the two six-foot-long ribbons of water curled up around her; the handles of the weapons resting in her palms and waiting for her to give them an order.

She wasn't going to let this creature hurt her charges.

She'd rather die first.

Apparently a tree decided to try and take her up on the offer. Hopping out of the range of its branches , Hazel gave a flick of her right wrist sending the corresponding water ribbon lashing out at the tree that had tried to attack her; landing in the middle of the ring of trees, Hazel's eyes darted up toward the sky, searching for the source of her current headache. The water ribbon retreated from the tree, coming to rest by the shrine maiden's side as she searched for whatever had scattered the crows.

 

[Roxie1563]

~Battle of the Kings~

The three Kings of each respective lands where they rule over stood above a perch high enough to see everything throughout Traverse Town and what they saw filled them with mixed emotions of sadness, anger and the need to do their duties as kings. For a moment, they watched as the former King of the Apes made his senseless rampage and it took only a glance for him to see them then slowly walked toward the perch and became filled with amazing speed as he let out a terrible roar, eager to crush his enemies.

Caesar, knowing what he must do for the sake of others, leaped down from the perch and before he crashed into the ground to his death, became enlarged similar to the former king. As he reached his goal, Caesar was able to block a punch to the face with his hand when Kerchak got close enough to attempt it then with a howl loud enough to reverb throughout the town, he used the other fist to give the uppercut to the former king and with remarkable agility, he tackled him down to the ground as he tried to bind his opponent's hands and feet with his own so he couldn't cause anymore harm upon others.

Of course, it only lasted for a few moments before he got flipped over head to feet with a loud crash. Filled with even more anger and ready for more, Kerchak managed to give the current king some powerful punches to the face before being blown away by powerful wind summoned by Zuko whom were flying above him then howled in pain when Caesar managed to kick him away with both feet and pulled himself up with a kip-up, the ground itself trembling from his landing.

Snarling even more, the old king picked up an old building that was abandoned for some time and attempted to throw it at both Dragon and Ape but was stopped by Leo as he let out a powerful Lightning Roar that sent the old king shocks throughout his body which allowed the building itself to drop to the ground.

Leo landed back on the perch as he quickly formulated another plan in hopes of slowing the giant ape before his sister could completed the massive evaluation of Traverse Town citizens. While he had hoped to bring him back to his senses, it appeared to be impossible as long as he was under control of the Reapers and that meant at some point, they'd be tired and depleted of energies faster than they'd gain back.

