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The activity couldn't have been more chaotic. Energy crackled in the air causing the small hairs on her ears to tickle and her tail twitched violently in response. She wanted to act, she wanted to talk... But Trivii was worried all that would come out was hissing. Glancing back at her little fiend the ache radiated down their bond, and she felt like a mother with a sick child. Helpless, but determined to do something.

Looking from the set slipping out the door as quickly as they could manage, the cat girl felt deep in her heart, that the trouble was coming from the shop itself.

Listless green eyes peered at the door to the shop, and her hand held onto Trivii just a bit tighter in recognition as a few familiar faces made a break for it.

Athan dashed forward and scattered the spell with one of his own before it could be completed. He grabbed Ezra up by the collar of his shirt and threw him against the front desk with as much strength as he could muster. In doing so, he dropped his guard on his own aura which he usually kept tightly hidden.

Darkness seemed to unfurl around him like a cloak and the lights in the room flickered. "You know nothing," Athan hissed.

Ezra simply laughed, but a moment later his laughter was cut short as their scuffle turned into an all out brawl. The only trouble was, it was difficult to tell who was who since they were both hidden in shadow.

Reyna dodged the both of them and darted around the desk. She grabbed a hold of Amon's arm at the door to drag him the rest of the way through. She paused, wide-eyed as she stepped outside and realized just how many of the guardians had showed up.

"Get away from here!" she shouted, "There's--"

The sound of shattering glass as Athan and Ezra burst through the shop's front window display interrupted what the demoness had to say. Athan seemed to have the upper hand for a moment as he reared back and punched Ezra in the face, but it was obvious he was running out of steam. Their only means of actually fighting one another was by physical assault since both used darkness to cast magic.

They would each begin casting a spell only for the other to counter by absorbing or countering it with something similar. Ezra was still cackling, nearly lost to madness, and Athan looked more like the "Mr. Death" that she used to tease him about. Except this wasn't just a glamour or spell to intimidate her, this was real. And he looked like death.

Ezra managed to skitter away for a brief moment just as Athan had drawn a sword from a small portal and landed the blade next to where his head had been moments before.

". . . I see," Bree said to 'Nesh, a little disappointed. "Thank you."

She'd come to Athan's house in part because she'd admittedly been positively dying of curiosity to see how Amon's lessons went (no, she had absolutely not been spying on him . . . again). Much more so, however, the other reason for her visit was that she had not been able to shake that overwhelming feeling of dread which encroached upon her whenever she thought of the dark presence which had stalked her a few days back.

Darkness was Athan's thing, and she could not help but feel the incident was related to him in some way. Also, there was that other small thing she still needed to tell him, sigh.

But apparently she'd managed to just so miss the two men. They'd left in a hurry, 'Nesh had informed her, because of some sort of trouble at the shop. Bree pursed her lips and wondered just what sort of trouble that could possibly be.

She exchanged a bit of small talk and pleasantries but declined the invitation for tea before she bid her farewells, quite pleased to hear that her garden was coming along nicely (even though the vines apparently insisted on invading the kitchen space).

She frowned a little before she cast open her portal, a delicate round of swirling spirals of gentle golden light. If Athan was worried, it would probably be wise to head back to the office and at least get Becca to accompany her before she rushed over.



Not much later a similar portal opened in an empty alley—within comfortable walking distance to the shop, yet out of sight—and Bree stepped through. Even though she was in a rush to find out what was going on, she was careful to not give away she might be anything more but a regular human. She was closely followed by Becca, a tall dark woman who looked intimidating despite her elegant business suit, and who served as her assistant as well as her bodyguard.

Becca's already perpetual scowl only deepened the moment they passed around the corner and caught sight of what was going on in front of the shop. She'd thought she'd heard glass shatter upon their arrival. What more . . . In an instant, she reached to grab Bree's shoulder and stop her advance. "Madame," she said, her tone urgent, "we should leave. Now."

