Time's Tapestry (Angel)

Street lights glowed brightly as Summer walked along the almost-empty sidewalks. A few people here and there past her by as well as a few cars. The air was warm but not hot, unlike the daytime when all a person wanted to do was sit under an air-conditioner. Metanth rested on her, his tail coiled around her right arm and his body draped on her shoulders. His head laid on her chest, eyes closed as though he was sleeping. Why did you chose to come out here at this time of night, the dragonlit questioned, betraying the illusion of sleep.

I figured it wouldn’t cause as much commotion as during the day. The temple is usually empty as night. Less people to get hurt, was the reply. The drawynn lay deep in thought.

The metal dragon sighed, You really think that Samantha attacked the nest, don’t you?

Well, yeah. I mean, that man said whoever attacked the nest looked over us to see if we weren’t any trouble to them. Sam and Glera watched over us like we were siblings. It makes sense. Still, the mage didn’t welcome the news. That drawynn and her dragonlit were the only friends she had when still living in Cielo.

Metanth sighed again, Still, it could be some other pair. Ones who watched from afar. That is a possibility, no?

The spell-caster smiled, You have no idea how much I hope that’s true. But you seem even more reluctant to believe it than me. That’s not you, she teased lightly.

The dragonlit, being his normal hot-headed self, took offense, What? You think I would be happy to know we were betrayed?!

Summer rolled her eyes, Of course not. She continued on in silence. Before long the couple reached the temple of Cielo. A tribute to the god of the sky and weather, Dycas. The temple, much like the one in Rei City, was a dome-shaped building made from rusty-red brick. The doors, depicting scenes of fierce weather, lay open to welcome any visitors. Temples never really had anything of value in the main antechamber. Anything that was important was locked up where only priests and keepers could go. Walking inside, it also had the basic temple structure. About six tiers lined the inside of the circular room. Candles were set upon these and were still lit despite the time, providing a nice, calm glow and warmth. A rug, also circular, laid in the center and was made of several colors including white, blues, and purples. Two doors on either side led to chambers for priests and keepers. Four statues, at each corner, showed Dycas, a strong man with angelic wings protruding from his back, wild hair, and a sword held in his right hand. However, one thing was missing. She isn’t here, the drawynn stated after looking around. Perhaps Samantha really isn’t the one who attacked the nest. That would be a relief.

No one’s here, the dragonlit said, echoing Summer’s thought, So, what do we do now?

The mage walked up to one of the statues, Regroup. Maybe we should leave Cielo again. Or, we could just confront Sam straight up. That would be simple. She knelt in front of one of the statues and, putting her hands together, uttered a small prayer.

Metanth raised his head, Do you think it will be answered? he asked, referring to her prayer. The female nodded and turned to leave. But, lo and behold, someone stood in the doorway. The figure was only a silhouette but human shaped.

Summer instantly readied herself. Is it her?! Upon closer inspection, No, it can’t be. That person’s too large to be Sam. Then who?

High above the brightly lit streets of Cielo, the mechanized angel watched Summer Heil with mild interest.

Is that her?

Scanning…identification confirmed, that is Summer Heil, her pre-ordained death was a while ago, she must be eliminated immediately.

Watching the woman enter a building that was rusty red in color, Valion smiled. Even if it was Nyle’s bumbling that had caused this, the angel did always enjoy the thrill of the hunt, it was what he lived for. Jumping from the roof of the building without blinking, the angelic warrior didn’t even bother to flap his wings, and landed smoothly on his feet, cracking the pavement beneath him. Pulling up his hood, Valion slowly walked towards the open doors of the temple. Zooming in on the inside, the angel flipped visions until he could only see a red outline, heat vision.

What’s the creature wrapped around her neck?

Drawynn records show that it is a sub species of reptile, or a dragonlit as they are named.

Is that supposed to be dead as well?

Yes, it was to die only three seconds after Summer Heil.

Disgusted at the ex-soldier’s lack of guts, Valion leant against one of the doors, watching as the drawynn knelt down in front of a statue.

Hmmm… she prays to a false idol who doesn’t even exist.

Getting of the door as Summer stood up again, the mechanized angel switched back to his regular vision. As soon as she saw him, the woman stopped, as if preparing herself.

“You’re Summer Heil, correct?” Valion asked casually, his hand moving for the hilt of his sword.

“Yeah, who wants to know?” she stated cautiously.

“I believe you know one of my…associates, Nyle. He was supposed to kill you on separate occasions, but, he wasn’t up to it. So I’m filling in for him.”

Withdrawing Spring with a mechanical hand, Valion watched as the drawynn began to back away. Shaking his head, the angel walked into the temple, blocking what seemed to be the only way out.

“We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way, it’s your choice. You can fight and fall, or die a painless death.” the angel said normally, as if he were talking about something unimportant instead of someone’s life. Backing away until she was at the foot of one of the statues again, Summer began gathering fire from the candles to her, creating a large fiery orb in the middle of her hand.

“Fire Bomb!” the drawynn yelled, and chucked the orb with all her might. Smiling to himself, Valion let his coat drop to the floor, extending his wing over his body. Moments later, an explosion echoed through the temple. Unfurling his wings, the angelic warrior examined the damage. Though the orb had exploded upon impact, it had left only a tiny singe on his feathers, barely anything.

“Your going to have an alternative dear Summer, magic isn’t one of the most effective things against me.” Valion laughed, swinging Spring deftly in front of him. He would play around for a while before killing her, she would deserve a death befitting one who was not worthy to even look upon the angel.

Ooc: Nyle and Cani will make their appearance in my next post, and then the plot will truly start. Try as you will to beat Valion, but magic won’t beat an angel with a magic dispersing wing .

OoC: You just love making things hard for my characters, don't you? :cool:

BiC:

“What did I ever do to get a death warrant?” Summer asked, hoping to buy some time and answers. She knew that she shouldn’t know of Nyle’s existence, that much he had told her. But, was it something to get killed over? “I never did anything,” the mage added to her defense.

“That’s were you’re wrong,” the angel replied, “You shouldn’t be alive. Which is what I’m here to correct. You’re continued existence his damaging time even as we speak.”

Oh, isn’t that nice. I shouldn’t even exist, the drawynn thought sourly. Metanth had uncoiled his tail from around her arm and was staring the mechanical being down with murderous intent. “And why exactly should I be dead. If I was supposed to die, why didn’t it happen?” she questioned more.

“You can thank Nyle for that,” the man said with a grimace, “He’s the one who saved you from the police in Rei City.”

Summer thought for a second, Oh yeah, I remember that. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve been gunned down. Hey! Wait a-! “If Nyle had walked in and shot that person, that whole thing would’ve never even happened!” she shot in anger.

“Wrong again. Nyle’s traveling doesn’t do any damage to time... as long as he does what he’s supposed to do,” the angel replied. Apparently, he wasn’t too happy with Nyle not killing off the spell-caster, something she was extremely grateful for.

“Yeah, well,” she stated as she gathered lightning magic in her hands, “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re trying to kill me. You really didn’t expect someone to just roll over when told that, did you? Lightning Crack!” A bolt of purple electricity launched from her hands to the angel. Like before, he simply covered himself with his single feathery wing, which the magic hit harmlessly. However, when he lifted the appendage from its protective position, a grey form flew into his face and clung to it.

