Authors note: all characters a side from Sapphire, Julaya, Alexandre, and Keori all belong to Archie comics and Sega.
Title: The tale of the Shadowsong ©
Author: Guardian Julaya-Na
Quotes of the fan-fic:
"…I burn candles and stare at the ghost
Deep inside of you and some great need in me
Starts to bleed I’ve lost my self, there’s nothing left it’s all gone
Deep inside of you…."
- Third eye blind, Deep inside of you
Dedication: Part one is to my dearest Vic. The guy I love with all my heart and everything in it for now, forever! Miss ya lots and love forever
Prologue: A glance at Nosgoth
Midnight, four nights before the new moon, The god of the darkness plans his attack.
" Now, my angels of death in just four short days we shall go back to our distraught homes and reclaim what is truly ours. I will destroy that guardian dynasty and take the place of my " Twin brother" and return to the land of the living and my right as guardian! At the dawn of the New Moon we shall avenge our misfortunes and early deaths. And I will make him pay!" The grim Reaper rose from his thrown and went towards the portal of life
" Only four more days."
* * *
"There is a place where the Grim Reaper sits upon his thrown of darkness and awaits for the time when the moons dethroned and the land of the living welcomes him home."
<<This must mean something, The moons dethroned? A new moon? The land of the dead. A ghost? >>
" OH, I have a headache!" Spectre pushed his cowls retracting button and it fell into his hood. He rubbed his temples and groaned why did the psalms have to be so hard to interpret.
"There is a place where the Grim Reaper sits upon his thrown of darkness and awaits for the time when the moons dethroned and the land of the living welcomes him home. I don’t get it! This is really starting grate on my nerves!" he shoved the papers off the desk out of disgust and shook his dreadlocks out of his eyes
<<Something horrendous is going to come out of this I know it. >>
Prologue one: Three days prior
Master what are we going to do! The guardians will NOT surrender the island that easily!" A toka guard asked
" INSOLENT WRENCH!" He fired a chaos blast at the toka " We shall take the island with their help! After all I wouldn’t want to keep my dear *brother* waiting." And with the end of that sentence he pulled off his hood to reveal that he looked similar to one of the guardians
" I, THE GUARDIAN OF THE
TRUE FLOATING ISLAND, SHALL TAKE THE PLACE OF THAT WRETCHED SPECTRE AND BECOME THE GUARDIAN I COULD NEVER BECOME! HE SHALL WRITHE IN THIS ETERNAL DARKNESS WHICH I HAVE COME TO LOVE! NOW WHO IS THE GHOST DEAR SPECTRE?" He stood there in the light of the portal waiting for the time when the land of the living and the dead would become one again
"This is the place where, I the Grim Reaper, sit upon my thrown of darkness and here comes the time when the moons dethroned and the land of the living will let me come home. Knock, knock Spectre, who’s there? Death is."
* * *
" Spectre for the last time there is no portal of death, there is no grim reaper and there definitely is no way that the new moon is going to bring the end of the island. I think that you need to have your head examined! All those metallic parts on your dreadlocks must be going to your head!" Sojourner was trying to make some sense of Spectre’s psalm
" You don’t understand! You never were told that story by anyone! YOU WOULDN’T KNOW!" Spectre yelled back at Sojourner who was rolling his eyes
"There is a place where the Grim Reaper sits upon his thrown of darkness and awaits for the time when the moons dethroned and the land of the living welcomes him home. Do you even know what it means!"
" Well…No. But I think I do!"
" Then what?" Sojourner gave Spectre that look, that clearly said try me!
" I think that it means when the new moon comes the land of the living and the dead will become one and the grim reaper will try to overthrow the island." Spectre told him. Sojourner looked like he was going to laugh out loud, but he kept it in for Spectre’s sake, He chucked a little
" Fine then! Julaya, Knuckles and Locke will stay on guard that night." Spectre nodded his approval and went to tell the others
Prologue two: Two days prior
He stood, mighty in power, waiting for the time when he would be freed. The dark legion had violated him in ways beyond imagination, Separating him in half, Good and Evil, the battle of life and death. But now he would have his revenge. He looked fully, the guardian that he was. His fur, though aged was now black not the red it was when he was young. His eyes glowed red, even the white of his eyes were red. He was dressed all in black from head to toe; he had no cowl, only the long flowing train that he wore had to have two guards to hold it so it wouldn’t tangle when he stepped. The black robe smoked the same way Spectre’s did only it was longer and the smoke rose all over as If he was coming out of the mist. He had no scars or marks of any kind to distinguish him from any other echidnas but he did have two collar rings instead of one. One of the two was red and the other one was traditional white
" Soon I will be home, with my family and my Son."
