Disclaimer: This story will contain intimate relationships and sex between two or more males. This story will also include strong language and graphic scenes. If this offends you, or you are not allowed to read this due to age restrictions, please leave. Also, please keep in mind that Nifty can only remain a free website that brings you awesome stories and...uhh...personal satisfaction by donations given by you, my lovely readers.
The Legendaries: Part Five
Zane clung to the corner of the hallway in the dark Heart Estate. This would be happening to him.
Charles and Tori left him to go hiking for a recon trip in the Smoky Mountains, leaving him with Coop as a chaperone. Smart, right? But where was Coop when there was someone, or something creeping around the house which had been plunged into darkness? Zane rolled his eyes when he remembered the conversation he'd had with Coop only a few hours earlier.
"Hey, Zane, what's up my man?"
"Uhh...Coop?"
"Yeah, who else would it be? And you totally need to get a cell phone, dude. You don't even know how long it took me to find you guys' house phone number..."
"Coop, aren't you supposed to be here? Like, right now?"
"If you wanted me so badly, Zane, you could have just told me." (This one made Zane blush.)
"Err...Coop...just when are you gonna get here?"
"Dude, chill. You're sixteen, you can handle being alone for a while, right? I mean, Chuck and Tori are just a tad overpro-"
"What do you mean a while?"
"Weeellll.... I may or not may be going to a party tonight. And I mean, I'll leave early just so I can be a good chaperone, or whatever, but I probably won't make it around to the estate til...two?"
"Two!?!"
"Dude, come on, you can handle it. You could come with me if you wanted..."
"What? No? I mean, me at a party. That...would be...no. Just, no. Just make it back soon, okay?"
"Fine, one-thirty?"
But Zane had awoken at two to find the power was out and could hear the house creaking with movement. Zane sighed and rolled his eyes again, just like he had so many times during that conversation. It would totally be his luck that something had managed to infiltrate an infallible establishment, cut the power, and trapped him inside. Also upsetting. He didn't have the power to fight something like that by himself. Sure, he was getting better at bending air currents to his will, but the weather thing? That was still a tad shaky. The most he could do right now was create gale force winds and maybe fly around something without running into a wall. Maybe. Flight, also still shaky.
A creak from an adjacent hallway ripped Zane from his thoughts. What the hell was he supposed to do?
Coop missed the party scene. Between school wrapping up the fall semester and Legendary duty, he had seriously missed out on social life. Obviously he needed to know what was up with who and how that thing happened whenever. Luckily, Rose and Sean were there to catch him up.
"So Diana legit broke up with Michael?" Coop asked doubtfully as he took another drink from the bar.
"Of course! He was being such a douche to her..." Sean explained rolling his eyes. ( "Besides, you wouldn't be so out of the loop if you weren't always with that Tori girl. What's up with her anyway? Got any dirt?" Rose asked eagerly. Coop rolled his eyes this time.
"We've just become really good friends, okay?" Coop answered wanting to move on.
"Whatever... Anyway, I was thinking that we could head up to this cabin our uncle has in the mountains for New Year's. Sound fun?" Rose inquired.
"What? When? Who's we?" Sean asked. Clearly this was the first he was hearing of the cabin. He also kept getting distracted by the blinking Christmas lights flashing in time with the music. Coop smirked. ( "I second all of those questions." He muttered, keeping an eye on the make-shift living room dance floor for anyone who looked promising.
"I was thinking we leave the day before New Year's Eve. We take the three of us, maybe one or two more. We'll take some snow gear, some alcohol, some games. You in?" It sounded pretty good to Coop, but he wasn't sure if Tori would approve...
Wait, what? Had he really just thought about Tori's approval for a decision in his life? Screw that...
"I'm in." He said, taking another drink of the cheap beer. Rose smirked now, knowing she'd won him over.
"Who knows, maybe you can bring Tori along and the rest of us can get to know her..." Sean added, wiggling his eyebrows and doing a little shimmy. Coop and Rose both laughed at this.
"Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do. But, lady and gentleman, if you'll excuse me, I see someone on the dance floor who could use a partner that knows how to dance." He excused himself and gave his drink to Sean.
He moved toward the lithe figure that he had been watching from the bar. The guy was glistening from dancing in the humid room and his blue tanktop clung to his body. He had danced with a few other guys, but none of them were really able to keep up with his dancing prowess. Coop stepped up to the challenge.
"You look like you need someone to keep up." Coop whispered into his ear as he stepped behind him and began to move his hips with the music. The shorter guy rolled his head onto Coop's shoulder to answer.
"Mmm, I think so too." He whispered back, flipping his short bangs reveal his face.
Well, surprise, surprise. He didn't expect Dominic Eller to be at this scene.
"Well, hey, Dom. Didn't expect to see you here..." Coop whispered, making sure he never stopped swinging with the music.
"Hey, yourself, Coop. After not seeing you for so long, I thought you were done partying."
"Nah, couldn't stay away from this, especially when there are guys with asses as nice as yours here."
"Ah, but mine's the best, right?" Dominic teased, slightly grinding his ass into Coop's groin. Coop made sure his moan was audible enough to tease Dom.
"Oh yeah, definitely..."
Now, Coop obviously wasn't a stranger to partying, but he did like to keep his dick in his pants and his hands to himself, for the most part. There had been exceptions, a handjob or blowjob, he'd even fucked a few guys. But, that wasn't really what he was about and not what he wanted to be labeled as. He usually just kept to flirty touches, maybe some fleeting kisses.
But Coop was horny.
Tori had mentioned this as his hormones had continually begun to become a distraction. His powers triggered extra enzymes, blah blah blah. Apparently it happened to all of them.
But Coop hadn't even been able to jack off in a few days, and the things Dom was doing with his ass against Coop, well... he decided he may have to go against his usual creed.
"Hey, babe, what do you say we, uh, go find a room?" Coop whispered, making sure to grind into Dom's ass for extra emphasis.
"I thought you'd never ask, Cooper Storm."
Shitshitshitshitshit...' Zane thought, creeping around another corner. He'd found a crystal Tori said had been charged with magic and could be used as a weapon, but hell if he knew how to use it.. What the hell...' He thought as his arm brushed something sticky. It looked as though Guiliano had missed the cobwebs in this hallway. He continued to hear the creaking floorboards, but try as he might to get away, the creaking only seemed to get closer.
He needed to get to Millennium Hall.
Zane reached out with his senses, attempting to feel whatever it was that was in the house. The staircase was in the next hallway, maybe if he just bolted.
Alright, Zane, you can do this. Just, go. If anything comes at you, go hurricane on it and run.' He thought, trying to pump himself up. Okay: three, two, one.'
Nothing. He just stood there at the corner. Maybe again.
` Three, two, one.'
Zane sighed as he remained stationary. He was about to count-down again when he heard another creak, closer than any of the previous.
Okay, no count-down needed.
Zane bolted for the staircase and jumped over the side. He willed the air around him to slow his movement and landed in the lounge doorway, just footsteps away from the portal. As he ran to the entrance, a heavy mass knocked him to the floor.
He look around for his assailant. Dazed, he thrusted the crystal out in front of him. A pulse went out from his body and into the crystal, illuminating it with bright white light.
Zane hurriedly looked over the room again. His eyes grew wide and he gasped when he saw it.
About two and a half feet long and maybe one and a half-feet tall stood a creature he'd dreamt about. His eyes traced along its rigid spine where wings flapped restlessly.
An blood-orange, dachshund sized dragon vibrated with playful energy at the door.
` Dear God.....'
