by Luna Lais
"This doesn't look good," Jimmy said.
"They were right," Chrissy replied. "These are not normal weather patterns. Could it be‚a portal?" The two looked on, and sure enough, a blue light emanated from the center of the clouds, and a chariot, drawn by two beastly creatures, appeared. Riding in the chariot was an old man with a long white beard. As he raised his hands, lightning bolts began to strike all over the city.
"This is where we come in," Jimmy said. "You need to focus all your thoughts, raise the sword above your head, and recite the incantation on the sword."
Without hesitation, Jimmy raised his sword above his head. "Courage, be my strength!" The sword sparked to life, and the energy surrounded his entire body in golden light, forming the armor around his body. The light then exploded, giving way to the armor, and the transformation was complete‚.transforming him into The Hero.
Chrissy at first was unsure, but then a strange power took her over. The inscription read, "Concilium Existo Mei Vis". She raised the sword high above her head. "Wisdom, be my strength!" The sword sparked to life, just as Jimmy's had, only the energy coming from it was dark as night. The darkness enveloped her entire body, and she could feel the armor begin to bond with her skin, taking hold. Her eyes glazed over, and thousands of visions of the past, present, and future began to flood her mind. The knowledge of the ages, and the wisdom of the Elder began to take over, and grant her limitless power. The darkness exploded away from her as the silvery armor took hold, transforming her into the Ruler of the Night, the Keeper of the Storms‚.the Dark Woman.
"You with me?" she asked Jimmy. Jimmy suddenly knew what to do and simply nodded his head. Both leaped into the air and sliced clean the chains binding the beasts to the chariot. The chariot fell to the ground with a thud, and the beasts began to attack Jimmy and Chrissy.
"Beasts of Gozan, destroy them!" the old man yelled, climbing out of the chariot. The first beast went after Chrissy. She rolled out of the way of the charging beast and resheathed her sword. A quiet voice whispered into her ear‚.and almost on instinct, she reached her hand to her hip, and out of it came a metal rod, about a foot in length. The beast began to charge again, but before it got to her, a loud buzz was heard, and the rod became a laser lance. Chrissy stabbed it through the beast's chest, then ripped it up through his back and shoulders. She then leaped up and spun the lance wildly, slicing the head of the beast clean off, landing on her feet.
Jimmy led the other beast to one of the nearby buildings. Above him was a concrete balcony. The beast charged, closing in, and Jimmy leaped into the air. He swung with all his might, and the sword cut clean through the concrete, severing the balcony from the building, causing it to fall on top of the beast. Jimmy leaped up again and in one clean motion, stabbed the beast right through the concrete, through its chest. He pulled out the sword and began making his way back to the square, the beast exploding in a violent gush of blood.
Chrissy put away the lance and unsheathed her sword once again. She and Jimmy met on the square, facing the now infuriated old man.
"Heroes of the Triad," he yelled, "you will pay for what you have done to my beasts! There is no way to stop the inevitable! The Master has sought this place for his own, and you will no longer hinder his progress!" He began firing bolts of energy at them. Jimmy and Chrissy dodged. He turned to Chrissy and fired another volley, but instead of dodging, Chrissy instinctively swung her sword, deflecting the blast. Jimmy rolled to his feet, and in one swift motion, threw his sword at the man's back. The sword went clean through his chest, blood spattering, then gushing out. Chrissy then ran at the old man, and leaping into the air, drove her sword through his skull all the way to the hilt. Lightning and sparks were everywhere, and the energy seemed to flow from him into her head‚the sword being the conduit. The old man exploded, and Chrissy was flung backwards into a nearby building, bounced off the wall, and fell to the ground face down, her sword next to her. Jimmy ran to her.
"Are you alright?" he asked. She seemed to be breathing, but was knocked out cold. Jimmy quickly used the transport bands to take them back to the dormitory, into Jimmy's room.
