--Sage and Sai weren’t getting anywhere against Kali. They seemed too evenly matched. But Sage was afraid Kali was just playing with them, enjoying the battle.

--"Little warriors. Is that all you have for me? Come closer and let me show you how to draw blood." In one swift movement, Kali vaulted over Sai to knock down Sage behind him. Sai was now at her back. Before he could turn to face her, she crossed two of her swords behind her and cut Sai in an ‘X’ without even looking. He staggered as he felt the acid-like burn of her death blades. "Do you feel that, boy? Sweet pain. Perhaps I shall let you and your friend linger in agony for a while until you plead with me for the gift of death. How long will it take I wonder?"

--Sage was on his feet again. Even though they’d separated her from the others, their armors weren’t enough. She blocked every move they…wait a minute. Sure he and Sai had been fighting her together, but not really. They’d been taking turns against her. They needed to combine their powers in a way Kali couldn’t dodge. "Sai, are you okay?"

--"I’ve been better. Man! She moved so fast I didn’t even see that coming."

--Sage helped Sai up. "If you’re strong enough, I have an idea." He whispered something to Sai who nodded in agreement.

--"Young warriors. I eagerly await your next attack. I hope you will give me more challenge this time."

--Sage called, "THUNDER BOLT CUT!" Lighting whipped through the air towards Kali. She easily jumped to avoid his attack. Then Sai shouted, "SUPER WAVE SMASHER!" He aimed at the area she was leaping to. She barely managed to get out of the way of his torrent. The two Ronins continued their assault, trying to pin Kali between their attacks. She was fast, but could not keep up with their onslaught. They finally managed to catch her in their crossfire. Her nature as a goddess of death could not withstand spirit and water combined. Kali screamed as their powers disintegrated her. They held their ground until nothing was left but ash.

**********************

--Loki just wouldn’t let up—the symbol of persistence blazed on his forehead. He called out, "ARCTIC BLAST!" and started throwing his frozen spears. Each one was trailed by a blast of deadly ice shards and wind. They were coming so fast and furious, that Ryo couldn’t melt them all. One of them struck Rowen in the shoulder, piercing his armor and pinning him to a column.

--"Rowen! Hang on! I’ll take care of this guy." Ryo flared up and let loose, but Loki got out of the way this time. The heat weakened him, but he wasn’t seriously impaired. Seeing that Rowen was the vulnerable one, Loki drew back and threw a spear straight at his heart. There was no way Ryo could stop it in time and Rowen couldn’t move. Without even thinking, Zoe ran out in front of Rowen.

--Rowen was horrified. "Zoe! Don’t!"

--No one was more surprised than Zoe when she caught the spear in midair. A blue fire flared around her. Without hesitation, she infused the spear with the blue fire and threw it back. She felt herself merge with the spear, becoming pure spirit. It/she struck Loki though the heart. He absorbed the spear and fell to the ground. Ryo and Rowen didn’t know what was going on. Zoe had disappeared and Loki was getting up again.

--Loki was holding his head, looking stunned. He was talking, but not to Rowen or Ryo. "Wow. I didn’t know you could throw like that, Zoe. Remind me not to make you mad. I had a hard time absorbing that one, but it did the trick. Astarte’s presence is gone from my mind. How did you do that?"

--"I have no idea, Zane. It just seemed right. And it worked. My spirit merged with yours has broken her control. You’re free!"

--"But what about you? Will you be okay?"

--"I think so. I have a feeling this isn’t permanent. But for now, you’re going to have to explain this to the others. They’re looking at you like you’re crazy!"

--Ryo walked over, katanas drawn and ready. "Surrender now or I’ll hit you with everything I’ve got. And this time, you won’t get up."

--"Okay."

--"Okay? Just like that?"

--"Yep. I give up. Now let’s go find the others. They might need our help." Zane started running back to the villa.

--"But what about Zoe? What happened? Where is she?"

--"I’ll tell you on the way. Come on!"

***********************

--Trace struck the ground with his staff, causing roots to grow up wild. Gilgamesh had Astarte engaged in battle so she was facing him, not Trace. The roots grabbed hold of her from behind, snaring her in super-hard bonds.

--Astarte laughed. "Silly child. Do you think mere plants can hold me for long? I may not be as strong as I used to be, but you underestimate me!" She closed her eyes, lines of concentration on her face. Astarte flexed her muscles, magically almost doubling her size. The strain snapped her bonds. "And now, man of the woods, your will belongs to me!" Green beams shot out from her eyes, striking Trace—just as he and Gilgamesh had planned. They were counting on Trace’s bond with the Earth being strong enough to withstand her power.

