by Luna Lais
Chapter 11 - Red As Red
* * *
11
"Red As Red"
A few days had passed since defeating Shadow Master, and Lauren was once again quietly studying in her dorm room. No sooner did she start her studies, that dark clouds rolled in, and the window once again flung open. Lauren lowered and shook her head.
"Can't you just die already?" Lauren muttered as she dove for the floor. At once, the whole room became pitch black, and Lauren couldn't see. She frantically reached around for her sword. When she put her hand on it, Red stepped on her hand. Lauren looked up to see Red as plain as daylight‚with everything else blacked out. "Do you know where you belong?"
"In Virtue's arms," replied Red.
"In a sanitarium!" yelled Lauren. She pounded Red's foot with her hand, and freed her other hand. She pulled the sword and charged at Red, tackling her into the wall. Red kicked her off, sending Cat to the floor. Cat couldn't see a thing, so she reached onto her wrist and hit a button, teleporting her out of there.
"You won't get away that easily," Red said softly as she snapped her fingers and vanished in a flash of light.
* * *
Jimmy had been out taking a walk to clear his head. All the stress that Red had put on him in the past week had been getting to him. He walked down the street towards the square, when suddenly the sky darkened. The clouds started to swirl, and from the center, a man made of pure fire descended from the clouds. As he touched down, the flames died down, giving him a more human appearance. He then raised his arms, and soldiers made of molten rock began to surface from the ground. Jimmy looked around, and hidden from view, raised his sword.
"Courage, be my strength!" The sword sparked to life, as the light slowly enveloped his entire body. The light bonded to his skin, forming the indestructible golden armor of the Avatar of Courage, transforming him into The Hero.
Jimmy quickly took off in the direction of the man, flying over the soldiers, landing in front of him.
"And what, pray tell, are you planning to do?" Jimmy asked. "This is my city, and I won't let you take it."
"I am Daemon Red," he replied. "And this is my domain. You can't stop me." He raised his hand, and a wave of lava pushed Jimmy back and enveloped him, encasing him in solid rock. Daemon laughed for a second before Jimmy burst free from the rock. He picked up a huge chunk of it and hurled it at Daemon, but Daemon held out his hand, and it melted into a small pebble, which he caught in the palm of his hand. Jimmy stood fast, sword in hand, knowing full well he was up against something more powerful than he had gone up against yet.
* * *
Lauren appeared in front of Chrissy, who was sitting on the couch reading through Legandria. Chrissy put down the book and looked up at Lauren.
"Red is back," Lauren said. "She's already coming after me again." Suddenly Chrissy held her head, as if in excruciating pain. All of a sudden, she stood up strait, her eyes glowing blue, and she began to mutter strange things Lauren could not understand.
"Fatalis alterius Virtum liberabit‚" she said, among other things.
"Dammit speak English!" Cat yelled.
"The nightmare overwhelms her soul from within," Chrissy said, still in the trance. "The motive demonic‚.the intentions angelic‚..two souls, one power, fighting for control‚" Then as sudden as the episode began, Chrissy came out of it.
"I know now‚" Chrissy replied softly. "Lauren, I know. She isn't who you think she is. Just as you were a descendant of former Avatars of Power, she is also a descendant of the one known as Red. It's as if a part of her is trapped‚.fighting for control. I saw inside her mind, Cat‚not very deep, but I saw things that horrified me." She turned to Lauren and looked her dead in the eye. "She's been somewhat responsible for some of the monsters attacking the city, and that without being able to master our powers, we can only continue to contain her, not defeat her. But there is something else far more peculiar‚and dangerous."
"What's that?" Lauren asked.
"She has feelings for Jimmy," Chrissy said, slowly. "She actually believes her destiny is intertwined with that of Virtue. But the stranger part is her mind has touched his‚and I caught a glimpse of doubt‚and acceptance."
"What does that mean though?" Cat asked, almost agitated.
"I don't know," Chrissy replied. "But if what is in her mind comes to pass, it might not bode well‚.for any of us."
* * *
Jimmy fought with all his might as Daemon called his minions to attack. Just as fast as he could hack them down, they would melt and reform. Jimmy led a large group of them into one of the buildings, then after hacking the support beams with his sword, toppled it onto them, buying him some time. He made his way to Daemon, firing charged shots at him. Daemon pulled a forged sword from the earth, and easily blocked the shots. Jimmy's sword met his.
"I underestimated you, Virtue," he said to Jimmy, looking him in the eyes. "But I will not make the same mistake twice." He pulled back and swung, and Jimmy returned swings, blocking him. Sparks flew everywhere, and though Jimmy's sword could cut through Daemon's, he was able to reshape and reforge the sword at will by melting it. Jimmy continued the fight out of desperation. The Triad weapons indeed seemed to grant him greater power‚but was it enough to defeat this seemingly unstoppable foe? He wasn't so sure.
* * *
"We need to act now before she can do anything about it," said Chrissy. Lauren nodded, and they raised their swords.
