The Arwain Chronicles Book III

Chapter Nine

The Arwain Chronicles: Reborn...

For a while, all Dan could do was look on in disbelief. He stood frozen regarding his two mates Elly and Ember, afraid that if he moved it would all fade away. That he would realize it was a mirage and that he wasn't really back on the earth realm. It wasn't until Dan became aware that his mate bond was back in Place that the fear that this was all a mirage started to fade. Wordlessly, Dan held open his arms to them. That was all the encouragement they needed rising off the floor, both of them crossed the gap between them in just barely three seconds, Ember getting to him only half a second before Elly. Dan Held them both tight in each arm as they both sobbed on his shoulder partly from disbelief partly from relief. Dan's eyes were also closed he fought not to be overwhelmed by the moment. He'd made it!

When they finally pulled back from the hug, Elly pulled him close their lips melding together in an smoulderingly intense kiss. Dan held her just as tightly returning the kiss with double the intensity. They were both flushed and short of breath when their lips finally parted, this however did not stop Elly from pulling him back for a second kiss just as intense as the first. In spite of the wide smile on her face, Elly seemed unable to keep the tears from flowing from her eyes. Dan sent a flood of love down both their bonds as he turned to his other mate. Ember was regarding him with pure shock and... utter terror in her eyes. "Y... y... yo... you were reborn," she stated her voice barely above a whisper.

Dan's smile widened at her. "I made a promise," was his simple reply even as fresh tears flowed from Ember's eyes. Dan pulled her close to him their lips meeting in a kiss that slowly washed away all the fear and pain suffered in his death and absence. It might not have been a complete day since his death but it might as well have been a decade given all the pain and misery that Dan could feel in his mates. Guilt tore at him for having put them through it, even despite the fact that he could see no other way around what he'd had to do. "I'm here," Dan reassuringly whispered to her when their lips parted. Their foreheads still touched as they both savoured the moment.

"Dan," Claire's voice caused him to look up just as Chloe materialized from a dark cloud right beside the hunter.

Dan opened his arms into which they both wordlessly ran. Long moments passed with them in his arms, as tension, fear and doubt then had saturated every bit of them slowly ebbed and disappeared. When they finally pulled back, Claire was the first one to speak. "I like the new look," she said with a smile to Dan's confusion. The confusion however was short lived however as he conjured a mirror to his side and turned to regard it. The changes were immediately obvious. His hair was no longer jet black but a fiery flame orange and his formerly deep ocean blue eyes were now the same hue as burning coals. Not much else seemed to have changed in any significant way apart from that.

The mirror disappeared back into thin air as Dan was forced to take a step back as someone else jumped into his arms. Her scent betrayed Kirra's identity even before her voice did. Though quite similar to her other half's scent, there was a slight variation that allowed Dan to tell who was who between the two of them. "I knew you would return to us," she said quietly in a tone that relayed that she had very much been doubting this.

Dan silently held her as others in his following flowed into the hall. Soon almost everyone except for lord Arwain was in the hall. "Damn, I didn't think my entrance was that loud," He remarked a bit surprised at how fast his arrival was known to all of them.

"It wasn't," Elly informed him.

"But with that kind of power, I suppose that everyone from here to Africa was aware of it the second you arrived," Ember chimed in.

It was at this comment that Dan became aware of the kind of power, and just how powerful his magical aura had become. His aura was coming off him like heat would from a thousand furnaces. Even one without magic would probably have been able to sense it with ease. Dan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, he pulled back on his aura drawing it back into him. Soon enough, one wouldn't have been able to tell whether he had any magical power based on his aura. Dan's eyes scanned the faces before him nodding and acknowledging each one of them with a smile. He hoped they could all see in his eyes just how much he was grateful to each and every single one of them for choosing to stand with him despite the seemingly insurmountable odds before them. His brows drew closer to one another when he couldn't find her. "Where is Athena?" he asked not finding her face among those arrayed before him.

Dan did not miss the change in demeanour of Ember, Claire Chloe and others of those closest to him. "A lot has happened in the time that you've been away Dan," Ember offered cryptically.

"Has something happened to Athena?" Dan asked the concern in his voice immediately notable.

"No, nothing. At least not anything that we know of," Ember once again offered another cryptic answer. "It would be best if Lord Arwain explained all this," she went on to say.

"Lord Arwain?" Dan repeated his confusion evident. "He is still here?" he questioned.

"Yes," Kirra stated. "It seems that when you died, the link between the two of you was severed. And yet somehow, he was still preserved in Richard's mind," she explained.

Dan did another scan of the crowd before him. "Where is he?" he found himself asking when he couldn't find the face of the soldier among those present.

"On one of the upper floors in too much pain to move," Ember reported rather calmly, her tone in sharp contrast to the news she was delivering.

"What happened to him?" Dan asked once again his concern rising.

"Again," Ember said in response. "This conversation is best held on the upper floors where he is," she urged.

Dan's eyes closed as he sought out his ancestor's magical signature within the building they were in. Without preamble, he vanished in a ball of flames soon as he found it.

*******

He reappeared on the floor Lord Arwain was on to find him seated in a monk meditation pose with his eyes closed. A look of serenity was over his face as if he was in the most peaceful place on the earth. Dan's eyes scanned the patterned lacerations on his skin. They were in the shape of runes recurring in different points on his body. His gaze at last settled on the golden blade that was presently sticking out of his chest, seemingly having impaled him all the way through as its hilt rested against his skin. "What the hell happened to you?" Dan asked finally speaking up.

A small smile graced his lips at the sound of his voice. "If anyone was ever going to cheat death, it would be you," He stated almost as if amused by the fact. Despite not showing it in his voice or face, Dan could sense the agony that he was in. "What happened to you?" Dan repeated crouching down to his level.

"Look outside," was Lord Arwain's simple reply.

He did. Two things immediately stood out to him, the absence of window panes on any building within sight. And given his new phoenix vision, those were a lot of buildings, both on this and the other side of the shield that covered the building they were in and those around it for about three blocks. The second thing he noticed was the shield itself and the intricate runes that characterized its surface at various points. Runes that were the exact copies of what was on Lord Arwain's skin. "Care to explain what it is that I'm seeing?" Dan posed turning back to Lord Arwain.

"The missing windows or the shield," He posed in his usual never-get-straight-to-the-point tone of voice, his smile never wavering.

"Both," Dan returned humouring him.

"Oh, well Nuri's the one responsible for the state of the windows and as for the..."

"Wait, did you just say Nuri?" Dan posed his mind latching to the name of the one Hestia had sent greetings to, just before Dan was unceremoniously ejected from her mind.

"I believe I did," Lord Arwain returned despite being perfectly aware that it had been a rhetorical question.

"Who's that?" Dan questioned.

"A dragon that Chloe released from a chest given to her by the keeper of secrets that is now the only thing protecting those in Africa and Europe from the onslaught that is about to begin from Eldraen. Who by the way, Nuri informs us is just about, if not already, ready to launch his attack on us," Lord Arwain offered in one long diatribe.

"A what?" Dan found himself asking. Despite all what he had so far seen and been through, a dragon was not even on the list of answers that Dan had been expecting to receive.

"Believe me, I had the same reaction," Lord Arwain offered his tone relaying the surprise he'd felt at this new discovery. "You'd think that after fifty thousand years of life you'd have seen all that there was to see," he added sounding rather amused.

"And it's on our side," Dan incredulously posed despite having heard Lord Arwain clearly.

"She," Chloe offered correctively as she walked into the room along with Ember, Elly, Kirra, Claire and Valerie. Ember had instructed all the rest to get back to whatever stations they were serving at and give them time to get Dan caught up on all what had taken place in his absence and that he would address them all later. "Turns out that the dragon, Nuri, is actually female," the necromancer clarified. "And yes, at the moment it seems like she is on our side," she added.

For a moment Dan was at a loss as to what was appropriate to say in response. "Well," he finally spoke. "If we ever see her," the way he said it relaying that he found it odd to be referring to a dragon as a 'her'. "Remind me to tell her that Hestia said hi," he said his mind trying to reconcile the fact that he was passing greetings from a long since dead phoenix who also happened to be the flame of rebirth to a dragon.

"You've met Hestia," Ember wouldn't have been able to hide the shock in her voice had she tried.

"She is the only reason I made it through the rebirth with my mind still intact," Dan replied now realizing that meeting Hestia wasn't something that happened to every other phoenix, or any other phoenix period. He could almost see it as the million and one questions formed in Ember's mind.

"Who is Hestia?" Elly managed to beat her to the first question.

"She is the first of our kind," Ember offered the answer. "The first phoenix to come into existence. She's the one that found a way around death by literally creating the Phoenix realm. She also through unimaginable pain and at the cost of her very own life underwent the transformation that made her into the flame of rebirth. In so doing, she became the bridge that linked this realm to the phoenix realm and a way for us phoenixes to stave off death, at least for the first twenty times if one managed it that far," they could all quite clearly her the tone of reverence and deep respect in Ember's voice as she spoke of her ancestor.

It was now starting to make more sense to Dan why the other phoenixes in the phoenix realm had not been all to happy when he attacked the statue. To them it was much more than a statue. It was a reminder and symbol of the one that had given all for them. The one who'd made it possible for them to keep all the knowledge they'd gathered even past their deaths.

"But, if she is the flame of rebirth in the phoenix realm, how could she have known about the fact that Nuri had been released back into the world in this realm?" Chloe posed.

"As I said," Ember replied turning to regard her. "She is the bridge between the two realms. A bridge has to have contact with both sides of what it's connecting otherwise it doesn't make for a very good bridge. While she is aware of and in contact with the phoenix realm, she is equally just as much in contact with this realm. She is vaguely aware of what goes on here just as she is of what goes on in the phoenix realm,"

"Vaguely?" Dan repeated.

