It's morning. The sunlight emanates from the curtains, waking up Asori instantly. Asori grunts a bit before Ashley's strong arms covering her lock onto her line of sight. The Star Wars geek can't help the warmth the fellow female brought her. Asori, to secretly act on her newfound feelings, buries her face in Ashley's shoulder to feel more of that warmth. Ashley wakes up to find Asori doing her deed. Not caring one bit, Ashley allows it. The two go back to sleep for about a moment before a knock on the door wakes up both girls.
"Time for breakfast," The leader tells his two teammates. Asori grunts and moves her arms slightly. After sitting up from the bed she shared with Ashley last night, Asori lightly nudges the redhead to get up. It took a little push and a slight pinch, but Ashley stands up in the bed with a jolt.
"You love to sleep, don't ya?" The Star Wars geek chuckles. Ashley smiles in that same quippy manner as she stretched her arms.
"Hell yeah," Ashley says, yawning.
"How are you doing?" Ashley asks Asori.
"I'm good," Asori says before hugging Ashley. The redhead happily reciprocates this affection by hugging her back. The hug ends after a few seconds.
"Ready for breakfast?" Asks Ashley.
"Yep," Asori says happily. Today's a new day, and a new day means the chance for better relations. The two girls walk downstairs together as happy as can be. The teen heroes take their seats with each other. Here: the squad's having pancakes, berries, bacon, and milk with Aubrey and Ariana eating more pancakes than the other teens. The entire group eats for a good minute or so before talking rings out in the group.
"How many pancakes can you guys eat?" Asori asks, chuckling first.
"We ate like six to eight the last time we had lunch together," Aubrey says with her mouth filled with pancakes.
"Yeah. It was amazing. We got through-" Ariana's mouth-filled words can't be translated. So, Vivian shoots a stern look at her to swallow before she speaks. Obediently nodding her head, the young girl swallows her food before opening her mouth to clarify as to what the hell she just said.
"I said we got through so many pancakes that we ended up making our mom and dad have to spend quite a load of dough at Denny's," The fifth-grader says.
"Yeah. Mom moped about it the whole time home," Aubrey says, bitter and spiteful towards her mom when saying those words, smiling throughout.
"Speaking of which, how are your parents?" Asori asks wearily, taking a bite of her pancake. The yellow-hooded teen falls silent along with her sister. Frowns even fell upon their aunt which immediately brings concern from Aubrey's teammates to the table.
"Are they doin' ok?" Shadow Bird sincerely asks his comrade. The young teen doesn't respond. Neither does the youngest Stone as they keep eating. Shadow Bird wanted to press more from her, but Vivian gently taps his shoulder and mouthed a no to him. Shadow Bird, not wanting to risk damaging the bond the team's now getting cultivated, shut his mouth, therefore bringing this issue to an end.
"Have a good day at school, Sweetie," The Stone aunt says before kissing Ariana on her forehead.
"You too, Aunt Viv," Ariana says just as she and Aubrey exchange a quick hug.
"Love you, Kiddo," Ariana's big sister says.
"Love you, Aubrey," Ariana says back before Ariana makes her way to the bus.
"So, what's the plan with you and the gang?" The aunt asks nonchalantly after shutting the door behind her.
"Well, we're gonna talk with Starsis as to how our mission's going," Aubrey says bluntly.
Sighing, Vivian says, "Ok. You let me know if you need anything," She hugs her niece before leaving for work.
Vivian waves before saying, "It was good to meet you, kids." The team nods happily to the woman as she goes off to work.
"Love you," The young Stone says.
"Love you," Vivian says. After Vivian leaves for work, Aubrey speeds off to shut all the curtains in the house just so no one knows they're here. They don't want the police reigning hell on them after all. The yellow speedster makes her way back downstairs with the device. Coincidently, the light entity has just decided to call them up.
"Hello, Heroes," The light entity says, a small smile on his face.
"Hey there. What's up?" Shadow Bird inquires with that sly smirk of his.
"Your progress, that's what's up," Starsis states bluntly yet softer than three days ago.
"Well, we have four of the five shards," Asori explains.
"Very good. All you five have left to do is find the last shard and you've helped save the multiverse. Well done," Starsis says with his arms crossed.
Aubrey asks, "Well, Starsis. We also wanted to ask if we could take a break." The request puzzles the light entity a bit just before he opens his mouth.
"What do you mean by that?" Starsis asks wearily.
"As you said before, we're almost done with the journey, so why don't we take a break?" Jayden says for the group.
