by Patrick Hatt
“This power is amazing. Who needs Sir Dreadvent when I have this?” Slister’s hair fell off the top of her head, leaving her bald, and then rainbow beams burst forth from her head, wrapping themselves around Max, Lester, and Trudesile and lifting them off the ground. She sent another through Max’s creation and laughed as it burst to ash.
“This isn’t going to end like this. You will be stopped,” Trudesile mumbled.
“Don’t worry, she will be.” Max smirked, squirming as Slister’s grip around him grew tighter.
“By me pot of gold,” Lester mumbled, awoken from the pain. “She’s gone bad again. Bald isn’t a good look.”
“Lester, pot of gold. Smash her,” Max mumbled.
Lester brought forth a pot of gold and it hovered over Slister. She used another rainbow beam and tossed it aside, letting it plummet on the puddle remaining of Brozen.
Trudesile pointed to Bazooka forming behind Slister before slipping unconscious.
“Bazooka, not real.” Max felt the life being squeezed out of him.
Bazooka appeared and eyed Adam scurrying toward the open machine. He watched Adam squirm inside and the cords instantly attach to him.
“Rabbit,” Lester mumbled.
“Right.” Bazooka zapped Slister with every ounce of imagination power he had, and she began to shake while her rainbow beams vanished.
“This can’t be. I’m the most powerful being alive.”
“Not when I didn’t create a true body. That one was only a slight replica.” Max smirked as Slister gave him one final hate filled glare and then burst to ash.
“I will have my power back.” Adam waved seconds before electricity began to shoot from his body.
“Portal,” Max muttered.
Lester made one appear behind Dina and Max did the same as he had done for Trudesile. He crawled to Trudesile and then made another version of Davy Jones appear. It stretched out its arms and sent Trudesile, Lester, and Dina into Lester’s pot of gold.
“What about you, chap?” Bazooka asked as he helped him up.
“Boy, she had some control,” Brozen mumbled while pulling himself back together.
“I have to see this.” Max leaned against Bazooka as he waited for the process to finish.
“I’m back.” Adam attempted to use Dina’s first being power but failed. “What?”
“Slister already took it all. Did you really think she’d leave any left for you?” Max snickered.
“And you said Sir Dreadvent was the pathetic one.” Bazooka shook his head.
“Brozen, do you think you can get his memories from his other body?” Max asked.
“I can try. Hopefully the brain is still functioning a bit or has something stored there.”
“Then Bazooka, he’s all…”
“Max, please let me.” Dina struggled to pull herself up from the pot of gold. “He killed my father.”
Adam’s eyes widened after he realized what Max had done. He tried to run but Max’s creation blocked him in every direction. It then sent out a stretched arm and grabbed Dina, placing her before Adam.
“Chap, I think it’s only fitting he go the same way.”
Max nodded and made a trident appear from his imagination that resembled Sir Dreadvent’s. Bazooka handed it to Dina as she glared at Adam.
“You haven’t the guts. I can’t be destroyed. I am as old as creation itself. I am…” Adam grabbed his chest and pulled out the trident. His body began to shake, and he dropped it to the ground. “I only wanted her love,” Adam whispered while he fell to his knees.
“You can’t force love,” Dina stated.
A tear trickled down Adam’s cheek seconds before he burst to ash.
“Part of me feels sorry for him,” Bazooka said.
“Going soft, rabbit?” Lester snickered as he pulled himself out of the pot of gold.
“He was blinded, but in some weird way, I think he did love my mother,” Trudesile said while she jumped out behind Lester.
“Is this what it feels like to be truly human?” Dina attempted to keep herself from falling over.
“Afraid so. Your first being power was sucked dry by Slister. You are now one of them. Good luck with that.” Brozen grinned and then nodded to Lester.
“If I must.” Lester made an encasing appear around Brozen.
