81. Armageddon

“Told you,” Cortez started, exuberant. “One week.”

“Yeah, you’re a real hero,” Tika joked. His face, however, looked more impressed than his voice let on.

Cortez looked at the crater. “And so the time has come to finally end this debacle.”

Tika nodded. He looked at him intently. “And then what?”

If Cortez were surprised by the question, he didn’t show him. Instead, he took Tika’s hands and held them. “And then we’ll live happily ever after.”

They laughed.

“Sounds good to me.”

Clasping each others’ hands in theirs, they came into action; moving away from the crater.

“It was fun while it lasted.”

“Was it, though?”

***

A few hours later they arrived in Glimmerbrook, a town which most of them had never set foot in before. It didn’t look to be much special.

“So,” Tika started, turning to the two vampires behind him. “Are you ready?”

As always, Cai was cheerful and optimistic. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Great.”

Angelico, on the other hand, wasn’t. “Don’t know what I ought to be ready for, seein’ as how you lot didn’t care to give us any details.”

Tika wasn’t impressed. “I told you all you needed to know.”

“You told me we’re supposed to fight some vamp.”

“Yeah. And that’s it.”

“And what happens after we’ve fought him? What’s your plan, here, exactly? Do you even have one?”

“God, you’re exhausting.”

“I’m just not inclined to trusting proven morons like you.”

“It’s four against one. Who needs a plan?”

Angelico shot him a look. Turned to Cai, then, with a look the latter was able to read immediately. Cai made a dismissive gesture only for Angelico’s eyes to see. We were bored. Least this’ll be entertainment.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Tika added.

He turned around. “Now come on.”

***

When Mateo suddenly appeared before them, Tika and Cortez tried to hide their surprise. They hadn’t expected him to have known of their arrival… but it was OK. In fact, it may even be convenient. At least now they wouldn’t have to search for the guy in a town they didn’t know.

“Wow,” Mateo started as he got closer still. “What a party. This all for me?”

Angelico stepped closer to him. “I was told I’m supposed to fight you.”

Mateo shrugged. “Alright, then. I could go for a scrap.”

When Angelico morphed into his game face, Mateo let out a chuckle.

“A vampire, huh, granddads?! Wow. You really that desperate to beat me?”

Angelico shot the vampire before him a contemptuous look before turning his back on him to take a few steps back. Focusing his gaze on his moving hands, he readied himself to use his compulsion.

Mateo stood and stared. For a moment there, Tika could’ve sworn he saw something along the lines of electric sparks coming from him. He blinked his eyes. Should’ve really gotten more sleep last night.

“Ze bloora!” Angelico called, his arm stretched towards Mateo, the other on his temple. His lips curled into a smirk as he waited for his powers to reach Mateo.

But they never did. Instead, they were blocked by what they were all now fairly sure were colorful electric sparks coming from Mateo’s skin.

Angelico waved his hand around a little before raising it again. “Ze bloora!”

Nothing.

He looked at his hand, his smirk no longer visible.

“Uh…”

“Wow, very impressive,” Mateo responded. “Now it’s my turn.”

The group all looked in absolute amazement when instead of the vampire powers they expected, Mateo wielded what could only be described as magic.

Three sets of gigantically wide eyes looked at him as he… well, no one really knew what he was doing… or how this was possible.

Before anyone really had been able to get a sense of what was happening, Angelico felt himself struck. He jumped up, feeling an enormous power that wasn’t his to wield surging through him. After a few seconds, it gradually left his body again.

Trying not to bring to light his fear, Angelico attempted for an unimpressed look. “That all?”

He’d barely got the last syllable across his lips when suddenly, it felt like his whole body was on fire. He jumped up yet again, and couldn’t stop a scream from moving past his lips. He then looked down and realized that his body was actually on fire. He panicked.

Angelico was just starting to think that this was it, this was how he’d meet his end—on some bridge in a town he’d never even heard of, defeated by an alien-looking, vampire-like spellcaster (however the fuck that had happened)—

—when he felt the sensation of being literally burned alive gradually decrease. At first, this only made him more ensured of the fact that he was dying, and that this was his nerves finally giving up. But then he saw the fire around him decrease and finally go out, and he realized that somehow, he had managed to live. He was OK. Or, well, to the extent that one could be in such a circumstance.

The moment Cai realized that Angelico would be alright, he jumped into action himself. Prepping his body and calling upon powers he hadn’t used in years if not decades, Cai was ready to fight. This dude had messed with the wrong vampires.