Bree shook her head, even though instinct told her Becca was right. "No," she refused and dove out of the other's grasp. It was hard to get an idea of the overall situation. So many of the small Shadows present, such a diverse group of guardians and random onlookers, and So. Much. Darkness.

"You don't understand," Becca insisted. The half-werewolf grabbed her employer's shoulders with both hands this time and turned the tiny woman around to force her to face her, something no one else would have dared or been allowed to do. "The dark presence which stalked you that other night? That is him. That redhead. I recognize his scent."

"No, you don't understand!" Bree glared defiantly up at her bodyguard. Becca's grip was rock-hard, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise given the troll part of her heritage. "You don't know the state he's—" She interrupted herself. No one knew how worn Athan was, and it was moot to try and explain. It would only waste time. And time was of essence. "Athan. I don't think he can keep this up for long."

"It's not my job to protect his a**," Becca stated matter-of-factly. "It's to protect yours."

Bree gave an exasperated sound of utter disbelief. "Fine," she snapped and raised her hand. There was a brief flash of light, and all of a sudden Becca's clawed fingers closed around nothing but thin air. "You better hurry and keep up with me then," Bree quipped before she turned and made a run right for the thick of it. It was amazing how fast she could be despite the impressive height of her heels.

For but a moment Becca's mouth hung ajar with utter bafflement. Then her jaw set and she growled through clenched teeth.

"BRIANNA WINTERBLOSSOM!" she roared angrily. "COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

“Shield,” Reyna replied to Amon, “Definitely a shield.” She stared unblinkingly at the mess that was Athan and Ezra fighting one another. At least with the sword drawn, she could more easily discern who was who. She just needed a window of opportunity.

But then suddenly there was Smokey up in the very middle of everything. Reyna couldn't afford to look away from Athan and Ezra. She was afraid if she took her gaze off of them, something bad would happen and she would lose her chance to intervene on Athan's behalf. She looked puzzled as Smokey managed to land her punch on Ezra. “The hell...” she muttered.

The man in question simply cackled as he assumed a more defensive stance once he had pulled himself up off the ground. Finding suitable footing was becoming increasingly difficult because of Athan's stupid sword. There were now wild vines and plants growing from every spot on the ground the blade had previously nicked.

“Athan, I must say,” Ezra spoke up after spitting out a mouth full of blood, “You have the most fascinating allies.” More laughter erupted from him, but it was a bitter, cold sound that held only malice. “Doran and Malik in one place again, or at least what remains of them. Never thought I'd see the day,” he cackled, “Gentlemen, it has been such a long while.”

A look of confusion settled upon Athan's face, but he held his ground, sword at the ready to strike again. Doran and Malik?! Sure, he knew who Smokey had once been, but Malik? He hardly had time to process that information or even look to see whom he was referring to, because a moment later he heard a familiar voice call out an even more achingly familiar name. “Bree..?”

Reyna looked very much like a cat that was tensed and ready to pounce, but she stopped short when she heard someone call out Bree's full name and felt another dark presence unfurl itself from the shop just behind her. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. It was both familiar and frightening, and damn it all to hell what was Bree doing in this mess?! Her attention was already divided between too many places and she was swiftly losing her grip on maintaining her calm. It wasn't going to end well for anyone if she lost it.

“YOU!” Mystic bellowed as he stepped through the broken shop window, seeming to not feel the shards of glass that crunched beneath his feet.

“Hey, hey!” Reyna called after her Shadow as he made a bee line towards the main brawl that was in progress. “Where the hell do you think you're going?!”

Mystic, or what remained of him as he was now more man than Shadow, kept moving steadily forward, unmindful of his guardian's inquiries. He paused only when the demoness reached out and forcibly grabbed his arm. He reared back as though to slap her away with his free hand but froze mid swing.

“R-Reyna,” he gritted out between clenched teeth in a voice that was filled with terror, “Let go. I … can't..” His arm came down to land what would have been a devastating backhand, but Reyna was quick on her feet and evaded him entirely.

