by Vee Bosse
Dre forced her arms against the invisible wall with all of her might, slowly forming her own Psych energy into a counteracting wall, in order to save all of her friends. Haynes attempted to use his sword to get them out of their predicament, “Dre, I can’t...move my sword!” Winkle and Christian also found themselves unable to even move their arms as they began to feel themselves being crushed; however, they suddenly felt a reprieve. Dre was breathing heavily as her arms shook in a grave struggle against Dylan’s wall, smiling as she realized that he was able to repel his violent force upwards.
“Well, I’m almost proud,” Dylan admitted, as his smug smile began to return to his face. Dre had indeed used all her energy to form her own counteracting Psych wall, using it to raise the massive, invisible wall to the point where they could all move again.
“Come out,Carmichael!Sapheda!!” Winkle had wasted no time in summoning her two most powerful dragons of darkness and light, and a massive beam of black and white energy roared upwards as the dragon summoner slammed her black and white gemstones on the ground.
Dylan’s eyes grew unusually wide as he held his fedora, looking up in the sky at the dragons that had seamlessly knocked his psych wall into pieces. “Do you really have time to be staring at the dragons?” Christian taunted his opponent, slamming his palm to the dirt to instantly force a geyser of water to engulf Dylan, before pouring his aura inside to instantly freeze it.
“Survival of the fittest? I guess you’re at the bottom of the totem pole.” It was too soon for Haynes to taunt their opponent though, as they witnessed Dylan’s Jigsaw Staff emerge from the frozen geyser of ice that had successfully engulfed him a moment ago. It further expanded in width, shattering a path for Dylan to nonchalantly walk out of; he made sure his fedora and tie were still in a presentable state.
“Come on Rivers, I need something more from you. That’s far from good enough.” Christian gritted his teeth in frustration while Winkle raised her hands in the sky.
“Do it, guys!!Heaven’s Beam!” The black and white dragons above began to fly and twirl around each other, as their respective black and white energies shot out of their tails to cast a massive, twisting beam to bear down directly on Dylan. The group of friends watched in awe as the massive black and white beam seemed to shoot down from the distant sky above.
“Winkle, it’s...brilliant!” Christian uttered as they all shielded their eyes at the incredible sight in front of them. “If that won’t bring an end to him, I don’t know what will.” The dragons ended their twirl above, ceasing to cast the brilliant beam as they both looked below to see if their summoner’s enemy was still standing.
“That is unique, but probably not enough to kill Jayce Wolfgain, Winkle Ramsay.” Dismay hit them all hard, as they saw Dylan standing in front of them around a massive crater that the Heaven’s Beam had created. “Nor, is it enough to finish me. Not when I can channel all my psych energy through my Jigsaw Staff to create an impenetrable defense. The four rebels stared at the silver orb that Dylan had cast directly above his head, creating a defense that not even the dragon’s beam could get past.
“Christian, if that won’t work on him, I honestly don’t know what will,” Winkle was suddenly nervous, holding her remaining dragon gemstones in her hand apprehensively. Dre gathered more psych energy in her palms, determined not to give up.
“I am almost out of cigarettes. So, this is getting wrapped up, now.” Dylan ignored Dre’s quip, extending his energy that had a dim glow to it to form a white walking staff that opposed the properties of his ordinary black Jigsaw Staff.
“With this form, I am no longer able to spread out my Psych energy over a broad area, like I did with that wall earlier. But consider this technique more...surgical. This is my Emerald Radiance ability, different from Revenant’s petrification. Mine is the manipulation of concentrated psych energy that resonates through Jigsaw Staff. You will need to adapt even further than this, if you hope to overcome Jayce’s Sapphire Radiance abilities.”
