RPG Witches: Gods Rising

[Akieen Cloud]

[font="Comic Sans MS"][color="#000080"]Ali looked away from the others, her eyes locking onto Demetri as he scratched his shoulder furiously, frowning she walked over to him and placing her hand on his forehead, her frown deepening as he pulled away with a growl.
"Demetri?"
He looked down at her, his eyes clouded white making her gasp slightly.
"What's wrong love?"
He shook his head, glancing at the rest of the team with a glare that concerned her.
"It's not their fault Demetri, please calm down."
"Why?"
"Why what love?"
"Why do none of them know?"
Ali's frown deepened as her husband continued to sweat and scratch. She caught his hand and grunted as his mind melded with her's for a moment causing her to take a step back. His mind had been a complete jumble to her, not even feeling like her husband. It was than that something clicked in her own mind and she spun around, her eyes searching til she found him.
"Tank?!"
The teen nodded slowly as he walked towards his mother, a look of slight fear on his face.
"Yes?"
she closed the distance between them, putting her hands on his broad shoulders before pulling him into a tight hug.
"We were told you were missing!"
"You were? All I remember was waking up and Patch telling me where you guys were, so I came as fast as I could."
Ali frowned, turning slowly as Demetri growled and slammed his large fist into the wall next to him causing dust to rise into the air.
"Where? Where is it?!"
She took a step forward stopping as Jason got in front of her and sounded out a deep growl.
"Demetri?"
He turned at her voice, his eyes white and sparking as sweat continued to pour from the man.
"Where is it?!"
Ali felt the air shift, felt the hair on her arms stand on end and felt the goose bumps rise on her skin, she whirled on the others.
"Get down!"
She hit the ground as the wind blast came from her husband, but it never hit, hearing the panting above her she rolled onto her back and looked up.
"Marcus?!"
"Thank the gods, I made it just in time."
Catching a stray thought from someone unknown she planted her foot against his back and shoved him forward as the large black panther landed where he had been moments before.
"Not you again!"
Ali rolled to the side and up onto her knees in time to see Marcus run at Demetri.
"Anomander, release him!"
Her attention was diverted however when she suddenly felt Baast's foot connect with her chest causing her to scream and cough in pain.
"Son of a-"
Getting up slowly she caught another kick from the goddess who only smirked.
"Were you not ready for me human?"
Growling and snapping of teeth caught their attention as Jason tackled the panther, both clawing and snapping at each other trying to get the upper hand. Ali took the advantage and brought her right foot around and connecting it with the woman's midsection only to pull her foot back and kick again, and again in a flurry of movement, connecting a total of five kick before the woman grabbed her ankle and threw her. Feeling her back hit the wall she looked up meeting the goddess' yellow eyes, but as Baast bent down to grab Ali she let out a hiss and covered her cheek. Frowning Ali watching as slowly, crimson blood oozed from between her bronzed fingers only to become confused as the goddess spun around glaring at Jason. Than she saw it, the same scratch on the panther's face and she knew the woman's weakness.
"Go for the panther! It's her weakness!"
With that said she pushed off the wall and rushed down the alley away from the others but towards her husband and Marcus, she stopped short as the mystic landed close to her.
"What's going on Marcus!?"
"Anomander! He's inside Demetri, since Sybille took him over years ago, he's easy to use."
"Can you help him?"
Marcus nodded, a low growl coming from him she had never heard before.
"I have to, for them...All of them. I will kill this bastard!"
Before she could ask the two giants clashed again, the backlash of their powers sending her into the brick wall behind her, her head snapping back to collide with the stone, knocking her unconscious, at the same time Demetri crumpled to the ground breathing heavily. Marcus stopped his attack midstream than as he looked around madly.
"Where is he? Where did he go?"
The mystic continued to look around frantically stopping as his eyes locked onto the pool of blood left on the ground, his eyes widening than.
"Where Ali?"
His eyes found the blood again, left from her cracked skull, his should drowned out as the others continued to fight against Baast.
"ALI!"[/color][/font]

[Shwa]

Demitri groaned a bit as he finally mnaged to open his eyes to the sunlight, his vision blurred somewhat as each second passed, but his view finally cleared after a quick flutter. Taking deep breaths, the man could hear some yelling not too far from him, from a familiar voice at that, but the thought was impossible until it finally rang in his head, he was here. Turning to his side and resting on his knees, Demitri finally planted a foot forward and stood up tall, sore, but still managed to keep his grounding from the head rush of blood passing through his body quickly. The muscular soldier looked around the brick alley quarter they were in, but how he got here and why he was feelling so battered threw the man for a loop, until he saw the mystic member of their team shouting for Ali's name, a sense of alarm pulsated in the mans chest now.

"Marcus...what in the world happened? Why are you not at the base looking for Tank??" Demitri made his way over to Marucs, looking down at the man worried.

"Commandant, do you not remember what happened a couple of moments ago? Or withing the past hour?" Marcus cocked an eyebrow, his eyes still shifting and scanning the scenery for traces of Ali, the small pool of blood didn't help his current thinking process, knowing she was probably caught in the crossfire of both his and Demitri's attack on one another during their fight.

"What are you talking about? I was with Ali and Luwein last waiting for the rest of the team to come back and report in....then...then..." Demitri thought long and hard about his next words, he honestly felt embarrassed that he couldn't remember anything that had happened before waking up. "That's odd, nothing is coming to mind"

"Demitri, your mind was taken over, probably without you even realizing it. The work of Anommander no doubt. I went searching for Tank all throughout the base, but when I found him, he expressed his apologies for not being around when needed. But when we questioned him on where he was and the situation with Neos in his own room, the boy couldn't remember a thing. That's when he left to join your team out here. I couldn't detect anything in the shadow realm of his presence, so I made a gamble to come out here and make sure you all were alright, looks like I came in time to stop something horrible from happening". Marcus turned from the commandant and began to run towards another passage that lead out from the center of the alley they were in, more fighting could be heard in the distance, Demitri didn't miss a beat as he followed suit. Still bothered by the fact he was taken over again, but this time it seemed so easy for their enemy to do it this time.

"How was he able to take over my mind without me knowing?" Demitri panted as the two grew closer to the commotion.

"You've been controlled once before, by Sybille. I doubt your own personal barriers are back to their original state, even after so many years. I'm sorry to say Demitri, but you were an easy target." The giant grunted at the comment as they turned another corner, seeing Tank and Sasa take down a couple of full grown lions and smaller felines. Sasa whipped her Machete towards the ground, hearing the sound of the fresh blood leave her blade before taking a hard look at it, the blood was black and almost had a violet sheen to it as well. Tank transformed back to his human flesh form, searching around the battle ground to make sure they were safe, he finally caught a glimps of his father and uncle making their way towards the two.

"Dad! Uncle Marcus! Are you two ok?" Tank asked as the two men approached them, Sasa was a bit cautious when Demitri got close to her, the giant raised an eyebrow at the evil glare she was giving to him.

"Something wrong?" Demitri panted.

"You ok?" She raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips with an annoyed attitude to match.

"Take it easy, he was taken over by Annomander, and I suspect Tank was as well when we couldn't find him before you all left for the mission. What's bothering me was how he was able to travel here from the base so quickly, and jump from one host to the next" Marcus crossed his arms to think, he knew what the man sought after for, and the lives he took just to obtain the throne of Shadows was already past his acceptance level. But they were all targets of the mad man. Tank felt a little uneasy at the thought of being controlled, and Demitri was all but furious.

"Listen, Ali is missing, have you two seen her around?" Demitri broke the silence.

"No, we were a little busy on our own, we all got separated to make sure Baast and her minions didn't get to the innocent civilians, but we couldn't hold them for long. Cloak took a couple of us with him to protect and make a strong fighting stance against her cat friends." Sasa replied, she blinked a couple of times before the three heard an ear piercing scream echoing through the ally. the ground violently shook as all four members stood back to back in a square formation, holding onto one another to stay standing as the scream echoed more. Tank looked up into the sky to see a red flare of light coming from the rooftop, Marcus and Demitri knew who it was coming from.

"ALI" They both shouted in unison, they took haste towards the building she was on top of. Marcus was the first to approach, extending his hands to the ground as the group reformed together, within seconds, the ground levitated where they were standing, sending the 4 members towards the top of the building. Once they arrived, they could see Gene and Pocket on the ground unconscious, Jason on his side breathing heavily as he reached for the young girl. Ali stayed in the center, holding onto Baast's hands as the two struggled to over power one another by sheer grip, but Ali's eyes glowed a shade of blood red, having a evil and gut twisting smile as the goddess Baast struggled and roared at the top of her lungs. Marcus and the others jumped from their ride and landed on the rooftop, just as they did, Demitri and Tank were tackled by the goddess' panther. Sasa went to check on Gene while Marcus looked over at the scene of Ali and Baast, marveled by Ali's power to stand up to a goddess, but his train of through was distracted when the panthers tail latched onto his ankle and pulled hard, sending the mystic to the ground.

