The Quest for Peace Chapter 19

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The Quest for Peace: Chapter 19, Battle Cries

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The war has begun, sides have been chosen and the city now finds itself in the middle of a war of the gods. Innocents will die, no one is expected to survive… For the time being however, some still hold on to hope that this war will cause little damage and that it will be easily resolved; for there are gods on the side of good whom will do whatever is in their power to protect the innocent lives of those who get caught in the middle. But if the town in the desert of America is allowed to go unchecked, the European war may not be limited by the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean…

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Strangetown, Arizona; a small town nestled in the desert of the American Southwest has seen and done it all when it comes to all aspects of paranormal occurrences. In this town it’s not unusual to see little green men and women walking around, here they are far enough from Nevada’s nuclear testing sites and contaminants but close to Roswell, New Mexico. Strangetown was an acceptable middle ground for other worldly visitors to settle and raise a family.

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Extraterrestrial visitors like retired Polli-Tech 9 found Strangetown to be an ideal place to raise a family in and live out his remaining maturation years with a human woman. Her name was Jenny Curious, older sister to the Curious brothers Vidcund, Pascal and Lazlo. His oldest child, a son named Johnny was finding that fitting in was a little more difficult than he had thought. His rival was Tank Grunt, the oldest son of the town’s general Buzz Grunt.

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General Buzz Grunt had been lobbying for years to get the non-terrestrial visitors in his town under some sort of controlled tracking system. If they were allowed to show the world definitive proof of the existence of life outside their planet, the world would fall into panic. He made sure to prepare his three boys for anything, and that meant following him into the military profession once he was ready to retire. He needed someone he could trust to watch the “non-terrestrials” once he retired.

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His oldest son Tank was prepared to take up the family tradition and join the military after college, his youngest Buck had an excellent chance to enter the Intelligence field, he was a child prodigy. But his middle son Ripp was nothing but a useless layabout. His lazy attitude roiled him the wrong way; he didn’t know what do with him. Because murder is illegal… and local law enforcement getting involved would compromise his operations.

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From the time the boys were young, he had them on a strict training regime; to harden their bodies and focus their minds. Tank took to it like a fish to water, but Ripp refused to even give half an effort. Buck was more the intellectual type and Buzz realized that had merit too, his mind was what he wanted to develop the most with Buck.

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General Buzz lavished praise on Tank, often right in front of Ripp. It was clear that he was their dad’s favourite child, Ripp hated these obvious attempts at getting him to comply with the General’s idea of what a young man should be. It only got worse after their mother Lyla died; before her death Buzz was never this hard or mean to them, he was actually likable. His mother held them together, she was the glue; the stabilizer in the household.

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Lyla Grunt’s death was never solved; there were many cases in Strangetown that weren’t. Many suspected old Olive Spectre of being behind the unsolved murders, but there was never enough evidence to convict her of multiple homicides. Witnesses often turned up missing, or they vanished without a trace; evidence that was collected mysteriously vanished as well. In Strangetown, this was not unusual, lots of things like that happened every day around here. And no one ever questioned it…

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Rumours of hauntings at the Spectre place floated around for years; though no one was ever brave enough to find out for sure. Her graveyard contained the bodies of at least a dozen people she made no attempt to hide it or downplay them in any way. No one was going to risk joining her body count; and that was what she counted on.

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Very few living people over the age of fifty knew the real story behind Olive Spectre’s graveyard, but as with any urban legend there were theories. In her youth Olive was very unlucky when it came to husbands; she was married three times and every time the husband would die, leaving her a widower. She came to be referred to as the Black Widow of Strangetown; the authorities suspected she was killing the husbands for their money. Conspiracy theorists like the Curious brothers think that she was murdering them to get a chance to see Grim in person, they suspect she has an unnatural obsession with Grim and death…

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When her mother died, Ophelia Nigmos the daughter of Olive’s sister; came to live with her. Olive rarely acknowledged her presence in the house and often walked around muttering to herself. Ophelia was left to fend for herself most of the time. Until she met Johnny; he changed her life. The two of them became the hottest item at Strangetown High. He made her miserable home life bearable; Johnny meant so much to her.

