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Chapter 8 - CHAPTER TEN ( UNDERWORLD STRIKES ARC)

(Kyle enters the castle, crying.)

Ashley: Where is Paul, Kyle?

Kyle (crying): They… they took Paul away.

Sai: What? How?!

Ashley (angrily): Weren't you supposed to be by his side?!

Riley: Ash, calm down.

Ashley: Calm down? How can I be calm when our only hope to bring peace is gone?!

Valot: Our king stood no chance against them.

Ashley: I don't care! We just got to see him, and now he's disappearing again. I can't take it.

Ezra: What exactly did they say?

Kyle: I lost consciousness while they were fighting.

Valot: But Paul could take on Valefar one-on-one.

Kyle: Someone else was with Valefar.

Ezra: Kidnapped? Why not just kill him?

Valot: They need Paul for something.

Stellavore: Something about the Supreme Being awakening.

Ezra (shocked): Impossible! Supreme Awakening only happens to those with a special gift… That's why they took Paul.

Ashley: Start talking now, Ezra.

Ezra: Paul has the Mother of Nature resting inside him.

Sai: With her powers, they can become the Supreme Being.

Valot: But the problem is Paul can't control the Mother of Nature's powers.

Ashley: Enough discussion! We need to save Paul.

Riley: We're thinking, Ash.

Ashley: Then think better, because if Paul isn't here, we'll lose the battle with the Realm Leaders.

Ezra: The only person who could face an Underworld Ruler is…

Maria: Catherine—Paul's mother.

Riley: What?! We can't. Paul said we shouldn't tell his mother he's alive.

Ashley: Then I'll go to Earth to tell her myself.

Kyle: Sit down, Ashley.

Ashley: No, I will not!

Kyle: As the king's right-hand man, I command you to!

Rahm: Time is of the essence, Kyle. If she's our only choice, then we have to.

---

(UNDERWORLD REALM)

Valefar: Wake up, stupid human.

Paul (regaining consciousness): Where… where am I?

Valefar: You're awake. Oh, where? You're in the Underworld, human. Be grateful.

Paul: Binding me with chains won't work.

Guard: My Lord, Lord Valecton is calling for you.

Valefar: Alright, I'll be there. Enjoy yourself, human. Let's see if you can break free from those chains.

---

(BACK TO AETHORIA REALM)

Ashley: Have you finished planning anything yet?

Maria: Ashley, may I speak with you for a moment?

Ashley: Yes.

Maria: Please excuse us. Ashley, you need to calm down. Trust your brother—he'll come up with a plan.

Ashley: My brother is a terrible decision-maker.

Riley: Are you done calming yourself down?

Ashley: Yes.

Kyle: You're right, Ash. We need Paul's mother for this.

Ashley: The only problem is, how are we going to the Underworld?

Sai: Before that—wouldn't the Realm Leaders know Paul has disappeared?

Kyle: Ezra is maintaining Paul's fearsome aura.

Ezra: I can create a fake Paul to sit on the throne while we go save the real one from the Rulers.

Rahm: Alright. That's settled—let's go rescue our king.

Valot: So who's going to tell Paul's mother about this?

Kyle: Ezra will go.

Ashley: I'll go.

Kyle: No—Ezra will go. He must tell her everything he did to her son. He's the one who caused her depression.

Ezra: I will leave at once, right-hand man.

Kyle: Please do.

Rahm: Now you're acting like a true right-hand man.

Kyle: Sai.

Sai: Yes?

Kyle: You and Valot, prepare our weapons. We're attacking at full capacity.

Ashley: Alright, now we're making some progress.

---

(PORTAL OPENS TO EARTH REALM)

(Catherine is looking at her son's grave, crying.)

Ezra: It's been five years now, hasn't it, Cate?

Catherine: Don't you dare call me that again.

Ezra: I'm here to confess something very important.

Catherine: Confess? I told you to leave me and my family alone!

(Catherine begins to walk away.)

Ezra: Paul is alive.

Catherine: You must be joking. I saw my son's dead body.

Ezra: Let me explain.

Catherine: If Paul is alive, why hasn't he come home?

Ezra: To keep you safe. Listen—I removed the body enchantment you placed on him and created a fake body.

Catherine: You did WHAT?!

Ezra: You said you didn't want anything to do with the realms again.

Catherine: Where is Paul now?

Ezra: He's been kidnapped by the Rulers.