Coop and Dom had known each other for years. They had been best friends through elementary school, friends and teammates in middle school, and had grown apart to acquaintances in high school, even though they had tried dating in sophomore year. Lasted a week. They liked different things for the most part, and Dom was usually a pretty cocky prick. Coop was gay and Dom was bi, but they both knew Dom got around with the guys a whole lot more than with the ladies. However, despite Dom's jocky appearance and dominant lifestyle, he happened to be an insatiable bottom in the sheets. Coop could never forget their conversation about this during the week they had been together.
` So how do u like it in bed?' Coop had texted Dom late at night, horny as all get out.
` Lets just say i pitch in the streets but catch in the sheets. ; p'
` I feel like ive seen that in a movie.'
` Whatevs! totes original'
` Whatevs... whore.... ; )'
Yeah, that's pretty much how the conversation went. And even though their short relationship had never culminated into sexual contact, Coop had been dying to get his hands on Dom's beautiful body forever.
Coop,on the other hand, had been a top every time he'd had sex and he loved it. The experience he'd had with guys thus far had led him to believe he was really good at it too.
This all went through Coop's head as he dragged Dom into a bedroom by his shirt, wanting to taste his lips again. Their lips crashed together as their hands roamed each other's bodies. Coop's tongue lashed into Dom's mouth, skillfully drawing a moan from Dom. He quickly pulled Dom's shirt off and made sure his was soon to follow as he sat on the tall bed with Dom standing between his legs.
"Fuck, what happened to you?" Dom asked, breaking the contact Coop was dying for.
` Shit, he must see that bruise I got from that gryphon...'
"What?" Coop asked when he found that the bruise had already healed.
"Your body is so... muscular now. When do you work out?" Dom asked, running his hand down Coop's chest and tracing a finger over one of Coop's nipples. Coop drew in a breath as he formulated a response.
"I just, get a lot of natural exercise." He said, unbuckling his belt and shoving his jeans down. "Now, do you want to do something useful with that mouth besides talk?" He smirked when Dom eyed the bulge in his black Calvin Klein's. Dom quickly discarded his own jeans before kneeling in front of Coop.
It was true, Legendary duty had given Coop the body everyone wished they had. He had always been thin, but given all the work he'd been doing regularly, his chest had grown a little, his biceps were now significantly larger, and there was even a trace of a six-pack on his stomach.
Being a super-powerful being had its physical perks...
Coop's thoughts were brought back to the present when he felt Dom's fingers massaging his length through the material. He moaned and thrusted into Dom's hand even more.
"Eager, are we?" Dom asked, squeezing Coop's cock even more. Coop moaned again and pushed his waistband down to reveal the biggest boner he'd probably ever had. It had to be at least seven and a half inches. Dom looked into Coop's eyes with lust and licked his lips before wrapping them around Coop's cock.
Coop moaned in pleasure and bucked his hips to match Dom's rhythm. The room was soon filled with the sounds of slurping and moaning and Coop knew he couldn't last for much longer the way Dom's tongue was moving around his cock. With a final thrust into Dom's mouth, Coop pulled him off his cock and crashed their lips together once more as Coop's hands made quick work of Dom's 2xist trunks.
"Coop, I really need that inside of me..." Dom breathily whispered into Coop's mouth between kisses.
"I know, baby. Two seconds."
Coop pulled the prepared bottle of lube from the bedside table and squeezed some onto his fingers. Coop pulled Dom to the bed on top of him so the shorter teenager could straddle him, never pulling their lips away from each other.
Coop applied some of the lube to Dom's hole and gently pushed two fingers in. Dom may be used to this, but he didn't just want to push the whole length of his cock in without making sure.
"Shouldn't take long, Coop. I came prepared tonight." Dom whispered, pulling away to unwrap a condom and apply it to Coop's length. "I think I'm ready."
"If you're sure." Coop huskily responded as Dom began to sit on his cock.
Immediately, the tightness consumed the majority of his cock and Coop's hands gripped Dom's waist tighter from the pleasure.
"God, how are you so tight?" Coop asked as his hips began to thrust upward into Dom. The short teen just smirked back and rocked up and down on Coop's length. Coop continued to match thrust for thrust, panting and whispering expletive after dirty expletive to Dom.
"Mmm, keep talking like that and you'll have me coming in no time, baby."
"Yeah, you like that? Ahh, keep riding that cock, babe. Come on, bounce on it! Fucckk..."
"Oh, damn, Coop..."
Coop's hand found it's way to Dom's cock, a sturdy seven inches itself, and began to jerk it, matching the speed of their own thrusts. Dom threw his head back in ecstasy.
"Oh, fuck, Coop. Oh, yeah. Fuck my ass, come on!"
"You've got it coming, Dom. Oh, yeah! You like my cock in that ass? Huh?" Coop asked plunging in deeper and deeper.
"Ohhh, yeah! Fuck! That's it! That's the spot!"
Coop smirked and continued in powerful thrusts now that he'd found Dom's spot.
"Mmmhmm, just a little longer, baby..." Dom moaned, leaning into Coop's thrusts. He opened his eyes and met Coop's. Coop's free hand grabbed the back of Dom's neck and pulled his down for another mind-blowing kiss.
A final thrust made Dom throw his head back again as his cock began to explode.
"OHH FUCK! That's it! Come on, that's it!!"
Dom released seven jets of thick cream onto Coop's chest and slowly stopped rocking on Coop's cock. Dom sat for a moment with Coop still inside him to recover.
"Fuck, Coop. That was amazing." He whispered. Coop opened his mouth to speak, but Dom hushed him with his fingers and began to rock back and forth on his length again.
"Let's take care of you, huh?"
It wasn't long before they matched their previous speed, and Dom was in a determined state. He squeezed his muscles around Coop's cock and gyrated his hips to the point where Coop couldn't stand it anymore.
"Oh, yeah, babe. I'm gonna come real soon. Damn!" Coop whispered hoarsely. He rocked another once, twice, three times and his cock exploded into the condom.
"Ahh! Fuck! Oh, yeah. Ahhhhh!" Coop cried, thrusting violently into Dom. Dom felt the condom filling to the brim, filling his hole even more.
Dom lifted himself from Coop's physique and fell onto the bed beside him, both panting and covered in cum.
"Damn, Coop, we need to do this more often."
"Ha, we'll see. Your ass sure is fine, though..."
"What can I say?" Dom asked, sighing. "Damn, I'm almost tempted to just spend the night here. You wore me out..."
"Yeah, that does sound nice. I don't even have to go home....oh shit!"
"What?" Dom asked, confused as Coop leaped of the bed. He gathered his clothes quickly and began to dress.
"I'm supposed to be...uh... babysitting, or something... I just gotta go..."
"Babysitting? It's like, four in the morning!"
"Yeah, I'm in trouble. I'll, uh, see you around!" Coop called over his shoulder as he ran from the room zipping his jeans and pulling a shirt over his head, leaving Dom alone on the bed.
Dominic Eller watched Coop go, confused and really, really tired.
` What the fuck?' He thought as he fell back onto the bed.
Most of the partying had stopped when Coop left the house in a disheveled state. His hair, no longer styled, stuck up all over his head. His clothes were wrinkled and his body smelled like sex.
Coop would say this was a successful night. He briskly walked into the chilly December air. He hadn't driven to the party but left his Jeep at school. Figures Rose and Sean left him. No matter, he didn't usually drive most places anyway. Why drive when you can fly?
He pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time. He rolled his eyes and grunted when he saw not only that it was two-thirty in the morning, but he had three missed calls from Zane, a missed call from his mother, and two texts from Tori.
` Shit...' he thought. He opened the texts and the first read:
` Coop, may have found something in Smokies. Staying for 3 more days. Watch Zane. Keep safe.'
