by Luna Lais
"You are the focal point," she said to him. "Past, present and future will begin and end with you. You and your friends have the power to defeat the Evil One, and begin to heal the rift created between our worlds. But you‚you will be the champion of all times. It will be by your hand the Evil One will find his end. This is my legacy." She let go of his shoulder. "Return to your friends‚.and remember all you have learned." In a flash of light, Jimmy vanished. "To my children‚.the song in your mind shall link us and bind us. You are 'The One'."
* * *
Jimmy appeared back in his dorm room in a flash of light, the armor surrounding him melting away. He slowly stood up and resheathed his sword.
"You did it!" Karen said, hugging Jimmy. Jimmy hugged her back, not knowing what to think. Amy came over to Jimmy.
"Mom explained what happened," she said. "About Cassandra‚and all. I'm sorry."
"You were possessed by her," Jimmy replied. "She tried to use you as a weapon against me. Now she's gone. But she mentioned another that had tried to destroy Virtue‚.but perhaps that monster is long gone."
"Perhaps," Karen said. She leaned in to Jimmy and whispered in his ear. "I still believe in the legend‚.and that you are my destiny. Please consider that." She walked back to Amy, and holding her arm, smiled and vanished in a flash of light.
"What did she say to you?' Lauren asked.
"That there is more to destiny than I once thought," Jimmy replied. The three looked at one another, knowing full well even with Seravno defeated, their mission was far from over.
Chapter 15 - Finding Out
* * *
15
"Finding Out"
A month passed since the defeat of Seravno, and in that span of time, Jimmy continued to spend time with Karen. To her, it seemed as if things were starting to fall into place for her, while Jimmy was just trying to figure things out. The past few days, Jimmy had been working on creating a media disk that could hold much larger amounts of data than normal, and Karen was there to give her knowledge and support for his project.
"There are a lot of things I know about things," Jimmy said to her. "But I realize for the few things I DO know, there are a multitude of things I DON'T know. I'm always learning."
"Everyone is," she replied. "Some things you learn beforehand, and can deal with them, and the rest you just 'find out' about." Jimmy nodded in agreement. They continued to work, when suddenly it became mysteriously dark out. The room darkened with the light fading from outside. Jimmy turned on the lights and continued working.
"Jimmy," Karen said, "I feel like there is something very wrong."
"I don't see how," Jimmy replied. "Seravno was defeated, and it's been quiet nearly a month now. I would think if something bad was going to happen, it would have already happened." Jimmy continued working, but Karen went to the window to look. Suddenly the window was blasted open, and Karen was knocked backwards into Jimmy, knocking them both to the floor. An energy blast hit them, and they were both knocked unconscious. Someone entered the room and took both of them away, leaving just as quickly as they came.
* * *
They awoke to find themselves chained to a table. Jimmy and Karen looked around and found themselves in a strange place. Jimmy had been roughly handled‚and blood oozed from some of his wounds onto the chains, even though they were healing rapidly.
"Where are we?" Jimmy asked.
"A very interesting question," a voice boomed. A man came into the room, very tall, very huge and muscular, with long dark hair and moustache and beard. He approached the table and looked at Karen.
"You are the latest host of the Red Power," he sneered. "I am Ivan‚but you should already know this. It has been a very long time since the Queen of the Five Kingdoms locked me away in that stone prison. Now that I have been freed, I will continue what Seravno and the other servants of the Master set out to do‚.claim the Ultimate Power for my own!" He looked closer at Karen. "You will unlock the power of your orb for me. I have seen into your mind as well as you have seen into mine. I know this man is very near and dear to you. Wouldn't it be a shame if I snapped him in two?" He laughed as he ripped the chains from Jimmy and lifted him into the air by his shirt. "You will be the first to suffer‚but fear not. Your end will be quick."
"You don't know me very well do you?" Jimmy eeked out, focused intently. Ivan laughed loudly. Then Jimmy's eyes shifted, and his hand raised. The broken chains, covered in his blood, sprung to life and hit Ivan, some wrapping his legs and tripping him. Jimmy fell to the ground and raised his hand, and his sword, which was in clear view across the room, leaped to his hand. He raised the sword.
"Courage, be my strength!" The sword exploded with power, and the energy flowed and wrapped around him, forming the golden armor of the Avatar of Courage, transforming him into The Hero.
"Hel Flame!" Ivan yelled. "So the legends were true! The Triad has returned! Now, not only will I finally eliminate the Red Witch, but to finish what we started and harness the Ultimate Power for our own!" Jimmy charged his sword and took shots at Ivan, but the energy dissipated as it hit him. "Ha ha ha! You think the puny power of a single Avatar is going to stop me?" He swung a heavy axe at Jimmy, and Jimmy dodged it and rolled out of the way. Spotting the Red Orb nearby, he instinctively grabbed it and looked at Karen. He threw it at her. Karen's eyes changed color from brown to green as she outstretched her hand. The orb flew into her hand as the power took hold.
"Strength of my ancestors, empower me!" The dark energy of the orb flowed into her, and her eyes glowed blue. Her clothes changed to the deep red dress, and her hair from root to tip turned red as well. Her chains all broke at once, and the pieces went flying in all directions.