* * *
Spectre sat on his bead looking at a picture of Him, Sapphire, and Sojourner. He was the odd ball of the guardians, rust red fur and his face was covered in scars and he wore a cowl to hide his face from view. All that he was ever told was that he was the product of a dark legion experiment and he was a grandmaster but other than that he couldn’t remember his past. He wore all black and was quiet most of the time; everyone called him the prophet of doom. His eyes were blue green but they looked pink beyond the cowl. His collar ring was metallic silver from being in the legion it looked like he was a robot at his collar.
" Maybe at the new moon I’ll learn about my past. That psalm has to mean something for me." Spectre sighed " Please let me find out about my past. Only three days."
Prologue three: The day before
The army was ready, the foot soldiers were dress for battle and The grim reaper had his battle costume on it was even more extravagant than his normal, it was spiked and a helmet of solid gold adorned with copper and platinum was covering his head. The troops were ready and had fallen in to their ranks, finally would go back to their homes that they were taken from with out any reason. It was ten minutes until midnight and the portal was glowing red and was changing color to yellow, it was green, they would go, and they would become whole again. They were ready
* * *
Locke, Julaya, and knuckles were in the chaos chamber waiting for Spectre’s prophecy to come true
" THIS IS LAME!" Julaya yelled so loud that it echoed
" WE KNOW!" Locke and knuckles yelled back at the same time at her when the emerald started to change color and it was vibrating
" HEY THERE! WHAT’S GOIN’ DOWN!" Knuckles yelled trying to yell over the rumbling Julaya shrugged and tried to hold on to the door. There was a loud explosion knocking all three of them out of the chamber. The dark army had made it they were out for blood.
" This way my brethren we shall take Haven, THEN THE ISLAND WILL BE OURS!" The grim reaper ran out of the cave and onto the island, he pulled off his hood and took a deep breath, he was finally free and now he shall go to haven, destroy his family, and steal Spectre’s life force and become one of the living again.
" Finally free. This is they way I will stay. And Spectre shall go to the land of the dead. Where he belongs."
Chapter one: one + onfiltered= Armageddon
" DID YOU SEE THAT! SPECTRE WAS RIGHT! There
is a Grim Reaper! And he wants to overthrow the island!" Sojourner said in shock.
" He doesn’t want you, Sojourner. He wants me." Spectre stepped forward and pressed a button on the control panel changing the picture size until he could almost see the face of the grim reaper but he was just too far away for the camera to zoom in on
" Damn! I can’t see anything! They’re all too far away!" Spectre typed some things and a map was brought up of where they were headed!
" They’re coming this way! We have to get them back into that Death world!" Thunderhawk said, getting a nasty scowl from Spectre about mentioning the Spectral World.
" It’s the Spectral world, we have to be…" Spectre was cut off when a rift in the dimensions opened bringing in a group of the grim reapers assassins stunning all the guardian except Spectre
" My Lord what are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming with us!" one of the things said to Spectre, he stuttered and looked at the portal
" Uh…Yes now back to camp! We shall get them later." Spectre walked back into the portal and to the camp
* * *
Alexandre was leading the march to haven through the islands brush. He fired chaos blasts at the brush to clear his path. An ensign came up to the side
" Master! I thought you were back at camp." He said, his breath rushing and his brow soaked with sweat
" No fool! How would I be there! If I’m leading the march!" Alexandre smacked him to the side and into the bush
" Then who ever is there, is an amazing look alike!"
" WHAT?!? Who is this that you speak of?" Alexandre looked shocked
" You!…who else sir.?."
"Spectre…" With that he pressed a button on his belt and vanished, he was back to the camp.
Chapter 2: Secrets and lies
Spectre walked through the came and he looked in amazement at how everyone here looked like they just stepped out of the morgue… he shuddered at the sight, but said nothing. One of the nightmare creatures came up to him
" Master… shall we take the guardians as planed?" The creature’s voice was like grinding metal shards and the face on that thing looked vaguely reminiscent to his face after the battle with Sojourner and Moritori. He cringed
" Your answer sir?"
" Uh...yes…my answer." Spectre stuttered. " Bring the Guardians to me! And Be careful. They are vital to our plans!" He turned. That was close.
" One last thing sir!" It asked rather sheepishly. Spectre turned and looked pissed off
" What?" he snapped. " What do you want!"