"Yes, she isn't some all seeing eye that is aware of all that goes on here and in the phoenix realm. In fact, she is barely aware of anything that goes on, on either side except in the case of where an especially powerful being, such as Eldraen, yourself," Ember said nodding to Dan.

"Or Nuri," Chloe added putting it together.

"Yes," Ember concurred. "Comes into existence in either one of the two realms. Part of the bargain she made was that she would gain all the knowledge that anyone reborn by her possessed. When you are reborn, she gets to know all that you know. It's how she keeps updated. But other than that, she doesn't know much else about either side," Ember explained.

"Bargain," Dan once again found himself repeating. "With who?" he asked.

"That has always been one of the great mysteries that we as phoenixes have never been able to solve. All that is recorded is that she went back to the mother of our flame," Ember reported. "No one has ever been able to decipher what that meant," she explained. "Until now I believe," she added turning to Dan.

At first Dan's brows knitted in confusion when Ember turned to him. His brows rose shortly after as his mind also put it together. "Nuri," he voiced his realization.

"Exactly," Ember confirmed.

"That's why your shields couldn't protect me from the heat coming from her nostrils," Chloe spoke up as she too was hit by her own realization. "Given that she is the origin of phoenix fire itself, it's no great leap to the assume that not even a phoenix is protected from her flames," she postulated

"Great," Lord Arwain spoke in the tone that they'd all come to associate with when he was about to say something that he thought to be quite humorous. An opinion that in most cases was not shared by others. "We can just sic her on Eldraen and his buddies and be done with this whole war," he offered. To his own surprise, Dan actually liked the idea.

"Except that she does not care in any special way about this realm. Or the petty squabbles of those within it, as she puts it," Ember countered. "To her it would be all the same whether we lost or won. She probably has an infinite number of realms to which she can traverse to. If we are going to save earth, we'll have to do it ourselves," Ember stated.

"How charming," Dan muttered to himself his gaze turning back to Lord Arwain. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the runes on your body and that blade in your heart have something to do with the shield outside," he stated what already seemed to be self-evident to him.

"It's called a life shield," Lord Arwain began. "It's impenetrable and invulnerable to all kinds of attacks, magical or otherwise. But for it to be so, it has to be tied to a life, in this case mine," he explained. "None of us knew when you'd be back, and according to the plan we laid out, the doorway was your only way back. It had to be protected at all costs," he went on.

Dan's brows drew closer to each other. Glancing to Ember and the rest, he could already see it their eyes that what he feared was most likely the case "Which means?" he queried despite the fact that part of him knew that he wouldn't like the answer.

"Meaning that, soon enough, Richard will have his body back," Lord Arwain answered with a smile.

"And what about you?" Dan pressed.

"Well, I get to reunite with my wife in the afterlife," he said his smile widening. "I get to tell her about our legendary descendant, Dan," he went on. "Who I beat in chess two thousand seven hundred and sixty eight times," he added offhandedly with a slight chuckle.

"Sixty nine, but who's counting," Dan said with a weak smile. He wasn't at all happy that they'd had to resort to this but at the same time he couldn't blame them. He also was well aware that his raising whatever objections he had to what they had done wouldn't reverse it, nothing he did now could. This however did not make it any easier to accept nor make him hate the situation he'd put them in any less. "I still need you," Dan said quietly. Lord Arwain had been a steady guide that despite all that was before him, had given Dan the confidence to face it all head on. Dan wasn't at all sure he'd be able to make it without the eccentric old man by his side, or in his mind.

Lord Arwain finally opened his eyes to regard the boy before him. "No, you don't Dan," He said in a tone that relayed that he meant it. "I stuck around for fifty thousand years to ensure that magic never got out of hand and threaten mankind ever again. Do you think I would be so calm about leaving if I didn't have every bit of confidence in you that you'd be okay without me," he more of said it than asked. "You are ready Dan," Lord Arwain said Placing his hand on Dan's shoulder reassuringly.

Dan's lips pressed together wishing he could share the same confidence in himself that Lord Arwain seemed to have in him. "Athena," he finally spoke choosing to change the subject. "I'm told that you can explain her absence to me," he said.

"Oh, she's the traitor," Lord Arwain said in a voice and with a smile that was in sharp contrast to what he'd just said.

"What are you talking about?" Dan posed in a tone of voice that relayed that he did not at all like what he was hearing. Dan listened as Lord Arwain explained how he had Karra play as the traitor and how he'd got Athena to believe she was loyal to him when with him and the other members of his following and loyal to her demon master when not with them. "So what you mean to tell me, is that we have no army outside of those we already have here with us? That the people who thought they would be fighting to protect the ones they cared about, will actually be fighting for our enemies?" Dan asked after a while of silence.

"Would you rather I had let Athena be left with no choice but to betray you even after she had been willing to lose her life rather than do so?" Lord Arwain replied. It wasn't in a defensive tone or any accusatory manner, he was simply relaying the options he'd had before him when he chose to do what he did. And much as he abhorred the thought that those who'd chosen to fight for him had been turned into pawns in Eldraen's sadistic game, he couldn't see any alternative to what Lord Arwain did that he would like any better.

"And so Karra..."

"Came back a day ago," Dan looked up to her as Karra appeared at the door. Much as she was trying to hide it, Dan could see the nervousness in her eyes as she regarded him. Eventually, she could no longer hold his gaze as hers dropped to the ground. "I never betrayed you Dan," she offered, the nervousness seeping into her voice. "I never would," she added.

Disappearing in a ball of flames, Dan reappeared before she was and pulled her into a tight hug. Much as he'd hated her for her betrayal, it was only now that Dan realized just how much he'd missed her and hated the fact that she was no longer one of them. "How did you manage to escape without Eldraen Knowing?" Dan posed.

"I didn't," Karra replied opening her mind up to him so he could see all that transpired during her escape. "I guess you can thank Eldraen's hubris for the fact that I'm still drawing breath," she said afterwards.

Dan looked down at her hand which was now covered by a glove like shield. He reached down and took it into his hand. Without sparing any effort, Dan removed the shields that covered it. Karra's reaction was immediate as she jumped back from Dan to keep her arm far from both her own body and Dan's, when it burst alight once more. She would have gotten further away for him, had Dan not maintained a tight grip around the wrist of the burning arm. Despite the fact that she was well aware what he was, Karra couldn't stop herself from looking at Dan's hand with panic. The flames danced around his hand, yet Dan's hand wasn't burning even a bit. A shaky exhale left her, her other hand rising to her mouth as the flames around his grip started to die out. The burnt flesh left by the fast fading flames was restored anew. Karra opened and closed her hand half disbelievingly, she seemed hesitant to believe that she had her hand back. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully. Dan smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

"You will have to forgive me for interrupting," Valerie finally spoke up. "But I was under the impression that you were after some kind of potion in the other realm," she more of asked than said subtly phrasing it as a question.

"I did," Dan said. "And I did find it," he confirmed. "Unfortunately, one cannot ferry anything from the phoenix realm to this one through rebirth," he said. "I will have to go back for it," he added.

"Absolutely not!" Elly's sharp reply caused all eyes in the room to turn to her. Her eyes on the other hand were fixed singularly on her mate. "You are not going to put me through that a third time Dan," she said a note of both desperation and fear in her voice. "Haven't I suffered enough already?" she posed tears already welling in her eyes
at the thought of losing him a third time. A feeling that she was now all too familiar with.

Dan crossed the room to her and pulled her tightly into his arms their lips meeting in a deep and tender kiss. Dan poured out torrents and torrents of love through his mate bond to both his mates as he could also feel Ember's fears. "You have suffered too much," Dan whispered to her when their lips finally parted. "And I promise you, you will
never ever have to go through that ever again," He said letting Elly's head rest on his chest.

"Once again, I'm sorry to interrupt," Valerie spoke up. "But how do you plan to get the potion without going back to the phoenix realm?" he posed.

Dan held a growling Elly to his chest to keep her from attacking on Valerie though she herself didn't seem all too bothered by the prospect of it. "I am going back to the phoenix realm," he answered causing both Elly and Ember to look at him alarmed. "But this time, I have a doorway there, I need not die to get there," Dan said with a smile as the panic seeped out of Elly's body and Ember's expression.

Dan's head turned in his direction when he sensed a new presence in the room different from those that had been there previously. "You," was all he could manage to say as he immediately recognized the old Asian man from the antique shop where he'd gotten his guardians.

He smiled at him warmly and offered a small nod. "If you would please join me down on ground level," he spoke with the same strong tone of voice that spoke of youth yet sharply contrasted against the one who spoke. "I have a delivery for you," he added as explanation.

"A delivery?" Dan reiterated. "Who from?" he queried.

"The universe," he answered. Dan studied the man's face, he could see no hint of irony or sarcasm. Dan's brows rose as he realized that the man was entirely serious. "Oh," he sounded once again having nothing appropriate to say in reply. "What is it?" he asked.

The man's smile widened. "I am the keeper of secrets, not the knower of them," he calmly replied turning around seemingly to head downstairs. "Although," he said pausing midturn. "If I were to hazard a guess at what it is," he said contemplatively. "I'd say, an army," he offered before fully turning and starting off. Leaving Dan exchanging glances with those around him...

They all stood on ground level as the old man who'd walked all the way down stepped out from the building and walked towards the carriage drawn by a winged horse which was ironically perfectly parked in a parking space. None of them said a thing as the old man walked past them to the carriage. Moving around to the back of it, the old man held out his hand and started to mutter a spell beneath his breath. Whatever spell it was, it was a short one as he went quiet and let his hands drop back to his sides shortly after.