Dre scoffed at Dylan’s continued words, launching her energy forward in the form of a spear. She was ready to test the strength of his concentrated form, and as it flew at Dylan, he pointed his staff at her approaching volley with no sign of exerting himself. It was instantaneous: the staff superfluously pierced through Dre’s approaching energy, becoming an invisible force that completely cancelled hers out. It continued as a liquidized wave, blowing through her Psych energy until it had reached her position, wrapping around her entire body in a strangle hold. “Damn!” She found herself unable to breathe as Christian and Winkle went into panic mode at the sight of his all-powerful defense and offense.
“There will be no cancelling out my completed psych energy formation. Do your best!” Christian prepared to launch an elemental attack at Dylan, yet he and Winkle found themselves instantly trapped inside of the tremendous energy as well. “Disappointing.” Suddenly, it was Haynes who took the imperative opportunity to strike their opponent from behind.
“If I must, then I guess stabbing my opponent in the back is necessary today.” He had teleported behind the one who had his three friends in a death hold, readying his sword to open a hole into one of his dimensions. “Here it is! Dimensional Prison Technique!!” Yet, just as Haynes was thrusting his sword towards Dylan to permanently entrap him, he realized that the same energy that had entrapped the other rebels was now wrapped around him as well.
“Still, not nearly good enough.” Haynes’ sword was frozen behind his opponent thanks to Dylan’s energy strangle, and they all soon realized that this energy was able to suppress their abilities indefinitely.
“Shit, don’t tell me...we’re helpless against this!?” Dylan’s hands were free as his Jigsaw Staff’s ultimate form became as formless as water. Without any further words, their oppressor looked up at the two dragons that were now diving down at him to drop two black and white energy bombs from their mouths.
“Very, very majestic.” He hadn’t given up the deadlock that he had on all the rebels when he gravity leapt into the air, flying above the dragons that were about to unleash their attack on him. “My ultimate Jigsaw form is nearly infinite in power. I will summon this energy to pin you both down, like dogs.” Dylan did just that, as Carmichael and Sapheda were slammed to the ground behind a frozen Haynes. He had completely surrounded their massive figures with his energy to put them into a complete submission, as their black and white energy bombs exploded on the ground.
“No!! You bastard!! DON’T DO THIS!!” Winkle screamed, as Dylan casually landed on the ground in front of them. The four rebels felt hopelessness overtake them as the unstoppable force ensured they would remain in submission, while Dylan did whatever he wanted with the two dragons.
“Survival of the fittest applies to all creatures, even ones as breathtaking as your dragons. Too bad you didn’t summon all of them.”
“I figured it out. Maybe, even I have an ultimate form as well!” Christian’s sudden words piqued Dylan’s interest. He was about to launch an energy spear through the frightened dragon’s necks, yet he turned around to find out what his subject of interest was talking about.
“I’m listening...go on.” Christian was still stuck in a bind as his other three trapped friends looked at him in desperate curiosity. They were all pinned in a corner, and hearing Christian talk as though he had an idea gave them a sudden sense of hope.
“What if I combined all of my abilities into a concentrated staff as well?” Dylan suddenly let a curious smile appear, while his distinguished suit rustled in the wind from the nighttime sky of Washington D.N.C.
“Even when I have you all pinned down like helpless rabbits? I wonder how something like that would happen. Christian?” At Dylan’s condescending words, Christian stared intently at the ground in front of him in silence. “My ultimate form blocks and represses all abilities. Do you think that you can overcome that?”
Christian wasn’t able to move, but the spot on the ground that he had be
en staring at did. Dylan’s eyes grew wide as he witnessed the ground itself rise up as the dirt seemed to take the shape of a stone staff that seemed to glow a flurry of different colors. All of them became instantly focused on what Christian was somehow forming before them all.
Suddenly, it was without any movement from Christian that he was able to somehow summon water from an underground aquifer, seemingly fusing with the dirt in some supernatural way. “I’ve never been able to control my elements this well!” Christian admitted, as a thunderous bolt of lightning shook the ground. They were all startled from the sudden phenomenon that had struck the staff that was collecting various elements as a form of energy.