--Astarte couldn’t seem to latch onto Trace’s mind. It was like being lost in a vast forest, not knowing where to turn. Suddenly, she found herself in Uruk, Gilgamesh’s boyhood kingdom. She was seeing the past in Trace’s memories—his friendship with Gilgamesh, their battles, his death. Then she was watching Gilgamesh’s journey, remembering how she had saved and befriended the broken warrior. The sky grew dark in these visions, turmoil and agony in the air. It was the Earth after Hecate’s victory—a charnel house beyond belief. The planet itself cried out in despair as mortals died in horrendous ways for the amusement of Hecate and Kali. No light. No hope. A voice broke into her thoughts, jarring her from the link. She fell to the ground in shock.

--Gilgamesh was standing next to her, unarmed. "The world is not as you envisioned under Hecate’s thumb, is it? How much are you willing to pay for great power? The things that you missed about Earth while we were in exile are the very things that she would destroy. Would you truly desire to rule a dead world, Goddess of Life?" He held out his hand to help her up.

--Gilgamesh was Astarte’s conscious—she could no longer ignore his words. She took his hand. "What would you have me do?"

**********************

--Hecate began her incantations, charging the Jewel with power. Soon a great darkness would fall across the land, blotting out the sun and spreading fear across the world. That fear and darkness would feed Hecate, making her absolute ruler. She had always intended to throw Astarte and Kali some bones to keep them satisfied, but she had planned all along to be the ultimate power. An inky shadow grew around her, slowly spreading out. The spell was starting to work. Just then, Sage, Sai, Ryo, Rowen, and Zane ran up to the rubble.

--Ryo shouted, "Everybody give it everything you’ve got! Let’s waste her!" They all called the powers of their armors to blast her at the same time, but the Jewel’s magic created a protective bubble around Hecate as she continued to recite her spell. Not even Anubis and Mia’s powers had any effect. "Keep trying guys! We can’t give up!"

--Gilgamesh jumped out of nowhere. "Spells need to be spoken aloud, heard and witnessed by the great forces of the universe. Let us see if they can hear you over my sonic shout!" He let loose a deafening cry that was so strong it liquified the stones around Hecate. Her dark cloud halted, then started to collapse in on itself. Though they couldn’t hear her words, the others knew she was enraged. She moved a hand over the Jewel, siphoning some of its energy. Turning to Gilgamesh, she let loose a blast of crackling dark energy that cut short his war cry. He was knocked away from the group, his skin smoking. He didn’t move.

--"NNOOOO! You’ll pay for that witch! You’ll pay!" Astarte lunged towards Hecate, but instead of attacking her, she leaped through the air and grabbed the Jewel. She had handled the Jewel before and still had a tenuous bond with it, allowing her to breach the protective aura. She held it high over her head as it glowed with power. Its emanations changed from dark to light in her hands.

--"Astarte, you little fool! You would throw away all that I offer? And for what? A mere human man?" She cackled, dry and vicious. "Weak-hearted, has-been goddess! You cannot hope to destroy me—even with the Jewel. I am part of the universe itself, never-ending, never-dying."

--Anubis signaled to Mia. Mia called the dark fog and it reached out for Hecate, grasping her firmly. Anubis then shouted at Astarte. "She cannot be destroyed, but she can be contained. Use the Jewel!" Astarte put all her thoughts and magic into the Jewel, tapping into the powers of the others as Mia held Hecate fast. The Jewel flared up, blinding everyone. When the light dimmed again, Hecate was gone. Astarte looked at the Jewel. Within its ruby-red depths was a tiny shadow, trapped in the indestructible crystal like a fly in amber. She ran over to where Gilgamesh lay. Trace was already there. She was devastated to see him in such pain.

--"My warrior! You cannot die! You have become a part of me. What will I do without you?"

--"You are strong, my lady. You will survive."

--"Survival is not enough, existence is not enough. You know better than anyone how empty life can be without those you…love." She looked at Trace. "You both understand this."

--Trace was beside himself. "It’s not fair! I died the first time, now here you are dying on me. Why did the universe even let us meet again if it was just going to separate us so soon? You can’t go, man. I can’t do this again!"

--Gilgamesh closed his eyes, breathless.

--Astarte put a distraught hand on Trace’s arm and something strange happened. His armor began to pulse with green energy. He was drawing power straight from the Earth! Astarte felt her own immortal life force respond. Their energies called and answered each other, gaining strength as they flowed back and forth. Astarte could feel it--the power of the Earth combining with her power of Life. As if in a trance, Trace and Astarte placed their hands one on the other on Gilgamesh’s chest, adding him to the circuit. They took on his pain as they infused him with strength and healing. Exhausted, they broke the link. Gilgamesh looked up at the two most important people in the world to him and smiled. He would live.