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 Seven A/N: //Surprise bitches. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me.\
Tori sat in her room alone and frustrated. She and Coop had fought before, but never like this. The team was falling apart and there wasn't really anything she could do about it. Coop was supposed to be the leader, but he hadn't been doing that great of a job, especially since Nik came into the picture. Zane had been so caught up in research it was hard to get him in the training. And with Dom in the picture now, there was no telling what was going to happen next. Coop was always trying to get more information about the mage and his operations, but with everything that had escalated so suddenly recently, Tori knew their next priority was to find Tsunami and have the circle of Legendaries complete.
And then there were her own powers. She was getting stronger, this much she knew. But her powers were also getting out of hand at some times. No one knew this, of course, but it was a little obvious when she meant to summon Zane and managed to also summon Coop from a hundred miles away just by thinking about it.
But magic was her escape. Magic is what Tori ran to when things got out of control. It was something she could control, with ease. Something that had ever-shifting variables, but was constant in itself.
Tori, your powers are greater than any of the others.
Suddenly, Tori's mind was taken to a place of magic and energy. Non-corporeal, a place that few magicians had seen. Light flowed from nowhere in particular and abstract architecture formed and dissipated. Tori turned and met the darkness that interrupted the light. A figure that was shrouded in dark mist, one moment, a woman, another moment, a man. Large, small, tall, short. Sometimes forming a raven, sometimes forming a beast. This was the Darkening.
That's not true,' she answered. The Phoenix was always stronger. It was his right as the leader. And the others are just as strong as I am.'
Our power has never been fully realized. You are strong.... but there will come a time when your powers alone can affect the outcome. Your powers will be needed, and it will finally be realized that we are the most powerful.
Stop this.' Tori flinched at the Darkening's words. I know you hunger for power. You always have. We cannot give way into that way of thinking.' This was true, Tori knew. The Darkening's history was, aside from the Phoenix's, most colorful. The Darkening's nature was to crave control and power. Other elements may have their ends, but magic never ceased.
While the Phoenix was the leader amongst the Legendaries, only the strongest were chosen to host the Darkening. There had been many, Tori's mother included, who buckled under the power of the Darkening.
There will come a time, Tori. Our powers will be needed. Our powers will be the saving grace. But there will be sacrifice....
`What do you mean? What are you talking about?'
In time, Tori, you shall see. But are you ready to sacrifice what it takes? For friendship? For love? For control? For power?
Charles Heart had knocked at his daughter's several times. He could hear her speaking to someone, but she had yet to answer his knocks. He turned the knob and slowly entered his head into the dark room. He went to flick the light switch on, but was surprised to see it was already turned on. He snapped his fingers and projected a small light into the room. Above her bed, Charles saw Tori, floating in the air, her brilliant red hair rippling as though the wind blowed. A dark energy flowed from his daughter, extinguishing all light coming into the room. Charles immediately closed the door and retreated into the hallway, shaken with the reality of what he had seen.
Dom wasn't really sure exactly what had happened tonight. Sure, he knew about all the Legendary stuff and that he had powers. He knew it was his job to help his team out. But what did all of that really mean? Dom bundled his jacket around him tighter, shivering in the cold wind. After Coop stormed out of the meeting, Tori left the table upset and Zane went to talk to her. Tori's dad suggested that Dom go home and they'd call him soon about training and stuff. So, Dom was left alone with his thoughts and the winter winds on his way home.
Dom had just started down his street to his home when a voice interrupted his thinking.
"It's a cold night, isn't it?" Dom looked for the voice, his eyes finding a tall, white-haired man. Not old white, since the guy couldn't have been older than his mid-twenties, but like, stylishly white. He was dressed warmly and fashionably in a snug pea coat and his muscular build filled his jacket and jeans out well.
"Yeah, it is," Dom started, looking the man up and down. "I can think of a few ways to get warm though..." He looked at the man suggestively. The man laughed, though Dom saw a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh, Dominic Eller, I definitely wouldn't mind a piece of your ass... but that's not why I'm here." Dom's eyes widened at the use of his name. His senses began to heighten and he knew his powers were ready to be used at any second.
"How do you know my name?" He asked, aware of the man's position in front of him. The man shook his head.
"Calm yourself, Legendary, I am not your enemy... yet. I come to offer you power and authority. A place to call your own."
"What does that mean?" Dom asked, still wary, but curious now.
"Why don't you ask me into your home and I'll explain everything you want to know."
Dom considered the offer. This guy clearly had some sort of power, and he must have some importance, giving him an ultimatum like that. But, he had some kick-ass powers now and the guy said he wasn't his enemy. Plus he was hot...
The words rattled through Coop's brain as he tore through his house. The smell of charred wood scenes of uprooted floorboards and holes in the walls stared back at him as he collapsed onto the ground.
"A damning sacrifice of the highest degree shall raise our Kings and set us free."
Evan. They had attacked his house again. They had shattered his mother's mind and they had taken his little brother.
Rage boiled up in Coop again, this time a fiery aura surrounded him as flames grew in his eyes. He had to do something. He didn't know what, but someone would pay for this. He would destroy anyone who got in his way. Coop walked down the stairs of his home towards the front door. The wallpaper on the walls peeled away from the heat pouring in waves from Coop's body. He stopped on the front stairs of his home to look at the sky before he took flight. His mind responded to his will as his body lifted into the air.
"Coop?" Rang a small voice through the cold air. Coop knew the voice and immediately, his rage simmered. He looked down to find Nik, his frightened face illuminated by Coop's anger. Coop floated back down to the ground as he held eye-contact with his boyfriend. Nik walked towards Coop, confusion evident in his eyes. Coop's power faded and the night returned to its normal darkness, taking Coop's resolve with it. Coop collapsed into Nik's arms sobbing. The smaller boy held Coop as they both fell to the ground.
"Shh, baby. It's alright..." Nik whispered in the older teen's ear. He rubbed Coop's back and rocked him as he cried. He looked at the house in fear, knowing only something horribly devastating could set his boyfriend off like this.
"No sir! Stop that right now!" Zane scolded Draco, pointing his finger at the dragon. The dachshund sized dragon stood in front of the fireplace in Zane's bedroom and looked excitedly up to Zane, the library book he had been studying in its mouth."That is not good for the book, Draco!"
