Episode Seventeen- The Return

Fallen Heroes Collide

Sometimes in our darkest moments we make the harshest decisions from hard choices. But what really matters is how you choose to let those decisions sit. Take responsibility of what you’ve done or fix what you have done to rectify your mistakes. In the end it is always your choice… to be the villain, or the hero.

Brandis flies fast toward Inferno, aka Terakas, through various energies and flying debris swarming the land. Monsters and creatures of the land crowd the surface as they try to flee the scene, trampling and killing each other. Anything Brandis is not able to dodge he slams through it like a wrecking ball. When he comes upon Inferno he stops and remembers all the good times and how much of a good friend Inferno was to him, but all the bad times coincide with the good. How Inferno twisted Brandis’ mind, tortured him for hours, and manipulated Brandis forces him to charge Inferno with force and tackle him down to the roof top of his own skull fortress. The two stand on odds end as the gate still lies opened with pure demons coming through and monsters and chaos swarms the land around them, each growing more rapid in mass by the minute.

Inferno: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

Brandis: Somethin’ I shoulda done awhile ‘go!

Inferno: You dare defy me?!

Brandis: I defy an’one who threatens all dere’ is an’ will be… m’loyalty has always been t’the will o’good… Ya may have twisted m’mind, but I’m a protecta.. like m’mother b’fore meh… da mother ya stol’ from meh.

Inferno: I stole from you? Last I checked her life force was exterminated by you… because she held you back. Remember?

Brandis: Only afta I allowed ya t’warp me wit ya will… twas a moment o’weakness I regret… an’ will rectify…

Inferno: (chuckles) Weakness or strength? I’ve given you strength, control… POWER!! More power than anyone on this forsaken planet can dream of…

Brandis: Ya made meh into ya slave… a puppet… a dog t’to do ya dirty work!!!

Inferno: Small price to pay to serve under me in MY own world. Most would kill for this. I offer you a world by my side, and now you spit it back in my FUCKING face?! THIS world will be mine again… and you’ll either serve me… or die…(saying as he turns from Brandis and looks away into the field)

Brandis: Only som’one o’a black heart would deal in absolut’… I will d’what I must… (saying as he balls up his fist)

Inferno: (with an vengeful look and glowing yellow eyes)You will try….

Inferno then back flips and begins an all out hand to hand combat assault on Brandis. Brandis being equally skilled in hand to hand blocks and counters everything Inferno throws at him and Inferno does the same. They are equally matched as they dodge, kick, punch, flip and blocked each others moves while crashing through the roof and then through the rooms and halls of the fortress.

Meanwhile, on the jet, Athame' and Rynth try to help Lament give birth to her baby. Athame'’ attends to Lament while Rynth surrounds them with a circle of salt again for the first ring was beginning to shift.

Rynth: She’s dilated a lot… the baby will be here in minutes. We have to get out of here… now! Can you fly this ship?!

Athame'’: I never learned… I can try but it’s highly unlikely…(saying as she goes to sit in the pilot chair) are you sure you can’t just…

Rynth: I told you I can’t move us through the shadows along with the ship!! It’s impossible!

The ship begins to be affected by the tremors and energy coming toward them shaking slightly at first then more with each passing second. The stampede of monster soon begins to run toward and upon the ship as well.

Athame': Then what about just us?!

Rynth: I can’t… with as close as she is to giving birth …the baby could come half way to our destination and end up some where else!!

Athame'’:…

Meanwhile Nightmare continues to struggle to get his teleporter working while the headmaster’s security team continues to break down the door leading into his lab.

At the skull fortress Brandis and Inferno fight hard through halls, knocking each other from room to room. With a straight punch Inferno floors Brandis with power so hard he crashes into the throne room. Both have various battle damage ranging from torn clothing, cuts and bruises. As Inferno power walks up on Brandis, Brandis moves quickly simultaneously clawing Inferno across his face. Brandis then manages to maneuver Inferno into a move where he floors Inferno through the rooms ceiling, back into the chaotic scenery outside and around them. Inferno stops himself mid air. As Brandis flies out to tackle him, Inferno knocks him away toward the center roof of the fortress. Inferno then uses his power to create and summon his own personal weapon, the chaox. The weapons looks like double handed battle axe with a blade mounted at the tip of the hilt. It’s so heavy only one of incredible strength can wield it. Inferno charges at Brandis with the large steel axe in flight. Brandis thinks fast and dodges his first attack with it. As he swings the axe again, Brandis continues to dodges taking only some hits from Inferno’s punches and kicks. While flying away, to get more space to keep from getting closed in back inside the fortress, Brandis grabs a long piece of floating debris (a large muffler from a broken car) freezes it (using Fusions ability to making it stronger against to mystical axe Inferno is using) to give himself a hand in fighting a weapon versus weapon.

