Universal Heroes- Book 3

8~4

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Nyeka's words did not register in my brain. Alex's unconscious body lay lifelessly in front of me. I wanted to scream but I couldn't, and I could feel the semi-burning sensation of hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

He never meant to hurt us. Seemed to be the thing that stayed with me. Not just because they were his last words, but because it finally became clear to me that he was burdened by guilt of his own actions. That's why he hated his demon so much - it made him do things he didn't want to.

I thought about this as I traced my hand over the dimming tattoo on his wrist, hoping that I could feel a pulse in there, but more so to feel the cuts that slowly started showing up on his skin. It reminded me that Alex's demon never healed from cuts, so his alternate persona would be covered almost head-to-toe in cuts given how clumsy the guy was.

Then Nyeka's words struck a nerve. We all stood back as what started off as a human body turn into a monstrous demon - one with the horns and tail, but it was in the form of a dragon-wolf hybrid.

Without hesitation, the being who was once my friend swung his claws at me first. If it weren't for Denis being nearby, I may have been diced.

He wasn't the only one with speed though. Corl must've had some sort of adrenaline rush because he was already upstairs, backing Nyeka into a corner. On demand of now being controlled by her, Alex switch his focus and and hit him, sending him flying towards the back wall. Elijah managed to swoop in and catch him before he fell and could've died.

Then we all gathered together and watched in sheer astonishment as Alex stood by Nyeka, completely under her control. I knew it was for more than safety though. We all needed each other right now. I looked down at my leg as a response to pain there, and it turned out I actually got hit. It was then that Denis spoke as if he read my mind, a decided this was now something we couldn't handle on our own.

Don't worry Alex..we'll save you.. I thought before we arrived home.

We immediately ran to Blue's lab, where luckily she and Star were. Then we all started explaining everything at the same time. I guess it was because we were just in the moment and it was this point where we genuinely didn't know what to do or where to start.

"Woah, besties. Slow down." Star said, pushing aside her computer. "One of y'all talk and then we'll sort it out from there."

"Alex's pendant broke and now he's taken the form of his demon." Denis said, on the verge of tears.

"Nyeka has his soul in her little demon crystal thing and if we want to free him we'd have to break it but it will also kill him." Elijah added shakily.

"He's hella dangerous too and I'm afraid that this could've been Sunny's best plan yet if she even came up with it herself." I said.

"To think she was leading up to all this.." Ethan said worriedly.

"Hmm, I see. Let's get you guys healed up before we discuss any further plans." Blue said, taking out some bandages.

"Yeah and don't worry, we got this. There is not one thing you guys can't do on this planet. We will save Alex and rid of Nyeka. Forever." Star said confidently.

-----

Now I had wrapped bandages around my leg as well as a plate of spaghetti and meatballs since the two insisted that we get lunch before we go. Although I was opposed to that idea a little bit because the thought of all this happening at once almost made me want to throw up.

"Can we go now?" Corl asked. "Sitting here eating spaghetti isn't going to help anything."

"Yeah and neither is working on an empty stomach. I get that y'all are worried about all of this but if we don't play right we're going to lose much more than we want to." Star said.

Yeah I doubt I was going to keep this down.

"I got it!" Blue shouted.

"What? A way to fix everything?" Elijah asked excitedly.

"Not entirely.. With the position we're gonna have to take baby steps. On the other hand however, if you guys could bring that crystal here then I may be able to separate their souls."

"Wait that's possible?" I asked.

"You guys didn't recognise it at all? That's the same crystal Corl and Alex had! The one we used to get Elijah back?"

"Oh..." we all said in recognition.

"So how did someone get their hands on it if they were here? Surely we would have seen them." Ethan noticed.

"That just means someone has been double crossing us this whole time. And that someone could only be close to Sunny AND have inside information on all of you guys. That's the only way I could guess Nyeka of all people knew about Alex's issue." Star said.

"Moonshine." Denis said slowly. "Wait didn't she go with you guys to hold off Sunny?"

"Yeah but for all I know that could've just been a distraction. Trust me, those girls catch onto shit fast. That and it would be kinda obvious if she just switched sides in between battle."

"'Kay so what's the plan from here?" Corl asked in a calmer tone than before.

"There isn't any. While demons are the most predictable creatures known to man, they also pick up on plans quickly." Blue said.

"So we're working off of experience?" Denis asked.

"You could say so. Plus, with that little hint I just gave you, you have an advantage if you use it right."

"And I'm coming with you." Star said heroically. "Y'know, to back up my besties."

"We got one shot and we're gonna shoot it right." I said with a new found confidence.

"Let's do this. For us, the world and for Alex." Denis said, holding out his hand.

Call it cliché but we needed a moment like this. Now it was us against the forces of evil, with a friend to back us up.