Ever since Zane had become so involved in the research of the prophecy his pet dragon had taken a sarcastic take to books. Of course Zane knew the creature was intelligent, but Draco kept taking Zane's books and acting like he was going to read them. Zane had lost four books to flame and teeth marks by this point.
The book fell out of the creature's mouth and fell open. Zane rolled his eyes and went to pick the book up before Draco stomped at the inside.
"Draco, stop. These are nice books." The dragon looked up at him with sad eyes and stomped the book again. Zane tilted his head to consider the dragon. He leaned down and picked the book up to read its contents. "Spells: To Find a Hidden Object?" Coop read. The dragon blinked up at him. Zane sighed and turned around, tossing the book onto his bed. Sometimes he wondered if the dragon was extremely intelligent or just plain dumb. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in!" Zane called. The door opened and Draco sped through the opening bounding down the hallway. Zane smiled at the person coming through the door, though.
"Hey," Ethan said as he closed the door behind him. The smaller teen rushed to Ethan and wrapped his arms around the captain. Ethan smiled and enveloped the teen in his arms. "Is everything alright?" Zane just nodded into Ethan's chest, taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent of his boyfriend. After another few seconds, he pulled back. Ethan repeated his question.
"Yeah, it's just been a rough day. A ton of crap happened. We added another magical enemy to the list of badass magicians who want to kill us. She's a priestess who studies chaos magic and she's really well-trained for battle. I'm sure you heard we awakened Tyros. Now we have to get him assimilated into the group. Coop's boyfriend accidentally got warped here during the battle with that insect demon and he and Tori got into a huge fight about it. Plus, Draco keeps doing weird things and staring at me like he's waiting for me to do something. He keeps gnawing on my books. It's just been a stressful day." Zane vented, leaning in for another embrace. Ethan smirked and traced light circles on the Legendary's back while he talked.
"Sounds like it. But I'm really proud of you. You've done so well Zane. And you protected Melissa and Evan, right?" He asked, trying to cheer him up.
"It was more of Dom, honestly. I would've been sucked dry of energy about half-way through the battle if he hadn't been awakened and leveled half the floor."
"Still, Zane, you never give yourself the credit you're worth. You are so brilliant and so talented, and powerful, beautiful, and wonderful." He whispered into the teen's ear, swaying dramatically from side to side with each new word. He finally got Zane to laugh, bringing a smile to both their faces.
"Thank you, Ethan. Even though I don't know about beautiful. I'm wearing gym shorts, a tank, and knee-highs." They both chuckled before Zane sighed again. "You're pretty wonderful too." They stared at each other for a few seconds before Ethan leaned in to kiss Zane. Zane closed his eyes as their lips got so close to touching before Zane's door flew open. Instinctively, Zane pushed Ethan behind him and faced the door. Ethan's hair stood on end from the electricity forming in the room. Draco bound into the room jumping from the floor into Zane's arms, looking at his face innocently. Zane huffed at the dragon, for both scaring him and ruining the moment he and Ethan were having. Ethan just laughed and rubbed Zane's shoulders from behind.
"You said he was acting weird?" Ethan asked tapping the creature's nose teasingly. Zane rolled his eyes.
"Clearly. What's gotten into you?" He asked the dragon.
"Have you tried reading his mind?" Zane looked doubtfully at Ethan.
"Draco might be intelligent, but most demons don't have cognitive thought processes that we can understand."
"Well, yeah, but you're his master, or whatever. Plus you're a Legendary. If there's anyone who would be able to understand him, it'd be you." Zane pondered the thought and looked at Draco. Ethan just laughed again. "Alright, I've gotta go. I'm on duty down in Millennium Hall starting at midnight. I'll talk to you later." Ethan hugged Zane around the waist from behind and kissed his head. Zane smiled at him as he left the room, leaving the Legendary and the dragon.
`Well, what do you think?' Zane thought at the dragon. The creature blinked.
I think it's about time one of you figured it out.' A mature voice rang back to Zane. The boy accidentally yelped and dropped Draco to the floor. Well, that wasn't very nice at all...' Draco said pacing a circle in the floor.
Dom led the white-haired guy into his home throwing his keys onto the kitchen counter by the back door. He shrugged off his jacket and slid out of his shoes, leading the man into his living room. The man took note of the medium-sized room with a red and gold couch and love seat accompanying a black recliner in front of a large flat-screen T.V. The man identified the Venetian art on the pale red walls easily and noted the surprising good taste the family had. He unbuttoned his jacket and sat on the love seat across from where Dom had chosen to lounge on the couch, crossing his feet comfortably.
"So... who are you again?" Dom asked awkwardly. He'd had his fair share of hookups with guys and things like that, and though Dom could sense this meeting might be headed that way, Dom was still confused about the context of the whole meeting. The white-haired man chuckled.
"Though I'm usually used to dealing with creatures whose names do not matter, I suppose you'll need something to call me by. My name is Ian and I am the High Priest of the Order of Apollyon."
"I'm not really sure what that means. But Ian's a cool name." Dom let out awkwardly. The man smiled.
"You have time to learn. I am here to give you an offer."
"Yeah, you said that, but you've not said anything more about it."
"You're a Legendary, Dominic. You know this by now. But did that old buffoon and his band of junior Legendaries explain much about it to you. Did they explain your power. Your position?"
"I mean, they gave me the gist of it..." Dom said uneasily. He was beginning to realize they hadn't given him much to go on.
"The Order of Apollyon has so much information and knowledge we could give you. The Company's information is scattered and incomplete, especially when it comes to the Tyros. But we know so much more. What you can do. What you are meant to do."
"Like what?" Dom asked, intrigued.
"Why, you were originally meant to lead the Legendaries. You were supposed to be the supreme ruler of the Legendary order. But the Phoenix was a jealous creature who craves power, almost as much as that beast the Darkening. But it was the Phoenix who acted against Tyros those many epochs ago."
"Me, lead?"
"Oh, of course!" Rang the man's voice as he stood to pace the floor in front of Dom. "Your powers are of course the most suited for ruling. Control of the earth. Speed and strength. Invulnerability. What a kingdom you could have had."
"Well, I mean, yeah. That sounds really cool. But like you said, that was a really long time ago."
