Lost Worlds

by Luna Lais

  "This orb," Cat said, "is the orb of Power. If we can discover all eight of these, maybe there is a chance we can lock her away forever. The orbs are said to unlock amazing abilities to Power‚.to the Dragon Lady."

  "Legandria confirms this," Chrissy said.

  Seven years pass

  When the lady in red comes

  Since the lady in red came

  Power will overcome her

  Power will consume her

  Power will set her free

  But Virtue shall make her love.

  The Dragon Lady will gain an orb

  The Orb of Power

  One of eight it is

  The eight to form her ultimate power‚

  "Seven years, more or less, since I received my sword," Lauren replied. "No wonder Grandma wanted me to learn so quickly‚she was trying to protect me and the world."

  "I'm here to protect you too," replied Jimmy. "The three of us will do whatever it takes to stop her."

  * * *

  Meanwhile, in an apartment across town, the woman is lying in bed asleep. Her brownish red hair tosses with her as she rolls around restlessly, moaning and screaming in her sleep, as if something inside her is torturing her in her dreams‚.corrupting them. On a desk nearby, a reddish orb begins to glow, and a faint cackling laughter can be heard in the distance‚laughing at the torture.

  Chapter 7 - Finding The Courage

  * * *

  7

  "Finding The Courage"

  Jimmy laid on his bed and thought about everything that had happened to him in the past few weeks. Part of him was overjoyed that he had found himself with someone who could bring him the love and inspiration he craved in his life, but another part of him dwelled on the fact that he still felt he deserved nothing that was given to him. Something happened the other day during their battle with Red that changed Jimmy‚or maybe brought something out of him he hadn't fathomed before. She was able to wrest something from his very mind and soul, and bring a part of his own heart to a complete stop. The feeling itself brought him to his knees, paralyzed. He remembered Susira telling him about the Hero being weak to emotion, but he had no idea the way this weapon would be used against him in the most brutal and cruel ways.

  He turned on the news and a report was on about a bank robbery that happened nearby. He listened closely to the TV.

  "There was one witness to the robbery, but she asked to not be interviewed on camera," the reporter said. "She told police and our news crew off camera that those who robbed the bank looked like life-sized clay dolls, and the leader of this band of thieves was a very large man, standing over seven feet tall wearing a very unique styled multi-colored outfit. If you see this individual, or know anything else about the robbery, you are to call Bane-Barre City Police. As for the witness, she said she would go on camera, but only after the capture, for fear of her life."

  "None of this sounds right," Jimmy said to himself. He thought he would wait until tonight and see if he could see for himself.

  * * *

  That night, Jimmy, as The Hero, crept around the square, waiting to see if another robbery would take place. Sure enough, an alarm sounded, and Jimmy rushed to the location as quickly as he could. When he arrived, he indeed saw the grey monsters the woman spoke of, and they were like the stone warriors he had fought before. He charged his sword and began taking shots at them. A few snuck up behind him, and he spun around and swiped them off of him. When he turned back around, he saw an ax coming at him, which he blocked with his sword. He instinctively pushed the attacker back and away from him, only to look up to see it was the leader of this gang, just as he had been described.

  "Virtue!" he said. "I did not expect to see you here!"

  "Who are you?" Jimmy asked, sword poised and ready.

  "I am Ironblade," he replied. "Locked away for tens of thousands of years‚and now I have finally been freed‚and free to take back this miserable planet! Your sword is no match for the Ax of Zomar!" He swung the ax, and Jimmy blocked it with his sword. The ax was tough‚.and even though Jimmy's sword was smithed from the hardest metals and most powerful enchantments, it would seem the ax may very well be made of the same material. Jimmy punched him back and took several shots at him, which he blocked with the ax. Jimmy touched his TD.

  "Chrissy, Lauren, I need you," he said into the TD. "Home in on my signal." Ironblade charged Jimmy, and he dodged the ax, which embedded in the wall. As he tried to pull it out, Jimmy leaped into the air and sliced the ceiling, knocking it down on top of him. Chrissy and Lauren appeared, as the Dark Woman and Dragon Lady, swords at the ready.

  "I don't think that's gonna hold him for long," Jimmy said, as Ironblade exploded from the rubble, angrier than ever. Jimmy ran at him, and he blocked the shot with the ax again. Chrissy came at him from one side and Lauren the other, then he punched Chrissy, sending her backwards into the wall, and kicked Lauren, sending her to the ground. Jimmy's sword and the ax began to glow. Chrissy shook her head and her eyes began to glow as well.

  "The one with Triad blood controls Triad blood," she said in an eerie voice. "And the power of the Triad will overcome him‚" Her eyes stopped glowing as she shook her head again, and Jimmy was pushed backwards. Chrissy and Cat ran to him.

  "Jimmy," Chrissy said, "All three of us have to concentrate on the ax! If it is what I think it is, WE can control it!" Jimmy nodded, and all three stretched out their hands. Just as Ironblade went to charge them, he stopped. The ax began to vibrate loose from his grip.