" When Spectre arrives there is a way we can cause him to crack. We just found her!" The creatures eyes were glowing with happiness.
" And what would that be?" He shuttered at the thought. It could be anything!
" Not what sir. Who…." The creatures eyes were still beaming with pride
" Well…Who then." Spectre kept his thoughts suppressed for another second before it spoke
" We went and kidnapped Lady Sapphires soul." It smiled. Spectre’s heart fell out of his chest when he said that to him. All he did was nod an approval; it was all he could do to keep himself composed.
" She’s in the prison tent sir. Shall I take you to her?"
" Yes! I would very much like to speak with her." It nodded respectively to him, bowed, and he led him to where Sapphire was being held.
* * *
Alexandre appeared back in the camp… still suited in full battle armor… and ready to cut the throat of who ever this impostor was. He charged over to the first thing he saw.
"WHERE IS HE?!" Alexandre bellowed picking up the trembling creature by the throat and shaking it until it look like it was going to answer…
Spectre followed the creature all the way to the Prison tent. The little thing opened the tent flap for him and bowed reverently.
" After you sir!" Spectre nodded and stepped in to see that there were rows and rows of cages, and every one of them was full with some type of animal, there were animals of every size shape and color. But at the end of the last row of cages he saw he wife…Sapphire…
* * *
"I WILL NOT ASK TWICE! WHERE DID HE GO?" Alexandre threw the small creature to the ground as he answered
" By the prison tents master! Guardian Sabre’s daughter brought him there!" the creature trembled and waited to be executed. But Alexandre’s evil grin twisted into a small smile.
"Keori! I knew that girl would be of service to us one day! Thank you child! Now we shall have Spectre and Sapphire to be used as bait!"
* * *
" Thank you…um… I’m sorry…. I never asked your name." He said kindly to what was standing before him. It smiled and took the shape of a brown echidnan Female. She must have been no older then 20. The he realized that he knew her.
" My name is Keori-lu." She smiled " It’s nice to see you again Grandfather Spectre."
" Keori! But… you died so long ago!" Spectre stuttered, it’s not every day that he was able to speak to a dead body
" I know I died. But I was kidnapped before I made it to Eternity! And I was brought to the underworld! I was given that terrible form. I’m not allowed to transform back into myself, but when I realized it was you and not that wicked Alexandre I had to show you that it was me!"
" But Keori… will you ever be freed? Are there other guardians here? Who did this to all of you. What are all these cages for?" Spectre looked on in horror at the whole scene.
" Yes. I will be freed. But Alexandre has to be defeated before that! There are other guardians here, I think there are four or six but I’m not sure! That Evil Alexandre did this to us all and all of those creatures in the cages are going to be some of his new foot solders." She finished sadly and then there was a loud yell at the door.
" HIDE! Back by sapphire!" She called as she transformed back into that creature form. Spectre went back and hid behind one of the cages just as Alexandre and some of his other guards came in.
" WELL? WHERE IS HE? I WAS TOLD HE WAS IN HERE!" Alexandre screamed
" WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS WAITING FOR? SEARCH THE TENT! He called at his 5 loyal guards, 5 of the ex-guardians…Mathias, Harlan, Rembrandt, Moonwatcher and Aaron. It was like they were all brainwashed! They were following that things orders like puppets held by strings. Suddenly one of the little creatures ran past him… barely missing where he was hiding.
<< I shall take this as my time to leave!>> He snuck out of the tent.
Chapter 3: the price of freedom
"Ohhhh…" Locke sat up. Everything was hazy in front of his eyes. He sat up and looked around…what happened? Everything was destroyed… It looked like a tornado had ripped through… not to Far away the same thing was going through Julaya’s head too. She looked around and fell back to the ground
" What in the hell happened?" Locke groaned
" I don’t know!" Knuckles sat up and looked himself over, only a few minor scratches, They would heal
" That was wicked" Julaya sighed, Locke and Knuckles both nodded in agreement. They heard a soft mumbling coming over from where Julaya was. She had ripped a piece of her Shirt and tied it to her arm, to stop the bleeding.
" Tried to be more then me;
And I gave until it all went away
And we’ve only surrendered
To the worst of these winters
That we’re made…" Her song edged back into silence as she finished tying her arm. The two guys looked at her.
"What?" she asked giving them evil looks?
" That’s an answer! COME ON! We need to get back to haven!" Locke got up and headed back in havens direction, all knuckles and Julaya could do was follow