For a while, nothing happened, then it did. An impossible number of chests started flying out of the back of the carriage. They flew out in about seven streams all around the old man but none touched him. They all arranged themselves in seven neat lines on the tarmac behind the old man. Even with the fact that he knew magic was involved, Dan found himself thinking that it was impossible to have such a large number of chests in the back of a carriage as small as the one before them. For a whole three minutes they were all silent as chests continued to fly out of the carriage. By the time they were finally through, Dan doubted that there was a square meter of street within the dome that wasn't covered in chests. "There must be over ten thousand chests here," Dan muttered more to himself than anyone around him.

"I'm not the expert here, given that I've only ever opened one chest," Chloe spoke. But I don't think we have the time for you to come up with thirty thousand names," she pointed out.

"That is only if I manage to solve ten thousand different puzzles," Dan said in response his voice relaying his trepidation at the daunting task before them.

"You won't have to do either," All eyes turned to lord Arwain as he slowly made his way down the steps from the building. Despite the brave face he put on, they could all see the agony he was in.

"Well, do you have any faster ways of opening these chests?" Dan posed turning fully to him.

"You forget Dan," Lord Arwain said as he too moved past them. "I created these chests," he said raising his hands towards them. Before anything else could be said, Lord Arwain began to chant in an arcane language. About half a minute into his chant, all the chests began to glow. On the chests closest to them, Dan could see the jumbled surface which he knew to be the puzzle, smoothen out till it was no different from the other three surfaces.

Dan was immediately at his back holding him up to keep him from collapsing when lord finished casting the spell. "I'm starting to feel my age," It was an odd statement to hear from someone who by all appearances looked and in reality, was only a few years older than Dan himself.

He still smiled at the attempt at humor by his ancestor. "This has less to do with you age and more to do with the blade in your heart and this shield above us," he stated in response looking up at it for a second. "That takes care of the puzzles," he went on to say glancing to the chests. "But thirty thousand names, is no small figure," Dan stated stepping back from lord Arwain when he was finally sure that he wouldn't fall over if he let go.

"I modified the spell on them," Lord Arwain informed him. "You won't be required to name them, they'll go by whatever name they had, if any, before they were imprisoned in the chests," he explained.

"So how do I open them now?" Dan posed not seeing any obvious lock mechanism on any of the chests around.

"Oh, that's easy," Lord Arwain said with a smile. "While hopping on your left leg, rubbing your stomach with your right hand and patting your head with your left, you have to say 'blue monkey balls,' three times," he instructed.

Dan's brows rose regarding his ancestor incredulously. "You can't possibly be serious," he said. However, as Lord Arwain continued to regard him with a smile not saying anything, Dan got the sick feeling he was indeed being serious. "If this is some kind of joke, I swear I'll rum an even bigger sword through you," he said raising his right leg. Once he was sure he'd replicated the instructions given, Dan began to hop on his left foot. "Blue monkey balls, blue monkey balls, blue monkey balls," He said.

Dan couldn't keep his cheeks from turning a rosy hue when Lord Arwain burst out laughing. Claire Elly, Kirra and Chloe all tried to push back down their laughter. They all failed miserably as they all burst out laughing. Even Ember, Karra and the old man was smiling amusedly at the small joke that had been played on him. Dan would have been mad at him except for the fact that for the fact that even if for a brief moment, those in his following were genuinely amused and laughing, not just putting on a brave face as they awaited death.

"Alright, ha ha, you've had your laugh," Dan said trying to play down his slight embarrassment but still unable to keep the smile from his face. "Now how do I open the chests?" He posed.

Glances turned to it as the winged horse which had been calm and quiet so far, neighed suddenly and pawed the ground. "I guess that's my cue," the old man spoke moving to the front of the carriage. With more speed and nimbleness than Dan would have credited him with, he climbed on. There were no reins on the horse, it however seemed to be aware when he'd climbed on as it took off without preamble. They all watched at he rose through the air moving to wards the shields. Dan's brow arched when he moved through the shields as if it was air without compromising it in anyway. "I thought you said that the shields are invulnerable to all magic and non-magic intrusion alike," he posed turning to Lord Arwain.

"He's not exactly subject to the laws of magic, or physics for that matter," Lord Arwain said, he too seeming surprised at what had just happened despite the answer he'd just offered. "Also, I don't think it would be the smartest thing to do to let free about thirty thousand magical beings all to be confined within a two-block radius. Unless you want to have them turn on each other," he went on to address his previous request before the horse had interrupted them.

"And we can't take down the shields now seeing as it will be all out war the second we do," Kirra said.

"Not to mention that I'd be dead," Lord Arwain pointed out.

"Yeah, that too," Karra offered indifferently.

"And there is still the small matter of the fact that no one standing here will survive this war without the potion you were to obtain from the phoenix realm," Valarie pointed out.

A sigh left Dan as he found himself unable to argue against any of their points. "To the door way then," he instructed.

*******

Tatia had her jaws clenched. She was in full armour holding the spear tightly in her grip. With the boy dead, only one other being was powerful enough to open the doorways, Eldraen. How he'd managed to get to them so soon after the boy's demise was a mystery to all but one that they would have to ponder after they survived what was to come if indeed they did survive what was to come. They'd only just conjured the armour they had on and whatever choice of weapons they now held in their hands. Those closest to the doorway had thought to destroy it to keep their ancient foe from making it to their realm. Their queen however, had stopped them. She wouldn't die as a coward in hiding, and had refused to see that any of them would. She'd contended that it was only delaying the inevitable, to which none of them could argue. They all knew that even another century of preparation would have very little effect on the outcome of the battle to come. If anything, it would only allow them more time for fear to eat away at what little bravery they could muster in the present. Without Dan it was all hopeless, and they all knew it.

After a while of the runes glowing, the light seemed to seep from the archway itself and converge at the center of it before once again dispersing to its edges in a sheet of light. It was like looking at a translucent liquid mirror, those on one side of the mirror could see the blurred form of those on the other vaguely. The mirror like sheet of light suddenly intensified. The grip on the weapons they had on their hands tightened, someone was stepping through. Their queen held up the sword in her hand, her shield held close to her body in her other hand. They all held their breaths for a long tense second as they waited for the sword to point forward at whoever would step forward through the doorway, the signal to attack...

*******

"Are you okay?" Dan asked regarding Ember. Despite her calm exterior, Dan could sense her tension and anxiety through their mate bond.

"I haven't seen my mother in close to sixty millennia," she said quietly looking at the doorway that Dan had just opened. They would be the only ones crossing as they weren't sure what crossing over to the phoenix realm would do to a creature of any other kind. "I'm not sure what to expect," she said with a sigh. "Or perhaps I do," she added more quietly.

Dan held out a hand to her. "You won't be facing her alone, you've got a pretty mean boyfriend by your side" he offered with a smile.

In spite of herself, Ember smiled. "I'm not sure that's how I want her to meet my boyfriend," she offered allowing herself to play along. She took his hand and with another deep breath, took a step forward.

"Don't worry, she's already past the wanting-to-kill-me phase," Dan replied as they both stepped through the doorway.

They both came to a quick halt as they found themselves standing in the phoenix realm before thousands upon thousands of phoenixes in armour, holding all kinds of weapons all pointed at them. "Uuh... I don't think she's quite there yet," Ember found herself answering her mate her eyes fixed on the sword in her mother's hand. She knew exactly what would happen if she pointed it forward at them.

"Eldrid?" Her mother's voice caused Ember's eyes to drop from the sword to her face. Ember hadn't been sure what to expect but an expression of surprise and even more unexpectedly, one of joy had not been what on the list of her expectations. She and her mother had always been at odds and had at times gone for millennia without talking to each other. Ember knew her mother had always disapproved of her unwillingness to fully commit herself to solely gathering knowledge. Her willingness to meddle in events rather than simply observing them had also been another bone of contention between she and her mother. It had gotten to the point where she would not have been at all surprised had she been met with stony indifference.

She walked forward as her mother lowered her hand and more importantly, the sword down, a signal to the army behind her to stand down. Going down on one knee before her, Ember turned her gaze to the ground beneath her feet. "Mother," it was only when she spoke that she became aware of the emotion that was threatening to overwhelm her. Emotion that also saturated her voice. Despite all their differences, she too had so sorely missed her mother and could barely believe that she was standing before her once again. Ember did not resist it as, using her magic, her mother pulled her up from the ground and pulled her into a tight hug. She returned it with just as much intensity. Ember couldn't stop herself from smiling at her mother as they both pulled back from the hug "How long has it been?" she posed even despite the fact that she could quite easily calculate what sixty earth millennia translated to in the phoenix realm.

"Way too long," her mother quietly replied pulling her into another tight hug. It was a long while before they once again parted. "So, you made it," Ember's mother said turning to him causing Ember to do the same. Despite the calm manner in which the statement was delivered, Dan could see it in her eyes that she was having a hard time conceiving of how it was even possible that he was standing here.

"So I did," Dan replied with a smile not wishing to delve into too many details, time was of the essence.

"Well," The queen spoke seemingly giving up the attempt to figure out how he made it through what was essentially supposed to be his death. "If nothing else can be said about you, this much can; you're probably the most stubborn being I've ever met," she offered with a smile. "I see why my daughter likes you," she added.

"Believe me, a lot more can be said about him," was all Ember said in reply smiling at him.

"I really hate to be the one to rush or ruin this reunion that's been millennia in the making, but I really need the potion," Dan said.

"Of course," Ember's mom offered. A couple of the phoenixes in the front line vanished in a ball of flames. Dan could only assume that they'd mentally received the order to go get the potion. "Meanwhile, the rest of the army should probably start marching through to your realm" the queen said nodding to the open doorway.

"Actually, not just yet," Dan replied causing a questioning look of confusion crossed the queen's expression.

"A life shield was deployed around the doorway, to protect it until his return," Ember explained Dan's response. "At the maximum, only about four thousand people can fit within it, and we are already way past half of that figure," she added. "There are three, maybe four hundred thousand phoenixes on this realm, not even a tenth of that figure would be able to get through without the shield coming down," Ember elaborated.

