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CHAPTER ONE
farewell

Thud! A sack hit the counter, heavy with supplies, and still being fed more. A man was getting ready to leave. He had green hair, tall, and strong. “Where are you going?” a woman was already there, in the room. The man was silent, but kept his pace as he grabbed books, maps, and food.
The woman, crystal, was young, very beautiful; she had long, thin, sandy-blonde hair, a beautiful face, was thin, and had purple eyes, though they conflicted with her human appearance. She had on a long white, sparkling dress her husband had bought for her.
A sudden chill crept over the room. “Tell us where you are going.” Another man crept in from the shadows. Zane was slightly shorter than Sage (the green haired man and his older brother) and was slightly less muscular as well. He had short blue, spiky hair and had eyes like ice. He wore a white, thin, coat-type vest made of fabric and white pants.
“Away.” Sage turned around and began to walk, but was suddenly frozen in place. “Where!?” demanded Zane. “I am going for a hike.” “Don’t lie!” Zane was becoming increasingly aggravated at the sarcasm in his brother’s voice. “Tell us where you’re going!” Sage continued his walk, broken from the stillness, and headed out the door.
An icicle suddenly shot past Sage, cutting off just a few hairs on his head. Sage dropped the sack and immediately turned around and began popping his back, knuckles, and neck. “So it’s a fight you want, huh? Well then, you better be ready to defend yourself.” Sage threw his arm out and a hole appeared on his forearm. A sharp, emerald colored object began steadily creeping its way out. “Gaia- “Shut up! Just tell us where you’re going!” Sage showed no signs of anger or hatred, but his emerald eyes faded into a deep, blood colored red. “You who have emotion have the greatest weakness.” “Shut up! I don’t want to hear it! You think you’re so superior! I’m just as good as you!” “Do you really think so?” Zane’s eyes suddenly grew wide. He slowly turned his head around and saw Sage, his back turned on Zane. The next thing Zane heard was Crystal yell, “No! Don’t!” he felt a hard hit on his neck and everything went black.
Crystal was in pure shock of what had happened. “I’m sorry, Crystal. I had to. He was going to try and stop me.” Crystal did not seem like she could hear anything. She was frozen, looking at Zane’s body limp and seemingly lifeless on the ground. Her eyes were watering, her hand close to her chest in a fist, and she had a dumbstruck look in her eyes.
The rain was pounding even harder. “I’m going to find a man that can help me.” Crystal had no response, just the cold and sad look on her face, still frozen from terror. “I know where he is, and I’ll be gone for a while. Take care of everybody, and make sure no one comes after me. I don’t want anyone else to end up like Zane.”
Crystal had just come back to the real world, and softly nodded. She had her eyes closed, and was nearly dying inside. “Thank you.” Sage grabbed the sack and continued his walk until he had gone out of sight.
Aaron had walked towards Crystal and seemed to think Zane had tripped. He wore a purple, military like vest that was zipped up and had baggy purple pants. “What’s going on here?” Crystal had stopped crying, and was scrambling to find an excuse. “Um…..well…..you see……he, uh……………”
“He tripped and was so pathetic he fell unconscious?” Crystal felt like she barely escaped a trap. “Umm………..yep! That’s it! Wow! You’re a really good guesser!” I can’t let him know what happened. He would be mad. “Ummmmm…...yeah. Hey, have you seen Sage? I wanted to show him a new move I learned.” “Ummmmm……………nope. Not at all! Haven’t seen him this whole week!” “Yeah, okay. Do you really think I’m gonna believe that?” DANGIT! I messed up! “Hehehe…yeah, you’re right. Lemme think… ummmmm...I dunno.” Aaron seemed to believe her, or at least pretended to believe her for now. He walked off trying to find AJ.
AJ and Aaron were best friends, along with Sage, but were constant rivals to be the best out of the group. Aaron was African-American, or so it seemed. He was tall, with black, spiky hair that had two “stalks” that flew up, then took a sharp turn down, a little like Sage’s, but Sage had one “stalk”. AJ was the youngest of the group, about 16, but nowhere near the weakest. He was a little tall for his age, and had long, blonde hair that flew to the side, covering one eye. The eye his hair usually covered was his “good” eye. The other, exposed eye had a black scar all around it. It was like a traced line that followed the shape of his eye, but with long, crescent moon shapes pointing to the bottom and top of his head, and came from the middle of the scar.



CHAPTER TWO
emptiness


When Sage left, he felt like his heart had exploded. He couldn’t stand to be away from Crystal for more than a day, and had already been gone a week. He was far away from town, now at the end of California, the state they lived in. They lived in LA most of the time, but had to go to faraway places to defend the world from the gap between dimensions.
The group of Crystal, Sage, Aaron, AJ, Zane, Koriah, and Shadi, though they looked no older than twenty-five, were not human. They were really demons, though not completely evil. They traveled to the human plane to find a rogue demon that had escaped into the mortal realm. By accident, they left the dimensional rip open, and the two dimensions began to collide, creating a world of humans, demons, and a bigger planet with entirely new creatures unknown to the human race, but filled the gap in undiscovered species. The new animals had been there the whole time, but anyone who was lucky enough to see one never lived long enough to record it. The surviving humans that saw such creatures had made drawings, but were deemed mentally ill, or were “newfound” storytellers that created the “myths” of the human world. But lately, the humans have been discovering their inner potential; the ability to use the elements, and occasionally other things, to their advantage.
Sage was now in a deserted town that seemed like someone had just recently been there. Sage was all by himself, and turned often at the sound of footsteps. He felt the vibrations of the Earth and was able to pinpoint their location, but couldn’t determine much else due to the sandy ground. To him, everything was very shifty and fuzzy, when using his tectonic eyesight, at least on loose ground. As far as he could tell, they were just watching to see where he would go, so he kept walking.
After a while, the sand blew away and uncovered rock. Sage could now see the creatures more clearly. They were large creatures that looked like a human iguana. He has seen them before. They are like the Indians of the past; they have many tribes, and usually have wars between them; each tribe has its own appearance, and they have a coming of age ritual that could easily kill the young ones.
Sage stopped walking. His feet and legs were tired, and he felt like an empty shell of a person. He couldn’t think too clearly and was beginning to doubt the sanity of the trip he had planned for himself. But he was determined to find the man who could help.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! “Hmmmm…where are they now?” The creatures had vanished from his tectonic eyesight. He heard a loud screeching sound and immediately looked up, only to find he was a little late. The lizards had already been in the air for an attack.
Sage merely flicked his wrist and threw out his arm, and then a huge shockwave had resonated from his palm. “Catalyst”. The lizards had been thrown back hundreds of meters, and where dizzy and unable to walk because of the effects of the attack. “It resonates and attacks the nervous system, while also creating a forceful blow. Next time, you won’t even get within a hundred meters of me.”
It was night now, and the stars had been out of line since the worlds had collided. Many stars are closer than they originally were, and made night a little brighter than usual. It was like a small lamp in the sky, but it was not bright, just dim.
“I need to find food, and quick.” Sage felt like a whole was being chewed through his stomach. He saw a distant snake with his tectonic eyesight, but was a controller of nature, and earth, so eating an animal would go against his ways. “Maybe just this once.”






