Written by- RichmondOwusu8 & Edited by Rafael Assumang
Burton maniacal laughter faded as Seth and Steve rised toward the opening ceiling. He fought his binds trying to flinch off but they were too tight!
"Dammit, Burton, you won't get away with this!" he warned Burton and frowned.
"It isn't over yet!" Steve suggested with a mere shrug.
The platform stepped on the rooftop, where a thunderstorm raged. An enormous device radiating volatile energy pointed down at Seth!
"It's Burton machine! The one he said will steal all the power from you and Prof Stephen." Steve confirmed after his eyes gazed on the machine.
"Let us Go!!" Seth shouted and a flash of lightning awkwardly hit the machine, and it shot a beam of red energy over Seth and Steve!
"AAAAAHH!!!"
"HNNNNG!!!!"
The light faded to a single thin beam that started to slowly pulled Seth magic out of him. He felt himself weakening, nausea overcoming him... "Hrrghh..."
"Well, well, well. You aren't dead! At last, my machine works as intended!" Burton emerged onto the rooftop, a sadistic smile warping his face. Seth tried to drew upon his magic, but couldn't barely sensed it!
"Ugh... Gonna pass out..." Steve asked and Seth gaped out.
"No! Steve, hold on!" he strained against his bindings, but the effort sapped his strength further! "Hnng..."
"Don't weaken... yourself... idiot." Steve said.
"Oh, Steve, you always were slippery little eel. Seeing you so weak is nothing short of a delight." Burton gnawed on his teeth and yelled at them. He came closer, grinning down at Seth and Steve. In a flash, Seth remembered a spell he learned to overcome his weakness in the twilight day of magics...
"Burton won't see this coming!" he thought of and scoffed a laugh. He reached his magical core again, finding the source that all his magic was flowing away from. He imagined the flow reversing direction, swirling back at his center and a whirlpool of blinding energy...
"What are you--"
"You know what happens when you get too close to the sun Burton? You get burned!" he screamed as a superhero in charge of his ki and unleashed a burst of raw Sun energy! White-hot light flooded over the rooftop and engulfed Burton, burning his flesh from his bones!
"AAAAH!" he casted off the spell and glared at Seth, skin sowing itself back together over his charred muscles and bone. Seth's head swarm from the magic he released!
"Urgh..."
"Foolish child. You've only drained your own strength."
"Maybe so... But I've left you some aches and pains... to remember me by."
Burton laughed as he stalked closer, flesh steaming as the last of his injuries disappeared. "I've waited years for this moment. And finally, my patience will repay me. The refractionary power will be mine!" he reached for the machine...
"No. You. Don't." Burton arm fell lifelessly to his side, as though he lost all muscle function. Professor Stephen appeared on the rooftop, with Agim Morina and Yandi Rachman: holding ray guns standing beside Professor Stephen. While Professor Stephen hair windswept, magic crackling in his palms!
"Professor Stephen!" Seth declared.
"Seth! Steve! I'm so sorry it took me so long--"
"Hahaha, finally Professor Stephen you're here! Now no time for any silly things here."
"Father!" Agim Morina called out and Burton turned to his son.
"Don't interfere!" Burton launched a wave of rust- tinged darkness at Agim Morina, but Professor Stephen parried it with similar magic. Sinister energy rippled over the rooftop, giving Seth goosebumps. Burton narrowed his eyes at Professor Stephen, his deadened arm flopping grotesquely.
"So you use the forbidden art as well."
"Professor, was that... Blood magic?" Seth asked Professor Stephen.
"It was. And it's about time I put my ATL to good use."
"You're really a Blood-ATL! I never knew. You can beat Burton and get us out of here!" In Seth relief, he momentarily forgot his weakness. Burton scoffed, his lips twisting into a hideous smirked.
"I would be impressed by this revelation professor... But unlike you. I haven't been restraining my power for years." his deadened arm came back to life and he launched roiling, crimson waves of magic at him! They slice through the air with a shrieking whistle that set Seth teeth on edge! Professor Stephen batted his attack aside with a fierce gust of wind drawn from the storm!
"Hah!" Burton sidesteps the attacked, and Professor Stephen used the chance to quickly unleashed a series of spells toward the machine sapping Seth strength!
"Very clever, but you won't free them that easily." Burton rerouted Stephen spells, twisting them into a thick rope of magic that darkened and warped, as though corrupted. He launched the magic back Professor Stephen and his two Time workers with twice the power! "Hrg!"
Seth could only watched in horror as they pummeled each other. Each time their spells collided, the air filled with the metallic smell of blood. Professor Stephen, Agim Morina and Yandi dived out of the way of a wave of crimson, them aimed a lightning-fast tendril of shimmering magic at the machine!
"Seth hang on! I'll get you out of there!" the spell connected, splintering the glass bulb where Seth stolen magic swirled around! Burton let out a howled of rage! "RRRAAAAGH!!" while he grew more frenzied Professor Stephen grew quicker. He dodged and weaved around his attacks, features hardened in absolute concentration.