"Yeah, welcome back to earth, now how about a hand" Demitri shouted, nearly dodging a snap from the beats sharp fangs, Tank managed to transform his arm into steel and drew it back, launching it forward to make a direct hit to the creatures face as it released the three and coward back to the edge of the building. Demitri looked towards Ali and Baast, extended his hand in the air and launched a powerful wind blast, hitting Baast in the shoulder hard, sending the woman flipping in the air, but she landed on her feet and hands like her feline minions.

"You will not overpower a god mortals, not even with the assistance from another!" She roared, hissing as she stood tall once again.

"Another? What does that mean?" Tank questioned, but then it hit him. But just as he came to the conclusion, Ali gripped the side of her head with both hands and screamed once again, her own power fighting whatever was inside of her until a large shock wave erupted from her form, knocking everyone back who stood. Her hair finally stood still as the commander fell to her knees and panted hard, Demitri got to his feet and mad his way to Ali's side and held her close.

"Are you alright love?" He asked.

"Fine....it was so much...so much darkness everywhere Demitri..." She was at a loss for words like Demitri has been before coming conscious again. The giant was just glad to have her safe, besides her head wound, but he wondered where Anommander could have gone to now, it would be foolish to think he could control a goddess, the thought was impossible. Marcus finally made it to his feet with his head hung, a large smile danced across his face as his eyes snapped open wide with life, soul less life.

"[color="#000000"][b][i]I finally have you mystic...[/i][/b][/color]" A dark voice mixed with his almost in a whisper.

[Darth Vectis]

[size=2]The whole world seemed to stand still then, everyone frozen where they lay, the commander and commandant on their knees as he moved through the field of battle, seeing however was still stunned, some recovering faster then others. He could see a few rising then as, their hands on the ground and their feet planted to get back into the fight. He continued forward, seeing the boy who was easily twice his side still on his back, the armor not having fully covered his body yet as he hadn't even hit the ground yet as it seemed. He could see how the close the family resemblance was to his biological father, how he was almost the spitting image of the man. The Marked Man kept his pace even, maneuvering through the people, until he came across the form of Baast and her loyal panther. He could see she had almost immediately been back on her feet, the panther had the front half of his body standing again, the lower half still laying on the ground as its body contorted. Marcus could almost touch all of them, he felt he could simply reach out and hold them all close once more, but as he reached he felt something stop him. As if he didn't truly exist anymore, that he was simply a shadow in the world of mortals, and when he heard the words, he knew that everything he valued, was in danger.

[b]"I finally have you mystic....." [/b]He heard the voice as if they were whispering right next to him, the words hanging loosely in his skull as he tried to push them away. But he turned in the direction the voice came from, and saw something that chilled his blood so deeply that he had never felt before. The white smile of a dead man showing through the obsidian black skin, the snow white hair hanging to mid-back as it seemed to be caught in the wind, moving with the breeze like a leaf on the wind. Marcus tried to summon his powers then, tried to bring the rage and the hatred to the surface to create enough energy to eliminate the entity. But he found it wouldn't obey his command, it wouldn't rise to his need, the runs remained cold and lifeless and all that followed was a hallow laugh.

[b]"Come now, you didn't think it would be that easy."

"This is impossible! You couldn't have gotten through my barriers!"[/b] Marcus yelled at him then, anyone else hearing the words might of thought it was simply a boast. But, they both knew it was true, his barriers couldn't be broken unless he had allowed them to be. Ali had made her way in through other means, finding a other route into his mind that no one else could find. He could only growl as the laugh returned, trying to steal his soul and his warmth.

[b]"Of course not, but I didn't need to. You and I, Mystic Demos, we share enough that I slipped in with very little problem."

"That doesn't make sense, we share nothing."

"Tsk tsk, Marcus. How can you say that?"[/b] Anomander feigned hurt then, trying to make a face but found he could only grin and let his laugh out again. Marcus clenched his fists as kept trying to call the power, kept trying to bring to life anything to kill Anomander.

[b]"Make sense already, the games are pointless."[/b] He saw what little warmth that was in the smile vanish, all that was left was cruel indifference hidden by the pearl white teeth.

[b]"You have some of my power in you, and I, have some of your power in me."[/b] Marcus' hands fell open then, his eyes widening ever so much then as he stared a the dark creature, putting everything together then, seeing all the dots connect.

[b]"That was.... your plan all along...." [/b]Marcus felt it burn in his mind as the laughter erupted, gripping his head as he fell to his knees trying to get the sound out.

[b]"You are indeed one of the smartest member's of the HDF, but you are also lacking sometimes. You could have seen this coming ages ago, if you had simply accept the Throne."

"It's not mine to accept! No one should have that Throne!"[/b] He growled at the apparition, the laughed was more subtle this time, but just as biting.

[b]"And that's why, you lost Marcus Demos."[/b] The world suddenly caught up to them, the people moving again as eyes blinked once more. Muscles twitched and moved with every movement created, the soulless eyes looking around as he took in the world in his new home. He quickly turned then, moving passed the commandant and commander on the ground as he made it to Baast with Archon at her side. She could see the change had taken the Marked Man, but she failed to notice the difference it made, how the two forced of light and darkness coming together had created something more. She held a snarl on her face, words no longer coming to her as she simply lunged out at the tattooed man, and she froze in mid-air, Marcus only looking at her with a cruel smile.

[b]"You are in my way, wench."[/b] He said as the two voices mixed, creating a turbulent shudder of a voice. She tried to claw at him, tried to rip his throat out as she growled, her panther reacting then as he lunged at Marcus. His hand going up then, catching the panther by the throat as he kept his eyes on the Goddess before him. The panther lashed out with its claws, trying to tear into his flesh but finding that the magic protected him from its wrath.

[b]"I'll kill you! You'll never stand against the gods!"[/b] His dark eyes focused on her face, silently staring at her then before a laugh erupted form his throat, throwing his head back as he let loose a hollow sound that made others around him flinch at the sound. His head coming back down to look her dead in the eyes.

[b]"Your reign is over, the time of Darkness has arrived!"[/b] And with one swift, unceremonious twist of the wrist, he snapped the panthers neck, the creature going limp in his grip and the Goddess following as she suddenly fell to eh ground, her eyes unseeing as the panther fell beside her. Marcus looking at the corpses with a cold smile still in place. Suddenly feeling a large hand on his shoulder, he reacted, throwing up his hand and catching the giant in a force, lifting him off the ground and turning to him. The smile replaced with a cold rage then, murder in his eyes as he began to speak.

[b]"You, Commandant Demetri Athens, you and the fool Marcus Demos tried to kill me once. You will never, find that chance again."[/b] He began to whisper then, ancient words from a forget spell slipping form his lips. Marcus howled in his mind, trying to disrupt the spell, trying to stop the dark creature from fulfilling his dark desire.

[i]'Stop! You can't use this spell, it's too much power!' [/i]The words continued to fall from his lips, the wind picking up as a purple mist appeared and started swirling around Demetri, trying to fight the force as best he could but finding he had no chance of movement.

[i]'That is the point, say goodbye to Demetri Athens. Although, you won't remember him after this is done.'[/i] As the spell continued, the mist began to constrict Demetri, and quickly a scream followed as it became obvious that the mist was doing something to him. And upon closer inspection, it was obvious that the mist was eating away at his body; dissolving every inch as he was being dipped in acid. A blue energy followed the mist now, swirling around and around as the words grew more intense the blue swirled around faster, and everyone who watched found that their vision on him was growing hazy. They could feel something slipping away, as if it they were forgetting the man before them, the mist kept eating as the energy followed, the screams continued as it kept eating away at him. What seemed like an eternity took only mere moments for the mist to reach the top of his head, the screams gone as the energy suddenly balled up, compressing into a tight sphere for only a split second, before it suddenly exploded, creating a wave of pure energy that ripped through air. All who were around were struck by this wave, Marcus the first to collapse as it passed through his body, the others followed as they each fell once more to the hard ground, Anomader retreating then to the dark recesses of the mystics mind. And all would awake soon enough, but with one thing missing, and that would be the memory of Demetri Athens. [/size] Edited March 29, 2012 by Nergil Pendelton

[Akieen Cloud]

[font="Comic Sans MS"][color="#000080"]occ: Swing batter batter! We're back in the game!!! *happy dance*