"Why now? You're almost done with your journey," Starsis protests.
"There's some stuff I want to show the team. Plus, I'm sure Evilkin can't conjure up a few more minions, can he?" Aubrey argues. The light entity, knowing full well what she means, nods his head in agreement. Plus, they need a break. For now.
"Very well. Don't make it too long. You wouldn't want Evilkin to cause the end of the multiverse through some mad scheme, would you?" The light entity asks followed up by the members shaking their heads as to say no.
"Ok. Keep up the good work, heroes," Starsis says as the transmission ends.
"Ok, Aubrey. Show us your stuff," Jayden demands in which the yellow color-coded gal leads the team to her room for her stuff. After that is said and done, Starsis sits down in his chair as his mind wrestles with the idea of what'll happen after all of this is over. He feels tremendous guilt for his outburst earlier. But how is he to properly apologize to them? Give them wisdom? Bake them cookies? What? Starsis' eyes gaze up at the device after his thoughts soon go back to Evilkin. The monster whom he'd seal away forever. No. What he said to the kids earlier. All his other actions. They'll all be worth it. Once he's found, it'll all be worth it.
Evilkin suddenly snarls, "You."' Starsis abruptly turns to find Evilkin standing behind him. Speak of the devil. Starsis scowls at him with nothing short of disappointment. The future will have to wait. The present threat is more important. Very much more important.
"Well done, Starsis. Your servants are still loyal to you. You've gotten your way yet again," Evilkin says coldly, his gaze mirroring his brother's cruel ire.
"This coming from someone who led his sons to their deaths?" Starsis mocks. Evilkin snaps. Fist-a-cuffs turn quickly into swordplay in ways that'd been done too many times. These are brothers. Brothers who once loved each other deeply. But that is gone. In their eyes, one is responsible for the misery of the other. Therefore, what's stopping them from exacting vengeance? Strikes of vigor and fury ring out across the room. Flips, teeth-skinning dodges, expert blocking, and raging clashes and clashes for what seems like eternity. Like the dance they'd done since millennia. A dance they'd grown tired of. A few scratches from the blades come onto them. A cut of Starsis' cheek is one of them whilst Evilkin gets one on his right shoulder and left thigh. Because of the remaining darkness in his system, Evilkin continues fighting with energy-enhanced attacks, Starsis doing the same so that he doesn't let his brother win. The duel goes on and on until both swords are blasted away from their bearers. Flying backward and hitting the opposite walls in front of them, both brothers ignore where they lost their swords and focus on a more hands-on approach to combat. The duel doesn't last for long because, while Evilkin gives his best in terms of landing a few blows here and there with his incredible strength, the intense rage and reflexes in Starsis' attacks are simply too much for the brother born only a minute younger. Starsis doesn't stop after Evilkin lands on the ground. Starsis punches and punches Evilkin in the face until he can't anymore. Trembling, he stands up and gets away from Evilkin. He looks to his bloody knuckles and then to him. Evilkin the monster. His lover. His parents. His friends. His future. This brat ruined his life! He deserves death! But Starsis stands there, conflicted. Should he kill him now? The kids might get suspicious. But should he let him live? No. He'll get away. Starsis grunts as he paces back and forth, muttering as to figure out what he does now. Evilkin, while he isn't complaining like Starsis is, fumes while he says nothing, his face bloodied and broken. He can't even feel his body. Starsis, feeling his anger return, grabs Evilkin by the collar and drags him to his basement when he hears Evilkin grunting. Setting him down on the ground, Starsis stares down at him with disgust, thinking of him as a disgrace like usual.
"You're still the same immature brat I once knew. Only right now, you're a demon," The light entity snaps at his brother even though he writhes in agony.
"You ruined my life. And for that, you're going to suffer," He says as he gives Evilkin a really strong kick to the gut. Evilkin coughs up some blood before Starsis walks away.
"See you soon, Monster," Starsis says as he walks away from Evilkin's frail body. Tears came from his eyes as Evilkin knows all too well what's been done. Now he has nothing. He was a fool for thinking that centuries ago. But Evilkin refuses to back down. He'll make him suffer. That's a promise. Evilkin soon feels his body regain focus. As soon as the darkness entity knows the light entity closes the door, Evilkin uses the true last portions of his dark energy to start an internal healing process. He doesn't care that he'd be all out of power by the time the process is complete. If it took never having his full power back, then that'd be fine. He needs vengeance. He will have vengeance. Vengeance will have to wait, in the meantime, as the bloody heap on the floor is cut out, the scene of five kids playing video games being pasted in its place.