I won’t let you lay a hand on Summer, Metanth stated venomously and dug his claws into the angel’s face. A strong, metallic hand reached up, grabbed the dragonlit, ripped him from the being’s face, and threw him into the candles. The angel didn’t look happy, several spots on his face had small scratches the bled slightly.

Still, the mage was hardly going to let up. “Earth Shatter,” she shouted, calling upon earth magic and causing several rock spikes to shoot up from under the man. He simply spread his wings and was off the ground before they had a chance to connect. Instead of coming down, the angel started flapping his wings, swirling up the air in front of him. In no time, a miniature cyclone roared before the drawynn. Summer only smiled, “You should know better than to use magic against someone who trains in it. Water Surge.” She let loose a vortex of water that was caught by the storm. Now she had a cyclone of water to deal with.

“Hmph, it seems your knowledge of magic isn’t that great,” the angel said with a smile.

“Oh, come on,” she replied with an insulted look, “I may act like it sometimes but I’m not an idiot.” Renewing her control over the water magic, she pulled it away from the wind and launched it at the angel, it’s force multiplied by the cyclone. Thankfully, for the man, he slipped aside the torrent and watched charge right through the ceiling. “Oh man, I missed?” Summer whined in disbelief. She didn’t have time to contemplate that fact as the angel suddenly appeared on her left, his sword in ready. Magic need sometime fore it could be performed and, unfortunately, he was too close. The being charged at her only to have the sword knocked off course by the metal dragonlit. Metanth! she shouted in joy.

You didn’t think I’d be out that quickly, he said to both Summer and the angel while he clung onto the blade. Then, only to the angel, I said you won’t lay a hand on her!

Ooc: It’s what I do.

Bic:

Smiling at the creatures determination, Valion sent a jolt of cybernetic energy down the sword, watching as the creature shrieked in pain as the power coursed through its body, amplified by the fact that the dragonlit was of a metal origin. Watching as the small creature shot off the weapon and into a nearby wall, the angel turned his eyes to Summer.

“Such a nice little creature, pity it has to die along with you.” The angelic being muttered. Pulling two diamonds from his pocket, Valion shivered as they connected with his wings, crystallizing and enlarging them within a second. Unfortunately, in the space of time it had taken to do so, the drawynn was already running for the doors. Shaking his head, Valion began flapping his wings again, a grey mist falling from them as he did, which eventually covered the floor within seconds. The mist overtook Summer, and before she was out into the street, the angel was in front of her, sword to her throat.

“Just give me a few more minutes of feeble fighting, it’s been so long since I stretched my arms and wings.” Valion whined. Summer didn’t reply, but lashed out with a hand, aiming a strike at his face. Moving with unmatched speed, the angel stopped her hand with one metallic finger jabbed into her arm, making her cry out in pain.

“Muscle stimulation, so much fun disabling limbs with just one carefully aimed poke.” Valion stated, a hint of glee in his voice. Sheathing Spring, the mechanized angel struck out with his fingers again, poking the drawynn in her remaining arm and legs, watching as she fell to the floor, unable to move.

No… don’t hurt her…

Looking round, the angelic being saw the dragonlit struggling towards them, a large amount of smoke rising from his body. Moving out of the visible spectrum for a moment, Valion struck out, his prosthetic fist connecting with Metanth’s head. Moving back to stand over Summer, the angel watched as the dragonlit dropped to the floor. Clicking his fingers, Valion chuckled as two incredibly small orbs of energy hovered over his two index fingers. One ball was incredibly white, white the other was a lightning blue, and both were straining against the fingers, as if they wanted to touch each other.

“Once these two touch, the kinetic force created will create an explosion slightly bigger than me, but, unfortunately for you, it’s going to be aimed in your direction. I doubt your brain will have time to process what has happened before it is vaporized. Goodbye Summer Heil, enjoy your afterlife.” The angelic being said solemnly, and moved his fingers together. But moments before they could connect, something collided with Valion’s head, falling over into his hand, dispersing the energy. Before he could even tell what it was, the object exploded, knocking the mechanized angel backwards and releasing a large amount of purple gas into the air, filling Valion’s lungs immediately. Coughing uncontrollably, he slumped to the floor, unable to move.

“Nyle, you bastard!” the angel shouted, trying in vain to move.

Taking the chance while the purple cloud still clouded the entire inside of the temple, the ex-soldier ran in, a cloth tied securely around his face, and a pair of goggles covering his eyes.

Cani, find Metanth and get him out into the street. the Lyko obeyed instantly, running into the gas without a second thought after Nyle. Using the goggles infra-red vision, the mercenary instantly picked out the two, indicating Cani to the dragonlit. Pulling a cloth from his pocket, Nyle wrapped it around Summer’s entire face to stop the neuro-toxin from entering her lungs.

“Can you walk?” the ex-soldier asked urgently. Shaking her head weakly, the drawynn was close to passing out. Grunting a curse under his breath, Nyle picked Summer up and slung her across his shoulders, racing out of the temple. Moments later, Cani followed, Metanth slung on his back.

What now? Valion’s going to be up in a few minutes, and we can’t go back in the Stratum with these two.

We hide. the mercenary replied coolly.

Where?

Not where, when.

Pulling Glamrin out with slight difficulty, the ex-soldier swung it round, slicing a hole in the air, opening a rift into the time stream. Closing his eyes, Nyle jumped through, followed closely by the Lyko.

~

Out of nowhere, another portal appeared, spitting the four out most unceremoniously onto the floor. Groaning in pain, Nyle pushed Summer roughly from his shoulders, rubbing the space where the drawynn’s weight had crushed him.

Okay, where and when are we? the lyko asked, sliding the unconscious dragonlit onto Summer’s chest. Pulling a small grey cube from his pocket, the ex-soldier pushed a fingertip to one side of it, watching as the cube instantly formed a white glove over the soldier’s hand, a screen in the middle of it. Touching one of his fingers to the middle of his palm, the screen blinked into focus, revealing the date and location.

Hmm… well, that’s another one gone slightly wrong. We’re still in Cielo, a few miles away from where we just teleported, but forty years into the future. Hopefully, the angel can’t track us.

Before Cani could reply, the sound of someone running down stairs filled the room, and moments later, a teenage girl, barely older than sixteen, entered the room.

“Dad, what’s happen to Ca-” the girl started.

Uh oh…

“Dad! There’s someone in the living room!”

Running back out of the room, the girl disappeared, and moments later, a man came running in.

“Who the hell are you-” the man started, but stopped as he saw Nyle. The ex-soldier was having the same reaction to the sight. The man stood in front of him was at least sixty, with silver hair, and a face that could have been chiseled from stone. His clothes were dark, a black sweater with tight fitting black trousers. But the most prominent feature that caught attention was the scar on his face, which started at the corner of his left eyebrow, and ended at the right hand corner of his mouth. It was Nyle, only, much older.

Sweet mother of all Lyko’s, its you! Cani shouted, his telepathic message echoing through the house.

Hey! Keep it down Lyko, some of us aren’t as young as we used to be! a voice replied, resonating with age and wisdom.

“What’s the matter Winter, did someone break-” a voice started, and an elderly woman came into view.

Ooc: Heh, you can probably guess who the old lady is, and whose the voice is that Cani heard. Wonder if Nyle will take to the nickname of Winter?

OoC: Well, this is going to be interesting, to say the least.

