"I won't let you win!"
The clashing of metal can be heard with a flash of light,
"Why not join me? I have loved you for ages!"
A dark red went by.
"This is not you I've known... you have changed, Blake!"
A silence came over the two until Blake laughed at her.
"Then I will have to take you down with me,"
Another flash of light,
"You need to wake up, for you are not dead,"
Avalon looked around her, trying to find the voice.
"Get up,"
She jolted off of the ground, looking around her, only for there to be a forest surrounding her. She felt the ground under her hand and looked down, finding clovers under her hands, but nowhere else.
"What?" She muttered
Avalon looked above the forest and saw the lights of the city with high-rise buildings in the distance. She felt a sharp pain in her head with memories that had come to pass. Not so many good memories, but the last one she had.
"What have I done?" She asked, holding her head,
A soft thud next to her with a warm voice tells her,
"You have fought off an ancient evil and lived,"
Avalon let her hand fall. She turned to the voice and saw a man with long brown hair and light blue eyes, burning with joy. She moved over to get a better look at him. He wears armor with a cloak on him, covering his back. He went to Avalon and sat down next to her with a thud. He sheepishly smiled at her, explaining,
"You have fought off an ancient evil and lived," He repeated,
"What do you mean by that?" Avalon asked
"How do I put this..." He thought
"This man that you have faced has an evil brought down to him,"
"It's been here for generations, Avalon, every time a force of goodwill itself when evil shows its face, defeating it at the end," He said
Avalon stares at him... how could this be?
She just wanted that corruption to end. No more pain, the suffering of others... wait, She stopped looking at him, staring off into the lights of the city, while the calm forest resided with her. She felt her hand heat up once more, and the man beside her watched over her, he felt the same way she did before, but that didn't stop him from his cause and he knew it wouldn't stop her.
"You know now... don't you?" He asked
"I'm not sure if I do, but I will seek it if needed," Avalon spoke
"I've heard of you, Avalon... this is no coincidence of meeting," He said
"How so?" Avalon inquired
He moved his hand on his hip and pulled out a familiar sword. He held it out for her to grab. Therefore, she touched it. The engraving in the sword glowed from her touch, and Avalon moved her hand away, but he stopped her by saying,
"This sword was mine... I've fought many battles with it." He told her
He placed it on her lap, the sword glowed again being on her lap, Avalon took the sword and examined the sword... it's like hers? She looked up at him,
"It's been your sword for a while. You will need it for the evil you fought. is not dead but alive," He said
"Then where is Blake?" Avalon asked
"Who said it was him?"
He disappeared before her eyes, not before giving her a warring.
"The darkness that is with him will try to tear him apart. When he is unuseful to it,"
Avalon stared at where he was until she looked up at the stars, the sword placed on her lap and the forest coming alive with the city in the distance,
"You still have no idea of where she went?" Salvatore asked
"No Sal, she went into that beam of light and disappeared. They're still taking samples of what was left to try to get an idea of where she is," Jane told him,
"Jane, it's been two years now, I just want to have some answer." Salvatore express
"And you will get them, honey," Jane said
She went to him and held him, Salvatore wrapped his arms around her and leaned into her. She patted his head, saying,
"What Avalon did to take the head down was impossible... she did what couldn't be done humanly, Sal," Jane said
Salvatore hummed, holding her tighter, Jane kept petting his head before a lost thought came back,
"Salvatore, when will they return from the last mission," Jane asked
He lets go of her and explains, "They had to prolong it. They are more searching than they had to do,"
"What have they been searching for?" Jane inquired
"For the last stronghold of the mafia," Salvatore said
Jane stunned, moved off of him in disbelief. She chuckled and held his shoulder,
"The last stronghold?" She laughed
Salvatore smiles at her, happy as well. He was worried about if they would be dismantled by the mafia. But it happened through the people who helped him and one lucky light.
"Yes, Jane, the last stronghold," Salvatore said
Jane hugs him, laughing all the while, Salvatore catches her standing out of his chair, and he spins her around laughing with her, after a moment of spinning her, he stops letting her down and places his four heads on hers,
"We can stop with this? All the action, running around, everything?" Jane asked
"Yes, Jane, everything that has to do with a mission is gone," Salvatore answered
She leans in closer to him, and he leans in as well. However, a knock on the door stops him, and a voice calls out.
"Sir, may I come in?"
"Is it urgent?" Salvatore asked
"Yes, it is,"
Salvatore moved away from Jane and walked to the door, opening it for the young man, Salvatore looked at the young man.
"It better be important," Salvatore told him
"It is... Avalon,"
"She's here,"
Salvatore felt joy reach into his heart, but a shadow of uncertainty still resided.