The three gave each other the same look of affirmation as they waited for the next counterattack of the old King.

~~~~

Alex quickly noticed the sounds disappearing from within her ears and from what it appears to her was a wall of bricks covering the doors but not before the Leopards Nightmares made its way through.

"Crap!" Alex yelled out loud and quickly made her way to Adam whom already had his weapon out while she did the same as they approach to them. She wasn't sure why the bricks were up and asked Adam only to received a shrug of his shoulders while the Nightmares circled around them. While she wasn't afraid of them, she could tell their job was to take down anyone else that stood their way and she wasn't about to take it, so she took the initiative with a round house kick to a Leopard who got too close then followed up with some combos of slashes n dices before leaping back to miss two slashes that nearly got her.

For a good moment or so, the two managed to take them out before anyone got hurt and while they took a breather, it didn't take long for them to hear the piercing voice of a man using his cane to make his way across. Alex jumped into her feet, weapons out on the ready.

While she wasn't sure what to make of him out, she found herself back to back with Adam again as he summoned more Nightmares to capture her. Suppressing the need to stick her tongue out in a childlike manner, she forced herself to think how to get out of this situation.

Before she could do anything, a shot rang out as it flew pass her and toward the place where the old man would have been standing. That shot caused both Alex and Adam to force themselves back up toward the train when a tall man came out, a large sniper-like gun heaving on his right shoulder as he pulled out a revolver from his trench coat and Alex let out a quiet gasp and allowed herself to smile as she recognized the tall man being Dahman, the same doctor who patched her up after the attack on Jefferson High School and secretly a Tamer that helped out with Sammy and the others.

"Doc!" Alex smiled at him as he made his way to her side and it then hit her that it must had been him who she was waiting on back at the Medical Bay. She quickly gave him a hug or two before stepping back to let him regain his balance. While she were glad to see him, Alex noticed Adam's pale face and asked him if she was okay. He shook his head to clear it away and with a respectful yet trembling tone in his voice gave his thanks.

"Thank you for the save, sir! Wow, I just can't believe it; I actually got saved by the legendary Silver Sniper himself that took out thousands of Nightmares in matter of hours!" Adam spoke excitedly as he shook Dahman's hand, his eyes filling with happy tears.

Silver Sniper? Alex thought to herself and while she understood most of it, she realized that the title must be important to everybody in the Spirit Realm if Adam was so beholden of him. She listened as Adam gave out a bit of information for her. "He never ever miss a shot. Ever. That old man should had died, were it not for those Nightmares that protected him!" He grumbled quietly to himself.

For a time, the three of them were able to rest for whatever came at them while Alex wondered how the others were faring. As she sat on the ground beside the old Tamer and Adam standing guard in front of them, she turned to Dahman and asked him questions being on how he got there.

"Hey, how did you get here and is everybody okay?" She peppered him with questions that was flowing throughout her mind before she realized she must be babbling like an idiot and slowed herself down then gave away her sheepish smile at him.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Who We Are -~

“I shouldn’t be long, Samson. Should be just a quick pass-over and I will be back in no time… keep him company Utorem.”

That had been ten minutes ago. Noct had settled down a few minutes ago, folding his paws beneath his chest as he readied himself to await the doctor's return. Sammy had been chatting with Utorem for a little, just general questions about how Alex had been doing before her Dream Walking, and what the Spirit's daughter was telling her of Holly's condition. Noct kept half an ear on their discussion, noting that Holly seemed to have a broken, sprained ankle from what Michael and Utorem's replicate were sensing in their evaluation. Broken and sprained?

Talk about an entrance.

Most of the Spirit's concentration was focused on maintaining a perimeter check, scanning for any Nightmares or Reapers in the vicinity as the three of them guarded the doctor's body. There was a Reaper that was leaving the area, which did have Noct concerned; however, the girl Natasha and her partner Cormac were chasing the Reaper, and Noct could sense the boy and Siam in pursuit as well. He was still concerned, but Noct knew Cormac, even if just through stories told about the turtle. Cormac was one of the oldest Spirits still fighting in the war; despite his lack of speed, Noct knew that the younger fighters would be in safe hands with Cormac.

Noct must have dozed off slightly; even if the lion hadn't entered far into the world of dreams, it's called "catnapping" for a reason. What he saw, however, surprised him. He saw Traverse Town from far overhead, and Damhan rescuing Alex from a swarm of Nightmares. Noct exhaled, a knot that had been behind his ribs since the girl had departed easing somewhat to see that she was physically alright, even if not entirely safe. It may have been a strange relief to have, but Noct had learned over his life that sometimes small reprieves were the most that could be hoped for.

His vision didn't end there, however. Soon, it flashed to another District, and a battle that was being waged between the Spirit Kings. Pain flooded Noct to see Kerchak reduced to a slave of the Reapers, the once mighty king forced to fight his friends on the ends chains. Wolves lay scattered around the plaza, Nightmare and Spirit alike; some tried to pull themselves away, while others had to be dragged away by their packmates.

From the edges of the plaza, another wolf came running into view. She was black as a starless night, the barest flashes of icy blue eyes winking through street lights. She leaped at Kerchack, landing on his arm and racing toward his head. Even in the dream, Noct could sense the power that swelled through her, a power that seemed to overflow from her small body.

A power his own soul recognized.

Noct's eyes flew open, a soft yowl of surprise escaping him as he jumped to his feet. Sammy spun to face him, concern on the Tamer's face as he said, "Noct? What's wrong, bud...?"

"I have to go," Noct said, rushing straight over what Sammy had been saying. Closing his eyes, Noct searched out the channel between realms, allowing his body to phase away into wisps of ether. Sammy's surprised shout still rang in his ears, but Noct was already running before his body had fully formed again in Traverse Town. He shot through the streets, a streak of white flying close to the ground, his wings pinned tight against his sides. He may have passed Alex and the doctor; Alex may have called out to him. Noct wasn't sure, nor did he care at that moment. Sonnet's bitterness still swirled in his mind, a bitterness and betrayal of her ideals that Noct knew was his fault. But it was more than that. Sonnet had once been part of a mixed Pack. Her Pack.

Aria...

~- Man on a Mission -~

Rhys. Tony. Zack. Melody.

Fire licked at Matt's body, white hot heat burning away the icy cold of the river that had engulfed him. The pain faded to the back of his mind as he screamed a battle cry, his phoenix voice pealing like a rung bell through the air.

Lily. Laurel. Cheza. Aaron.

Deep black tendrils, each filled with a small dose of despair; they assaulted him constantly, and he burned through them all. Large or small, he flew straight through. He'd change his path at times, a slight recalculation of an angle, but his beak would cut straight through the tentacles each and every time. The Nightmare didn't matter to him. What mattered was reaching Danu, and striking her down.

Holly, Andrew. Erica, Kai. Tommy. Ruth, Heather, Colt.

He was above her now. He dipped down, raking his claws forward as she raised her staff...

Arianne, Adrian, Becky and April. Kitridge, Daniel, Xeo, Celeste, Angie.

The Nightmare struck again, tentacles exploding all around him. He screamed again, sending out arcs of flames, burning away more and more tentacles. But for each of the larger ones he burned away, a cable thin one remained, barely even smoking. They lashed around him, snapping tight against his body until his flames were extinguished. He struck out with his beak, raking his talons across leathery skin, but the tentacles held fast, allowing the Changeling no quarter.

Gracie. Faythe. Devon. Sky.

Despair swept around him, breaking and battering him like waves crashing against a rocky coastline. He burrowed deep, blowing on the embers and flames at the center of his being, but the Nightmare's power was all encompassing. It continued to beat at his defenses, weakening and exhausting him until first one dark memory entered his mind, then another, until a flood of his most painful memories overtook him.

He was screaming, clawing at Rhys' arms as he and Melody both tried to break away from his brother. What was Rhys thinking?! The house was burning, and they were still inside! Mom, Aunt Hazel, Uncle Dean... they needed to get them out of there!

Sick pain radiated up his arm, and a soft whimper escaped his mouth as the young boy tried to crawl away. His captor watched him, cruel malice etched across hard features, a dark sneer curling at his mouth...