CHAPTER THREE
questioning


“Where is he!?” Aaron, Koriah, and Zane had all been furious. “Listen, guys. He needs to do this, so just let him go. I don’t want him to go either, but he feels like he needs to.” Crystal had gone back to a state of near crying. AJ was calm, or so it seemed. He was lying on the couch watching what the humans called television, or TV for short. He was wearing a shirt that had flames as a design, but the sleeves were burnt off, so it was now a short sleeved shirt. He was watching a show about myths and legends. Shadi, a self-proclaimed and world renowned master of darkness was sleeping. He called himself Shadi because it sounded like shade.
Koriah was much like his brothers, Zane and Sage. He had four hair “stalks”, two on each side of his forehead, and always wore his signature half-jacket. He also wore two arm warmers that cover his forearms. Sage practically worshipped the ground Shadi walked on; Shadi was his hero. He had brown hair that came down to his face, covering his forehead. He wore no shirt, but wore slightly oversized gloves, baggy, light brown camo pants, and had three black, gold-rimmed, circular plates that were made of the best metal stealing could offer. They circled his neck, and had chains that connected to the ones on his shoulders. He also had four scars that covered his face; they had a likeness of scratches. No one really knows too much about Shadi except that he stopped the Great War between the most feared countries on the demon plane.
The shadows immediately started crawling towards the screaming trio of Zane, Koriah, and Aaron, and covered their mouths so they could no longer shout their heads off. Lying back on the same couch, he said, “Finally, some peace and quiet. Now stay like that and don’t make me silence you again, or you won’t be happy with the results.” The trio immediately looked over at him with huge eyes, and gave comedic, muffled shouts and pleas to spare them. “Crystal, why can’t you tell us where he is? I’m not pressuring you to tell me, but I would at least like to know if you know anything about it that proves dangerous.” “No. He didn’t tell me much, only, ‘I’m going to find a man that can help me.’ And, ‘I know where he is, and I’ll be gone for a while. Take care of everybody, and make sure no one comes after me. I don’t want anyone else to end up like Zane.’” “Hm…well then, we have no choice but to find him.”
Crystal tried to argue, but the master of darkness is a good negotiator. He promised her he wouldn’t be harmed, and they would only try to find out where he was going. “Okay. We’ll go find him, but he won’t be happy that I broke my promise.” “Don’t worry about that, I’ll tell him it was my idea, and that I just wanted to know a little about the situation so I wouldn’t have to worry about my number one apprentice.” Crystal gave a soft smile, and said, “Then let’s go.”



CHAPTER FOUR
the arrival


Sage finally arrived at his destination. It looked like a desert. Just a bunch of sand and cacti. BOOM! There was a loud, banging sound and the ground started shaking. The ground immediately started splitting and the sand poured into the black square that was once the ground. A dark figure rose from a platform and was brought into the light. He was surrounded by four other figures, but Sage was able to see the appearance of the figures; they were all thin, three boys, one girl; one of the men had a cloak that was opened all the way to reveal a bare, strongly muscled torso, and had no sleeves on his shirt. He also wore black pants that were about heel length, and he wore no shoes. Another of the men was rather skinny, but wore a mask that left his face untouched by the light. He wore the same cloak, as they all did, but his was closed to reveal not even an arm. The last man was a giant, he was about 10 feet tall, was rather strong looking, and his jacket had no sleeves. His cloak was billowing in the wind, and he had black jeans pants as well. Simultaneously, they held out their hands as if they were calling him. “Come, my child.”



CHAPTER FIVE
target located



“Shadi, come in.” Zane was in a big city much like LA, but he had no clue where to start his search. “Are you in position?” “Yes, I’m in the city, but I can’t see any place that looks like a hideout.” “Just keep searching, rookie.” Shadi liked to give everyone nicknames. Zane ran towards the center of town. “Pffff! Callin’ me a rookie!”
“I’m here, but there’s nothing like a hideout. There’s nothing anywhere.” Koriah was at a beach. “Shouldn’t Zane be at the beach? He could dive underwater and still breathe. He can turn into a sharkman!” “Hmmm…good idea, Koriah. You can go underwater and look for a submersed city.” “WHAT!? YOU GOTTA BE CRAZY!!! I CAN’T GO UNDERWATER AND LIVE!!!” “You chickenin’ out on me, breeze?” “NO! I’ll show you!! I’ll find that hideout!!” Shadi though to himself, “I can always get what I need from the weak minded.”
“This is Aaron and AJ reporting. We are in the right location. I repeat, we are in the right location.” “Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time, and this isn’t the military or anything.” “Hehehe…sorry.” “Aaron, you’re such a clown. Try to be normal for once.” “Hey, someone has to lighten up this empty soul over here.” “What was that?”- “Nothing!” “Cut it out you two. Look for anything that may seem ordinary, and search the perimeter.” “Understood.”
“Okay, I’m in the spot you chose, Shadi. There’s not much here. It’s just your typical desert.” “Do you posses the tectonic eyesight as well, Crystal?” “Yes, but I don’t see what good that’ll do on a bunch of sand.” “*Gasp!*”Suddenly, she felt the ground give a low, humming and shake slightly. Once again, the ground separated, but this time, it revealed Sage wearing the cloak the others wore in their appearance. He had no emotion, and did not seem to notice Crystal when she rushed in and hugged him. “What are you doing here?” He asked. “I came here to find you. I wanted to see that you were alright. It’s been more than two weeks. I’m so glad you’re alright!” Sage closed his eyes and thrusted his palm at Crystal’s stomach. She was thrown back a few yards, and just fell to her knees, the wind knocked out of her. He had no emotion, and was neither sad, nor angry, as his were not blue or red when he opened his eyes. “Crystal! What’s going on!? Everyone! Move to Crystal’s location! Now! She may be in danger!”
Aaron and AJ were the first to arrive, as Aaron used his lightning ability to accelerate his particles to give him the speed of light. “Crystal!” Aaron rushed to her side. “Are you okay!” She looked like she had seen a ghost, and had the life sucked out of her. She was very pale, and was clutching her stomach. Aaron looked up to see Sage just staring at the three of them, no emotion at all. “What did you do!?” he demanded.
Sage remained calm and quiet. AJ shot a small flaming sphere at Sage in an attempt to get his attention, but Sage just put his arms out like he had clapped, and the fire split down the middle. “That’s impossible! How did you do that!?” He remained silent. “Did you do this to Crystal!?” Sage finally spoke, but it did not sound like him; his voice was lifeless, devoid of any possible emotion. “I don’t… know. Perhaps.” “Well!? Did you!?” There was a long silence. “I’m… not sure. I can’t…can’t remember… anything. I have no… recognition of… you two… or this woman, either.”
The air went still, and the group was silenced. Crystal looked even paler than before. “Don’t…re-remem…be-er?” Aaron was surprised she could even talk after what had happened. “Crystal! Don’t talk, you don’t have the strength. Just rest.” She seemed to have fell unconscious and lye limp in Aaron’s arm. “What do you mean you don’t remember!? How can you not remember!? It’s only been two weeks!” “I…I don’t…I don’t know…I can’t even remember…my own…name.” Aaron and AJ’s eyes grew wide, and were shocked to hear Sage say such a thing. “Who…who am I?”
Somehow, Sage truly didn’t remember a thing about him, his friends, and even his life. “Sage,” Shadi had just found the group, “do you truly have no memory of these three, or even myself?” “No…I…I don’t.” “Well then, only one person can do such a thing to another living being.” “Do you…do you mean…father?” Shadi was surprised to hear Sage talk as if he had a father. “Sage, who do you mean? You’re father died thousands of years ago.” “What…do you…mean? Father is…right here.” Sage pointed behind him, and, out of nowhere, the same figure as before faded into the scene.