* * *
Walking into the room, Jimmy laid her down on the bed. He took out his sword, and as he focused on it, the armor around him slowly melted away, the energy draining, changing himself back to normal. He walked back to the bed and took Chrissy’s sword and placed it in her hand. It too glowed, and the armor around her, too, melted away, changing her back to normal. He watched her chest rise and fall and was relieved to see she indeed was still alive. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered.
"Did‚did we win?" she asked. She appeared to be weak, but becoming more aware.
"Yeah," Jimmy said. "We won." He smiled at her. "What did you do out there?"
"I don't know," Chrissy replied. "It was like a force took over me. When I drove my sword into his skull, all kinds of thoughts filled my head. It was like a flipbook‚.millions of images whizzing by, but only able to make out a few. If those were HIS thoughts, Jimmy‚.I don't think this is the last battle we're going to see."
"There's more," Jimmy said. "I know you read Legandria. There are three knights that represented the Triad. Three Avatars‚..Courage, Wisdom, and‚"
"Power," she replied. "I'm afraid for her safety‚" Chrissy once again passed out. Jimmy covered her up and let her rest. He continued his research, trying to find the answers locked away in time‚and Legandria.
Chapter 3 - The Triad
* * *
3
"The Triad"
A little over a week had passed since her and Jimmy's victory, and Chrissy was still sitting at home, nose buried deep in Legandria. The more and more she read, the more intrigued she became, and the more engrossed in deciphering the writings she became.
"There has to be something in here to give me a clue as to who the Avatar of Power is," Chrissy said to herself. "I don't know why I'm feeling this way, but I know something awful has happened to her." She continued to flip through the pages of the book, trying to decipher the cryptic words within. "The two sides shall become confused, as Good will be twisted by Evil, and Power shall be his pawn." It was then Chrissy felt the need to return to Jimmy and let him know what she had found out.
* * *
Jimmy was continuing to tinker with a newly-created time-band when Chrissy appeared.
"Getting used to the TD, I see," Jimmy said.
"I actually have some news for you," Chrissy replied. "It seems Legandria has it all mapped out for us. We merely need to interpret the writings, and fulfill whatever destiny it provides."
"But don't we have the ability to change things?" asked Jimmy. "We both have the will to do what we want."
"That's where it gets confusing," she replied. "You can change how everything happens, but you can't cheat fate. It's never the destination you should concern yourself with, but how you arrive. Fate is set to bring the Avatar of Power to us, but it seems that there is a snag."
"Snag?" Jimmy asked. "What kind of snag?"
"Power is easily corruptible," she replied. "Just as Power corrupts, Power itself is corrupted. There are two sides to the coin, what Legandria refers to as 'Good' and the other 'Evil'. It tends to personify everything, and I've used this to try and decipher more of the text. I'm not sure where the force 'Good' and of 'Evil' fit into the scheme of things, but if I were to be more literal in my thinking, I feel the Avatar, whoever she is, is gonna be on the wrong side."
"That makes our job twice as hard it seems," Jimmy said. "I hate to sit and wait for the eminent to happen. I guess the question now is‚how long do we wait?"
Chrissy looked over Jimmy's shoulder and saw a fast moving circulation of dark clouds forming over the city.
"I don't think we'll have to wait much longer," she said, pointing to the window behind him. He turned his head and shoulders to look himself and saw the gathering of dark, intense storm clouds.
"I guess this is where we come in," Jimmy sai
d, grabbing his sword. They both walked out of the room and down the stairs to the building exit, carefully making their way towards Public Square‚the source of the commotion.
* * *
From a short distance, they could see something descending from the sky. It was almost riding a cloud, as if it controlled the lightning and forces around him. As he touched ground, a wave of minions, human-like creatures made of rock, sprung up from the ground. He pointed in the direction of the downtown, and the stone warriors began attacking everything in sight. People were panic stricken, and fled the scene as quickly as they could. Chrissy and Jimmy began to run towards the square. One woman was trapped by a pole that had fallen over her, her small child standing by her crying because his mother was trapped. With all their might, Chrissy and Jimmy lifted the pole enough for her to escape.