Matt at the hospital with Melody, Tony, and Rhys as first Zack almost died, and then Dad did slip away...

Masquerade, her smile like poisoned honey, her vampire bat Nightmare pinning him to the wall as the Reaper leaned in for the worst invasion of all...

"I don't need anyone! A mom, a dad; I don't need 'em! And I don't need you!"

A little boy out in the cold, his feet bare and his clothes tattered, shaggy red hair falling in his eyes. Defiance shone bright in grey eyes, but pain was close behind it, waiting for just the barest amount of give to come washing forward and swallow him whole. The child couldn't even be ten, but he'd already been used and cast off by the world, made bitter and cynical at a young age...

Another cry escaped the phoenix, but this time, it was one of defeat. A sharp snap seemed to radiate through his body at the same time that the color around him seemed to become washed out and muted. The rip in the sky closed, taking the Queen of Nightmares and Tamer both.

Leyla. I'm sorry.

City officials would have a hard time explaining the damage to the bridge. It looked as if a great battle had taken place there, yet no one could say what had happened, because no one had seen anything. Even the few, red and gold feathers that blew across the bridge soon disappeared, leaving no trace of the combatants.

I'm just not strong enough.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- No Halo, One Wing in the Fire -~

The ocean was still on the surface, giving the illusion of peace. Deep down though, the currents churned rapidly and promised a swift and brutal death. It was the perfect representation of the sea dragon that had climbed out of its depth moments before. He looked up at the sky, watching it for something. He'd been here for a few hours, waiting. A small dark speck appeared in the sky, growing bigger and bigger the closer it got to him. Watching as the spot grew closer, Poseidon watched as it landed to reveal that another, slightly larger dragon (the one in the background, the smaller dragon is Hades when he's in that form) had appeared.

Poseidon dipped his head in greeting, before he looked at the other male and said, "Greetings Zeus, how have you been?"

Zeus eyed him wearily for a moment, before he turned his attention to his surroundings to see if they were safe enough. Seeming satisfied with the answer, Zeus settled down to have the discussion for which he was summoned. It set the elder brother on edge, since Poseidon couldn't remember the last time that they'd gathered to talk. Normally it was only during a dire emergency, looking at Zeus he listened as his younger brother commented curtly, "It seems as if there's been a breach in our defenses, brother. Where is Hades? We need him to truly discuss what needs to be."

Poseidon tilted his head to the left, he answered, "You know Hades only comes when it's dire, Zeus. First of all, it is his turn to guard the human realm out of us. Second, due to that old fight with father, he has to have a partner in order to survive. If he doesn't, Hades is practically rendered helpless."

Zeus growled low in his throat, acknowledging the point. Although neither one wished to think of the reason why their brother had been rendered crippled. They'd been young and foolish, they'd been truly careless and for that reason Hades had paid the price. Poseidon was burdened with the most guilt for it, even if his elder brother never blamed him. It didn't stop him from blaming himself. Poseidon refused to let his memories pull him beneath the tide, even if the ones that were at the surface were ones he'd love to submit to. Returning his attention to the matter at hand, Poseidon listened as Zeus explained, "The Queens are waking, I think this is the first time in ages that they've all been active at once. Mother's growing weak and as for grandmother...."

"She's been growing impatient with father's antics, she'll be likely to take it out on us as she had once before." Poseidon commented, a hardened light shining in ice blue eyes as he thought of what had happened shortly after the end of the first war. The realms had barely survived, but it was something that had to be done. He looked to the shadows by the ocean, almost expecting Hades to materialize even though Poseidon knew that wouldn't happen. Their older brother was in the human realm with his human partner. Feeling the slight tug at the edge of his mind, he turned his mind to it and felt the barest hint of a smile tug at his lips.

I'll come over to assist as soon as I can, but currently there's something here I must take care of. Hades promised mentally.

Nodding his head, Poseidon answered back in the same fashion, Understood, don't push yourself brother. send reinforcements when you get the chance, until then we can hold down the forte here. Be safe.

He heard the purred response, before the eldest of the trio retreated back to whatever he was dealing with. Looking at Zeus, Poseidon listened as the younger brother remarked, "So, there truly is no choice. We have to fight, when was the last time all three of us had been involved in the war?"

"I believe it was during the Revolution era, both for America and France. Now, as we wait for the reinforcements, we should try to figure out what to.... Look out!" Poseidon shouted, even as he slammed into Zeus to knock his younger brother to the side. Flying backwards, he looked at the crater for where the two of them had been previously.

Hearing the thwump sound of wings beating, he looked up and saw a sight he'd been hoping he wouldn't see until the last of their trio was together. Lips curling back into a snarl, Poseidon listened as Zeus demanded to know what their guest wanted; earning a laugh from the other dragon. Poseidon recognized them, having seen them before in this form and the true form of the dragon that lingered beneath the surface. He felt his battle hardened heart shatter once more, it was always painful seeing this dragon that he once admired. Shaking himself out of his stupor, Poseidon demanded, "What do you want, Fallen One?"

The laugh that escaped the addressee was a cruel, twisted mockery of the laughter that used to sound from him. Poseidon felt the cold red eyes on him, and again he wondered how this had come to pass. He felt the faint ache of his side, a reminder of a previous battle that they'd had. "You three shall fall, you have no hope to defeat me. It does not matter how much experience you have gained from years of fighting, you hatchlings shall lose."

Zeus gave a roar of rage and lunged at the older, more experienced dragon. Biting hard on his brother's tail, Poseidon flung Zeus behind him and rose to his full height, expanding his wings to shield the younger dragon from view. Eying his opponent, he hissed, "Leave us Fallen One, we have no business with you."

He saw the way the other dragon shook, shaking his head back and forth as he fought to control his laughter. Poseidon narrowed his eyes to slits, suspicious of this amusement. He didn't have the chance to move backward, he just instantly had the other dragon up in his face, the hostile dragon had somehow bound his wings and had his tail wrapped around Poseidon's neck, making a makeshift noose. Eyes widening in surprise, he listened as the hostile dragon hissed, "That is what you think Young One, but you are wrong. You have business with me, you just do not wish to acknowledge it. Although I will leave, if only because it would be no challenge to destroy you in your current state."

To demonstrate his point, Poseidon felt himself get thrown backward, leading to him colliding with Zeus and the two of them sliding into a mountain. Dazed from the action, he looked in the direction they'd been sent from in surprise. He couldn't understand how it happened, how they could be thrown to the side so effortlessly like they were nothing but children. Moving away from Zeus, Poseidon looked around them to see that they were once more alone. Looking at his brother, Poseidon could see the terror in his younger brother's eyes.

The war had reached a tipping point, and it was unclear of who's favor it was in.

~- Seriously? Nightmares? -~

Apollo galloped along, keeping pace with Cassandra as Ziva clung to her partner's mane. It had been a couple of days, and they'd made quite a bit of ground. He ran along the terrain, listening to Ziva's chatter about not being able to find who they were looking for. Jumping over a log, Apollo huffed a bit, "Don't where Ziva, we'll find him. I'm certain that they're still alive."

He knew Ziva was uncertain, and the clouds overhead hid the sun, which didn't lend itself to him having much energy. Glancing up at the sky again, he felt the panic rise at the idea of there being no sunlight for him to use. He focused back ahead of him and pushed himself harder, having realized in his temporary distraction he'd fallen behind Ziva and Cassandra. Catching up to them, he fell back into step with her and listened as Ziva continued pushing him to keep pace with them.

Cassandra suddenly slowed down to a trot, and then to a walk before coming to a complete stop. Slowing down at the same time, he glanced at the older Spirit to try and figure out why that was the case only to see what was going on. Seeing a swarm of nightmares, Apollo scowled a little at the sight of them and heard Ziva slide down off of Cassandra and carefully step back so she was standing more towards Cassandra's tail.

"Stay back little ones, let me manage this." Cassandra cooed, before she charged forward to attack the band of Nightmares.

He knew how this would end, Cassandra would be able to defeat them on her own. Although she wouldn't escape unscathed, and it was for that reason that Apollo charged forward to help with defeating the Nightmare type horses.

 

[sephiroth2]