"Well, yes, I suppose the Legendaries have fallen into somewhat of a habitual cycle. The Phoenix is king now. The Darkening is the advisor while the Zephyr serves as the court logician. Even the Tsunami holds court as the prince of the order. But Tyros is merely the warrior. He is sent to the head of the battle. Of course, you perform amiably- why would a true king not claim victory in battle? But yes, in the past. You could have been king." He paused for a moment, looking the teenager in the eye. The man's brilliant green eyes met Dom as he sat up, moving his feet to the floor. "You can be king again."
"What are you offering me exactly?" Dom asked, rising. He was as tall as the man but he felt small compared to him. Dom had plenty of muscle, but the guy was ripped. The man smirked and inched forward, closing the space between the two of them slowly. When he spoke again, his voice was a spine-tingling whisper.
"I'm offering you the chance to be everything you ever wanted, Dominic." He continued inching forward, the space between the two men quickly dissolving. "I'm offering you a place in our order to rule and be king." They were almost touching now and the man's close presence was intoxicating to Dom. Without realizing it, his chest began to heave from his growing arousal. "Help me bring back the Kings of Old and defeat the Legendaries. You can have all you ever wanted." The man was holding his waist now, their foreheads slightly touching. Dom's eyes flitted open to take in the sight of the man's green eyes, his full, wet lips. Dom buckled when Ian's right hand found his pulsing cock in the front of his pants.
"You can even have me." He whispered before Dom crashed his lips into Ian's and bucked into the man's hand. His own hands hooked around Ian's neck, using the man for support. As Ian's talented tongue found his way into Dom's mouth Dom felt surprisingly close.
"What do you say, Dom?" Ian broke the kiss for a moment, continuing to palm Dom's leaking hard-on through his pants. Dom just whimpered into his ear and nodded.
"I want it. I want it all. I want the knowledge" He whispered gasping from the man's talented hands. He continued to buck into his palm after every word. "I want the power." Another gasp.
"And I sure as hell want you." He whispered before claiming Ian's lips again. Ian smiled through the kiss before breaking it one more time.
"Good." He whispered. Ian sent a small spark of magic through his right hand and Dom shouted, spraying the most powerful orgasm he'd ever had through his pants. Dom continued to grip Ian's neck for support as the white-haired man kissed down Dom's neck. They both crumpled to the floor where Dom, exhausted, started to doze off in Ian's arms.
"It's alright, Dominic. Sleep."
And so he did.
After Nik had managed to calm Coop down some, he tried to get an answer out of his boyfriend. But Coop wasn't making sense when he spoke. Finally he managed to mutter something coherent.
"Listen, babe. I have to go. My family is in trouble. I've got to go to Tori's. She'll know what to do."
"Wait," Nik started, though Coop had already taken to the air. Coop stared down at the younger boy. "Take me with you." Nik whispered. Coop pondered it for a while before surrendering to the beautiful gray eyes. He offered a hand to Nik, who took it. Immediately, the smaller boy was lifted into the air, his eyes wide with shock. "Whoa." He muttered noting the increasing distance between himself and the ground.
"Hang on tight, babe. We've got places to be." Coop muttered as he took the boy into a bridal style hold. His power pulsed and the couple zoomed through the air at incredible speed.
`What the hell is this?' Zane asked, still in shock.
`Just like your mate informed you. You're a Legendary and the mortal I've chosen as my master. You can read my mind.'
`My mate? Master? Wait, How come this hasn't happened before?' Zane questioned.
`You had to create our psychic link. I am a being of power, but not that kind. Now that you've created our link it cannot be severed.'
Well, that could be a good or bad thing.' Zane said sarcastically. Draco made a choking noise which Zane took as a scoff. Alright, calm it down.' He muttered.
While Zane's mind was whirring with all sorts of different thoughts about the dragon, he turned back to Draco after seeing the piles of books on his bed.
"What was with the book?" He asked aloud. Draco looked to him.
I honestly don't know,' thought the dragon. I can feel that it will be important for something soon.'
"Well, that's helpful..." Zane jabbed. A small growl left Draco.
`I don't always know why things are, Zane. Besides, I'm a being of power and respect. You should have more regard for me.'
"Yeah, a being of power and respect that gets extremely distracted when I show him this." Zane said, pulling a tennis ball from a drawer at his desk. Immediately, the dragon's pupils grew in size and he bounded at the boy for the toy. Zane yelped and dropped the toy as the dragon conquered yet another rubber ball.
"You're ridiculous." Zane said, shaking his head at the dragon.
`What?' Draco said, shredding the ball with his razor sharp teeth. Another knock at the door prevented Zane from responding as Charles poked his head in.
"Hey, everything alright in here?" The magician asked. Zane rolled his eyes at the dragon again and nodded.
"Yup, fit as a fiddle. What's up?"
"Well," Charles began reluctantly, "as much as I hate to call an assembly again, we have an emergency downstairs. Coop just showed up at the front door. We have problems." Zane sighed.
"Alright, let's go see what's up." Zane led through the door and walked down the hallway.
As Zane, Charles, and Tori came through the door to the library, Zane was about to make a smart retort to Coop before he noticed two things. The first was another boy sitting on one of the leather couches. He looked about Zane's height, but seemed just a little younger. Maybe fifteen? He had dark hair and dazzling gray eyes. This must be Nik. But the second thing, far more startling, was the look on Coop's face. He made eye contact with the robed Tori before her posture changed.
"What is it?" Zane asked, feeling left out of something. The other two Legendaries were silent, locked in eye contact. They clearly were engaging in some sort of telepathic communication, though whether it was a conversation or a battle, Zane didn't know. Coop finally broke eye contact and levitated across the room to the book stacks where dozens of books began to rise.
"Coop's brother was taken. His mother is unconscious. Coop..." Tori started another sentence, but found it difficult to complete it. "Coop thinks they're going to sacrifice Evan to raise the Demon Kings."
"It's more than a hunch, Tori." Coop called from the bookshelves. "I know that's what the words meant." He floated back to the sitting area with several books in tow. Nik rose from the couch to take some of the books from Nik. Charles strode forward to greet the youngest teen.
"Ah, young man, I don't think we've met yet. I'm Charles Heart, the master of this estate and advisor to the Legendaries." He extended his onyx plated ring-clad hand to the boy who shifted the books so he could take it.