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On her clearer days, Olive actually acknowledged her being there. Unfortunately it wasn’t until the day of her adult birthday that she finally noticed. Olive refused to pay for Ophelia’s college so she was forced to remain in the house. Johnny was saddened that she couldn’t join him in college, he had to leave without her.

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Ophelia: Aunt Olive, I’m ready now. Olive: The golden haired child, heart cold from loss… Ophelia: Okay, here I go. Even if Olive had gone back into her world, it did mean something that she was here to see her grow up at least.

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As it would turn out, Olive was ready to cross over to the other side. In her final moments, she had clarity and whatever had held her in the mortal world was released when her lover Grim came to collect her. Olive: Our son misses you. Grim: I know; I watch over him from time to time. He’ll be okay. Come on, let’s go.

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When she made to the other side, her old lovers were all there to meet her. Olive would live a happy after life. But as for the son in question, his future still remained cloudy…

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In the Castle on the Hill, or the Beaker mansion; Olive’s love child with Grim had been their unwilling test subject for years. Olive lost him when he was young when the Social Worker declared her incapable of caring for a child as young as he was at the time. Their experiments revolved around how much pain and torture a Reaper Child could take before his powers manifested. And it provided a perfect cover for them to work under without drawing suspicions.

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Their secret, would be earth shattering if the wrong person ever found out. It amused them to torture the Reaper Child, it passed the time. They remained focussed on their task but the feeling of impending war was beginning to excite them, if it went nuclear they wouldn’t have to worry about dying…

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The shrill whistle of General Buzz was beginning to annoy the recruits; he was a hard ass. It was almost 40 degrees out (100 F) and he had them running laps and practicing combat skills. His war on the non-terrestrials wouldn’t stand to have weak cadets; they had be in prime shape.

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Jeri’s fiery red hair was matted to her forehead as she ran yet another drill through the obstacle course. Her competitor Sarah looked ready to drop dead. When the general arrived unexpectedly at their barrack he began barking orders immediately. He had a rep for being an insufferable hard ass, and a straight up slave driver.

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The pool looked extremely inviting; the glistening crystal waters beckoned to her; why couldn’t she be in Alisandro’s place? The Buzz Kill had him swimming laps. Hell, even the punching bag looked better than this thing. She hated this course.

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General: ADAM!! MOVE YOUR FLABBY ASS!! DAX!! PICK IT UP!! *TWEET* At least he was picking on the guys now instead of her and Sarah. Any small relief was welcomed at this point.

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General Buzz observed his new recruits with distain; who ever their sergeant was he should be shot. When he arrived they were lollygagging around and watching TV. His army had to be ready; they had to be in top condition when Project Nighthawk went into play. That would definitely put his army on the God of War’s radar; he was determined to prove to him that his army could be the best in the world for him. His superiors were quick to dismiss the possibility of the existence of the God of War; they called it superstition and fantasy. There was only one true God, the Christian god. The intelligence reports that the spies in Europe were turning in were nothing but garbage. They were useless and inaccurate; their spies would be marked for immediate termination for it. General Buzz knew better; he had seen the displays of power Dalen was showing and he believed it. Being posted in Strangetown opened your eyes to what’s unusual and supernatural; his people, his species had a better chance being on the good side of the God of War than against him and when his superiors learn that, he’ll be there laughing. In the meantime, he had to make his town safer and that meant eliminating the non-terrestrials.

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When night fell he finally gave the recruits a break, let them shower and eat then he called them to attention outside. He called for silence; it seemed as though even the crickets complied, it went silent as he prepared to address them. He surveyed his eight recruits in turn; they were good specimens all worthy of being part of Project Nighthawk.

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General: You’ve done well today; I’m proud of you all. With your help we can clean up this town; we can rid it of the non-terrestrial threats and prepare for our praise from the God of War. We will rule this town, then the state and eventually spread country-wide. When the war of the gods hits home we alone will stand while the rest of the weak minded sheep fall.

