Masters of the lost spirits (Non *B/DL)

[MixyNyxi]

Right...so I tend to write alot. Mostly fantasy stuff. Some darker stuff. Some ab stuff. This is actually one of the first things I ever wrote seriously, although it was left unfinished. I just had a nostalgic thought one day and decided to revive it and make a few edits here and there and perhaps finish it. So I'm going through it now and I thought I'd post it here as I fixed up the chapters. This was back during my phase of loving the idea of having an animal companion that talked...well, ok that would still be awesome

This is a story about another world to which a group of kids have been brought to in order to fight a vague evil that was imprisoned there long ago. This isn't really an AB story, but it does have a smidge of age regression. I don't think it's my best writing, but I like the story all the same. Hopefully others do to.

I will say this about the prologue. I don't generally like it when I have a huge descriptive narrative about the world and the evil in it, but that's what I did with this story, so forgive me if it's too much. Please? But it's only the prologue that does that, I promise. This will also have chapter 1. Let me know what you think! If no one likes it, I won't clog the board with more of it :P

Prologue: Ithillias and the Emergence of the Evil of Nilock

The five children emerged from the forest. Hungry, cold, and weary, they prayed that the rest of the day would find them no more trouble. Today had been hard and they couldn't summon any more strength even if their life depended on it, which it more often than not did. None of them were here by choice, or at least they weren’t at first. They missed Earth and their families, but they now understood why they were brought to this other world and it had steeled them to their task. Now, if given the choice, none of them would go back to their home unless and until they succeeded in destroying the evil in this world.

The world the children were on wasn’t so unlike their own. In fact, it was quite similar in many respects, which of course meant that everything else was not so similar at all. Only a select few Earthlings have seen it since human civilization began, however one group formed a small settlement in a region of seemingly unending, perfectly flat grassland named Stonegate, which still exists to this day. While Stonegate remains the major human city, they have spread to most regions of this world of Ithillias. Apart from humans, various other creatures call Ithillias home. Just as the world itself, many resemble those found on Earth, while others are vastly different.

The Protectors, these 5 children and countless others before them, were always taken from the outside world. Only children from Earth had a certain, very rare power in them that was necessary to bond with both a special pendant each child was given, and a creature of magical energy each had by his or her side. In addition to this bond, their power had one more interesting effect on them. Once taken from Earth, these children never aged a day on Ithillias. They had aged completely normally on Earth, but something kept them as children once they arrived under the Ithillian sky. Unfortunately, that had no bearing on their ability to die.

At the time this tale begins, these five children had arrived about two years ago. The former group of Earth children that had been there for much longer were killed. Killed by an indescribably powerful evil. The evil that this world was created to hold. The evil that these children were here to fight against and at the same time, prevent from escaping to do damage to their home world.

No, they would not have been here if given the choice a year ago, but now they would have stayed even if they had the chance to go back, a chance that would come sooner than any of them thought.

They had seen the horrors that this evil being and his army of followers created and enjoyed. The slaughter of the innocent and useless and the capture and enslavement of the able bodied and the children. Children were the prize for this being. He could mold them and sway them to his ways. Their innocent minds did not yet know right from wrong completely and could be made into anything he desired. He despised the love and playfulness that many small children possessed, so he sought out to destroy these things first and foremost. The few that were stubborn were quickly disposed of or sent to work in some inhospitable environment until they expired.

He cared nothing for any of them. He just wanted power, and he could always get more children or other creatures. He wanted more than anything to escape this world that he was imprisoned in. He did not know how to do this as of yet, but he knew there were portals. His men had even found some but none could stand up to a being of his power. They all collapsed when he got anywhere near them. That was the way his captors had designed it.

He still searched endlessly. He knew there had to be a way out. Some flaw had to be present, nothing was ever perfect. He wanted revenge against his captors, although their people had been dead since before the ancestors of the human race began to walk on two feet. He had awakened when the last of them died, breaking the sleep barrier that was held there by the life force of the race, although he remained bound inside Nilock Peak.

He had no way of knowing that, however. It had taken him countless years after awakening to recharge the energy that was taken from him, and in that time he watched his prison world grow into a lively one, just like the one he had been banished from. Creatures he had never seen, calling themselves humans, came from the other world, having stumbled upon the few portals left from their world to this one while exploring, and colonized it. There were no longer any permanent portals to this world, only from it, and then a portal back would only be open for a day before it disappeared again.