"Thank you so much," she said as she hugged her child.
"Please get as far away from here as you can," Chrissy said to her. "We will help whomever we can." Chrissy’s eyes glowed for a second, and the woman, in a daze, nodded, then took her child by the hand and began to run away from the scene.
"What happened?" Jimmy asked.
"I think there is more to this power than I even realize," Chrissy replied. Before taking another step, Jimmy and Chrissy looked around, then looked at one another. They raised their swords.
"Wisdom, be my strength!" The power sparked from the sword and flowed down Chrissy's arm, surrounding her own body in darkness. The energy bonded with her skin, forming the silvery armor of the Avatar of Wisdom. In a silvery flash of light, she lowered her sword, and indeed, she had become the Dark Woman.
"Courage, be my strength!" His sword sparked to life, the energy swirling around him, surrounding him in a golden light. The energy took hold of him, forming the golden armor around him. As he lowered his sword, the energy exploded in a flash of light, transforming him into the Avatar of Courage, The Hero.
The two began running for the square. As they met with the army of stone warriors, they began their assault. Jimmy swung his sword and sliced through several of them. Chrissy released her laser lance, and as quickly as the blades sprung to life, she had sliced through five of them in her way. Jimmy punched one, grabbed it by the arm, and swung it into another, crumbling them both into a pile of rubble. The crowd of them became bigger and bigger as Jimmy and Chrissy approached the square. Chrissy kicked one, then swung around to slice through two more. She turned to Jimmy and handed him something.
"Take this," she replied. Her eyes glowed for a second, as did Jimmy's. He opened his hand and saw one of the coins that had been locked away in the hilt of Chrissy's sword. Instinctively through the thoughts she conveyed to him, Jimmy placed the coin against the hilt of his sword and swung it into the air. Fire erupted from everywhere around him, and the power consumed most of the stone warriors around them, melting the rock into a muddled mass. When the effect faded, Jimmy fell to one knee.
"Be careful," Chrissy whispered. "The effect is extremely draining." She helped him up and they ran at the man standing on the square.
"Who are you?" yelled Jimmy. "And what do you want?"
"My enemies know me as Devastator," he replied. "But you, Triad, shall know me as 'Master'." He let out a wave of energy with his hand that knocked Chrissy and Jimmy backwards to the ground. Jimmy was still weak, but both managed to get to their feet. "My master wishes for your destruction. I have my own plans for you. You shall be the instrument I use to bring about the end."
"Never!" Jimmy shouted, his teeth clenched. Already he was charging his sword with power.
"As you wish," he replied. Something then appeared at his side. "Dragon Lady, destroy them before they ruin our plans!"
"They won't get away with this," she replied. She was similar to Jimmy and Cristina, but her armor was bronze colored. They noticed her sword was also like theirs.
"It's Power!" Chrissy yelled to Jimmy. "We have to stop her somehow!"
Devastator leaped up and vanished. The warrior charged her sword and began firing energy shots at Chrissy and Jimmy. They did their best to avoid them, but Jimmy was hit by one, pushing him backwards slightly. He realized at once there was no damage.
"Chrissy!" Jimmy shouted. "The sword blasts don't hurt us!"
"Ours won't phase her either," Chrissy replied. "It seems our powers cancel each other out." Jimmy ran at the warrior, but she pulled out a whip and lashed his sword. She tried to pull it out of his hands, but Jimmy pulled back, holding his ground. Chrissy tried to cut the whip, but the blade wouldn't cut it. The warrior charged forward, shoving Chrissy aside and knocking Jimmy down. Jimmy kept firm grip on his sword and gave a final tug, pulling her to him. He got to his feet, his sword freed, and began swinging. The warrior met his sword, and the two fought at lightning speed. The swings became so insanely fast that Jimmy could not keep up.