"Ok, how about this?!" Ashley says as she made Naruto prep a Rasengan. This attack, unfortunately for her, is countered by Asori having Hinata use Protective 8 Trigrams 64 Palms. Naruto goes flying, but rolls around to the side and gets back up to continue the fight. He never gives up no matter what, after all.
"Come on! Come on!" Ashley yells as she button mashes on the controller. The fight is no short of intense with each player giving it their all out there. While Ashley is fierce and strong with her attacks, Asori is much calmer and more focused because she's not as hyperactive as her gamer comrade. Yet even she can't help getting excited about this competition. Jayden observes in silence with his arms crossed, the leader of the group trying to make sure his teammates don't kill each other. So far, nothing too drastic happens during this game day aside from a swear-a-thon from two particular red and yellow-hooded gals during one of their rounds.
"I hope you're prepared to lose, Ashley!" Asori proudly says before punching in the right code for her win. Ashley's mouth and face drop to the floor along with her controller as she sees Naruto get demolished by Hinata's ultimate, Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists.
"Damn it!" Ashley says while slamming her hands on the bed and crossing her arms in anger. In a split second, Ashley turns to find Asori's surprised look. Ashley's guilt smacks itself right in her face before Asori starts giggling like a chatty school girl. Ashley, her sand of guilt washing away instantly, starts laughing hysterically alongside Asori. Jayden looks on proudly at them for finally getting along without a fight breaking out between them. He even sighs in relief.
"Here's one pepperoni pizza warmed from the oven for us multiverse traveling lads," Shadow Bird quips followed up by Aubrey coming up with a quip of her own.
Aubrey remarks, "Here's two liters of caffeine and sugar meant to keep us up all night." Mountain Dew and Pepsi liters are set on the nightstand Aubrey's room holds and the pizza gets placed on the bed behind Ashley and Asori.
"Nice," Ashley says before going for a slice. Shadow Bird slides the box away from her reach and holds out his own hand out which stops her in her tracks.
Jeremy snarks, "Time for an exchange, Red." The redhead caves in before she sighs, gives him the controller, grabs her slice from the box, and moves to the floor.
"I'll cream you during a match. Sound good?" Ashley nods in a snarky agreement as Shadow Bird picks his character shortly after exiting the fight that just ended.
"Ohh, Asori. I have Star Wars Battlefront II that we can play later if you'd like," Aubrey offers.
"Nah, Aubrey. I'm good. I'm not a shooter games type of girl. And besides, I fricking hate Kylo Ren in that game, my god," Asori says while rolling her eyes. Aubrey's eyes light up as her hatred for the whiny brat she's had to sit through three shitty movies starring him takes over.
"Right. He's such an emo Darth Vader fanboy," Aubrey says with a huff.
"The entire sequel trilogy is just Disney's fanfic. End of story," Asori says casually.
"Oh, don't even get me started on that dumpster fire," Shadow Bird says as the entire team goes on a rant about how Disney took a massive shit on Star Wars. Thankfully for Jayden, this ain't hell.
"Rey. Rey is just-" Asori's sentence gets interrupted by the suggestions from the other three minus Jayden.
"A bland piece of toast," Shadow Bird says.
"Some Wonder Woman wannabe like Kylo Ren's a Darth Vader wannabe," Ashley says.
"Mary Sue 2,0028," Aubrey says.
"All of them wrapped into one," Asori says before the rest of the group continues their talking. Jayden doesn't pay attention to the conversation. He does, however, pay attention to the way everyone speaks. They're all happy. For him, that's enough. Indeed, this is what he, and probably everyone else, has needed for a while.
Asori says, "I'm done if you wanna go, Jayden." Jayden then looks towards Asori who holds her controller up to her leader. Still smiling, the blue-hooded teen happily takes the controller from the Star Wars geek and plops down where Asori once sat.
"I'm gonna head to the bathroom," Shadow Bird says, the team nodding to him just before he heads to the restroom. Humming to himself, Shadow Bird has just finished his use of the toilet and is now washing his hands. But before he makes his way back to the team, the teen vigilante feels his senses go off. It's like his Spidey-senses are tingling.
"And what do we have here?" Shadow Bird remarks as he opens the drawer below the toothbrushes. Coincidently to what he thought, it's a Spider-Man figure. That Marvel Legends figure from 2015. Already in too deep, Shadow Bird processes the history of this figure rather quickly. It'd been burnt by an angry mother. It'd also been missing an arm thanks to this mother's fury being enough to smeer the plastic right at the campsite where the family cooked their s'mores all those years ago. Why would Aubrey's mom do this?