  "No!" he yelled. "I am in control! I have the power of the Triad and the fate of the world in my grasp! You shall not‚" The ax flew from his hands at the Triad, and stopped short of Chrissy's face. She pointed at Ironblade, and the others then did as well. The ax with deadly aim flew at lightning speed, embedding itself in Ironblade's chest. Chrissy charged her sword, and running at him, leaped into the air, driving her sword into his skull. The electricity flowed between them, and Jimmy and Lauren ran out of the building. An explosion rocked the entire structure, and the tall building collapsed around them. Then, as quickly as it collapsed, it raised again. Jimmy and Cat's swords glowed, and the structure restored. Soon after, Chrissy emerged from the building, limping. She fell to one knee as Jimmy and Cat ran to her.

  "Are you alright?" Jimmy asked her.

  "This‚is yours," Chrissy coughed, handing Jimmy the ax. "We need to get out of here." The three quickly teleported out of there, back to Jimmy's room.

  Chrissy laid down on the bed, exhausted from her ordeal. Jimmy looked carefully at the ax.

  "He called it the Ax of Zomar," Jimmy said. "What is it?"

  "It's a Triad weapon," Chrissy replied. "When our swords were formed, eight knights, eight sorcerers, and a multitude of elders sacrificed their lives and souls. The weapons, like the Ax of Zomar, are the weapons used by the knights to stay the evil from the swords' creation. They are covered in the blood of the first knights. That is how we were able to control it. But there is something else you must know. Legandria told us of this."

  The first of eight beasts

  With Triad forges

  Shall attempt to destroy it

  But Virtue is warned

  And the power of the Triad

  Will overcome him.

  The one who warns Virtue

  Loves Virtue, but wishes to destroy Virtue.

  "I don't understand," Jimmy said.

  "Me either," Lauren said. The news came on, and the reporter began to speak.

  "We are coming to you live from downtown Bane-Barre with an exclusive on the devastation!" the reporter said. "As you can see, miraculously, the building is still intact, the one responsible for the robberies has been found dead inside. Police cannot confirm or deny that a battle took place here, but our eye witness has come forward and wishes to share a message with those responsible." The three leaned in to the TV closer.

  "Just looking out for MY world," a woman's voice replied. The camera panned over to see h
er long red hair, deep red dress, black boots, and blood red lips. Her hazel eyes faintly glowed as she smirked for the camera. "And Virtue‚this won't be the last you see of me‚' She laughed seductively as she walked away from the reporter. Lauren, Jimmy and Chrissy looked at each other in astonishment‚and fear.

  Chapter 8 - Show Me The Way

  * * *

  8

  "Show Me The Way"

  Days had passed since the bank robberies, and while Jimmy, Chrissy, and Lauren felt the need to be on guard, they felt that for now, they could breathe a sigh of relief. Lauren and Jimmy decided to spend some time together, and went to the mall. They walked past the food court and down the main entryway past several stores when something caught Jimmy's eye.

  "Hey, can we go in here for a minute?" Jimmy asked. It was a store filled with electronics and video games.

  "Sure," replied Lauren, "but not very long. We still have a lot of stores I want to look in too, and we haven't stopped anywhere to eat yet." Jimmy smiled.

  "I won't be long," he said. The two walked into the store and immediately, Jimmy began rooting through things on the shelves. After a few moments though, something strange began to happen. Games started floating off the shelves. The cash register opened by itself, and the money began to float out and vanish. The clerks were astonished and didn't know what to do. Lauren and Jimmy tried to get a closer look, but when mall security showed up, they were suddenly grabbed by something. Whatever it was dragged Jimmy and Lauren away and out of the mall. They were thrown into a van and tied up. The van then drove off all by itself.

  "What is going on here?" Jimmy yelled as he struggled against his restraints.

  "It's no use," Lauren said, "I can't get free, and I have no idea what to do."

  "I would listen to the girl if I were you," a voice said from nowhere. "You are powerless to do anything to us, human!" The van continued on, and indeed, Jimmy and Lauren could do nothing but struggle and hope. Then they were hit with some sort of energy, and they slipped into unconsciousness.

  * * *

  When they came to, they were being dragged into the basement of some building. Whatever it was untied them and threw them into a room, locking a gated door behind them.

  "Let us out of here!" Jimmy yelled.

  "Maybe once we find what we are looking for," a voice said. "But even then, you won't live long." The voice laughed as whatever it was left the area.

  "Jimmy," Lauren said, "do you have your TD?"

  "Yeah," he replied, "But there's something blocking the transmission. I can't teleport out of here. And without our swords, I don't see a way to break out of here. Unless‚." Jimmy began tinkering with the TD, messing with the components. He slowly set it down in front of the door. A laser beam emitted from it, and began to burn the door.

  "Awesome!" Lauren said. "How long before it cuts through?"

