Ann desperately tried to catch her breath as her sister Katie slammed the doors to the Magic Shop closed. The goth teen was shell shocked by what she had seen. Lisa, Jason, her sisters, her friends, nearly everyone she considered family killed, by something no one could explain. As Katie’s friends now tried to regroup the teen gazed at them with a thOusand yard stare.
“Ann,” Katie exclaimed, grabbing her younger sister by the arm. Ann came out of her daze, focusing on her sister once more. “Katie,” she whimpered. “I...I.. couldn’t do anything. What was that thing?!”
“I don’t know,” Katie said solemnly as she stared out at her friends. Mary Elise and Sebastian were trying to barricade the Magic Shop as Samantha wept, her husband Mika and daughter had been slaughtered in front of her as she tried to save a teenage Ann. Katie could see the look of sorrow on Ann’s face, quickly hugging the girl. “Ann this wasn’t your fault,” she said. “None of us could do anything. Whatever those things are we weren’t prepared.”
Ann shifted nervously in place at her sisters words. Maybe this was her fault. She had reduced her sister Gloria to infancy, essentially making Lynne her twin sister. Ann now thought about the what if’s. What if she hadn’t reduced Gloria to infancy? What if it was Gloria and not her that had stood against these things? Ann was only shaken from her melancholy as Shiro now began to yell. “They’re coming!”
Katie and Ann exchanged a concerned look as Katie now hurried her sister towards the back of the Magic Shop. Katie and Kellie now exchanged ansad look as the couple now began to cast a spell. “Katie What are you doing,” Ann asked.
“Ann I’m sending you to mom,” Katie said stoically. “Then I’m closing the portal behind you. Hopefully that can stop them for now.”
“But what about you,” Ann asked. Katie and Kellie looked to one another, Ann seeing this immediately began to cry, “No,” she wailed. “No Katie don’t! You, Kellie, everyone! You’ll die.”
“Ann Listen,” Katie said softly. “Your my sister. I have to protect you. If it means it costs me my life then that’s something I have to accept. My family, my sister, that’s worth any sacrifice.” As Ann now clutched her sister in a tight hug, tears streaming down her cheek the could here the sounds of the door breaking in the front of the shop. “Katie it’s ready,” Kellie stated. Katie nodded, wiping the tears from her teenage sisters face before pushing her through the portal to Kellie Pendragons timeline. As the portal closed behind the goth teen, Katie stood wiping a stray tear as she now joined her friends.
Mary Elise and Sebastian were trying to strengthen the barricade with magic, looks of determination on their faces as the door cracked. Katie and Kellie now joined hands standing next to Mika and Claudia. “Mika, Claudia,” Katie asked. “I’m sorry about Kari, about your families.” Claudia said nothing as Mika grit her her teeth. “Girls,” she growled. “These bastards killed our families, killed our kids. Now...we make them pay.”
Samantha has heard what Mika had said, sniffing she now wiped a tear from her eyes before transforming into a anthro dragoness (similar to her counterpart in the other timeline). Roaring with an unnatural fury as she bared her fangs. Shiro unsheathed his mystical katana awaiting the inevitable last stand, his girlfriend Jennifer standing by his side preparing a spell of her own. With baited breath they now prepared themselves for a final stand.
An eerie silence fell over the Shop before an explosion of magic incinerated the front door. As Mary Elise and Sebastian tried to gain their bearings a large creature with dark blue skin barreled into the shop, its mouth filled with fangs as it’s muscles strained it’s skin. As it raised an inhumanly large blade above its head Sebastian noticed Mary stumble backwards. “Mary watch out,” he screamed. Mary Elise’s eyes went wide as the blade began to descend on her. Sebastian leaped at his girlfriend knocking her out of the way only to be bisected by the creatures blade. Mary Elise screamed in agony, launching a spell at the creature as the other sprang to action.
“Attack,” Katie yelled as she released a spell, knocking the creature back slightly. The creature grinned as it’s allies streamed in behind him. Katie and the others now engaged in a heroic strike, trying to stop whatever these things were. Claudia and Mika let loose with fire and ice as Mary Elise launched spell after spell. The college red head didn’t notice a woman dressed in a shroud flitter behind her, unsheathing an assassins sword and piercing Mary through the heart. Mary’s eyes went wide as she slumped to the floor dead. Shiro screamed, engaging the assassin in combat.
As Shiro and the assassin fought it began to become clear he was overmatched. The assassin was far more skilled, quickly overwhelming Shiro before cuttting off his sword arm. Shiro screamed in pain, dropping to his knees. As he did a large man with dark hair and black eyes stepped forward an evil grin plastered across his face. Raising a massive scythe above his head he brought it down upon Shiro, beheading him.