"This is what happens when you burn my cigarettes, you little shit," Aubrey's mother curses to herself. She then throws the broken action figure in the drawer, herself too lazy to bury her evidence. Only a short time passes before Aubrey discovered her crime. A yelling match ensued soon after. This is followed by a slap, a punch to the gut, a violent scuffle, and a runaway girl moving to her aunt's house. She then throws it in the current drawer and promises to save enough money for her to buy Ariana a new one each. The memories end with an angry Shadow Bird looking down at the ruined figure in disgust. If he can guess, no, he knows this is only one of many horrible things Aubrey's mother did. No wonder Aubrey and Viv were so tense when she got brought up.
"You still in there, SB?" Aubrey asks. Shadow Bird goes with his gut and places the figure back where it belonged.
"The bathroom's all yours," Shadow Bird quips casually.
"Hey, Aubrey?" Shadow Bird asks after the two switch places. Aubrey turns to Shadow Bird inquisitively before she makes her move towards closing the door.
"I saw the figure in there. Amazon has a great deal on that toy for about a hundred bucks." Aubrey smiles slightly as the news that he just learned made her uncomfortable, yet not on purpose of course.
"Thanks," Aubrey says. But just as she's about to shut the door, Shadow Bird stops her once again.
Shadow Bird compassionately says, "You're not alone. Ok?" Those words touch Aubrey's heart more than he'd know. He's right. Her mom's a bastard. She hates her. She's glad she's practically in hell now. Yet she's sad many others, like her new team, has gone through things equivalent to what she went through. Though the only good thing that provided is what Shadow Bird just said.
"Thank you," Aubrey says genuinely. After the door closes, the smiling vigilante goes back to his friends' room.
"Damn!" Ashley says in frustration. Jayden has beaten her once again, now being the second time. Jayden chuckles before he holds his hand out to the defeated teammate.
Honestly, Jayden says, "Good game, Ashley." Ashley smiles at that gesture as she shakes hands and, along with Jayden and Asori, turns her head towards Shadow Bird.
"You up next, SB?" Jayden asks Shadow Bird with vigor in his voice.
"For sure, Blue boy," Shadow Bird says as the two get to work on their stuff. The video gaming goes on for at least another hour before the teens find themselves back in the living room.
"Are you guys ready?" Jayden asks as soon as he gets his location up and running. The team nods their head towards him as they want to get this journey done as quickly as they can.
"Ok," Jayden says before clicking on the final location. The team, having just arrived at the Fog of Despair, view the dark scenery they're in. Pouring down rain and dark as heck but it ain't pitch black. But still.
"This looks depressing," Shadow Bird says bluntly.
"No shit," Ashley comments bluntly.
"Well, let's not stay in this depressing area. Let's go," Jayden says as he leads the group through the pouring rain. As there are some thunderclaps, Aubrey jumps in front of Ashley.
"You ok, Aubrey?" Ashley asks Aubrey in concern about what she just saw.
"Oh, yeah. I'm good," Aubrey says whilst shaking off the cobwebs of fear she's been briefly trapped in. The group continues onward with the thunder crackling louder than Aubrey might like. Boom! Aubrey tries holding it together, but this is getting too much for her. Her body shakes wildly as the team take concerned glances at their teammate. Boom! Aubrey still struggles to hold it together. But sadly, it doesn't cut it. BOOM! That's what causes Aubrey to yelp in fear.
"Are you scared of thunderstorms?" Ashley asks. Aubrey shakes before sighing in defeat.
"Y-Yeah," Aubrey says as she puts her head down in front of the group. The team glances over toward each other for a few seconds before Jayden, knowing what to do, walks to her.
"Hey, it's ok. Just tough it out for now," Jayden says after Aubrey looks up at him. The team continues on with Aubrey's fears only shrinking slightly. The thunder crackles and booms once again, Aubrey nearly screaming at that but is smart to keep her screams silenced. Ashley instinctively holds Aubrey's hand in which Aubrey is too scared to protest against. After an agonizing walk glazed with thunder, the shard lays upon their eyes, it begging the young teens to claim it.
"See, we're almost there," Jayden says softly to her, a smile on his face. Aubrey only nods before the team continues walking.