"You should know better than to meddle with what you don't understand," Red said as she charged an energy bolt, She lifted inches off the ground, and flew at full speed at Ivan, releasing the bolt at point blank range, sending him flying across the room. After touching down, she grabbed Jimmy's arm. "This is a battle we will have to retreat from, my love‚..for now." She smirked at him as she snapped her fingers, and in a flash they disappeared.
"You can't run from me Red!" Ivan yelled. "I will find you wherever you run!" He screamed and raised his axe in anger.
* * *
Jimmy and Red appeared in Jimmy's room. Jimmy removed his helm and turned to Red, her deep hazel eyes staring into his.
"What was that all about?" Jimmy asked.
"My love, you have no idea," she replied with a chuckle. "That was one of the many 'mercenaries for hire' the Master had utilized to help control the kingdoms. They acted as generals‚.but were little more than common criminals and beasts. I dealt with them many times since the Great Cataclysm‚.many times. I sealed most of them away, because they cannot be destroyed. The only thing that can destroy them is the Triad‚.and only at their peak power. In nearly a thousand years, I have never seen the Ultimate Power that G’riel spoke of‚."
"What do you mean?" Jimmy asked. "Karen, you haven't been alive for that long‚." Red let out a laugh.
"Silly boy," she replied. "It will be a long time until you grasp my power. Perhaps someday when you and I finally become one‚.maybe then I will let you see who I really am." Red backed up and continued to laugh‚almost maniacally. Then she let out a scream and dropped to her knees. Energy‚.almost electric‚.began to flow all around her as the power flowed out of her and back into the orb. The dark energy leaving her caused her clothing to change back to the blue jeans and brown shirt, her hair turning brown again. When it was over, she began to breathe heavy‚sobbing profusely. She raised her head slowly and looked at Jimmy dead in the eyes, tears streaming down her face.
"Are you alright?" Jimmy asked, confused.
"Please," Karen said through her tears, looking right at him. "Please don't hesitate next time."
"I don't understand," Jimmy replied.
"Promise me!" she yelled.
"I promise," he said, unsure of what she mea
nt. She went to him and wrapped her arms around him, and he held her back instinctively. She wept in his arms‚.not knowing what else to do.
"I'm in control now," she said softly in his ear. "I'm in control. As long as I think of you I can tie my soul to reality." She took a deep breath and slowly let Jimmy go, wiping the tears from her face and trying to compose herself. "Ivan can't be destroyed. Not alone. Even a Triad blast will only wound him, not kill him. We need to harness the Ultimate Power if we are to even have a chance at defeating him."
"What is the Ultimate Power?" Jimmy asked.
"I only know what the orb‚my powers tell me," she replied. "G’riel was said to have crafted the Red Orb in the image of her own amulet. Her own powers were unimaginable, as she alone possessed the power granted by the Creator to fortify the Swords of the Avatars with their power‚.the very souls of those that fought against the cataclysm. That is why the orb became corrupted‚.the Evil One could not hope to harness its power, but knew if it were turned against her, the Triad could never reach their full potential and defeat him. The Triads of the past never achieved the Ultimate Power, and no one to this day even knows what it is, where it is, or if it even exists. How to achieve that perfection is unknown to anyone."
"Karen," Jimmy said, pausing for a moment. "When I was battling Seravno, I was right there with G’riel. She used her amulet to empower me‚and I felt many times stronger than before. My armor was brighter, and my sword sharper. She referred to me as the 'focal point', and as the 'Hero of Life'." Karen's eyes widened.
"I know what this is," Karen replied with some excitement. "It is told that the Hel Flame, when endowed with the 'Ultimate Power' becomes more than just 'Virtue'. His courage, if pure of heart, mind, body and soul, transforms him into so much more‚.Life itself." She paused and takes a breath. "This could be the key after all. I thought it was a coincidence‚.now I'm almost positive. The Red Witch‚.I used the Orb to help Lauren, and part of her transformed. In the same way the Hero can become 'Life', the Dragon Lady‚.'Power' can become 'Good'. But only G’riel has that kind of power. I can only focus the energy she instilled into the orb. But perhaps there is a way we can still harness the energy and use it against Ivan."
"How?" Jimmy asked. "You said you were only able to somehow partially transform Lauren."
"She‚.I remember things about the past," she replied, "and I can see flashes of the future. There are stories from the past and visions of the future that ring in my mind. There is a process that I have seen‚when our minds met‚.a melding of body, mind and soul. A true and utterly powerful combination of Wisdom, Power, and Courage, united under a focus. The resulting force, known only as Ultimate Warrior, is the full force of the Triad united. It is said this is the beginning of perfection. Perhaps through this melding with the focus, we can use this energy to stop Ivan once and for all. But it will not be easy."
"I am ready and willing to do what it takes," Jimmy said.
"Contact your friends," she said. "They will need to know what's going on." Jimmy lifted his wrist to his mouth and pushed the button.
"Chrissy, Cat," Jimmy said into it. "Teleport here to my dorm room. Come transformed. We have a problem." Within minutes, both of them appeared before him.