Ali woke, her eyes blinking open as she stared at the white ceiling of the med ward, her head pounding and her body sore. She sat up slowly, groaning as her body argued the movement; still stiff and wanting nothing more than to rest. She jumped as she felt a hand land on her shoulder and looked up at Patch, Jean and Sasa standing behind him, both covered in scrapes and bruises.
"Relax Ali, your alright."
"What happened?"
"You all had a rough fight with Baast, but Marcus was able to take her down."
She shook her head slightly and than took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she slipped from the bed, the other moving back to give her room.
"What is our next move Commander, we still have a few more gods to go before this is over and done with."
She nodded and wiped her eyes as she straightened fully and stretched, feeling the stiffness in her body she let out a groan.
"Talk to the Commandant. I need a shower and I need to collect my thoughts."
Patch nodded.
"Of course."
She stumbled slightly before finding her footing and making it out of the med ward, walking down the halls she began to realize that something felt off about her surroundings, as if there was something she was missing. Shaking it off she continued down the halls til she ran into a solid body that made her stumble back. Looking up her cheeks flushed as she met the dark brown eyes, she felt as if something was off about him, his eyes seeming to be darker than usual. She inclined her head and moved past him only to look back as he grabbed her arm gently.
"Are you alright Alex?"
"I'm fine Commandant Demos."
She felt her cheeks heat even more as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, her hands instantly finding purchase on his chest to feel his warm skin and quick heartbeat.
"You know you don't have to be so formal with me in the halls."
She shook her head and gave him a small smile as her finger began to trace small circles on his chest.
"It's protocol."
He smirked and pulled her closer, causing her to gasp.
"Is it now? Is it protocol for you to listen to everything I tell you as well?"
She shook her head and pushed against him lightly.
"Marcus, not right now. It's the middle of the day and I need a shower."
"Might I join you?"
She shook her head and pushed against him slightly harder this time, a feeling of unsettling beginning to creep into the back of her mind.
"Not this time Marcus."
He frowned, pulling her tighter against him and tipping his head down to kiss her neck.
"Are you positive?"
She took a deep breath and pushed him back gently."
"Yes, not this time love."
She moved past him moving towards her room, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong, she shook her head slightly and moved into her room blinking as a small child ran up to her.
"Mommy!"
She caught the boy as he ran to her giving her a bright smile, his light brown hair and dark brown eyes reminding her so much of the man she just left in the hall, but there were other features that were not her's that she could not place.
"Hey baby, did you have fun at school today with Professor Touch?"
He nodded happily before leaping from her arms and rushing through the small living quarters, a large dark hound trailing after him. Shaking her head she decided that instead of a shower, she needed sleep. She looked up as the doors opened behind her and a large teen stepped in, his arm around a younger girl.
"Tank, stop teasing me. It's not funny!"
"It is when it's my little sister...Oh, hey mom. How did the mission go?"
"F-fine, it went fine. Baast is dead."
"That's great! How many are left? Maybe I can go next time?"
She shook her head, the teenager infront of her reminding her of someone, but she couldn't seem to gather her thoughts enough to remember him. But something about all this felt wrong.
"Mom, you okay?"
"I'm...I'm going to go and get some rest. You and Lily do your homework and take care of Neos. I'm not feeling to good right now."
They nodded and watched as she left and went to her room, as soon as she lay down her eyes drifted shut, blurry images flashed through her mind of a handsome man with hazel eyes, a soft, deep voice that if asked she would swear that he was calling out to her.[/color][/font]

[Shwa]

Constant ringing. The only source of sound that filled the void of the empty environment as Demitri floated aimlessly in the air, his eyes completely white, not by the use of power he used to fight off whatever was happening to him while Marcus chanted his spell, but white to symbolize the emptiness he felt all over his body. His mouth ajar slightly, no breaths were taken, no muscles moved, nothing connected with the giant as he simply floated in a cosmos unknown to him. Yet, despite the numbness and chills, he was at peace with himself for a while, his body hung lifelessly as it drifted slowly, as if a corpse through space itself danced the Death Waltz, but alone this time. Death was something the commandant was use to in his line of work, and gods only know how many times the human himself has escaped its clutches from countless battles with his family and friends...in the end, he always remained the victor and basked in the spoils of continuing life. Yet now, he seemed to forget such tribulations as he relaxed, his body slowly coming to life, his fingers stretching and flexing, his breathing coming back to normal. The only throwback was his eyes, soul less and empty, much like his trials with being Sybille's slave so many years ago. Suddenly, a voice broke the everlasting silence and echoed with great force around Demitri, the giant stirred slightly, but never flinched from his limp form as he continued to float in the abyss of light.

"[color="#48D1CC"][b][i]Why do you come here mortal?[/i][/b][/color]" The feminine voice asked with might, yet added a delicate woman's concern. The ominous presence could see Demitri from all angles as the mans body arched backwards, his arms and legs hung downwards as his head leaded back into the void.

"W-what do you mean?" His voice was rasp, yet strong enough to answer.

"[color="#48D1CC"][i][b]Why have you come to the gates of those passed? You're life cycle is far from over little one, yet you are here without our permission. Do you know the punishment for entering our realm before your time human?[/b][/i][/color]" The woman could see Demitri's eyes, still nothing to read from his gaze.

"I...I do not understand..." Demitri tried to move his body, but it refused against his command. The woman's voice gasped for a moment, there was a long silence before another scream filled the void, it was from Demitri. His body shook and convulsed with great force, his screams a constant echo of pain and resistance against whatever purged his body. It took only moments, but quickly ended as Demitri panted and groaned lazily to catch his breath.

"[color="#48D1CC"][i][b]I see. You now exist outside the boundaries of time and space, but something, or someone has prevented your return to your natural plain. Poor dear, I shall grant you access to your resting place with mercy, you are welcomed here[/b][/i][/color]" The woman's voice was kind, but Demitri was scared. A single tear escaped from his eyes, trailing down the side of his head as the droplets fell and floated around his body. Before long, Demitri could hear another voice talking, and he could see a green orb floating above his face. Slowly scanning and observing the human who has entered the realm unnaturally, more talk could be heard from this orb and the woman's voice, but the giant could not make out what they were saying. It made no difference, after a couple of minutes, the orb shot itself into Demitri's heart, instantly vanishing his body from the endless white void. "[color="#48D1CC"][i][b]I shall see you again human, but not until your time has come[/b][/i][/color]" She stated. What seemed like weeks of sleep turned into hours upon hours of darkness, but wherever he was, time was different. Demitri could make out two voices talking amongst themselves, and the crackling of a fireplace brought heat to warm his body slightly, but it was a different kind of heat, a spiritual force that refreshed the giant as he slumbered. Slowly, Demitri opened his eyes, the bright crimson fire in front of him burned with no sight of stopping, the image reminding the man of the times he's spent with his family camping when he was younger. The talking stopped for a brief moment.

"Ah, so the sleeping man awakes. It's about time, the s'mores are almost done" Demitri looked over to his left at the man who spoke, he seemed awefuly familiar, but more so on his physical appearance. It reminded the man of Marcus.

"Well we would have been more prepared had you gathered everything we needed in the beginning and not lollygag around" The eldest of the three stated, resting on a thick piece of lumber as he sat close to the fire like Demitri had been. The giant groaned in pain, he could feel his body strain, his energy fluctuated from high to low, yet the more the fire burned, the better he felt as he scooted closer. "Atta boy Demitri, just keep close and stay warm"

"W-w-w-ho are you two?" Both began to laugh slightly, Demitri had appeared to be in a drunken stupor as he sat Indian style close to the fire.

"I'm surprised that grandson of mine hasn't bragged about us, but he is the mysterious type. Not to mention a brat as well" The eldest laughed. "But we'll get to him in a moment. My name is Shadowthrone, but that's way beyond your time Athens. Don't worry my boy, you're safe here" Demitri shook his head slightly as if to stay awake, the other man pointed his finger towards the fire, instantly it grew in size and strength.

"I fear we're only delaying the inevitable...but we're good at doing that" He laughed. "I'm Cotillion, just think of us as your guides while you're in the Shadow Realm" The name brought a new life and fear into Demitri's body, how had he gotten into the shadow realm without the help of Neos or Marcus? The giant stood up, surprising the other two men at his new found strength. "Take it easy son, you've been out for a couple of months....which is like a a couple hours in your world but who's counting? Am I right?" He smiled, but Demitri was in no mood for jokes.

"How did I get here? Last thing I remember was Marcus..." Then it hit him, it was Marcus who probably sent him here.

"Not Marcus, my grandson is a powerful mystic, but whoever sent you here used dangerous dark magic to completely get rid of you. However, after talking with the Lady of the Gates, she let us bring you here to recover and find a way to get you back to your world and fix what has been done." Shadowthrone stood from his spot, using his cane to aide his body as he stood, both men looked out into the distance, as if waiting for someone.

"I don't understand, if he didn't send me here, who did? I was with my team and Marcus last before coming here..." Demitri stood with the others, there was a vortex like swirl that opened in an instant, another figure coming out and joining the three men. Cotillion and Shadowthrone noted the statement made by Demitri about Marcus, yet they still didn't want to think of the possibility of...

"I got the back up chocolates" He smiled, Demitri's heart pumped violently against his chest when he heard the voice, he couldn't believe his own eyes as he saw his father approach and join the group. Shield opened his eyes for a moment and gasped at his own sights, dropping his items as he rushed towards Demitri, placing his hands on his son's shoulders, shaking him slightly as he spoke.

"What are you doing here Demitri!? This is no place for you..." Demitri fell to his knees and hugged his fathers waist, crying as he father knelt down and embraced his son. Shield looked back at the other two men, each of them exchanging mental information towards Pavlos about what has happened and how they rescued him from the Lady of the Gates. Shield nodded as he comforted his son, soon Demitri passed out from exhaustion as the three men drug his body and laid him next to the camp fire.

"He cannot stay here" Shield spoke sternly.