BiC:

Cleaning. It feels like that’s the only thing I ever do around this house, the woman sighed, a dusting rag wiping down different things such as pictures and a dresser in a bedroom. Her name was Summer, though she was 57 year of age. Her hair was short and brown, unceremoniously tucked behind her ears. She wore a while blouse and black pants, nothing special about them. A metal dragonlit, Metanth, sat perched on her shoulders, like he had for so many years. He had only grown a foot longer but his body was more muscular and his talons a tad longer.

If you conned those two into helping, it would go much faster, he stated, bored of watching his partner clean the house.

The woman smiled, It would have to be something big to get those two to help. She simply kept on cleaning, she didn’t have much else to do anyway and just sitting around would drive her crazy.

“Dad! There’s someone in the living room!” came the call of a younger girl. Summer’s daughter, Autumn, ran into the room her father was in. Seconds later, he charged out the door and down into the living room.

Now what could this be about? the drawynn thought curiously.

Sweet mother of all Lyko, it’s you! came a telepathic cry. A ‘voice’ the family was used to.

Hey! Keep it down Lyko, some of us aren’t as young as we used to be! the dragon shouted at him.

Summer sighed, Honestly, it’s amazing how well you two get along with all the insults you throw at each other. But didn’t Cani sound... a little strange to you? The mother decided to investigate the commotion.

Yeah, he did sound a little strange. I wonder if he got into the liquor again, Metanth snickered.

That’s not nice, she commented and headed to the stairs. Seeing the surprised look on her husband’s face, she asked, “What’s the matter Winter, did someone break-” but stopped in mid-sentence when she spied the visitors. “Oh-oh my,” she stammered, not sure what to do. Right in the middle of the living was Nyle, albeit much, much younger. And the girl laying by his side could only be... This... is beyond awkward, she decided. But at that moment, she noticed that neither of the younger selfs looked like they were in great condition. Actually, the younger Summer or Metanth weren’t moving at all. This cannot be good, she knew and moved closer to her husband. “Winter, dear, why don’t you take... our guest into the kitchen. I’m sure he can explain what’s going on. I’ll look after... the girl,” she suggested. Then, seeing that Winter hadn’t moved, she nudged him with her elbow. He jumped slightly at the touch then, scowling slightly, he walked down the rest of the stairs and opened the kitchen door.

“Well, come on,” he said roughly to is younger counterpart. Eyeing the couple suspiciously, Nyle followed into the kitchen, leaving the females alone. Almost immediately, Summer rushed up to the younger her.

This doesn’t look good, the metal dragonlit comment. Neither of the younger versions moved, though her chests rose so they weren’t dead. Then again, if they died, the older versions wouldn’t be around either, right?

Hoisting the unconscious pair to the couch, the drawynn uttered a spell, “Light Revive,” hoping to undo whatever damage had been done. Footsteps could be heard as Autumn came rushing down. She was wearing a black hoodie with jean shorts and her black hair was cut somewhat short.

“Hey, just who were-?” she started to asked but saw the younger Summer lying on the couch. “Mom, what’s going on?” she questioned, cautiously walking over to the sleeping forms.

“I honestly don’t know,” Summer replied. And I really don’t. I have no memory of this at all. Just what are they... we doing here?

Suddenly, the grey form resting on the younger girl stirred. Oh, what happened? he asked, his eyes blinking and unfocused. Summer? he asked, looking at the older woman.

"Kind of," she replied, not knowing what to say. The young Metanth looked at her for a couple of seconds and then jumped back.

You're old! he shouted outloud in genuine surprise. However, his proclamation brought out a few stiffled laughs. He then turned and looked at is real companion, then back to the older, to the younger, than back at the older. Okay, what's going on? he demanded, a threatening edge creeping into his voice.

No need to get worked up, the older Metanth stated, a grin on his face. Actually, we were wondering the same thing. All four of you suddenly popped up in our living room.

Four of us? he repeated, lost.

Yeah. You, Summer, Nyle, and Cani. You suddenly appeared and scared the heck out of Autumn, the older one explained.

Autumn? he asked and looked over at the girl.

"Yeah," the girl stated, "Summer and Winter are my parents."

Metanth's eyes suddenly grew very large, Summer's your mom! He then turned to the older Summer, Who the heck is Winter?!

The older one smiled, "Oh, that's just a little nickname I came up with for him. He's actually Nyle."

You married Nyle! the dragonlit couldn't believe it and flopped back down on his own time's Summer. Nyle... I guess he's the one that brought us here. I don't know anyone else that can time travel and be interesting in saving us.

"Why are you here?" the mother questioned, still wanting to know what was going on.

Remembering, the metal dragonlit hissed. It was the angel, he stated with anger, He tried to kill both of us at the Cielo temple. I can't believe we had be rescued by that mercenary and his pet. He then turned up to the older versions, Wait a second, don't you remember? I can't see how you would forget something like that.

Summer shook her head, "I don't remember anything like this. It never happened to me."

“This is something completely new to me, just so you know.” The older Nyle muttered, the sound of genuine surprise in his voice. But instead of getting a reply, the sound of a gun being cocked broke the silence. Wheeling round, the older version found that the younger Nyle had drawn an NCMG, and the barrel was aimed directly at his head.

“You can’t be real, you can’t. Therefore, you should be killed, because you aren’t real.” Nyle said shakily, and fired. The bullet soared out of the gun before anyone could blink, but the older Nyle was not in its path. The small piece of metal crashed into the wall opposite, and the older version had three fingers at the younger ones neck, making him deathly still.

“If I push my fingers together, the veins in between them will clot with blood, sealing up your throat and suffocating you. I suggest you put that gun away, there is no violence in my house.” Winter grunted. Clicking the safety on, the ex-soldier holstered the weapon. Letting his fingers fall, the older version looked over his youth with a serious eye.

“I am real, don’t worry about that, but there are many things you need to know, about your future, and Glamrin, and of course, your relationship with Summer.”

Do we really need to know about this? It sounds like its going to be a mushy love story. Cani grumbled, who had watched the turn of events with a bored look.

“If you want something to do, I suggest going out into the garden and talking with yourself, your more mature self.” Winter said casually, gesturing to a door. The idea intrigued the Lyko, and he dashed through the door without a second thought, leaving the two Nyle’s alone.

“Now, its time you knew about this, past, present & future.” Winter sighed.

“Wait, don’t you think telling me this will hurt the time stream.”

“I would, if it weren’t for the fact that I don’t give a dam about it anymore.” The older Nyle grunted, a look of disgust plastered on his face.

“What date did you come from?” he continued. Tapping his middle finger to his palm, the ex-soldier showed the screen numbers to the other copy.

“Forty years ago, eh? Well, better place than never to start off. Well, in the time it took for another fifteen years to pass for Summer, I passed through time for a hundred years, and the day came where Glamrin had to move to a new owner. Although I don’t look it, I’m think I’m at least 159 years old.”

“What do you mean, you think?”

“Well, I don’t have any memories from those hundred years. All I remember is crashing the ship and getting into the quarry, finding Glamrin, and then… nothing. I then found myself in Summer’s time, with Cani at my side. I didn’t know who or what he was, and I nearly went mad. It was then I met Summer, which I thought was the first time, and after some initial tension where I tried to shoot her, she filled me in on various events, like the first time we had really met, in the temple in Rei. Cani helped by filling in where he met me, on the planet called Virgo, and told me of all the missions he had been on with me, including the other ones with Summer,” Winter said simple, scratching the back of his head.