Well, he had seen that coming. Extra time with Zane was always something to look forward to. Even though, this put them barely back in time for Christmas Eve...He looked to the second.
` Coop. Picking up strange energy patterns up here. Watch your backs at home.'
Okay, cryptic much. He knew Tori liked to hear herself talk, but Coop guessed she liked to see her own texts too. He decided to text her back in the morning.
Next, he decided to call Zane back. The kid must be worried about him. The phone connected and immediately gave the busy signal. That's strange.
It wasn't like Zane to be on the phone at four-thirty.
He tried again. Still, no answer. The way this was adding up, it couldn't be good...
Deciding to abandon his car for the night, Coop sprung into the air, flying towards the Heart Estate.
"Okay, easy, fella." Zane whispered easing towards the creature with caution. "Shit, how did you get out? And did you do this to the lights?"
The creature blinked up at him, his wings flapping excitedly. Zane tilted his head in wonderment, only to be mimicked by the creature. He started laughing at the dragon, amused by this notion. The dragon opened its mouth and made a sound like it was choking on something. Zane looked to the dragon in panic, moving to its side, though when he did this, the dragon sobered up and looked to Zane with wide eyes. The and creature looked to each other, as though pondering the other's existence.
"Were you...laughing?" Zane asked, beginning to smile. Hearing his voice again, the dragon opened its mouth to make the same noise. Zane, now laughing himself, reached down to touch the creature on its forehead.
"You guys are so strange," he decided, "but I love it." The dragon nuzzled into his touch but then tensed, his head reeling towards the front door. Zane jumped when the door came off its hinges with a loud crash.
Immediately, three figures rushed into the room. They held bright lights in front of them, only allowing Zane to see their silhouettes as he dove sideways into the parlor, hoping he hadn't been seen. Taking shelter behind the couch, he listened.
"Just like he said, no one's here. Left them a trail in Tennessee, the whole family's gone." Came a gruff voice. Gruff, but definitely human, Zane decided.
"Yeah, but still, you'd think there'd be a little more security to this place. Maybe Charles Heart has started to lose his grip." Came another voice.
"Quiet, you two," bellowed the third voice. "We don't know if there is anything else. But, I suggest you two try and find that opening to the pocket dimension so we can report for back up. And keep your eyes open. There might be more security to this place than you think." The other two men grunted. The first man began to walk upstairs and the... leader, maybe, began to walk opposite the parlor, towards the library and kitchen. The man who spoke second walked into the parlor.
Zane had only moments to think. These men had somehow cut the power and broken through the protective enchantments on the gate. They managed to cross the estate grounds without match and force their way into the house. The weapons they held in their hands looked somewhat familiar- perhaps the same design as the energy weapons agents of the Company possessed? Either way, there were three armed men in the house and more were possibly coming.
Zane was startled out of his thoughts as he heard the floor just a few feet away creak. Only the couch and a few paces separated Zane and one of the men. Zane, did however, have the darkness on his side, as well as home field advantage. When the man's light went to the opposite side of the room, Zane willed his power to rise as he floated to the top of the room. His back now parallel with the ceiling, he levitated above the man, waiting for the next move. Even though the other two were somewhere else in the house, Zane didn't dare to make too much noise, for fear of notifying them. It was then Zane remembered the dragon. Where had it gone? Zane quickly scanned the room trying to catch glimpse of its orange hide, or see its tail skirting around a corner. No such luck.
Zane was practically weaponless. He had not found the potion stock Tori had told him about and he did not know where he could locate a weapon without going into Millennium Hall. All he had were his powers, but he did not want to draw attention by creating a tropical storm in the parlor. Breathing, he felt a calmness come over himself.
Zane, breath. You know what you can do. You are not alone. His own voice came to his mind, but much older. Though he was not entirely used to this experience, he knew this to be Zephyr. With newfound stability, Coop floated down towards the man. He softly landed on the carpet behind him, extended his arms. The man swiftly turned feeling the breeze. He almost had time to notify his accomplices before Zane acted.
"Palms of Set: Lightning!" He whispered slamming his open hands onto the man's chest. Zane caught the man with effort as he slumped. He knew that he would not awaken for some time; the man had received more voltage than a taser on its high setting.
Zane managed to get the man on the couch before looking around again. He jumped when his new dragon friend came scrambling around the corner in a flash of orange. He sighed in relief but looked as the dragon kept nudging its head towards to foyer, growling. Zane was unexpectedly blinded, caught in one of the lights of the men.
"Vince! Look what I found!" He heard the voice behind the light say before being blasted off his feet by an energy blast from the same man. Zane groggily heard the third man come running as he attempted to sit up.
"What kept you?"
"Got caught up in some spider web. Doesn't matter. Well, well, guess they left the brat behind. He'll be pleased to hear that. You keep on him, I'll call for backup."
"What do you want?" Zane managed to croak out, finally sitting up. The second man closed the space between himself and the younger boy. Zane groaned when the man's boot-clad foot met his face, a sickening crunch coming with it.
"Don't you worry, sonny. We'll get you taken care of just soon enough." The man laughed.
"That won't be happening." Zane managed to hear a voice before both the men in the foyer clutched their heads, screaming in pain. The young Legendary scrambled to his feet, with difficulty, mind ready to try and attack again.
A figure walked through the darkness of the fractured doorframe and stepped into the foyer. The dragon met the figure with quiet growls as if prepared to attack the intruder.
A light caught in the figure's hands; a fireball. Zane looked up the defined physique to find Coop's face, serious and observant.
"Oh, thank God...Coop! What the hell are you doing?" Zane bellowed, throwing his arms around Coop's neck for a close hug. The fireball in Coop's hand extinguished as he held the smaller boy close.
"Zane, what's going on?" He asked, concern evident in his voice. Zane drew back and hit Coop on the shoulder.
"Ow!" Coop drew back, feigning pain.
"You would know if you had come earlier, prick! The power went out, there was something following me around the house, and I had no way to reach you!"
"The power.... someone following... what the hell? What about these guys? Where did they come from? Is your nose okay?"
"Okay, well, I don't really know how to explain the power, or the guys, but this is what was following me." Zane said, shining the illuminated crystal's light toward the dragon. Or, where the dragon used to be...
"Shit." Zane muttered.
"What are you talking about, Zane?"
"Alright, look, there was a dragon loose in the house..."
"A what!? A dragon? Are you sure you're okay, where did it go?" Coop nervously asked, his eyes fleeting first to Zane, then around the room.
"No, it was a baby dragon, like an adolescent. It's from Millennium Hall, one of the few we have in the creature habitats. It was just snooping..."
"I had forgotten about the habitats... but, Zane, how did it get loose? And where did it go?"
"That, my friend, is a good question. It obviously came from Millennium Hall, but I don't know how. Or where it went."
"Alright, well, if the dragon got loose, no telling what else is down there... Wait, where's Guiliano?" Zane opened his mouth to answer, then closed it quickly.
"You know... I don't know. I haven't seen him since dinner..."
"He wouldn't just leave without telling you, though. And the defenses should have stopped these guys from getting in..."
"Great! So now he's missing, too!" Zane said, throwing his arms in the air.
"Calm down, bro," Coop said, rolling his eyes, "let's just get to Millennium Hall and see what's up. If we're lucky, we'll find Guiliano down there with an explanation for for all this. God, when did I become the rational one?"
"Why is it, that even when we're in the middle of nowhere we still manage to attract supernatural attention?" Charles Heart wondered aloud while applying a bandage to his bleeding knee.