Dylan remained speechless, watching a glowing energy surround the staff in spite of the barrier that was surrounding Christian. The energy had now collected lightning, dirt, and water energy around it, and its form began to spin in the throes of a wind-driven power that none of them could fully comprehend. Christian suddenly realized the final piece of the puzzle, “I...I can feel it! Friction and fire!!”
Dylan slowly walked toward this amazing showcase of energy, feeling goosebumps make their way through his spine. “This! I can feel it, even more so than I could with Bain.” Fire ignited its form, suddenly consuming the staff that had almost come to fruition.
“Carmichael! Sapheda! Add your power to Christian’s staff, any way that you can!” The two dragons were happy to oblige Winkle’s command, yet were unable to, because of Dylan’s stranglehold that had overtaken them.
The one who sought to enter the rebels into his life or death test didn’t say anything to alert them, yet he silently released his energy that had completely pinned down Winkle’s dragons, making sure to only release their heads. The dragons didn’t bother with launching an attack at Dylan, but they instead opened their mouths to reveal two glowing black and white orbs; they floated towards the elemental staff that was spinning ferociously in a cyclone of elemental power. “Let the power of light and darkness strengthen it, Christian!” Winkle shouted, smiling in excitement.
The orbs merged with the brilliant staff, and Dylan held his fedora to brace himself against the massive shockwave that had erupted from where Christian’s staff had once been. “Let’s see it, Christian Rivers!!” Dylan shouted in encouragement, and as the dust of the explosion disappeared, he laid his eyes on a crystal-clear staff that emanated a brilliant, white glow. The top of the staff swirled into a black and white orb that was held together by the staff’s radiance.
Dylan Rook pushed them to their limits, and he was fully prepared to kill them all if they didn’t show him something that impressed him. “You’ve adapted and overcome, haven’t you?” Just then, an acoustic shockwave screamed from the staff itself, and Dylan found himself unable to hold his ultimate form together once the blast broke his binding energy apart. He stood in the middle of them in awe, watching as the rebels and the dragons began to move freely once again. Without wasting any time, their oppressor extended his hand out as his ultimate energy found its way back to him.
“Christian Rivers!” Dylan let go of his staff, letting it float in front of him. “When it surrounds me, my ultimate defense will not be broken by a simple shockwave. That staff...I wonder if you can kill me with something like that?” As he extended his arms out, Dylan’s staff was turned into an impenetrable wall that surrounded him on all sides.
Christian didn’t care to think about how strange their opponent had acted in the sight of his new Elemental Staff, but he knew that he would have to kill Dylan Rook, and anyone who threatened the innocent world. Christian calmly took a few steps toward the staff, as his three friends continued to watch in awe of what had come to fruition before their eyes.
“Christian, thank you,” Winkle said, relieved that her dragons were now safe again. She summoned them both back into her gemstones, tucking the bag safely into her pocket.
“You keep repeating that I have to adapt, and in the end, I guess I did it by watching you, Dylan. But, I have to put an end to this...I’m sorry.”
Dylan stared at Christian, and his eyes now revealed a peaceful expression on his face. It was a sight that struck awe into all of them, and Christian held his staff out in front of him to see that it was taking the form of a brilliant sword.
“Elemental Technique, Diamond blade!”
The staff instantly warped into a sword with a main body that was composed of a thick elemental energy that had the look of pure quartz, and a brilliant bright-blue glow that lit up the nighttime park. Christian held it comfortably as it seemed to cling to his hand, claiming ownership to the young guy that now stood confidently to face his all-powerful opponent. Its blade was made of diamond, only this diamond had been infused with every ounce of his Earth-shifting elemental ability. Christian felt the power spark up and down his arm as though it was electricity, feeling as though its edge could split the Earth in half at his will.
“Finally, I can protect everyone.” Christian poised himself to leap forward, as Dylan remained still. He watched as the one with the Diamond Claymore came at him, waiting intently to see if he was strong enough to break his absolute defense. Yet, as hard his eyes attempted to follow Christian, he lost sight of him; he suddenly noticed blood trickling out of his mouth. “Oh.”