Brandis: Dere’s still good in ya Inferno… I kno’ it!

Inferno: Don’t you get it… THERE ISN’T! THERE NEVER WAS!! The person you know was a façade… a fake… THIS is the REAL me!!! This world is mine… and if I have to CRUSH to have it… then I will do so, like the insect you are…

Brandis: Den y’are los’!! (saying with anger)

Brandis and Inferno continues their battle on the center roof in a weapon on weapon battle. They dodge flying debris and use it on each other (by kicking or pushing) as it comes to them. Brandis blocks and dodges the attacks thrown by Inferno’s chaox, because one hit will weaken him due to his allergy to metal.

Meanwhile Athame'’ tries to figure out how to fly the ship by pressing buttons. Unable to give her directions, Lament is seconds away from her child being born, assisted by Rynth who watches Athame'’from afar. Lament tries to tell her how to turn on the engines as she pushes through the pain. Athame'’ figures out which switch starts the engines but is still unable to get the ship off the ground. All three begin to panic.

Brandis and Inferno continue to clashes weapons. When Inferno sees Brandis is too much of a match against his skill he breaks his Chaox in two, creating a sword in one hand and an axe in the other. He then begins to swing both at Brandis who dodges both, taking only shallow hit and cuts.With a little maneuvering Brandis manages to disarm Inferno by having him jam his axe into stone a stone and breaking his sword. Pushing a tank into Brandis ( using the energy around them, causing him to lose his weapon) to get him away from him, Inferno follows up his attack using his pyrokinetic powers. First with a fire ball to knock him toward the surface then he begins to whale on Brandis with flaming fist, pummeling and alternating hits to his face and torso. After Brandis gets his balance back he catches one of Inferno’s punches, and counters with a powerful lightning strike from his opposite hand knocking Inferno back a good distance. Inferno then rebounds by throwing more fire balls and combining them with streams of fire at Brandis, who dodges.

Inferno then creates several fire clones, which look exactly like him, some attack Brandis while others use various fire power moves on him, attacking him simultaneously. Brandis uses various powers to take on the clones ranging from shadowing, lightening, wind control, telekinesis, super speed, cryokinesis etc, combined with his various martial arts and fighting techniques. Each seems to be half as strong as Inferno who just watches for a clear opening, once he gets it he charges Brandis like an explosive missile. The blast from the collision sends them tumbling to the ground from the skies.

Back at the jet, Lament finally gives birth to her new daughter, Athame'’ manages get the ship off the ground finally but her time of slight relief is shortened by a bad feeling.

Sitting in the pilot chair.

Athame'’: Som… Somethings wrong… (saying with a worried look as she looks out the window toward the battle in the distance)

As Brandis and Inferno get up from their crash (couple miles just outside the fortress) they stare at each other with strong hate. Both seemingly out of breath, and dripping blood from various cuts and open gashes, slouching over.

Inferno: Well… looky there… (saying as he points at a part of Brandis torso that’s pouring blood with a large shiny piece of metal underneath)

Brandis looks down and holds his wound in slight agony seeing the spear tip of Rynth’s weapon in his gut.

Inferno: (saying as he stands up straight panting from exhaustion) This is the end of you…old friend!

Inferno’s eyes glow as they release a powerful heat wave blast toward Brandis. Brandis shield his face with his arms as he fights through it still bleeding from his stomach unable to gather the strength to remove the spear. He power from the wave begins to eat through his flesh as well, piece by piece. Suddenly Brandis ends up behind Inferno, grabbing him in a choke hold, causing Inferno to stop his attack to struggle to remove Brandis’ arm. Inferno then looks up to see the Brandis in front of him disintegrate into energy.

Brandis: Did ya really dink I was jus’ scratchin’… ya face? (saying as Inferno continues to struggle to get free)

Brandis managed to muster up enough strength to create his own fire clone to take Inferno’s heat wave blast, and distract him long enough to slowly shuffle behind Inferno.