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He continued: “Once we prove to Dalen that we alone are worthy of his praise and support the conquest will be simple, he will reward us handsomely.” He was so wrapped up in his speech that he failed to notice the looks of concern the recruits were giving each other. They knew he had lost his mind…

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Dax, the blond haired guy tried to hide his smile; the Buzz Kill was off his nut for sure. Whoever heard of a God of War named Dalen? “Don’t think I can’t see your doubts; it’ll all be clear in time I promise you that. When Dalen chooses to show himself to us you’ll have no more doubts.”

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“You’ve done well today recruits; hit the sheets we start one on one combat training tomorrow at 0500 hours. And if you’re not up, I’ve got a special job for you; toilet duty for a month. So BE UP, DISMISSED!!” Recruits: SIR, YES SIR!!

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On the other side of the Road to Nowhere, Ani-Mei had taken Reias’s words to heart. She knew she was slacking on her watch of the North American cities and especially Strangetown. She told Dalen back in Desiderata that she had to leave for a while, and set up in Strangetown. The locals were talking about the growing concerns over General Buzz and his secretive training at the barracks near the edge of town, Ani-Mei paid close attention to the rumours. When the welcome wagon arrived, she planned to ask about it subtly.

Slide 30: 

Ani-Mei: So Chloe, I’m new here and I was wondering if you knew of any cool places to hang out. Chloe: Well, just the local community center. No one really heads downtown anymore. It’s pretty boring actually. Ani-Mei: Why is that? Chloe: Everyone’s afraid that General Buzz is up to something dangerous, downtown is an easy target; low rent, crime rates higher than normal. Not a place anyone would miss too much.

Slide 31: 

Ani-Mei: General Buzz? Chloe: The local head of the Strangetown Armed Forces, or more commonly known as the Crazy Guy with the Sniper Rifle. Ani-Mei: I don’t understand. Chloe: Oh, he keeps going on and on about the God of War, some dude named Dalen or whatever; everyone’s afraid to argue with him because he knows how to snipe you from three miles away. He says he’s going to make his army worthy of Dalen’s praise and honour. Ani-Mei: I see.

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Ani-Mei: So your advice is to watch my back and steer clear of General Buzz is that it? Chloe: Yeah, pretty much. If you value living; oh and you might want to do something about those ears, he’s also hell bent on eliminating “non-terrestrials” like you, me and my sister Lola as well as our father Polli-Tech 9. Ani-Mei: Oh. Well thanks for the help Chloe. I appreciate the heads up. Reias was right…Dalen’s power was not limited to Europe or by the Atlantic Ocean…

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Meanwhile, back in Hidden City… Ashley: Pick up…pick up…PICK UP DAMNIT!! “Hello?” Ashley: NIKO!!! You said the limiters would protect us!! They didn’t!! “Ashley?” Ashley: Duh!! “What happened?” Ashley: Your limiter broke that’s what!! Tory had a vision so strong it knocked him out cold last night.

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“Ashley, I didn’t know that a vision he got here could break it. Honestly. Is he alright?” Ashley glanced over at him sitting at the table, he still looked worn out but he was doing better. Ashley: He’s fine, but it still scared the hell out of me, what’s going on? “There’s a lot going on. Olympus is in an uproar.” Ashley: Like what exactly?

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“Dalen has made a move towards war, he declared it early this morning. Reports are coming in that his power is breaching the borders of Greece and spilling into Italy, Germany, France and England. We aren’t sure how to stop him.” Ashley: So what does that mean for us? He was silent for a moment; as if trying to figure out how to word his answer without scaring her again. “Be prepared. Dalen will be looking for powerful output signatures for his war and if the limiter on Toren is broken, he may be after him.”

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If worrying about Tory wasn’t enough already; Ashley was trying to kill them both by setting the house on fire too. Niko’s words chilled her to the bone and occupied her mind, and then she forgot about her pop tarts. It was good that Tory wasn’t here, the last thing he needed after last night was aspiration failure.

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Perhaps it was the fire making her crazy but to Ashley it looked like something more than it was. Inside the fire she thought she could see something, or rather the fire was making her see something in her head…

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The image was bathed in a bright white light, she thought she could make out two figures in it but there was so much brightness…the feeling she got from the image it was angry and full of hatred. There were sounds of a fight, a crack of thunder; someone screaming and then the sounds of wailing, like someone was crying or mourning.

