DragonFire

Path to the Unknown

Axel, Artemis, and the rest of the crew began searching the city for Jack and Razzle, they ended up going to the outskirts of the city, still searching far and wide, day and night. Kyle, determined to find his brother Jack, trudges through the dense undergrowth of the forest. The overgrown path winds its way through a grove of ancient trees, their gnarled roots poking up from the damp earth like the veins of a giant. The forest path opens up into a small clearing, with a small hut nestled among the trees. As they approach, they see movement inside the hut. A figure dashes across the clearing, toward a tree stump at the edge of the forest. "Jack?" Kyle calls out, jogging toward the figure. as they caught up to the figure, it was infact a grey wolf, wearing a green hoodie, Kadrian. "oh hey Kyle! whatcha up to buddy?" Kadrian was muffin's best friend and cousin, mostly right by her side, but on this rare situation he was training sense he was destined to beat muffin in a battle, though he is too much of a puppy still to face her alone. Axel follows Kyle as they catch up to Muffin's best friend. "Hey Kadrian, what brings you out here?" He asks, slightly out of breath. Kyle motions over his shoulder to indicate the rest of the group. "We're looking for Jack and Razzle. Have you seen them?" Kadrian tilts his head to the side and thinks for a moment. "I haven't seen them here, no. But I did see some demons heading into the mountains a few days ago. They were acting strange, like they were up to no good. You should probably go check it out." Kyle's eyes widen at this news. "Thanks, Kadrian. I appreciate it." He glances at the others, then back at the wolf. "Looks like we've got some hiking to do. Alastor, Yumi, Artemis, are you all up for it?" Artemis looks at Axel. "Should we, brother?"Axel nods. "It seems like a good lead. Besides, this is going to be a hard journey, whether we decide to go or not. We can't afford to ignore it." He turns to Kyle. "We'll help, Kyle." Axel, Artemis, and the rest of the crew begin following Kyle through the forest, heading towards the mountains. The hike is long and arduous, but they press on, fueled by a determination to find Jack and Razzle. "Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate it," Kyle says, nodding gratefully to his friends. "The further we go, the less likely it is that Jack is still here willingly. We've got to find him soon." "Don't worry, Kyle," Artemis says, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll find him." They continue trekking through the forest, with the mountains looming larger in the distance with each step. The air grows colder and thin, and the vegetation becomes sparse and gnarled. Axel had ventured away from the group, knowing the risks he was taking while being away from his host, he had ventured up into the clouds.an angelic figure sat high and mighty... Barbatos... "you..." Axel was very angry at Barbatos, for being the reason him and Artemis split in the first place. Barbatos looks down at Axel, a soft smirk on their lips. "Ah, Axel. It's been a while. You look well." Their wings, a striking shade of silver, rustle in the wind as they flap casually. "son of a bitch..."Axel was very angry, barbatos had went behind his and artemis's backs to rewrite history to fit his image...yet Artemis still loved the fake seraphim.. "Do you have something you wish to say to me, Axel?" Barbatos asks, tilting their head curiously. The silver wings continue to flutter gently behind them.Axel takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Why did you do it, Barbatos? Why did you rewrite history like that?" Barbatos chuckles softly. "Oh, Axel. You've never been one to mince words, have you? I did it because I could. Because no one else had the power to do so. Because it amused me. And because... because I thought it would make things better." Axel scoffs. "Better for whom? You and your little cult? Artemis has suffered for centuries because of what you did! And for what? A little power play? You're pathetic!"Barbatos shrugs. "Perhaps it was wrong. Perhaps I should not have done it." Axel's eyes narrow. "Too little, too late. You should have thought of that before you ruined our lives."Barbatos shakes their head. "Ah, Axel. I did not ruin your lives. You have the power to change that. You and Artemis. You can be together again." Axel crosses his arms, unconvinced. "And what about all the lives you've ruined? The countless people who've been hurt because of your meddling? Can you just undo that with a wave of your hand?"Barbatos sighs. "No, I cannot."  