Max and the others crowded around Brozen while he examined the machine and Adam’s body. Max kept his fingers firmly in Trudesile’s grasp while he enjoyed the sound of Lester and Bazooka bickering. He caught Dina smiling toward him, his implanted feelings for her still lingering as he knew hers did for him. Her slight nod and eye movement toward their hands before focusing back on Brozen let him know, that like him, she was letting go of such feelings, especially after what they had seen Adam become.
“I think all we need to do is plug this into the old machine and download what he did. I’m not sure it is compatible, but it should be. The tricky part is we can’t remove his body or so much as nudge it a little. If we do that then his brain will completely drain and we’ll lose what little knowledge remains.”
“Oh, it is compatible. I can guarantee that.” King Yenny took form before them along with a dozen other Atlantians.
“I can as well.” Huntle and a horde of plant creatures burst through the ceiling and joined the Atlantians.
“Again? We really have to beat you all again? How many times is this?” Lester sighed.
“There is only one thing that prevails above vengeance and that is freedom. You gave us that when you killed Slister and for that we will save on settling our debts for another day,” King Yenny stated.
“What do you need?” Huntle questioned.
“Max, this has to be a trick,” Brozen whispered. “Shangri-La and Atlantis hate each other.”
“I see you didn’t delve further. Always were a bit of a slow learner.” King Yenny smirked at Brozen.
“A side effect of being controlled by Slister was that we all had a shared mind. We of Shangri-La now know everything of the Atlantians and vice versa. We are one,” Huntle explained.
“That can’t be a good thing,” Bazooka whispered.
“Our petty feud is over. That is a good thing,” King Yenny assured them.
“Okay, let’s say we believe you. What happens when this is over?” Trudesile asked.
“We go back to wanting you all dead, of course.”
“Figures,” Lester mumbled.
“What will it be, Max Blizzard? Die or live to fight another day?” King Yenny asked.
“We need to get his knowledge or all of the realms will be destroyed. It may take longer, but this one will be destroyed as well. He did something that made every realm begin to tear apart when we beat him,” Max stated.
King Yenny nodded to the others and they all took different exits from the room. Seconds later they came back with a machine resembling a coffin and Brozen began to hook it up to Adam’s body.
“Are you trying to blow us all up? That goes here.” King Yenny sighed and helped Brozen.
The group eyed the others while the pair worked and the tension looming in the entire room grew.
“There. That should do it. But you’ll only have one chance. Get the knowledge you want first as there isn’t much life left in that brain.”
“Brozen, are you sure about this?” Max asked.
“No. But we have to do something. He doesn’t want to be destroyed any more than we do, so there’s that.” Brozen leaned back into the machine and King Yenny hooked him up to it. He nodded and King Yenny turned it on.
Everyone stood around him while he shook a bit and then he popped up and glared at Adam’s body as it pulled from the wires and fell to the floor.
“What is it, chap?” Bazooka asked.
“Get on with it. You yap any other time,” Lester stated.
“He wrote that should he be defeated the connection holding the realms together would shift, thus leaving the realms unattached and no longer as on
e entity.”
“That isn’t good,” King Yenny stated, watching as all eyes went upon him. “A realm that is out of sync like ours can still exist because the core is there. We leech off its power. But take the core away and there is no power to leech off of. There is no power at all. The realms together power each other. Without that power, every realm, everywhere, will cease to exist. There will be nothing but a vast nothingness.”
“Just like he wanted. We have to tell Mom,” Dina stated.
“Can’t we shift it back? Maybe get God to create another Scroll of Fate to fix things?” Lester asked.
“God isn’t as one. Adam is dead and only he knew how to put them together. He’d need to be one to create another,” Trudesile stated.
“And besides, those things are nothing but trouble,” Max added. “There has to be a way. If we can’t shift back the connection, maybe we can…”
“Maybe we can what?” Brozen could tell by his tone that Max had thought of something that they had not considered, and it piqued his curiosity.