She stared after him quizzically. He moved as though possessed. Her lone visible eye widened. He was possessed. She could see it on him now. That darker presence had nothing to do with him as a Shadow. It was something else, but Reyna wasn't sure what it was since it was so deeply entwined with Mystic's soul.

At first it looked like Mystic was heading straight for Ezra, but then it became more clear that he was instead heading directly for Smokey.

“TRAITOR!” he shouted in a voice that was quite unlike the tone Reyna knew to be Mystic's. He lunged towards Smokey with claws that were very similar to Reyna's own. His physical form looked as though it was falling apart, but it hardly stopped him.

Amon merely gave a curt nod to indicate he'd understood before he started over. The good news was, it seemed to be going faster this time. The bad news was, how the hell was he supposed to concentrate when stuff kept happening?!

Especially when Smokey showed up virtually out of nowhere and going at the redhead with a punch worthy of a mini-Hulk. Seriously, he half expected her to drop a 'Puny God'. His spell, almost finished, flickered—

—and died.

Amon swore through clenched teeth, and—taking advantage of the fact everyone seemed to be gathering their wits—immediately started over again, swiftly bringing up the circle and the runes. It did go faster than before, there was definitely something to be said about practice under adverse conditions. He actually got done this time.

And then a familiar voice called out a just as familiar name.

Amon's eyes widened, and he looked in the direction from where he'd heard Becca's outraged voice, praying he'd misheard. This was bad. And indeed, there she was, heading straight for the thick of it, just as Smokey had moments before.

Under no circumstances was he going to let that happen.

Bree gave him a somewhat annoyed look when he brought himself between her and her love, and with a small 'tsk' she simply slipped past him, just as she'd previously done with her bodyguard. There was a sense of being gently brushed by a warm summer breeze, the faint smell of flowers and honey, and then she was already three— no five, eight steps past him. How was she so fast?!

"Amon, I'm going to gut you if something happens to her!" Becca howled.

Bree had always considered it a gift that she could perceive auras and magical energies with ease. Right now it was a curse. The many Shadows present, her love, the soulless ginger he was fighting, and . . . She stopped dead in her tracks, her blue eyes wide with fear as she stared at Mystic. Too much, too much, there was too much darkness. It was overwhelming, sickening, more than she could possibly handle—

Someone grabbed her wrist to pull her away, the touch of his skin against hers almost searing hot. Amon, of course.

"Let me!" she snapped. She wasn't much of a fighter, her magic simply wasn't made for attacks, but she was the only one here whose element directly opposed the ginger's. If she could land just one blow, enough to create an opening . . .

She grit her teeth, fighting through the nausea the overwhelming presence of sheer darkness caused her, and brought up her free hand, magic glistening blindingly white at her fingertips.

Nephrite had begun to circle around the block after she'd escaped through the back door. Sure, she could make her way back 'home'—she gave a small, bitter laugh to herself—but she could still distinctly sense her guardian's presence nearby. He was all sorts of tense, and nervous, but seemed dead set to stick around.

She frowned. If he got his a** handed to him, that would inevitably have consequences for her.

If Athan got his a** handed to him—and she had seen just enough of what that redhead was capable of to consider this a possibility—it would have consequences for all of them, including herself.

It wasn't heroics or the wish to do the 'right thing' that drove her to come almost full circle to the store front in the end, it was simple need self-preservation.

Plus, yeah, she kind of needed Athan to save Hawk still.

Uncertain as to what to do she hovered in the distance and tried to discern who was who in this mess, and who was doing what. Smokey and Mystic were having a go at . . . each other? for whatever reason—had they gone mad?! Bree was in the thick of it doing a reverse moth-to-the-flame of sorts, Amon right behind her, that idiot. Was that a spell?! Nephrite's eyes widened. Amon did magic?!

There was Dio, Merci, Sully and her pet Naga . . .

Just when had so many people shown up?!

And then she caught glimpse of a familiar warm orange hue in the shadows of a nearby alley.