This human population became adapted to their new world and the evil one had watched all this with a growing hatred and finally, he broke free of his prison in an explosion that reduced the cloud-kissing Nilock Peak to a great crater. Full of energy once more and able to freely move around again, he set his plans to return to Earth in motion, first enslaving workers to build him a fortress in the center of the new crater.

That is when the back up security system engaged and began the Protector program. It assessed the situation and brought forth the first 6 sacred beasts. These beasts were the only thing left to defend against this horrible evil. They needed masters, however. Humans from the other world to draw power from. Children. Thus, the cycle began. They never lasted forever, but each time one group died, 6 more sacred beasts sprang forth.

Different each time, these beasts needed to be matched up with their six children masters. The evil one knew of this mystical creation that the Sacred Beasts sprang from and was bent on destroying it at first. He searched, but could never find the source. But then he noticed something peculiar. The interval between when he killed off the last group to when another appeared to oppose him was greater every time. This led him to the assumption that the creation would not last forever. It was losing energy. So he gave up looking for it, concentrating on finding a way out of this world and building an ever greater army. He could deal with these beasts and their masters. Soon, there would be nothing more to challenge him and he would prevail.

The thing is, he was right and these five children could be the last hope, though no one knows for sure. The unsettling thing about this group was there were only five to begin with. What happened to the sixth? Had the creation lost that much power? Had the beast and her master been ambushed upon their return to this world after meeting? Not even the beasts knew, since they were transported to the outside world right after being created to find their match. All they knew was that only five appeared at the return point. These five children, however, were about to find out. Now begins their tale.


Chapter 1 – The Last of the Protectors and the Lost One

The smallest member of the group was crying and so was her beast, though the children didn't think of them that way. They shared a bond and were the greatest of companions because of it. They were friends, at the very least. The children gave their beasts, friends, their name when they first met. No more than children themselves, these creatures were equal in age and gender to that of their match.

Of course, when powered up they were fierce, powerful, and anything but children. But after the battle, they again regressed to their usual forms. There were 3 boys and 2 girls in the group, and although the creatures did not have much information about how the protector program worked, they seemed to know that the group was supposed to be balanced, which suggested that the 6th companion would have been female.

The oldest was a boy and the youngest was a girl, although this was random and different with every group of protectors. Tyler was the oldest at 14 and his beast was a raven-like creature he named Poe, because he had just finished reading “The Raven” when they met. Poe wasn’t impressed when he learned the reason for the name. He was the de-facto leader of the group, being quite courageous, confident, and, of course, the oldest.

The next oldest was Sara, 13, whose beast was what some would have called a lioness. The name Sara gave her was Grace, since she was always graceful in battle, with movements incredibly fluid and agile. She was also the fastest in the group.

The two middle children were both boys. Kevin was 11 and his beast was a racoon-type creature he named Shadow, as he had a knack for disappearing when he didn’t want to be seen. Zack came next at 10 and his beast was an owl-creature named Max, named as such because the day Zack met him, his mother had told him that Max was the other name they were considering naming him after he was born. "No use letting it go to waste!," he told his beast.

Finally, the youngest was an 8 year old girl named Lilly. Her beast was a wolf named Starlight because Lilly saw the stars reflected in her eyes when they first met.

At the moment, she and Starlight were crying because they were hungry and hurt from the day’s battles. A beast and her master share many similar personality traits and dispositions, so this was not an uncommon sight. Tyler was knelt down next to Lilly, while Poe was on his shoulder lecturing Starlight on the virtues of keeping with the group at all times. Poe wasn’t the most understanding talking raven.

"Hey, come on. Don't cry Lilly. It's over now and we can all get some food and well deserved rest. Let Sara fix you up and I'll start dinner. That's better."

Lilly had calmed down a little but grimaced as soon as Sara came over with the dreaded stuff that always burnt in her cuts.

"Sorry, Lilly, but you know this helps, even though it burns a bit going on. Hold still now."

She held as still as she could, but almost screamed out when she felt the burning. Starlight was getting the same treatment from Grace and disliking it just as much. Lilly and Starlight had been caught behind the group and been ambushed, receiving a fairly bad beating before the others reacted. That after the rest of the day, which had worn them all out and left no one uninjured. Zack and Kevin and Shadow and Max were all fixing each other up from their injuries a little ways off by the plants that made up the ingredients for this healing paste. After her wounds were treated, Lilly went off into a corner of the clearing with Starlight and Tyler gave Sara a worried look.