"I'll say, if we have to drag his body more than once a day I'd be ready to send him back to the lady" Cotillion grunted, receiving a hard punch to the shoulder by Shield. "What? Not my fault your genes make you bulky and heavy"

"He is right though, even if he did stay, he would be forever stuck next to this fire with can supply him of just enough energy to stay transparent in his physical form. Whatever spell Annomander used is a potent one, if Demitri loses his physical form while in the Shadow realm with us, the spell will be completed and irreversible in the human world. We must do research and try to find some way to counter its effects, even for a little while" Shadowthrone stated, all three men nodded, before they could act, another figure walked close to them from the distance, it was an elderly woman, Lady Dream Catcher.

"My lady, what brings you here?" Shield asked, the woman looked down at the Commandant as he slept, but she did not recognize him whatsoever. But the aura around his body informed her that he was not meant for this realm, yet something was amiss. She walked over to Demitri's body and knelt down, placing a hand on his forehead, there was a spark that shocked her hand the instant she touched his skin, making her reel back and stand once more.

"This man, he is not one who can live here as you three do" She stated plainly.

"This man? Do you not remember my only son? That is Demetri Athens, he's the current Commandant of the Human Defense Force my lady" Shield replied, she only raised an eyebrow. She knew Pavlos to be a joker at times, but this was treason he spoke of, thankfully the laws of the human world were not valid in the Shadow Realm.

"Pavlos, you are mistaken. Commandant Demos, my son is the current leader of HDF. You never had a son, as far as I know of. You told me years ago that the Lady Touch, heiress to the Belmont Vampire slayers, married another man from your old unit. From there you just stayed a bachelor...and a rather bad one at that" She chuckled, but none of the men laughed as they exchanged glances with one another. "Am I missing something?"

"The spell has done more damage than I had anticipated...Demitri doesn't even exist" Shield shook his head sadly.

"We know the boundaries now, but if Marcus is tainted as we suspect he might be, we cannot fully trust him as our contact to the human world, not with Annomander so close to him now. I know that no matter what goes through my boys mind, he would never use such a callous spell, especially against an ally." Cotillion grunted, that's when all three men looked at Lady Dream Catcher and smiled wickedly.

"Whatever it is, it had better be good" She joined the three around the spiritual campfire and filled her in on what has happened recently. None of it made sense to the woman, but she did feel a strange pull towards Demitri as he laid sleeping close by. Some parts of their explanation made sense, others seemed way off base and disrespectful towards her son Marcus. But, if he had been tainted by Annomanders dark magic, it made her that much fearful of the current situation. Demitri stirred slightly as the others spoke, collecting his thoughts on all that's happened and seeing flashes from his last battle with Marcus. His screams, his pain, his trials failed the commandant, but as he went through the ordeal, he could only see one person at the corner of his eye looking horrid at what was happening .

([color="#0000FF"][b][i]Ali[/i].....[/b][/color])

[Darth Vectis]

[size=2]He charged and rammed into the walls, the energy sparking to life as it bounced him back against its force, the runes around the room hold him fast as he roared with all his might. His powers surging through his body as he continued to smashed into the walls, hitting a different place each time like he was looking for a weakness, even thought he knew for a fact his father had not only made and crafted the web around this room; Marcus had added his own web around the room as well. His body felt like it was on fire, the runes seemed to be searing into his flesh now as if he was getting them tattooed all at the same time. The edges becoming harsher and the runes themselves seemed to hold a different power on their own, the purpose dark and foreboding as they held something out of his reach. His random rage seemed to settle for now as he came back to his mind, feeling an emptiness and darkness worming it's way through his body. he saw down at the one table with the single chair, both objects runed and protected from anything he could do to them. He felt like he was going mad, as if everything was horrible wrong in the world and he couldn't understand what the problem was, besides him. He put both of his elbows on the table, his hands bound now by one of his sashes the runes stitched into it kept him from breaking the bond, placing his head in his hands as he recalled the events that had occurred to bring him here.

[b]"I just don't understand Ali!"[/b] Marcus raised his voice then, the fight seemed to be going on for days now. And it seemed to be about the same thing now, Marcus and Ali arguing about anything that could be argued about. First it had started off with something simple, but it always escalated into something more quickly, and it seemed that Marcus was the one to make it worse. His emotions were almost out of control, the smallest thing set him off into a full rage and with each outburst it grew worse and more intense, the last time he had picked up an object and thrown it across the room before snapping out of it. After each fight, Marcus would slump down into a chair, his runes would glow a sickly color before fading, holding his face in his hand as he tried to understand where the rage was coming from. Ali would come to comfort him then even thought there was always an ever-present fear in her heart that she was seeing the real Marcus now, someone who was driven mad by a decade of hunting his apprentice and another three years away from his son and loved ones. He did his best to reassure her that he was alright, apologizing for the whole thing, telling her he wouldn't let it happen again. But, they always found themselves in the same position, just as they were now, their voices raising then.

[b]"Of course you don't! You are hardly here anymore to help him with anything he needs, it is always just me now!"[/b] Ali came back at him then, both of them feeling the tension build in their muscles, this fight was quickly growing more turbulent by the second.

[b]"What are you talking about? I am always here for them, I get my work done and then I'm here for them!"

"That is complete crap Marcus, you may be here in body, but your mind is gone along with your spirit. Off roaming those other worlds of yours with Neos, you never have time for Tank or Lily and they need you just as much as he does."[/b] A growled bubbled up from marcus throat, his hands tensing into fists as his anger seemed to keep growing.

[b]"What do you know? You can't understand anything that Neos and I do, I have to teach him how to control his powers before he becomes and adolescent. Can you even comprehend how destruct he could be if he doesn't know how to deal with his power?"[/b] Ali came back with an equally powerful growl at him.

[b]"Of course I do! He is our son Marcus Demos, our baby. But Tank needs someone too, he feels like an outcast because he has no one to relate to. Lily at least looks a little bit like me to feel like she belongs to this family, but he is seventeen years old, he is facing his adolescents now!"

"Why does it matter? He dealt with far worse when he was with that animal Berserk, he is a strong kid and can manage on his own."

"What the hell is the matter with you? He is lost and confused and he needs a father figure to be there for him and that needs to be you!"

"I didn't ask for any of this Ali, I didn't ask for Tank, I didn't ask for Lily, and I didn't ask for Neos either. But here it is, all of us together now in our so happy family, their adoptive mother the Commander of HDF and her boyfriend the Commandant."[/b] He saw the hurt in her eyes then, the rage leaving her as pain filled in. Part of him felt a terrible pain for the words, they felt wrong, they felt forced as if someone was forcing them past his lips. He saw signs of tears in her eyes then as he steeled her face.

[b]"If that is how you really feel, then don't worry about it any more Commandant Demos."[/b] He felt a stab at his chest then, his heart thumping painfully before rage swelled in to cover the pain.

[b]"What does that mean Ali?"[/b] She shook her head at him then.

[b]"No, don't call me that. We're through, get out of my house!"[/b] She instantly pointed then, Marcus felt everything falling apart then as he saw what he would of done, what he should of done in this situation. He would of fallen to his knees, would of stayed right there, begging for her forgiveness, telling her how he would change, how it was all just words and that they meant nothing. He would tell her of how he loved her and how he loved the kids, how the words didn't belong to him. None of this ever happened as the rage and anger filled up his every thought and action. His hand went out lightning fast, snatching her wrist twisting it painfully behind her back, he heard her let out a grunt as her eyes went wide.

[b]"I don't think so, it's not over until I say so!"[/b] The panic clear in her face, struggling to get out of his grip as he held tighter, squeezing harder on her as she tried to get free. He suddenly felt something at his side, and energy that he was all too familiar with as he looked. Neos stood by then, his runes glowing as he looked at Marcus with dark eyes, but they way he stared, almost seemed as if he was looking past him to somewhere else.

[b]"Let go of my mommy!"[/b] He rushed forward then, read to hit Marcus as best as he could but without knowing any real fighting techniques it quickly turned into him throwing balled fists and trying to kick him anyway he could. The next moment took them all by surprise as Marcus other hand appeared, swinging downward and smashing into the side of Neos' head. Enough force to make the small boy to fall over, sprawling on the ground, the rage still swimming through his veins that drowned out Ali's scream. But Neos moved from the ground, his body shifting as he rose, the back hand obvious on the side of his face as it showed deep red. But Neos' face said volumes of his endurance, he was hard looking, no sign of tears in his eyes as the boy stared at his father.

[b]"Monsters never win, and my Wind daddy will make sure of that."[/b] Neos' words seemed to have a profound effect on Marcus mind, bringing him back as he looked around, remembering where he was and seeing that he was clenching Ali in his hand he let go. The horror of his flowing into him as he backed away from them, Ali instantly going to Neos and hold him closing, whispering words of comfort to him as he held on to her too, still looking at Marcus as he backed up into the island in the kitchen.