"I'm Nik. I'm Coop's...well, I'm here with him." The boy blushed. Zane, taking the lead from Charles, stepped forward as well.
"And I'm Zane. We met earlier, but I was in my armor." He grinned. "I'm Charles' son. I'm the wind guy." He explained. Nik shook Zane's hand also before turning expectantly to Tori. He immediately regretted the decision. Tori's green eyes steeled against his as though there was something he'd done wrong. Nik didn't know of anything he'd done, but the longer he looked into her eyes, the more he felt he should pay for his crimes. Charles cleared his throat and Nik was shaken from his daze.
"Now, now, Tori. Play nice." Charles muttered. The red-head walked forward and extended her hand.
"I'm Tori Heart." She said simply. "And though I don't necessarily condone what's going on-" she started before Coop cut her off.
"Tori!"
"Let me finish, Cooper." She looked to him, eyes flashing. "While I don't necessarily condone what's going on," she sighed. "I am glad Coop has found someone to make him happy and I'm willing to overlook this considering our bigger issue." Coop and Tori's eyes met again and he nodded. Before it could get any weirder, Zane broke through the middle of the small huddle that had formed.
"Well alright, let's get to work then. Exactly what are we doing here?"
Coop explained what had happened when he went home and how he'd found his mother and the message left for him about his brother. Zane huffed a breath at the news.
"Well, shit." Zane muttered. He slumped back into his chair from the news before Tori took charge.
"Alright, next we have to find where the mage has taken Evan."
"Tori, how much time do we even have? They could be doing it right now for all we know." Coop ground his teeth at the thought.
"No, I don't think so." Charles spoke up. All eyes turned to the magician. "From what I've been able to translate of the runes, I think they're waiting for something. Some new time or power source."
"Like a new year?" Zane asked. Tori nodded.
"Yeah. It would make sense. A new realm of evil. A new power. A new year. It's awfully fitting and just up the mage's alley. All symbolic and such."
"So that gives us what, another two days?" Coop asked. "He sighed again. How do we even go about finding him." Tori shook her head.
"I don't know. There's bound to be all sorts of enchantments against all of us."
"There has to be a way, Tori." Coop persisted.
"I might know a way." Zane realized.
"This is an extremely simple spell, Zane." Tori evaluated. "Where did you even get this book?" She asked.
"It's a long story, but listen maybe that's exactly the point, isn't it? What it they're expecting you do try so hard to knock down their walls that they overlooked something small? You always say that there's always a loophole. Maybe this is it!"
"That's a lot of wishful thinking, bud." Coop muttered.
"Listen, Draco showed me the spell and-"
"Wait, Draco? Your dragon?" Tori asked skeptically.
"Really, it's crazy. He can talk to me and he told me-"
"Now you're sounding crazy..." Coop added.
"Just wait a second." Charles interrupted. The three way conversation stopped momentarily to let Charles speak. "It's not unheard of for a dragon to develop communication, it's just rare that it is with a human. But if the dragon showed this to you, we should at least give it a look."
"Really though, dad, I highly doubt that this spell-"
"What is this book, Zane?" Coop asked. Tori held her place in the book to look at the cover. Looking past the teeth marks, Tori scoffed, but looked impressed.
"Dad, what kinds of magic do you think the place is using?"
"Well, I'd say they've probably got layers of dark elvish, aramaic basic, Egyptian, chaos, Roman, black. Could be any combination."
"Why? What does that mean?" Asked Coop. Zane spoke up again.
"This is magic crafted after the trickster god, Loki. It's an entirely different branch of magic that most aren't even aware of."
"Well, while we should assume our enemy is aware of this magic, I doubt they'll have many defenses about it. They like to think us weak and incapable."
"If, and I mean if," Tori started. "If we can weave this successfully, it would be like sliding right in between the layers of magic they have over the place and would let us pinpoint their location with ease."
"When do we start?" Coop asked eagerly.
"Does anyone know when Dom is coming over?" Came Zane's voice from the war room of Millennium Hall. Tori shook her head from where she was sitting at a hologram screen. Coop and Nik didn't even hear him from where they were standing in the corner by one of the screens, chuckling to themselves. Zane rolled his eyes and tried again. "Does anyone know when Dom-"
"Cool your jets, little man, I'm right here." Dom said walking in. Tori looked up from her work to smile at him but faltered. There was something strange about him. Something that didn't seem right. Before she could place it he spoke again. "So, somebody gonna fill me in?" Coop broke away from Nik to inform him of the plan. Dom nodded in confirmation. "Alright, sounds good. When will it be ready?"
"Soon." Charles spoke, walking through the door. He looked to his children and smiled. "Tori, Zane, why don't you both go get some rest? I'll finish the spell and you two can... freshen up." He let out, trying not to betray his intentions.
"Are you saying I need a shower?" Zane asked in a mockingly offended tone. Tori smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Come on, your highness. Let's go get decent for some ass-kicking." Tori dragged Zane by his shirt out of the room.
"Uhh, hey, Chuck, Nik wanted to see the training arena..." He trailed off. Charles looked up from Tori's work menacingly.
"You break anything or get him hurt, you won't be moving for a month." Coop grinned.
"No problem, Chuck!" He grabbed Nik by the hand and made for the door. He turned to Dom before leaving. "Hey, wanna come with?" Dom held his hands up in in disdain.
"No thanks. I'll stay here with Mr. Heart and help with anything I can." Coop didn't seem to mind, but Nik had an eerie feeling.
"Does he seem different to you?" Nik asked, voicing his suspicion after they left. Coop just shrugged.
"Dom is a complicated person. His parents split last year, but still continue to ignore him like before the divorce. He seeks out a lot of negative attention since he doesn't get a lot of love. I mean. he's brilliant. Super smart and super talented, but kind of messed up you know. So I can't really ever tell what's up with him." Nik shrugged it off as they came to a door in the crystal hallway. Coop waved his garnet ring over the door and it disappeared, revealing a glistening white, square room. "No more from my little princess," Coop teased.
"Hey, I'm more of a prince than you'll ever be!" Nik stuck his tongue out. "I thought you said this was an arena." He asked, noticing the room. Coop smiled as the door closed.