"She is getting more and more distant as time goes on. I don't think she has anyone to relate to. She seems to be the odd one out. I get the feeling that each member of a certain team is meant to have one person with whom they are the closest. You and I, and Zack and Kevin for instance.”

Sara nodded, "Yeah, I think that's about right. I'll bet the 6th would have been a good match for poor Lilly. I feel so bad for her. And she's the youngest too. She should have a friend, especially when she is expected to fight the same enemies that we do all the time. We can be there for her all we want but we can't become her best friend. Only the one person that isn't here can do that, it seems."

Tyler shook his head, "I hate it too, but we have to move on. Always, or else we get found and…he wins. No use complaining, so I guess we should start dinner…it’s all we can do right now. Come on."

That they did and the meal seemed to bring up the spirits of everybody. By the end of it, conversation was lively. That is for everyone except Lilly. She and Starlight excused themselves and went into the tent early. Just as she did every night, she cried herself to sleep and Starlight could only watch sadly on and cry herself. Despite their bond, she didn’t know how to help.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Starlight awoke with a start. Her sensitive ears perked up and listened into the night. There it was again. The sound that had awoken her. It was a howling sound. The sound of something in pain. She nudged Lilly and she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Huh? Star, what time is it? What's going on? It's not morning already, is it?"

Starlight shook her head, "No, it isn't morning but I can hear a creature in pain not too far off."

Lilly cocked her head, "I don't hear anything. Don't joke around with me tonight, Starlight. Seriously. I'm hurt and tired and you are too. We need sleep."

Starlight replied, "It's no joke. You know that I have more sensitive ears than humans. I can hear farther off into the distance. I really think something is in trouble. We should go check it out. Come on, go to Kevin’s and Zack's tent and I'll go wake Tyler and Sara."

Lilly stamped her feet, "NO! I'm tired of relying on everyone else. They don't understand me. No one does. I think we can handle it ourselves. Just because I'm the youngest doesn't mean that I need them to watch over me. Sometimes I think that they are going to call me a baby and have yet another excuse to not let me do anything. Why not? Apparently they don't think I can do anything anyway!" She kicked her pillow.

Starlight eyed her, "You know that's really stupid what you just said."

Lilly faced her and scowled, "I know they aren't going to do that. I was just making a point. Duh. But still, we're going alone. Come on."

Starlight shook her head but lead the way following the sound she heard anyway. She was really worried about Lilly. She needed a friend. She hoped that by some miracle it would happen. Someone who could understand her, or at least be her friend…but where could that person be and how could they travel with the group anyway? It was too dangerous for normal individuals.

She sighed but continued on, wondering more and more if going alone was such a good idea.

Suddenly Lilly shouted, "I can hear it now! Come on this way!"

Starlight was about to say she knew that but Lilly rushed past her. Suddenly she stopped and knelt down behind a tree.

"Shhh. Look down there Starlight."

Starlight looked over the ridge and into the clearing below. A fox-like creature was caught in a trap and a group of the evil one’s followers were dancing and laughing around it. Starlight's eyes suddenly widened.

"It can't be! No, it's way too old to be....and where is....?"

Lilly looked at her, puzzled, "What are you talking about," she whispered, "Do you recognize her?"

At that moment, right as Starlight was about to answer, the group began the beating. All of them took rocks and sticks and clubs and began to hit the helpless creature. It just let them. All the fight had gone out of it and Lilly saw tears running down its cheeks.

Now, one thing about Lilly you should know is that she is very very kindhearted, although you may not think so since she keeps to herself alot. She can't take anyone hurting something helpless and innocent and if that helpless or innocent creature was so sad that it just let them do it, that was even worse.

Tears began to stream down Lilly's face and she gritted her teeth. Starlight saw the fire in her eyes and knew that they were about to take them all on and she couldn't talk her out of it. Lilly's anger grew and the pendant around her neck began to glow. She stood up and at that moment looked 100 times more threatening and stronger than she actually was. Lighting shot from the pendant, getting the attention of the evil one's minions.

Lilly then shouted down, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO AN INNOCENT CREATURE! HOW CAN YOU BE SO HEARTLESS! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!"