“So… how did you end up married and a kid?” Nyle questioned, wanting to know every fact.

“Two kids actually, we have a son, Spring, he’s nineteen and lives in a house not to far from here.”

Slumping onto a chair, the mercenary tried to let the facts absorb into his mind, but his head refused to let them.

~

Looking around, the Lyko examined the outside of the house. Instead of a small, dirty patch of land with lots of high tech buildings surrounding it, there was a beautiful garden, filled with different types of brightly colored plants. The sound of birds chirping filled the air, and the air smelled sweet. The area around was nothing more than fields of grass, with only a few buildings dotted here and there.

Dam, where did I hide that bottle, its around here somewhere…

Looking round, Cani saw the outline of a shape, half covered by the hole it was in. Occasionally, a clod of dirt would fly up, indicating that it was digging.

Hem, I see your still as mature as you were when you were young.

Jumping in fright, the older Lyko, looked up, pointing his snout directly at Cani.

Metanth, is that you?

No, its you.

Walking forward, the older Cani revealed his features. Instead of a silver coat, his fur was incredibly white, an indication that he had aged. His body was rippled with muscles, and his tail was still bare. But instead of his shining grey eyes, the Lyko’s irises were milky white. He was blind.

So…your me? the blind Lyko muttered, sniffing Cani with a skeptical look on his face.

Ask me anything that pre-dates forty years ago and I can answer it. the younger wolf said proudly.

Very well, what did I want to be called when I was living on Virgo?

Heh, easy. You wanted to be called Fascra, or as in the ancient tongue, leader of the fearless.

As he answered the question, the older Cani pricked up his ears, as if an idea had just come to mind.

Dam, that dragonlit’s probably got it, he's always stealing my things... with a bound, the older Lyko set off for the house, with the younger version close behind.

You will get up now. I command you to, a voice rang in Summer’s head. An extremely familiar voice.

Metanth? she asked groggily, her eyes still closed. The drawynn couldn’t make heads or tails of anything.

It worked? he answered with genuine surprise, unlike how he usually acted. Okay then, I command you to open your eyes now.

She sighed, Would you stop with the god act?

The dragonlit snickered, Well, it worked the first time so why not try for a second?

You’ve been around me too much, she smiled and opened her eyes. She was met with pink eyes staring directly at her. They were too close to be in focus and the mage immediately shut her eyes. Ohh, she moaned, Could ya back up a little? The sight of the bright pink eyes added to the light headache she already had.

Sorry, he said and Summer could feel the shift of weight on her chest. Opening her eyes, slowly, she perceived a while ceiling hanging above her. Answering her confusing, Metanth stated, We’re in a house right now. I guess Nyle came and took us to this time period. I haven’t had a chance to ask, though.

Summer sat up, realizing she was on a couch and looked around. She instantly saw the elderly woman with a dragonlit, a metal dragonlit, and a girl around her age watching over her. Looking at the girl, Hey, she reminds me of someone. She then turned to the older woman, intrigued by the dragonlit. Wow, that dragonlit could be your twin, Metanth. He’s too old, though. A stifled laugh, which was little more than a grunt, erupted from her companion. What? she questioned, now knowing that he was hiding something.

That’s probably a good thing, he replied, though outloud so everyone could hear him, Because it is me.

“What?” the spell-caster asked, outloud as well. A look of utter confusion was plastered on her face.

The metal dragon smiled evilly, he was somewhat enjoying her exaggerated reactions, It seems that to get us away from that crazy angel, Nyle decided to take us through time and landed us right in the middle of your guys’ house.

“Our... house?” she repeated and looked at the older woman. She reminded the girl of her mother. And now she knew why. Instantly, the spell-caster turned pink and turned back the dragonlit sitting on her legs, Why did he bring us here?!

What? Don’t know what to say to yourself and your daughter, Metanth taunted.

Daughter? ...Oh boy, the mage sighed. But before anyone currently in the room could break the silence, two forms came walking in.

Metanth, an older voice called out, What did you do with my bottle? Both versions of Cani walked up the group, the older one simply using his nose to determine who was who. First he turned to the older Metanth, then to the younger, and back to the older.

There’s two of them, like there’s two of us, the younger Cani explained.

Two Metanth’s. Great, the older Lyko muttered. Alright dragon, fess up.

The older dragonlit gave the wolf a sly look, I have no idea what your talking about. A look from both the older Summer and Autumn said completely otherwise.

I’m not falling for it, Cani replied with a growl.

Heh, innocent until proven guilty, came the taunt. The older dragonlit then spread his wings and took off from the woman’s shoulder, gliding to the stairs and then up them.

Get back here you thief! the Lyko cried and chased after him.

“I guess I should keep them from waking Sela, huh,” Autumn suddenly stated and ran after the two creatures.

“Sela?” the young Summer questioned, curious about the new name.

“Oh, that’s Autumn’s partner, an earth dragonlit,” the older version replied, a smile on her face, “Even though she’s only half drawynn, a dragonlit still chose to bond with her.”

The young mage sighed, This is ridiculous, sitting here doing nothing. She leaped off the couch, almost throwing Metanth to the floor. “I’m going to talk with Nyle about what to do now,” she stated and started walking until she realized she didn’t know where anything was in this house.

The woman smiled, “They’re in the kitchen. It’s the door by the stairs.”

Summer giggled, embarrassed, and walked over at the door. Metanth landed on her shoulder after regaining himself, Why are you suddenly so intent on speaking with Nyle?

Well, for one, I would kind of like to get back to my own time, even if it means seeing that angel again. And, if that Angel is really intent on killing us, he could probably track us through time, she replied with a grim look. The dragonlit didn’t say anything, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Neither of them wanted to endanger their future selves. Thing were already screw as they were without having their future selves getting hurt or killed, even. Summer softly knocked on the door, “Nyle?”

“So why, of all the people you met in your- I mean, our travels, did you settle with the one woman who wasn’t supposed to be alive?”

The older version chuckled, taking a glass from a shelf and filling it with water from a tap. After draining half the cup in one gulp, the old Nyle put the glass down on the side.

“Well, if you didn’t notice, I was stuck in Summer’s time, along with Cani, and she was the only one I knew, or apparently knew, and I had no-one else to turn to. Eventually, with a few pushes from Metanth and Cani, we-”

“Nyle?” a voice emanated from the door.

“Yes?” both answered at the same time, both scowling at each other afterwards.

Walking through the doorway, the younger Summer entered, the young Metanth wrapped around her.

“I think we should return to our time, I don’t like the fact that we’re messing around with time…again.” The drawynn muttered, her eyes looking the old Nyle up and down.

“Ah, I see you’re as beautiful as the day we started courting.” Winter said proudly, making Summer giggle and blush. Elbowing the elder man in the ribs, the young version gestured for the young drawynn to leave. Before she could even turn around, the ex-soldier was forcibly pushing her threw the door again.

“What was that about?”

“Don’t ask, for the love of some god, don’t ask.” The mercenary grunted, pushing the woman back into the living room, where the older version of her was sat on the couch, fiddling with something that looked like knitting.

“Right, you want to leave, then we leave, now.” Nyle stated venomously, tired of everything around him, and tired of trying to cope with everything he had learned. Withdrawing Glamrin from its sheath, the ex-soldier swung it round, expecting a hole to appear. But nothing happened. Nyle tried again, swinger it in a higher and faster arc, but still, nothing happened.