"Power, be my strength!" The sword became engulfed in flames, which crept down her entire body. Her skin merged with the flames, forming the bronze armor of the Avatar of Power, transforming her into the Dragon Lady.
"Wisdom, be my strength!" The sword sparked to life, and her eyes glowed as a black mist swirled around her, enveloping her in darkness. Then in a flash of silvery light, the darkness lifted, as the silver light bonded to her skin, covering her in the armor of the Avatar of Wisdom, transforming her into the Dark Woman.
Just as they ran out of the house and took off into the air, a flash of light followed by a red streak hit Lauren head on, sending her plummeting back to earth. Chrissy turned to see what had happened and prepared to react. Red got to her feet and readied to battle with Lauren again. Once again she pulled out the orb from her dress and the entire area went dark. Lauren stumbled to her feet
"It wasn't bad enough you try to stop me from reclaiming my throne," she said to her, "and now you think you can take my betrothed from me?" Lauren tried to attack, but Red hit her with an energy blast.
"Hey!" Chrissy yelled. Red, distracted, turned to meet her gaze. "You know as well as I do I can see clear as day in this darkness." Chrissy's lance buzzed to life, and the two began fighting, Red pulling a sword to meet the lance. They exchanged blows several times before locking up. "You're fast‚.but I know what you know. You can't run from me."
"You're right," Red said. "Then we must end this here?"
"You know we can't," Chrissy replied. "You know we will in time defeat you."
"Not if I can help it," Red replied, resuming her attack on Chrissy.
* * *
Daemon backed Jimmy up into a corner and went to strike. When he swung, Jimmy ducked and dodged the swing, and Deamon's sword cut into the concrete of the building. Jimmy dropkicked Daemon in the back, then rolled to his feet and took shots at the building's foundation. All at once, the building toppled onto Daemon, trapping him in the rubble. Jimmy got to his feet and breathed a sigh of relief, but it only lasted moments. The rubble began to glow‚.then melt. And Daemon slowly rose from the melted rubble, complete with an evil grin.
"Did you really think it would be that easy it defeat me?" he asked. He charged at Jimmy, and he blocked his sword by parrying. He swung again and their swords locked. "Now we end this." He swung one more time, but Jimmy was able to push him back, and get off a few charged sword shots. But this only slowed Daemon down‚.and he seemed to be getting angrier by the minute.
* * *
Lauren, in a last ditch effort, pulled forth her laser whip. It tripled in length as she lashed it at Red, wrapping itself around her leg, pulling it out from under her. Red fell to the ground, allowing Chrissy to get in a lucky shot that sent Red reeling backwards to the ground. The orb fell from her hand, and without the magic behind it, the area became visible again. Just as they were about to close in on her, she staggered to her feet holding her head.
"No‚." she whispered to herself. "I am in control‚.must save him‚..you know we must protect him‚" At once, Red took off into the air. Chrissy and Lauren, without thinking, began to follow her as quickly as they could.
* * *
"Daemon began to try and melt the ground beneath Jimmy's feet, but Jimmy kept side stepping it and kept on fighting him. At one point, Daemon got in a lucky shot and pushed Jimmy back. But just as Jimmy regained footing, a red streak came from the sky. Daemon went to strike, but was met by a bluish energy forcefield. Red stood with Jimmy against Daemon. The electricity sent Daemon staggering backwards for a moment. It was then Red handed Jimmy something.
"This is the Midnight Whip," she said. "It is another Triad weapon, and the only thing that will help you defeat the monster. Envelop him within the darkness, then use the power of Triad to finish him." Just then, they could see a streak of silver and bronze descending from the sky. "I have brought your friends to you. I must go. When next we meet, my love, hopefully it will be under as good of circumstances." At that, she turned from him slightly, and with her sly grin and trademark wink, she was gone in a flash of light. Chrissy and Lauren landed beside Jimmy.
"Where is Red?" Lauren yelled, in a heavily disdainful tone.
"There's no time for that now!" yelled Jimmy. He lashed Daemon with the whip, and he became enveloped in darkness. He started to scream from the void. "We have to cross swords and use the Triad power!" They crossed swords.
"Wisdom, Power, Courage!" The energy flowed from the swords and into the darkness, and you could hear the gut wrenching gurgling as he melted away into nothingness. Then a huge explosion sent everyone flying backwards‚.and the energy from the Triad blast restored the buildings that had toppled. The three sat up, back in normal form, and looked on as all the chaos had vanished as quickly as it had come, the Midnight Whip still in Jimmy's possession.
"What was that all about?' Lauren asked.
"I wish I knew," answered Jimmy. "She came out of nowhere, gave me the whip, and protected me from Daemon. It was almost like she WANTED to help me."
"A part of her did," Chrissy said. "There is some part of her that believes she is in love with you. And deep down, there is something in you that is slightly curious about this."
"That's nonsense!" Jimmy said. "I know damn well where my heart belongs, and who it belongs to!"
"Perhaps it belongs to no one!" Lauren yelled, activating her TD and vanishing from sight. Chrissy let out a heavy sigh.