Inferno: Im…poss…ible… (saying as he struggle more against Brandis hold)

Brandis: No… tisn’t!

With his wound still open and bleeding out from the spear, Brandis takes flight into the air, with Inferno still in a choke hold-weakening more from the cuts and scratches Brandis placed on him. As they take to the skies a field of energy begins to surround them. Athame'’ sees this as she gets the jet off the ground and flashbacks to months ago when she found Brandis reading through her spell books, on the floor in their apartment, because he was curious about magic.

Flashback.

Athame'’: What are you doing? (saying as she walks toward Brandis wearing a white night gown)

Brandis: Was curious t’what ya do an’ how ya do it… figure’ w’be insightful… (looks curiously at the book in his lap) what’s… “Energy an’ bindin’field absorption?” (sitting on the floor wrapped in a bed sheet)

Athame'’: It’s similar to a power binding field… did you read about that?

Brandis: Ya… “it binds da power o’an indivual around dem causin’ a temporary sleep.”

Athame'’: That’s right (saying as she kneels behind him and drapes her arms around him). And when you do an energy binding field it absorbs all the negative energy around the individuals present until it implodes in a single burst… only thing is it hasn’t been done in thousands of years…

Brandis: Why?

Athame'’: Because the individual or individuals… never survive…

Brandis: (looks back into book after looking at Athame'’)

Athame': Come on… come back to bed. (saying as she kisses him, stands and leaves the room)

Present day.

Brandis’ binding field reaches critical mass as Brandis flies into the skies with Inferno, absorbing more negative energy from the scorched sky. Inferno tries to get free, but is weaken from the scratches and all the energy that has been spent and now being absorbed, that open the gate way. Brandis can only grin as he takes himself and Inferno into the scorched sky. A tear passes his eye and down his cheek as he closes his eyes and moments later he and Inferno implode dispersing all energy that has been absorbed in a bright flash of light.

Inferno: NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo!!!!!! (screaming as his voice fades out in a violent echo)

In the commotion, the energy from the blast knocks the jet out of control causing it to fall fast toward the ground. As Athame'’, Rynth, Lament and her daughter fall, Nightmare panics (back at the city) to fix his teleporter as the security guards come seconds away from breaking in. Only seconds away from fixing his machine Nightmare grabs his head in pain.

Nightmare: AAAHHHHHH NOOOO…no.. NOOOOOOO!! (grabbing his head)

Rynth, Athame'’, Lament and her daughter (crying) panic in fear they are about to die. The ship crashes to the surface moments later in pieces. But when the headache subsides, Nightmare looks up (with the last wires to his machine in hand) hearing the cries of a baby in the lab and sees pieces of the jet (the floor and some of the controls consoles) surrounding a now safe Rynth, Athame'’, Lament and her daughter. All seems calm as the security guards burst into the office to find the wreck and commotion. The headmaster comes in, following behind, to see nothing out of the ordinary, than a messy lab. All look up on the Headmaster waiting for a reaction.

Nightmare: (slightly nervous) uh yea… we were kind of in the middle of a delivery… why else would the door be jammed…

Headmaster: Um… carry on… Athame'’… I’d like to see you as soon as possible… first moment you get.. (saying as she walks away toward the window) Congratulations (saying as he motions toward Lament and leaves the room with his guards)

Lament: What happen… how did we… Rynth did you?

Rynth: No… it wasn’t me…

Lament: Then Jack… you… you fixed the teleporter? (saying with a smile on her face)

Nightmare: Um… yea… I did (saying as he looks at the wires and tosses them away then begins to roll over in his wheel chair to Lament and her daughter. Lament gives him a kiss on the cheek)

Nightmare: (smiling) and who is this?

Lament: This… is your niece… I’m calling her Saga… (saying as she smiles and shedding tears of relief and joy) Saga… this is your uncle Jack Jack.

Nightmare: Hey Saga… (saying as the baby stops crying and smiles at him)

Rynth walks over to Athame'’who stands looking out the window at the day light sky.

Rynth: All seems well now…

Athame'’: ….

Rynth: He… he was a great warrior… what he did was brave… there is no lack of honor in what he did either. He saved us all.

Athame'’: …. (weeps quietly with tears running down her face)

Rynth: It is best to remember him as he lived. Miss him… mourn him… hold him in your heart… but do not let this stop you from living… or it can be your own prison.