"Oh, honey, it is. Arena mode, activate!"
The room looked as though its walls were unfolding, revealing a large arena with stadium seating and a gray sky above.
"What is this?" Nik asked, incredulous.
"Legendary technology, baby."
"Cool."
"So... what exactly are you doing again?" Dom asked, hovering over Charles' shoulder.
"I'm finishing Tori's framework for a location spell. It will allow us to weave a different layer of magic that will help us locate Evan." Dom whistled.
"Sounds pretty intricate. Think it'll work?"
"Well, not to brag, but my family has always been one of the most powerful families of magical descent. Tori is obviously one of the most powerful we've ever had, and me... well, I'm nothing to sneeze at, either."
"But isn't this mage mega-powerful too?" Dom leaning back in a chair at a conference table.
"While the mage is quite powerful, his powers are being augmented by the Demon Kings. He may not even have powers without him, but we don't know that for sure." Dom nodded, understanding. "Well, I think we've about finished it. I'm going to grab Tori and Zane from upstairs. Will you please go fetch Coop and Nik?"
"Yeah, sure." Dom agreed as the older man walked out the door. He smirked and took a small pouch out of his hand. He leaned over the incantation the Hearts had just created and sprinkled a shining black powder over the parchment. He smirked again before he left the room.
Nik looked around the War Room as the Legendaries and their advisor met once more for briefing. He couldn't believe how much his life had changed over the past twenty-four hours. His boyfriend had revealed a club that he and a few friends belonged to, though each member had super-powers. It sounded like some cheesy sitcom plot. But, considering everything that had happened, all the talk of demons and mages and witches and dimensions, Nik had managed to stay surprisingly calm. He liked being able to be a part of this world- Coop's world. He knew that he probably didn't belong, but he also knew that he felt like he was supposed to be at Coop's side through all this. He looked over the group as they talked.
They all had morphed into their armor, a shining, metallic dark silver second skin. It was well insulated and looked strong, but still comfortable. As he looked over the members, he noticed how they changed when they put the armor on. They were obviously all still the same, but their features had somewhat shifted. Coop had explained to him that the armor made them look older, more mature, and that to a normal mortal's eye, they would see the Legendaries, but never be able to describe them. Maybe it was Nik's prolonged exposure to this world, but he could see them just fine and it was a surreal experience.
Tori's armor accentuated her curves and breasts intricately, even though he knew the armor was more than protective. The suit had several different compartments where she could store different magical accessories. Her long red hair was in pinned back so it flowed down her back freely but stayed away from her face. Her face was strikingly beautiful, her green eyes glowing.
Dom and Zane both looked incredible in their suits as well, though for different reasons. Zane was the shortest of the Legendaries, probably a five foot, nine inches. When in his armor, though, he grew several inches and filled out his armor a little more, though he was still light on his feet. His short brown hair was styled into a faux hawk and his shining blue eyes seemed bright enough to cut through darkness. Dom was a different case. Without his armor, he was still very muscular and very sure of himself. But when he transformed, he transformed. His normal five foot, eleven inches, remained the same, but his armor showed the strong sinew in all of his muscles, bulging the suit to its max. You could see his muscles nervously flexing and his jaw tightened making Nik a little light-headed. Dom's recently short-cropped hair seemed to glisten, and even though his eyes were blue like Zane's, they appeared much darker and calculating.
Finally, Nik stopped to look at his boyfriend. Coop had changed a lot, even over the past few months they had known each other. Of course, now Nik knew that it was due to Coop's Legendary training, but he'd never fully appreciated it. Coop had grown to a decent six feet, two inches, and his muscles had also certainly filled out. While he looked nothing like Dom, Coop's frame was tall and strong. His jaw line was firmly defined and his chest and stomach were nicely muscled. Nik stopped to stare at Coop's ass and appreciated it. It looked wonderful in the armor. Coop's blond hair was swooped to one side and his strong green eyes commanded authority. Coop glanced over to Nik during his observations and winked. Nik blushed, knowing he'd been caught.
"So, this is it." Tori noted, once they had been briefed. Coop nodded, and cleared his throat, ready to step up to leadership. He looked to Tori who gave him a kind nod.
"Okay, Tori, Dom, and I go in. Charles and Zane will be outside to maintain a radius with three teams of Company agents. We go in and locate Evan first and make sure he's safe. Then I want you to slaughter everything that moves inside. Be cautious because we know they're going to have a ton of baddies in there. The Egyptian witch and the white-haired mage will be there too, most likely. I want the mage alive. Even after we stop them, we need to know everything he does. Make sense?" He asked to his three Legendary counterparts and their magic counselor. They all nodded. "Alright, let's do this."
The treachery magic of Norse origin pinpointed a sea side business park full of office buildings and warehouses. Coop wasn't really sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't that. The six black Suburbans with government plates from the Heart Estate sped past traffic, toward the complexes, while Coop and Zane flew overhead to intercept any interference. Coop also created a temporary telepathic link between the four Legendaries so they wouldn't have to worry about thinking too hard about contacting each other during battle. Coop rolled his eyes and looked down at the second SUV in the line.
`Tori, you know I can hear everything you're thinking...' Coop said through their shared link. He could feel her frustration.
`I don't think it's wise to bring him along, Cooper.'
`Oooh, she said your full name.' Came Zane. Coop rolled his eyes.
`Nik wanted be here, Tori and he'll be complete safe if he stays with the cars.'
`It's really not smart. We have no idea what we're walking into here.'
`But at least we have the element of surprise. They have no idea we're even coming.'
`Fine.'
`Guys, we're here.' Dom spoke finally.
Coop looked down at the complex. It was fairly secluded, but it had its own bay area that led out onto pier. There were no cars parked outside, and from a quick once-over, there didn't seem to be any activity inside. When Coop reached out with his mind to the complex, he was met with a strong resistance. Figured. Coop and Zane descended to meet the rest of the team. When Nik tried to get out of the car, the door slammed before he could exit the vehicle. Coop looked over to Tori, whose eyes were glaring.
"Tori," Coop started before she cut him off.
"No, Coop. He gets to come along, fine, but he's staying in the car." He sighed, but part of him agreed. He didn't want Nik getting hurt.