"At the moment, it would be best if perhaps you, a few of your army generals and Tatia crossed over, at least for now," Dan said nodding to the scribe.

"Sorry, but I'm not a high-ranking member of the army," Tatia spoke up at this point. "I'm not sure I would be of much help in combat," she added.

"You are not in the army, but you are a scribe, with your memory, you'll be able to record and recall all that goes on out there," he answered. "In the event that we survive what's coming, I figure you guys will be quite interested in the details," he said smiling.

A smile crossed Tatia's expression. "That I can do," she said just as those that had been sent out reappeared with trays each with a vial on it.

In spite of the fact that the potion was based off the one Dan had taken when the phoenixes wanted to sift through his memories, it looked nothing like it. Instead of a clear fluid that looked no different from water in appearance, the vials a golden amber fluid that seemed to glow even as it slowly swirled around despite the fact that the phoenixes holding the tray were standing perfectly still. "A few modifications will be needed before they are ready but nothing that should take more than an hour," The queen said walking over to one of the phoenixes with a tray and picking up the vial from it.

Dan's brows drew closer to one another. "The potions were ready when I left," He pointed out.

"Yes, they were," the queen answered. "But this potion was prepared for a Male phoenix that had burned only five times, not one that had gone through all his burns," she explained. "This potion has to be weakened drastically otherwise... well, let's just say that in my life, I've only seen one death worse than the one that will be endured by the one who takes this after you do," Ember's mother said glancing to the platform that Dan had been on a few hours before.

"Oh..." Dan voiced as Ember's mother put the potion back down on the tray.

*******

"We are all going to die," Dan said surveying all the eyes that were right now regarding him. He was now back in the building those in his following had chosen to operate from, addressing all of them as had been promised he would. He was now on a stage he had conjured so they could all see him, with all seated in the seats he'd similarly conjured. They were all here, Ember, Kirra, Karra, Claire, Chloe. The tracker Two and the two assassins Twenty One and Twenty Two. A large number of werewolves, his mate Elly, her brother and his mate Victor and Carol. Elly's parents, alpha Raymond and his mate Lexy together with Rick and Loraine, their respective second in command. The vampire Ailin and the one Dan had deduced to be her mate, Korzak were also present. The former council member Valerie was also there. Last but not least was Lord Arwain who sat at the back regarding him with a proud smile.

He noted the confusion in their eyes at his words. It was an odd way to start what would possibly be the last speech to the ones that would be fighting for him in the war that was less than three hours away. "'Immortal', as a friend of mine once told me," he continued glancing to Karra. "Does not make part of the description of any in this room. So eventually, at some point in time, we will all encounter death," He said.

"That day however, is not today!" he continued his voice hardening. "An enemy has come to our doorstep seeking to destroy both us and all that we care about," he said pointing in the direction from which he could sense Eldraen's dark magic coming from. "A decision he will forever regret!" he spoke in a dark voice. The look in his blazing flames coloured eyes relaying that every word uttered was truly meant. His demeanour relaying that whatever monster Dan had been keeping at bay as he moved all the pieces into place was now ready to come out and play. He was on their side and essentially fighting for them just as much as they were fighting for him. This fact however did very little to assuage their fear of the monster they could see lurking in his eyes. "Eldraen threatened more than our lives, he's threatened the ones we care about, he's threatened our way of life, he's threatened our very existence," he said in a voice that relayed that he didn't take very kindly to any of the aforementioned threats. "Now I don't know about any of you, but no one threatens those I care about and lives to tell tale of it. I have no intention of having this be the first time," he said darkly.

"Now, in a short while, the potion that will allow all of you to tap into my power will be ready," he stated. "But it is not the potion or the fact that you will have access to my powers that gives me confidence in the ones I see before me," he said. "None of you would be in this room if you did not have the heart of warriors! If you did not have an unbreakable resolve! If you did not have an unbending will! That!" Dan stated raising his clenched fist with his index finger pointing upwards. "That is the reason why I am not worried about how many hordes Eldraen has emerge from whatever hole he crept out of, I say let them come!" The fervour in his voice rose with every word and in spite of themselves their readiness to take on what was to come as well.

"Not only will we crush them, but we will make an example of them that will be the stuff of nightmares to anyone else who might even passingly entertain the thought of attempting what Eldraen has," Dan spoke in a voice that relayed that he had no intention of seeing anything less happen. "Give no place to fear, let go off any doubt and let us lay waste to all who stand against us," Dan finished. The room was filled with the battle cries of all in his following. The blazing conviction in his eyes infecting all of them.

The doors to the room they were in opened and Ember's mother stepped through. Behind her were two lines of phoenixes following, all of whom were still in battle armour. Each of them held a tray on which was a vial of the glowing amber potion that would merge his powers to that of his following. Moving from the back along the right side of the room, the queen of the phoenix realm moved the front of the room. The two processions however split at the door, one moving along the left side of the room the other following close behind their queen. When she got to the front of the room, she nodded to Dan wordlessly letting him know that it was ready.

"Everyone," Dan spoke up. "This is..." there was a pause as even Dan realized that he'd never actually bothered to ask her name and only knew her by her title of royalty and her relationship to Ember.

"Elistra, queen of the phoenixes and my mother also," It was Ember who answered the unspoken question.

"Thank you," Dan said nodding to Ember. "She will be fighting alongside us in the war," he informed them.

"If you don't even know her name, how do you know we can trust her," Twenty one posed. "How do you know she won't turn sentimental and hesitate to strike at a crucial moment," she posed.

Despite queen Elistra's eyes narrowing at the assassin, she made no move against her. "I know because, she may be the only one here who wants to see Eldraen dead even more than me," Dan answered in her defense.

"My son has no use for allies," Queen Elistra spoke up. "More so ones that he considers weak," she continued. "Even if I were to turn on you in some ill-conceived act of maternal love, he would only keep me around until after he'd dispelled with Dan, if he managed to. He'd then proceed to peel the flesh from my bones just to amuse himself, soon as I lost my mind and could no longer offer him the sadistic pleasure he'd draw from my torture he'd just rip my head off," she spoke candidly her hard gaze roving over each of them. "So no, I have zero intention of seeing my head parted from my body," even if they didn't trust her, none of those present doubted that Eldraen would do as his mother said he would.

"Now if we are done questioning my loyalties," there was no rancour in her tone of voice, but a simple matter of fact tone. "We need to get this over and done with before my son does more damage than we can salvage," she said turning to the phoenix closest to her and picking the vial from her tray. "This is not the sharpest of potions, but it is pretty sharp" she informed him. "It will burn all the way down, so don't stop until the vial is empty. Otherwise you won't be able to bring it back to your lips," she explained.

Dan regarded the vial with trepidation for a moment before picking it from her. "Bottoms up," he muttered to himself before throwing his head back and drinking it all down in three large gulps. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop himself from screwing up his face in a grimace. Ember's mother had not been lying, he could definitely track the movement of the potion which felt like fire crawling down his throat. It took deep and slow controlled breaths for him to regain composure.

While he knew that the potion was based off the one the phoenixes had used to gain information from him the first time around, it tasted and felt nothing like the initial potion. In the first instance, Dan had felt like he'd been subsumed into a mind larger than his own and become essentially one with it. This time however, Dan felt like he'd been plunged deep in 'water', and as a sugar crystal would dissolve, he too was dissolving and becoming part and puzzle of the 'water'. Where he began or ended in as far as his power and essence ceased to exist. He was still very much aware and in control of himself in the physical world, it however took a few moments for him to get used to the feeling of it.

When his eyes finally opened, he could see all eyes fixed intently on him. They all seemed unsure of what to expect but were looking for any signs that something had gone wrong anyway. "My advice would be to start with the strongest among your following," Queen Elistra advised when seconds passed and nothing observable had gone wrong. "That way if it gets to be too strong at any point down the chain, we can know without you losing a member of your following"

Dan nodded his affirmation seeing the wisdom in the approach. "Go ahead," he offered stepping aside as Ember stepped up before her mother. The phoenix with the empty tray stepped back from the line and vanished in a ball of flames from the room. The ones behind her each took a synchronized step forward each taking the position of the one before them.

Queen Elistra picked a vial of the potion from a phoenix on the line that had circled the left side of the room and offered it to her daughter.

Dan found himself watching his mate intently to see if anything went wrong despite the fact he too was no wiser as to what 'going wrong' would look like. All he could gather from his observation was the fact that Ember had a better poker face than he did as she took the vial away from her lips empty. Dan's observation of his mate was cut short as he involuntarily closed his eyed taking in a deep breath of air. He was suddenly aware of Ember being plunged in to the same 'water' as he had been, she too was dissolving into the water as he had. Soon enough where he started and she ended could not be discerned by either one of them.

The merging however did not stop at their powers as he'd suspected it wouldn't. Their minds also merged as well. Unlike it had been with the phoenixes however, Dan could tell his mind from Ember's, he retained awareness of himself just as she did. This however was as far as their differentiation went. Thoughts seemed to bounce from one mind to the other, with neither one of them being too sure whose mind was the originator of the thought. A thought originated in one mind originated and the other would complete it in exactly the way the first had intended to. The memories of each mind seemed to be owned by both minds. If not for the fact that he consciously knew which were his, her would have probably thought himself to be a hundred and fifty millennia old.

It occurred to him, or to her, Dan couldn't really tell, that he would have to do his best to keep each mind that joined whatever morass they were in, intact and differentiated from each other. If he didn't they would all probably lose themselves in the same way the dark phoenixes seemed to have partially done. It was now starting to make a lot more sense to him, or to her, why the dark phoenixes spoke as they did.