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The heat of the fire seared at her as the alarm broke her vision, the white image faded and she heard the sounds of a fire truck approaching. If that was a vision, then maybe her limiter was now broken like Tory’s; if so she was now a beacon of power that Dalen could easily follow. *******

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Peredwyn had started talking to the locals, getting some insight about how things were going regarding Dalen. The locals he talked to were all ones that he sensed had a higher than normal power output level, he found Celesta first. Celesta: You aren’t from around here are you? Peredwyn: Am I that obvious? Celesta: Yes, actually. Why are you here alien god? Peredwyn: My mission brings me here. Celesta: What mission? Peredwyn: Do you know where Dalen is or not? Celesta: An alien god looking for the one who has been causing all this trouble is not exactly terms for telling you something like that now is it? It looks highly suspicious to me don’t you think? Peredwyn: We aren’t here to help him destroy you if that’s what you’re thinking. Celesta: How do I know that? Peredwyn: You’re a goddess you can tell. Go ahead, search my mind if you don’t trust me. Celesta was still wary of him, but she did look as he asked her to, she got her answer but he blocked her out when she tried to pry deeper. Celesta: In his temple. Peredwyn: Thank you. Celesta: Be careful, alien god; Dalen is resourceful. Peredwyn: I know. And I will.

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Peredwyn was stopped on the way out by Tavi. He had overheard that he was looking for Dalen. Tavi: Why are you looking for him? Peredwyn: My mission. Who are you anyway? Tavi: I’m part of the family he’s been trying to kill off for five generations. Peredwyn: I see. Why do you want to know what I’m doing? Tavi: Look, I can understand wanting to be evasive with the Olympians but I would ask that you not treat me the same as them. If you’ve got a way to stop him, I believe I have a right to know how.

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Peredwyn studied him, he did indeed have the power of the Peace God flowing through him and he was unaware of just how powerful that was when combined with witchcraft. The nature of his mission was to stop Dalen before he could use Drinn against an Olympian god, the Adriel belonged on their planet locked away from anyone greedy enough to seek its power. But did he have to tell this mortal about that? Arwyn would say no, that it was a matter for gods to attend to and not for the mortals to know of; Tavi made a point about Dalen being out to kill his family off, but was that enough to give him the knowledge of their mission? He had been successful in being evasive and secretive whenever someone else would ask about their mission, Tavi wasn’t someone else he was directly connected to Dalen. Peredwyn decided to play it safe and not tell him about it, if he did know then he would be at risk if Dalen ever caught him. Peredwyn: I’ll tell you this; we are not going to help Dalen, we want to stop him. Tavi: Is that supposed to make me feel better? Peredwyn: Does it? Tavi: Not really; but if it’s a lie I would know. Your aura would change if you were lying. Peredwyn: You read auras? Tavi: A little, and I know you’re a god and a werewolf, the aura is lined with dual colours so it shows. Peredwyn: You are truly powerful Octavius Thayer.

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It took some major convincing from both Koko and Cupid to get Euphoria to not post pone her wedding to Euan because of the atmosphere surrounding Dalen and his growing power. They finally managed to make her go through with it when they told her that a large display of love and happiness would help prevent anything dark and evil coming from Dalen to affect them. Euphoria still worried about what might happen to Euan being here, he wasn’t a half god like her he was mortal. But Cupid assured his daughter that her love would protect her husband.

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After their vows were exchanged and the rings placed Cupid took the chance to propose a toast to Euphoria and his new son in law. Cupid: To my beautiful daughter Euphoria and her new husband Euan, I wish you all the best and all the love there is for the rest of your lives. And coming from the God of Love you know that’s assured. All: To Euphoria and Euan!!

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Shadow: I hate being single at weddings. Ashley: You said it. Shadow: There is only one eligible bachelor here, which sucks. Ashley: I hope you don’t mean Tory. Shadow: Well, who else is there? Ashley: Weren’t you obsessed with Goderic Marmite? Helen: Who?

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Koko went around talking to the guests and expressing how proud she was of her little girl in her own well worded ways, random gate crashing townies proved once again that no one is safe from inappropriate heart farting even if it’s the bride…

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Love was definitely in the air as the local three bolter couples did their best to make the wedding a Roof Raising success. Everyone could forget for a while that war was upon them and just enjoy being happy and joyful in celebrating a beautiful union of two perfect soul mates.