"Wait!" Asori calls out. Before Asori's sudden protest can be translated correctly, the violent tornado that is the "fog" wraps around the young men and women faster than their eyes can predict. This violent scenery only grows more grotesque as soon as it ends. The imagery in particular is the real horror in front of the teens' young eyes. One by one, silent but painful flashbacks of each member's past appeared in front of their eyes, triggering the group to slowly cry in a concealed tone of voice. They never wanted to see these things again. The slaps, the screaming, the rejection, and the loneliness. All caused by the people and environment around them. They're not only silently crying at the sight of their memories, but the memories of each other as well. They can't believe what suffering the other has gone through and related it to theirs. If Ashley isn't feeling guilty now, she sure as hell feels she should be on death row. Who is she to judge Asori after what that wicked man did to destroy her life? Asori's guilt matches this for judging Ashley after seeing all the abuse she's gone through at the hands of her world. However, that mutual feeling the two girls share is nothing when they see Jayden's memories. They're surprised Jayden hasn't snapped after years of putting up with his mom and dad's constant screaming matches. He's even been caught in the middle of one of their fights on a few occasions with one side being angry at Jayden for siding with the other. Asori's close to sobbing again with her hand over her mouth as soon as she witnesses Jayden's only friend slowly leave him. Shadow Bird can't take his eyes off his painful past as he re-witnesses his pain: the events of his mother's selfish scolding, her boyfriends' abuse, the solitude at school, and the death of his true father. When the rest of the group look at Aubrey's memories, their tears stream down their faces like waterfalls. They see the loss of important people in her life, both figuratively and literally, and the toll it's had on her, her only comfort being her love of Pokémon and the only two true people in her life. It seems as they're suffering could be forever. Everyone's on their knees crying. So, what's the point of fighting anymore? No. Jayden looks at the group for only a few brief seconds before he feels his instincts take over. A hand reaches out to the crying Asori as she looks upon Jayden. His warm eyes, even with tears still streaming down his face, tell her it's going to be ok. The Star Wars geek trusts Jayden enough to take his hand. Jayden looks upon Ashley with nothing but pity and empathy. Ashley sobs loudly as being reminded of the bullied and bully gal she started her life as breaks her. When will it end? Why can't she just be happy and not feel like shit? Unfortunately for those sinners, Ashley feels her hand in Jayden's kind grasp. This compassion motivates her to grab Aubrey's hand too. Although she doesn't want to, Aubrey knows she can't hide from the pain anymore. Grabbing Ashley's hand is her release. A release from a life where she isn't fake anymore. Shadow Bird, seeing this display, gets up and grabs Asori's hand, still sad yet stronger now. With all the teens holding hands, they march towards the light. These memories try stopping them. But they don't wear them down. They are still moving. They keep moving even though the memories get worse. The memories worsen and worsen, but they're still strong. They aren't ignoring them as much as they aren't affected by them as much as when they began. All the heroes' faces morph into stern frowns despite the tears. Despite the pain. They only focus on the azure light in front of them. The better days ahead that they'll fight any evil or obstacle to the death for. Soon, their willpower overpowers the fog. As the fog leaves, knowing it's failed to break its victims, Ashley picks up the shard and puts it in the backpack.
"Well, Jayden. What now?" Ashley says, tears still on her face yet her voice, her will to change, is stronger than ever.
"Time to end this. Once and for all," The leader says sternly. Asori, holding the device she just now retrieves from the backpack Shadow Bird has under his cape, is now looking at the final destination. Starsis' palace. Without further procrastination, the team teleport to the final frontier, their tangent of a journey finally over.
"You did it. You've all completed your journey. I'm very proud," The light entity says just after the five-member squad arrives at his home.
"Yeah. So, what now?" Jayden asks straightforwardly.
"Bring all the shards to me," Starsis says. He points to the stainless table where he wants the shards to be placed. However, before the teens place the first shard on the table, Asori looks upon the bruised and shredded clothes he wears now.
"What happened to you?" The Star Wars geek asks bluntly. Her eyes also catch two paintings that weren't there the last time they were in his palace.
"Ohh, nothing. Let's just focus on the task at hand please," Starsis says, his smile shrinking only by a fraction. He never asked why their clothes are all torn and damp with blood, so why are they doing this right now?
"Is Evilkin here?" The young man in the costume asks as the teens glace back and forth for a short time.
Starsis snaps, "Heroes, now's not the time." Now, regarding this change of Starsis' mood, something's up. The teens step back not in fear, but in preparation for a fight.
"What are you kids doing?" Starsis asks sternly.