He didn’t get very far.

Mateo was on a roll—he admitted it himself as he watched his foes running away in a panic. “Fuck this,” Cai called, when he felt himself coming back to his senses. “We’re out.”

Even Tika and Cortez couldn’t get himself to stay. Vowing that they were just gonna have to defeat The Mother on their own, they made a run for it.

Mateo watched it all complacently, priding himself on his newfound strength. He was just about to call for one last exuberant victory spell and to show these people just what he was made of… When suddenly, he felt the magic that surged powerfully within him writhe itself out of his clasp, and he officially lost control.

And so what was supposed to be a display of perfect grace and power turned into one of embarrassment and defeat as a now charred Mateo picked himself up from the ground, barely able to recall what had just happened.

Slowly, the others stopped in their tracks… and started to move back towards him. The sudden presence of a scrawny blonde didn’t phase them; he didn’t exactly look intimidating.

“Wow,” Cortez mimicked Mateo’s earlier words, stepping closer to him. The fear he’d felt before seemed to have gone completely. “Very impressive. That all you got?”

Mateo averted his eyes miserably.

Morgyn chose that moment to step forward. Cortez shot him a contemptuous look.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” the former started, extending his hand. As soon as Cortez decided to shake it, he regretted when he was hit with electric waves so strong they lifted his entire body off the air. “My name is Morgyn.”

When he finally let go of Cortez’ hand, Cortez’ eyes were even wider than they had been before. He wasn’t scared easily; or at all. After thousands of years of living, he was becoming pretty sure that he’d seen most if not all. But this? This was entirely new to him… and he would be lying if he said it didn’t scare him. The power Mateo had managed to radiate compared in no way to that of this man before him. In fact, Cortez dared say he had rarely if not never seen—or felt—power like this before.

Meanwhile, Morgyn smiled pleasantly… And took over from Mateo by casting another spell.

By then, Tika had found the courage to step up. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are,” he started, raising his hand at Morgyn. “But if you dare touch him again…”

Morgyn looked at him, disgruntled. “After stepping into my town to target my people, you would be the one to threaten me?”

Tika swallowed hard; looked at his companions for help, but knew immediately that he couldn’t expect any.

Morgyn’s lips curved into a smile, then, and so Mateo’s did too. He turned to stand next to Morgyn as he faced Tika.

The latter still refused to let the power of the men before him put him down. “That boy…” he pointed at Mateo. “…is evil.”

He was given no time to possibly regret his statement—he had barely opened his mouth to continue his train of thought when he suddenly felt… very cold.

Cai, who had been standing closeby and was now caught in the middle, cowered. It was safe to say that they had been defeated.

But just as Mateo and Morgyn were about to leave the scene, they heard a voice call out. Surprised, they looked up—and saw a man approach them.

“Stop!” Emil called, stepping between them.

“You belong with them?” Morgyn asked, gesturing to the men around them.

“I…” Emil hesitated. “I’m here to mediate. Look, this… this whole thing. I’m sure we can talk it all out.” He turned to Mateo, then. Felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at him. “We’re long overdue for a talk.”

Mateo seized him up. “Do I know you?”

Emil’s eyes turned to the ground before he answered. It was hard to speak around the lump in his throat. “Mateo, I’m your father.”

He never thought he’d say those words—least of all to at only thirty-three years old, speaking to an adult man.

Mateo’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, it’s ‘no, I am your father.’” Tried for a lighthearted grin but found the situation too tense for it.

Emil just looked at him intently, and so Mateo felt forced to go on and acknowledge the words. “Are you like them?” he finally asked. “You want to get rid of me too?”

Another hard swallow didn’t manage to clear the lump. Emil sighed. “No one wants to get rid of you.”

“Then why are you here?”

“StrangerVille.”

It was all Emil really managed to say, but it was enough.

An understanding downed on Mateo. “Oh,” he started. “Right.” He burst into laughter. “And here I thought you lot were trying to get me back to Sixam. You know, y’all could’ve just asked me to fix StrangerVille. I would’ve said yes.”

Once Morgyn realized that things were calming down, he allowed the two men he’d incapacitated to come back.

For a while, speechlessness dominated within the group. It was Cortez who first managed to gain back his senses and stepped up to Mateo once again.

“So… care to tell us how the hell this whole shit happened?”

Mateo grinned. “I’m glad you asked.”

