As soon as he jumped he wondered if he had made a mistake. Falling for eternity didn’t really sound like that great of a plan after all. He hoped that some form of rescue would show up. He decided that if he ever got out of this mess he would go to the Time Room and send somebody back. No one appeared. No rescue presented itself.
The red eyes of Badchi appeared. The demon sped toward him as though it had rockets in its feet. It caught up to him, grabbed him, and held on tight.
Royden once again tried to break free. The suit was too strong. He expected its hands to start glowing, but they didn’t. Perhaps it was waiting for a better moment.
Sights and sounds started to appear beneath them. A cityscape came into view. Flying vehicles crisscrossed high above the streets. It didn’t look like the same city Royden and Millie went to before.
Badchi caught hold of one of the vehicles and dragged it down. They slowed and eventually stopped before they hit the ground. The driver of the vehicle stuck his head out the window and shouted at them. Royden didn’t catch what he said, it was probably in a different language anyway.
Badchi let go and landed softly on the ground. The vehicle took off again into the sky.
Royden tried fruitlessly to get away. The demon held a firm grip.
“Just do it already if you’re going to.” Royden yelled.
The demon held out its hand. Royden cringed. A portal appeared. Badchi stepped in with its prisoner.
Instantly Royden breathed deep with labored breaths. It was so hot. They stood on a platform of some sort moving in jerking motions high above an endless sea of flames. Some reached high into the air and crackled only feet away from the platform. Other such platforms floated along in the distance. Some had one or two beings on them. They looked large with dark orange skin.
Badchi let Royden down. His hands hit the floor of the platform and instantly recoiled.
It was clear that this was the end of him. He stood tall and brave and stared Badchi right in the eyes.
“So this is it?” He said bravely. “I hope you know that whatever you and the Tezera’s are doing it’s not going to work. Someone will stop you even if it’s not me.”
Badchi held up a glowing hand. Royden closed his eyes. The hand made contact to his forehead.
Instead of falling asleep as he thought going into a coma might feel like, he saw images. Badchi was showing him something. He looked through the eyes of Badchi.
He recognized where he was. It was Hofrora’s apartment. Mr. Tezera stood before him.
“Ah, you’ve awakened.” Mr. Tezera said. “The great demon of the past. You are free, good friend. But I ask something of you in return for your awakening. I have a mission for you. You will awaken every night. Each night you will go out and find people. You will power up your hands and send their minds away from them. The suit you are in has been enhanced to have that ability. Start slow at first. We don’t want to cause a stir just yet. On my orders you will begin doing it more quickly. When you touch them with your powered up hands their minds will be sent out of their bodies. Do you understand? If I ever feel that someone is trying to get near my home dimension I will send you after them. You have to stop them from getting there. If they find out what I’m doing they’ll stop us.”
The images changed. Now Royden looked at Mr. Tezera on the roof. The portal hadn’t been set up yet.
“Demon, the building has been evacuated of all beings. This signals the second phase of your mission. With them gone there is no one left in this dimension to stop us. They were the only ones strong enough. The beings here have no clue about our secrets. They couldn’t stop us even if they wanted to. You will now put as many minds away as you can. I have powered the suit with more abilities. As you may have noticed the bodies are disappearing after you send their minds away. I need them where I can find them so I made your suit able to send them to my home. When we have enough we will begin the transfer process. So go, my friend, and collect as many minds as you can.”
Mr. Tezera faded away. Now Royden looked over the edge of the roof of the Discovery Apartments.
“Badchi!” He heard himself yell.
Royden watched through Badchi’s eyes as he dropped something. The past Royden scurried away from the edge.
“Yeah, remember me?” He had said.
Feelings erupted into Badchi’s mind. Royden felt all of them. They ranged from sad to downright depressed. And then they were gone.
The roof of the building faded away and the gray room took its place. Badchi looked around. Royden and Millie looked scared across the room. He no longer cared about them. The rush of emotions returned. He began to cry.
Royden felt the desperation Badchi felt. He understood the whimpering and the crying. All the evil things Badchi did flashed before Royden’s eyes. He saw the murder of parents and the capturing of children. He felt dismayed at what he had to do to survive. The power of existence fought hard against the evil of what it had to do to continue existing. It started to sing. It was the only way for it to take its mind from the terrible task.
Badchi removed its hand away from Royden’s forehead. The boy opened his eyes and shook his head at the horrible creature.
“You can explain,” Royden said softly, “but I will never understand.”
Badchi nodded, his head bowed. It closed its red eyes.
Royden lunged at the creature, shoving it off the platform. Badchi caught hold of the edge. It opened its eyes and looked up at Royden.
“Go—od Chi—ld.” It said, almost happily.
Badchi let go of the platform and fell into endless flames below.