CHAPTER SIX
father


The figure was easily seen this time. He was not old, but was older than Sage. He appeared as a young man that looked about thirty five, and had an enormous aura. He wore a white cloak, unlike the people he call his children, and had a mask on his right shoulder, as if it was his trademark. His hair was black, and was cut short. He had orange, slit eyes, like that of a cat, or a snake.
“Greetings, my child. Have you found new friends to play with?” “Yes, father. They seem to know me, but I don’t know them.” “Oh? That’s odd. Have you met them before?” Sage seemed like he was a child. He acted like he was only five, and had been put to private school.
“No, father. I have never seen them before.” “Well, would you like me to adopt them?” “Oh, yes father! Could you?” Shadi felt like he had seen the man Sage called father somewhere. “Hold on.” The man called father had forgotten that there were other people around, as if he actually was the father of Sage. “Oh? What’s this? And who might you be?”
“Our name is not important, what have you done to our friend.” A faint grin appeared on the man’s face. “Why, I have done nothing. I merely gave him what he wanted.” Shadi began to get stressed. “What do you mean, gave him what he wanted?” “Then you don’t know? He came to me looking for power to protect that girl over there, my, she’s beautiful. So, I offered him the chance to gain power once thought impossible, and he said he’d do whatever it takes.” The man sounded maniacal, like he was okay with deconstructing memories and creating false ones.
“Give him back.” Shadi was easily annoyed when it came to friends and family, not that he has any. “What…does he mean…father?” “Hm? Oh, nothing, my child. Go back inside and play with your brothers and sister.” “Okay.” Sage sank into the ground like he was a ghost.
“Now then, what do you want?” the man was obviously enjoying the hatred and the looks the group was giving him. “We wan our friend back.” “Sigh, of course you do, but he is not your friend anymore, he only obeys me now.” Shadi brought out a long, slender sword. It had a nice handle, and then flared into a chainsaw blade. Shadi pushed a secret button and the chainsaw was revved up and ready to go.
“Then you’re willing to risk your life to get back your friend?” “What kind of question is that?” Shadi was angered, but knew how to stay calm. “Well then, shall we begin?” the man raised his hands high above his head, and clapped. He brought his hands out wider and wider, and a mysterious orb made of pure energy grew and grew. “I hope you don’t mind. I like to start with a bang.” He gave a huge grin and seemed like he would laugh any minute. Shadi brought the sword back, beyond his hood and cape, and then vanished from sight. The man threw the orb at Crystal, knowing that the group would try to protect its only female member. AJ was petrified. He couldn’t move at all. He just sat there, watching the events occur as if nothing made sense. HE had a blank look on his face and almost seemed as pale as Crystal. “Doesn’t…remember?”
“AJ! Wake up!” Aaron had just maneuvered around the orb, as Shadi fought desperately to get his friend back Shadi had used a series of flash-steps to maneuver around the playing field in a desperate attempt to hide his whereabouts. AJ was staring blindly ahead, as if nothing had happened.
“Where…,” AJ finally spoke, “where is he?” everyone stopped and looked at AJ. “You saw where he went.” Said the man. “Then bring him back.” The man’s answer was short and simple. “You asked for it.” He put his hand about waist high; palm pointed down, and rose his hand while quickly tilting either side. Sage had been dragged out yet again. “Why do you call for me?” his voice was no longer that of a child, but of a servant. “These fools wish to see you. Make it worth their while.” “Yes, father.”
Sage once again raised his arm to his side at shoulders height. The hole appeared out of nowhere as his emerald blade crawled out and stopped at four feet. “Gaia sword.” Shadi had a look like he had seen the end of his days. “You want to fight? All right then.” He raised his sword before his face, and started mumbling in the ancient language. When he was finished he pointed the sword and screamed, “Shadow Reaper: Certain Death!” and explosion of shadows that resembled a barrier formed around his back and were thrusted forward at Sage. The shadows had a direct hit, and were impaled in Sages body. The shadows retracted after several seconds and disappeared into the abyss of the unknown.
Right as his body hit the ground, Sage disappeared. “Where did he-!” a multitude of cuts, wounds, and cracks were heard and seen as blood flew in the air. He fell to his knees, and then the ground with only a blank expression and lifeless eyes. Sage appeared behind Shadi with no expression and his back turned. Zane and Koriah had just arrived at the horrific scene.
“What happened!?” they both asked. “Sage is that guys’ puppet now.” Aaron felt nothing but hate for the man in his thirties. “He’s not aware of anything that has to do with us. He thinks he’s the man’s son, and more accurately, his servant.” “What!? Give him back you son of a-!” once again the blood few to great lengths as Zane fell to his knees.
AJ continued to be trapped in his own world. Koriah and Aaron were fending off Sage as he tried to get close to Crystal. Why is this happening? Koriah had been struck down. He doesn’t remember? Aaron had multiple cuts, but was still able to fend him off. That can’t be him, can it?
“Okay, Sage, that’s enough. They will not bother you again.” Sage gave a short moaning sound and they sank back into the ground. “AJ! What the hell was that!? Did you not see everyone get hurt like that!?” AJ had been overwhelmed with the thought of his arch rival and best friend being unable to remember him, after everything that had happened. AJ closed his eyes and fell to the ground, feeling like he had gotten so close to his goal, and fell to the abyss.
“Damn.”