"Well, you're a powerful wizard and I'm a Legendary. You would think that demons could wait until a decent hour in the morning, though." Tori responded, checking her auburn hair in a hand mirror to ensure she looked somewhat presentable. Charles grunted in agreement.
"What time is it anyway?"
"Six thirty." Charles groaned and rolled his head back.
"Well, once we get all this cleaned up, we should start up the mountain."
"It just doesn't make sense, though, does it? I mean I know we don't know where that mage is from, but how did he train up a massive force and facilitate everything in California from a mountain range in Tennessee?" Tori asked, gathering her few belongings from her tent?
"Well, from our intel, he didn't. Tell me, Tori, how long do you think our mystery mage has been practicing?"
"Well... even though he's amped up from his more-than-likely Dimension Twelve benefactors, his knowledge and skill implies that he's been practicing for quite some time. Even though we can't go by how old he looks, if he's in his late twenties, he would have been practicing since he was a young child."
"Exactly. But from what we've gathered, he's only been practicing for two years. And he started here."
"Ah... I see how that could draw attention from the Company. But did he have a teacher? How did he start?"
"That's what we're here to find out."
The warm light coming from the fireball Coop had conjured illuminated the unusually dark hallway of Millennium Hall. The expected ethereal light that the magical pocket dimension usually emitted by itself was now nonexistent. Coop led Zane down the hallway, reaching out with his senses ahead of him, trying to sense any danger. Once they had reached Millennium Hall, Zane took Coop"s hand that wasn't maintaining the ball of fire. For a kid who could produce localized hurricanes, he didn't seem all too brave right now. His new friend, the dragon, was also in tow, creeping just along side Zane, but also, as if purposefully, bringing up the rear.
"Why isn't it all lit up like usual?" Zane asked, his voice a slight whisper. His nose had already taken to healing, though blood was still all down his shirt. Coop just shook his head, still looking down the hallway. It was unusually vacant. The workers who worked for the Company should still be present. The night shift should be there, anyway. But Coop could not sense another human mind in the rest of the facility. He could feel the other living creatures, though. And he hoped they were all from the Center for Extradimensional Life. If anything else was wondering around that wasn't their own fauna or flora, they may have a lot of unexpected problems on their hands.
The two Legendaries finally reached the door to the War Room. Zane waved his diamond set ring over the door and it whirred open. Darkness was the only thing that met them. Coop walked through the threshold first, trying to make anything out with the light that came from his right hand. He dropped Zane's hand and held his hands over one another. Immediately, the fireball began to grow, but Zane noticed it changing shape, too. A few moments later, Coop released a flying bird of flame into the air that hovered to the top of the room, circling to give them light.
"Impressive, Coop." Zane muttered, admiring the miniature phoenix in flight. Coop chuckled.
"Thanks, squirt. Let's see if we can see figure out what's going on, huh?"
They walked to the control panel in the middle of the room. The dragon had its eyes glued to the circling phoenix, vibrating excitedly. Where Coop would normally expect to see people at computer stations and workers bustling around the room with tablets and files and images hovering in midair, Coop saw the workers slumped all over the place, covered in a thin white membrane. They were sleeping.
"Here, I can access the cameras, maybe find something..." Zane said walking over to the control panel.
"Good thing you can. All these buttons have always confused me." Coop smirked, placing a hand on Zane's shoulder. The younger teen almost moved away from the hand, but eased into the contact.
` That's progress,' Coop thought.
"Alright, here's footage from about right after dinner around twelve." Zane said, rolling a ball near the middle of the console to scroll through the footage. But all seemed normal. Workers were in place, Millennium Hall was clearly occupied. But, without any prompting, the agents seemed to fall asleep, one-by-one. Zane scanned the rest of the cameras. "Yup. It seems at eleven fifty-seven all of our employees decided to take a nap. Three minutes later, the whole facility is plunged into darkness."
"Okay, this is obviously fishy. Did the cameras pick up anything else after that? I mean, it's been nearly four hours."
"Well, with the power seemingly cut only minutes after everything went dark, no."
"Can you pick up anything that might be relevant before the cameras shut off? Any intruders or... anything?" Coop asked hopefully. Zane began to shake his head.
"There's nothing. Besides even if the employees fell asleep, there's no way anything else could have gotten in. There's practically no way anyone, or anything, else could have come into the facility." He said scanning the screen again.
"That still doesn't expla-"
"Oh, look at this!" Zane squeaked. He had changed the camera setting to something Coop didn't recognize. The screen was now a purple hue, though everything else the camera picked up seemed normal. "This is a filter. It's used to pick up any kind of magic or energy patterns. Look, at exactly eleven fifty-nine and fifty-eight seconds..."
Coop saw it. A wave or pink energy rippled through the walls and into the camera. Then everything went dark.
"So we're dealing with an energy or magic wave... but nothing happened to you?"
"Well, I didn't really feel anything, I guess, but that's when the power went out. I was asleep, but not too long after that I found this guy and then those guys blasted in."
"Well, it's obviously not a coincidence..." Coop muttered.
` Dad, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep them at bay...' Tori telepathically told her father, wincing as attacks hit a bright blue wall of energy separating Tori and her father from a diverse pack of demons. The protected cave the Hearts had managed to magically break into had not been easy to secure. They had to cross an enchanted river which had produced an extremely angry water guardian. Tori had to cross a chasm to drop a bridge for her father, only to find glaring vespars, flying demonic bats. Finally, they had reached the chamber where an obsidian wall of stone and characters written on the wall gleamed in purple light. Only moments after her father began to decipher what was written on the walls had the attack begun.
"Alright, come on, I'm finished." He said, shoving a book into a satchel he had hanging from his shoulder. He procured a small pouch from the satchel and took a handful of glowing white sand from it. "Moveterium a per area discada." He whispered, throwing the dust over himself and his daughter. Tori dropped her shield, expecting to open her eyes and be somewhere else. When she was thrown from her feet by the blast of a wind spirit, she called for her father.
"Dad, we can't teleport out. We'll have to fight!" Charles, who was on his feet at once, began furiously throwing energy balls towards the demons.
Tori lost track of her father as she moved in and out of the demons towards the end of the passage. She was down the next passage and almost to the mouth of the cave when she heard her father cry out in pain. "Damn it... Exe movetio!" Tori shouted, a wave of invisible energy knocking a harpy off of her father. "You alright, dad?" She called, taking her dagger and slashing through a stunned flying snake.
"Tori, we have to finish these guys!"
"Fine, get down! Pollentia subrigo! Deleo omne: Might of Hecate!" Tori cried, a bright purple surge of energy pulsed from her. Charles, who had shielded his eyes, did not see the remaining few demons burst into dust. Tori slumped to the cave's ground as exhaustion hit her.
"Well done, that was very impressive, Tori. You alright?" Charles asked as he moved to her. She merely nodded.
"That was... it took a lot." She whispered. Charles nodded and took his daughter into his arms, carrying her from the cave. "This was, quite obviously, a trap." He began. "But, I think the mage has given us more information than he had planned. And he obviously did not expect us to leave the cave."
"What did the writing say?"
"Nothing good. But I can't be positive until I get all this back to Millennium Hall."
"Wait, dad. If all this was a trap, does that mean he knows we're not at home?" Tori asked, her hands around her father's neck. They both began to worry.
"You mean, does he know Zane is home alone." Charles realized, finally reaching the mouth of the cave. "That's not good..."(
"Chuck! It's about time you pick up your phone!" Coop teased into his iPhone.
"Coop, listen, are you with Zane?" Charles' strong voice came.
"Yeah, but weird shit is happening here. Is everything alright with you guys? You weren't answering for forever."
"Listen, we'll be home in twenty minutes. Are you at the estate? Are you safe?"