"I didn't want to think it was true, Jimmy," Chrissy said, "but Legandria predicted it. I'm so sorry‚."
The woman in red challenges again
With darkness as her weapon
But when Virtue's life be threatened through fire
To his rescue with darkness she comes
Though even in love when life endures
Virtue shall be alone.
Jimmy, in a fit of rage, punched the brick wall of the building they were against as hard as he could, before walking away. Chrissy breathed another heavy sigh, then turned to find a huge imprint in the wall‚an impossible feat for one without the sword's protection.
Chapter 12 - Sweet Dreams
* * *
12
"Sweet Dreams"
Jimmy laid in bed staring at the ceiling. He began to count the tiles to himself, in an effort to force himself to sleep. He couldn't though‚.because his thoughts occupied him. He was battling with the emotions that were tearing him apart, all the while trying to understand what Red was trying to do.
"I can't understand any of this," he said to himself. "One minute I'm on top of the world‚.and now this. What in the world is Red doing? Is this some sort of trick to divide us all and defeat us?" He rolled over, still unable to sleep. "If this is some cruel and twisted joke she is playing‚.I'm not laughing." He continued to wrestle with himself for the rest of the night.
* * *
Chrissy laid in her bed fast asleep. It wasn't long that she started to dream. She walked around in an endless field of flowers. She stopped atop a hill, and sat down, opening up a storybook to read. Soon after, the sky began to turn, and it looked as if a storm were moving in.
"A storm," she whispered to herself. "Turmoil and strife are the storms in our hearts." She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Nothing bothers my soul‚and I am not afraid of the storms." But lightning struck near her, making her uneasy. She began to walk away from the field‚.then run. As she passed a tree at the bottom of the hill, lightning struck it, and a heavy branch broke and fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground. The rain began to pour and sting her body, and as lightning struck around her, she began to scream for help‚.but no one heard her. All the while, in the distance, someone was watching her in the reflection of a crystal‚laughing.
* * *
Lauren was asleep as well, and much like Chrissy, was dreaming. She was watching TV, curled up on the couch with someone. They were watching the news when suddenly the TV shut off. She got up to check on the TV, but nothing was wrong with it. When she turned around, the man on the couch transformed into a hideous dragon and tried to attack her. Lauren ran out of the room and outside. The dragon followed her as she ran‚but just as it was about to get her, she fell into a gaping hole in the ground. When she landed, her leg let out a disgusting crunch. Lauren screamed in excruciating pain‚.she knew she had broken it.
"I have to climb out of here," she said softly as she tried to pull herself to her feet, but the pain from her broken leg was enough to keep her grounded. "Somebody help me!" she screamed‚but no one could hear her. That is, no one except for the man looking into that crystal‚all the while laughing at his plan coming to fruition.
* * *
Jimmy finally had it. He couldn't sleep. He got dressed and went out of his room and down the hall, coming out onto the third floor landing. He jaunted down the stairs to the very bottom, and sat down in the pit area below. He laid down on the cold floor and looked up thinking to himself.
"I have to get her off my mind," he said to himself. "Lauren broke my heart‚but I have to let her go. I can't live in the past, and I can't let this destroy me. Susira said that love and fear can destroy Virtue. Could Red be using Lauren as a tool to destroy me?" He pondered this further, and began to stare at the night sky through the skylight. Then a feeling came over Jimmy‚.and he looked at his watch. He looked up at the skylight again and frowned.
"That's odd," he said to himself. "It's 7AM. The sun should already be up. But there's not a speck of daylight." He ran back upstairs and through the halls, banging on the doors. No one was answering. He managed to break into Ron's room, and he was fast asleep on the bed. Jimmy tried to shake him, but Ron didn't even blink.
"It's as if they're all in a coma," Jimmy said. "Something is definitely not right." He touched his TD and tried to contact Chrissy and Lauren, but neither would respond. "Guess I'm on my own on this one." He ran outside and raised his sword.
"Courage, be my strength!" Streams of golden light emitted from the sword, and they wrapped themselves around Jimmy's body, completely covering him in the golden armor of the Avatar of Courage, transforming him into the Hero.
Jimmy took off into the air to get a better view of what was going on, and sure enough, right on the square, a man sitting on a throne looked on while hundreds of people lay asleep on the ground. Jimmy swooped in, and began running towards the man.
"Hey!" the man exclaimed. "You were supposed to be asleep like the others!" Jimmy stopped short.
"What have you done
to everyone?" Jimmy shouted.
"They are lost in their dreams," he replied, "as you should be, Hero. Now, since you have no dreams to destroy you, I guess I'll have to handle this personally." He pulled out his staff and used the crystal embedded in it to fire a blast of energy that knocked Jimmy backwards to the ground. Jimmy got to his feet and charged his sword, taking shots at him. The man was clever, and used the crystal to create a forcefield around him, blocking the shots. He continued trying to hit Jimmy with these blasts of energy, but Jimmy was able to deflect them with his sword. He managed to get in close, then pulled out a bag.