***

Mateo flung his eyes to the sky with a sense of perfect happiness as he thought back of these past few months. “It all started when…

Well, it actually started a whole long while ago. You see, while I certainly appreciated some of the perks of being a vampire, I’ve always thought that there had to be something else out there for me. Something better, you know? And as the months went by on Earth, I found myself growing more and more restless… My dreams were all about the sun, and my nightmares were all about burning up in it. I spent the days staring longingly at the windows in front of me, trying to imagine how it must be to feel that Earthly sun kissing your skin… Finally, I said ‘enough.’ I was done, you know. I was bored. Being a vampire, I was starting to realize, it sucked. So I went and looked for some… alternatives. That’s how I ended up here, in Glimmerbrook.

And the moment I set foot in this place, I knew I’d love it. I mean, not the place itself, mind you. This town is boring as hell. But when I was shown what this town had to offer… I had to take it.

I was warned about what I would have to give up…

But I didn’t care. And I went for it.

I made sure to make good use out of my last day as a vampire…

Before finally, I made my wish come true.

Getting the cure wasn’t difficult, nor was drinking it any trouble. Really, I was cured before I even knew it.

I had been cured for no more than a few hours when I made the leap and…

Well, here I am. Reborn. Morgyn here, he saw my potential right from the start. It was he who made me.

Then it was my turn to perfect myself—and I took this task very seriously.

Forgotten Hollow never felt like home. Sixam never really did either. But the moment I stepped into the Magic Realm, I knew this was my place. For the first time in my life, I cared for something. And so I made sure I’d keep it. I made sure that something cared for me too.

Course, this wasn’t hard for me; I’m damn lovable after all. I curled my lips into a winning smile, opened my mouth and engaged my smooth talk.

Now, the sages? They had never seen anything like me.

I was special.

Frightening.

Formidable.

I spent months honing my newfound skills into perfection… And let me tell you: this whole thing? It isn’t for the weak. It’s barely for anyone, really. I was lucky to be almost completely immune to the exhaustion that becoming a spellcaster brought with it.

And although it felt nice to have a household to come back to,

I could’ve easily done it alone.

Within no time, my rank increased. I engaged in every battle I could; defeat is a word that will never fit into my vocabulary, nor will I let it.

No. I was born to be a winner, and so that’s what I became.

And I finally beat the impossible.

I seduced the impossible.

For most folks, that’s what my achievements would be: impossible. Unfathomable. But I’m no ‘most folks.’ I’m fucking special, baby.

So that’s the story of how I became Glimmerbrook’s most powerful newcomer,” he finally concluded thirty minutes later.

***

The rest took a moment to recover before responding.

Finally, Tika opened his mouth. “How did…”

He was interrupted almost immediately.

“Good evening,” Minerva cut in. All heads turned to her, surprised. “Have you all said your piece?”

“I—“

“Good. That means it’s time for mine. You see, while you were off making enemies with each other, another one has formed. An enemy more powerful than any of you could possibly imagine. An enemy none of us will be able to face on their own. An enemy that can—and will, if we do not take action right now—end the world as we know it. Not getting involved is no option here. I’m going to need every last one of you if we want to be able to fight this. Now…”

“Wait. Was this why you recruited me?” Mateo wondered.

“Yes. Now,” Minerve started again. “This enemy, you may know him as James; but it is important to remember that he no longer is the same James you may know. He is much, much more than that. And if we want to have even the slightest shot at beating him, we must work together. You two,” she gestured Tika and Cortez. “You’re aliens, correct?”

They nodded, still flabbergasted.

“And you,” she turned to Cai and Angelico. “You’re vampires?”

Another nod.

“Perfect. Here’s the plan. The vampires will go to Sulani to collect a very important piece of…”

“We’re not gonna fight?” Angelico’s disappointed voice sounded.

“You would be the least likely to win.” Ignoring Angelico’s grumbling, she went on. “No, you will travel to Sulani to attain a photograph…”

“Really? That all?”

Minerva ignored him. “The aliens will find one of their own who can change their disguises to whatever we may wish, so we can base it on the photograph.”

“And you three will go to StrangerVille. However, you cannot defeat The Mother just yet. We may need Her. Instead, I ask you to control Her for the time being, as you have done so before.

“Once we’ve fulfilled all these tasks, we’ll meet again—to fight.”

---

A/N: Hope everyone had a good Christmas. I’m proud (and just slightly relieved) to announce that this will be the last season/category for Xaos! Only four more chapters to go, lads.