  "About two hours," Jimmy replied with a frown. Lauren let out a sigh and sat down on the floor with her arms folded. Jimmy sat beside her. "It's gonna be alright. Chrissy will find us, you'll see‚.I hope."

  * * *

  Chrissy was sitting in her dining room doing calculus homework, when a strange feeling came over her. She put down her pen and got up from the table and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on her face. When she looked back up in the mirror, she saw a different image than that of herself.

  You must go now!

  Chrissy blinked, and the image was that of herself again. Then her eyes glowed, and a feeling took over her as she ran to the bedroom and pulled her sword.

  "Wisdom, be my strength!" The dark smoke bellowed forth from the sword and swirled around her, concealing her, encasing her entire body in the silvery armor of the Avatar of Wisdom. Then an explosion of silvery light ended the transformation, and she had become the Dark Woman.

  "Something is not as it should be," she said to herself as she ran out and took off into the sky.

  * * *

  Her instincts guided her to a place in the middle of nowhere, a brick building with nothing but barren land around it. Soon afterwards, she was struck down by something, and plummeted to the ground. She was quickly subdued and thrown into the cell with Jimmy and Lauren. Luckily, they didn't notice Jimmy's attempt to cut through the door. When Chrissy came to, Jimmy went over to her.

  "Are you alright?" he asked.

  "I'll be fine," she replied. "I brought your swords, but they took them." Jimmy looked through the bars of the door's window and saw the swords chained to the wall.

  "I managed to weaken the door," Jimmy said. "They didn't restrain you‚I know you are a bit woozy still, but can you break down the door?" Chrissy staggered to her feet, and got her bearing. She grabbed the bars, and with every last ounce of strength she had in her, pulled the door from its hinges and threw it aside. She ripped the swords from the wall and threw them at Jimmy and Lauren. They quickly caught the swords and held them up.

  "Power, be my strength!" Sparks emitted from the tip of the sword, causing her entire body to burst into flames. The orange glow of the flame slowly formed the bronze armor of the Avatar of Power, transforming her into the Dragon Lady.

  "Courage, be my strength!" The golden light emitted from the sword and flowed down his body. It wrapped itself around him, bonding to his skin, forming the golden armor of the Avatar of Courage, transforming him into the Hero.

  The three busted out of the building, only to be met by an entire army of nothing. They tried to fight, but the enemy landed hits while they barely were able touch them.

  "How can you fight something you can't see?" Lauren asked.

  "Like this," Jimmy said, pulling the coin from beneath his armor. He pressed it against the hilt of his sword, and swung it around and high into the air. The power sent columns of flame shooting from the ground, and the monsters became engulfed in the flames. Many fell, the rest were made quick work of by Chrissy and Lauren taking shots at them. As the power subsided, Jimmy fell to one knee, the sword falling to the ground with a clunk. A voice was then heard across the field.

  "I am the Guardian of Light," he said. "Locked away for millennia‚.I shall rule this planet once again!" At that, he turned invisible, and attacks seemed to come out of nowhere. Jimmy staggered around, but was weak from the use of the coin.

  "Lauren," Chrissy said, "we only have one shot at this. On my signal, attack." Lauren nodded. Chrissy pulled her coin and pressed it to the hilt of her sword. She swung it around, and the Keeper of the Storms called in the dark clouds that then became torrential rain and ice. The water droplets attached to the Guardian, and Lauren could easily make out his form. "Now Lauren! Go for the crystal!" Lauren made out the crystal embedded in the creature's forehead. Her eyes glowed as her sword caught fire. She charged with all her might and speed, and in a quick slice, slashed right through his skull, slicing the crystal in two. At that, he became visible. Chrissy fell to one knee, her sword too coming to a rest at her feet.

  "We have to cross swords," Lauren yelled. Jimmy and Chrissy lifted with the last of their strength, and the three crossed swords.

  "Wisdom, Power, Courage!" The energy from the swords flowed into the Guardian, and it exploded in a flash of light that shot into the heavens. The three stood there surveying the area.

  "Where did this guy come from?" Jimmy asked.

  "The Guardian of Light was originally a noble entity that protected one of the Triad orbs," Chrissy said. "Legendria tells of this."

  Greed for power shall wake the greedy

  Yet another wishing to rule

  Only the Triad, forged by his masters

  Could stop the beast within.

  The Orb of Light shall not be found

  Until Virtue's love is proved.

  "What does that mean though?" asked Jimmy. "Why would it suggest I need to 'prove my love' to recover the orb?"

  "I'm still working on the crypticness of the text," Chrissy replied. "Nothing is ever as it seems." Jimmy nod
ded to her. They then took off into the air for home.

  As they left, something flashed on the ground‚the crystal that was in the monster's forehead. The damaged orb fused itself together again as the light hit it. A hand slowly reached down and grasped it‚the long blood red fingernails gently caressing the orb, and a laugh could be heard‚as if a plan was coming to fruition.