"Alright, Tori, Charles, get to work on getting us a hole in the forcefield." The two magicians nodded and went to work while Coop, Dom, and Zane pulled up a layout of the complex on a tablet connected to the hard drive in Millennium Hall.
"If I were guessing, I'd say they're keeping Evan here." Zane pointed out after looking over the blue print. "It's hard to get to, and it looks like it could be easily protected." Coop nodded.
"Alright, I'll make my way there. Dom, you and Tori will have to cover me once I'm out."
"Coop, now may not be the best time to bring this up, but Dom's had zero field training. No courses, no team building. Nothing." Zane mentioned dejectedly.
"Zane, we don't have time to worry about that now. Besides, he did fine yesterday with the demon at the estate. It'll be okay. This is a surprise ambush and we have a lot of back up. Should be simple, right?
"Coop, we're opening up a hole. Get ready to jump inside." Charles said as Tori stepped back from the force field. Dom and Coop joined her before she nodded to her father and the air in front of them shimmered. The three Legendaries walked through and into the complex.
It was strange, Coop decided. Here they were, getting ready to attack the enemy's stronghold and they were walking through the front glass doors? But something else that caught Coop's attention immediately was the lack of defenses. Sure there was a force field, but...
It's too easy.' Thought Tori, picking up Coop's trail of thought. The force field was strong, but my dad and I broke through in ninety seconds. Something is wrong.'
`Hey guys,' though Dom, nodding to an industrial sliding warehouse door. Coop remembered that leading to the main floor of the facility, like where a call center would have their callers, or another company have an assembly line. Coop nodded as fire illuminated his eyes. The door was blasted off its hinges into the main room, smoke rising from the hole in the middle. The three Legendaries stormed the room, their powers rising to attack.
Coop stopped after looking around and noticing the empty hall, lit only by the sunlight coming in through the windows high on the walls. Suddenly he got angry.
"What the hell, Tori?" He shouted, not caring if anyone heard him. "This isn't even the right place!"
"Coop, calm down, I know I did that spell right. There must be something we're missing." She answered calmly.
"Tori, you obviously missed something! Damn it!" He shouted as a wave of fire rolled off of him. Dom and Tori both winced at the heat.
"Coop, please, just calm down." Tori pleaded. She knew what an angry outburst from the Phoenix could do. Small embers began rolling off Coop. He opened his mouth with another retort before the sound of clapping cut him off. The trio started at the sound, finding the source at the far end of the room. A good three hundred yards away stood Zafrina, the Egyptian high priestess. Her low laughter rang through the room, bouncing off the walls.
Coop evaluated the woman, seeing her for the first time. Her dark skin was accentuated by the blood red dress she wore. There were no sleeves, but the gown flowed down her bodice and collected in small train trailing behind her. She held a long staff made of obsidian with a large garnet crystal at the top that stood above even her tall figure. A smile formed around her blood red lips and from her eyes and she continued to laugh.
"I have to say, you Legendaries are not what you are cracked up to be." Her voice cut through the air again, thick with accent.
"I take it you're Zafrina." Coop stated, standing taller with authority. "I don't know what you've done here, but tell me where my brother is and I'll let you live." Coop's voice was lower than usual and vibrated off the walls with a royal ring to it. It made Tori shiver. Yet, the priestess only laughed.
"Oh no, Phoenix, I think not. We didn't sabotage your spell for nothing. No, you won't be leaving here today."
"Who's going to stop us? You have an army?" Tori asked snarkily, stepping forward. "We have three teams of highly trained agents, along with four very powerful Legendaries. I just see you."
"Oh, please, witch, as if I would need anyone to dispose of you all. Already your auras fuel my power. But no, I won't need an army. Already your forces outside, including your father, have been taken care of. I also have a Legendary of my own..."
Coop reached out with his mind to the entrance of the force field to try and validate her claims, but his powers wouldn't move past it. Even his remote viewing couldn't see past the force field.
"What do you mean you have a Legendary, too?" Tori asked. Zafrina simply smiled.
"How do you think it was so easy to ambush your spell. You trusted him, didn't you?" She laughed. "Well, your trust brought your death."
With realization, Coop turned to Dom who had a smile on his face. Before he could move, Dom was gone, Tori was launched into the wall beside them and Dom's fist caught Coop in the chest, catapulting him off his feet and high into the air. Before he could trigger his telekinesis to catch him, Dom's fist caught him from above again and slammed him into the ground. Pain made Coop's vision blurry as he watched Dom's feet walk back over to Tori. Zafrina's laughter filled the air again as Dom lifted his foot to crush Tori's arm. With similar speed, her arm shot up and light exploded out of her hand, sending the Legendary of earth through the ceiling. Zafrina grimaced and began to talk forward, her staff clinking on the ground.
"Silly witch." She began sending a bolt of black lightning towards Tori. Tori flinched and deflected the electricity with her hand, casting a levitation spell on Coop.
"Aura solidum et la revincho!" She whispered harshly as Zafrina began to buckle under an invisible load. The priestess glared and began muttering her own spell as Tori made for the door with Coop floating in front of her. She waved her hand at the door before it flew after her and resealed on the hinges.
"Sarcio et signo per a nox!" She said, causing the door to glow black. "Alright, Coop, you gotta get it together, that's only going to hold her for so long." She muttered, slapping his face. He slapped her hand away.
"I'm fine, really. I just hurt. Damn, what the hell was that? Dom?"
"I don't know, it all happened so fast."
"Maybe he's under a spell?" Coop asked hopefully as he rose from the ground. She shook her head.
"I doubt it. But right now we have to get out of here. We don't know what's going on anymore, the ball is in their court." Coop nodded.
"Alright, I'll take care of her, you go check on the others, make sure they're alright. And keep an eye out for Dom, something tells me he's not gonna stay up on the roof forever." She went running towards the front doors as Coop stood to face the bay door leading to the main hall. Except instead of him blasting it this time, the door came flying off its hinges towards him. Heat blazed from his body as he shielded himself. The door dissolved around him as he blasted telekinesis blindly in front of him. The wave caught Zafrina and she flew back several feet, her staff held between her hands.
