The Astral Realm

Flame lowered his head as he walked out of the office. Rogue followed him and Flame glanced back at his pet his pet for a moment then continued walking. He was upset that he couldn't have figured out what Archos had figured out and he was slightly jealous of Grave making love to Drake. There were times that he wished he could sleep with Drake. He didn't know why but Drake intrigued him in an odd sort of way. Rogue panted and Flame glanced back at his pet.

"Are you all right?" he inquired and Rogue gave a short, reassuring yelp. "This entire thing is going to reach a climax soon. I wish I knew who this Reign was. I'd love to give him a thrashing. This mortal that Grave has a fascination for is a big problem however. Whatever spell was placed on him is a good one. I don't know if it can easily be broken. Let's head for the statue. I'm going to need to amplify the magic for the spell I'm about to cast. At least there will be less chaos this way and the reapers will be able to take a break. I'm not sure if that's a good thing but it can't be avoided. Let's go, Rogue. We have much to do." 

Flame opened the front door and stepped out onto the steps. He folded his arms as a soft breeze played with his hair. Reign would severely regret disrupting his operation. He would pay dearly for the disruption that he caused and Flame would enjoy every minute of Reign's punishment.

"I hope you show your face soon," Flame commented and Rogue glanced up at him. "I want to see your face so I can rip it apart. I would love to see your pathetic blood spilling all over the floor. I want to hear you scream in agony as your bones splinter with each blow to your body. Just imagining those tortured cries of pain excites me."

He closed the door behind him and walked down the steps. He stepped out onto the street and the other reapers watched him warily, not entirely sure what his intentions were. Flame glanced at them and sighed. Ordinarily he would have enjoyed the look of terror on their faces but now he was too concerned with greater problems. Rogue growled at a few random reapers then followed his master into the park.

"I'm not concerned with any violation of our codes right now. I have other, more pressing matters," Flame commented as he passed a horrified group of reapers engaged in what appeared to be a card game. "Hurry up, Rogue."

Rogue swiftly followed Flame up the slope where a large statue of an orb affixed atop an ornate pillar sat and changed shape into a wolf.

"I never thought I'd have to use this. That bastard is going to pay dearly for all this trouble and I'll make sure of it," Flame commented as he walked up to the statue and placed his hands on the sphere.

"The time has come to take drastic action," Flame said as Rogue sat down to listen to his words. "A sector is on the brink of utter chaos and if one sector falls the others will not be far behind. In order to stop the unbalance of my region, I place a time freeze spell on this entire region. All reapers on assignment are expected to return with the exception of the three who are dealing with the problem at the source."

"So you're giving us a...what's it called, a break?" a reaper inquired and Flame glanced up.

"Sort of. You still have your other duties to preform. Now let me put this spell into place. I have a lot of work to do."

 

Meanwhile, on the mortal soil below, Drake glanced up when the lights dimmed then brightened and Grave shoved him aside. Grave stood up and ran his hands over his body, clothing appearing with every touch. Drake stood up and checked himself for any new injuries then sighed when he saw none. If only Grave would be more brutal with him... Drake stood looking dazed for a moment then turned his attention to Grave.

"Why are you getting dressed?" he inquired and Grave looked at him.

"Can't you feel that? That's Flame's magic. I think our enemy set Flame off just a little," Grave said and Drake smirked.

"Just a little? I think it's a little more than that."

"I was being sarcastic. Now get dressed and be prepared for anything. If our enemy used to be a reaper then he's sure to know how Flame gets when he's upset."

"I've never seen Flame go completely ballistic and I hope I never do. You know, Flame's put your entire sector in a time freeze," Drake commented as a grey skintight mesh shirt appeared on his chest.

"I don't think it's just my sector. I think he's done his entire region. Hurry up and get some pants on."

"There. Does it look all right?"

"It looks fine. It's a bit too tight, though."

"Why does it look tight? Why are you looking in that region anyway? Are you thinking about the wonderful experience we just shared?"

"Shut up and let's go."

"Well it's about time," Archos said as Drake opened the door. "Come on. We need to get to work. The opposition is sure to come after Kelem."

"Shouldn't we wait for Flame?" Grave inquired and Drake frowned.

"Doesn't this place still have your protective seal around it?" he inquired and Archos nodded her head.

"Yes but we're easier to trace since all mortal activity has stopped. We can sense them just as easily as they can sense us. There's no telling when they'll strike."

"I want to see Fox again. He won't beat me a second time," Drake said.

"I certainly hope not because if Flame sees you screw up, that will be the end of you. I don't think I'm ready to give you up so soon," Grave said and Drake looked around. 

"Where is your mortal, by the way?"

"He's not here?!"

"My protection seal wasn't damaged. Perhaps he wandered off," Archos said and Grave looked at her.

"Why would he just wander off? He knows about the danger that's out there. He's seen feeders before," he said and Archos shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know."

"It's possible that he might have been in a trance," Drake commented as he stretched his legs. "He's been acting differently than when we first came here. I've noticed that he's seemed a lot more distracted recently but I thought it was just a mortal thing."

"You've got a point. He has been acting differently," Grave said and Archos frowned.

"I wonder what it means," she said and Grave pushed past Drake and opened the front door.

"I think we should find out," Grave said and Drake followed him out the door.

"Do you know where he went?" Drake inquired and Grave shook his head.

"He should be pretty easy to find though. He'll be the only thing moving."

"Should we split up?" Archos inquired and Grave considered the question for a moment.

"Either way it'll be extremely dangerous. However, I don't think someone would be willing to work alone," Grave replied and glanced at Drake.

"What's that look for?" Drake asked and Grave shook his head.

"Never mind. Let's go."

"What about Flame?" she asked.

"If Flame wants to contact us, he will. Come on. The sooner we start searching, the sooner we'll find him. We've got to get him before the enemy does. The balance of both our worlds depends on it."