At that moment Starlight watched on in amazement and horror. She had never seen Lilly so angry and she had never seen the pendant react like that. She though that it would kill Lilly to be surrounded by so much power. Suddenly, flames surrounded her and Starlight jumped back, thoughts racing in her mind.

“Could it be? Could Lilly actually have received the full power of the pendant of fire? Has Viridia the Flame been awakened? I didn't think it was possible. It must be this combined with the thought of being so young and helpless that she felt earlier that brought her anger up this high."

Lilly's hair grew down to her knees, which were now much farther away from her head as her body had grown as well, and turned bright red along with her eyes. Robes of black and red and a cape of the same colors replaced her clothes, and a stave as black as night appeared in her hands. The minions looked on in utter terror. Starlight noted with some humor that a few even wet themselves.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO GO ON! FEEL MY WRATH! STARLIGHT! I CALL UPON THEE! SHOW YOUR TRUE FORM AND PUNISH THIS FILTH!"

Starlight noticed that her voice sounded much older and the fact that she actually said 'thee' made Starlight smirk...but only for a half second. Lilly raised her right arm and pointed her finger at Starlight. A bolt of lightning surrounded by fire shot toward her and struck her in the chest. All at once she felt her power grow beyond anything she had ever felt before and her size increased dramatically. Her coat was surrounded in flames and her eyes glowed bright red. She knew what had to be done.

She howled and jumped down into the clearing with such speed that she was upon them before they even knew what was happening. She tore through them like they were nothing but dolls, setting each one aflame with her claws of fire. Some got away and headed toward Lilly, making the mistake that she was only show and that all her power was now with Starlight. It was the last mistake they ever made.

Lilly laughed as they fired their weapons at her. She disappeared in flames and reappeared behind them. She then shot spheres of dripping, blue-red fire towards her attackers, engulfing each in flames instantly. It was so hot that they were reduced to ashes in a matter of seconds. By that time, Starlight had finished off the rest and went back to her master's side.

Lilly patted her on the head and turned to see the rest of her group looking down at her in awe. She smiled at them and suddenly, without warning, all of the power left Lilly. In an instant, everything disappeared in smoke and Lilly collapsed. Starlight found herself in her original form as well, still conscious, but very weakened.

The others looked on in amazement once they saw that the strange woman had actually been Lilly. Tyler was the first to shake himself out of his daze and yelled, "COME ON GUYS! LILLY'S HURT!"

They all shook their heads and ran down to the clearing. Sara immediately busied herself trying to revive Lilly, while Zack and Kevin went over to help the other creature out of the trap. Tyler meanwhile was questioning Starlight.

"Jeez, what happened? I saw it, but I don't believe it. Was that seriously Lilly?"

Starlight hung her head, "I honestly don't know what exactly happened. I mean, I saw everything, but…I just dunno. I heard that poor creature over there howling and woke Lilly. She refused to wake any of you and insisted upon going alone. When she saw them beating up on this helpless animal, she went berserk. You should have seen it. The pendant....it shot lightning and surrounded her in flames, transforming her into what you saw. Then, she pointed her finger at me and I became the fire beast I was. I..I never felt so powerful. The enemy was nothing to me. Some broke away from me and went after Lilly....and then...."

Tyler finished her sentence, "she was overpowered and you saved her. That's why she's hurt."

Starlight shook her head, "No, not that at all. They fired on her and she..vanished. She appeared behind them and engulfed them in flames so hot that it even burnt those trees over there behind them into nothing. If you look at her, you won't see any new wounds. I think her energy is just exhausted from the transformation. I think she woke Viridia up."

Tyler looked over at Lilly and stroked his chin as if he had a beard. It was his thinking pose

"Viridia...the Keeper of Fire, was it? That legend was so vague. I didn’t think it was true. Spirits living in our pendants?”

Sara shrugged, “Why not? With everything else here on this world, some mystical creature living around our necks doesn’t seem so ridiculous. What else could that have been? I doubt all of us had the same hallucination.”

Lilly let out a groan suddenly, re-focusing all the attention back on her.

She grimaced as her eyes opened, "Ugh. What happened?"

Starlight laughed a little and said, "We were all hoping you could tell us that."

It turned out that Lilly remembered nothing after standing up and screaming down at the evil henchmen. Starlight explained all she could to her and she was as amazed as everyone else. Tyler then explained to her that he had seen a red glow in the sky and heard the commotion, so he went to check on everyone. When he couldn’t find her, he woke everyone else and they went to check it out.