Athame'’: Excuse me… (saying as she walks away, with her arms cross and leaves the lab)

Nightmare: I’m guessing she was forced to…

Lament: No… didn’t have to… he did it…

Athame'’ heads to the office of the Headmaster. When she gets there she enters the room, after being greeted by guards she is let into a private meeting with the Headmaster one on one. The Headmaster sits behind his desk arranged books, wearing glasses as he writes things down looking up at Athame'’ and back up again repeatedly.

Headmaster: I take it that everything is now in order with your affairs now that your associate’s child is in the world.

Athame'’ nods slightly yes.

Headmaster: Good. Tell me… what do you plan to do now?

Athame'’ says silent.

Headmaster: Nothing? Well I think time off will do you good, Correct?

Athame'’: Yes. (saying as she looks toward the floor)

Headmaster: Good… affected immediately… you’re suspended from your duties as defense and offensive spells and charms teacher as well as my advisor… your services are no longer needed.

Athame': Wait suspended?! (growing angry)

Headmaster: Yes.

Athame'’: For… for how long?

Headmaster: Until I feel you are fit for such duties.

Athame': Well… what about the DOWP.

Headmaster: The DOWP is suspended indefinitely… all research and projects will be closed and sealed, turned over to myself until I further needed.

Athame'’: You can’t do that…

Headmaster: I can actually… I am the Headmaster. You see this city is supposed to be a utopia for those within. We very well can’t hold up to that if any and everything knows where we are and how to destroy our city. No one wants to live in disorder, chaos and destruction. I’m here to make sure they stay the opposite. That this city remains a paradise… (Athame'’ grows more angry) Is that anger I’m seeing… (Athame'’s eyes glow read slightly, but with her head down the Headmaster can’t see them) You know… you still have you job, for the time being. I’d take that and leave if I were you… before that’s gone.

Athame'’s eye turn to normal shade as she turns around and walks out the room. A week passes. The city sits under construction as Athame'’ stands on the edge of the city on a beach gazing at real sun in the clear sky. She wears a black arm band with Brandis family crest on it as small tears fall down her face, she says her goodbyes.

Athame'’: It’s been a week since you’ve been gone my love. But it feels like a year… I don’t know where you are right now… but I know you can hear me. I miss you… so much. I don’t regret any of our time together… the good… the bad… none of it. And if Inferno is there with you… tell him I don’t blame him… not at all… … … I feel so… lost… and alone (saying as she kneels to the ground).

A hand is soon put on Athame'’. For a brief moment Athame'’ believes it to be Brandis but instead it’s a good friend.

Lament: You’re not alone Athame'’… (joined by her Saga being held by Jack, a recuperated Zero[who looks slightly angry] and Rynth- each with a black arm band but without Brandis’ crest) You still have us.

Athame': You all don’t have to be here…

Lament: You just lost your best friend and your lover … I know if it were me… I’d need all the support I could.

Athame'’: Thank you… all of you…You know… they both were heroes despite the evil that tainted them and made them lose their way. They will always be heroes first and should be forever in our hearts… remembered exactly as that. Evil may have destroyed both of their bodies but they still live in spirit… in us…. We have to keep fighting for a new world against what’s out there… specially now… both fought to their last breath to protect the world we should follow their example. I think only that way will we be able to take this planet back from evil. Bran and Inferno left us their biggest gifts of strength, power, compassion, clarity and love (saying as she looks out into the distant sky holding her stomach). We must carry on… strong… for them.

Everyone smiles at Athame'’ but as she looks away they grow nervous, looking at each other, as to what she plans to do next.

Three more days pass and mysterious feet walk into a crater on the surface in a distant deserted land. As the feet get close to the top of the crater a man, small and large droids and machines shuffle around them. They all walk close to a body face deep in the dirt, in the center of the crater, which is soon turned over by an unknown hand, barely alive it is revealed to be an unconscious Inferno.

Mysterious figure tells droids: Bring me a medical capsule. ( looking closer at Inferno’s face for signs of life which are faint) I want you all to place him in the Arsenic Project. Put him in Chapter Four.

As the droids pick up Inferno’s body and place it into a medical capsule they head to a small hover craft followed closely behind Jack Nightmare, who looks around the land, steps into the craft and closes the doors as it takes off.

THE END