Samantha had seen enough, roaring she opened her mouth unleashing a blast of pure energy that rocketed towards the large man. “My lord,” a smaller creature with purple skin bellowed as it dived in front of the blast. The purple skinned humanoid was rocketed into a nearby wall, crumpling to the ground. The large man sneered, baiting Samantha forward. The mourning dragoness was only to happy to comply, flapping her mighty wings and rocketing forward at incredible speed. The large man simply caught Samantha by the throat, a grimace crossing his face before a loud snap rang out through the Magic Shop. Samantha’s corpse falling to the floor with a broken neck.
Now it was Ashley and Jennifer’s turn to try and stop the intruders. Although novices in Magic they tried to put up a fight. They too were quickly put down, a silver haired man and the assassin stepped forward slashing the two through the heart.
Katie, Kellie, Mika, and Claudia were growing desperate as the five intruders advanced, they were the only ones left. One by one each of their friends had fallen, now they were the only ones left. Mika leveled an ice spell at the silver haired man and the assassin freezing them in place. Claudia turned to compliment her fiancé before noticing the blue creature appear out of the smoke. “Mika look out,” she screamed. Mika turned, her eyes going wide as the creature swung his sword, cleaving Mika in two.
Claudia roared with rage as she let loose with a powerful spell. An inferno now engulfed the shop, burning anything and everything in site. Katie and Kellie used their magic to shield themselves as Claudia burned the shop,, nothing could survive this. That was out to rest as the dark haired man stepped out of the flames, raising his scythe before bringing it down on Claudia. For a moment it appeared nothing happened. Katie and Kellie watched as Claudia turned towards them, a confused look on her face as her spell dissipated. Slowly a red line began to show on Claudia extending from her shoulder to her hip. Claudia tried to say something as her torso split along the line.
Katie and Kellie cried in shock as Claudia collapsed dead. They were the only ones left. Kellie unleashed a powerful spell, connecting directly with Claudia’s murderers face. For a moment they thought he was down before he whipped around, his face filled with murderous intent. Grabbing Kellie by the neck he snapped it, flinging her corpse out of the shop. Katie was now the last.
Katie closed her eyes, death was certain at this point. Katie still had one trick left up her sleeve. Grabbing her necklace Katie uttered a curse her eyes glowing brightly. Screaming in agony Katie exploded with enough force to level the Magic Shop and several surrounding buildings. A light as bright as the sun illuminated the area before dissipating. When it did the large man and his comrades stood triumphantly over the corpses of Katie and her friends.
“Lord Villar,” the dark blue creature asked. “Are you hurt?”
Villar brushed the dust of the Magic Shop from his dark clothes as he gazed at the wreckage. “No Malik I am not,” he murmured. “Where is the girls sister? The one called Ann?”
“Escaped my lord,” the silver haired man said.
“Shall we pursue,” the assassin asked.
“No Abolith,” Villar stated. “We have eliminated the threat of this timeline. In time we shall pursue and merge the divided timelines.” Villar turned towards the silver haired man now to ask him a question. “Cassius where is Rylo?”
Cassius, the silver haired man now pointed towards the crumpled body of the purple humanoid slowly getting to his feet. “He is hurt my lord,” Cassius stated. “He took the brunt of the blast intended for you.”
Villar frowned as he approached Rylo, as he did Rylo stood, holding the wound he had suffered. “My lord you’re okay.” Villar said nothing, backhanding Rylo and sending him flying. “Fool,” he spat. “I have given you this power and you waste it. Hurt in battle by these children.”
“I protected,” Rylo whimpered.
“They can not hurt me,” Villar growled. “However it appears you can. For that I shall take from you what I have given.” Villar extended his hand, slowly closing it as Rylo howled in pain. The sounds of muscle and bone contracting rang out as Rylo now began to shrink in size. Slowly but surely the purple humanoid grew smaller, his muscles lessening as his clothing grew around him.
“But I saves you,” Rylo cried, his voice rising in pitch.
“You didn’t,” Villar whispered. “You merely showed your weakness.” Rylo continued to cry in agony as his size and strength decreased. His clothing falling off of him as he shrank to only a foot tall. Looking at Rylo pitiful and thin body Villar closed his fist, causing the tiny body of a Rylo to explode in a thick viscous liquid.
“Failure shall not be tolerated,” Villar stated. “We shall merge the timelines and rule this new world. For now let us erase what is left of this world and take the souls for our army.” Villar followers said nothing as their lord now exited the remains of the Magic Shop. The first salvo in the war of the timelines had been fired,