CHAPTER SEVEN
a new plan

AJ woke up in the tower’s infirmary, needles in his arm, and all the others were lying down as well, but most of them had bandages that nearly covered their whole body. They all had solemn, but happy, expressions on their face, with their eyes closed. Like they were dreaming. “It was…terrible.” Crystal was awake. “He doesn’t… remember me.” She was crying, lying in the hospital bed, staring at nothing. AJ was silent. He had nothing to say, and felt like he couldn’t do anything to help.
He could no longer look forward to the thrill of doing better than Sage, and Crystal could no longer look towards him for comfort. Zane and Koriah could not see him as a brother any longer, and Shadi could no longer see him as his disciple. Aaron had mixed feelings; he was infuriated that Sage would leave without telling them, and would give up his very being solely for power; and hated the fact that he could no longer learn from him. He also felt good that Sage was not around, not because of the mood it puts everyone in, but because it gave him an opportunity to call the shots. But he was alone in his efforts. No one else wanted to have anything to do with it. Except for AJ, Crystal and Shadi. They all wanted to get him back, but not everyone was willing to risk their lives, only those four. No one had made up their mind as to what the next move would be.
They were all sitting in the main room of the tower. The tower was their base of operations. It had multiple levels, one for a living room and showers (in the middle of the building. Another for the rooms of the seven “heroes of society”, as they were called by the newspaper (complete with bathrooms and bedrooms). Two more for the training facilities and the students rooms (humans who have recently discovered their abilities).
The rooms of the heroes were above the training facilities, and had sensors everywhere in case something had happened, along with cameras, and sound amplifiers in the rooms for when a student decided to cause a little trouble. The training facilities were actually two different floors, and one was for the students, and the other was for the heroes. The students’ rooms were systematically designed to recreate the room they had at home, or if they had a bad room, or simply didn’t like their room, they were designed to create the perfect “live-and-learn” environment for the student, child or adult.
“What are we gonna do? We can still fit in time to teach the students, but we need someone who can teach for while we’re gone.” “But, Zane and Koriah weren’t going to come help us, were they?” The room was a little quiet, and the two brothers were training the kids. “They’ve decided they will help. We’ll need more, experienced students to help us find and get back Sage.” No one could think of anyone who was capable enough to come along. Crystal thought to herself, and thought she knew someone who could take care of herself. “How about Brooke? She’s my best student and number one in the class.” Each of them taught there own class, both to adults and students, though separate classes. “How old is she?” asked Shadi. “Sixteen.” “Sixteen!? Are you mad!? She’ll die before the mission starts!” “No. She’s even better than the adults I teach, and used to be the worst out of everybody.” “Okay, then. Is any other student capable enough to fight?”
There was a long silence. No one had too many students that could hold their own in a real fight against someone like Sage. AJ thought long and hard. “Maybe…” everyone looked at him, “maybe we can get a few people that know martial arts. They would be good at fighting and with the newly acquired boost from the dimensions colliding,” he looked at Crystal. “What? Just ‘cuz I was the last one out does not mean it’s my fault.” Everyone just stared at her. “Okay, maybe I had something to do with it.” No ones eyes averted her. “Okay, Okay! It was all my fault,” she pretended to slap herself, “bad queen, bad!” she said mockingly. “Whatever, I’m sure that some of the adults are good enough to fight Sage, but they can’t be elemental users.” Aaron was at a loss. “But then, how could they fight if they aren’t elementals?” “They can be psychics, a teleporter, or even an invisible. Psychics are preferred. By the way, how good is Brooke?” Crystal almost admired Brooke. “She’s beaten me many times since she actually began her training.” She gave a small, almost jealous smile. “She sees regularly, and also sees the future at the same time.” Everyone was becoming more and more interested. “With her eyes, she sees everything normally, but in her head, she sees the future. She can see what’s happening and react according to her visions.” “That’s amazing!” exclaimed Aaron. “Heh,” Crystal gave a small laugh, “maybe, but she says she doesn’t like the way it happens. It confuses her and she usually trips because she doesn’t see the steps, or she answers the questions in class before I even ask them, and class gets out before the bell. It makes her angry because she can’t control it and is always living in the future.” Shadi didn’t look up or even acknowledge anyone. “That’s terrible, but it might work to our advantage.”
“I’ve got two students who are ready.” Aaron looked like it was a hard choice to send them into battle. “They’re both really young, though. They’re twins, and can duplicate themselves.” Shadi looked up at Aaron. “I also have two. They are twenty-one and twenty-three. They are brothers, and can change their shape at will. They can turn into whatever they have seen, whether in reality or not, they just have to see it.” AJ was a little disturbed by the fact that they would be sending children into battle with someone like Sage. “I have…none. And I don’t want to see them die, any of them. We could even rebuild the fire nation with some of my students.” Shadi looked at AJ very angrily. “Personal gain is not an option, AJ. You know this, and they will never be true demons. You cannot rebuild the fire nation with a bunch of humans!” “Says who!? They can use fire! That’s good enough, and when the first Crimson Wave attacked, I lost everything! I can get all that back now!” “No, you can’t!” they had both risen out of their chairs and were staring each other down.
Crystal was almost about to cry again, “Stop!” she had burst into tears, “Please stop. Why do you want to fight each other?” They both stopped and looked at her. “Crystal you’re…! You’re bleeding!” Crystal was shocked to hear that. She felt no different than earlier, but her eyes widened as a sudden wave of pain flew over her body. She could taste the blood slowly dripping from her mouth. “But…how?” She fell over and blacked out from shock.