Catherine: You mean the Underworld?

Ezra: Yes. I need your help.

Kyle (appearing): We need your help.

Catherine: Kyle?! No wonder your mother didn't come searching for you all.

Ashley: We lack the strength to face even one Underworld Ruler—let alone four.

Kyle: That's why we need your power to save him.

Catherine: Of course. He's my son.

Ezra: It's settled, then.

Catherine: It's not settled. You owe me a lot. First, we head to the Castle of Creations.

Kyle: Please—let me handle that.

---

(PORTAL OPENS TO AETHORIA)

Catherine: It's been a long time.

Valot: It's the king's mother!

(Castle people murmuring.)

It's the king's mother… We haven't seen her here in ages.

Ashley: We have a plan.

Catherine: That's good. But I need to know who kidnapped him.

Valot: Valefar and Valecton.

Catherine: I see. And what do they need him for?

Kyle: They said something about the Supreme Being awakening.

Catherine: That again?

Ashley: That again? Do you know what it means?

Catherine: Yes. It's about a being ascending to the Upper Plane—becoming a universe itself, for example, and more.

Sai: Becoming a universe? That means you can control an entire galaxy without restrictions.

Rahm: That's bad.

Maria: Welcome, ma.

Catherine: Kate? What are you doing here?

Maria: I'll explain later.

Catherine: Alright. First, I'll be taking charge here.

Kyle: Fine by me.

Catherine: From what I heard from Ezra, I don't think an Underworld Ruler can consume Paul.

Ashley: What do you mean?

Catherine: When I was carrying Paul, he absorbed too much energy—both positive and negative.

Sai: I see. The Underworld Rulers rely on negative energy. They can't counter positive energy.

Rahm: Which means they want to use him to awaken someone else.

Sai: A Supreme Being…

Kyle: We need to hurry to save Paul.

Ashley: But Kyle said half of Paul—?

Ezra: They can consume Paul, Cate.

Catherine: Paul's negative energy alone is enough to feed all four Underworld Rulers.

Usurper (appearing): Then why did he lose?

Kyle: How did you do that?!

Sai: Appearing out of nowhere like that…

---

(UNDERWORLD REALM)

Valecton: Are preparations complete?

Valefar: Almost.

Ukoballon: Greetings, Lords of the North and South.

Valecton: What brings you here, Ukoballon?

Ukoballon: I came to see how the progress is going.

Paul: Your plan will never work.

Valefar: Oh? From the looks of things, it already is.

Paul: Mythol, I command you—attack them!

Valecton: Impossible. That won't work. By the way, someone wants to meet you, Paul.

(Footsteps approaching.)

Harry: Hello, Paul.

Paul: Harry, you bastard! So you joined them?!

Harry: Just like your fake mother, with that stupid temper.

Cremoneth: Enough. Start already, before his allies come for him.

(Paul is placed in the middle of the Underworld circle.)

Valefar: Someone is coming…

(A dimensional gate opens.)

Catherine: Get away from my son!

Paul: Mom? What are you doing here?

Catherine: You have a lot of explaining to do after this.

Kyle: Time for a rematch, Valefar!

Valefar: It's the pitiful human again.

Cremoneth: I told you to erase every problem.

Valecton: We didn't have time to.

Ashley: Enough talking! Hand Paul over!

Ukoballon: What's going on here?

Catherine: This one is bad news…

Ezra: That's Ukoballon.

Ukoballon: Leave now, before things get bloody.

Catherine: Aren't you a little too confident?

Ukoballon: I know a lot about you, Lady Creation.

Catherine: What a pity.

Ukoballon: I heard from your elder brother that you drove him to the brink of death.

Ezra: Just release our king!

Ukoballon: So that pathetic human is your king? Head of Creations, you must be…

(Ashley launches a massive Universal Control Sphere at Ukoballon.)

Ashley: Enough chit-chat!

Valefar: It's that human again… the only one whose presence can't be sensed at all.

Valecton: Hmm.

Kyle: It's the two who took Paul!

(Catherine tries to strike Valefar, but is blocked by Cremoneth.)

Cremoneth: Harry told us a lot about you, Catherine Stark.

Riley: That bastard was here?!

Valecton: Yes. He even conducted the ritual for us.

Nighma: The ritual is complete, my lord.

(Paul screams in agony as his body begins to divide into four pieces.)

Valot: We need to hurry!

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