“I’m afraid that won’t work in this time, as I feared.” The old drawynn said suddenly.

~

Cautiously following the young half breed up the stairs, the young Cani watched as the two older creatures bounded along, the blind Cani following the airborne Metanth with surprising accuracy, any move to the left or right and the Lyko was still behind him.

How is it that he can still do that, even without sight? Cani asked, aiming the thought at Autumn.

“With his sight gone, the other senses sharpened, and Cani’s had plenty of time to practice without them. Of course, the amount of alcohol he consumes now is starting to dull these extraordinary senses, he just won’t quit.” The young girl sighed, walking down the hallway after the two.

I start to drink?

“Well, yeah, it started because dad accidentally laced your food with vodka one night in an effort to get you to sleep, and you got hooked.”

Dam you Nyle! Never try that trick on me, or suffer the might of the soon to be most powerful Lyko ever! Cani howled, his thought echoing through the house with a touch of laughter.

“Sela, did they wake you up?” Autumn cooed. Walking slowly out of a door, an incredibly small dragonlit, a dark brown color with tints of silver, came onto the landing, a sleepy look in its eye.

What was I woke up for this time? Not another game of catch Cani for a bath… the dragonlit moaned, but then caught sight of the younger Lyko. Before she could say anything, the two old creatures came running back, a look of fear and seriousness on their faces.

He’s coming, and he’s not far away… the two creatures shouted urgently.

“Why won’t it work?” Nyle asked somewhat threateningly.

Summer sighed softly, Things just seem to go from bad to worse. First, that mechanical angel tries to kill me. Then, we end up in our future home. Still trying to figure that one out. And now we can’t get back to our own time. Or, at least, not with Nyle’s sword. She rubbed her right temple, all this time stuff was starting to give her a headache.

“You're in the wrong time period,” the older Nyle stated, walking out of the kitchen with his water in hand, “Because Glamrin already belongs to someone in this time. Actually, Spring is its guardian now.”

“Spring?” the mage questioned. I take it that’s probably another kid. Oh boy, two of the them? I wonder what we would’ve name a third child if we had one.

“Our oldest kid, a boy,” the older man answered Summer, then turned back to his younger self, “It seems taking care of that sword is in the family. I was just as surprised when I found out.” He walked over and sat down in a recliner, a hint of exhaustion on his face, “He doesn’t live to far from here. You could probably ask him to send you back.”

The ex-soldier grumbled something intelligible and sheathed Glamrin, “Where exactly does he live?”

“Oh, we can take you there,” the older Summer pipped up, immediately standing up from the couch. “Metanth,” she called out, beckoning the dragonlit to her. Instead, Autumn came running down the stairs with a Sela perched on her head.

“I’m not sure if now is the best time,” the teenager stated, “Apparently, from what Metanth and Cani have said, we have some unwelcomed company headed this way.” The two creatures suddenly came bounding down the steps with the younger version of Cani behind them. Each went to their respective partners. An air of seriousness overcame the little family, unsettling the younger drawynn.

Summer looked at the three people for an explanation. “Who’s here?” she finally, not very happy at having to break the silence.

The older Nyle sighed deeply, “Let’s just say Valion hasn’t given up on an out of place thread.”

“In here, quickly.” Winter grumbled, gesturing to a nearby door. Flicking it open, Nyle found that it was nothing more than a closet, barely big enough for two people to fit in.

“You have got to be kidding.” Summer muttered, looking at the small space in disbelief.

We don’t have time to argue, he’s going to be here any moment. the older Cani said calmly, laying down on the floor. Shaking his head, the ex-soldier slotted himself into the cupboard, following by Cani, Metanth, and after hesitating for another few seconds, Summer followed. Shuffling around in an attempt to try and get comfortable, Nyle’s face came dangerously close to Summer’s, his grey eyes locking with her pink ones.

If you dare try anything, I will take a chunk out of your leg. I will not stand idly by and watch you two, if we are to be stuck in this place, then we will do so quietly. Cani said firmly, emitting a low ominous growl as he spoke. Breaking his gaze to look out of the keyhole of the door, the mercenary watched as Winter muttered something to the older Cani and Metanth, who then took up positions next to the closet door. Moments later, the sound of a doorbell echoed through the house, and Autumn opened the door. Unfortunately, the door was at an angle to Nyle’s vision, so he couldn’t see who had come in.

“Uncle!”

The word rung through the house, shocking the ex-soldier.

“Summer, do you have a brother?” Nyle asked silently.

“No, why?” the drawynn asked, looking up from her conversation with Metanth. Before Nyle could answer, the person walked into view. It was indeed Valion, but it wasn’t the one he worked for, at least, not yet. The angel looked no different in looks, but he was different, as if he was wiser. His mismatched eyes were no longer always moving about, but were still, as if tired. This angel was no longer the one who cared for preserving the natural order, and it seemed like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Hugging Summer and kissing her on the cheek, the older Valion spoke a few words which made her giggle. Turning to face Winter, the two shook hands, and exchanged words, but they weren’t talking loud enough for him to hear. After a few minutes of conversation, the group took a seat on the couch.

Dear god, how long are we going to be stuck in here? the Lyko whined.

As long as need be, and not a moment longer, Nyle said simply, sliding down the wall to take a seat next to Cani. It had only taken him a few seconds to know that the family had lied to them about the angel, and there was something they were hiding.

~

An hour had passed, the temperature in the small closet had risen insanely. Nyle had taken off his entire top half, leaving only the bullet proof chest plate on his torso. Summer hadn’t followed his example, but the amount of sweat being excreted from her body had stuck her t-shirt to her chest.

“Why don’t you just take it off? It’ll cool you down.” The ex-soldier said simply, not knowing why she kept the t-shirt on.

Pervert! Metanth shouted, wrapping himself around Summers chest and concealing her front. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Nyle shrugged, not knowing what he meant. After a few more minutes, the sound of the door being closed was heard, and the door was opened by Autumn. Immediately, the four fought to get out into the cooler air, Cani snapping at any who got in his way to fresh air.

“I think we should go out into the garden.”

Hey, isn’t that the angel that was after us? Summer questioned after the mysterious person had come down the stairs.

Metanth growled, It is! What does he want? However, both looked on in curiosity as the mechanical being exchanged words with the mage’s future self, causing her to giggle.

Hey, cool. Apparently, we’re friends, she stated happily as the angel and Winter sat down on the couch.

How can you be happy about that? How can you be friends if he wanted to kill you? the dragonlit asked in total confusion. He was nearly crawling between the cracks in the door to get a better view.

The drawynn rolled her eyes about her partner, Well, if we’re friends now, it means we don’t have to worry about him trying to kill us in the future. See, everything works out in the end. She watched the conversation and unconsciously started to fan herself. A few more minutes passed and the four beings watched as the earth dragonlit, Sela, float over and cuddle near the angel. Wow, we must be on really good terms, Summer absentmindedly commented. She started to fan harder, Okay, is it just me or is it getting hot in here? Looking over at her companions, she saw several beads of sweat trickle down Nyle’s face and Cani was panting lightly.

The metal dragon was also panting, I believe it’s hot in here. How long do we have to be crammed up? A few more minutes passed and the girl resigned to leaning up against one of the closet walls, letting out a soundless sigh. Metanth was perched on her shoulder, his wings fanned out as far as the closet would allow. He was panting heavily but as quietly as possible.