"What's going on?" Jayden asks sternly.
"Nothing is going on, Jayden, yet you kids act like there is. Hand over the shards! Now!" Starsis yells with his hands aiming for the shards. If these kids are going to deny him his closure, his vengeance, then they'll regret it.
"You kids have one final chance," Starsis says before he clenches his fists in anger.
"Ohh, trust us. We don't need an excuse to pummel your sorry ass," Ashley says as her hands became flaming ones.
"Yeah. To be honest, you're in for a world of pain if you don't tell us what's going on," Aubrey says as she stands in her kickboxing position. The rest of the team get in their respective fighting positions whilst looking upon Starsis hoping to beat the truth out of him. Starsis assesses the situation for a brief few moments. He knows he'd eviscerate these kids at his full power before they'd even blink. But he's reduced to their level. And since the fact they're skilled enough to take down Silencer and Raptor, the lord above only knows how they'll be able to kill him. Sighing, he knows what to do. He can't win. He's good at throwing energy blasts and swordplay, but he's not the strongest entity of them all. And he's never taken on a group of enemies before. Let alone a group of five teens he's recruited with powers that can and will decimate him.
Starsis sighs and confesses, "Evilkin attacked." The team lowers their guard only a small tad due to them wanting to hear this guy out. At least before he does something that'll give them the all-clear to beat the crap outta him.
"I... I tried reasoning with him. I really did. But he wouldn't listen. I had to..." Tears. Hot tears well up and flow down his face as he sits down and cries.
"I think I killed him," Starsis says as his hand covers his face in shame. The team still stands strong. There's been guilt trips like this one before, but Shadow Bird and Asori just need the right moment to call him out on it. Faint footsteps ring in Asori's ears, but she says nothing about it right now.
Starsis moans, "You have to believe me, Heroes." Starsis and his broken voice don't touch them.
Starsis argues, "I had to do what I had to do. I loved him. And there was nothing I could've done to save him." Again, the team's still untrusting of his intentions here. Evilkin barely managing to open the door is all Asori needs to call out the supposed opposition to darkness.
"Liar," Asori darkly says. The team has that same dark face Asori has. Oh, this piece of shit. First, this guy yells at them for saving innocent people. Then, he gives them a forced lesson about sacrifice. And now, he's playing the victim? Starsis, in terror, looks towards the newly opened door to find his battered and bloodied brother standing there. Evilkin's rage doesn't leave his face. He wants to kill Starsis right here. Right now. Sorrow morphs into rage as he stands up to face his brother. Whilst both brothers look upon each other with the intention to kill, Jayden and Asori quickly set the crystal together with the others holding it in place. The crystal that they nearly died for will give them their answers if he won't. The brothers yell in fury as they charge at each other. The group holds the object and wishes to the crystal mentally to crystalize the true history of Evilkin and Starsis. Suddenly, as if the two have fused before the blows struck, Starsis and Evilkin are now a gray-robed figure with each side of their faces becoming their temporary face. Suddenly, like their memories at the Fog of Despair, the memories of Starsis and Evilkin play out in front of the teen heroes. Indeed, the brothers have lived a modest life even though they've been one of the most prominent families during that era. They've had what many would want. Two loving parents, friends, a girl they fought over, and a close bond. Sometimes, Starsis has been the calm, humble young man many people see him as. After all, who'd go out of their way to carry an older man's groceries if he is so pompous and classy? While other times, he's been bolder and more arrogant. He gets in fights he either started, continued, or both. Evilkin, on the other hand, is quiet most of the time. Sure, he isn't a total loner. But he still spends most of his time alone. Gazing at the stars, studying sculptures, trying to make his own sculptures, and cooking with his mother is how he spent his free time. These separate mindsets Starsis and Evilkin contain are made worse by the deteriorating relationship the brothers have with each other due to the circumstances they've been dealing with. Starsis is the perfect jock with a brilliant mind. Both brothers are brilliant, yet Starsis knows how to get the girls, pass the exams, and flip through hoops of fire effortlessly all at the same time. Evilkin surely has had his share of boys and girls he dated. But like some first relationships, they have not lasted as long as a long-running engine in a car. They all burnt out eventually. A certain cave incident involving a bloody fight, throwing one brother in a well in rage, then the other brother falling into another well, and a hellish battle in a village both brothers destroyed in their fury is all the team needs to see to answer why they've been in this mess in the first place. So it's both their faults. The team can't believe it? What beacon of light would ignore those who he's trying to protect? When they see Evilkin's memories, they see that even he honors his victims from time to time, but that doesn't excuse the pain he and his sons have caused others. Taking glances at each other, they know what to do. The team mentally wishes for the crystal to permanently get rid of the entities' powers as well as revert them to the normal men they used to be. After the brothers get separated from the crystal, the jewel separates from view almost instantly. The team looks upon the two men in disappointment and disgust as the two brothers take a short glance at each other before looking back at the teens.