[b]"No, no, no, no, no, no, no no NO!"[/b] Marcus yelled then as he felt everything wash of him, Ali ready to turn on him when he suddenly gripped his head, the fire burning through his body and his head feeling as if it was being split in half. He let out a cry then, still gripping his head firmly as he thrashed, crashing into the island and knocking pots and pans off the counter. His cries growing louder as he fell to the ground, thrashing as the pain intensified for several more seconds before subsiding enough fro him to breath and to somewhat think clearly. He stayed on his back then, breathing heavily as he saw Neos standing over him, Ali knelling at his side as she looked into his eyes and saw the kindness in them again.

[b]"Marcus, whats wrong?"[/b] He shook his head, feeling deep inside the pain was only going to get worse.

[b]"Get the sash Ali, throw me in the runed room. Don't open the door."[/b] He didn't dare explaining anything more, for fear he wouldn't get the chance to tell her anything important, she moved away then, coming back quickly with his sash. He instantly held out his arms, holding them together and she quickly understood as she wrapped it around his wrists and tying it off. She ran to the door then, gone for several moments before coming back with three guards, HDF members whose powers fit the security category. They picked him up off the ground, helping him to his feet before carrying him off to the room they all knew about, the journey didn't seem long enough as Marcus tried to tell Ali everything on his sober mind.

[b]"It wasn't me, none of it, don't forget anything. Find Break, and Dream Catcher."[/b] She nodded as he comforted him as best she could, they reached the door to the room soon enough, the runes carved even on the outside now to create an impenetrable barrier. When they reached the door they were releasing the locks, he looked to her then, getting as close as he could so he could talk to her quietly.

[b]"Don't forget, I love you. Don't forget."[/b] Before anything else could be said, he was pushed inside and the door closed. He simply sat at the table now, the pain receding as he wait for Break and his mother to arrive, hoping answers would come with them.[/size] Edited March 29, 2012 by Nergil Pendelton

[Shwa]

Years have passed as Demitri toiled away in the Shadow Realm, searching and training his spiritual body to pass the time as his father and Marcus' family sought continuously to find a counter measure to Annomanders spell. They too toiled away, reaching out to Omnipotent beings and friends alike in their own planes of the world, but so far no answers could be given to undo what has been done to the Commandant. Demitri began to roam the Shadow Realm on his own now, thanks to the help from Cotillion and his father, the energizing flame from the camp fire now hovers around his body encased in small bubbles thanks to his fathers shield powers to keep them in place. It was good enough for Demitri, being stuck next to their campfire spot tested his nerves to no end, along with the countless stories told by Shadowthrone and his own father. Demitri continued his pace of walking in solitude, remembering back to the conversation he had with his father months before...

[i]"[b]He was after her all along my boy, yet I was so blind to see it by all the mess that occured with your team and keeping up with the base, I was a fool and was taken down like one"[/b] Shield sighed heavily as he took a swig from his cup, Demitri closed his eyes and shook his head.

"[b]No dad, you're no fool and I don't think anyone could ever label you as one, not with the history you've had with our organization. Not to mention, you did something honorable that not a lot of people could ever imagine doing, especially for family...I know, trust me...I know[/b]" Demitri opened his eyes once more, his vision blurred by small tears forming, but it bothered the giant none. His father smiled as he took another swig. There was a long silence between the two, the crackling of the flames kept them occupied and warm as they sat and conversed, but the air was thick around the two, so many unanswered questions and emotions running high between the two, most coming from Demitri.

"[b]I know what you're thinking my boy..."[/b] Shield broke the silence as he peered over to his only son. "[b]If you were there with us, you could have prevented my murder, I'm sorry to say that it would have been impossible, and you would have been sent to the gate while I remain here.[/b]" Shield adjusted himself to be more comfortable as he sat, Demitri grunted in anger from those words. "[b]But let me tell you this, you and your mother were the last thing on my mind before I passed on, believe me when I say that.[/b]"

"[b]I do dad...but it shouldn't have happened that way. Annomander mentioned something about a "Healer" when we were in Russia, and I had a hunch it was about mom since he made the comment towards me directly, but with everything that escalated from that time, I didn't bother to check into it further. I should have though, dammit all I should have[/b]" Shield stood from his spot and made his way towards his son, taking a seat next to him as he patted the solid soldier on the shoulder.

"[b]Don't ever regret something Demitri, that's not the way I raised you. Make command decisions, and never take them back. Others may hate you for it, but at least they know where you stand on your frame of mind[/b]." Demitri nodded, his father was right, in his positions from the start of joining HDF, he's always had to be the logical thinker, less on emotional thoughts to cloud his mind, he usually left those feelings to Ali. She was able to balance out work and emotions at the same time, and yet still rise in the ranks at an early age. "[b]No matter what, we always go on our motto, when monsters go bump at night...[/b]"

"[b]We bump back[/b]" Demitri smiled as he wiped his eyes from gathering tears, looking deep into the fire in front of them as he pondered more about his current situation. "[b]Dad....what's it like?[/b]" Shield raised an eyebrow at the statement. "[b]Death, I've been so close to it all my life, even with the human military, but I've never experienced it. What's it like?[/b]" Shield pondered for a moment before answering back.

"[b]It's like an old friend, someone you'll never forget and when it comes to you, it's nothing horrible or scary. Just a reminder of something you've always known was there, and when it finally comes, you welcome it by choice or not, its always there[/b]" Shield turned his head and stared at the fire as well, thinking deeply back to the night when he saved his wife, Madam Touch, from the final blow of Annomanders claw by dropping her on the floor. "[b]You will feel pain, we all will, no matter how strong a person is or claim they are, pain will come. But it only lasts a couple of seconds most.[/b]"

"[b]Does it hurt?[/b]" Demitri asked as he listened closely.

"[b]Hell yes it does![/b]" Shield laughed, Demitri couldn't help but laugh as well, though he didn't want to. "But like I said, only a couple of seconds"

"[b]How did you come to stay in the Shadow Realm? Last time my team was here fighting off Annomander, I was effected and so were other members of my team[/b]" Demitri took a swig from his cup awaiting an answer.

"[b]It's a well known secret that a lot of people don't know what the Shadow Realm is my boy, hence why such adequate living space. Magical users were the first to discover this realm by meditation and summonings, eventually they were able to physically and spiritually come here with enough training and experience. Most of their magic comes from this place, especially the energy to fuel their powers, but too much is deadly. Now then, during the time of Alexander the Great, a number of psychics were able to utilize their powers on another plane and began to enter the Shadow Realm as well, mostly for an escape or personal time, but their powers are mental. The Shadow Realm is a place for magical and mystical means, but because of the similarities in their powers, psychics can remain here and not suffer the life draining side effects like you mentioned.[/b]" Demitri listened intently at the information, he was more astonished that his father knew about the history of the realm and its guidelines, it was surprising to say the least.

"[b]That still doesn't answer my question dad. You're not magical of psychic, how are you here?[/b]" Shield stroked his beard and smiled.

"[b]I knew a powerful mystic years back in my platoon when I was just a private, we became good friends, the best of them, during our years together with HDF. Yet, he strayed away and went out on his own to make a family and train. He accomplished all of that before he parted from the human world, but even now his bloodline continues on his path with our organization.[/b]" Shield smiled as Cotillion and Shadowthrone both emerged from their vortex portal on the other side of the fire. Both smiling as they peered towards Demitri.

"[b]Good news my boy, we've found a way to take your from this place so you can roam around[/b]" Shadowthron slowly walked over to the two as they began to talk.
[/i]
Demtiri rubbed the side of his face softly as he stopped in his tracks, looking forward, there was still a vast void of land and nothing in sight for miles and miles. The giant groaned to himself, but there was some padding that could be heard from behind, turning around, he could see a large hound in defensive stance growling at the commandant. It was Gear, one of Neos' protective hounds in the Shadow realm. But they knew him by another name in the human world, the hound snapped his jaws and barked viciously at the human, knowing his presence here was disrespectful and unwanted by the realm. Teeth sharp and presentable as the hound scooted closer and closer to its target, Demitri fully turned and faced the creature, kneeling down on one knee to come to a lower level and meet the hounds gaze face to face.

"Sly?" Demitri whispered, the hound suddenly stopped its growling, sniffing for a moment at the air that surrounded the Commandant, instantly wagging its tail at the familiar scent. the hound approached Demitri and began to lick the man on the face happily, the giant laughed as he patted the hound on the head. As soon as Demitri placed a hand on Gear's head, it seemed as all the information Demitri had flew into the mutts mind in a flash. Gear stopped his licking and quickly bit the commandant on the shoulder, before the man could yell in pain, they both vanished from their spot and reappeared in another area of the realm. But this place was different, everything was bright white, like the void Demitri floated in when he was in the presence of the Lady of the Gate. But behind the commandant was a single chair, it looked like a chair a king would take a seat on, but it was styled Gothic and very ancient looking. The handled of the chair curled at the end, the four legs extended as if they were spiders legs, the back of the chair sprang upwards and curled int he air until they connected once more. In the center of the twists and turns of the wood, there was a symbol in the middle in blood red coloring, but it was unfamiliar to Demitri. The man stood slowly and approached the seat, climbing a couple of steps on the white floor to reach it. It was definitely unique in design, Demitri extended his own hand to touch the handle, placing a couple of fingers to feel the smooth yet cold surface....