"What's going on?" Lauren asked.
"We have another psychopath attacking the city," Jimmy replied.
"Nothing we can't handle, right?" Cat said.
"It's not that simple," Jimmy said. "This guy is tougher and stronger than the others. My sword blasts don't even phase him. Red can't destroy it. The only way we can defeat it is with the Ultimate Power."
"What's that?" Lauren asked. Suddenly, Chrissy grasped her head, and her eyes glowed.
"By the Orb of Light," she chanted, "Wisdom‚.Power‚.Courage‚.Unite under the power of Triad!" She suddenly came out of the trance, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she fell forward, to her knees then face down on the floor. Karen and Lauren quickly went to help her up. She held her head, staggering to her feet.
"It's the key," Karen said. "The focus is transmuted as it passed through the swords. That is the incantation." She looked out the window. "Ivan is already marching on the town. He's trying to draw us out."
"We'll stop him," Jimmy said.
"Are you all ready?" she asked. "If you are not careful, you could go mad from the process, and be torn apart."
"Whoa," Cat said. "What do you mean? Can this kill us?"
"The Ultimate Power," Chrissy said. "It will be the only way. As Karen said, this is the first step." She closed her eyes. "I can see it in my own mind. We can do this, but not get lost in one another. We will literally transform into one being, if successful. We must maintain total control. I will do my best to make sure we maintain that control."
"We need to hurry," Jimmy said. They all nodded. They replaced their helms and teleported out of the room, headed for the center of the city. Karen picked up the Red orb, and it glowed in her hand. Her eyes swapped colors from brown, to hazel, to brown again.
"He will only remain ours if I am in control," she whispered. "Remember that." She held out the orb.
"Strength of my ancestors, empower me!" The energy flowed from the orb and threw her entire body back in a spasm. Her clothing changed to the deep red dress, her hair turned red, and her lips blood red, smirked as a her eyes changed to hazel, with a tiny brown spec in the iris. She turned to the window, and snapping her fingers, vanished in a bright flash of light.
* * *
They arrived to see the city in near shambles. Ivan's army of stone warriors was tearing things apart piece by piece. They swooped down and began fighting them. Jimmy slashed through three of them, and began to try and clear a path to Ivan. Chrissy and Lauren reached to their hips, and their lance and whip respectively buzzed to life. Chrissy spun her lance wildly and began taking out the warriors, while Lauren began lassoing large groups of them and flinging them into the distance. Just as they began to make headway, Ivan saw them.
"Traid!" he yelled. "I knew my warriors would pull you all out of hiding! It will only be a matter of time before the Red Witch joins you, and I will take the power from you!" The wave of warriors increased, and they were overwhelmed. Red did appear before them, but put up an energy forcefield to protect them.
"We need to cross swords and use the Triad power," Chrissy said. Jimmy, Cat, and Chrissy crossed swords.
"Wisdom, Power, Courage!" The force of the blast rocked the entire city as it blasted through hundreds of warriors, turning them to rubble. When the blast hit Ivan, he turned and laughed.
"Fools!" he said. "Even your Triad blast cannot harm me!" He swung his axe, and the energy dissipated. Grass grew where there was none, as the energy found its way into the earth. Ivan picked up a chunk of a building and threw it at them. It hit Red's energy field, and it shattered, sending them all flying backwards. "You should have given me the orb a long time ago, Red! Now I will have the power, and pay you back for imprisoning me!"
Jimmy looked at Red and nodded his head.
"We need to try to merge," he said. "We have to stop this." He put his sword in the air.
"I'm ready," Lauren said, touching his sword with hers.
"We need to recite the incantation," Chrissy said, raising her sword to meet theirs as well. Red looked at them, and as her eye color changed to brown, and she forced the energy to focus, they recited the incantation."
By the orb of light
May Wisdom, Power, and Courage unite
Under the power of Triad!
As the energy flowed into the swords, they began to merge. Then slowly, their bodies became one, and they were of one mind. As the bright golden light flashed and faded, the combined being was whole, and the single blade dropped to the ground. They tried to focus, and you could tell they were unsure of how to do what was needed. But Wisdom helped them focus, and soon the sword lifted again, and they pointed it at Ivan. Red fell to the ground, her power faded, slowly transforming back to
normal‚Karen nearly passed out on the ground.
"We are Ultimate Warrior!" they shouted. "The power that flows within us shall never let you pass!" They ran towards Ivan. Warriors got in their way, but in one slice, a beam of triad power wiped them out hundreds at a time. Ivan held out his ax, but within three swings, the blade cut right through it, severing it from the handle.
"No!" Ivan yelled. "This isn't possible! The Master swore the legend would never come to pass!" In one motion, Ultimate Warrior raised their sword, and charged with the full triad power, sliced clean through Ivan from shoulder to hip, slicing him in two and killing him instantly. They lowered their sword, and the Triad power within it began to grow grass around them, as the structures that had been destroyed were repaired. When all had been done, the power faded, and in a flash of golden light, the three of them fell apart to the ground, back to normal, on the brink of unconsciousness.