"Well... we're at the estate, but safe is something of a relative term..."
"What does that mean?"
"We'll just see you guys in a little while, huh?" Coop asked, giving a thumbs up sign to Zane. The younger teen sighed in relief. Once Coop finished on the phone, he looked around the dark, empty War Room one more time before motioning to Zane to head out. However, the taller Legendary did not expect Zane to wrap his arms around Coop's body in an embracing hug. Coop wrapped his arms around Zane, trying to comfort him.
"Don't worry, squirt. Charles and Tori will be here soon. We'll get this whole thing figured out." He whispered, tracing circles into Zane's back. Zane merely nodded and breathed in Coop's scent as the older teen continued to quell his fears.
When Tori and Charles landed in the foyer, they were immediately alarmed.
"Coop? Zane?" Tori called out into the darkness. Charles snapped his fingers expectantly, though looked disappointed when nothing happened.
"Well, that's never happened before. Something must have happened in Millennium Hall. The power is offline." He said before pointing his fingers, which crackled with energy, to resemble a gun towards the approaching sounds of scuffling feet. Tori also prepared an attack towards the sounds, but they both relaxed when Coop and Zane surfaced the darkness.
"Oh, thank gods," Charles said, rushing to the two teenage boys and enveloping them in an embrace.
"Coop, what happened?" Tori asked stroking Zane's hair.
"Hell if I know. I got here a little late and half of this crap had already gone down."
"Late? What does late mean?" Tori started before she was cut off by Zane.
"Yea, he was late, but that's not important right now. I was here for the whole thing. Not that I have much more information..." He recounted the entire tale, which elicited gasps from Tori and gritted teeth from Charles.
"So, someone managed to magically cut the power to the house and Millennium Hall and then get into the house. This is more serious than I thought."
"How is Millennium Hall? With the power out all the barriers are down. That means more than this guy are running around down there..." Tori inquired, pointing to the ever-excited dragon at Zane's feet.
"We didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but we didn't go past the War Room." Coop explained.
"Alright, we need a plan of action. Coop, you and Tori go down to Millennium Hall. Contain whatever else has escaped. Tori, once you've managed to at least hold some of them in, find the central power core and jumpstart it with Coop. Since you two have been Awakened, you'll have the power to give the whole thing an extra spark."
"What are you going to do?" Coop asked.
"Zane and I will go to the study. There are enough supplies in there that I can try and work this out without our resources from Millennium Hall." They all nodded with their new instructions. A growling sound from their feet brought their attention back to the dragon.
"What're we going to do about this thing?" Coop asked, pointing with his toe.
"I'm not quite sure, yet. However, he seems to have taken a liking to Zane. Until we figure all this out, perhaps it would be best he continue to accompany him, yes? Alright, you two go. And be careful."
Coop didn't really know what this containment thing was going to involve, but he wasn't too excited about it. He honestly didn't know much of what the Company had caged up in the Center for Extradimensional Life, but he knew there were many unfriendly things. Experimental demon hybrids, prisoners from other dimensions... not to mention the deadly plant life.
"Coop, our main goal is just to stun these things. We want to leave as much of it alive as we can. The Company has put a lot of money and research into these things." She explained, her hand outstretched with light.
"So does that mean I can't kill something if it comes at me like something from a horror flick. Or our lives, same thing..."
"Just... be gentle with something if you end up having to defend yourself."
They had stopped into the weapons room where Tori was once again retrieving unidentifiable tools from shelves, but he knew they would need them. As they rounded a corner, Tori's light fell upon a figure in the middle of the hall. The mass, which was covered in brown fur, heaved as though out of breath.
It's asleep,' Tori communicated with Coop. He nodded as she pulled a box the size of a cell phone from her pocket. She slid it across the floor before it surprisingly unfolded and light connected in a formation around the mass. As all the points connected, the light disappeared. It's an enchanted cage.' Tori informed him as they walked past the slumbering....
` Is this a werewolf?' Coop asked incredulously.
` Werebear, from the looks of it. We're lucky we didn't run into it when it was awake...'
Coop stared at the... wearbear as they walked by. He was constantly surprised by his new world. They continued to walk down hallway after hallway, the maze of Millennium Hall winding towards the power core. Luckily, they had only encountered minute problems along the way, easily being dispatched by Coop or Tori. However, as they stunned half of a coven of dangerously different vampires, Tori had more reason for concern.
"It's like they've been commanded to protect the power core. Like whatever knocked it out rewired their way of thinking." She muttered, paranoid of their next turn.
"So the fact that they're getting thicker as we approach isn't just coincidence, then?"
Tori, however did not have the chance to respond before a swarm of giant spiders came bristling down the hallway.
"Zane, can you tell me what is so special about December Twenty-first this year?" Charles asked once they were secure in the study. Zane racked his brain, but couldn't come to a conclusion. "We were all so blind to it, I'm ashamed to admit we've completely ignored a magical day like this.
"Today is the Winter Solstice. The day with the shortest amount of daylight in the entire year. However, to magicians, it is a day where the darkest magics can be summoned. A day where evil spirits roam and things that should not even be mentioned stir. This is how our enemy has attacked the estate and temporarily disabled Millennium Hall. As an indirect extension of the house, extremely powerful magic, like that of our enemy, would be able to paralyze our stronghold."
"You don't sound shocked or scared that they were able to do this, though." Zane said, not sure what to expect from the wizard.
"Well, as unexpected as it is, I'm only ashamed to admit that I was ignorant of this. However, I am not afraid of what this can yield, directly. By now, the white-haired mage will know that the three Legendaries and myself have returned to the manor. Pairing this with the soon reinstatement of Millennium Hall, we will not be able to be attacked, with good results on the enemy's part."
"But, we still don't know the reason behind the attack."
"No, we don't. But I'll be able to dig more directly and yield more results when Millennium Hall is functional again."
Once again, Charles began to dig into his translation of the runes from the cave wall, leaving Zane to his thoughts and to contemplate his next move with the dragon, who had come to sit on the couch with Zane.
"Zane, could you perhaps come and help me with this?" Charles asked, motioning for the teenager. Zane went to look over the man's shoulder. "Yes, let's see here... follow me, will you?" He asked as his fingers crossed over the transcriptions.
` A...man born of... hmm, powerful, maybe?"
"Magical." Zane interrupted.
"Ah, yes magical." Charles muttered, scribbling the word into his notes. The boy's knowledge never stopped surprising him. He'd only had weeks to study his runes and was almost more fluent the the middle-aged wizard. "Alright, ` A man born of magical blood... family torn... apart, yes? Yes, a family torn apart... born with evil things...'?"
"No, born TO DO evil."
"Ah. Alright, ` born to do evil things. Born only with a heart of evil, the darkness takes him. He shall help... something the legends... I can't quite make out..."
"Destroy. He shall help destroy the Legendaries. Once and for all." Zane finished. "How much stock can we put in this?" He asked cautiously.
"Well, let's look to the signature, shall we?" Charles asked. "It says, ` Thus saith the Kings of Demons.' Ah well, that could mean anyone. Back in the Dark Ages there were different kings, than even in the time after Rome. The Kings of the Realm change frequently since there is always a struggle for power in that dimension."
"But Charles, there are specific markings here. What about these three." Charles looked at the inscription.
"Oh... that's no good."
"Kresnik's Flame: Spark of Death!" Coop shouted, sparks flying from his hands. The remaining two acromantulas exploding with flame from the inside out. "What the fuck are giant spiders doing down here?" Coop raised his voice to Tori.
"The hell if I know, Coop. We've never raised or bred them. We've never captured them. But they looked small...almost as if they just hatched."