...Neos looked up at Marcus with hatred and anger in his eyes, the sting from the slap burned, but yet he was feeling powerful on the inside the say what burned in his heart.

"[i][b]Monsters never win, and my Wind Daddy will make sure of that[/b][/i]"..

...As soon as Demitri lifted his hand from the chair, he vanished once more back towards the campfire, the others pondering on his ability of appearing out of nowhere, especially with one of Neos' hounds standing next to his leg.

"Can you warn us when you're going to pop in and out? It's kind of rude ya know" Shadowthrone squinted his eyes in annoyance, Demitri blinked a couple of times and looked around. Still baffled at the sudden change of scenery. Looking down, he noticed Gear was gone now. "You tell the dog to sit, he runs away, you tell him to play dead, he takes your can and doesn't give it back for years...I hate dogs.

"You shouldn't have hit him with that cane in the first place" Cotillion snickered for a moment.

"Well he stole my sandwich!" The old man protested.

Ali slowly made herself into Neos' room that evening of the fight, before gathering Break and Lady Dream Catcher, she wanted to make sure her son was alright after the argument and what Marcus had done during his time of rage. She stepped slowly towards his bed, seeing the young toddler sleeping soundly with his large hound curled around his body, as if he were a guardian to protect the boy while he slumbered. She smiled slightly at the thought, kneeling down and covering up her child with a thin blanket sheet and leaning over to kiss the side of his cheek gently. She got up and left the room, soon after leaving the house to attend to her duties and find the two people Marcus had instructed her to obtain. Back in Neos' room, the sound stirred in its sleep, slowly the fur changed color, from head to toe the hairs grew longer with a bright orange sheen until it stopped at the tip of it's tail, which turned out to be white. Fully transformed now, the large fox stirred more until it opened its eyes, staring down at the child as he slumbered. His long, fluffy tail wrapping around the boys waist and back again as the large fox nestled his head next to Neos', growling softly as he surrendered to sleep himself, knowing all too well the present dangers his family was in.

[Akieen Cloud]

Okay, I'm gonna get a post in this later today you guys. I'm trying to think of how to bring Exodus into this and what not. So as soon as I figure that out, it'll be up promise!

[Deadpool]

[color="#FF0000"][size="1"]ooc: dont worry i got permission. Thanks for keeping Jason alive and keeping his comedy going but its also helps to know a little more backstory to him

IC: Jason sat on the roof of the manor. Everyone was off preparing and training or settling their inner demons leaving Jason to his own thoughts. He popped off the cork to the bottle of rum and finished off the last half and let it roll off the roof. Almost a second later came the crash of glass shattering as it landed on one of the other bottles he had finished in his alone time. He let out a sigh as he reached back to the wooden crate behind him and pulled another bottle. This one being an aged whiskey. Unlike the others his inner demons couldnt leave. They struggled for control constantly, never giving him a break in his life. But yet everyday he would put on the same happy fake smile and do the same dance that nothing was wrong for everyone. Mainly Ali, God only knew how much she would flip if she knew what was going on with him, but lucky the wolf inside of him prevented her power from reaching his core.

The wolf stopped everything. His life, his age, his happiness. Even the beating of his past wife's heart. Now he had Calypso to worry about. He knew in the back of his mind that he was going to watch her grow old and die. He would watch all of them. He would be the last one to continue in this forsaken world. He took a swig as he reached into his holster and pulled out a pistol, then preceded to take a silencer out for his other pocket. His yellow eyes glowed in the light of the rising moon as he screwed it on then pressed it to the bottom of his jaw. Without a second thought he pulled the trigger sending a spray of blood behind him. He body lay motionless for a time as the wound began to close itself. His eyes shot open as the dying remnants of pain slowly went away. He let out a sigh, his warm breath rolling in the hair.

He took another swig as he shot himself in the shoulder then watched the wound close and press the bullet out as he bit into his lip to fight back the pain. It wasnt really pain at all, every feeling slowly became dull everytime it happened. This damn wolf, thats all he was now was the wolf man. Something that the orginzation that he rose to the ranks of fame in, it was one of the very things they hunted. it was also why he was treated the way he was, an outcast, always expected to turn at a moments notice and have to be put down.

Yes the others were his friends but he could see the looks in their eyes when they saw him, the way they spoke to him, the scent they gave off when they were around him. Jason knew they didnt mean to in the least bit, but it was years of being trained that what he was now is something evil and needed to be cleansed from this world. And now look he is one of those very things.

That and he had killed his wife from years ago with his bare hands. When he had fallen off the grid to hide from his very company after killing his entire time single handedly he had ran home to his wife, his love. Thersea. He closed his eyes as the wave of memories came back. The splashes of blood, the screams as he tore into her throat, the look of fear in her eyes. A single tear fell down his face as he sat up and took another drink and looked back down at the pistol.

[i][b]"Its cause you refuse to eat"[/b][/i]

Jason looked over at the pale wolf sitting beside him. The demon that was now at home in his body. [b]"Yeah and I have had to much to drink again which brings me back to talking to you"[/b]

The wolf's yellow eyes sparkled as it looked up at the moon. [i][b]"At least you get to love"[/b][/i]

Jason's eyes shot towards the wolf. [b]"And i never will be able to again thanks to your rage that puts everyone in harm's way around me."[/b]

[i][b]"That's because we are at odds with each other. You hate me cause you think everything is my fault. If you never took this job in the beginning we never would have met. If you had fed us like you were supposed to then Thersea would be alive and we would be happy and warm right beside her."[/b][/i] The massive wolf laid down next to him and tilted the bottle with its paw letting some of the whiskey pour out then licked it up.

[b]"Thersea was mine, never ours. How dare you!"[/b] He felt his anger rise inside of him.

The wolf turned its head to him. [i][b]"That is another problem. You let your anger get the best of you too fast. Anger is not the only thing that drives a wolf. It is the pack. The family. Now that i am a part of you the only family I have left is Ali, Neos, Marcus, Demetri, and now Calypso. Do not let your anger drive her away cause you are scared"[/b][/i]

Jason paused to look at the wolf, his anger fading. [b]"The only reason you have them is because your a part of me"[/b] He backed up as the wolf's jaws snapped right in front of his face.

[i][b]"Wrong. I had a family through blood. That entire coven was my family, if you can think about it. Every single one that turned themselves off of you was my family. The way that you were turned made my side of you an orphan. An expirement. Thats all i was, thats all i am. I have no family of my own. Did you not stop to think that your wolf side has always been slightly different then the reports of other covens. No you didn't cause you have only been thinking about yourself. I used to hate you for the blood you shed back there, until i came to see your mind. With the alcohol you let me in, your defenses lowered. Now all i want is for us to be one. Like this our powers are limited and at odds with each other. But if we can actually become one i think we will be stronger."[/b][/i]

Jason took another drink as he looked up at the moon. [b]"How am I going to know you wont take over completely and kill everything?"[/b]

The wolf followed his gaze to the moon. [i][b]"Because as much as you hate to admit it Jason. We are so very much alike. When you get angry you wreslte the form from me. when i get angry i wrestle control from you. But think if we were both one and the same, working together to protect our...your family"[/b][/i]

Jason looked at his wolf half in a new light. [b]"Ours. Not much way I can get rid of you know is there"[/b] He let out a small laugh as the wolf nodded. [b]"But still my past haunts me"[/b]

The wolf stood up on its legs. [i][b]"Have you even cried yet?"[/b][/i]

Jason shoot him a look. [b]"What, no I drink myself in a stupor."[/b] He was about to raise the bottle to his lips when the wolf kicked it out of his hands. [b]"You know I think the group would understand me talking to myself. But fighting with myself would probably get me muzzled with one of those plastic cone collars and those dont look very comfertable."[/b]

The wolf swished its tail. [i][b]"Just let it all out"[/b][/i] With out it let out a sad sounding howl towards the moon that seem to bring tears to his eyes. When the howl finished it let out another and another to the point when Jason broke down in tears. Jason transformed into his wolf form only now instead of the white coat, his fur was now a solid black with white paws and a white diamond on its chest with the eyes a bright ice blue. The howl that came out of him carried the saddest and eeriest tone to it but Jason couldnt control himself. Years worth of memories pushed their way forward and out through his howls.[/size][/color]

[Shwa]

For the years that have passed in the Shadow Realm, mere hours have passed in the human world, giving Demitri plenty of time to train with his father and the Demos family while their inside agent in the human world worked on their end to find the main solution to their problems. Demitri dripped sweat from his face as his muscles worked to expand and grow, the physical training wore the giant out to its maximum, but it needed to be done for the inevitable showdown with Annomader, and possibly Marcus in the future. Demitri grunted as his arms fought and resisted the extensive push-ups, they needed time to rest and be still, but the giant was not concerned for what his body needed. To win, he must be in tip-top form, for whatever may come. Cotillion and Shadowthrone stared at the muscular man from the distance, Shield next to them as they spoke.