~~~~~~Those That Sleep....Eventual Wake~~~~~~
Japan – 1780’s (Middle Edo Period)​

Everything had been far too difficult for the hooded figure lately. While travelling east across that great collection of countries and landmasses was much less trouble than trying to make some way through that now war-torn founding country across the ocean, the distance and basic needs for survival grew trying at times for them. The faint sounds of metal clinking within their robes were but the remnants of a few coins over the course of their travels, and just as they were back then they were as useless now to them.

The steps they ascended were cracked from the beginning, but the further they climbed these cracks gave way to missing chunks and in some cases severe brittleness throughout the stairway. Finally after what seemed like the better part of their day spent ascending these stairs in this overgrown forest the figure reached levelled ground. The shrine grounds were slowly being consumed by the expanding forest around it. Small pockets of bushes and trees had begun to sprout and grow out between many of the remaining stone tiles, and the lack of any kind of upkeep for the last decade at least was evident, both from the weather worn featureless statues that lined the central walkway and the fading arched shrine at the far end.

The figure had begun to rummage around within their robes for something as they made their way steadfast towards the shrine’s inner entrance. The cloth which made up the robe had been perhaps a mixture of very vibrant colours in the beginning, yet all that remained was the dull tones of what had been red and purple, a pattern which took up the majority of the robe and the hood itself. The small vial of red liquid was gone just as quickly as it had been retrieved, emptied quickly by the figure just as they stepped through the threshold of the shrine.

Small offerings; little clay figures, a wooden box no bigger than a hand with a few dust covered coins, some long rotten pieces of fruit, lay before the sole occupant of not only the shrine but also the sole untouched sight of what had once lined the central walkway outside. The fox statue was twice as large as those outside, and having been protected greatly from the weather which had affected the others, revealed the brilliant display of tails spread out wide and long to encompass the entire wall behind it.

The long fingers of the figure gently reached out and brushed against the muzzle of the fox statue, and as their slightly withered fingers curled and held tight to the stone, the sound of their voice seemed to almost pour out and fill the entire chamber.

“Dúisigh mé tú, seancheann. Dúisigh mé tú, ó do codlata domhain. Dúisigh mé tú, ionas gur féidir leat a bheith saor in aisce. Chun seo a dhéanamh mar is mian leat. Dúisigh mé tú, seancheann.”

As they finished speaking the entire room had changed, yet it was as if it had always been that way. The dust covered floorboards and walls were covered with long tapestries of vibrant cloth, pairing bowls of blazing fire illuminated the chamber, and the now bountiful collection of food, statues, and coins mixed and piled upon one another between the two figures.

The fox was just as big in this form as their statue, their tails just as long and in some cases even longer and some began to lengthen and coil across the floor to the figure. The faint sound of bells rung as the giant beast shifted their front paws a little, snarling to the figure before them as they dipped their head closer to see.