"Just hatched? Tori, one of them easily tackled me to the ground. They must have had a five foot diameter!"
"Well, once we get the power back on, they won't be nearly as difficult to find or fight. They nest in the dark."
"I might not want the power back on if I'm going to find some more of those things..."
"Alright here's the door. No telling what's lurking on the other side." Tori whispered. "Ready?" She asked, though she did not wait for a response before she waved her amethyst ring over the door. There was a moment's hesitation before the door hissed open.
The pair walked through a hallway into a room with glass walls. Or windows, as Coop noticed, looking again. Tori made a motion and her light floated through the glass to illuminate the rest of the room. Outside what Coop now saw as the control booth, was a single white column in the center of a large circular room.
"Alright, well, it doesn't look as if anything is going to pop out at us. Let's go, shall we?"
She muttered a spell under her breath as the door to a walkway hissed open. The two walked across the walkway to the central column. Here, the pathway split so workers could walk around the column.
"Okay," Tori whispered, walking to the other side. "All we have to do is channel some of our power into the core."
"Oh, that's easy enough." Coop said, igniting a fireball.
"No!" Tori exclaimed, sending a wave of magic to extinguish the flame. "It has to be pure, Legendary power. You need to focus and channel the Phoenix, as I must channel the Darkening."
"Alright... how do we do that?"
"Just...focus..." She said, closing her eyes and breathing intentionally.
"What is it, Charles?"
"I've seen these names. I don't remember the exact names, but we can translate them easily enough. Regardless, there is another prophecy about these kings. They were the rulers during the Darkness. The time when they supposedly defeated the Legendaries. Apparently, there was a rift among the Legendaries and the Demon Kings were able to hunt them down in two and threes and destroy them. If the Legendaries had been united, it would have been almost impossible. But, separated, they were able to be destroyed. Now, as you know the Legendaries cannot actually be destroyed but their essences were dispersed across the universes and dimensions. Races that were not demons had to learn to survive for a thousand years without the protection of their guardians."
"But these three Kings were ages ago, then? Why do they matter now?"(
"Because it was they who went beyond all evil before. They reigned gloriously for a millennia and a half. But the Legendaries had assembled unbeknownst to the the Kings. After a battle that raged for a decade, the Kings were banished, dispersed just as the Legendaries had been. But they vowed to come again, just like the Legendaries had. Only powerful beings can be directly reformed, though the Legendaries knew it would be a very long time until they could. Over the millennia, the Legendaries have had their avatars find the Demon Kings as they reformed and destroy of them what they can. However, the prophecy states that under times of great duress would the Kings rise again. Now, we can only guess what that means, but it has been my guess that it means war."
"Like a world war?" Zane asked, catching on.
"Or two." Charles noted. "If these names are what I think, and I pray they are not, we may have found the benefactors of our white haired friend."
"But, as disastrous as those wars were, could there have been so much chaos to resurrect three beings of pure chaos?"
"I'm not sure, though it would be easier for them to reform in Dimension Twelve... Help me decipher these names." Charles said, reopening his book of runes.
"Let's see... that's a ` D' and it's followed by the sign for... chaos."
"Dyxtella. The Queen of Chaos."
"And this one says... is it Vetis?"
"Vetis, King of the Five Elements."
"And this one... It has an ` A' followed by... life?"
"Apollyon. King of Life. It was an oxymoron as he caused so much death."
"So what does this mean?"
"It means we...." Charles began with a heavy expression. However, at that moment the lights came flickering back on. "Ah, I see Coop and Tori have not failed us, once again. Let's go meet them, shall we?" He asked ushering Zane quickly from the room.
` Father, I have the probes and automatons cleaning everything up and putting creatures in their cells again.'
` Excellent, good job. I'll meet you in the parlor.'
Charles and Zane rushed down the stairs as Coop and Tori came from Millennium Hall.
"Dad, did you get the runes figured out?" Tori asked, snapping her protective armor away. She had changed into a pair of yoga pants and a large t-shirt. Zane had not been wearing his armor, but Coop followed suit. He also took a seat on one of the couches.
"Well, it might take some more figuring out..." He said quickly looking to Zane to quiet him.
"Do you think the house is safe? I mean the power is back on and you checked the enchantments, but should we look around anyway?" Zane asked.
"I can do a quick scan." Coop said
"Tori, will you spell these men to the brig in Millennium Hall? I can have them interrogated once they have been revived. Bravo to you two for your incapacitation skills." Charles noted. Coop rose from the couch and briskly covered the parlor and foyer and was into the dining room. The four humans abruptly stopped in their tracks when they heard a small growling.
Zane was the first to find the source: the dragon. The others' quickly found the dragon as well. It was at the bottom of the stairwell which split the end of the foyer in two. It quickly began to back away from the stairs and into the parlor, never ceasing its growling.
"What is it?" Zane asked the creature. It had begun to raise its head all the while backing to where Zane stood. Once its gaze had reached the ceiling it opened its mouth in a ferocious roar despite its size. The four humans followed its gaze before Tori screamed.
Wrapped around the chandelier of the foyer was a gargantuan spider in its massive web.
Coop and Tori immediately shifted back into their armor as the eight-foot-wide acromantula lurched, bringing half of the ceiling down with it. Its hairy body landed in the middle of the foyer, separating Coop from the rest of the group.
"Uhh.. Tori!?" He began floating in the air when the spider advanced toward him.
"It's the queen. She's been nesting in the dark."
Suddenly a sickeningly sweet voice penetrated all their minds.
Oh, children. How naive you are.' It began as laughter thick as honey followed. I'm not just a queen. I am Teotihuacan, the great goddess of arachnids.'
"What do we do?" Yelped Zane, who had finally transformed into his armor.
Children!' Came the calm thoughts of Charles. You must distract it while Tori and I prepare the spell to stun and then banish her.' More of the laughter came.
` You cannot stop me. Though I would enjoy seeing you try...'
Coop, who found himself surprisingly up to the challenge, felt his eyes flash with fire before a spear of flame appeared in his hand. He flung it at the beast, as he flew across the room to meet Zane who was now also in the air. Coop expected to hear a wail of pain, but only more laughter followed.
` Feeble attempts from the Phoenix. I expected more.' Coop stumbled as he was not used to having HIS mind penetrated against his will. Zane covered for Coop and barrage of focused air towards the giant beast. The blast hit the spider who toppled only to flip sideways back to its feet and began to scurry towards the two Legendaries.
Coop and Zane stood in the doorway to the parlor where Charles and Tori had taken to chanting, their hands linked. The two Legendaries did not know what to expect of the large arachnid when it charged, but suddenly, out of its pincers came a dark beam of energy. The attack caught Coop directly in the shoulder and sent him soaring across the parlor over the heads of the chanting magicians.
"Thor's Might: Lightning!" A hammer of pure electricity formed in his hand and he swung around with excessive momentum. The hammer caught Teotihuacan and the spider flung off all its eight feet and crashed through a wall separating the foyer and dining room.
"Coop, you good?" Zane asked, spinning the hammer of power in his hand, ready for another blow. Coop rose from the ground, levitating as flame swirled around him.
"Yeah, you're good." The younger teenager whispered, looking between the goddess and Legendary of Flame.
"Guys, keep it up!" Tori shouted over the excitement before immediately resuming chanting. In the space the chandelier once occupied a white vortex of energy had begun to form. The overbearing laughter in their heads came again.
` You fools! You only delay the inevitable!' She advanced on Zane, but Coop was too fast. He flung his hands toward the beast and all the flame followed.