"[i][b]Our magic can't last forever, whatever that woman is doing in the other realm had better be quick, otherwise your son is doomed back to the gate. This time, I don't think we'll be able to make it in time to save him from the Lady Pavlos[/b][/i]" Shadowthrone adjusted his stance, shifting weight to his right side for a moment as the three looked at one another.

"[i][b]My father's right, already 5 years have passed and it's only been a couple hours over there. I'm just amazed out magic has been able to keep him solid for that long. My friend, I would fear the worst[/b][/i]" Cotillion looked back at Demitri, seeing the giant fall on his face, his body too worn out front the excessive training to continue. But he would continue when the time has come. Pavlos sighed as he though.

"[i][b]From what he told us, he's found the throne...something I don't even think your grandson has even found yet Shadowthrone. I'm just wondering why it was the hound who brought him there, you two have searched the deepest realms of this place and still haven't located it"[/b][/i]

"[i][b]The throne is far too powerful for us at this stage, the throne appears to those who can handle is raw power without fault. I know Marcus will be lead to it in time, when he is truly ready for it[/b][/i]" The old man replied.

"[i][b]That doesn't explain why the hounds are bound to my grandson Neos, though he shares the powers of the mystic, its quite unusual for him to be granted such easy access.[/b][/i]" Pavlos crossed his arms at his chest.

"[i][b]Think of it my friend: The boy shares a blood link with both Ali and Marcus. A psychic and mystic together, nothing unusual there, he would have found a way to the shadow realm eventually, but with his accelerated growth and mental stability, not to mention power advancement never seen, the throne has decided it is safe for him to harness the powers. The only dominate trait shared by Demitri are his looks, and probably later on when he matures, his physique. We're not even sure if he holds any elemental powers, or powers similar to you or Madam Touch. You do know powers usually skip a generation or two down the bloodline.[/b][/i]" Cotillion closed his eyes for a moment to think. "[i][b]But, the pressing matter for now is how to give some kind of signal, if Lady Dream Catcher can't complete her assignment, we have to find another way of letting someone know of Demitri's existence.[/b][/i]" The other men nodded as Demtiri came forward to the group, breathing heavily as he finally stood still.

"[i][b]My word, all the muscles in the world still wouldn't keep you from getting you rear kicked by Annomander my boy, go back and do 300 more sit-up's[/b][/i]" Shadowthrone snickered, getting an angry grunt from Demitri.

"[i][b]I'm done for now. So, what's with the water cooler gathering? Someone getting fired?[/b][/i]" Demitri laughed a little, his father doing the same".

"[i][b]Oh you know, the usual. Listen, we were thinking of an idea that's kind of crazy my boy, care to hear about it?[/b][/i]" Shield questioned, Demitri raised an eyebrow for a moment before speaking.

"[i][b]Go on[/b][/i]" Demitri replied.

~[b]HDF Northern Base[/b]~

Ali strode down the halls of the base to collect the two people she needed to finally check on her husband, more worried about the recent fights they've had and now the escalation of her child being struck by the man she thought would always protect them, she had her doubts now. He was acting differently than he has, more different than the period after General Phoenix's death almost a year ago. Temper swings, irrational judgements on rookie mission, and just chaos with ties to the family. But Ali knew that everyone mourned in their own way, and Phoenix was as close to her and she was to Marcus, a friend who grew up with them and has been there since the beginning. They lived in sad times then, but now, she didn't know where all of this anger was coming from. Turning a corner, Ali bumped into a hard, sturdy figure that made her bounce back for a moment before looking up at the man.

"Oh, excuse me Hank. I'm off to collect lady Dream Catcher" She sighed, the man looked down at her and smiled.

"My apologies to you Talon, or should I say "Demos" ". He snickered as he patted the woman on the shoulder. Ali sighed sadly as she moved past him, the man followed frowning a little. "Hey I'm sorry, but can't I joke around with ya anymore? I've been hearing rumors that it was bound to happen sooner or later"

"It's not that Hank, really it's not. I just don't know if it'll happen anytime soon...or at all" The statement made the Earth fighter listen closely. The two came in front of Lady Dream Catcher's quarters, before Ali could raise her hand to knock on the door, it flew open faster than lightning itself. The elderly woman took a step out and was greeted by salutes from the soldiers. "Lady Dream Catcher, I'm sorry to come on such short notice, and so late in the evening...but, you're needed immediately in the special cell" Ali spoke sternly.

"I see Commander, and would my son be in that same cell?" She questioned, but the tone of her voice was as stern and demanding as an angry mother's. Ali nodded without hesitation as she rested her hands to her side. "Very well, I assume we'll need Break for this meeting?" Ali raised and eyebrow at the statement, she mentioned nothing about Break's involvement or request by Marcus.

"Yes ma'am. We're going to be getting him next. I'm sorry for such delay, I had to tuck in the kids and make sure the Commandant's subordinates knew about his condition, they'll be handling all of tomorrow's paperwork on their own. If you'll come with me please" Ali turned to her side and began to walk, Hank still standing and saluting as Lady Dream catcher did the same, the tall man following close behind until he caught up with Ali. The group two walked quickly, but Lady Dream Catcher took her time. Hank leaned down a little to talk.

"You know, you could lose your position when not giving proper respect to a "Lady" ranked official. You could even get some time in the Brig, or even a pay reduction at most. But I'm sure you know that Alex...what's wrong?" Hank looked back, seeing Lady Dream Catcher stopped in the middle of a four-way corridor looking to her right, as if seeing a familiar face. Her eyes widened a little, but she kept her same facial expression of cold and blank.

"Honestly, I'm more worried more about Marcus than his mother. I know protocol, but I could care less about it right now and you'd better to. Something is wrong with a lot of things around here, and I could care less about respect. I just want things to be the way they were..."Ali trailed off as they two continued to walk. Lady Dream catcher turned and went down the corridor a little, making it half way before stopping dead in the center, looking up at the ceiling.

"I may not believe everything that Cotillion and the others have stated, but I will go out on a limb and ask this. I'm the only one who can see you, is that right? Demitri?" To the naked eye, no one was in front of her, but in they eyes of a powerful mystic as Dream catcher, they could see the hulking mass and figure of Demitri, slowly nodding as he looked down at the elderly woman. His physical form transparent, but his feet could still touch solid ground as he stood. "We are going to see my son once we gather up Break, be prepared for anything. Is that understood?"

"Yes my Lady, it is" Demitri spoke, but gasped as another woman came from behind. The man thought it was Ali for a moment, but it turned out to be his mother.

"Dream Catcher, who are you speaking to? Has old age finally caught up with you?" She giggled softly, winning a smile from her friend as the elderly woman turned to face her.

"Touch, you're such a tease. Where are you off to this late at night?" She questioned.

"I was called on by Calypso, ya know, to check in on the wolf. She claims he's been feeling a bit under the weather lately so I'm going to stop by and do a small check-up" with that, Touch excused herself and walked right though Demitri's form and down the hall.

"Oh, and Touch. Remember to bring your husband over for dinner tomorrow" Demitri raised an eyebrow for a moment before looking back at his mother.

"I will, Hank loves your mysterious cooking" She giggled before vanishing from sight, Demitri's eyes widened to their maximum before dream Catcher spoke again.

"You will see that things are different in this world than you last remember them Athens. Be on your guard, for I know the spell they used to bring you here, but it has its limits as well. Though I can only see and hear you, others may be able to detect your presence due to their powers and abilities. Come now, we must go" Lady Dream Catcher began to walk, Demitri close by as they made their way to Break's room to meet up with Ali and Hank.

([color="#0000FF"][i][b]Wait until dad hears about this[/b][/i][/color]!) The man thought as they continued on their way. Edited October 1, 2011 by Shwa

[Akieen Cloud]

OCC: Alright, sorry for taking so long on this, just been in a rut with what's been going on. >.<

[font="Comic Sans MS"][color="#000080"]
Ali sat on the small couch in the break room, tapping her foot on the pale blue tile slowly; she couldn't say she liked Hank, but she tolerated him due to Touch. Closing her eyes she sat there for what felt like forever til she heard the door open, moving slightly she cracked open her eyes and blinked as Dream Catcher walked through the door.
"Talon."
"Hello Ma'am. How are you?"
Dream Catchers words were drowned out as she was suddenly hit with a wave of emotions, one's she didn't know but felt familiar for some reason. Shaking it off she looked up as the woman drew closer, blinking as she saw a large framed man standing close behind her. Shaking her head again she pinched the bridge of her nose and frowned. The older woman looked down at her with a knowing smile.
"Is there something wrong dear?"
She shook her head.
"No Lady, not at all. Have you heard anything on Marcus yet?"
"He is being released from custody as we speak little one. Are you anxious to see him?"
She nodded slightly but blinked more as the man behind her appeared again, rubbing her eyes she sighed and stood slowly.
"You can send him to my room, I think I'm going to go and lay down, I'm not feeling well."
As she walked by the woman the man reached out to grab her and for a second Ali could almost feel the touch of the man, it was warm and gentle and she felt as if it was calling out to her. She shook it off and made her way through the building to her room, laying down on her couch she draped her arm over her eyes and took a deep breath. There was something about that man that seemed so familiar to her but she was sure she had never seen him before in her life. Taking a deep breath she rolled off the couch and onto her feet, trudging her way to the bathroom she stripped and stepped into the shower, her heart pounding in her ears for some reason. Shaking it off she took her shower slowly enjoying it.