The rich red hair fell across their shoulders as they peeled back their hood, and with a few brief sniffs from the great fox it soon bowed its head, nudging slightly against the long smooth fingers of the red-haired woman.

~~~~~~Form of Mischief~~~~~~
Japan – Present​

"If you want to talk, show yourself. Otherwise I have no business with a coward that would endanger children!"

Laughter danced across the wind with the soft rings of bells as Hazel lashed out at the first of the attacking trees around her. Her water ribbon sliced through the darting branch and as more came out to finish their task, yet her reflexes were good enough to dodge such things, landing within the middle of a small clearing, the ribbon soon back to her side.
A pair of legs swung gently over one of the large branches hanging above Hazel, and while at first the trees weren’t anything but that, soon that same malevolent presence began to creep back into Hazel’s senses with the soft chiming of bells.

“Why would I endanger them…I just want to play!”

The voice’s laughter echoed around Hazel, but the actual words this time came from a single source above her. The light of the slightly rising moon helped shed some kind of sight on Hazel’s attacker. It was that of a child, a little girl, probably no more than eight years old with a pair of short pigtails made out of her deep dark red hair. The simple clothes she wore was something Hazel had seen all the children in the nearby villages wear from time to time, and besides the small signs of tattered ends on the sleeves and other parts, the child wore a pair of bracelets with small ringing baubles attached along its surface.

“And I want to play with you….first!!”

Her little arm shot out with surprising speed at Hazel, and while there shouldn't have been any worry of the little thing reaching her it was the sudden ringing of all the bells upon that arm that would have caused sudden worry to Hazel. The grinning, twisted, trunks of the trees continued glaring at the woman as the ringing of the bells continued, roots suddenly tearing up from underneath her feet and beginning to twist and coil around her in some cases while others seemed to reach back and swipe at her.

~~~~~~I Declare Rest and Relaxtion~~~~~~
Spirit Realm – Traverse Town​

“Doc!!”

The loud voice was suddenly accompanied by two quick but strong hugs from the clearly surprised Alex, Damhain smiling down to her and taking a moment to do the same at the somewhat dumb-founded face of Adam at meeting the man. The nightmares had been more or less scared off in the process of Damhan’s arrival, and those that remained were soon taken care of, enough for the tall, and walking, doctor to lead both young people into one of the now empty houses in the safer parts of the district.

“Thank you for the save, sir! Wow, I just can't believe it; I actually got saved by the legendary Silver Sniper himself that took out thousands of Nightmares in matter of hours!"

Damhan laughed a little as he tiredly slumped down against the wall of the room, placing the larger rifle beside him as the small guns disappeared back into the confines of his coat.

“Please, that’s just an old silly name now. I’m probably not much use to you all except in healing… speaking of which, may I?”
He asked as his hands began to glow a familiar green aura, and after dealing with the still hyped Adam soon turned to Alex.

“To think you would get out of seeing a doctor by going to a different realm, impressive.” Damhan laughed a little as his hands ran down Alex’s back a little, finding the same signs of pain and damage as before, though this time in a slightly better environment to help.

The first of her questions were about how he got there, how everyone was back home, and soon spiralled into everything from how he could walk suddenly to where his creepy but slightly cute Spirit spider from before was. The old man started to laugh again when Alex suddenly seemed to realise the amount of questions she was asking, soon turning silent and sheepish as she looked to him while he dealt with her arm.

“First… quite difficultly. That place you and your friend here were at was called a Station, and are only a few places were Humans, more specifically those aligned closer to the Spirit Realm, can send their own Spiritual Essence, through. You seemed to get here with help from some kind of powerful Spirit, because right now you are still lying back on that bed in my home,”

“As for everyone else, last I saw they were good. I’m sure they can take care of things without any problem. The main concern was to come here after I was contacted by a fella named Leon, not sure if you might have met him, and of course wasn’t I surprised when I found you there before me when I arrived.”

Damhan smiled again as the green glow faded from his hands as he let go of Alex’s arms, and soon rested back against the wall of the bare room, a slightly tired expression on his face as he listened to the continued fighting and rumbles of collapsing buildings outside.