“What are they trying to do?” the ex-soldier muttered. He had already taken his overcoat off, the large gun and sword lying on the floor, and proceeded to remove his shirt. Immediately, Summer turned away, her face slightly pink and not just from the heat. “What,” Nyle asked as he saw her averted gaze.

She giggled slightly, “Oh, nothing,” Somehow, I have the feeling that he’s never really interacted with a girl before. The mage smiled mischievously at the thought. Then she let out a sigh, I do hope we get out of here soon. Otherwise, I think I might actually melt. The sweat her body had produced made her shirt stick to her chest, which was uncomfortable and not helping her cool down.

The man gave her a strange look, “Why don’t you just take it off. It’ll cool you down.”

Instantly, the metal dragonlit darted down and wrapped himself around the drawynn’s chest. Pervert! he shouted, though, thankfully, only in the three other beings’ minds. The soldier just shrugged.

Metanth, I’m not sure he even knows the difference between male and female, Summer joked. He certainly didn’t have tact. Hmm, and, apparently, I’m supposed to marry him. That’ll be interesting, she speculated. Suddenly, the closet door opened widely, allowing a blast of cooled air into the cramped quarters. “Thank goodness,” she commented as the four rushed out of the closet. Summer took in a fresh breath and let it out with a content sigh. She then noticed that Autumn was looking at them with a smirk on her face.

“I hope you guys weren’t think of doing anything in there,” the daughter commented with a grin. That sentence elected a difference response from around the room. The younger Summer turned a darker shade of pink, Nyle simply shrugged while Winter just groaned, the two Canis and the older Metanth let out snorts of suppressed laughter while the younger dragonlit wrapped himself even tighter around the drawynn.

Finally, the older Summer scolded, “Autumn!” and gave her a stern look.

The younger girl just gave her a sheepish grin, “You guys got married, right. Well it had to start somewhere.”

Winter groaned again, “I think we should go out to the garden.”

“Yes, you’ve got a lot of explaining,” the younger ex-soldier snarled while re-dressing himself. The older version simply opened the back the door and gestured for them to go on ahead. Summer followed passively, not interested in getting caught between two versions of the same temper. However, the garden took away all thought of that. The middle of the plot of land was perfectly manicured grass, almost too perfect to be real. It was a bright green color and the most, if not all, the blades were the same length. A series of stone steps led out through the green sea and to a small and circular stone area that had a table and a couple of chairs. Though, that little scene was surrounded by a wall of various colors. The square area was fenced in by all different kind of plants from vegetables to flowers. It even smelled wonderful in the area. The group walked into the middle of it all and each took a seat at the small table. Nyle’s gaze never left his older counterpart.

“Alright, alright,” Winter said with no enthusiasm and also trying to calm the young one down, “I’ll start from the beginning.”

The streets of the futuristic Cielo were quiet, for the heat of the day had driven many inside. Only one or two lingered outside, and they were not doing so of their own free will. People like these had jobs, which at points like these were hated to do. If it wasn’t for the obligation of them, they would be inside with their families.

One such person, a street cleaner called Derrick, was on his sweeper down an alleyway. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, and he eagerly wanted to finish off so he could get back home to his wife. He wasn’t paying much attention to what he was doing, since he was just trying to get the job done fast. Wheeling the small vehicle around as it reached the end of the alley, Derrick stopped the machine in its tracks as he spotted something in front of him. Barely a meter away, was a large white hole suspended in mid-air. Suddenly, a figure flew out of the hole, skidding across the floor and sending sparks shooting into the nearby grass. Stopping with a screech, the form jumped to its feet, not even fazed by the crash landing.

Is this the correct time R.V? Or did we skip to far ahead again?

The angel was now in no mood for messing around. The gas had only affected Valion for mere moments before his metal lung had expelled it, but it had been enough to let them escape. Also, the gas had colored the angel’s eye from their custom white to a dark red, making him look even more fearsome.

Checking… Temporal distortions detected in time period, signatures confirmed to Glamrin. Though there appears to be a malfunction.

What’s wrong?

Two temporal distortions detected, one emitting 70% more energy than the other.

Nothing more than a trick set up by Nyle to confuse us. We’ll check out the more powerful first, and dispatch Summer and the dragonlit.

Glancing back at the sweeper and Derrick, the angelic being smiled politely.

“Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?” the man just looked in disbelief at the figure before him. Shaking his head, Valion unfurled his wings and took off.

~

“We really don’t remember this encounter. But I know for one thing that Valion has never tried to kill me before. He was a friend of Nyle’s who came to see us, and since then he pays us regular visits. He has never done anything wrong, except ask Nyle if he would like to return to BHU to work for him again.” Summer sighed. Wrapping his arm around her, Winter muttered something in her ear.

Looking at the younger Summer, Nyle pulled a gross face at the older two, making her giggle silently.

Looks like the couples are settling in nicely. Blind Cani muttered to the older dragonlit.

Think we should try and nudge the younger ones closer together? Metanth replied, using his foot to scratch behind his ear.

No, I think we should concentrate on a little something called payback!

Without even giving the other creature a chance to reply, the albino Lyko jumped at him, sending the two tumbling in a ball across the garden. Laughing at them, Cani suddenly had an idea. Looking round, the Lyko spotted the younger Metanth watching the fight from underneath the table. Taking care not to make any noise, he silently crept up behind him.

OoC: Sorry for the wait.

BiC:

Heh, Metanth chuckled as he watched his older self and Cani rolled around in a mixed ball of scales and fur. He silently cheered himself on as he wasn’t interested in losing to the Lyko, present or future.

Hey, look behind you, a cry came. The metal dragonlit turned in time to see a mound of silver leap right into him. You should pay attention, the mammal taunted as he pinned Metanth to the ground.

The reptile gave him a toothy grin, You should know better than to land on a furnace. He blew a small jet of flame just to the side of Cani’s nose. The Lyko gave a tiny yelp and jumped off. Metanth smiles and launched himself at Cani. The two younger ones rolled in a ball similar to their counterparts, playfully nipping and clawing at each other. Finally, the two battles collided into each other, resulting in a mess of jumbled animals.

~

Summer gave the creatures a smile, It’s good to see them getting along. They were ready to bite each other’s heads off when they first met. She turned her attention to the topic that was being discussed. How could she not remember getting attacked? He almost killed me if Nyle hadn’t shown up. She shook her head in confusion, “Are you sure he never even... got angry at you two for marrying?”

The older one shook her head, “He never looked too happy about it, but, then again, he never looks too happy.” She smiled slightly at the thought. Though, it only made the younger drawynn even more confused. Nyle had a worried and somewhat angry look on his face. Apparently, the conversation wasn’t in his liking either.

~

A man, no younger than 19, walked calmly down the sidewalk with headphones in his ears. He wore a simple white shirt and blue jeans which were covered by a silver overcoat. He also had a silver sheath with a sword hilt sticking out the top. His blond hair was long and relatively messy though it didn’t seem to bother him. Hidden in his coat was a single pistol with plenty of ammo. I wonder how Autumn’s doing. Hopefully surviving with mom and dad, he chuckled. In fact, that’s where he was heading at the moment. Well, until someone shouted from behind him.

“Stop, Nyle,” a man’s voice commanded. He turned to see a half-robotic person staring grimly at him. But the look changed to clear confusion.

“Nyle? I don’t know who you’re talkin’ about. I’m Spring.”