Dan did his best to pull apart his memories and thought processes from those of Ember. He let out an exhale as his thought processes and memories started to get a lot more coherent. He couldn't fully pull them apart but succeeded enough so that his fear that they would all lose themselves to each other's minds abated substantially. It wasn't until Dan opened his eyes that he saw the actual physical effects of the potion. It was a funny feeling to look at her and also directly experience it through her mind even as she got to experience it first hand and also see it through his eyes. Ember was alight, phoenix fire covering her from head to foot. Her eyes had also taken up the hue of burning coals. The flame colour in her hair had risen up to the roots much akin to how Hestia's hair had been or how hers had been when she was about to burn. Judging from the smile that was playing on her lips however, it was clear to see that she wasn't in any agony and was very much in control. For a moment she seemed breathless unable to believe the kind of power they could both feel coursing through her. With a bit of focus, Ember managed to extinguish the flames covering her body.

"This is amazing," The words breathlessly left them both, causing Dan to purse his lips. He'd momentarily forgotten to keep their thought processes separate and the comment that Ember had thought to make left both their lips.

"So you are okay?" it was at Queen Elistra's question that they both became aware of the panic and fear in the eyes of the others around them. Dan could in a way understand why. Ember bursting alight after taking a potion that merged her to him wasn't the best of signs.

"Oh, I am way better than okay," Ember offered almost euphorically. This time Dan did manage to keep himself from echoing Ember's thoughts verbally. She seemed to be doing in her best to rein in the euphoric excitement within her at the power that now coursed through her and was only succeeding slightly.

"Guess it's our turn now," Kirra said as both she and Karra stepped up to queen Elistra.

"Actually, it would be best if we did this a single person at a time," She objected.

"Well actually, it is a really long story," Kirra countered.

"The shorter version however is that we are a single person," Karra completed her other half's statement.

Queen Elistra turned her gaze in Dan's direction with an arched eyebrow. Dan simply nodded his affirmation without offering much in the way of an explanation. "Well, then you'll each have to take half a vial," she said conjuring a vial similar to the one he held in her right hand in her left hand. "Any more than a single vial of this potion, will kill a person even if they are split into two," she explained pouring half the contents of the first vial into the second.

Both Kirra and Karra reached forward and picked the vials held out to them by Elistra, Kirra picking the one in her right hand and Karra the one on the left. They actually clinked the vials together in a silent toast before bringing it to their lips and drinking it down. Like Dan, neither Kirra nor Karra could keep from grimacing at the taste of the potion on their tongues and its burn as it made its way down their throat.

This time Dan had anticipated the feeling of the two of them being submerged in the 'water' that he and Ember were currently in. It however didn't happen, what did happen was entirely unexpected. Each of them seemed to go into a trance as both their eyes turned crimson red. The clothes worn by both Kirra and Karra started to unravel around them. Soon enough they were both standing stark naked before everyone. Kirra still in her trance-like state, wordlessly turned her back to Karra and held out her hands to the side.

"What are you two doing?" From the way she posed the question and the unease in her voice, it was clear to see that Ember knew what was about to happen and given their mental link, now so did Dan. Instead of answering however, Karra wordlessly stepped forward... into Kirra. There was a collective gasp and widening of their eyes by all in the room except Claire Chloe and Ailin who had seen them do this before. In their eyes instead was deep unease, unlike the rest, they knew what was coming, they were familiar with the beast that came free once the two were merged.

Their fears however, never materialized, as the merged form of Kirra and Karra fell to the ground still in human form. She blinked a couple of times at the ceiling as her crimson red eyes slowly reverted back to their natural warm caramel brown colour. She propped herself up on her elbows, looking around at the room half dazed, half confused.

"Kiara?" Dan's gaze turned to Ember as she tentatively called out the name then back to the merged form of both Kirra and Karra on the ground whose gaze had now turned to Ember.

Her gaze shifted from Ember to Dan. "You survived," she muttered seemingly pleasantly surprised by this. Dan knew she was referring to their battle in the forest beside his hometown. This however, was as far as the conversation got as all three of them closed their eyes a gasp escaping their lips. Instead of Kirra and Karra, it was Kiara that joined their mental and power link as a result of the potion. Both he and Ember felt it as Kirra was submerged in the 'water' they too were submerged in. Despite having caught by surprise the second time Dan immediately began doing all he could to keep Kiara's memories intact and separate from both his and Embers. Something that proved much more complex in her case than had been with Ember, seeing as her memories actually consisted of the memories of two individuals that were in some ways very similar and in others the complete opposite of each other.

More than their memories however, both Dan and Ember got the chance to directly feel Kiara's animal side and despite having fought it before, it caused a shudder to run down both their spines. It was a beast of magnificent power that only got more powerful as a result of the potion. The potion however, also wiped out the power imbalance between her animal and human side ensuring neither side was more powerful than the other. This it seemed, was what allowed Kiara conscious control of herself once again and made division of herself into different sides of herself no longer necessary. As their eyes opened, it struck Dan that while he was familiar with the different sides of her, Kiara herself was actually a stranger to him, to all of them. He knelt down with a smile holding out his hand to her to help her up. "How are you feeling?" he asked as she took it and rose to her feet, clothes materializing around her naked form.

"The last time I was whole and in control of myself, I was fourteen years old, more than fifty millennia ago," she replied her tone relaying that she still couldn't entirely believe that she was whole again. "I've got thousands of years of memory to sort through, and a war to fight too apparently," she offered light-heartedly with a smile. It was clear that despite feeling disoriented, she was happy to be back.

"How long will the effects of the potion last?" Kiara directed the question at Ember's mother.

"The link between all who take the potion will last a month at the most," Queen Elistra answered. "However, the effects that the potion has on your powers, and yourself, there is no telling how long that will last," she went on to add. "Alright then, on to the next then," Queen Elistra stated once she was comfortable that Kiara wasn't in any way harmed.

Both Valerie and Chloe shared a glance, each unsure who was more powerful than the other. Valerie finally nodded to Chloe, wordlessly allowing her to go first. With a tense exhale, Chloe walked forward to stand before Queen Elistra. Alternating once again, queen Elistra picked a vial from the right-hand side and held it out to her.

Chloe regarded the vial for a while without taking it. "Are you okay?" Dan asked concern in his voice.

A sigh escaped her. "I'm linked to all of my people," she said her eyes still fixed on the vial. Dan knew the fear in her eyes wasn't for her own self but for the people that depended on her as their queen.

"You are all linked to me," Dan said reassuringly. "None of you were affected when I took the potion, I think it's safe to say that those linked to you will be okay," Dan offered with a smile.

"You don't understand," Chloe said turning her gaze to her. "I am the link between all of them, If I am harmed or worse, then my people fall apart," she said.

"Look," Kiara said stepped forward to where Chloe stood and placing her hands on Chloe's shoulders. "I know it's not the most reassuring of things to say, but the way I see it is this," she offered. "Either you take the potion and take the chance that it will harm you and possibly kill you or you can go to war without being linked to Dan and definitely die," she offered candidly.

Chloe's brows rose as she now considered it from this new perspective. "Well, when you say it so nicely," she said reaching forward for the vial and emptying it in her mouth.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. A relieved sigh left Chloe, however before she could do anything else, her whole body seized up. Fear wrapped an icy grip around Dan's heart as Chloe's skin started to turn an ashen grey colour starting from her face spreading out and downwards to her whole body. The necromancer stiffly started to fall backwards seemingly having lost conscious control of her body. Before Dan could react however, he found himself once again taken unawares by the feeling of Chloe also joining them and becoming part of the power link he, Ember and Kiara were now part of. Unlike with the rest of them however, all four of them, Chloe included, found themselves standing before what seemed to be a gigantic oak tree.

"Where are we?" Ember asked her confusion evident in her voice.

"And What is that?" Kiara asked regarding the tree.

Though the answer to the latter question seemed self-evident, they all got the distinct feeling that there was more to the tree than met the eye. "Where exactly we are, I can't tell," Chloe answered. "But that tree," Chloe went on nodding towards the tree, her eyes still fixed on it. "That tree is me," she answered to their surprise. Of all answers expected, that had not even been on the list. "It represents my link to all the necromancers that I'm linked to. I'm the trunk and the branches and they are the leaves," she explained.

"Are you okay?" Dan asked his concern having morphed into full-fledged worry.

"I... I don't know," Chloe replied. "Something is happening, I can feel it," she said turning her gaze from the tree to him.

A gasp left Kiara reflecting the shock in all of them. Chloe's eyes had fogged over, so much so that her irises were almost indistinguishable from the whites of her eyes. From the way she was acting however, it was clear that her sight wasn't in any way impeded by the fact of her eyes being as they were and that she herself was unaware of any changes in the look of her eyes.

Before any of them could say anything else, all their gazes were drawn to the tree as light started to emanate from the middle of the trunk about two meters off the ground. They all watched as golden amber lines of a similar hue to the potion Chloe had just taken started to spread out from the light. It slowly ascended up the height of the tree. A gasp left Chloe her eyes closing just as the light reached the lower branches. The rest of them watched as the tree seemed to come to life before their eyes. While it had not been entirely dead, a lot of the branches that had been bare started the leaves they'd been
missing. The light quickly spread to the very top of the tree. What had only been moments ago been looking eerie and haunted, blossomed into a lush green tree. "I can feel them all," Chloe whispered her tone relaying that she
could barely believe it.

"Feel who?" Dan asked worry still present in his voice.

"Every necromancer in the world," Chloe answered her eyes still closed. It was quite clear that she was still trying to get used to the feeling of it. Before she got far in the attempt, the three of them watched as the light at the center of the tree trunk dropped tendrils of light down the tree trunk down into the roots.

And even bigger gasp than the first left Chloe as the light started to spread through the roots which glowed as the potion seemed to move through them. The only reason they could tell was because when enough of them started glowing, the ground around the tree seemed to glow.

"They were all always here, they were all always with me," Chloe voiced her hands reached out to her sides as if she was holding the hands of unseen individuals at her sides.