Max stared out through the hole of the basement that the plant creatures had created to tunnel in. He caught slight glimpses of the tall buildings as the city forever changed around them and a plan started to formulate in his mind. He nodded toward the hole and clasped his fingers within Trudesile’s once more while the rest of the group attempted to figure out what he had planned.
Chapter 20
One Sync
Max stood at the edge of the landmass with his friends by his side. The Atlantians lingered before him, some eager to strike the more time passed, leaving Max and the others on edge. The Shangri-La beings towered behind them less menacing than their Atlantian brethren, but Max could tell from their growing silence that they were contemplating attacking as well. Max sighed as he waited another few minutes for a response, hoping he would appear to release the growing tension.
“Max, are you sure he can even find us?” Trudesile asked.
“We did kinda make him close all the doors,” Lester added.
“Chap, I can still try to get there if you want.”
“No. He knows. Don’t you? Get your just be butt down here,” Max shouted to the sky.
“My patience only goes so far.” King Yenny glared at the group, his hate for them still oozing forth.
“Max, maybe since we are out of sync he can’t focus on us,” Brozen stated.
“He might be right. I did find it hard to focus on the other side concerning your fate when you went there,” Dina added.
“Fine. Let’s give him a signal. Step back, everyone.” Max rubbed his hands together as the others moved away. He then brought forth the biggest Gem of Camelot he had ever released and let it fly into the air. “Ra, get down here.”
“Him and his boney friend are ignoring us. Figures,” Lester mumbled.
“Well if we can’t stop it, I might as well get satisfaction in watching you all perish at my hands first.” King Yenny rose his arms in the air, pausing his attack signal as Trudesile raised her hand to him.
“Let’s give him a signal that he can’t ignore.” Trudesile held out her Gem of Heaven.
“Easy come, easy go.” Lester pulled his Gem of Avalon from his pocket.
“It was easy getting that thing?” Max smirked.
“And keeping it?” Trudesile stared at hers.
“Fine. Not easy come, but easy go. Let’s do it.”
Max concentrated once again and brought forth another Gem of Camelot. He held it in his hands and let it grow while every ounce of it seeped from within him. He then flung it into the air and fell to his knees in exhaustion.
Trudesile and Lester both brought forth a slingshot and each fired their gems into Max’s.
“By me pot of gold.” Lester dove to the ground as the two gems exploded within it.
“Chap, it’s going the other way. Leprechauns.” Bazooka laughed and pointed at the golden, blue, and orange light beams firing up into the sky.
“I think it worked. At least I hope.” Brozen pointed to a golden light emerging from a crack in reality behind them.
“Can’t you kids ever let a guy do his job?” Death whined as he pulled himself through.
“Wise choice from a wise trio.” Ra stepped through and closed the crack.
“I suppose you want us to take you over so you can live over there?” Death asked.
“No. We have a much better plan. But it is going to take every single one of us,” Max stated.
“I’m all ears, Mr. Blizzard.”
“Does he even have ears?” Dina whispered to Lester.
“Figure of speech. Humans can’t even tell when I use their own backwards language. Friltoys are so much easier.” Death sighed.
“Chap, maybe if you’d go back to just chilling we could get on with this before every being everywhere is at your table.” Bazooka nodded to Max.
“Bazooka’s right. We haven’t the time for arguing. This is what we are going to do.” Max began explaining his plan to everyone while they listened diligently to his every word.
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“You know what you must do,” Eve whispered while God rose beside her.
“I can’t. It’s not a good idea. After I created this mess, I…”
“Always I, I, I. You really need to get a grip, you know that?” Eve smirked at God. “Honey, we made it through, it took eons, but we made it through. Now let’s see it done. If our daughter and her friends can face everything they have faced and keep going.” Eve pointed to the group entering the portal. “Then you can suck it up and do what needs to be done. If you haven’t learned from your mistakes by now, you never will.”
“I think you have some of evil Eve left in you. I like.” God clutched his hand on the Cup and neared Eve. “I’ll need your help for this. Are you with me?”