Re-scan for the smaller anomally while I chat with this, Spring fellow…

“If you’re not Nyle, then why do you carry Glamrin?” Valion voiced aloud for the man’s benefit.

“That’s not your business mister, and how do you know about the sword?” Spring said cautiously. Reaching slyly into his coat, his fingers grasped the handle of the pistol, his index finger itching to pull the trigger and send this stranger packing.

“Ah, I see, one of Nyle’s predecessors became the keeper. And yet, you know nothing of your dear fathers life, of his friends,” the angel said simply, walking towards the man without a care of what he could do. Deciding that it was time to draw, the youth pulled his weapon out, aiming it squarely at Valion’s head.

“Step back. If you knew my father, then you knew how good he was with his aim.”

Emitting a soft chuckle, the angelic being stepped forward so the barrel of the gun was pressed to his temple.

“Go on then, see what good it does you.”

Without hesitation, Spring pulled down on the trigger, releasing a bullet that left ripples as it broke the sound barrier. However, as it came into contact with the cyber angel’s head, the small piece of metal crumpled.

“The sins of the father shall become the sins of the son,” Valion grunted. Lashing out with his left hand, the angel closed his fingers around Spring’s neck. Slowly crushing his windpipe, the angel was intent to end the ex-soldiers bloodline there and then.

Scan complete.

~

Untangling themselves from the fray, the two Lyko’s took a few paces back in order to recover from the dragonlit assault.

I suppose you don’t know Bone Shield yet either, do you? the older Cani muttered.

Bone Shield? What the frago is that?

Hmm… maybe I should teach it you, to give you an advantage over Metanth after you move in with him.

Signaling for the other Lyko to follow him, the two started back to the house, but instead of going in, they went round the side. With slight difficulty, the older Cani lead his counterpart through a slightly ajar window. Scrabbling in, the two were now in the basement. Though the only light came from the open window, it was still quite easy to see the contents of the room. Guns lined practically every wall, all shapes and sizes.

I’m guessing these are Nyle’s.

Yeah, well, what kind of hobby did you think an ex-soldier would get after he settles down with a family?

Now, what is this Bone Shield?

The strength of the angel took Spring by surprise. The metal arms wrapped itself around his throat and slowly crushed it. Damnit, he cursed silently and aimed his gun at Valion. That only caused the constriction to worsen. He pulled the trigger and shot but was sure he missed, his vision starting to go black around the edges. I can’t really die here, he stated, trying to hold consciousness, And this even looks like Valion. Why the hell would he attack me? Then, he noticed the man turn his head to the side and suddenly let go. Spring fell to the ground coughing and sputtering, air finally having a clear passage to his lungs. He saw the angel give him a sideways glance and start walking off. The son glared and grabbed Glamrin off the ground, which had fallen from his grasp during his suffocation. He quickly jumped up, whirled around, and slashed at the fallen angel. There was a clank as the blade was stopped by his cybernetic hand.

“You didn’t think this foolish attack would work?” he asked with a stern face.

Spring smiled, “Yeah, a little.” The sword glowed light blue and the metallic being froze in place. “Gotta love Glamrin’s powers,” he said with a smirk then darted around Valion. I think I need to tell dad about this... Thankfully, or maybe not, his parents house wasn’t too far from where he was attacked. He ran to it as fast as possible, hoping the Freezing spell stayed long enough. He rushed through the front door, “Hey mom! Dad!” He waited for a second. “Where are they?” he asked after a bit and decided to look back in the garden. “Hey,” he called once he saw them, “There you guys... are?” He looked at the two younger people with curiosity.

“Spring!” Autumn cried with glee, ran up to him, and gave him a hug.

“Heh, hey sis,” he chuckled but looked at his parents with a serious face.

The younger man that he didn’t know stood up, “What happened?”

Spring gave him a strange look and turned to Winter, “I just got attack by, well, I think it was Valion. But he looked kind of weird. And he was surprised to see me have Glamrin.”

The unknown man walked past him, “That would be the Valion I know.”

“Man, he really did follow us here?” the younger woman complained and walked behind the man. Spring noticed a greyish dragonlit leap to her shoulder and curl protectively around it.

“Uh, Autumn,” he whispered, “Mind telling me what’s going on?”

Remember from an early age, when father taught you how to make that line of bone in your skin become taut?

Yeah, it’s useful in case Nyle tries to stab me for eating his food before it’s actually been unfrozen.

Well, this is just basically a better version of it. All you have to do is tighten the bone to a point where it’s excruciatingly painful.

That doesn’t sound like it would be much of a shield, more like it would just hurt more.

Yes, well, it’s a fair trade for what you get in return. Watch.

Squeezing his eyes closed in concentration, the blind Cani focused all his concentration on what he was doing. Soon enough, something that sounded like nails on a chalkboard filled the air, making the young Cani wince. A tear dropped from the older Lyko’s eye, a sign of the enormous pain he was feeling. A sudden crack like a whip made the younger Cani jump, and he turned to see that the older Lyko was now encased with what seemed to be bone. His hair, although still distinguishable, was stiff as if in rigor-mortis. His fur had turned into bone. If anything touched Cani now, they would doubtlessly be shredded by the many spikes.

Impressive.

~

With an agonized yell, Valion slumped over as the time warp ended.

Damn that sword!

Shaking his head, the cyber angel stretched his extremities.

Are we still working?

We were disrupted by the time surge, systems need at least twenty minutes to reboot. Your going to have to wait until I can find the disruption again.

Guess I’ve got to do this the old fashioned way.

Letting his wings extend from the folds of his overcoat, the mechanical being jumped into the air. He disappeared within moments in the bank of clouds.

~

“You can tell him what’s gone on after we’ve left,” Nyle muttered. Taking a stride forward, he moved to grab the Glamrin that Spring was holding. Before his fingers could the hilt, Spring had his gun placed firmly against his chin.

“Who the hell are you?” Spring asked.

“Spring, you will put that weapon away this instant!” the older Summer yelled, making all heads turn in her direction. It was the first time that the ex-soldier had heard the drawynn raise her voice in such a manner. Muttering something unintelligible under his breath, the half-breed holstered his weapon.

“Dammit,” Spring cursed under his breath and put the pistol away. He glared at the man his same age, wondering just who he was. The half-breed’s hand still grasped sword’s hilt tightly, “Just what the hell do you want with Glamrin?”

The younger ex-soldier stared at him just as coldly, “We need it to get back to our own time. Now hand it over.” He reached for the sword again.

Spring made a sweep with the sword and stepped back, “You’re only getting this over my dead body.”

“Spring!” the older Summer scolded. Winter just stood and observed the stand-of, not making any noticeable movements to stop the impending battle.

“I don’t care who he is,” the son declared, “He’s not getting Glamrin.”

“Hmph, idiot,” the younger Nyle declared and drew his own Glamrin. However, the ex-soldier’s sword looked slightly different. It’s blue color had darkened somewhat, probably due to the fact that it’s time powers were not working correctly. The sight of a second time blade did startled the half-breed slightly.

“Wait, if you have Glamrin, then why do you need mine?” Spring asked suspiciously.

Nyle sighed, “My Glamrin won’t cooperate because it already has a new owner. We need to get back to our own time.”