Dan was about to ask what was going on when the answer materialized right before their eyes. Two women materialized on either side of Chloe each one holding her hand on either side. Two more appeared on either side of them each holding the free hand of the first two to appear. More and more of them kept appearing until a full circle of about fifty individuals was formed around the tree. All their eyes were fogged over as Chloe's were and their gazes fixed on the tree before them. Dan would have asked who they were, if it wasn't for the tattoos that covered the skin of every single one of them from head to toe except for Chloe. It wouldn't be much of a giant leap to assume that these were the former queens that preceded Chloe as leaders of the necromancers.

Dan couldn't help but notice that the markings of each one of them was unique, no two were alike, not in shapes, patterns or even thickness of lines as they traversed the canvas that was their skins. But despite their uniqueness, Dan also noticed that the tattoos of the one flowed into those of the next where their hands met. Given how their tattoos seemed to flow from one individual to the next in unique ways, it was clear that each of them was exactly where they were supposed to be and that if any two switched places the flow from one to the next would be broken. Not even a single one could be taken out of the ring without it being rendered incomplete. Every single one of them was needed.

A gasp left them as they felt Chloe's power grow in no small measure. How powerful she was final in the final analysis made her initial self, look like a mouse to an elephant. And this was even before one considered what power she got from her union with Dan and the rest.

Dan's eyes opened in the real world once again to find that Chloe was still lying back on the ground, it seemed that Claire had managed to get to the necromancer before she hit the ground and broke her fall. Chloe's head was now resting on the hunter's lap. When Chloe blinked a few times trying to get her vision in focus, Claire whispered for her to take it easy.

Chloe smiled up at her when she could finally see him clearly. "Thanks," she murmured.

Claire's brow arched, the same surprise was reflected in others present. While only one person spoke the word, the voices of several different individuals were heard. Chloe it seemed, was the only one not bothered by the change even though she seemed to be perfectly aware of it. "Are you okay" Claire posed her concern evident.

"Never better," Chloe offered in response multiple voices still being heard from her.

"Are you sure?" Claire pushed clearly not so easily convinced. "The last time you spoke with that many voices you almost killed yourself," she pointed out reminding the necromancer of when she'd almost killed herself with her own spell.

"Well, I was in a fit of murderous rage the last time I spoke like this," Chloe offered calmly. "Do I look like I'm in a fit of murderous rage now?" she posed smiling up at the hunter.

Despite not being entirely comfortable with the situation, Claire helped Chloe up onto her feet. "No, you don't," she conceded. The hunter allowed a small smile to cross her lips before adding. "Nice to finally see what those tattoos look like," she said.

Chloe's eyes widened with surprise, "You can see them?" she posed half unbelievingly looking down at them. The tattoos had darkened significantly and spread to areas where there were no tattoos before. Each tattoo was outlined with a glowing amber line akin in colour to the potion she'd just taken. She knew that the tattoos had spread even to her face as she could see from the edges of her vision the faint glow of the amber lines that now outlined her tattoos.

"My family is now all complete," Chloe muttered to herself. She could feel through her link to them, every necromancer the planet over. Even those that had never managed to make the trip to her, and some who had not yet discovered who they were and what it was they could do. She also was now linked to all those that had been queen to her people before her. Chloe could now freely commune with them whereas before it had then intense rage to establish even a temporary link. A link that had not even allowed her to be aware of who or what she had tapped into.

It now occurred to her that it hadn't been her tattoos exactly that had been teaching her all that she knew. She was part of a chain and their tattoos acted as links between them. The thoughts, advice and wisdom from former queens reached her through her tattoos. That's why it had always felt like her tattoos 'spoke' to her somehow, and that she had never been completely alone even when she had entirely no one. She looked up gratefully to where Dan stood, a smile crossed her lips as she nodded to him. Not only had he completed her, he'd also made her into her formidable force and the power to ensure that none of those who'd chosen to fight for their queen, would come to any harm. Her feet turned to a small cloud that gradually turned solid midway up to her knees. The rest of her body remained solid as she soundlessly glided back to where she stood before.

"Alright," Queen Elistra said turning her gaze to Valerie, "Next,"...

*******

Though his expression didn't betray anything of what he felt, Victor was not exactly happy about the fact that he would be among the last to step up and take the potion. Second last to be exact, the only one behind him being the fourteen-year-old girl that had practically been the leader of the entire world for the past eleven months. The only reason Carol hadn't taken the potion before he did was the simple fact that she had flatly refused to take the potion before her mate. She was of the mind that they would take it together and no one could sway from that. Something that had quickly become clear to everyone.

Victor appreciated the gesture but it also painfully reminded of the fact that he was weak. Not that it was his fault or his choosing, but it was because weak that he was from his estranged from his mate. That he wouldn't be taking over from his father as head of the pack. That he would never be half the man or were that his father was. Despite his powerlessness to change anything about the situation, it still filled him with shame to be as he was. He found himself grudgingly grateful that the mate link between he and Carol was not in place as it should have been. He didn't want anyone ever seeing his shame.

As it so turned out, the phoenixes had actually been very skilled and precise in the creation of the potion. Which given what she now knew of them came as no surprise. The potion had so far had no ill effects on any of them. Victor doubted that it would be any different with him and so the nervousness he felt as he stepped forward had very little to do with fear of coming to harm. What was daunting, was the possibilities the potion presented to him. Given how powerful Dan was, and going by the effects it had had on both his family, Rick, Loraine and Elly whose eyes had taken on a dark shade of crimson since taking the potion and remained so since. Other more wolfish features such as elongated and pointed claws and more prominent canines showed. Not that any of them were conscious of all this, the distinction between human and wolf seemed to have vanished with them. They were all entirely human and entirely wolf at the same time, and so while they all still had enough presence of mind not to attack anyone, they all seemed like they were just dying to fight.

This transformation however also wasn't what scared him. What really made him nervous was the thought that if what had happened to his family and the other weres was anything to go by, he would turn into an alpha. The transformation would remove the only impediment that kept his mate from him. He and Carol would no longer be estranged. For a few seconds he would have a mate until she took the potion, then she would once again be more powerful than he was. Part of what had made having his mate with him yet being unable to be with her, bearable, was the fact that he'd never known what he was missing. Victor wasn't sure he would be able to be as content with just having her close to him once he knew what it was he was missing.

They both picked the potion from Queen Elistra at the same time and turned to each other. In spite of the warm reassuring smile she sent his way, Victor could see that she was just as nervous as he was. As underhanded as if felt to do, Victor brought the vial to his lips before Carol had the chance to do the same, his nervousness at what he was about to feel for the girl before him, left his mind a little less focused on just how sharp the potion actually tasted and how it burned all the way down his throat. He looked back down to her, his vial now empty, to find her still smiling at him her vial still in hand. It was only then that he realized that the same thoughts that had been running through his mind had been going through hers. She too had thought of the possibility that their mate bond would finally be unimpeded when he took the potion and wanted to know how it felt to have a mate.

Victors jaws clenched as he took a step back to steady himself. The empty vial fell from his hand and shattered on the floor as his hands instead rose to the sides of his head. Neither his nervousness nor his anticipation was enough to keep his mind from the searing pain that tore through his head quickly spreading throughout the rest of his body. It felt as if he was on fire and dipped in acid at the same time. Every muscle in his body felt like it was being cut a thousand times over, his bonded breaking in every way possible. He was deaf to his own screams of agony even as he dropped to his knees, his brain unable to process anything other than the pain. Victor joined the shattered glass on the floor shortly after, as he sank into unconscious blackness.
*******
He was familiar with this place. Victor was standing in the middle of a forest. This wasn't just any forest, it was the forest that he was born in, his first home. His first transformation had taken place in these woods and he was now standing in the very same circular clearing where it happened.

Victor was perfectly aware that he wasn't in the real physical place, that this was a creation of his mind, the way his mind allowed him contact with his animal side. It was a place that he'd always been drawn to but always hated at the same time. Victor hated the place exactly because while it was where he was supposed to encounter his animal side, Victor had never actually encountered his animal side. Not even on the night of his transformation had his animal side bothered to show up. At the first transformation, a were's animal side would show up to fight the human side.

Those who succeeded in subduing their animal sides would then be able to transform at will, the poor souls that couldn't went rogue. Despite never having had to actually fight his animal, Victor had still been able to take on his animal form on that night and also able to do so at will ever since. This fact had led everyone to believe that he had in fact encountered his animal side and proven victorious over it. He'd never disabused them of this lie. It was a fact that filled with such shame that words couldn't quite capture the depth of and a secret that he intended to take to his grave.

But despite all these feelings, he was still drawn to it, not for any other reason but the fact that it was there. Despite the fact that he had never seen it, Victor had always felt it's presence. The main reason that he'd never come to the conclusion that maybe he didn't have an animal side. That and the fact that he could and had transformed into one. It had always been there, just beyond the clearing, circling the woods around him and looking in at him but never bothering to step forward to challenge him.

He had spent many a night here, on some hurling angry insults at the beast and shouting challenges to it. He would then hurl more insults and all the profanity he could think of and accusations of cowardice when it failed to bite. Other nights had been spent trying to reason with it despite the absurdity of it. Victor had his hands tied as he couldn't move into the forest to seek it out. To do so would be to cede control of his body forever to the animal side. He would be the one that the animal would transform into from time to time instead of the other way around, and even that was not entirely assured. The animal would have to come to him, which left him powerless to do anything but wait. On some nights, he'd sat in silence waiting for whatever would happen, if anything. Nothing ever did.

Victor was on edge, his every sense on alert as he scanned the edge of the clearing all around. Unlike every other instance for the past over two and a half centuries, this time it wasn't Victor that had come to this place of his own will, his animal side had brought him here. It was finally ready to fight him.