"Vulcan's Wrath!" The flame spiraled down, spinning into the giant spider. A cry came from the beast, extremely painful for all to hear. Zane fell to his knees, the cry too terrible to hear.
Coop landed on the floor once again and walked to the arachnid, prepared to deliver a crippling blow. As he raised his hand once more, the spider, with much agility, leapt upon Coop pinning him to the floor. Its massive abdomen crushed his right leg, a crunching sound filling the room. The power Coop had in his grasp extinguished as he cried in pain. Zane ran forward, hammer raised. The spider saw this, too and with a flick of its eight eyes, Zane went soaring across the room from a shot of what could only be described as web. He stuck to the wall where he landed, apparently unconscious. The dragon, which had until this point only been watching, rushed forward when Zane was attacked. It darted between the spider's legs, ferociously biting where it could. However, the spider merely flicked a leg and the dragon crashed through the staircase. The spider giggled, once more. Once, again, unbearably, Coop heard Teotihuacan's voice ring through his mind.
` It must be hard for you, Champion of Mind, to be impressed upon so...' She thought, laughing once again.
The vortex above them continued to grow stronger, though Tori was losing concentration knowing both of her friends had been defeated.
` Why don't you stay here while I take care of the witches, hmmm? I'll start with them anyway, magic always makes a great appetizer. So, you will stay, yes?' She impressed upon him. Immediately, his vision went blank and from the darkness came many more eight-legged beasts.
Tori, who saw all this happening, began to release the strain.
"Dad, can you take it for two minutes?" She asked, slowly placing more of the spell's weight on him. He grunted but nodded, continuing to chant.
` Ah, so the witch comes to challenge me. I've always had a loathing for you witches.' The spider said, inching towards Tori.
"Then you should despise me. After all, I created magic, and it shall be your end!"
Tori released a volley of energy, taking the goddess by surprise. While the beast was distracted, she sent a jet of flame to catch the web Zane was caught in. She quickly sent a mental jolt towards the youngest, shocking him awake. "Zane! Help!" She shouted, the arachnid once again advancing on her. Tori raised her arm to erect a shield to deflect the bolts of power from the goddess.
Zane took a moment to gather himself before mustering power.
"Marzanna's Chill!" He threw his hands forward as a cloud of ice formed over the spider, below the vortex. Icicles rained down on the arachnid, eliciting another painful screech from the spider. At this point, Charles groaned under the strain of the spell.
"Tori, help me finish it!"
` Coop!' Tori mentally stabbed.
But Coop was in a dark world of Teotihuacan's creating. He could barely keep up with the acromantulas advancing on him. He sent fire after flame at them, though it hardly seemed to be doing anything. He did hear, though, the faint whisper of a girl he knew, shouting his name...
` Clever little Legendaries, think they've got me expelled. You're not there yet.' Came the sweet voice again. She sent another blast of dark energy towards Zane, who caught himself in the air. As he corrected himself the goddess charged towards the chanting magicians. Zane barely had enough time to think before shouting.
"Winds of Aeolus! Thicken!" The arachnid was feet away from Charles and Tori when it hit a wall of solid air. Though the wall felt thick enough, Zane felt a stab of pain in his heart when the mass of the spider fell against it.
` Coop! Get up!' Zane sent to his incapacitated friend.
*Cooper Storm, you must arise from this haze!'*A voice much like his own reached Coop's mind as he struggled with the remaining spiders.
` What's going on?' Coop asked who he knew to be the Phoenix.
Teotihuacan has bewitched you into your own mind. You must rise against her mental throes!
` But... the acromantulas!' Coop said, sending more fire into the darkness.
*Coop, see with eyes of true sight!'*The Phoenix beckoned, a voice of truth ringing.
Coop was brought from his stupor and paralyzation instantly. He tried to rise, though his leg quickly reminded him that might be impossible. He lifted himself telekinetically and saw Zane struggling to keep the giant acromantula at bay.
Tori, are you almost done?' He asked. She merely nodded and gestured towards the thick vortex. Alright then, Zane, with me!' He sent out. Zane nodded, as though reading Coop's mind and flew to hover beside his friend.
"Flame of Rah!"
"Gust of Amun!"
The voices rang in unison as the spider was caught in a moving of vortex of wind and fire. The spiral carried the goddess into the middle of the foyer once again, where the white vortex had been spinning mercilessly.
Charles and Tori had stopped chanting and the young witch now walked forward to address the spider. Tori, Zane, and Coop now stood in a triangle around the beast.
"Goddess! Demon! I name you Teotihuacan and I banish you from this plane!"
"With the power of the Darkening-"
"-the Zephyr-"
"-and the Phoenix,"
"We banish you from our dimension. Tell your Kings we grow in power and in might and none shall bow before them! Propulso supernum!"
The spider wailed once more as the vortex pulled the dust the beast was becoming into the void. All at once, the wind stopped, the fire died, and the vortex ceased.
Deafening silence filled the room as the three teenagers looked to one another.
"Let's just... take a day off tomorrow, yeah, guys?" Zane asked, collapsing onto the stairs. Tori just smirked as Coop limped to sit beside him.
"I think you three have earned it..." Charles said, walking forward to place a hand on his daughter's shoulder. He looked extremely weary. After all, this middle-aged wizard had just pulled an almost twenty-four hour shift using magic much of that time.
"What time is it?' He asked his daughter again.
"It's seven in the morning." She said, looking out one of the smashed windows at the sunrise. A small gargle came from the crashed space between the carpeted stairs. Coop reached in telekinetically and lifted the small dragon from underneath.
"You were very brave..." Zane said, admiring the beast. Charles stepped forward to touch the beast but the dragon whipped its head around and growled. "He doesn't have to go back to Millennium Hall, does he?"
"Well, I'm not entirely sure that's even possible at this point." Charles began. "He's taken quite a liking to you, it seems."
"But is that even a thing?" Coop asked, confused.
"Well, it is not unheard of that a demon can be swayed to good. This one hasn't ever been exposed to evil and it seems to be perfectly happy as a... well, pet."
"I can keep him!?"
"We'll have to monitor his growth and power status closely..." Charles started, but the rest fell on deaf ears. Zane picked up the dragon and was scratching him behind the ears, talking to it excitedly.
-Sir, Charles, do you copy?- A voice came from the intercom.
"Ah, it seems our staff has decided to awaken from their magical slumber. I'll just go see about some damage control, yes?"
"Dear Lord, what happened here?" Came a wizened voice from where the door, once upon a time, had once been hinged. Guiliano dropped several grocery bags as he surveyed the destruction of his employing family's home.
"Guiliano!" Zane smiled, his energy suddenly returning as the boy rushed across the foyer to envelop the butler in a hug.
"I do recall leaving a note that said I would be going to see my brother for the evening and return in time for breakfast. But it seems I may have missed quite a bit..."
Coop merely rolled his eyes as Charles chuckled.
"We'll fill you in over breakfast Guiliano." Charles said.
After the damage was repaired, breakfast eaten, and Guiliano filled in, the group began to disperse. Charles finally reappeared from Millennium Hall, after making sure nothing of the sort would ever happen again.
"We got a little lazy," Charles explained. "However, even though we forgot to add an extra enchantment or two, I also found a hole or two in our protection."
"Sabotage?" Tori inquired, surprised. Charles nodded.
"Our defenses were nothing like they should have been. However, I can only take the blame as I should have checked them before we left. The culprit, though, is still unknown."
"Well, father, it's not only you fault. It could just as easily be mine. But no matter, I can continue to monitor it personally."
"Thank you, Tori. Now, after more evaluation, it seems I must, unfortunately, bring some bad news. Zane helped me with the transcription from the cave's wall. Even though it has been translated, I'd like some more time to interpret some other possible meanings. I've also discovered that all of our databases were combed through when security was down. We can only assume the enemy has as much information as we do now, if not more."