"I may have been restraining my powers, Burton, but a murderer like you couldn't hope to wield Blood magic as it's meant to be used." as soon as he spotted an opening, he fired another spell at the machine! "This should do it!" he wailed in pain as his spell connected, and cracks spread across the entire bulb! Sparks shot out wildly!
"Yes! I think--" Seth guessed, but the bulb doesn't breaked! Burton dissolved into cackles.
"Once again, Professor, I'm unimpressed. No surprise there, though fighting against someone so weak my old friend is disappointment. But now we're nemesis! All you've done is bore me." he unleashed a fearsome wave of magic, forcing Professor Stephen toward the edge of the roof! As the bulb sputtered above Seth, he sensed a few tendrils of strength returning to him!
"I can feel my magic! I'll... Cast a spell! I'm not out of this fight yet!" Sun magic erupted from his restrained hands, hitting Burton square in the back!
"Argh!" he stumbled but doesn't fall. Seth glared as he spins around to face him, even as Seth felt his magic fading once again.
"You shouldn't turn your back on either of us, Burton."
"Begone, Burton!" Professor Stephen darted forward, sending dual spells at Burton! One raced toward him, and the other arced around him toward the machine! "Even to save Seth life and die I will do because he's special." he casted both aside with a flick of his wrist, and then he made a slicing motion while letting out a cry of triumph!
"HA!" Burton spell severed Professor Stephen leg at the knee! He fell to the floor in a puddle of blood!
"AAAAAHH!" he stumbles and Burton blasted him one last spell, sending him skidding across the rooftop! "No! Professor Stephen!" tears began dripped from Seth eyes.
"Seth... Steve... I'm sorry for letting you two down... Agim, Yandi, keep Burton distracted while Steve freed Seth!" Professor Stephen slumped unconscious, and his own vision began to darkened as Seth magic was drained down to the dregs.
"No... This can't be it..."
"Yesssssss, this power... I've never felt so much magic before! The refractionary power is nearly in my grasp!"
"Roger that!" Agim nodded as Yandi rushed to Professor Stephen side.
"You wicked father!" Agim seethed out snapping his thoughts as he fired his ray gun a narrow laser piercing through Burton upper thigh making a red sore. "Ahhh!" he fell to his knees.
"You insolent child I breed you and you're fighting against me. Because him!" Burton sore began to heal as he tossed his fingers sending Agim flying away, to slammed a concrete on the rooftop. "Hnng!" he also felt unconscious without returning back.
A shadow slipped across the moon, turning it blood red and signaling the beginning of the end. Burton cackled of glee filled air, but grew fainter and fainter.
"No the... eclipse..." Seth swallowed by the darkness. The rumble of thunder and Burton cried in celebration seemed to come from miles away. Seth heard a clock toll midnight. The machine hummed above him.
"Steve... I'm sorry... I couldn't protect you..." he reached for Steve hand...
"Me... too..." Seth felt a spark when his fingers brushed! "Ah!" Steve took his hand and squeezed, and suddenly, magic rushed into him... "How... how is this even possible?"
"Don't worry about how! Just use it!"
I will unleash my power, AAAAAHH!" Massive power pulses out of him, and the machine began to emit a keening a small blood from Seth's dropped onto it as it whine as it also fractures and malfunctioned! The machine exploded, sending shrapnel and sparks of magic whipping around Seth! The bonds strapping him to the table shattered and the rooftop crumbled to pieces, plummeting him, Steve, and all of them including Burton into the lab below!
"Aaah!" Steve shouted.
"You damned children!" Burton flied straight toward Steve, murder in his eyes!
"I should... Blast Burton" his magic bursted out of him, stronger than anything he've ever felt before! "Get away from my friend!" his magic buffets Burton sending him creasing into a wall! "Hrrg!"
Professor Stephen body and Yandi toppled from the roof, plunging to the ground hard— blood spilling from Professor Stephen mouth and Yandi felt weaker to stand back to his feet. Until he felt consciousness.
Just as Seth was about to hit the ground, Steve clapped his hands together.
"Fluton!" Weightlessness rushed through Seth! He hovered just above the floor.
"Seth, the ceiling's going to keep collapsing! You have to save your frie--" he spins as Burton hit him with a spell from behind! "GAH!"
"Steve!"
"I'll hold off Burton while you make sure nobody crushed! GO!!" he rockets toward Burton while Seth scoured the wreckage for Agim. He spotted Optimus, Joey, and Satyr lying unconscious as boulders crashed to the ground all around them!
"If I don't act fast, one of those boulders is going to hit them! The super speed spell! Will help, but I still can't waste a single second!" his magic coalesced around him, adding extreme speed to his weightlessness!
"I should... Grab my friends! Hang on, guys!" he dived in and dragged his friends to safety, then looked around for Agim.
"Over there!" as Steve parried a below from Burton, Seth spotted Agim, half-buried beneath slabs of metal. Broken vials littered the rubble, and corrosive potions dripped toward him!
"I need to... Lift the metals away! I'm coming, Agim!" he performed the Metal Spell and the metal burying Agim flied away, taking the potions and shattered vials with it! Seth hurried to him and brushed off the last pieces of dirt and rock. "I'll get you out of here!" he pulled Burton free and carried him over to the rest of his friends.