Victor's head snapped to the right when he picked up movement at the edge of his vision. Victor would have been forgiven for thinking he was looking at a moose instead of a wolf as the beast stepped into the open. And not a small moose in any sense of the word. The menacing wolf was bigger than any wolf he'd ever seen. More than twice the size of his father in wolf form. Victor stood frozen in fear as the beast, made purely of muscle stepped closer. It was only at the edges of its irises that dark shades of red could be seen, the center part was so dark it was practically indistinguishable from black. In those eyes was not the intent to subdue, but rather the intent to kill...

******

The only one who managed to get to Victor's side before he did was Carol. She was on her knees right beside him a mixture of panic and intense fear and worry playing on her expression at her mate who had just lost consciousness her mate. Dan immediately teleported to his side in a burst of flames and dropped down onto his knees. His eyes closed as his hands hovered over different parts of his body to see what needed fixing or healing or what it was that was causing him such agony.

His mind seemed to be entirely intact and nothing in his body seemed to be hurt or damaged in some way. However, both entities were changing. His mind seemed to be opening up to incorporate a part of him that had either been suppressed or unknown to him up until now. His body likewise was... morphing, for lack of a better word. His muscles seemed to be growing at an incredible rate, his bones were thickening and increasing both in density and hardness. "What are you doing?" The both confused and worried question from Lexy, Victor's mother caused Dan to open his eyes. His parents, Rick and Loraine, together with Elly had surrounded him, worry in all their eyes despite the fact that they remained crimson.

One might have been forgiven for thinking someone was inflating the boy much the same way one inflated a balloon. Victor was quite literally growing larger right before their eyes. He was already a tall person, so there wasn't much of a change in terms of height. The muscle of his body however, were a whole different story. Dan got the image of the hulk in his mind as the boy expanded enough to rip through his clothes except the boy failed to turn green. "Nothing," he muttered, his tone relaying that he was just as perplexed as the rest of them.

The boy was about triple his size in body mass by the time his expansion came to an end. His breath coming in short quick spurts, his whole body covered in a sheen of sweat. "Shit!" Despite the fact that the word had been muttered under her breath, eyes within the room turned to Kiara who was regarding the boy with a significant amount of fear for one powerful as she was. It wasn't the fact of the word itself per se, the way Kiara said it relayed that a bulb had gone on in her brain as to what was going on with Victor.

"Do you know what's going on with my son?" Alpha Raymond posed in a tone of voice that was guarded. It seemed that the alpha had learnt to keep his head about himself and never to reveal anything even in times of crisis like the present one.

"You all need to step back from him," she said garnering even more worry from the weres around even as who didn't move from where they stood.

"What's happening with my son?" Unlike her mate, Lexy made no effort to hide her fear and worry and the desire to immediately know whatever it was that the weretiger had uncovered.

"Step back now!" The vehemence with which she repeated the order caused everyone including Dan himself to move away from the boy who was still groaning and writhing on the ground.

"What happening to him?" Carol seemed to be on the verge of tears at this point, desperation saturating her voice as she did.

"What's happening is that this is Victor's first transformation," Kiara reported regarding the boy in a way that relayed that she was looking for even the slightest of signs that something had gone wrong.

"What?" the question from Elly wasn't one of shock but rather one of incredulity at the proposition. "What are you talking about? My brother has transformed probably more than a thousand times, in his life," she explained.

Kiara waved her hand in a manner that Dan was sure wasn't intended to be dismissing but did appear dismissive. "Those were all false transformations," Kiara responded without looking to Elly as she continued to monitor the boy on the ground.

"Uhh," Elly offered seemingly stumped at the response. "Then I guess my only question is what the word false means to you?" she posed unable to help the sarcasm in her voice.

A sigh of frustration left Kiara as she turned away from the weres to Dan. "I've seen this happen before," she reported. "Or at least Karra has," she added as an afterthought.

Unlike the rest who thought what Kiara was saying was patently absurd, she had Dan's ear. "What is going on here?" he posed genuinely seeking an explanation.

"Not everyone like me was content to have their animal side shut out or weakened so it could be accommodated," she stated. "Some sought ways and means to get around the barriers that kept them from their full power. Magical means," She added with a glance at the vial on the trays held by the phoenixes that were still in the room.

"What exactly did the potion do to him?" Dan posed.

"The thing that causes the bodies of weres like me to be suppress our animal side is the fact of the sharp imbalance in power between our animal side and the human side. If the animal side was let loose on the human side it wouldn't be much of a fair fight. It wouldn't be much of a fight period. As it did with me, the potion must have wiped out the power imbalance between him and his animal side. But unlike me, his body kept him from going rogue at his first transformation by suppressing his animal side. In my case, I had the advantage of already being familiar with my animal side, for Victor, this is the first time he's coming face to face with it," Kiara explained.

"But he's as powerful as his animal side now, right?" Dan said trying to be hopeful despite the grim expression on Kiara's face.

"You've met my animal side Dan," Kiara said in a forbidding tone of voice. "I don't need to actually meet his animal side to know that he is even more powerful than I am," She relayed to Dan's surprise. "In fifty millennia, even as Kirra or Karra, no other were has ever made me uneasy, I am whole now and still this boy definitely makes my animal uneasy, I can feel it pacing within me," she explained. "And if it makes me uneasy, you can imagine what he feels like meeting his other half for the first time," Kiara relayed. "The boy might have the power he needs to subdue his animal, but he's not ready for what he's about to face, not even remotely," she stated with the finality of a judge's gavel.

"And what happens if he loses the fight?" Though Dan already had an inkling as to what the answer would be, he dreaded to actually imagine. If Kiara was actually right and Victor was more powerful than the beast he'd encountered in the forest in the form of Kiara's animal side, then he wasn't looking forward to clashing with a rogue version of it.

"What are you two going on about?" Carol spoke up for the first time since Victor went down. "What's wrong with my mate?" she posed. There was a slight pause as they all noted the change in the way she referred to Victor.

"I don't think I've ever heard you refer to my brother as 'my mate'," Elly said to her best friend.

A weak smile crossed Carol's lips. "It's a bit hard to be happy about the fact that I'm no longer estranged to my mate when he is unconscious on the ground and about to go rogue if what I can gather from their conversation is anything to go by," she replied confirming their suspicions. "Now please, tell me what's wrong my mate?" she posed turning to regard Kiara.

"It's not exactly that something is wrong with him, more of what kind of were he is," she relayed.

"What kind of were would that be?" Carol questioned.

A tense sigh escaped Kiara. She had so far refrained from referring to him as such part of her hoping that she was wrong. But the more she thought about it the less uncertain she became much to her own nervous displeasure "A demon were," she informed them...

*******

It was all coming back to her. When Lord Arwain had essentially let her go, all she had known at the time was that she was Dan's traitor. It wasn't until about an hour after she'd crossed back to Africa and destroyed the doorway between New York and Nairobi, that the memories started flowing back into mind. The first memory was of what Lord Arwain had done in the dungeon. As it so turned out, just as it had been with Karra, Lord Arwain had also taken over Dan and made her into another pawn in his plans. When Dan had saved her and left her in the dungeons, only to come back with a murderous Ember a few moments later. Lord Arwain had done with her as Claire had been done to by her father, except instead of being bound and bowed to Lord Arwain's will, he'd split her into essentially two personalities. One part and made her subject to the whims of each personality. Each separate and unaware of the other and unable to access the memories of the other.

Athena had been seething with rage at the memory and realization. She'd gritted her teeth clenching her fists, her sharp claws doing the best they could to try and dig through her scaled skin. She'd regretted the fact that she'd torn down the doorway back to New York. She'd momentarily considered flying all the way back to New York just to tear Lord Arwain's entrails out. Never mind the fact that she was perfectly aware that there was very little she could do against one as powerful as Lord Arwain. The rage, as hot as it burned and justified ass it felt, proved to have a rather short life.

As the wall between the two personalities crumbled and more and more memories resurfaced, Athena, much to her own sharp displeasure, found herself feeling grateful to Lord Arwain for what he did. There were many situations where Athena was sure she would have betrayed her demon master without so much as a moment's hesitation. A dumb sentimental decision that would have condemned her to an eternity in her home realm without a chance of ever coming out ever again. What Arwain did made it so that she would never hesitate to do what his demon master required of her. She would never do or not do anything that would compromise her. The part of her that was loyal to Dan was made weaker to that part that was more interested in self-preservation.

Now that the jig was up and she'd been outed as Dan's traitor, she could feel the part that was loyal to Dan dissipate and the self-preserving part taking over. It wasn't that the way that she felt about Dan had changed in any way, not even in the least, instead what little part that had been allowed to express this loyalty was fast fading. There was very little doubt in her that she would fight Dan to the death at this point. The only thing that was left to her was to hope that it was her own death.

Athena was drawn out of her thoughts at the realization that she was no longer alone. She'd already ordered all the humans to leave the building and with the chains, she'd conjured still around their necks, none of them could disobey her. Still, even without this fact, the magical signature of this new individual was completely different, not only to that of the humans but to any creature or individual she'd ever sensed.

Athena's eyes turned in her direction when she stepped into view. The red hue of her skin with the odd dark spot here and there was the first thing that stood out to the her followed by the confident manner in which she moved. It was clear to Athena that whoever she was, she was in no way threatened by her. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Dan sent you," Athena stated in a tone that was equally unfazed by this new individual as she was by her.

"No," the intruder answered simply. Her eyes scanned the room around her, whether to seek out threats or out of a simple aesthetic curiosity.

"Then what brings you to your death, might I ask?" Athena posed not bothering to hide the threat in her voice.

A small smile played on the lips of the newcomer, much akin to the one that would play on her own lips were a human to threaten her. "The last of the keepers of knowledge made a request of me, I'm here to honour it," she explained.

"Ember," Athena said her mind already putting together what the one before her meant. Her smile widened a bit confirming the inference by Athena. "I guessing she asked you to make my death as slow and excruciatingly painful as you possibly could," Athena more of said than asked. She harbored no illusions that Ember was in any way positively predisposed towards her.