"I... I..." The former light entity doesn't know what to say. Evilkin can't say anything either. So, they just didn't say anything. The team crosses their arms and turns their backs on them. Aubrey has only five words for both pathetic men.
"Get out of our sight," Aubrey demands, followed by Jayden's seven words.
"We never wanna see you two again," Jayden demands. Knowing they can't explain themselves, the brothers choose to leave this life behind, deciding to start over elsewhere. Evilkin grabs the teleportation device his father gifted him for his fifteenth birthday out of his pocket and teleports him and Starsis away. The team walks over to the orb that's on the table Starsis formally sat near. There, they see a certain location they've visited pop up on the screen. Wondious. So that's where Fic-City is. The team looks through images of the town from the people walking the streets, different foods that are being cooked, crime being stopped by the police, and the current of stories in the papers. A frightful monster strikes terror into Fic-City every night. Some group of vigilantes hunts criminals. A thief roams whom the police can never catch. Robberies are committed by technological and supernatural forces. These stories hook the team right into what they're going to do next. Not only does the city need heroes more than ever, but their powers can be exploited for good, and not be used for personal gain like earlier. This is truly the second chance they've wanted in life right in front of them. The chance of a better life. Taking only one glance at each other, they know what to do.
"So, you're staying with your friends?" Vivian solemnly questions her niece. Don't get her wrong. She's happy Aubrey has found some amazing friends, but Vivian can't believe she's choosing to live with them.
"Yeah," Aubrey says without any hesitation. Although she doesn't wanna do this to her aunt and baby sister, Aubrey doesn't want to deny herself this golden ticket.
Vivian stutters, "I-Is it... Well... It's j-just." Vivian wipes some tears away with her fingers before moving from her standing with her arms folded towards her niece to sitting down on her bed next to her and hugging her tight. Ariana joins in, tears running down both their eyes as they hold the one they both love so much.
"I know, you guys. I know," Aubrey says calmly. She then kisses Ariana's forehead and starts holding her as tightly as the day she was born. Vivian only has a few sniffles here and there, yet she remains strong due to her knowledge of Aubrey's strong will and determination. Viv can't stop her. She couldn't stop her from fighting two bullies. She couldn't stop her from running away to rescue Ariana from falling off a tree. She couldn't stop her from finding out she's adopted. She sure as hell couldn't stop her from getting her brother and sister-in-law arrested for the shit they pulled. Who's to say she'll stop her from running off and being a real-life superhero?
"You're one stubborn girl," Vivian admits after a chuckle. Aubrey chuckles a bit herself before the two older girls start hugging tightly. Ariana wraps her arms around her big sister's stomach and buries her face in her sister's shoulder. After the stone aunt exits the room to greet her new friends, the two Stone sisters get back to hugging each other tightly.
"Why are you leaving?" Ariana asks, a few tears coming out here and there while her head rests on Aubrey's shoulder. Aubrey then holds her close to her by just one arm as she gets the conversation going.
"Ariana, I love you. You know that, right?" Aubrey says seriously as her eyes lock onto her sister's mint green eyes.
"Yeah," Ariana says after wiping her nose with a tissue she has in her pocket.
"If things were different, I would stay here and we'd play video games, drink floats, and do all kinds of crazy shit 'till the sun goes down. Hell, think of how much fun we could have now that I've got super speed?" Aubrey's attempt to lighten the mood is only cut short by Ariana's sorrowful expression. Sighing, Aubrey's moment of truth comes about.
"I won't get this opportunity again. I now have these awesome new friends who mean so much to me. We wanna stay together, but we're not gonna stay together on Earth as we've got nothing left to lose here. It's that, and the fact we've found this cool place we wanna stay at where we get to be superheroes. So to put it bluntly. It's what I want, Sis." The younger Stone sister can't help but cry. Ariana wants to be happy for her. Really, she does. Yet she can't help but feel like she'll never see Aubrey again. Aubrey, knowing what Ariana's thinking, puts her onto her lap and gives her scalp a much-needed kiss.