Tyler smiled and patted her on the head, "You did good kid."

Lilly frowned and pushed his hand away, "Don't call me kid."

She then remembered the reason she had become so angry and rushed over to the creature's side. She knelt down and looked in her eyes. They blinked. She was alive at least.

"Are you ok?”

It managed a small smile, which, by the look of it, hurt something awful, and replied, "Well, I'm not dead, thanks to you, but you probably should have just let me die. I'm of no use anymore. I'm tired, lonely, and I have no companion....or master, whatever you wish to call her."

Starlight walked over, "Then it's true. You are one of us." The creature looked at Starlight and nodded.

Lilly looked confused, "Huh? Come on guys! No secrets! What are you talking about?"

Starlight spoke first, "Lilly, she is a sacred beast. She must be the sixth one that has been missing all along. That’s why I was so surprised when I initially saw her. Of course, right after that, I figured it was impossible since she is so old....and has no master apparently."

Lilly turned back to the creature and stared at her in wonder. It then laughed, "I think I can clear all of your doubts up. At least I am among my kind again, though I have grown too old to be of much use. Only those who can use the pendants stand a chance against the evil one. But anyhow, I was a member of the last Protector group, before all of you were even born.”

Sara looked confused, “But how is that possible? Shouldn’t you be…well…”

The fox gave her a grim smile, “Yes, I should be dead. I’m still not sure why I have remained alive myself, but undoubtedly, my continued existence is the reason you are apparently one member short, from what I see. I have to apologize, as this must make the difficult things you have to deal with all that much more so. It was not my intent, however.”

“It began normally enough, but apparently there was a mistake. It seems I was released too early to find my perfect match. She was not even born yet. Her parents were not even born yet. Nor her grandparents. I think her great grandparents might have been alive at the time but they would have still been in diapers. But that really doesn't matter.”

“I don't really know anyway. I was just informed of this by the thing that created me in my dreams. All that matters is that I was created too early. When I went out into your world, I had to settle for the next best thing....and she was only 5% compatible with me, or so I was told. Needless to say, she could hardly ever power me up or fight herself and when she did, it was very weak indeed. We were a burden, and the others had to protect us all of the time.”

“Then the day came when my master was killed. I was not, however, since our bond was not strong enough. I was able to escape, and with me I took her pendant that should have belonged to my true master. The pendant of light, supposedly the guiding star of the pendants, although that name never really made much sense to me. It should have been returned to whatever made us so it could be given to the next sacred beast and their master, but it remained as I did.”

“The only thing that the weak bond was able to do was to keep me as a small child. After the bond was broken by her death, I began to age. If I had to estimate my physical age counting up from when the bond was broken, I’m probably about 19 years old, going on 20 very soon.”

“I can only assume since you are here that the other group was destroyed. I did not know what became of them, as my master and I had been separated from the group when she died. I tried to find them for a long while after that, but I was no longer a part of the group and whatever used to manage to keep us together no longer worked for me.”

“If they found my master’s body, they no doubt assumed that I had disappeared into nothingness, as is supposed to happen. Too bad. They were all good, kind-hearted kids."

The fox was up by this time and she hung her head. Lilly looked to be the most depressed by the story.

"That’s terrible! I’m so sorry. You can come with us, ok? You can’t be alone…it’s too sad. Do you have a name?"

The creature shook her head, "My master was not allowed to name me since she was not my true master…I have simply been called what I am…Fox. I managed to get used to it, although I hated it at first. That is what you must call me.”

Lilly made a face, “Ewww…that’s awful. I don’t care if that’s your ‘name’, I’m giving you a nickname at least. I don’t care about whatever rules say you can’t have a real name. Autumn. That’s what you remind me of for some reason. Maybe it’s your color. I dunno. But that’s what I’m calling you now.”

The fox smirked, “I like you, young one. Very well, you can call me that. At this point, I doubt it matters anyway, Lilly.”

Lilly raised her eyebrow, “How did you know my name? I didn’t tell it to you yet, did I? I was just about to actually…”

The newly named Autumn frowned, “No…no you didn’t tell me. And yet I knew it. I’m getting a strange feeling from you and Starlight, young one. Starlight…yes, I knew that too without having to be told. The bond…it’s…working on me again?! Impossible! It can’t be…I’ve become a part of your group?”