Barbatos stood up from his throne of clouds "you and ari have really intrigued me!" Barbatos reformed himself to his true form, a pitch black demon with a sinister smile and an X for an eye. "infact... i'd like to thank you Axel... for giving me the opportunity to kill you once and for all!" Axel narrows his eyes. "You're serious?" he asks, voice laced with disbelief.Barbatos laughs, a low, chilling sound. "Of course I am. Why do you think I've been goading you like this? I knew you'd snap sooner or later." Axel clenches his fists, anger coursing through him. "Then bring it on, you bastard!" He shouts, hurling a bolt of blue flame at the demon.Barbatos laughs and easily deflects the attack with one of his wings. "Now, now, Axel." Axel lunges forward, claws unsheathed and aimed at the demon. Barbatos easily sidesteps him. "Foolish child. You cannot defeat me in your current form." With a wave of his hand, the demon's eyes begin to glow with red energy. Axel grunts as the demon sidesteps him. He tries to put more force behind his next attack, but the demon easily evades once more. Suddenly, the black-furred angel feels a surge of power flow through him. With a roar, he changes into his true demonic form. His skin turns midnight black, his wings stretch to enormous proportions, covered in razor-sharp obsidian feathers. Claws of living darkness rip from his fingers as he spins, ready to attack the demon who dares mock him. "You have potential, Axel," Barbatos says with a sinister grin. "It will be interesting to see how you fare against me in this form." The demon leaps backwards, putting some distance between himself and Axel. "But remember, all this power comes at a cost." Axel growls, readying himself for the coming battle. "I don't care about the cost!" With a scream of rage, he launches himself at the demon, claws extended. Barbatos meets him in mid-air, their wings beating in a frenzy as they circle each other. as they fought, Axel realized his mistake in partaking in this battle... he knew he couldn't win it.as they were fighting a very large figure slams down on top of barbatos, holding him down by his neck. Jack scowls down at Barbatos, his golden eyes glowing with fury. he roars, his muscles bulging as he holds the demon pinned to the ground, he didn't speak however. Jack held barbatos down before picking him up and slamming him back down, Jack now looked like i giant ram demon, his demon instincts overtaking him and reformed his body, he was now almost the size of a gorilla. As Barbatos writhes under Jack's gargantuan form, Axel finds himself suddenly at the giant's side. He looks up at Jack, astonished and grateful. "Jack! You're back!" Jack glances at him briefly before returning his attention to Barbatos. Axel notices Jack has become huge, it's almost hard for him to comprehend it, Jack, who is usually small and confined, is now this huge and intimidating figure.Jack roars at Barbatos, his muscles bulging as he holds the demon pinned to the ground. Kyle, Artemis, and the others emerge from the clouds, their faces pale with shock as they see Jack transformed into a giant demon and holding Barbatos down. "Jack...? What's going on?" Artemis stammers.Jack growls at him, his eyes still fixed on the demon beneath him. "That..." Jack grunts, struggling to speak through his enraged state. "That is... Barbatos. He... he's the one who messed with history... who hurt Artemis... He's the reason you've all been... searching for me..." He growls again and slams the demon into the ground. "He..." Jack growls and slams the demon into the ground once more. "He must be stopped!" His golden eyes glow brightly as he focuses on the demon beneath him. "And I will stop him." With a final roar, he raises his huge clawed hand, preparing to strike the fallen archangel once and for all. they hear yelling behind the 3, Kyle and the rest of the group had found them, Kyle's eyes widened at the sight of Jack, now bigger than he was before. Kyle's heart skips a beat as he takes in the sight of Jack, now transformed into a demonic giant. His gaze drifts over to Artemis, whose expression mirrors his own shock and awe. He looks back at Jack and Barbatos, the two figures locked in combat. "What... happened?" Jack looked back at Kyle in awe, the words echoed in jack's head "i wanted to protect him..." Jack drops Barbatos and rushed over on all fours towards Kyle, aware of his size as he shoves his head into Kyle's chest. Kyle's eyes widen in surprise as Jack pushes his head into Kyle's chest, but he quickly recovers and throws his arms around the giant demon, embracing him tightly. "Jack...?" he breathes, voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart. Jack looks at him, his golden eyes glowing with a mix of relief and love. He nuzzles Kyle's neck, feeling his warmth and the beat of his heart against his muzzle. Artemis watches as the scene unfolds before him, his heart skipping a beat as he sees Jack, the one he has been searching for, finally in his arms. The giant demon, a protector... but not the Jack he once knew. Tears well up in his eyes as he takes in the sight of them together. The two boys, Jack and Kyle, are locked in an embrace, their bodies pressed tightly against each other. Jack nuzzles into Kyle, his golden eyes fixed on him, while Kyle holds Jack close, running his hands through the demon's obsidian fur like hair. Artemis approaches them slowly, unsure of what to say or how to break up this tender moment between the two. Jack's transformation had been so sudden and dramatic that it was hard for any of them to process. As he draws closer, Artemis reaches out