"Okay, I know we agreed to take a day off, but what does that mean, Chuck?"
"It means, that we must double our efforts to find the avatars for the Tyros and the Tsunami. Once we have a complete circle of Legendaries, we will be fully prepared."
They all nodded grimly. "I should say, though, that all of you performed with skill and power far beyond anything I have ever seen today. You three are incredible. You banished an ancient goddess, dispersing her for another few millennia, I would venture to say. You have earned a brief respite."
"Amen to that..." Coop said, earning a satisfying eyeroll from Tori.
As Coop parked his Jeep in his own snow covered driveway, he swung his legs out, briefly wincing at the aches and pains rippling through his body. It had been a rough... day. Was that it? A day? Well, at least they were still alive... right?
A lively voice interrupted Coop from his thoughts.
"Hey, Coop!" The teenager looked across his yard to find Nik, the cute neighbor kid, shoveling his driveway. "Hey, I haven't seen you around much!"
"I know, dude! I've been pretty busy with school and stuff. My mom had been the Study Nazi so I can bring my grades up." Nik laughed at this.
"I can definitely relate. I didn't really- oh my gosh, is your face okay?" Nik asked brushing his fingers across Coop's cheek. The cheek in question must have been bruised even though Coop couldn't feel it. He did get a tingling sensation all through his body that had nothing to do with the cold when he felt the shorter teen's fingers across his cheek.
"Uhh, yeah. I'm fine. Really." He said, chuckling. He grabbed Nik's hand into his own and held it at waist level. Coop stared into gray eyes for what seemed like years before Nik blushed and began to speak.
"So, I think-"
"Do you like ice-skating?" Coop interrupted. Nik looked confused and smiled a smile that Coop felt might melt the snow in a circle around them.
"I would normally say no, since I'm awful at it..." He started.
"I can teach you." Coop said stepping closer. The space between the two was almost nonexistent. "I'll pick you up, tomorrow night at six?" He earned a nod from Nik who looked into Coop's eyes again.
"It's a date."
"Yes, it's a date, mom."
"And what's his name again?"
"Nik. He's the Davenport's nephew. They had to take him in."
"Well, he's not a stray, Coop. Set the table, please."
"I know he's not a stray, mother. His parents passed away and now he's living with them." He said, placing silverware on the table. His mother gasped with a sad look on her face.
"The poor thing, how old is he?"
"I dunno, sixteen?"
"Coop has a boyfriend!" Evan, his ten-year-old brother obnoxiously sang.
"Shut up! I do not...yet..."
"Alright boys, settle down. Let's at least eat in peace, please." His mother sat, administering chicken breast to her children. Coop took his dinner and began to eat. Partially withdrawing into his own thoughts, Coop smiled, taking note of just how wonderful this Christmas might be.
"I'm looking for an Ethan Rider? He's a captain?" Zane asked an agent at a War Room station.
"He's in the training room, sir."
"Thank you." Zane left the War Room and walked down many hallways to reach the training room. He figured he'd peek in the observation deck and see if he could spot the captain.
Looking around the large training room, he found the captain sparring with two other attractive soldiers. However attractive the other two men were, though, Ethan Rider won the prize. Captain Rider stood at six feet, two inches, with short brown hair to match melting brown eyes. His physique was what would probably be expected from a Company soldier, with muscles rippling at every move. Ethan blocked the oncoming blows from his assailants, all the while besting one of them. Turning on the remaining soldier, he used a method of combat Zane had never seen. Quickly, Ethan had turned the last soldier into a pile of useless limbs.
"He's controlling their nerves. Blocking flood flow." The voice of Charles Heart frightened Zane. "Take a liking to a soldier, I see." Zane blushed.
"I just want to thank him. I never got a chance after Stonehenge."
"Well, it looks like he's done now." Zane scrambled up to see Ethan leaving the large room through the door one level down. The teenager took the lift to reach the lower level and barely caught a glimpse of the soldier.
"Captain Rider!" Zane called. Ethan automatically snapped to attention.
"Sir!" Came the response.
` That was hot...'
"Uhh, stand down." Zane said, feeling unusually in charge.
"Can I help you with something, sir?" Ethan asked a little more comfortably.
"Ethan, right?' Zane asked. Ethan nodded. "You can call me Zane. You're older than me, you don't have to call me sir."
"Yes si- Zane..." Ethan said, smiling.
"Thank you. I just wanted to say ` thank you' properly. You saved me twice."
"From the looks of it, it wasn't anything you couldn't handle. You have great battle skills." Zane snorted.
"Well, considering I've only been on the battlefield a few times, thank you."
"I guess you're a natural, then." Zane began to say something else when he heard a scuttle down the hall and some soldiers screaming.
"Woah!"
"What is that thing?"
"Look out!"
Zane turned to see his dragon, Draco, scampering down the hall. Ethan burst into action immediately. He pushed Zane up against the wall, placing himself in front of the dragon.
"Zane, run." Ethan said pulling an energy pistol from his hip holster.
"Uhh, Ethan, it's alright. He's my pet. This is Draco." He soothed, rubbing Ethan's well muscled arm so would lower it. Draco blinked up at Ethan, wings flapping.
"Pet?" Ethan asked warily. Zane chuckled.
"A little unorthodox, I know, but..."
"Okay... pet..." Ethan whispered. Zane turned to see a large, burly man coming down the hallway.
"Rider!"
"Sir!" Ethan shouted, snapping to attention again.
"Oh, Mr. Prescott."
"Uhh.. actually, it's Heart, now." Zane said, uncomfortably declaiming his old last name.
"My apologies, sir. Is there a reason you are questioning Captain Rider?"
"Oh, I just..."( "Lieutenant, he was just asking for a debrief on Stonehenge, sir."
"Yes... I was asking for a debrief."
"Tomorrow night at six-thirty, was it, sir? Departing from the Heart Estate?" Ethan asked winking. Zane was struck speechless.
"Uhh... yeah."
"Alright, then, Captain, back to training. Mr. Heart, good day."
` What the hell just happened? Do I have a date?'
Cooper, you have come far. But you have far to go
Coop stirred in his sleep. The voice of Phoenix spoke to him, soothing his body.
Cooper, you have come so far. But you must continue. They are strong, so strong.
Train, find them, else history will repeat itself.
Remember
Coop was taken to standing on a battlefield.
To his left a cloud of darkness descended on a red haired witch whose cries of anguish carried across the bloodstained field. The darkness swallowed her and the body of a lithe blond man, blood streaming from his face. The Darkening and Tyros were gone.
To his right, fire and lightning consumed the body of a small brown-haired man and another warrior, weaving water around them protectively. Tyros and Tsunami were gone.
And all at once, bright white light engulfed the flaming bird known as Phoenix.
And the Demon Kings had won.
Wow, what a chapter, right? Super long too, though I feel like you guys deserved it. So, I hope this chapter sort of helped shape the rest of the series for some of you. I apologize if parts seemed shallow or rushed. I tried to fix things, but I also wrote this chapter after about six hours of straight typing. Anyway, I hope things were... graphic enough for you. Of course, I'm talking about the sex, but I'm also talking about the battle scenes. I feel like I type those out for days and then they're only like, a page.
Anyway, I chose Christmas time because you guys should know I LOVE Christmas. But it also fit the time frame. And we're not done yet!
So, I'd love to hear some feed back from this SUPER long chapter.
Comments, questions, suggestions always welcome! Thanks guys!
Email:
notoriouslynick90@yahoo.com