CHAPTER EIGHT
all but one


Crystal woke up in the infirmary again, but this time in the ICU. “You were still in shock from your earlier wounds. They didn’t fully heal like we thought.” Aaron was in the chair beside her. She looked over and nearly screamed as another wave of pain hit her. “The injuries were far worse than we thought. They weren’t just internal bleeding, but he broke five of your ribs, and they punctured one of your lungs. We just can’t figure out why they didn’t show up on the x-rays. We had to perform surgery on your stomach because the cuts had opened, and…” he rubbed his eyes as he began to say, “your spine has been severed.” Crystal felt like she was dying. “What?” Her eyes were welling up, and her jaw was dropped in awe. “You will be paralyzed from the waist down until we can heal you. The wounds are too severe for our magic to heal right now.” Neither of them said anything.
“I promise…” Aaron began, “I promise to get him back for what he did.” Crystal moved her head to stare at the ceiling. “No…” Aaron turned around, dumbstruck by what she had said. “What!? Crystal, he took your legs from you!” Crystal looked like she was crying, and looked like she was remembering something. “No, he didn’t take my legs. That…that…thing did.” She sounded very weak when she spoke. “Hm…right.”
Aaron arrived at the towers’ courtyard. Everyone, including Koriah and Zane, were getting ready. They all had new clothes, much different than their old ones. Zane wore a blue head-band, blue wrist-bands, a blue, circular plate much like Shadis’ black ones, around his neck, and had light-blue baggy pants with a blue sash tied around the waist.
Koriah’s hair had gotten much longer in the back and was nearly to his waist. He wore a black, no-sleeves jacket with dragon design, black, and was wearing baggy pants and no shoes at all.
Shadi did not dress too much differently; he had on no gloves, revealing a scar in the shape of a skull, and he decided to wear a mask. He still had multiple cuts and scars from his latest rumble with Sage, but Zane had used demon magic to take them away.
AJ was now ready to take on the new Sage, and had two red bracers on his wrists that had a gold design that looked like swirling flames. He had a gold circlet around his head showing that he was the prince of the Fire Nation and the rightful heir to the throne, not Hawk. He had a red, gold-trimmed cape that swirls in the air just because he turns around. He was wearing a blood red sash that acted like a belt for his lightly colored, red, airy pants.
Aaron was just changing into his new clothes when Brooke had arrived. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!” she gave a high-pitched scream and fainted while blushing. “I told you not to change in public.” “So what? We’re short on time, and I didn’t get to change when I was with Crystal. Besides, she’ll be fine as soon as she wakes up.” “Looks like she’s waking up now.” Koriah and Zane were helping the shocked, blushing teenager to her feet. “OH, CRAP!” Aaron used his lightning like speed to change in the blink of an eye.
His outfit was much like AJ’s, with purple bracers that had gold shaped like sharp-edged lightning, and had a golden sash that held his loose, purple pants in place. He also had a cape like AJ’s, purple on the outside, with a nice, gold trim, and both of them had the inside colored gold.
Brooke was wearing classic teen clothes; a small, slightly decent shirt, and had a small skirt that came to her mid-thighs. She wore flip flops for shoes and had her beautiful brown hair down, stopping just above the waist.
Aaron seemed confused, “Wait a second! - “I knew you would say that =3” Aaron was already annoyed. “Yeah, whatever, but don’t you constantly see the future? How did you not know I was changing?” Brooke had scrambled for an answer, she was much like Crystal, and has even gone as far as calling Crystal her idol. “Ummmmm…uh…well…” Brooke was taking forever, “Well? Have you miraculously gotten an answer?” She threw her head down as if in shame. “*sigh*, okay, okay. I knew you were changing. I just decided to do what my head said would happen for once.” Aaron found this very amusing. He gave a small laugh and said, “Sure you did.” “Aaaaaaah! No! Wait! It’s not like that!” She once again fainted, while also blushing.
AJ seemed to find this amusing as well. “Heh! Looks like you have an admirer. Right Brooke?” Brooke had woken up once again, only to find herself fainting, while also blushing, once again. “*sigh*, guys, can you please stop doing that? She may be a little small, but she’s not that easy to pick up.” Koriah and Zane had to help her up every time she fainted. “WHAT!? ARE YOU SAYING I’M FAT!?” “WHAT!? NO! I…I JUST MEANT- “OH I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANT!” Brooke had started chasing Koriah, while Zane and everyone else just watched and laughed. Brooke had caught up to Koriah, and had begun beating the tar out of him. “Okay, okay. This has gone on long enough.” AJ had gotten tiresome of the hilarious scene. “We’re running short on time. Brooke, he didn’t mean you were fat, he meant that you have a lot of spiritual pressure, and that can be hard to carry for anyone who isn’t a demon. If there’s enough pressure, it can even be hard for a demon. It was a compliment…of sorts.”
Brooke and everyone got back on schedule, after apologizing to Koriah, and began the journey to the hideout of what call themselves - “The Negatives. They’re evil, but haven’t made a move yet, so we don’t know too much about ‘em.” They group was already halfway to the hideout, but it had been three days since they left.






CHAPTER NINE
Scarlet


The scene was dark, and it was hard to see anything. Once again, the man near his thirties was in the picture, and a sinister picture at that. “Do you truly think you are more capable than your brothers and sisters? Do you really think that you can complete this mission by yourself?” Sage was kneeling, with his head down, his left hand on the floor, and his right on his knee. “I do…father.” The man seemed a little curious about something. “And why do you think that you can surpass them in only a few short weeks here, when they have been here for years?”