Zane had a bad feeling as he watched his friends walk through the door. Something just seemed entirely off with this place and he had no idea why. Charles had told him it seemed a little easy to open the force field, but the older magician had written it off. Zane was still nervous. The trio of Legendaries had only been in the facility for five minutes before a a wrenching feeling clenched Zane's stomach and his hair stood on end. A deafening explosion filled Zane's ears as he turned in surprise. The last SUV in the line up was consumed with fire from some unknown source. Charles rushed to the end of the caravan before the feeling came again and Zane whipped the man from the second vehicle in the line as it exploded. Zane watched in horror as agents came from running to see the trouble and they, too, were reduced to ashes as they neared the carnage. Zane looked at the SUVs once more to see the third, fourth, and fifth consumed by fire. He breathed in deeply and threw his arms out in time to form a giant air dome over the last SUV. Intense, raging fire consumed the air around it before dying. Nik stuck his head out the window in question before Zane shot him a look.
"Stay inside!" Zane called. He met Charles as the man herded the remaining troops together. Out of the twenty five men that had come with the group, only three remained. The rest were all dead, consumed by fire.
"What the hell was that?" Asked Charles looking to the sky for an answer. As if to answer him, there was a crashing sound from the facility. They all turned to see Dom flying through the ceiling to lands a few feet away on the roof.
"Think he's alright?" Zane asked. Charles just nodded.
"He's invulnerable. But I guess that means the action's started inside too." They looked to see more movement. Dom was waving both arms frantically from the roof. He knelt for a second and then bounded off the rooftop with incredible strength, leaping hundreds of feet to land almost directly in front of the force field.
"Tori needs help!" He shouted from the other side. Immediately Charles began chanting rapidly at the force field, trying to pry it apart again. After a few seconds of furious chanting, the air shimmered again and Dom walked through to the other side.
"Where is she?" Charles asked urgently.
"More survivors than I'd hoped for." Dom muttered.
"What did you say?" Zane asked confused. But he didn't get a response. Dom waved his hand to the remaining three soldiers as the earth beneath them liquified and they were swallowed whole, consumed by the ground. Before they could react, Dom flung his arms up to the sides and Charles and Zane were launched up from the ground. Charles landed on the roof the of the remaining Suburban intact, but Zane managed to catch himself in the air.
"What the hell are you doing?" Zane shouted from the air.
"It's time for something new, kiddo. And I'm gonna be king when it does come."
"What are you talking about?' But Zane barely had time to react to a mound of earth launched at him. Charles shook his head to clear his mind. He saw Dom throwing huge pieces of the earth up in the air to try and hit Zane. But he also saw his daughter, fiercely running from the building towards the force field. He eased off the vehicle to try and meet her and help her open it again, but then he saw her eyes.
They were completely obsidian. He saw her point to the force field from the other side and a singular jet of black light shot at the force field. Charles watched as the entire dome of magical energy crackled with Tori's power and crumbled to nothing. She blinked at Dom and ropes began to constrict him, crashing him to the ground. He laughed and began to convulse against them.
"The harder you fight, the tighter they'll get." She warned him.
"Tori, what the hell is going on?" her father asked her.
"It was a trap. Coop is in there with Zafrina and Dom has gone rogue. What happened out here?"
"No idea. Magic, I assume, but we had no warning. Almost like a time bomb."
"Temporal magic means that mage is probably around here somewhere."
"Okay, but what are we gonna do with him?" Zane asked pointing to where Dom was on the ground. Or, used to be.
"Shit." Zane said before he felt the earth under him move.
Heat rolled off of Coop freely as he and the priestess battled. Unfortunately, it had been pretty even- the magician was more powerful than Coop realized. He would throw jets of flame and raging heats only to have them transformed into something else or blocked by her staff. The giant garnet crystal atop the staff glowed furiously and Coop had his suspicions that she had some extra power coming from that thing. Coop was beginning to wish that Tori were here to help him. He could feel himself weakening and he was sore all over from the pounding he'd gotten from Dom. Zafrina had also managed to land a few attacks, leaving a nasty gash on Coop's cheek and probably a broken bone in his arm. Yet, Coop refused to give up. He threw another attack as the space between the two combatants was beginning to close and soon it looked like they would be hand-to-hand.
"Vulcan's Might!" Coop uttered as a sledgehammer made of flame materialized in his hands. He swung the hammer around his head to strike Zafrina, though her staff caught the fire in the air.
"Cooper Storm, give this up now before there is no hope remaining. Your friends are turning against you and we already have your brother." She harshly leered at him in between blows. "Surrender and I'll make sure you're lucky. You can be the first to die when the Demon Kings return." Coop's hammer caught the staff at the crux and the two wrestled with the weapons, attempting to throw the other off balance. Coop replied between gritted teeth.
"You are a fool if you think they're going to return." Zafrina smiled before the crystal on her staff began to shine brighter. She pushed Coop to the ground, putting impossible force on their weapons.
"Everything you know will be destroyed." She whispered, finally breaking the hammer's energy. The fire dissipated into nothing and Zafrina swung her staff, the crystal making impact with Coop's face. He cried out in pain before Zafrina motion to his body. He felt himself rising into the air but he couldn't move. He was immobilized by her power. She started to laugh again.
"They shall come." Coop's body smashed into the ground as glowing red energy formed above him.
"They shall destroy your family." The energy crackled and sent millions of volts of electricity into his body. Coop's body twitched with pain, his screaming voice revealing his anguish.
"They shall destroy you." Coop was rising into the air again, higher and higher. Zafrina held her staff up at him, the tips of the crystal glowing black now.
"And they shall rule." A giant bolt of energy coursed from the crystal, slamming into Coop's midsection and sent him flying through the air. He kept going, further and further. He no longer felt the pain of it, the pain from the blast, the pain from the concrete walls he'd just slammed through. He finally landed on his back, the momentum of the force sending him into shock. He'd landed on the beach area near the pier and he could see Tori and Zane struggling against Dom. He'd never felt like this, so defeated. The feeling only grew stronger as he saw a figure emerging from the front of the building.
Nik felt extremely lost, but he wasn't sure what he could do. The other SUVs had somehow caught fire an destroyed not only the vehicles, but the majority of the soldiers. Then Dom had come, attacked the group, and was now locked in battle with the others. Nik couldn't help but notice that Dom was surprisingly resilient against the other two Legendaries and he had started to get nervous. He jumped when Zane's body crashed into the side of the vehicle he took refuge in. Zane crumpled from being batted into the car, his shoulders heaving.