“Before we can go home we should probably see what we can do to help… do you perhaps know where everyone had decided to evacuate to, young man?”

~~~~~~Hail To The King~~~~~~
Spirit Realm - Traverse Town​

The great Gorilla roared as he rushed towards the new King of Apes, and though their punches and sheer strength caused considerable harm to one another, it appeared as if Caesar took the brunt of it, what with the shards of dull but dense crystal that sprouted along random patches of Kerchek’s body forming a very strong layer of defence in those places.

The beating wings of the large dragon Zuko, followed quickly by the thunderous roar of Leo, were enough to send the former King barrelling back upon the ground, the crumpled remains of a building he had personally torn free now just a pile of wood and stone. The blank, rage filled eyes of Kerchek continued to glare at the three Kings, and as another slobbering, primal, roar escaped from its fanged mouth, the giant seemed to quiet for a brief moment, its sight on not of the three before him, but that of the faint, tiny, hooded figure that was currently situated on the roof behind them, seemingly invisible to all senses but the great Kerchek.

The blank eyes gave way to a sudden flash of intelligence than mere primal action, and as Kerchek slowly picked itself up and began to charge yet again, there was something new in its actions that only Leo may have seen, his two fellow kings much too deep in the fight against their former friend. Caesar once more went to meet Kerchek head-on in his charge, and while a wild flurry of swipes and kicks managed to take the old King’s attention and aggression the last time, here it brought confusion to Caesar’s face as Kerchek simply swung around and continued straight on towards the great red dragon.

Those same powerful gusts from Zuko picked up again, the strong storm winds scattering the remnants of houses and stone paved streets throughout the district, but not reaching that of the former King. With a sudden change in attitude, Kerchek leapt to the side, away from Zuko’s straight-on gusts, landing on the roof of some buildings before just as suddenly leaping once again, gaining height greater than even the flying dragon.

Before anything could be done, that great crystal encased fist of Kerchek’s came smashing down upon Zuko’s neck and shoulders, and sending both Dragon and Gorilla cataclysmically crashing into the ground of the district. The dust that rose and bellowed up into the sky soon parted with the rushing train that was Kerchek, the great beast slamming shoulder first into the most likely unprepared Caesar, and just like with Zuko, soon had both new and former king crashing into a new section of houses that had survived the fight up till now.

Silence filled the area as no sound came from the downed Zuko or Caesar, nothing but the slow march of heavy fists crushing stone and wood as Kerchek reappeared from the opening he had made. Sights solely on the lone remaining King, Leo.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Games That Children Play -~

“Why would I endanger them…I just want to play!”

Hazel heard the chiming of bells, a noise that if she never heard again would be too soon. Even the laughter that accompanied the bells was something that made her skin crawl. Although, somehow it was different this time, letting her trace the sound back to its source. It was a little girl wearing worn clothes similar to what the other children wore, but something about this little girl seemed off. The aura she was emitting led her to believe this, it was darker compared to most children. Even so, the bracelets around the girl's wrists caught her attention with the ringing baubles.

“And I want to play with you….first!!”

The declaration recaptured Hazel's attention. She was ashamed to admit that she leapt away when the little girl reached out, some instinct inside of her telling her to move away. Landing by a tree, Hazel felt the roots start to tangle themselves around her legs; some of the neighboring ones tried to wrap around her arms and swipe at her face; but she lashed out with her ribbons. This succeed at keeping them at bay, a quick glance told her that the moon was rising, something that set her into a strange state of calm. She felt her partner reach out mentally and ask her if she was okay, and she tried to spare enough concentration to send a reply but the assault of another branch distracted her.

She felt the blood trickling down her right cheek from where she'd been scratched, causing her to instinctively lash out at the branches again. Getting them to back off for a moment, Hazel answered back mentally, Drop the children off and then come back, please Calypso. She knew that the sheer desperation would be enough to convince Calypso to come back, so she only half-paid attention when Calypso promised that she would. Feeling the tree roots tangle around her legs even more, Hazel snapped the ribbon in her left hand at the roots at her feet; the attack loosened their grip and allowed Hazel to move away from the tree.

Looking at the little girl, she spoke sternly, "What's your name? Also you shouldn't attack people that you want to play with, it's rude." Her eyes didn't hold the warmth that had once been their when she was playing with Yui and Shiro, instead what had replaced it was a chilling look that would make it seem as if it'd be warmer on the titanic when the ship was sinking. She deflected the tree roots again with her ribbons, before they came to rest at her sides once more.

 

[Roxie1563]

Alex became interested when Damhan told her how he got here and that the others were all right. The girl allowed herself a smile to make her way upon her lips, glad that everybody including Siam were all right. When the Tamer asked Adam where the entire citizens of Traverse Town are escaping to for safety, Alex turned to him to see what he may say to them.

The young soldier made a quick search around via the window outside the small house that all three of them were resting before turning to them, his left hand rubbing his forehead as he leaned on the wall and without even looking at them, told them what he had heard before meeting with the girl. "I believe they're going to Trista since the Crystals is the only thing capable of protecting the kingdom from all forms of Reapers and Nightmares," Adam explained to Alex and Damhan as he quickly made glances before becoming satisfied of his patrol. "How I know that is because Leon had told me before he rushed off to meet up with his sisters and attempting to cut off reinforcements in both Third and Fourth Districts, which the Fourth is used by the Reapers.. Now I don't really care much for Reapers, but Leon seems to have an idea on how to slow them down, which is good enough."

Before he could explain any more details, all of a sudden came out of the window where Adam was keeping eyes on the street was a large hand that grabbed him and pulled him right into the street outside. Even Alex screamed in shock and horror then anger as she rushed outside, followed by Dahman as they watched Adam being held by his throat, the large hand belonging that of a woman whom Alex recognized as the woman from the poster that got clumped up on her leg hours ago, the name being that of Vixen.

Vixen simply looked at them, a wicked smile on her face as she instantly killed the solider by a swift snap of his neck then threw him aside, the body making a thud sound as it landed on the dirty street. Wiping her hands together as if to clean off the mess so it wouldn't be so sticky later on, the woman spoke to them, her tone of simplicity.

"Hi there, kids!" She sang out, clearly in a cheerful mood then became somber yet teasing. "Aw, poor Adam.. Didn't realize I was right there and yet he's probably in a better place, am I right or am I right?" Vixen smiled to them, tongue wagging out.

Alex gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain and focused on the deranged woman, demanding answers for her actions. "You didn't have to do that..!" She shouted at her, her emotions running high. "All he did was just doing his job and you killed him."

Vixen just stared at Alex like she was just blabbing nonsense and yet full of interest. Waving off her attacks on her with a dismissive hand of hers, she responded right back. "And I'm doing mine, kid and so is he. However, you are just nothing to me.. Yet the old man wants you for whatever reason." The luscious lady rambled on without a care in the world but that changed when Alex went into fight mode which caused the woman to laugh out loud, her hand on her stomach and the other on her forehead.

Alex didn't know what the lady's problem was, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting Adam some justice and with that, she bolted right at her even as Dahman shouted at her before he could stop her, her weapons already at her hands and jumped but was quickly grabbed by the throat in mid-air before she could do anything.

"Ugh.." Alex grimaced in pain and then in horror as Vixen blocked the bullets that came out of the revolver Dahman pulled out, the bullets pinging off her other hand that felt nothing. As it protected her and keeping Alex away from her attacks, Vixen just swatted the Tamer away with a smack of her hand and watched him fly away at least a hundred yards away from them.

"Well, that was fun.." Vixen said to herself, uncaring if the girl struggled to escape or not before turning to her prey. "These weapons of yours won't be any help to you anymore." She spoke to her as she stomped on them hard enough to break the metal within the blades then eventually fazed away into nothingness. Alex tried her best to cover her fears but it seemed to make the woman all the more happy.