"Quite the contrary," came the reply. "Your fate is to be left to the one known as Dan."

Athena's jaws clenched. Despite the fact that she had very little control over what she had done, she still dreaded having to ever look Dan in the eye after all she had done against him. Once again, the boy was causing Athena to feel things she had never felt before. Guilt ate away at her at the thought of the fact that she would order Dan's whole army to their deaths fighting against the side they were supposed to be fighting for.

Athena's lips pressed into a tight straight line as she forced the thoughts away, pushing them into the recesses of her mind. Bright green flames engulfed her as she morphed into her full-fledged demon form. "That is not happening," she growled meaning it.

"You seem to be under the impression that you have a choice in the matter," she returned her claws elongating to sharp pointed tips even as her eyes turned a fiery red. Athena was wise enough to know better than to get into battle with an enemy whose strengths and weaknesses she didn't know. Going into any battle blind was among the fastest ways to get yourself killed. Which was exactly what she was hoping for.

Wasting no time, Athena crossed the distance between them making her first strike. The move was executed within a fraction of a second, however, she might as well have been crawling given the ease with she evaded the strike that was meant to rip out her throat and half her neck while she was at it.

Had she been constituted of a less tough substance than she was, Athena was sure her whole ribcage would have caved in. The blow from her opponent sent her flying back further than where she'd initially started. It was a wonder to her that she didn't smash right through the wall into which she crashed. Both her hands came alight as with demon fire. She sent a volley of about twenty fire balls in her direction. Only about two met their mark, neither one of them achieving any significant damage. Athena ducked when her opponent sent a fireball flying towards her face.

It wasn't until a second too late that she realized that the fireball hadn't actually been meant for her. When the fireball hit the wall behind her, it went off like a bomb. Athena found herself flying forward from the shockwave. Her opponent's knuckles connected with her nose so hard that Athena did an actual flip in midair before falling to the floor at her opponent's feet. "From what I can gather," her opponent spoke nonchalantly as if it hadn't yet occurred to her that they were fighting. "You are still loyal to Dan. Why are you fighting so hard not to see him again?" She asked.

Athena's jaws clenched her rage surging. "Stay the fuck out of my head!" She growled aiming for her opponent's heart with her tail.

It was however caught in her vice grip a second before it could make contact. Taking three quick steps back from her, Athena was yanked up off the floor causing an involuntary yelp to escape her as she found herself being swung through the air and once again sent flying towards the wall. Though her opponent didn't seem to be in anyway exerting herself, Athena did feel the force behind the throw. So much so that the effort to open her wings proved useless. She made contact with the wall before she could do anything meaningful to soften the impact. It was clear to Athena that her opponent was far more powerful than she was letting on. Whether it was because she didn't consider her that much of a threat or because she was trying to bait her in to a false sense of security, Athena couldn't tell. One thing was already evident to Athena however, she wouldn't be winning this fight.

Rising to her feet, Athena turned to face her opponent. "I didn't quite catch your name," she said in a falsely sweet voice as she began to circle her like a predator waiting for even the slightest of openings to pounce on it.

"Nuri," she offered. "Kindled one and guardian of realms," she added.

"Nuri huh," Athena idly repeated still eyeing her like a hawk. "And what are you? A witch, a really old vampire, were of some kind, you can't be a demon because I know all kinds of demons, you aren't one. So, what are you?" Athena already knew that Nuri wasn't any of the choices she had offered. She knew the magical signature of all the aforementioned, she didn't fit any of them.

"Kindled," came the answer. Athena arched a brow at her when she said nothing further. "I am kindled, what physical for I take is irrelevant," Nuri expounded.

Athena mused over the words for a second before she shrugged dismissively. "Nuri, I do not wish to fight you," Athena said in a genuine tone of voice.

Whatever else she'd been expecting to hear from her, this clearly wasn't it. A brow actually rose high on Nuri's face, as she regarded her. Without giving her much time to dwell on it, Athena crossed the distance between them making her attack. This time she actually managed to evade Nuri's blow. With as much strength as she possibly could, she ran her claws across Nuri's midriff seeking to spill her entrails on the floor beneath them. She might as well have run her claws across titanium for all the good it achieved. Her claws barely even left scratch marks let alone cause any actual damage.

Athena found herself ineffectually trying to pry herself free from Nuri's steel grip as it grew tighter and tighter around her neck. The ground vanished from beneath her feet as Nuri effortlessly picked her up. For a second, she actually thoughts that she would snap her neck. When she found herself on the ground coughing at her feet, Athena did not know whether to be grateful or enraged at her humiliation. "I do not appreciate being lied to," she offered once again in a tone that didn't speak of one who was in the middle of a fight.

"That wasn't a lie," in spite of what she had just done, her voice was still genuine. "You are already in my mind, so you must know that I am currently under compulsion," Athena explained her voice actually sounding sore for the first time since ever. "I can't do anything that would contravene the wishes of my master or betray him for Dan. Up to and including handing myself over to you willingly," she said as Nuri actually stepped back and allowed her to rise to her feet once again.

"So even if I do not wish to, I will fight you to the death if I have to," she said zipping forward once again, this time attacking with fists covered in demon fire.

Athena was sent flying through a wall out onto the open ground by another blow to the face. How stars weren't flying in circles above her head or how her skull remained intact was beyond her. She once again forced herself onto her feet as Nuri slowly descended through the hole in the wall down through the air and onto the ground. "Why are you telling me this?" Nuri calmly questioned her as if their conversation hadn't been interrupted by Athena trying to take her life and she retaliation by sending her through a wall.

"Because I want you to end it," Athena said quietly, the meaning of her words, clear to them both. "I cannot betray my master, but I can keep myself from having to actively fight Dan, or those he cares about," she went on. "Or at least, you can," she finished.

For a second, Nuri seemed to actually consider Athena's request, and given a second longer Athena was almost sure she would have acquiesced and granted it to her. Both their heads turned towards them as rips seemed to form in the air all around them, about ten or so of them. Each was ten meters tall and about five meters at their widest point.

The first thing to come through the doorways, was the dark aura of whatever lay behind it. The air became thick and heavy with pure evil, so much so that even Athena's skin crawled. For a second after, nothing happened. The second passed and a whole horde of creatures of a kind not even Athena could have come upper with in her darkest imaginations spilled through the doorways. Athena's jaws clenched when her demon master stepped through one of the doorways as well. The more the creatures spilled out in their numbers, the further away from them the doorways drifted from them. Each leaving behind them a trail of abominations.

"Master," Athena called out dropping down on one knee right where she was. It was clear by the way he was regarding Nuri, her master hadn't been expecting any complications from her end. He was all the same contemplating all the ways he would pull her apart limb from limb. Contempt and disgust filled her master's eyes when he regarded her broken nose overall beat up condition. Nuri unlike her calm manner before, was actually on guard now, her eyes scanning the new foes around. She didn't seem like she was used to being in situations in which her life was actually in danger. Going by the small smile that played on her lips, she seemed to welcome it. "Dispose of the..."

Before the last syllable of the word them could be uttered, Nuri had already made the first move. Athena couldn't visually keep track of her as she moved, it was only the after effects and results of her actions that she got to see. The beasts around them also attacked but in most cases, they ended up attacking one another as none could keep up with. Nuri zipped past her a couple of times, as she attacked the beasts and creatures around them but left her untouched. A brutal and unrelenting bloodthirst seemed to have been let loose within her. The results were devastating for those set against.

Athena's reaction had been more instinctual than thought out as she caught the object midair that was thrown at her as Nuri once again zipped past her. Athena's heart stopped, her eyes growing wide as she recognized what it was that she was holding in her hands. Her eyes saw it but her mind failed to believe that it was actually true. Her master's ripped off head was now dripping blood from its severed neck onto the ground before her feet as she held it before her. She could feel it as the compulsion Lord Arwain had created within her start to unravel.

Before Athena could process all of it however, the whole battle ground came to a standstill. They all felt it. Even Nuri who was holding in each hand, half the body of a spiked creature that had only half a second before been whole, stood frozen. They all felt it, waves and waves of pure unadulterated power. Something had just come into existence that was powerful beyond comprehension.

"Dan," Athena muttered. The succubus couldn't help the smile that crossed her face, the boy had made it. He'd actually cheated death for the second time. All the creatures that were still breathing, as if on cue, started to run back through the doorway. Eldraen was probably calling back his forces to refocus them on the emergent threat.

Her eyes found Nuri, who smiled at her. "Let the humans go, and I'll have no more quarrel with you," she calmly offered amid the retreating hordes.

"It's done," Athena stated letting go off the spell that kept the human army bound to her through the chain they each had around their necks.

Nuri nodded towards one of the doorways, her smile widening. Athena didn't need telling twice, at super human speed, she zipped through the doorway...

*******

Nuri found herself alone on the bloody battle field. Only the humans remained behind with her. And this only because she had put them all in a deep sleep that only she could rouse them out of. She'd done this before facing off with Athena. She looked in the direction from which the waves of power were originating from. "The birth of another kindled one," she muttered...

*******

Apart from running it through a grammar and spellings checker, not a lot of editing has been done on this chapter. So I do sincerely apologize for any errors within. I was so late on delivering this chapter that I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. Also, I'm really sorry for putting this chapter out late.

Please offer your thoughts and comments on the chapter. Your thoughts are my life blood as a writer. If you enjoyed the chapter, please click on the vote button.

Also, for whatever reason, my messaging here on wattpad is not working. I'm receiving your messages but when I try to reply, the message won't send. I don't know why. So to all of you guys messaging me, I am not ignoring you. It's the wattpad site that won't allow me to reply. You can send me your messages via email at IceheartPhoenix_gmail.com and we'll talk there... thanks