"How is that possible?" Jane asked
"I don't know how, but she is in the lobby asking me to look for you,"
The young man told him... the thing that he thought he wouldn't hear, Salvatore walked out of the room, telling the boy.
"Lead the way,"
The young man moves past him, walking to the lobby, Salvatore follows him with Jane next to him, holding his hand. They entered the lobby with the young man stopping in front of them until he moved away for them.
"Avalon?" Salvatore asked
She didn't look the same as she did. Avalon looked up at them and stood up from the chair. She walked up to him with a limp until she stood in front of him.
"Hi Sal," Avalon let out
Salvatore looks at her happy expression. Before pulling her into a hug, Avalon smiles into his shoulder while Salvatore tightens his hold on her,
"Where have you been?" Salvatore asked
Avalon puts her chin on his shoulder, looking over at Jane, who was standing there staring at them,
"I..."
Avalon closed her eyes, experiencing a throbbing headache. With clashes of light and dark in her vision and voices calling out.
"Now you control the heat. That light within you will be essential, Avalon,"
Another light went by. Salvatore felt Avalon's weight on him and told Jane to get the medics,
"That old darkness will come back, Avalon... for that, you will still need these powers. I'm sorry,"
Avalon felt herself being lifted into a bed of sorts,
"That fire will burn through until the task at hand is done,"
She felt herself in the air.
"Avalon, I need you to wake up,"
The man from before is in her sight and tells her. "He that sent me told me to watch you, but also warn you..."
Avalon felt fire burn in her.
"It is a certainty that we will meet again. Goodbye, Avalon."
Avalon sat up from her bed. She felt the fire still burning in her. However, she saw her strapped with IV bags. Avalon looked around, not finding anyone.
"It happens more than it should," Avalon thought
Avalon tried to stand up from the bed and almost fell, but caught herself, She saw white in the window. She looked around and saw her reflection. She's taller than normal. Her hair is white at the ends. However, the thing she didn't expect there to be designs on her. the design has crystals all over her arms with rope and knots around it, Avalon stepped back taken aback, looking at her body,
"What is this?" She uttered.
She touched the design and felt heat coming off it. She flinched at it while placing her hand over her eyes, not hearing the door open behind her.
"What is happening? First, it was going into a beam of light, and now I look..." She stopped
"You look amazing,"
Avalon turned to the voice, letting her hand fall, Marcello stood in the doorway admiring her from afar. He walked to her, and not even once did he take his eyes off her. He glanced down at her and gently touched her face,
"Avalon, is this truly you?" Marcello uttered
He turns away from her, ashamed. He couldn't protect her from Mórrígan or Ally. He couldn't even save her from Blake. However, Avalon held his chin, turning him back to stare at her,
"Marcello, it's truly me," Avalon told him,
Avalon lets go of him, but he stops her. He places her on his cheek, even cradling her hand around his,
"Thank goodness," He let out
Avalon flushed at him snuggling into her palm. She then made him bend down to her new height and spoke softly, "I didn't think that you would be so worried about me... especially when we meet,"
"Yeah, I was a jerk to you," Marcello laughed
"No, no, you were worried that I would hurt you and your brothers," Avalon told him
"You're not wrong, but I had no right to treat you that way," Marcello said
"It's in the past now, Marcello. You have proven yourself to me already," Avalon spoke
Marcello opens his mouth to say something but stops,
"I shouldn't make this about me, but of her," He thought
"You probably have many questions, right?" Marcello asked
"Yes, I do. And I believe you have some questions for me," She inquired
He nodded and helped her back to her bed. She laid down while he sat next to her with his eyes wandering over her new tattoos,
"I want to hear of what happened after the beam took me up," Avalon said
"After you and Blake went up, I went to check if you were still there but nothing," Marcello let out
"Their base is taken over by Shepherd, and their former donors went to prison. The small companies they made turned to nothing without them, the corrupted officials they had gone as well," Marcello counited
"Whatever was left of the mafia went to safe places to try and build up their power. However, sheperd had other plans. We searched for the last of them and took down their last base,"
He wasn't looking at her afraid of what her reaction might be. However, Avalon didn't know what to do. for years, she tried to help take down that mafia for such a long time and now hearing that it was over. that all that work she put in with all the heartache of betrayal and strife was not for nothing.
"What killed them was the leadership was killed off, and their head was blown away by a woman of light," Marcello said
He turns to her and sees that she is tearing up, Avalon sits there with her hair covering her eyes, tears start to run down her face while her voice is shaken but telling Marcello,
"It wasn't for not?"
Marcello lifts her head before telling her, "It was never for not Avalon,"