Else where in the compound Demetri still stayed behind Lady Dream Catcher, more confused than ever, jumping as a deep voice invaded his silence.
"She saw you my boy, and felt your touch. It was slight, but she felt it."
Demetri turned and blinked as a large man stood behind him, his tan skin and dark hair made Demetri slightly nervous but as he gave the Wind Wizard a large smile he felt him self relax some what.
"I'm and Cain Exodus, and the woman I speak of is my daughter."
Cain stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, the large smile still in place as he looked at Demetri.
"How are you here?"
"Oh my boy, your knowledge is limited. I am here same as you. Only with out the aide of The Lady your with my boy."
Demetri blinked a few times and rubbed his face with his hand.
"Is...is there a way for me to put this right?"
"Certainly my boy. Find the Mystic and eliminate what plagues him."
"What are you talking about?"
"The piece of this puzzle, to fix all of this is to free the mystic. Once you break that line, find your boy, he is the key to putting everything back to the way it once was."
"I don't understand..."
"Oh my boy. When do you ever understand anything?"
Demetri shook his head gaining a small chuckle from the man who simply stood watching as the soldier mulled things around in his head.
[/color][/font]

(Alright, there it is, it's rushed and sloppy but it's up. Again, sorry for taking SO long. Just a lot on my plate >.< but I'm trying.

[Shwa]

Demitri collected his thoughts after a moment of thinking, Lady Dream Catcher's warning about others who might be able to see him in his transparent spiritual form still bothered him, but it also brought back a memory of talking with his father and the Demos clan back in the Shadow Realm where the idea was originally brought up:

~~~~

"[i][b]Oh you know, the usual. Listen, we were thinking of an idea that's kind of crazy my boy, care to hear about it?[/b][/i]" Shield questioned, Demitri raised an eyebrow for a moment before speaking.

"[i][b]Go on[/b][/i]" Demitri replied.

"[i][b]Well, it turns out that we found a enchantment that'll let you go into the normal human plane once again, but it's a bit complicated, and almost tricky to pull off. But, I'll have these two explain the process more clearly,; it's their idea anyways[/b][/i]." Shield stood aside as Cotillion began to speak the spell he needed, strengthing his stance as his hands extended in front of his body, palms down while changing. A large, diamond shaped rune appeared underneath the man as the while outlining of the symbol illuminated the area.

"[i][b]You see that rune child?[/b][/i]" Shadowthrone spoke, it bothered Demitri to no end that he was referred to a "child", but the man was old and wise...and frankly, he didn't care what he called anyone. "[i][b]We've seen this symbol numerous times in the past, its years expand past our own, to the very beginning of our family blood line as well. It's called a [color="#8B0000"]Paradox Stamp[/color], funny name, but hey, we didn't name it. This was first used to bring human spirits into the Shadow Realm from the living side. My son and I spent years modifying it to go back the opposite way, hence why we've been able to see Marcus on such occasions, even outside of his meditation[/b][/i]". Demitri listened closely as Cotillion shifted his hands to and fro, more etchings surrounded the diamond shaped insignia, the giant marveled at the craftsmanship and power it produced. "[i][b]We're adding the [color="#8B0000"]Soul Flame [/color]into the spell to keep you energized while you're on the other side,without it there, you'd be lost to all of us forever.[/b][/i]"

"[i][b]So, this is how I'll be able to go back and defeat Annomander?[/b][/i]" Demitri crossed his arms as he looked at both Shadowthrone ad his father.

"[i][b]No, you're only in a spiritual form here, invisible to the naked eye. Your spiritual body can still touch ground and objects when you concentrate, but otherwise...you are a phantom to the naked eye[/b][/i]" Shield spoke with a hint of caution that Demitri picked up qucikly.

"[i][b]Why does that sound bad?[/b][/i]" He questioned.

"[i][b]Because...those who are born mystical or psychic can know you are there.[/b][/i]" The news shocked the giant a little as he untangled his arms, letting them rest at his side. "[i][b]It's the best we ca do for now, but because this spell created from beyond our time, every mystical and psychic user is now adapt to the Shadow Realm's effects. Now, It's not one-hundred percent certain that every user can see or hear you, we think it's mostly highly experienced users. But still, even a novice can sense something if you just pass them by or give a slight touch. So when you're over there, be careful of who you encounter and how much energy you put out, things could get messy[/b][/i]" Shadowthrone finished as his son finally completed the chant, within seconds, there was a bright flare that blinded Demitri for a moment, making the giant shield his eyes. When he re-opened them, he was outside of the HDF compound.

"[i][b]Well, thanks for the warning that I was leaving so soon[/b][/i]" He mumbled, quickly going towards his base to find his intended guide and target.

~~~~

"Exodus" Demitri spoke, finally returning from his thinking, but the man simply chuckled and shook his head lightly.

"My boy, please, call me Cain. It is my name after all" He smiled.

"Alright Cain, if you know whats going on here, why haven't you been able to inform Ali of the change? I mean, both Lady Dream Catcher and I can see you, and you're here on your own means...why not inform Ali?"

"Do you honestly believe she would believe my story on you? You've peaked her curiosity now, she will figure something out in time. But time is not what you have on your plate at the moment. I know of the change Annomander caused, when my daughter entered the Shadow Realm last she informed me on her marriage and life. I thought it odd when her last name changed to "Demos" instead of "Athens". So I did a little investigating myself, and I'm not too happy with the way things have went" Exodus walked past Demitri and began to follow Lady Dream Catcher down the hall. Demitri close behind the two.

"So, do you know how I can repel Annomanders spirit from Marcus?" Demitri questioned.

"Honestly, you can't. You're more vulnerable than you think Demitri. That monster has latched himself on tight to the mystic, he has to cast out the spirit on his own or with the help from psychics." Demitri raised an eyebrow for a moment at the statement.


"Why by a psychic?" He asked, Exodus gave a hearty laugh at the question.

"Has your father not told you the history behind the Shadow Realm yet?" Exodus finally asked, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Yes he has, the history and how it came to be how both users can enter it because of their abilities. So what?"

"So what? Don't you know that their abilities negate one another? Especially in combat, you'd be surprised.." Exodus was cut off when a large hand grabbed his roughly by the shoulders and spun him around, the man peered up at Demitri who has a murderous look in his eyes.

"IMPOSSIBLE! I saw the fight between Marcus and Annomander, Ali and Annomander with my own eyes. Phoenix was part psychic, yet she was taken down just like the others" Exodus gave a heavy sigh as he shook his head before returning his gaze to Demitri.

"What made you think Annomander is either Mystic or Psychic?" The words hit the giants hard as he stepped back. "My boy, he is pure darkness itself. Both Ali and Marcus fell to him, yes, but Annomander is one of a kind in his own sense. Phoenix was a pyrokinetic, slight psycic yes, but not full. Tell me this Athens, have you ever seen a Mystic ad psychic face off in the shadow realm or human realm? With your years of being a soldier I would have thought you would have seen one fight between the two".

"No, never. I mean once but it never happened" Demitri replied.

"That's because they both know what'll happen...nothing." With that, the trio stopped in front of the door where Marcus and Break were located. Lady Dream Catcher turned to the two men and spoke.

"Athens, remain calm and keep your energy at its minimum. We cannot risk an encounter now. Like Exodus has mentioned, you are more vulnerable while Annomander is inside of my son, stay close, but remain hidden" Demitri nodded as his transparent form diminished slowly until he was gone to their eyes. Exodus stood behind Dream catcher and placed a hand on her shoulder softly, he felt her hand touch his before phasing through his figure and back down to her own shoulder.

"You know what has to be done to free your son from his grasp, don't you?" Exodus spoke softly, almost in sorrow.

"I do, but if it will free my son, I'm ready to make that sacrifice. They are to have dinner at my residence later this evening, make sure the child is there along with the hound.

"You will need more than you and Neos for the task my lady. I'll instruct Cloak to gather up Alpha Team Prime to be there too, along with himself" Exodus lifted his hand once more.

"You know, when I heard the story about the other dimension...they called their team "Alpha Team Elites" " Both pondered the idea for a moment, then laughed.

"What a silly name, I wonder if they got the memo that's the sorriest team title to be given" Exodus shook his head.

"Alternate realities Cain, alternate realities." There was silence, a long silence before Lady Dream Catcher reached for the control panel to open the door. "This is goodbye Cain"

"Only in this reality" He smiled, sad, but still smiling. The lady nodded as he vanished, the metal door slid open as Break finished his examination of the Commandant. Looking to the door he saw Dream catcher enter as the door behind her closed quickly. She composed herself as she made her way to her sons side, acting cool and confident.

"What ails you my son?" She smiled, Demitri leaned against the corner all of the room, watching and waiting for his chance to strike.