Sage had risen to his feet, and his head was thrown up to meet the eyes of the man he called father. He gave a small grin and said, “I am better.” The young man seemed to be sitting on a throne in a gigantic room. It was a dark room, with pillars and the entire area seemed like it was painted blood red, but it was never painted at all. “Well, I have noticed much improvement, and you do seem to be doing far better than any of the others. Fine, you may go. But be quick, or you will find yourself in a…timeout.” Sage immediately understood the consequences, as he was thrown off guard by the mans words, but he calmed down. “Understood.” “You may go.” “Of course.”
He walked past every pillar in the narrow walkway, heading towards the door. He left, and then the man looked up, with his medium-length, blonde hair slicked back. “Heh…you should know better than that. You are a decoy, a pathetic pawn in a game of chess.” Sage passed the woman in the halls. “What’cha doin’?” Her appearance was now clearly visible; she had red hair that she tied up into four spiky ponytails, and her cloak was very different from all the rest; it was more like a dress, and was fitted to her every curve. Sage stopped, surrounded by the many passing figures that swarmed what some called “The Hive”. Others referred to it as the “Academy”. “None of your business. And besides, shouldn’t you be getting to class, Angel?”
The girl was obviously pissed. “DON’T CALL ME ANGEL! IT’S SCARLET, YA HEAR!? SCARLET!!!!!” “Whatever. Just don’t try to be my friend, okay?” “But why not?” she said, like a girlfriend would. “Don’t you like me?” “Yeah, right. Get lost.” He walked off. “You know, just ‘cuz you’re new doesn’t mean you get to treat the rest of us like crap!” Sage stopped and turned around, “Yeah, I know.”
He exited the hallway in a sea of “classmates”, and Scarlet was going ballistic. The bell had rung, “Where the hell did he go!?” she was tearing through the hallway, looking around every corner and through every door. She finally came to the end of the hallway after checking everywhere, and turned the corner, “Why that son of a”- she gave a loud shriek, and fell to the floor, her hand at her mouth, and her other on the floor. She was trying to crawl away from what she was seeing; a fellow classmate hung on a pipe. The object of which she was hung with was unable to be determined. She was near crying. Every “teacher” and “student” came rushing to the site.
She turned her head and saw Sage walking to the platform to the outside. No one else had seen him, for they were all focused on the horrific sight. “Will all faculty members please report to the conference room.” It was “fathers” voice. “And as for the students, school is canceled.” Scarlet was really going crazy now, and when she was frightened, her hair bands fell off, revealing the length of her hair. “You!”
She ran to the platform, only to be cut off by a very dark looking Sage as the doors to the platform closed, and he rose with a small grin. Scarlet was left banging on the doors, screaming and cursing as loud as possible. She heard maniacal laughter from above her. “Who’s there!?” The laughter resumed. “Is it you, Sage!?” She was unable to tell from what direction the laughter came from. “WHERE ARE YOU!?” this time, the laughter ceased, only to be followed by a deep voice, “Well now, it wouldn’t be much fun if I told you, now would it?”
After that, a string of events occurred. A number of deaths and near death experiences occurred over the course of the next few days while Sage was supposedly gone. All the evidence pointed to Sage. Scarlet was in the training room, pounding on the punching bag. Each hit drove the bag further and further as she grew angrier. She finally gave on last hit, and the bag fell off the hinges of the chains, and flew to the wall, causing an enormous hole in the wall, and a few injured students on the other side.
The giant was bent over, with his head next to Scarlet’s. “Hehehe….getting pretty angry now, aren’t we?” Scarlet had moved to the next bag without saying a word. “Oh?” He followed joyfully as she once again drove the bag further and further. “Is it about Apollo?” she threw a punch at the bag and the chain nearly split. “No? How about dark matter?” “Knock it off.” “Am I getting warmer? Oh! Necroy!” “SHUT UP!” The next punch went through the next eight rooms. “Scarlet, please report to the headmasters office.” Scarlet grabbed her bag and slung it over her right shoulder with her right hand.
She walked out the door and the giant was watching her leave. He gave a small grin and said, “How about adrenaline?” Scarlet stopped and turned around, seemingly possessed. Her eyes were glowing red, and she had a vicious snarl, showing her bare teeth, now pointed and very sharp. She threw her hand at him, and a ghostly red arm shot out at the giant, grabbing his neck. She lifted him up and he just grinned, “I guess I hit the spot.” “DIE!!!!” her voice was no longer that of a young woman, but that of a demon, of the devil, a sadistic, evil voice that resonated with all its power. The giants’ neck was being crushed by the ghostly hand. “SCARLET, PLEASE REPORT TO THE HEADMASTER’ S OFFICE.” Scarlet’s hand was retracted, and her eyes were no longer glowing red. She turned around and headed towards the “headmaster’s” office. The giant was overly confident about everything, “Heh…weakling.”
“Alright, what’s this about? The punching bag? The walls?” said Scarlet, now standing before the headmaster in the same room as before. “No, of course not.” Father was smiling a terrible grin. Scarlet was still very upset and angry. “Then what?” “Never one to beat around the bush, are you? It’s about the murders.” “What about them?” “Investigate them.” Scarlet’s hair was still down, ever since the day Sage left, and fell to the side as she turned her head. “No.” Father looked disappointed. “Why not? Don’t you want to figure out who killed the students?” “I already know.” She closed her eyes with a tear coming from one eye. “Oh? Who?” Her eyes opened, and were full of hatred. “Sage.” Father thought this was hysterical. “Nonsense, child. He is over two-hundred miles away from here.” “Hmph! So you say.”