a hand and gently touches Jack's shoulder. The giant demon doesn't react immediately, still focused on Kyle and the warmth he feels from being so close to him. But when Artemis touches his shoulder, he looks over at the former angel and offers him a smile. Jack couldn't talk in this form, for unknown reasons he was incapable of forming coherent sentences as a giant demon.The giant demon nuzzles Kyle one last time before disentangling himself from the smaller boy's grasp. "Jack?" Kyle asks, unsure of what's happening. Jack shakes his head gently, a soft, reassuring smile on his demonic face. As the group slowly comes to terms with Jack's transformation, they suddenly realize that Barbatos is gone. They search the area but cannot find any trace of him. Artemis breathes a sigh of relief, finally allowing himself to believe that the archangel is truly gone. Jack looks up at them, his golden eyes filled with love and concern. Axel was angry that he didn't get to tell off Barbatos before he fled, Axel then walked up to Kyle, sinking only half way into his body, the rest of his ichor self hanging over Kyle's back. "Hey, man," Axel says, his voice echoing slightly in Kyle's mind. "Thanks for coming back to help. We really needed you." Kyle sighs, running his fingers through Jack's fur once more before turning his attention to the ichor latex. "No problem, Axel."Jack watches the exchange between Axel and Kyle, his golden eyes glistening with emotion. The giant demon shifts his massive form uncomfortably, unsure of how to express himself in this form. "Jack?" Artemis asks, noticing the discomfort in the giant demon's demeanor. "Are you..." Jack nods slowly, golden eyes looking to Artemis and then Kyle, his expression softening, Jack's voice coming to him in a rumble as he speaks. He looks down at his paws, unsure of what to do with them. "I just... I wanted to protect him. To keep him safe." Jack's words echo through the group, stirring up a mix of emotions. Kyle looks at the giant demon, his eyes filling with tears. "I know, Jack," he says softly, wrapping his arms around the demon's neck. "I know you did."Jack's form shudders slightly, as if relieved by Kyle's words. The giant demon leans into the embrace, closing his eyes as he feels the smaller boy's hands on his neck. The group stands in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts about the incredible events that have unfolded. Alastor was the first to step up after the whole fiasco, walking up to Kyle and Jack, Axel had sunk the rest of the way into Kyle to avoid conversation. "so we finally found you Jack.." Alastor said as he approached them. Kyle turns to face Alastor, his expression a mix of gratitude and exhaustion. "Yeah, we've been through a lot," he says, gesturing toward Jack. "He didn't mean to transform like that, but... it happened." Alastor looks at the giant demon, his golden eyes studying the massive form. Jack shakes his head slowly, still having trouble finding words. "I'm... I'm sorry," he rumbles, his voice deeper than ever. "I never meant to hurt anyone. I only... I only wanted to protect Kyle."Artemis takes a step forward, casting a compassionate glance at Jack. Alastor tilts his head to the side, still studying Jack. "You know... I've been thinking. It's not really your fault, Jack. You were just trying to protect him. Barbatos took advantage of that, of all of us, and manipulated things." He pauses, meeting Jack's gaze steadily. As Jack takes in Alastor's words, relief washes over his demonic form. He looks down at his claws, flexing them before retracting them back into the obsidian skin. "Thank you," he growls softly, still trying to find the words to express himself properly. Jack looks at them, his golden eyes full of love and gratitude. "I'll... I'll figure it out," he says, promising himself as much as anyone else. "But for now... I just want to be with Kyle. I want to protect him, and... and be with him."Kyle's face brightens as he listens to Jack's words, his heart filled with warmth and happiness. He looks up at the giant demon and nods firmly. "Yeah," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "That's what I want too." With the two sides of ender finally reunited, and Axel found his brother, Barbatos is missing again, they could return back to the kingdom for a bit and cool down before doing anything else. Jack looks down at Kyle, his golden eyes shining with love and affection. He gently pushes the smaller boy away, creating some distance between them. "Kyle, I need you to listen to me," he says softly, his voice rumbling deep in his chest. "I can't control this form." Kyle nods, taking a step back to give Jack some space. "I know, Jack. It's okay. We'll figure it out together." He reaches out and places a hand on Jack's shoulder, offering comfort and support. "We've been through so much already. I'm not going anywhere."Jack looks at Kyle, his golden eyes shining with love and relief. He bends down, careful of his massive form, and wraps his massive arms around the smaller boy, pulling him close. Kyle lets out a soft giggle as he's engulfed by Jack's embrace.