“Always and forever.” Eve grabbed God’s hand and the pair watched Trudesile and the group appear back through the portal.
“Get back here,” God yelled at the Cup.
“Not just yet. Balance needs to remain.” The being formed from within the Cup and floated above Trudesile, Lester, and Max. “I sense what you want to do. I agree. We haven’t the time to dilly dally so prepare for your destiny.”
“What?” Max asked.
“By me pot of gold.” Lester scrunched up in pain as the being sunk his fangs into his neck.
“Go with it,” Max whispered to Trudesile seconds before the being did the same to her.
“Max, what is it?” Mimi scurried to his side.
“Something that has been there for a while. At least for me.” Max grinned as Lester rubbed his neck and grumbled to himself.
A new sensation rose within the trio and then it became one with them. The being nodded to Bandaid and he ran to Max’s side and placed his hand against him.
“It’s about time we got rid of this, dearie.” Bandaid concentrated and the being placed his hands over Max. A dark glow erupted from him and the pair flung it into the sky, watching it evaporate into nothing.
“You are now free of his grasp forever, Mr. Blizzard,” Bandaid stated.
“Arise new rulers,” the being said.
“What? I’m a ruler? Isn’t this just great,” Lester mumbled. “What do I rule? Please don’t say Atlantis.”
“Lester, you were the first to obtain imagination without a Camelot Candle through sheer will. Your determination shined through upon seeing Max and Trudesile and you created something from nothing. You will do the same as you rule over Momentus.”
“Those nuts?” Lester glared at the still frozen in place first beings before them.
“Trudesile, you will take your father’s place and rule Heaven.”
“Why? Is something going to happen?” Trudesile questioned.
“Max, you have observed so much and done so much. Your Sevestie lineage has been wiped clean and the Gem of Camelot is no more. Now you will observe all the realms in the Observer Realm and rule the
re.”
“But how can I get there?”
“Questions will be answers in time. You all know the pertinent ones.” The being smiled at the trio. “Together you can do anything. And because of that, here’s a little tidbit for you. You don’t have to be apart forever. There is such a thing as delegating. The future you saw when you reached the Observer Realm the first time, it’s still possible. Just give it a nudge.” The being winked at Max and then flew back into the Cup.
“Chaps, I’m not sure how much longer she can hold it. Can we get on with it?” Bazooka grabbed his kids as the ground quaked even more.
The Cup of Kings flew into God’s hand and within seconds it merged with him. He glowed as bright as the sun, blinding those below him, until he gained control and brought his light to a simmer.
“I will not see us become…” Oxom glared at everyone as they all surrounded him.
“All you will do is see from now on,” Eve stated.
“And swim,” God added.
The pair flew over him and then Oxom began to shake. He soon turned into a fish and flopped around on the ground.
“Lester, if you would?” Eve asked.
“A one-way trip to Atlantis coming up.” Lester laughed as Oxom fell through the portal he created.
“We’ve gained control for now, Max. But I hope you have a plan. Do I sense the others?” God questioned.
“We’ve got a plan and it will involve everyone. Ra has already gone to Avalon and Death has gone to Camelot. We…”
“Sorry, Max. If everything ends, I have to know. You said you couldn’t put yourself back together. You lied?” Lester questioned while eyeing God.
“Much like Max, my husband was scared of his power. He had no want to gain full control over his power again. And much like Max…”
“He learned that life is full of mistakes. Some mistakes are big, and some mistakes are small, but if you aren’t making mistakes then you are never learning anything truly worthwhile. Such power comes with no instruction manual. You are the one blazing a new trail and with each mistake the path becomes clearer. You learn, you grow, and you make more mistakes. Eventually the big become less and the small are all that remain. Mistakes are as much a part of life as the beating of your heart. So we make them, we learn from them, and we grow.” Max smiled at his mother and father as they bent down and hugged him.