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There were more toasts and words of affection and appreciation from the mother of the bride, even if some didn’t quite understand what she was saying. The sentiment was appreciated nevertheless.

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Ashley: I would also like to propose a toast; in times like this it’s most important to stay together and help each other when things get tough. She paused as she recalled the visions that both she and Tory had seen recently. “I say this because recently both Tory and I have experienced visions…they were very powerful and I fear that it might have broken our limiters, exposing our powers to Dalen. Niko has warned us of what might happen if he happens to pay attention to us, a united front may be all that will stand between us and Dalen if we are all together then we have a better chance of surviving this war…” She trailed off, it was clearly hard for her to tell everyone what had happened to her and Tory. Koko could tell that she didn’t want to ruin the mood of the wedding.

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When the wedding party was over and the guests slowly left, Shadow saw a chance to finally indulge some Pleasure seeking wants.

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Shadow: Did you see that? Euphoria: Yep. Shadow: Umm… Euphoria: It’s okay, we all start out like that. But I also wanted to say thank you. Shadow: For what? Euphoria: For bringing my mom here. Shadow: She’s special to me. I’m glad I could bring her here. Euphoria: Thank you, Chris.

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Koko: I would also like to express my gratitude to Chris. She is the best Creator anyone could ever have. Shadow: Aww, girls…you’re making me tear up here *sniff* Euphoria: To Chris. Koko: To Chris.

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Meanwhile at Legacy Main… Drinn: Helen, this may be the last time I get to ever see you again. Even being away this long is bound to draw my master’s attentions. I wanted to be with you one last time. Helen: Drinn, you sound like you’re dying… Drinn: Maybe I will, I don’t know. Helen: Don’t say that…please don’t say that.

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Helen had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as she held onto him, something was going to happen and it wasn’t going to be good. She could feel the slight tremble in him as she laid her head on his shoulder, was he right? Was this truly the last time she would ever see him? The thought of losing him…of never seeing him again tore her apart inside. She closed her eyes and as soon as she did, memories filled her head; both hers and some new ones…

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Hmm, yea, yea…

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Baby, please try to forgive me Stay here, don’t put out the glow…

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Hold me now, don’t bother If every minute it makes me weaker…

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You can save me from the man that I’ve become, oh yea…

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Lookin’ back on the things I’ve done, I was tryin’ to be someone…

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I played my part, Kept you in the dark…

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Now let me show you the shape of my heart.

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Sadness is beautiful, loneliness is tragical…

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So help me, I can’t win this war, oh no. Touch me now, don’t bother If every second it makes me weaker You can save me from the man I’ve become…

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Lookin’ back on the things I’ve done, I was tryin’ to be someone I played my part Kept you in the dark Now let me show you the shape of my heart…

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I’m here with my confession Got nothing to hide anymore I don’t know where to start But to show you the shape of my heart…

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I’m lookin’ back on things I’ve done I never wanna play the same old part Or keep you in the dark Now let me show you the shape of my heart…

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Lookin’ back on the things I’ve done I was tryin to be someone I played my part…

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And kept you in the dark Now let me show you the shape of Show you the shape of my heart. Artists: Backstreet Boys Song: Shape Of My Heart Album: Black & Blue

Slide 69: 