The other Legendaries were losing and it wasn't looking good. Tori went flying through the air, and Charles was fighting two golems of earth that Dom had conjured. Nik only hoped that Coop was alright, fighting the woman inside by himself. He was jolted out of his thoughts when Dom appeared right outside the door to the Suburban, smirking through the glass. He punched at the glass with lightning speed and Nik shielded his eyes in anticipation of the impact. Yet, there was no glass, no sound of crunching. Nik uncovered his eyes to see Tori with her arms withheld, casting a protection charm from the ground several feet away. Dom grimaced and looked between the Nik and Tori. He finally rolled his eyes and sauntered over to Tori. He violently grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air. She squirmed against him, the glaring eyes and a bleeding nose.
"If you all hadn't have struggled so much, this wouldn't have been as hard on you." He said, smiling again. He began to walk with Tori still in the air, simply making conversation. He walked by Zane, who was still heaving on the ground but had found the energy to lift his head and glare at Dom. Dom reared his leg back and delivered a swift and violent kick to the younger teen's ribcage and kept walking. "Really, Tori, I would have been content with just killing you all, no fuss, no mess."
Charles was now bound in a growing encasement of quicksand, his shoulders barely exposed now. Dom threw Tori to the ground by her father, menacingly looking over the father and daughter. He scoffed.
"But, I'll settle for what I can get. Killing you here will do just fine." Tori looked up to Dom in horror of what would come next, but a bright green light illuminated the area and Dom launched forward, past where Tori and Charles were on the ground. Tori looked up to find Nik with an energy rifle, the barrel still smoking.
"I know you told me to stay in the car, but..." Tori waved him off, trying to get up from the ground.
"No, really, thanks." She turned to help her father when a loud crash from the complex arrested their attention. Tori could see Coop's motionless body jetting through the air towards the beach, but didn't notice until he was almost past the building that Nik had gone running to the beach. She jumped at Dom's voice when he appeared beside her.
"That little shit." He looked from Tori to the running teen. "Be right back, gotta go get a mortal." Dom joked as he took off after Nik. Tori's eyes glowed again as a wall of energy went up in front of Dom. Feeling somewhat revitalized, she took a stance again, despite her beaten body. Dom turned to her and smirked.
"Even though you are impervious to many of our attacks, I won't let you hurt an innocent. Don't make me hurt you, Dom." The rogue Legendary just smirked before advancing on the witch once more.
Coop looked between his boyfriend running towards him and Zafrina who was calmly floating towards him from the complex. He tried to form words to warn Nik, but his mouth wouldn't allow it. Finally, Nik reached Coop who was motionless for the most part and knelt beside him.
"Coop, you're going to be okay. Just stay with me." Came Nik's voice. It was shaking, unsure. Coop felt broken, with no way to make Nik feel better, and no way to defend the two of them. His energy was sapped, drained by the witch, and his body wasn't regenerating like it should. Before he could try and move, Zafrina was upon them.
"Oh, who's this, Phoenix?" She asked, her eyes gleaming. When she saw Coop's eyes, full of anger and fear, her face lit up with recognition. "Oh, a lover. How sweet. He doesn't look like much of a warrior, though..." She muttered, flinging her hand easily to throw Nik several feet away. Coop's eyes turned murderous and he struggled to move to his knees. Zafrina walked to where Coop was kneeling and evaluated him. Coop glanced over to where Nik had started to get up and watched the boy knock another round of energy into his rifle. Zafrina opened her mouth to speak right as Nik pulled the trigger, the energy bursting into Zafrina's back. She hurtled several feet as the back of her dress began to smoke. Nik rushed over to Coop and put his boyfriend's arm over his shoulders and attempted to start walking. Coop swallowed his pain and tried to walk with his boyfriend as quickly as possible.
They made it a a few yard before Nik stopped. Coop saw him looking over his shoulder and turned his head, but he couldn't see what Nik had stopped for. When Coop looked forward, he realized why that was a bad thing: Zafrina stood before them looking very annoyed. She pointed to the pair and Coop was flung several feet into the ocean, separating him from Nik.
"How dare you attack me, human!" She snarled, shooting dark red electricity from her staff. Nik's body convulsed at the lightning running through his veins, screaming in pain. After fifteen seconds, Zafrina stopped just short enough of killing him. "You don't mean anything, and killing you would certainly break the Phoenix's spirit." She thought aloud, lifting Nik into the air. The boy floated, still twitching, and his eyes got big when he saw the very large knife she had unsheathed from beneath the folds of her dress. "May Osiris have mercy on your soul." She sarcastically before Nik was thrusted onto the dagger. He grunted as blood spilled from his stomach. Zafrina blinked at the teenager and he was thrown into the ocean.
Coop screamed. He screamed until his throat was raw and his ears no longer heard him. He watched Zafrina laugh as she watched Coop break. His ears roared and fire engulfed his body.
In Coop's mind, nothing else mattered. He didn't care if he died. But before he did, he would consume everything in fire. Zafrina looked at him in apprehension before Coop began to pulse heat and flame.
Before Coop could attack, he and Zafrina were both knocked to the ground by a massive pulse of energy. A wave of wind pulsed from the sea and Coop looked to the ocean. About three hundred yards in was Nik, rising from the sea. White energy swirled around him and the wind began to ripple. From behind him, the water began churning and a wave began to build.
Coop could see Nik's arms floating out from him as the water collected. Nik's arms snapped forward and the water began to race. A wave as tall as a ten story building raged toward the beach and the ground began to shake. It was all about to end. And Nik would be the one to do it.
Nik was the fifth Legendary.
Tsunami.
Yeah, I know I forgot about this again. My bad, completely. I really can't apologize enough. But, I figured I'd give ya'll this as a nice Christmas/New Year's present. For those of you who have just come on board, welcome! For those who have been with me since the beginning, you guys rock for sticking in there, for sure. Regardless, please let me know what you thought of the chapter and where you think it's heading. I do have further plans for this story, but, honestly, it's not a huge priority. That being said, I will try to write again before another five months. Anyway, let me know what you think, your input keeps me going!
Nick notoriouslynick90@yahoo.com