~~~

Leo stood tall against the former might king, Kerchak, even as his friends laid before him defeated and surprised at the sudden thought of planning that knocked both Zuko and Caesar out and leaving him the only solo fighter left. While he could take on the ape alone, something told him it would be wise to retreat and yet he couldn't bring himself to do it. The lion jumped back as another fist of Kerchak came down near him, missing the target once more then pulling back to try again.

There had to be another way of beating the old king without the risk of losing anymore lives of Spirits and humans alike as he watched the wolves doing what they can. 'If only there was a way to at least cut off the connection between Reaper and him, it'd make it easier to transport him out of Traverse Town..' Leo thought as he tried his best to come up with a plan, but came empty.

Hiding within the shadows, Leo felt a familiar presence coming straight here. That presence was not what he expected as he saw Noct running toward the battle area, taking down anything that came across his path and very determined to reach his goal whatever it might be. But that wasn't the only one he could feel as he turned to his right side, a tired smile on his face.

"What took you so long, young lady?" Leo spoke quietly as a member of the Abbey pounced upon the ground, crouching beside the king of Deep Jungle.

The woman smiled tenderly and gave her honors to him. "I'm sorry for running late, but I had a hard time crossing over here even with the help of Leon. Now, what can I do to help?"

Leo explained the situation to her as the former king scanned for him while holding their breaths slowly. "I can feel her, Velvet. I can feel her, but there's something wrong; The connection between us are severing rapidly as we speak." Velvet watched him as the words came out of his mouth, his face full of concern. Nodding her head to him, she told him she'll handle it.

"Just do what you can, Your Majesty. Oh, lest I forget.. Kirara already got them out and into Trista where they'll be safe. I think it's time to lock them out, sir." Velvet explained to him as she turned around and took off toward where the king think her partner would be and already preparing for a fight against her beloved sister, Vixen.