Helen let go of him, her head spinning with what she had just witnessed. She knew he was Dalen’s weapon but she had no idea about his relationship with Batalia or the arguments he had with Dalen over his children Hope and Jason. The fact he was there with them when they were young, how he wanted to show them love while Dalen wanted to deprive the babies of it. She felt what he felt when they were together on their dates, the sadness of it all; he knew all along that he would have to eventually give up his relationship with her, but he never said a word about it. Helen: You knew that we would never end up staying together the whole time? Drinn: Yes. Helen: Why did you never say anything to me? Did you even really love me? Drinn: Of course!! And I still do!! Baby, I’ve known for years that this day would eventually come I never wanted to hurt you. I know I’ll have to kill, this war is not going to stop. I just can’t bear the thought that it might be you that I’d have to kill. Helen: You also were in a relationship with Batalia? At the same time as me? Why? Drinn: I—at first it was just supposed to be a revenge fling, I was nothing more to her than that. She was jealous of Dalen’s affections for Mokosh and wanted to use me to make him angry enough to come back to her. I was nothing more than a weapon back then, but when I met you I changed…I discovered I had a soul. Helen: Do you still want her? Drinn: NO!! GODS NO!! I only want you, it’s always been you. Helen: I don’t want to lose you… Drinn: I don’t want to lose you either; but I may have to…I can’t disobey my master’s command. Helen: If you have a soul then you have to stand up to him, demand your freedom!! Drinn: Helen, I can’t you don’t understand. I am an Adriel, my bond with my master is unbreakable. Only through death of the master can the bond be broken; Dalen is a god, he will never die and I’ll never be free from him… Helen: It’s not right…it’s not fair.

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In a forgotten part of Hidden City, one never visited by mortal or god alike; she stood on top of the highest hill and opened her eyes. The battle is here, there’s no stopping it. This is where it will be fought, where the outcome will be decided by the god who has the stronger will to succeed.

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“The Days of Night begin when the first tears for blood are shed; eyes of shadow blacken the beacon of hope and the Path of Light goes dark. Star crossed lovers torn asunder; heart’s cry penetrates the veil of space and time, new life created restores the shimmer of Salvation and once more the Path of Light is reborn.”

Slide 72: 

Dalen: So…here we are old friend. Finally. Once and for all we will know who the stronger one is; me or you. Reias: You’re right; only one of us will leave here victorious and I plan on that being me. Your reign of terror ends now.

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The two gods teleported at the same time to lower level of the temple and conjured up their swords. There was an ominous crash of thunder as the gods clashed blades…

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Opponents of both good and evil paired off and fights broke out all over the Shadowed Temple of Old…

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Promises forgotten to loved ones as the pull of war consumed them, the heat of battle drowning out all other thoughts…

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Powers overflowed making any form of life in the area weak with fear and pain, hatred began to darken the hearts of those involved…

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Hatred. Power. Determination. Only one will win, the rest who get caught in the middle will perish…

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Energy build ups formed when two opponents of equal strength and ability come into close contact…

Slide 79: 

Dalen backed off only to jump back up to the upper level of the temple. Reias let out a growl of frustration and followed him up.

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Reias cried out as Dalen slashed at his right bicep, cutting into his flesh. Dalen: So this is what’s become of the great Reias, weakened heart equals weakened flesh. Some god you are. Reias: I don’t consider valuing life a weakness, and there was a time when you felt the same way. Dalen: I’m the God of War!! My reason for being is to watch life go out, to witness the murders of thousands. It gives me power!! SATISFACTION!!

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He stabbed again, this time barely missing cutting off his ear. The power behind his sword, it was nothing like Reias had ever felt before. He was really gone off the deep end; Dalen lunged again, Reias barely parried off his attack. The force pushed him backwards slightly; such power…

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Batalia: Do you feel that??!! The rage!! The power!! It’s intoxicating!! Dalen’s really letting go up there!! Pellas: You are insane!! Batalia: It’s chaotic!!! JUST HOW I LIKE IT!!

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Pellas: Evil shall NEVER prevail!! I will be triumphant!! Batalia: Oh good, let in the hatred, the murderous intent…it FUELS me!! Adriel of Light, give into the Dark!! Pellas: I WILL KILL YOU!!

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Turning the Adriel of Light to the darkness will leave the legacy line vulnerable…easy to destroy. Turning the Peace God’s Adriel evil will make Dalen so much more stronger… “Eyes of shadow blacken the beacon of hope and the Path of Light goes dark…”

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Dalen and Reias led their battle back downstairs they were so locked in combat they didn’t see…

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He came from out of nowhere, no one saw him run towards the street trying to get away…

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No one could stop the release in time, no one was close enough or fast enough…

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It was too late, he was hit. The combined power of the two gods hit Paris so fast and so hard that there was no way he would survive it. Reias could only look on in shocked horror as he watched Paris die right in front of him, one of people he was supposed to protect; he helped to kill…