Dylan may not have been able to see it, but he had been nearly cut in half with one fell swoop as his Ultimate Defense crumbled like glass against Christian’s ultimate attack. The blue-haired elemental stood behind him, calmly holding his bloodstained diamond sword aloft. Christian felt a strange peace overtake him as he noticed the nearby river glistening in the moonlight.
“Impressive.”
The one who had resolved to kill Jayce Wolfgain at any cost let his energy completely fade away into the wind, as he fell backwards to find the ground that awaited him. “Back then, the one that took down your house’s defense grid was me. I am the one that stored Bain’s DNA for decades. I am the one that had it shot into your neck.” Christian’s eyes grew wide as he turned around, standing speechless; his three friends also had been blown away by Dylan’s unexpected revelation.
Haynes stepped forward in confusion. “Why!? What are you talking about?!” Dylan allowed an accomplished smile to show on his face.
“Because...some people just want to see the world burn.” Christian continued to stand in silence, as Winkle and Andrea also stepped forward to hear Dylan’s final words. He was no longer able to move, but he mustered just enough strength to drag his arm on top of his tattered fedora that had fallen beside him.
“I leave Wolfgain...in your hands.”
There were multiple graves that Christian formed in the ground that night, and they made sure to label them with gravestones in memoriam. Christian read them off in his mind, and he made a declaration to his friends: he was done digging their graves.
R.I.P.
Dr. Jassa Nava
Woolfing Striyed
Milli Russet
Dane Wilder
Laran Esparta
Sabrina Phillipi
Isaac Chopin
Jordan Jaymes
Benedict Davies
Dee King
Thomin Kasper
Killian Sarge
Dylan Rook
Chapter Nineteen
Opening of the Third Eye
Westin had stopped the onslaught of the Eastern Latitude in California, and he rode on Winkle’s fire dragon in an effort to reach his friends on the East Coast. Nova flew in the night sky with ridiculous speed, as they flew over the abandoned city of St. Louis. Westin took a moment to scope out the view, and the darkness of the city gave him an eerie feeling. “Let’s get to D.N.C. as quick as we can. Thanks again for the ride, Nova!” The crimson red dragon nodded its head, as Westin held on tight for the ride of his life.
As they were about to exit the city, Westin and Nova both noticed a lone figure: a woman standing on top of a tall skyscraper as they flew by at unparalleled speeds. “Nova, did you see that
woman? I wonder if that is one of Jayce’s servants.” Westin was concerned as the dragon continued his progress forward, wondering how a woman could get to the top of a seemingly locked down skyscraper unless she had some sort of unique ability. “She doesn’t seem to be following us.”
They continued on as Westin had decided that getting to his friends was much more urgent than an investigation of some random person. It wasn’t much longer until they had reached the abandoned city of Nashville, and once again, they noticed that it was incredibly dark and deserted. “Not too much longer before we get to Washington.”
Deja vu. They flew past one of the city’s largest skyscrapers, and the same exact woman was just standing there, seemingly waiting for them to pass. “What...is going on??” Westin patted Nova’s back, asking the dragon to turn around so that he could investigate just who this woman was. They turned, landing on the building across from this person who was now simply staring at them both, lacking any expressions. She had a large afro, and wore glamorous mocha eyeliner and glitter together with her brown, fur coat. Her black boots were also lined with brown fur that blended well with her mocha pants, and her gloved hands rested idly in her coat pockets as the wind blew her cheetah-themed glitter into the night sky.
Westin shot her a confused look, as he remained perplexed at the sight of this woman that seemed to be in her upper-20s. “Are you trying to get my attention? Because it worked, you know.” Westin scratched his head in timid confusion, waiting to see just what was about to happen. “I’m warning you now, I just took out a lot of people that were going to, and had slaughtered innocent people. If you have done anything bad to this city, I swear,”