"She is insanely skilled," he said to himself. "Quick, accurate‚.powerful." At once, she backswung, sending him to the ground. He rolled to his feet poised to defend. All at once, Chrissy turned to Jimmy.
"Get back!" she yelled as she placed a coin to the hilt of her sword. Jimmy knew instinctively what was to happen, and began to run away from the battle. Before the warrior could pursue him, Chrissy swung her sword into the air, and a blue light poured from it into the sky. Her eyes glowed with the intensity of a storm, and the clouds gathered. Out of nowhere, a pouring rain flooded the area around her, then in an instant, froze to ice. Chrissy lowered her sword, and she too dropped to her knees, surrounded by a sea of ice. Jimmy barely escaped the madness, and when it ended, he made his way back to Chrissy.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
"I'll be fine," she replied. "I am really weak from using the medallion's power. You need to cut her from the ice before she either perishes from the cold, or manages to free herself." She gasped for breath for a moment, then looked up at Jimmy again. "I sense she is unconscious‚for the moment." Jimmy ran over to where the warrior was, encased in ice. He swung his sword and carved around her, removing her and the block of ice surrounding her from the mass.
"What now?" Jimmy asked.
"We have to get her someplace safe," Chrissy replied. "Carry her back to my house. I will transport there and meet you. The only way we are going to stop this is to turn 'Evil' to 'Good'." Chrissy touched her arm band, and disappeared in a flash of light. Jimmy scooped up the chunk of ice containing the warrior, then lifted off into the air, carrying it back to Chrissy's house.
* * *
Jimmy landed in front of the house, and Chrissy emerged, back in normal form.
"She is still unconscious," she said. "Touch my sword." They touched swords, and touched the ice. It melted slowly around the warrior, and it fell to the ground, still unconscious. "She is alive, but fading. We have to remove her helm." Jimmy carefully reached under the warrior's neck, and the power sparked, allowing him to slowly remove the protective helm covering her head and face.
"I know this woman," Jimmy replied. Just then, her eyes fluttered open. In a flash, she pulled her sword and jumped to her feet.
"Back off!" she yelled. "I'm warning you, if you think you're going to level this town‚"
"Whoa there!" Jimmy yelled. "No one's leveling anything." Jimmy carefully set down his sword. He slowly reached to his neck and released his helm, slowly removing it. Her eyes widened as she saw the face behind the mask.
"Jimmy?" she asked, looking closer. "What are you doing here?"
"Lauren," Jimmy replied, "I thought you took this semester off."
"This is awkward," Lauren said, lowering her sword. "I was made aware of an eminent danger. I could easily walk away from school, but I couldn't walk away from a fight."
"By whom?" Jimmy asked.
"Devastator," Chrissy replied. "It all makes sense to me now. Legandria foretold of this. He convinced her that he was fighting to stop the destruction, when in reality, he was using her to stop us and manipulate her into helping him carry o
ut his goals."
"He's been the enemy all along?" Lauren asked.
"Yes," Chrissy replied. "Legandria, in its own cryptic way, clued me in to the nature of 'Power'. The two sides to a coin‚.'Good' and 'Evil'. Power‚any power‚can be manipulated if not carefully used. Devastator used this truth to his advantage to manipulate you into attacking us. When he realized he could not convince us to join him‚"
"He said you were the corrupted ones," Lauren replied. "He told me that the Triad had been corrupted and the only way to stop the danger was to stop you. I see now how foolish I was."
"It's not your fault," Jimmy replied. "It seems the nature of the sword has had a hand in this."
"You don't understand," Lauren replied. "The sword has been passed down from generation to generation. A threat greater than anything you can imagine has reared its ugly head every one hundred years. My Great-Grandmother was the last Avatar of Power. She passed this sword to me when I was ten, and tried to train me till she passed a few years later. It wasn't until I was fifteen that I learned to wield the power, and try to stop the latest threats to this world. I never thought the other Avatars would ever emerge again. From what I was told, the swords were lost in time."