"I'll visit and call you guys every chance I get, ok?" Aubrey asks with a smile. Sighing upon seeing this doesn't do jack to make her feel better, Aubrey holds her sis, letting her cry it out. She'll understand, or at least Aubrey hopes so.
"Ok, that's the last of the stuff," Vivian states just after she sets her niece's last suitcase near her other stuff.
"Thanks so much, Aunt Viv," Aubrey says before giving her aunt one last hug.
"You better text and call us every day, Young lady," Aunt Viv told her niece sternly with a broken voice.
"Sure thing," Aubrey says, her scalp getting a kiss from Vivian as a result.
"Love you, Kiddo," Aubrey declares casually while hugging her baby sister.
"Love you too," Ariana says, not smiling one bit.
"Be good to Aunt Viv, ok?" Aubrey sternly tells Ariana, her eyebrows furrowing to further strengthen her sternness. Ariana nods, but giggles a bit along with her sister after getting some tickles and a much-needed kiss on her forehead.
"Thank you kids so much," Viv says before hugging each of them for a brief period.
"Please take good care of her," Viv whispers in Jayden's ear. Jayden only happily nods to her in response.
"Thanks for helping us find the new action figure, Shadow Bird," Ariana says to the vigilante, smiling only slightly.
Chuckling, Jeremy says, "Please. Call me Jeremy." Those are the last words the team says to the Stone duo before they all leave. Arriving at their new home, the team sees a note at the center of the wall in front of them.
"Consider this our thank you gift. Take care, Heroes." It also has five separate little sheets of paper for each of the teens. Although they don't trust the light entity anymore after this whole ordeal, they see this act as some act of closure for him, and Evilkin. This ain't his house anymore. No trace of him nor Evilkin covers the walls. Taking these notes upstairs with them, the five-member squad goes to their rooms. They're all awesome. They each have been color-coded in the teens' main colors, has soda machines, a four bookshelf pack, and the other essentials a teen's bedroom should have. Shadow Bird is the happiest with his room given the fact of the badass armory closet similar to his idol idles near his soda machine. That, and when he discovers his room hides a secret lab for him to use, he's over the moon.
"Oh my god!" Shadow Bird says as he goes over to the computer. Activating it with just the push of a button, he's overjoyed it recognizes him almost instantly. Starsis did it. He took his laptop and made it a gazillion times better. Shadow Bird's gone to detective heaven at this point. Ashley lights up the same way at the black walls and red ceiling that covered her carpeted room. She also lights up at the sight of the giant flat-screen TV in her room. Dear lord is she's gonna have a fricking blast while playing her games. Aubrey races over and unpacked everything while marveling at the sights around her. She even marvels at the fact that she, like the rest of the team, has her own bathroom inside her own room. Now that's one of the best things ever. Asori's best thing ever, however, starts when she sees a locket on the counter of her nightstand. Taking it in her hand, she's relieved her and Jerrod's appearance at that Japanese New Year festival picture isn't there. She'll put another picture in there soon. Jayden is beyond happy regarding his room. It has it all. The items stated previous, a cardboard cutout poster of the Transformers Prime variation of Optimus Prime, his Naruto Shippuden Naruto Uzumaki action figure on the bookshelf next to the cutout, and a picture of one of the last good memories he had with Bella sat on the first shelf of the previously mentioned bookshelf. Suffice it to say Jayden's more than digging his room. They'll keep the house, but they meant it when they said they'll never have contact with the two brothers again.
"So. What other cool stuff did you find, Aubrey?" Asori asks while walking down the stairs of the rooms they have next door.
Aubrey says, "Well when I got to the first lower elevator floor, I found a swimming pool. He and Evilkin must've loved swimming." Aubrey then uses her fingers to count off the rooms she visited next.
"The other rooms are also a banger. We got a gym. A movie and game room. A trophy hall for when we collect special tokens in our lives, and le- Hey!" Aubrey shouts in frustration. The three members eating pizza look to see the two and casually slides Aubrey a box for herself. Aubrey then gorges herself in this delectable treat while the rest cackle at this act. Deciding to let her have her fun, the team continue eating their pizza boxes. Although this day had its downs, especially with this whole shitshow involving the two brothers, they'd won the day. Plain and simple.
YOU ARE READING
The Alta Heroes (J.F.)
Adventure"May this be a story anyone can be helped by." - Julian Finholm In the words of Julian Finholm, prepare for a story of heroism and humanity. Starsis and Evilkin, embittered entities who were once loving brothers, bring into their war five misfit te...