'Nell!' Nephrite sped forward and flung herself at her friend to hug her. Never mind she had completely forgotten about her existence in those past weeks she'd wallowed in misery and self-pity. 'I am so glad you are here!'

Bree gave a terrified gasp when Ezra was in front of her so suddenly, faster than she'd ever thought possible, and snuffed out her light just like that. Too fast for her to dodge, as she'd previously done with Becca and Amon.

All she could do was not to scream as she was yanked free of Amon's grip, and stare wide-eyed at her lover's shocked expression as she was being used as a shield and hostage.

And distraction.

Her impulsiveness, she realized, had led her to commit a grave error, one that would cost them dearly.

"Athan!" she screamed when Ezra launched his attack at point blank and the pendant shattered. No matter how much she struggled, she was no match for Ezra's unnatural strength, and even less so for the oppressive darkness that threatened to completely overwhelm her. Already she could sense her glamours were beginning to unravel on their own, and the last thing she saw before she fainted, was her lover crumple.

Amon gave a surprised yelp when Bree was yanked free of his grip. He had not been prepared for the redhead to move with such unnatural speed, and—in his shock—loosened his hold for just a moment. That had been enough.

He swore and raised his right hand, fire dancing at his fingertips, but only for a moment before common sense took over. There was nothing he could do without causing collateral damage, especially not while this man was using his friend and employer as a living shield.

Part of him hoped Athan would—somehow—be able to fix this through some sort of miracle, but moments later that hope was shattered together with the emerald. Amon was too shocked to react or do anything but stare really when Becca rushed past him and went straight for the portal Ezra had used to leave, but it winked out of existence a split-second before she could make it.

Bree taken.

Athan beaten.

And they were surrounded by portals.

This was a nightmare.

"Who's in charge here?" Becca demanded to know. The tall woman looked ready to rip some heads off, and her gaze quickly levelled on Athan.

Reyna skidded to a stop, the high heels of her boots grinding into the concrete to avoid trampling over Athan. “God damn it all to hell!” she cursed as Ezra disappeared into a portal with Bree. She leaned down to make sure Athan still had a pulse, and then focused her energy on trying to reopen the portal the red head had fled through.

She paused only momentarily to glare over at Becca. “Right now, that'd be me since the usual person in charge is out of commission so to speak,” she answered as she motioned towards Athan's unconscious form, “What of it?” She growled in frustration and otherwise ignored Becca as she focused on the main portal Ezra had used to escape. It would flare to life in a fiery blaze, but each time it was nearly open it would fizzle out.

“UGH!” she yelled as she stomped one foot, voice cracking with barely contained rage and disdain, “That <********> locked the portal!” She drew in a deep breath in an attempt to steady her nerves, and it was at that moment when she realized the remaining portals that he had sent shards hurtling through were beginning to close. “No, no, no, no, NO!” she screeched as she flung the portals back open just as they began flickering out of assistance.

“Mystic or whatever the hell your actual name is, get up and help me!” she demanded, “You too, Amon! We need those shards!”

Mystic drew himself up off the ground, but his gaze settled upon Smokey. He laughed. The sound was bitter and cold. “You're sorry?” he managed between clenched teeth. His voice sounded foreign, with an accent that was strangely similar to Athan's. The usual twang he had absorbed from his guardian was somehow missing. “You're really, really sorry,” he howled, still laughing, with a maniacal grin on his face, “For killing me? That's rich!”

He lunged after Smokey, hell bent on ripping her to shreds with his claws.

Reyna on the other hand stopped what she was doing with a wide eyed look upon her face. There was a very particular acrid smell in the air accompanied by an electric charge of something running along her skin. The fine hair on her arms and neck stood up on end. “Never mind the portals! Everyone get inside the shop!” she shouted as she scooped Athan up, hauling him over her shoulder as though he weighed nothing. “You're not moving fast enough!” she yelled at Amon as she grabbed him and hauled him over the other shoulder as she ran.

She wasn't sure whether or not what was about to hit was friendly or a trap left by Ezra. Either way, she didn't want to be outside when it did.