“We?” the future wielder of Glamrin questioned and looked at the other drawynn with the gray dragonlit. Man, are these really my parents? he wondered, realizing that it was at least a younger Winter that stood before him. There was no other reason as to why he would have a Glamrin. Smiling slightly, Spring lowered the time sword and brushed his hair out of his face, “You know, if you needed a portal, you could’ve just asked.”

The younger version just grunted, “We need a portal forty years into the past.” He also lowered his sword but keep a tighter grip on it, his eyes darting around. Before the son could slice open a time hole, a large crash was heard as something landed heavily on the roof.

“A family gathering, I see,” Valion commented as he observed the group. Both Nyle and Spring had Glamrin in battle positions while the younger Summer was silently gathering energy for her magic.

Winter walked to the front of the group despite a few protests, “Valion, what’s the meaning of this?”

The cyber-angel’s face was unemotional, “You know as well as I do that the younger Summer has to die,” he stated, more to the younger version than the older, “If you had completed your mission the first time you two met, none of this would be happening. And now it seems I have to exterminate an entire family to set things right.”

The angel’s features could’ve been carved from stone. Before him lay a family, a family that shouldn’t have even existed. It was disgusting how one man’s emotions could cloud his judgment, and one of his best men at that. The sound of a gun being primed filled the air, and Valion saw that the boy from before had drawn his pistol again.

“What is it with you and your descendents Nyle, why can’t you ever do what you’re told? I ask so little of you, and this is how you repay my kindness?” the angel said simply.

“How is it kind to kill a family that hasn’t wronged you in any way?” Spring snarled. With one precise flap of his wings, the mechanized being landed in front of the house. He strode forward, not even bothered by the half breed’s show of weaponry.

“By living, by existing, you wrong me every second that passes.”

A gun fired, and Valion was blown off his feet and backward into the wall of the house. Spring and Nyle looked at each other in surprise, before turning round. Winter was holding what seemed to be the better part of a giant tube to his hip, the end of which was smoking slightly.

“I’ll be damned if I let anyone threaten my family,” the old man grunted.

What was that?!

Bounding from the house along with his other self, Cani stopped as he saw the 6 foot hole in the wall. Grunts and moans made their way from the puncture in the house, and were momentarily followed by curses.

“Summer, I think it was time you and Autumn took a crack at this fellow,” Winter said in a low tone. As if on cue to attack, the angel came rushing out of the hole, eager to finish off the family. In perfectly timed simultaneous attacks, both mages let forth a blast of fire. Like the old soldier’s attack, it sent the angel crashing back into the house.

“Nice,” the younger Summer muttered. She was obviously impressed by what she was going to become, even if it wasn’t suppose to exist.

“We’re just getting started,” Autumn laughed. However, her merriment was short lived. Beams of white energy began to shoot from the hole, forcing the group to scatter and find shelter.

“I damn the names of your kin to hell!” Valion screamed, his voice barely hearable over the continuous blasts of energy. Taking shelter under the thick stone of the garden table, Nyle scrabbled as far under as possible. As he reached the middle, his head collided with another. Looking forward, the ex-soldier found that it was the younger Summer.

“This idiot really has it out for me.” Though she spoke with a confident tone, the mercenary could tell from her shaking body that she was afraid. He somehow managed to slip his own hand into hers, and instantly felt her grab it.

“No-one is going to be dying today,” Nyle said bravely.

I wouldn’t be sure of that if I were you, Cani grumbled from behind Nyle. His paws were draped over his ears in an obvious attempt to stop the noise, but it was doing little good. They would just have to wait until Valion ran out of energy.

Beams of energy poured forth from the hole, symbolizing the angel’s frustration with this whole ordeal. “How much power does this guy have?” the younger Summer asked Nyle, trying to mask the fact that she was about ready to wet herself. She never imagined something like this could ever happen her life.

“Enough,” the ex-soldier stated simply, making the drawynn more nervous. She wouldn’t be surprised if, at one point, the energy would finally become focused and blast the family to smithereens.

“Hey,” Autumn said suddenly, making Summer yelp in surprise and Nyle draw his pistol. “Jeez,” the daughter recoiled, “You don’t have to be so jumpy. So, you two know this guy better than my parents do, is there anyway to shut him down or something?”

Nyle shook his head, “We can only wait until he either calms down or runs out of energy. And, from the looks of it,” he turned to the explosive sight, “We probably won’t have to wait too long.”

“You idiotic mortals!” Valion raged over the sound he was also creating, “I won’t let this mistake live on any longer!”

“Boy, he’s nice,” Autumn said sarcastically and shook her head, “I’ve always wanted to be a mistake to the whole of humanity and whatever else he represents.”

Nyle was intently watching the mechanical being, “We need to move.”

“What?” Summer questioned, not quite sure she understood him correctly.

But she had. “We need to move now,” he said forcefully and pushed the two woman out from under the table. Only a few seconds later, it shattered under the force of a beam of angelic and mechanical energy. Summer turned to see that Valion had come out of the hole and, even though energy was still coming from him in erratic burst, he had managed to get enough of it under control to attack them directly.

“I don’t even need to attack all of you,” he stated with an eerily calm voice, “I’ll I need to do is kill the young woman and it will be the end of this whole fiasco. I’m simply doing what should have happened in the first place.” Holding out his metal hand, he gather his energy and shot a large blast at the group of three. Nyle again pushed the two down and then all three of them scrambled in different directions. However, true to his word, the cyber-angel kept his focus on the drawynn. He fired another beam at her but she simply stood her ground.

Metal Shield! Metanth yelled, covering both their bodies in indestructible metal as the beam hit. Summer hoped that, in the confusing that his attack didn’t hurt her even though it had hit dead on, someone would’ve have figured out a way to stop Valion’s insanity.

Valion was reaching the very brink of his sanity. His orders had been ignored, his own employee was playing a part in destroying the fabric of reality, and now an entire family was working to stop him. His primal angelic instinct was now guiding him, and the only thing that kept his mind focused enough to attack.

Building up another sphere of the pulsating blue energy in his hand, he let it fly at Summer. But instead of evading the attack, the drawynn stood her ground. In less than a moment, the woman was hit with a blazing ball of cybernetic energy, enough to fry her brain. But as the ball hit, the woman didn’t even move. Enraged and puzzled as to why his attack hadn’t worked, the mechanized being studied the drawynn, noticing almost instantly that her entire body had taken on a steely complexion.

“Tricks won’t save you… not this time.” The rage that the angelic being had built up through the fight was suddenly released, in the form of a single wave of angelic energy. The ground around his feet turned to dust immediately, while the figures around him were batted away like flies as the wave passed over them. Even the metallic shield that covered Summer and her dragonlit didn’t stop them from being knocked over.

“I see only one remedy to this…and it begins with the total obliteration of this side of the planet.” The angel spoke with a fanatical tone, as if everything he was about do was justified. Closing his eyes to shut out interruptions, he began to build up his energy in the palms of his hands.

No…he wouldn’t…not for something as unimportant as this…

The same thought rushed through the minds of both Nyle’s. They had both been witnesses to the total destruction that Valion planned to release before. It wasn’t pretty.

“We have to stop him. Now,” Nyle muttered to Summer. Widening her eyes at the ex-soldier’s remark, she was at a lost for words.

“There isn’t any other option. If he continues, the entire city is going to be leveled into nothing but dust and wreckage. We aren’t the only ones who are going to suffer.” Taking a firm grip on the larger weapon of his arsenal, Nyle prepared to use it.