Zack chimed in, “But…um…don’t you kinda need a kid?”

Autumn nodded, “I do, which is what puzzles me beyond the fact that I am much too old to be a Protector again. Wait…I am getting a strange feeling…A portal is near.”

Tyler stood up, “But how can you tell? There are so few…none of us have ever even seen one beyond the one that brought us here. I mean, we haven’t been here long, but surely there would be stories of these portals if they were around.”

Autumn began to walk slowly forward, “Normally, you can’t sense them, but I am getting a strange feeling coming from this one. I…must follow what I am feeling and go to Earth. Please, you must remain. I know not why I am being drawn toward it.”

Lilly shook her head, “No way! I’m coming too! I think I’m supposta follow you, anyways. I just…know it.”

Sara cocked her head, “This is strange, but we can’t ignore this strange bond Autumn, Lilly, and Starlight have. Not just that, but Autumn feels like she is one of us now to me as well. I’m sure you all feel the same. We should all go.”

Tyler nodded, “Yeah, Sara’s right. Autumn, we’re going with you.”

A smile showed briefly on Autumn’s face before she got serious again, “Very well, but we must hurry. This feels urgent somehow…”

Autumn suddenly bolted towards the South, with the rest of the group following after her, Lilly and Starlight in the lead. After about 15 minutes, they came to a clearing with a rock in the middle. Autumn stood in front of the rock with her eyes closed, chanting something. Suddenly, the pendant around her neck let off a bright white flash of light and the rock disappeared, revealing a stairway underground. Autumn opened her eyes, dazed.

“That was…unexpected. I suddenly had the compulsion to recite words I have certainly never heard before...and the Pendant of Light responded. I wonder…”

Autumn led on down into the darkness. They finally came to a large open room, decorated with statues and columns from a civilization long gone. In the far back of the room was a circular pad, and when they approached it, it began to glow and soon became a hole of blue-green light.

Zack eyed Autumn suspiciously, “Are you sure this isn’t some kind of trap?”

Kevin hit him on the back of his head, “No, stupid. If she was a bad guy, we wouldn’t feel that bond thing”.

Autumn grinned, “True. But at the same time, none of you need follow me. This is something only I am being called to do.”

Kevin shrugged, “Maybe, but going with you seems like a better idea than roaming around looking for more fights.”

Zack rubbed his head, “Yeah, I suppose you wouldn’t be evil, would you? Plus, maybe this thing will take us home…isn’t that the only place these things go?”

Tyler and Sara looked at each other.

“Yes, that’s what we’ve been told. Seeing Earth again…”

Sara turned away, trying to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Tyler sighed, “This will probably take us back to Earth. But we all need to remember why we are here. If this is too hard for any of you, I’d suggest that you remain behind. The entrance re-sealed itself once we entered this place, so you should be safe here until the rest of us return.”

Everyone looked down at once, except Lilly. She starred right at Tyler.

“I’m going. I don’t care what the rest of you do. But I’m not letting Autumn go alone. I’ll come back. I won’t abandon my family, and you guys are more like family than what I had on Earth…”

Sara immediately pulled Lilly into a hug, nodding her agreement.

Zack, Kevin, Shadow, and Max grinned at each other and said in unison, “Team Catastrophe is going, and you can’t stop us, leader-boy!”

Grace chuckled, “Yes, you four continue to live up to that name, don’t you? But regardless, we all should go, Tyler.”

Poe nodded, “Grace is right, Lord Tyler. We should keep together, at the very least, and it seems we can’t convince them otherwise.”

Tyler grimaced, “Poe, how many times have I told you not to call me that? I’m not lord of anything.”

Poe looked indignant, “You most certainly are. The bearer of the Pendant of Night has always been the distinguished high leader of the protector group. It would be disrespectful of me to call you anything less. Something the rest of these peasants should learn.”

Tyler groaned as the others snickered to themselves. This argument was a rather common sight. Tyler, happily, never let it get to his head and continued to hate being called “Lord” just as much as he did when they first arrived. Poe was always a bit dramatic.

“Ok, fine, fine. Let’s go then. We’re wasting time.”

Autumn smirked, “As you wish, my Lord.”

Everyone erupted into laughter as she disappeared into the portal.

Zack wiped the tears from his eyes, “Oh yeah, she’s definitely one of us.”

And then, one by one, all of the protectors entered the swirling black, each secretly excited to see their home once again.