CHAPTER TEN
the reunion



Aaron and AJ were ahead of the group, mostly for lookout purposes, and were leading the group towards the underground base. “Come on, come on! Where is it!?” AJ was eager to reclaim his friend, and prove that he is better than anyone else. Aaron looked a little anxious himself, “Have patience. We’ll find it.” They were nearing the location of the base, and a shadow suddenly flew past both of the fighters, causing a swirl of wind that made their gold-trimmed capes fly everywhere.
They both stopped and turned around immediately to see Sage in his cloak, back turned on the duo. “Well, hello again. Miss me?” He turned to reveal a few scars on his face not unlike those on Shadis. “Heh…not at all.” Said AJ, getting ready for a fight. “Shadow Reaper: Paralysis!” shadows from everywhere came and flew straight towards the cloaked traitor. All of them were caught on his shadow, allowing no movement at all.
“Again with the shadows? Won’t you ever learn a new trick?” he raised his hand about head height, and shouted the word, “Dispel!” the shadows were removed from his own, and were headed in a new direction. They all pointed towards the shadow master himself, and latched onto his shadow. He was stuck in the middle of a jump, suspended in the air. “Heh…found me.” “How could I not? Your aura had a major leak.” His right hand was now pointed to the opposite side of his face, like he was hiding. Shadi had a small grin. “I know.”
“Hurricane razor!” shouted Koriah and Zane. They both thrusted their hands in the direction of Sage, side by side. Koriah was controlling the air, and was making it into a tornado, while Zane was gathering the hydrogen and oxygen in the air, and created water, causing a hurricane to fly towards Sage. His left hand was thrown upwards, and a huge wall of rock and earth rose up from beneath the ground. “Your pathetic methods will not work on me, brothers.” Zane was very confident in his words, “Think again.”
They both shifted their arms away from Sage, and the blast of wind and water spread out over the wall and curved inwards towards Sage. The pressure caused Sage to be thrown at the wall, no ordinary feat, and he was stuck by the amount of force that the hurricane was using. He also gained multiple cuts, hence; Hurricane razor.
“Not….” Sage had his hand on the wall, “good….enough!” he used all his strength, and thrusted the wall at the two brothers, stopping the hurricane as the two were forced to separate at the incoming wall, jumping to opposite sides as the wall came through the middle of them. Zane managed to get a small quick-shot at Sage. His right arm was curved so that his hand was placed on his left arm, and shot a small icicle that nearly hit Sage straight in the face. It got a small part of his ear, but he did not scream or even flinch.
Zane got up and ran straight towards Sage, with his right arm once again placed on his left arm, and slid the right arm across the other vertically, creating a long blade of ice. He swung his arm at Sage, and Sage did not move at all. Right before the blade had even touched Sage, his arm was holding on to Zane’s blade, with a cut in his hand. “How is that possible!?” Sage began laughing, a maniacal, evil laugh that steadily grew louder and louder. “PATHETIC! YOU THINK A BLADE LIKE THIS CAN EVEN TOUCH ME!? ME!?” he calmed down a little. “You underestimate me, brother.” “I am NOT your brother!” Zane turned his hand a little and multiple spikes came from the blade, and impaled his brother’s hand. Sage released the blade, grasping his hand, and glaring at his brother. “Why you little…” He clenched his good hand into a fist, and hit Zane as hard as he could, causing him to fly through the air about twenty yards.
Koriah looked back as his brother slid across the ground, rolling and bouncing one or two feet in the air. “Zane!” He looked over at Sage. “You’re dead!” Sage was merely bandaging his wounded hand was his brother made multiple attempts to kill him. “Calm down, Koriah. He’s not dead…yet.” He once again gave a maniacal laugh, though not too loud. Koriah paid no attention to his brother, only trying to get him back for what he did. Sage looked disappointed. “What’s the matter? Don’t you wanna play?” he gave a large grin. “How about tag?” He disappeared in a split second and reappeared behind his brother in mid-air. His arm swung down to meet the base of his brother’s neck, knocking him out cold. “Hehehe…you’re it.”
Shadi was struggling to break free of the shadows, doing everything in his power to get rid of them. AJ and Aaron had waited long enough. “Greeeeaaat. I’m just gonna be stuck here, aren’t I?”
“Aaron, we need to fight.” “I know. Do you remember the technique I taught you?” “Yeah.” “Now’s the time to use it. Let’s go!” they both charged at Sage, holding a fist with one of their arms. “Lightning fist!” they both shouted. Electricity was rapidly being discharged from their fists. Sage looked over from beyond his shoulder to meet the eyes of the bright lights being emitted from the duo. Black and blue lightning could be seen, and a loud, static sound was heard for miles around. They ran towards him in a V shape, and when they got close, they threw out a fist like a punch.
A cloud of dust was spiraling like a tornado at the speed of the impact. Shadi was still in the air, watching to see if they were successful. When the cloud of dust blew away, Sage was turned around holding both the outstretched arms by the wrist. “I told you. I’m better than any of you.” “Oh, really? Think you’re better than me?” Brooke was now holding two guns in her hands, both of which were pointed at Sage. He raised an eyebrow at young girl. “Oh? And who might you be?” “I might be the one who’s gonna kill you!” Shadi looked as bored as humanly possible. “We’re not here to kill him.” Brooke was looking for some real fighting. “What!? I thought we were here to kill this guy!” “Well, were not.” “Whatever. Bring it!” she ran at Sage as fast as she could, firing the guns in an order so that he would block one, and then she would fire immediately after in a spot he couldn’t catch.
“Huh! It’s just a scratch.” The bullets slowly poured out of his wounds as the muscle and skin regenerated. AJ and Aaron were bound by sand that held on to their wrists. The sand kept a tight grip, allowing for no movement whatsoever.
Brooke did everything flawlessly; she would run and shoot, while dodging every single shot or attack directed at her. Sage came down with a newly created hammer forged out of compressed carbon, or diamonds. No matter how hard the hammer crashed into the ground, it would never break. “Heh….then I’m guessing you’re a psychic.” He said with a large grin. Brooke continued to dodge every one of his attacks. “I’m guessing you’ve never fought a psychic before.” He held the large hammer with one hand, and released it, though it still hovered in the air. His head was tilted down, and his hand was still next to the hammer, almost on the handle. His hand clenched into a fist, and the hammer slowly melted into a sphere. He put his hand on the sphere, and it slowly turned into a sword. Not just any sword, though, a broadsword. A big, huge, two feet wide, eight feet long sword. The entire thing was colored a pale blue, from the type of crystal he used.
He pointed it right at Brooke with one arm. “You are going to die here, psychic or not.” Brooke seemed to have had a “true vision”. She gave a loud gasp, and looked terrified. Sage, now feeling like he had already won the battle, smiled and said, “Did you see it? Your death will be slow and painful. I’m going to kill you right here.” He stuck the sword right where he was standing. Brooke couldn’t move. Sage brought his hand up right in front of him, forearm at a ninety degree angle with his hand in a position that looked like he was beginning to clench a fist. “Sand technique: deliverance”
The sand around Brooke began circling her arms and legs as she sat there, waiting for it to happen. She was still unable to move, but wanted to keep living; she was trying to move, but kept failing. Her arms and legs just wouldn’t react. Sage gripped the heavy blade with his right hand, and pointed it directly at Brooke, now covered in sand. She was being pushed by the sand closer and closer to the blade. The pace of the delivery was steadily increasing. It had now become running pace, and was just feet away from the blade. “Brooke!” everyone who was conscious screamed her name, thinking she had come to the end of the road.
Another broadsword much like the one Sage had was thrown at him. It had been thrust right in front of Brooke, halting the execution. “Did you guys really think you could beat my husband without me?” Crystal was dressed for battle. Her armor was all steel, and resembled a female knight, with the armor cut for her figure. Sage threw his head over to meet the eyes of his wife. He looked around, at each of the opponents. He started gripping his head like it was going to explode. “Who are you!?” He was losing all his memory again; he could not remember any of the people around him, and it all seemed to be because of Crystal.
AJ and Aaron were free of the sand, and rushed to the aid of Brooke. The shadows containing Shadi retracted, and he fell flat on his face with a loud thump! Aaron held Brooke in his arms, as she was too terrified to move, nearly dying at the hands of a former teacher. “Are you okay, Brooke?” Shadi lye still on the ground. “Does no one care about their mentor?” he said sarcastically.
Crystal rushed over to Sage. “Can you remember anything?” Sage was lying on the hard ground, with his head to the side. “Remember? I…don’t….know.” Crystal held him in her arms, looking happy. “Good.”