Royden didn’t waste any time. He drew a ring with the crystal and left that dimension behind. He played with how to get places a little. He wished to be on the beach and the crystal took him to a beach, but not his own. He wished to be on the roof of the Discovery Apartments, and the crystal took him there.
Royden Doble of the fifth floor Discovery Apartments stood only feet from the Tezera’s, who were talking near the portal.
“There isn’t much time now.” Mrs. Tezera said.
“I know.” Mr. Tezera responded sadly. “Why haven’t they taken the bodies? They are right there for the taking. If only I could talk to them in this form. I’m starting to wish I didn’t waste my one body transfer on this stupid giant.”
Royden made the slightest noise. Mrs. Tezera turned.
“How in all the multiverse did you survive? Where is the demon?”
Mr. Tezera didn’t seem phased. “He must have defeated the demon.” He said calmly. “The thing did seem rather weak.”
Royden didn’t feel much like fighting. In fact he was so tired and worn he didn’t feel like doing anything but sleeping. Something deep within kept him going. The vast responsibility he felt toward his family and all of Earth kept him awake.
“You’re trying to save your people, aren’t you?” He asked quietly. “Why can’t they just come through the portal?”
Mr. Tezera frowned at Royden. “I am endlessly amazed by your abilities, Royden Doble. You are the smartest human of them all, I am sure of it. But you cannot understand what we are going through. Your dimension won’t die like ours. We have to survive. I had to find my people a way out, and I have.”
“You’re doing it the wrong way. Please stop.” Royden pleaded.
Mr. Tezera turned back to the portal. “Kill him.”
Mrs. Tezera shrugged and started over to him. “I would love to find out his secrets, oh well.” A sword materialized from nowhere in front of her and she grabbed it.
The whole building shook. Royden almost lost his balance. From the expressions of the Tezera’s this wasn’t part of the plan. A loud crash sounded close by. Crashes rang out every second. The building lost all composure. It swayed this way and that.
The portal
faltered. Mr. Tezera fell to the ground.
Mrs. Tezera stepped up to the edge and looked down. She let loose a horrified scream. A giant claw rose up and swiped her right off the building. Her screams faded away.
The face of a gigantic Pooly emerged from the side of the building. It roared deafeningly. Its claws latched onto the side somewhere near the roof. Windows shattered and walls collapsed. The building shook.
Pooly looked from face to face as if deciding which one to go after first. Royden shoved his hand in his pocket and brought out the Siren’s comb. Pooly took a great sniff and lowered its head toward Royden, who desperately hoped the siren’s scent still coated the comb. The great creature stared at the boy expectantly.
“Grab him!” Royden shouted, pointing the comb at Mr. Tezera.
Pooly smashed a giant claw down on the roof, raising itself higher into the air. Royden landed hard on the gravel. Mr. Tezera’s portal struggled to stay active.
The pool monster roared at Mr. Tezera, who did not look phased.
“I am not afraid of your pet!” Mr. Tezera yelled. He growled in a similar way to Taddy. And then, similar to Taddy, he began to grow. But he did not grow older, instead he grew bigger. His whole body expanded in size. Ten feet, twelve feet, fifteen feet tall. He kept getting bigger.
Pooly watched, steadying itself on the side of the building.
Mr. Tezera stopped about thirty feet tall. He roared at the pool monster, who returned the roar. He then swung a great hand and the creature. It swung through the air slowly. Pooly grabbed the building with its claws and reared its head back, avoiding the blow.
Mr. Tezera looked at his hand angrily. He threw a punch. Again it moved through the air as if in slow motion. Again Pooly dodged it.
Mr. Tezera’s feet caved through the floor. The portal flickered but somehow stayed on.
Pooly let out the most horrid roar of all. Mr. Tezera attempted once more to land a hit to no avail. As his arm neared Pooly the monstrous creature clamped its teeth down on it.
Mr. Tezera cried out in pain. His great voice booming through the whole city.
Royden tried to find a piece of roof that was stable but it was near impossible. The whole ground shook and rattled. Pieces broke off and fell to the floor below.
Mr. Tezera couldn’t get away. Pooly was too fast. The monster grabbed the giant man and sank its claws into him. Mr. Tezera threw his head back and let out a moan unlike any anyone of Earth had ever heard. He began to shrink. Pooly bit down on his upper arm and shoulder as Mr. Tezera returned to his smaller form.
The portal flickered worse than ever.
Mr. Tezera crawled bloody and defeated to the portal. He pulled himself in just in time. Pooly came down with a crashing fist to smash the metal supports to bits. It looked around for its enemy, unable to find him.
Royden stood up shakily and held up the comb. “All right, shrink down here.” He commanded.
Pooly shrank and in a minutes time stood three feet high at Royden’s side. The boy patted its head.