A Broken Spark - A Feral Story

Finale: Maxwell and Lazura

The three immediately turned in the direction of the witch's voice, ready.
The large doors opened, revealing her lair, a workshop with benches, cauldrons, and one large cauldron in particular.
The three ran into the room and looked around.
"Show yourself!" Azar demanded as she looked around.
Lazura was resting atop a branch, her arms behind her head. She scoffed with a small laugh.
"You know, in all my years of living, I have never heard of a phoenix and a kitsune getting together. But despite that, and the... certain things to be worried about, you two are pretty cute together." She chuckled.
Azar growled, but had a slightly unnoticeable blush on her face.
Lazura lent down from her branch and onto her feet. "So, here you all stand, ready to be the first to see me bring my life's work to fruition, where I completely change the magical world!"
"Yeah, change as in, ruin the magical world!" Alonna Yelled as she held her hammer.
"Ruin? My, you... thing, you assume things rather quickly." Lazura chuckled. She walked by her cauldron and pat it. "This. Is my life's work. I have toiled away to make it. Tell me. Have any of you ever heard of the Ultimatum?"
No response.
"I take that as a no. The ticket to almighty power... distilled from centuries of careful brewing and care. With it, any spark, ANY spark, can unlock all power for themself. Imagine it. Imagine! Every spark on the planet with the power and potential of a god! A world without restrictions!"
"Do you hear yourself!" Azar screamed. "A world without laws or restrictions is anarchy! Chaos! You're basically squandering even more lives, haven't you already done that enough?!"
"Pfft. What are a few lives compared to billions worldwide? And yes, while there might be some... chaos, what does it matter? Controlling chaos is a recipe for disaster. That's how lives are lost, and wars are ignited! Take my creed for example. They tried to control me and make me reconsider..." she moved her mask, showing her cracked spark. "But they got what was coming for them." She chuckled as she put her mask back on.
"I'm not a fan of creeds, that's for sure," Azar said. "but I'm taking their side on this!"
"You're insane, and there's no point trying to talk sense in you, you witch!" Maxwell yelled as he readied himself. "And you did to me, her, and everyone else who had to suffer!"
Lazura laughed. "Make. My. Day." She said as magic built up in her hand.
This is it, then.

Azar immediately threw some fireballs at her.
Lazura quickly moved out of the way.
Alonna swung her hammer at her, but she quickly moved. "Pathetic."
"Don't sound so cocky-we're stronger than ever!" Azar yelled as she cast a wind spell, catching Lazura off guard.
Max summoned a sharp, long crystal on his spark, jumped up, and swung it down like a sword, hitting the witch's mask.
Lazura recoiled in pain from it.
Azar then flew up and swung down with her talons, slashing her face with them.
Lazura fell backwards as her mask came off, and looked away.
"Hehehe... you three are quite the adversaries." She said. She turned her attention to them, showing her face, which has horribly scarred and deformed. She also only had one open eye.
Max and Azar winced seeing her face.
"But despite that - I am still the most powerful piece on the board. When I'm through with you all, there won't be anyone who can stand in the way of my world! ...with the exception of the queens, but that can easily be corrected."
"Well, *pant* that's if you can stop us first!" Azar said.
"With pleasure!" She made an axe out of dark energy and charged at the two.
Azar immediately lept in front of Max and summoned a shield spell to protect the two. It blocked the axe strike. Azar then let out a heavy breath, and her Spark looked darker in color.
"Azar-" Max said, concerned.
"Oh, what's wrong, dear? Is it your spark? Is it finally getting to you?" Lazura taunted.
Azar breathed heavily. "Shut up. I've been practicing my magic ever since I was born, so I can hold my own." She snarled, albeit weakly.
"Resilient couple, ah? Unfortunately in this world, resilience is a one-way ticket to dea-"
Alonna immediately emerged from hiding, and hit her with her hammer, hard.
Lazura flew into a wall, causing stuff on the counters above to fall down. Not only that, a small device surrounding her Spark flew off and fell off the side of the platform and into the leaves.
"Urgh... clever." She then immediately grunted in pain as her Spark surged with energy. "Very clever."
Alonna breathed heavily as she held her hammer. Max looked angry. Azar had a small and weak on her beak.
"Very well. Then you've... given me no choice." Lazura pulled a small wooden box from inside her robe pocket. She opened it and pulled a small blue dagger. "Behold, this weapon is made a highly feared material. A weapon capable of completely severing and destroying a spark. Completely." She pointed it at the three.
"Well, that weapon of your's is going to be useless when I-" Alonna charged at her, but was thrown to the side by the witch's magic, and pinned by it.
Azar panted. "You know, you're all talk, but you sure as hell don't do much!" Azar yelled.
"Oh, am I?" Lazura then charged at the two.
"NO!" Max stomped his foot, summoning a plant, causing her to trip and drop the dagger. He then summoned some vines to entangle her.
"Good job!" Azar praised and charged up to her face, standing atop it, her talons almost piercing the shinigami's skin.
Max immediately grabbed the dagger with his paw and threw it to Azar. "Catch!" He Yelled.
Azar immediately grabbed it her magic and swung it down into the shinigami's Spark.
"AAAAARGH!!" Lazura squirmed And Yelled in pain, before seemingly going limp.