At this time, both king and warrior could feel and see the growing Sphere of Darkness as it became obvious that the invasion were turning around for the Tamers and the Reapers would destroy what is left of the poor Traverse Town than giving it back into the hands of the Tamers, above the night sky.

~~~

At the same time, Alex watched as it kept on growing and growing while struggling to escape the wraith of Vixen, her legs dangling in the air and her hands on the large hand and arm of the Reaper named Vixen. She glanced at Doc, hoping he'll regain himself soon enough so he can shoot the fricking arm off so she could be free and away from this bitch! But that wasn't happening fast enough as the woman opened a portal that would lead her and her hostage away from the field of war into whatever they were heading for.

Meanwhile, all Vixen did to her was to consume the remaining bond between girl and partner since it was the only thing to do because the girl was unique for Lady Danu. It wouldn't take long for it to be completely severed as the ropes between them slipped into her veins. 'It has only been what a few days, maybe a week since they became this close and yet it's so delicious!' The luscious Vixen thought to herself as it made apparent the process was nearly finished when her prey fought back quite suddenly as surprise and shock appeared on her face.

Alex might not have her weapons and Leo, but she wasn't going down without a fight as she gripped on Vixen's gross arm and dug in with her nails and fingers which caused blood to seep out rather quickly, but there was something strange about it as the blood seemed to have a mind of its own when it made into Alex's left hand. What was thought to be blood turned out to be something much worse both girl and lady started screaming in pain, her arm morphing that into of the same thing as Vixen felt something draining from her.

Then something came between them when a small sphere of light blew up, causing Vixen to let go of her prey to cover her eyes up while Alex fell to the ground unconscious yet her body were saved by a young woman similar to her age as she shifted her weight, her right hand holding the belt of Alex's while the other hand held her weapon of her staff.

By this time, Velvet already joined up with Dahman whom were healed by her and with a few muttering words, she summoned the power of light and send it up to the Sphere of Darkness that then became filled with Light as she twirled her staff around and rapidly pointed in a general direction summoned up a portal of light. Quickly urging the older Tamer to follow her, Velvet pushed him through the portal before looking into her dark sister's eyes whom filled with anger while her own filled with pity for her and hope that one day she will be back into normal and then jumped into the portal as it closed behind on her.

Vixen remained standing there for a moment as she turned around, looking up to the sky as her sister's work had been done to ensure the defeat of the Reapers and repelling the invasion with a simple few words out of her mouth.

"Well sister... Looks like you've finally joined the band, huh?" Vixen smiled to herself as she walked into her own portal.

The battle and invasion of Traverse Town had come to an end as the night sky resumed back to normal, thus the beginning of a journey between realms as both Reapers and Tamers fight for what they dearly believe in.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- The Knight She Calls Brother -~

Angie followed close behind Hades. She was a little unnerved by the way he seemed to have gotten distracted, but she could tell based on his body language Hades didn't wish to speak of it. She could see her brother's tension, his back muscles hardened knots. It troubled her more than Hades' disquiet, because she couldn't remember a time where Xeo had ever been this tense. Catching Christa's eyes, it was easy to understand the blue-eyed black girl's uncertainty. She nodded her head, before she decided to address the issue, only to hesitate as Hades stopped in his tracks.

"The battle at the bridge has ended."

The declaration hit her like a ton of bricks. It also took her a moment to realize that she couldn't feel Matt's distinct signature. Tears coming to her eyes, Angie swallowed back her cry of pain. It was difficult, given how close her family was to the Hunters; and the giant knot in her throat. She could see the quiet recognition in Hades' eyes, he knew what it most likely meant. She wanted to turn around and race to the base, to plead with Danu not to harm Matt. She couldn't lose him, not when he'd become a second father to her. It seemed as if that thought was too obvious on her face. Hades's eyes hardened, growing cold and distant once more as he reprimanded gently, "Calm yourself, Angelica. You mustn't rush into things, young one. You'll only get us all killed."

The words were a slap to the face.

She opened her mouth to protest, but shut it when Hades spoke firmly, "If you wish to save Matt, you must calm yourself. I can't keep you from doing it, if you truly wish to, but I refuse to stand by and let this happen. Now, calm down."

Sometimes she wanted to strangle the old Spirit. Other times, she welcomed the advise he gave. Times like this? She wanted to strangle him even as she welcomed his advise. Closing her eyes, even though it didn't really matter, she took several slow, deep breaths as she counted to ten in her mind. Opening her eyes once she'd calmed down, she asked coolly, "So, what do you recommend we do, Hades?"

This made Hades grow silent for a while, and then seeming to come to a decision he answered, "You and Christa should double back to wherever Danu's likely to have taken Matt, ask her to be gentle with him. If it seems to be getting hostile for you two, get out of there. Me and Xeo have other matters to attend to, it's in the Spirit Realm since it seems like there's trouble stirring up there again. Dallas, Nightshade, if things get dangerous...."

"Get them to the meeting place?" Nightshade finished, a mild questioning tone at the end even though she knew the answer.

It wasn't hard to miss the look of pride on Hades face, even if it was only there for a fleeting moment. She could feel the tension radiating off of Xeo, and it took her a moment to understand why. Walking over to her brother, she hugged him tightly and whispered something in his ear. It was silly, but it was an old phrase that they used to use when they were kids. Pulling back, she could just see the faint suggestion of a smile through the cloth over her eyes. She knew Xeo knew why it was there, but it wasn't something she personally liked to think about.

Releasing her brother from a hug, she stepped away from him. She could tell it eased her brother's fears, even if they still remained. She smiled a little, earning one from him in return. It was a blessing that Christa and Dallas didn't say anything during the private moment. She felt her brother's arms around her, and it nearly made her cry again when he said softly, "Be careful little sister, it's a dangerous world here. We'll be back as soon as possible, good bye."

Before she could stop it, Xeo had stepped away and a portal swirled to life. Next thing she knew Hades and Xeo were gone.

Taking in a shaky breath, she felt Christa's hand on her arm. Turning blindfolded eyes towards her teammate, she was about to say something when Christa spoke, "They'll be okay." She nodded her head and decided to head back toward the hideout, Christa was close on her heels.

~- The Sleeping Forest Trapped in Time -~

Hades stepped out of the portal, it deposited him onto a cliff. Xeo stepped out a moment later, only to yip and fall back on his tail. Feeling the stab of pain across the link, he suppressed a chuckle as Xeo complained, "Why would you bring us here, Hades?"

He heard the portal whoosh shut behind them, he looked over the ruins of this world. When was the last time he'd been here? Wasn't it when they'd fought Cronus and he'd gotten hurt? His tail throbbed painfully in response to the thought, he glanced at Xeo, trying to figure if he should answer his partner's question or if he should just ignore the question. Xeo's eyes was an amusing little contradiction, they were soft with concern yet hard with bitterness. He could understand why though, Xeo tried to hide it, and usually he did an amazing job of it, but sometimes his fear got the better of him when it came to his family. As it was, the blue-grey eyes that boy had were narrow slits.

Right, I can only keep him here for short bursts. Hades thought, his own concern briefly softened his eyes for a heartbeat, but then they grew battle hardened once more. Cocking his head to the side, the ancient spirit answered coolly, "It wasn't intentional on my part, so my apologizes Xavier." He saw the way his partner pulled up short at the use of his actual name, and it wasn't a surprise. It'd been years since Xeo had been called it, and if Hades' memory served right, it would have been when he'd made a deal with Uriel years ago. It wasn't something that Xeo enjoyed talking about, but it had warmed Hades heart to the point he'd chosen the young Tamer at that time to become his partner. They'd both had faced hardships and judgement at a young age, so they'd been forced to discard their childhood in favor for their friends and family's safety.

He watched as Xeo clenched his fists at the stirred memory, and he felt a twinge of guilt only to push it off to the side. He couldn't afford to get distracted, there was too many people counting on him to get Xeo through this. It seemed as if their new location had once more captured Xeo's attention, because the young man asked dazedly, "Although seriously, where are we Hades?"

"We're in the world Timeless Forest, it's a space that hangs between different areas and times. The Nightmare Jezebel originates from here. My brothers have asked me to check something here before going to speak with them, after we get this area investigated and see what they have to say, we'll head back home." Hades spoke levelly, no hint of emotion. He watched as Xeo processed what he had to say, and he was grateful that Xeo seemed to accept what he had to say without too much of a fight. Turning away from the edge of the cliff, Hades peered into the fog that suddenly materialized and started to head toward the forest, Xeo following close behind him.