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The death put an abrupt end to the battle, Pandora finally recovered from the shock long enough to cry. Drinn felt his battle rage fade, it was quickly replaced with a new hatred for his master. He didn’t really get along with Paris, but he didn’t hate him enough to be glad for his death. “The Days of Night begin when the first tears for blood are shed…”

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Drinn: YOU PSYCHOPATHIC SON OF A BITCH!! WHY??!! Dalen smiled and laughed coldly. “Casualty of war; he got in the way.” Drinn: You’re insane!! COMPLETELY INSANE!! Dalen: I know, wonderful isn’t it?

Slide 92: 

Dalen: I would say the Battle of the Shadowed Temple goes to the side of evil don’t you think? Reias won’t be in any condition to challenge me again. Drinn: I can’t do this anymore, you’ve gone completely mad. Dalen: Whoever said you had a choice in the matter? You’re mine and that’s all there is to it. I. Own. You.

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Dalen vanished with a lingering, chilling laugh. Reias fell to his knees, his entire body shaking with shock. The memory of Paris’s death was running through his mind like some grotesque scene from a horror film; the look of fear, panic and surprise in his green eyes as the burning ball of godly energy surged towards him…

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The sounds of Pandora’s screams, the unbearable pain in her voice; the utter despair of watching a loved one being killed right in front of your eyes. He realized that those wails of despair were coming from his own lips, he killed him. An innocent mortal…a beloved friend, almost like a son to him. What god could he pray to? He was a god, and any mortal killed by a god can never be brought back.

Slide 95: 

He failed, as a protector of a legacy lineage descended from his very close friend Diamos. How can he continue to protect them? How can he ever hope to be forgiven? Who would forgive him?

Slide 96: 

He stood up; no one could give him forgiveness. His actions were unforgivable; he failed as a protector. Reias vanished from the temple, he couldn’t stay here any longer.

Slide 97: 

Pandora confronted her, the woman she saw in the corner of the temple. She was angry and hurt. “Why didn’t you stop them??!!” “I was prevented from interfering with the fight.” “Who are you??” “My name is Mnemosyne, some call me the Goddess of Memory but I am not a goddess, I am a Titan.”

Slide 98: 

That caught her off guard; a Titan? “I thought Zeus killed all you guys off?” Mnemosyne: He is forbidden from killing me, I am the living keeper of all history from the beginning of time. Pandora: So change time, bring my brother back to me. I know you can.

Slide 99: 

Mnemosyne: I cannot. Even I cannot revive a mortal that was killed by a god. Pandora: So what good are you then? Mnemosyne: His death was necessary, it will begin a cycle of change that is extremely important. Pandora: I hate to be blunt but, that’s bullshit!! How can the death of my brother be necessary?

Slide 100: 

Mnemosyne: Take his body back to your parents heiress, there is nothing you can do for him now. You must believe his death was not in vain. Pandora: I can’t just let this go…Dalen has to pay for what he did. Mnemosyne: And he will, but you are not the one who shall deliver the punishment.

Slide 101: 

Pandora reluctantly did as she asked and took Paris home. The pain on her parents’ faces brought up everything all over again, her mother was inconsolable; Julius was in shock and denial that his son was really dead.

Slide 102: 

The reality finally set in when the gravestone was laid under the large maple tree beside the mausoleum. Their child was dead, their baby boy gone…and they lived on. No parent should have to outlive their child.

Slide 103: 

The only one taking it harder than Julius and Marsha was Reias. He sat atop the waterfall in Tartarus lost in thought, the scenes of Paris’s death had stopped coming but the feeling of extreme guilt and failure was his new torture. He couldn’t face Julius or Pandora; he ignored their calls for him.

Slide 104: 

Reias: WHY??!! WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE HIM??!! His anguished yell shook the Underworld, the waterfall under his feet trembled and the water was jostled. When he came home Roxie and his parents had tried to ask him what happened but he blew up at them too; his pain hit them full force.

Slide 105: 

Reias: To hell with the consequences, I’m going to kill Dalen for this. He’ll never again hurt anyone I love or anyone else. End of Entry Twenty-Nine.