The spell on Alonna wore off and she got up, seeing the witch seemingly done for.
Max took a deep exhale in relief. "We.. We did it." He smiled.
Azar immediately charged at him and hugged him tightly. "We did it, Max! We did it and we're not dead!" She held him tightly as she jumped happily. She didn't think about it; she just did it out of pure happiness.
Alonna got up and saw the two, and smiled, letting out a chuckle.
Max didn't care that he was being crushed to death, he was in too much joy. For having spark fixed, the witch vanquished, and Azar alive with him. He hugged her back. "Thank the Stars you're all right." He hugged her back.
"Same, Max. Same." She said back as she set him down gently.
The two smiled at each other, before Max looked at something on a counter. "Hey, look." He pointed.
Azar looked where he was pointing and followed him to it, a counter with bottles of liquid. Spark energy.
"Look. All this spark energy." He grabbed one bottle with green liquid in it, and the name 'Maxwell' on it. "Even me..."
"This witch was crazy alright, glad we put her out of her misery." Alonna said.
Azar found a bottle with her name on it. "Hey look, it's me."
Max grabbed the bottle from her. "Wait, maybe we can use this to fix your spark, so you don't need that fake one." He suggested.
"Good idea. Just pour it in the missing part." Azar replied, taking off the fake half of her Spark, feeling a surge of weakness wash over her.
Max took the cork off and gently poured the energy back, until the Spark was complete again. "There we go. How do you feel?"
The flames on Azar's tail burned brightly. She flew around the hideout happily and full of stamina. "Haha, I feel like I was reborn as a new phoenix!" She said as flew around.
The two smiled at her now feeling better.
Azar landed down close to Max.
"So, Azar, about earlier..."
"Yes?"
"Now that this whole... thing is finally over... would you wa-"
Suddenly, a bright blue light flew in front of Max, sending him and the other two flying backwards.
Azar got up and ruffled her feathers. "What was- Max!" She ran over to him, and helped him get up.
However, his Spark was mostly missing now, and all the green on his body was a ghastly gray.
"Y-your Spark!" Azar Yelled.
"What? How did this?" Alonna turned around. "Oh you gotta be kidding me."

Lazura was still alive, she had a hole in her Spark now, leaking energy, and crackling unstably.
"You.... you.... ruined... MY LIFE'S WORK!!" She hoarsely Yelled at the three as she recalled the dagger she threw with her magic back to her hand.
Alonna screamed and charged at her. Lazura then swiped her out of the way effortlessly and off the side of the tree. Her scream echoed as she fell off.
"NO!" Azar screamed as she summoned fireballs and lobbed them at her.
Lazura grunted in pain from them, but then used her magic to pin her to the wall.
"Ack! Let me-"
She then grabbed Max by the hide on the back of his neck. He was so weak, he didn't fight back.
"I don't take pleasure in cracking sparks. But considering what I'm about to do to you, and your lover here... I'm going to enjoy it. VERY much!" She yelled as she held the dagger against his throat.
"LET HIM DOWN!" She lobbed yet another fireball at her, causing her to drop him. He didn't get up, because he was far too weak.
"You!" Lazura then grabbed Azar by the throat, and disabled her magic temporarily. "When I'm done with you, I'll make sure the fox dies a painful death! Don't despair, because you can have your happily ever after IN THE AFTERLIFE!"
Azar gagged from being choked. She didn't have fear in her face, only rage.
"NO!" Max stood up as his spark crackled with energy. "LET! HER! GO!!" He stomped his foot, causing a wave of energy to send the witch flying backwards. She stumbled and fell on her back.
Azar fell onto her stomach wincing in pain at her throat. "M-Maxwell! What are you-" she saw him glowing, similar to the Moon Market incident, but brighter.
'There's only one way to do this...' he thought as he stepped closer to the witch.
"Maxwell, What are you-?"
"Stand back, Azar. I don't want to hurt you." He looked at her, and looked at his glowing Spark, which progressively got more cracked.
"Y-your Spark!"
"I know. I accept."
Lazura weakly got up and picked up the dagger.
"Listen, Azar. I know this might seem a little insane... but I'm me, what isn't insane. Be sure to live your life to the fullest, and following your heart and the whatnot." He said to her as he stepped closer to the witch.
"Wait, Max!"
"And Azar..." he looked at her one last time as a tear fell down his face.
The witch charged towards him to finish him off.

"...thank you. For everything." He finished.

He then looked at Lazura and stomped his front legs, before the room was engulfed in a bright green light, blinding Azar.
After the light cleared, Azar regained her vision and looked up, seeing small green sparkles fall from above.
"N-no." She said.
She looked down and saw Lazura's body, now completely gray and without a spark.

And then she saw Maxwell on his side, motionless.
"MAXWELL!"

To be concluded