CHAPTER ELEVEN
interrogation


Sage awoke in a highly advanced technological room. He was in a chair, with needles in his arms, and small electrodes on his temples, chest, and arms. He was wearing his regular clothes, no longer in the cloak. “Where….where am I?”
Everyone was in the room with him, including Brooke, watching to see if he was okay. Crystal turned around to see her husband wake up. She ran over as he sat up and hugged him. “I can’t believe you finally woke up. It’s been days!” Sage had a blank, transparent expression. “Who…are you? How do you…know me?”
Aaron walked over, interrupting the two, and releasing Sage from Crystals hold. “That is not important. Sage, listen to me when I say this; what did that man do to you back in the academy?” “A…academy?” “Yes. Tell us everything you can, and we want to know some of the people there, and their abilities.” There was a long pause. “Nothing.” Aaron raised an eyebrow, as well as his voice. “Nothing!?” again a pause. “No one.” “What!?” Sage remained silent. A thunderstorm was approaching. “Wait a minute! I’ve got it!” He turned around and told Crystal to leave. “What!? Why me!?” “Don’t you remember? When you arrived, he couldn’t remember anything. Maybe if he couldn’t see you he would regain his memories.” Crystal was stunned by his observation. She didn’t like it, but she left.
As she left, Sage’s eyes suddenly grew wider and wider. Aaron turned around. “Now then! Tell us what you remember.” Sage’s hands gripped the edge of the chairs arms, steadily clenching into a fist. His arms were steadily growing in size, struggling to break free. “Oh, no.” Aaron said. He turned around and screamed, “Seal the door! Don’t let him out!” Crystal was watching from a two-way mirror, horrified as she tried to close the doors from a control room. Monitors everywhere were carefully and accurately measuring his heart rate. His heart was racing faster than any car ever could.
His eyes closed, and his heart rate was normal (Three times that of a human). Everyone took a sigh of relief. “Okay. We’re clear. There’s no more prob”- Sage had ripped the steel arms of the chair off. The chains on his arms and legs were now ripped in half. Sage raised his arms in a godly fashion, with both shoulder height, and the hands pointed down diagonally. His fingers flared out, all but his thumb, and he began ascending to the center of the room. A grin appeared on his face, with a shadow over his eyes. “Tiger Claws.” His fingernails changed color, now a dark green hue. They grew to nearly a foot or two long, and were sharper than any blade.
He suddenly dropped to the ground, kneeling. He immediately charged at everyone in the room, slashing everywhere, at everyone and everything. He seemed insane. The whole time, he had a maniacal grin and was laughing while the lesser demons fell. Sparks flew as the technology was destroyed beyond repair. Only Aaron and AJ were capable of keeping up with the insane demon, dodging nearly every single attack he threw at them.
“We’re faster than last time.” Sage didn’t care about talk. He only wanted to fight, and this was impossible to miss. He threw multiple attacks at them; stabs, slashes, cuts, and an assortment of other things. “Hmph! So you are.” He continued his rampage. Suddenly, a mirror of Sage appeared right net to him. They were both crouched down, both hands ready to slash. They charged at the Prince of Fire and the commoner of the fire nation. “Are you good enough to take on two of me?”
They both stabbed at the gold-clad Heros, though the attacks were easily evaded. A confident Aaron replied, “Of course. One of you is easy, and two just makes it more fun.” The two Sages jumped backed, and landed in a standing position, with their hands flared out in front of their faces, opposite of each other. “Well then,” he began, “how about four?” two more appeared out of nowhere.
Aaron and AJ almost looked annoyed. “Well, I guess a couple months are how long it takes that trick to be perfected. Sage seemed amused. “Hehehe…a couple months? I perfected this the first week!” Aaron and AJ were stunned at this feat. “You can’t even begin to dream of what I’m capable of now!”
The four of them joined hands, and appeared to be both appearing and disappearing at the same time all over the room. “It’s a simple trick really.” The voice was echoing throughout the many flashing “bodies”, and had a sinister trail. “You try to find out where I am, and if you win, I get knocked unconscious.” Each of the flashing bodies held a finger up, as if they were teaching. “But, if you lose,” “Yeah, yeah. We die, right?” AJ had heard of this trick before. The flashing entities that were supposedly Sage had a good laugh at the thought. “No, my dear friend. You will be cast into a plane of your worst fears. You will be forever tormented by your shadows, and by your shattered dreams. You will be forced to live them every waking moment of your life until you cease to exist!”
AJ was caught off guard. “What!? How did you figure out how to do that!?” The laughter continued. “I stumbled upon it when I was at the academy with Scarlet.” Aaron was comically irritated. “Oh, yeah. He remembers now.” Sage seemed to have no knowledge of what he was talking about. “Nevertheless, you will lose, and you have no hope of finding me.” The many Sages all moved exactly the same. Not a single flaw in movement to be found.
AJ turned to face Aaron. “How will we find out who the real him is?” Aaron seemed to have a thought. “Hey, Sage.” They seemed slightly curious as to what he would say. “Yes?” they all had a horrifically polite smile, while holding their left elbow, while the left hand held the face. “Do we each get a chance?” The many smiles were interrupted by a questioning face. “Do we each have a chance to find you? Or is it one for the whole of us?” Sage began thinking.
Oddly enough, they were free to move as they please, an observation made when one of them called a meeting. The rest huddled up around him, discussing the terms of the challenge. The meeting was adjourned, and the flashing mirrors disbanded, while ceasing to make any noise. “You have but one chance together to find the real me.”
AJ and Aaron were having a hard time finding the real one. They were searching for any signs of irregularity, such as shadows, a whole body, and many other possibilities. They were at a loss. Sage gave one last twisted laugh. “You have ten seconds.” AJ was staying calm, weighing his options. Aaron was nearly panicking, twisting his head around, looking at every single one of the Sages to see differences and similarities.
“Hehehe….times up, boys. Who is it gonna be?” AJ raised his head, seemingly confident. “We have chosen.” Aaron looked at AJ, alarmed that he had chosen so easily. “Who?” AJ gave a small grin, and Aaron immediately knew what he was thinking. The Sages grew impatient. “So? Who is it?” AJ brought his hand up, fingers separated, almost like he held dice between each one. A grin appeared on his face. “All of you.” The Sages were thrown back as both Aaron and AJ cast blue fire in every direction of the room, engulfing the many Sages and burning them to ashes.
“Hehehe…wrong.” “What!?” “You answered wrong. It was none of those copies.” “Where are you!?” “Hehehe…right under your nose.” AJ and Aaron looked down to see a dark, purple and black hole appeared on the floor. Sage’s hand reached out and dragged the two fire benders down. The hole was closing fast, and the two struggled to stay above ground.
Crystal could no longer sit and watch. She had to do something. She broke the two-way mirror with ease and quickly rushed into the room. The hole was closing, and the two warriors were halfway down. Crystal grabbed both the hands of them and dragged them out of the hole. Sage’s hand once again reached out, but Crystal caught it just before it got her. Sparks flew, seemingly out of nowhere, and Sage was thrust out of the hole. He fell unconscious, and Aaron and AJ were safe…for now.






CHAPTER TWELVE
fate


“How is he doing?” Crystal was once again having to go through pain because of Sage. Aaron was checking vital signs. “He’s doing fine. His heart beats are normal, and his memory seems to be staying this time.” Crystal did not move. “Are you sure that’s a good thing?” “Not yet, but we’ll find out when he wakes up, won’t we?” Crystal walked towards the door, leaving it ajar before saying, “I’m going to see him.” Aaron threw his hand out to stop her, but he knew he couldn’t do anything about it. She had her mind set up.
She sat down by the bed where he lay. She put her hand on his, holding tight. His eyes opened slightly, and he turned his head to see her. He smiled, and she half-expected another rampage, but instead, he just looked at her and said, “Crystal.” She couldn’t help but to smile back. Aaron was happy to see that she was alright, and so was Sage. He ran to tell all the students and the teachers the news, as they were under lockdown until it was safe. The classes could resume, and Brooke had become a teacher, helping the fellow psychics, and no longer lived in the future.
“Looks like everything is going fine.” Shadi appeared from the shadows, startling Aaron a little. “Must you always do that?” He turned over to see nothing. “Do what?” “Aaaaaaah! Stop doing that!” “Awwwwww, but it’s fun.” “QUIT IT!” Shadi sat down in a chair with his arms crossed, and a frown on his face. “Fine.”
They both watched as the couple talked, and smiled. They admired their will to see each other, and knew how hard that drove Sage to come back. Sage couldn’t talk too well in the hospital, but managed a few words. “Crystal, the whole time…at the…academy.” She stared at him, wanting to hear him talk again, without having to worry about everyone else. “I was thinking….of…” he drifted off to sleep, but she already knew what he was going to say. “I know.” She said. “I know.”
She got up, being mindful to let him rest, and inched her way to the door. She saw Aaron and Shadi watching, and reached for the door handle. “Wait.” She turned around, and saw her husband’s hand reaching out. She rushed back, and listened as he spoke. “There is a way…to beat him.” She looked alarmed, seeing how strong he was just weeks ago. “Try to reach…someone named…” He began to drift off. “Named what?” She was close to raising her voice, trying to know who could beat that monster. He