They ran through the woods, shrieking. Fast and eager and bursting with clean, pure joy.
Up the hill, her hand grasped in his as he helped her up. Down the slope- nearly tripping over themselves- and around the pond, where ducks eyed them warily. Then through the low, tangling path, branches brushing their head, and then-
The creek.
They both stopped to stare at it. Their parents had warned them; made it clear that they weren't old enough to go down to the creek. It was too fast, too strong, too wide, too dangerous. So she'd kept away, as much over fear of parental disapproval than any fear of drowning. But then...
He'd decided they were going.
He'd told her she shouldn't be afraid. That they'd go down to the creek early in the morning, with their parents none the wiser. Their little secret.
So she left early to met up with him, rode their bikes down to the edge of the woods, and ran through the trees together...
And now, here they were.
He smiled at her. He was still holding her hand, she noticed, and the knowledge made her heart quicken.
Then his eyes lit up and he pointed. "Look! A rope!"
Well, there was nothing else for it. He climbed up the side of the tree. Grabbed the rope, took a deep breath, and leap.
His body made an arc in the air and then he let go, tumbling away and then-
A huge splash. He surfaced, laughing so hard he was half-drowning. "Come on in!" He gestured as he paddled in the water. "Come on!"
She eyed the water nervously. She wasn't a good swimmer.
"Come on!" He laughed. "Trust me!"
She reached for the rope.
***
Max Drandson lay bound up by chains. His legs and arms were pinned by a hundred metal links that slithered and crawled across his flesh.
And that was perfectly fine.
Mostly because his friend-slash-partner in crime-slash-drinking buddy-slash-just now upgraded to fuckbuddy, Sinnis Dattu a.k.a. Chain Devil was currently giving him other things to concentrate on.
The dark-skinned beauty ground and bounced atop his dick, shuddering with pleasure. Her red eyes were half-lidded and her full breasts heaved as she rode him. Her stomach tensed and her cunt squeezed and rippled against his rock-hard cock as both villains savoured the pleasure their bodies brought. Sweat trickled down her body and pooled between and below them, staining their bedsheets.
Red light flared from her eyes and her gasps became ragged as the two partners reached the limits of their pleasure, rising, rising and then-
She collapsed against him, breasts pressing against his chest as they sucked in heaving gasps of air. The afterglow swept over them, leaving them lazy and helpless and content.
That, of course, was when the door exploded.
The Exiled Prince- cold blue light pulsing around him like a halo- stepped inside. "Neon Hound. You're under-" The blue-eyed Archon took in the scene and blinked. "Uh-"
A dozen blazing chains appeared out of thin air, slithering towards Exiled with the speed of thought. He conjured a shield of light, the chains dancing away while the two villains scrambled off the bed. Max drew bright lights in the air around him, lines of power appearing over his flesh-
And then the room darkened. His powers sputtered, the lights wavering.
He had time to say, "Shit!" before Grey Sentinel appeared like a vengeful phantom, shadows boiling around him. Tendrils of shadow engulfed Neon Hound, snuffing out his bright gleam. Burning chains shot at Grey Sentinel, driving straight through him; but the cloaked figure merely faded into tattered shadows. A moment later the Exiled Price darted across the room, his chin jutting out as he conjured a massive shining warhammer into his hands. Chain Devil shrieked and ducked as it slammed into the wall next to her.
The two eyed each other, their eyes blazing with light. Exile said, "Surrender, Fellian! I promise we'll treat you justly!"
"Fuck your justice!" Chain Devil snarled, chains wrapping themselves around her naked body. "Leave my buddy alone, you smug Archon
shit
!"
Max yelled, his voice muffled by the dark tendrils that bound him. "Sinnis! Run! Get out while you can!" A moment later Grey Sentinel appeared next to him, gesturing with one hand, and the shadows devoured him.
The Exiled Prince tensed as the room was filled with dozens of chains, filling the room with lashing death. A heartbeat later the chains were gone, the villainess along with them.
***
It was later and Endless sat across from the Grey Sentinel.
"So," said Endless, "that seemed to go well enough."
Archon sighed and pinched his nose. "It was about the only thing that went well the entire night."
"What happened to Chain Devil?"
"Exiled Prince insisted on chasing after her. I tried to talk to him but..."
"Archons and Fellians, Nathan." Endless smiled. "They've been fighting each other throughout the universe longer than even I have existed. Besides, that second-rate mercenary's hardly going to stop him. Relax."
"I suppose." Grey Sentinel sighed.
"What about the prisoner? Neon Hound?"
"Wants his jacket back."
That earned another smile. "Any idea how he did it?"
"No. None." Grey's frown deepened. "We've tried any number of means of interrogation. He claims he had no idea why either of them did what they did. Same with his partner. She just...suddenly decided to jump his bones."
"Maybe some new talent showing itself?"
"No. We'd have detected it." Grey shook his head. "It's almost as though..."
"As though?"
Grey's frown turned into a grimace as he struggled to spit out the words. "As though he wasn't responsible."
"Ah." Endless took a sip of coffee.
"Any ideas?" He sighed as she shook her head. "I would have thought you'd know something. You've been around since the beginning, Umma. Literally."
Endless smiled again, but this one was a brittle thing. "It could be any number of things. If I had to guess..."
"Go on."
"Maybe some sort of curse."
"Neon's powers aren't based on-"
"I didn't say Neon was the one inflicting the curse."
Grey scowled as hard as he could. "Hmph. So what now?"
"We observe. I've been counselling May." Umma sighed. "I have some ideas to help her get over this."
"Get over what?"
There was movement across from them.
Beacon and Bright Blade sat down next to the two heroes. Grey did his best to scowl them away but the husband and wife just smiled a little harder. "Is May okay?" asked Beacon, flicking her pale blonde hair away from her face.
Endless spoke first. "Windshear's fine. She had a bad fight- that's all."
Bright Blade rested his namesake weapon against the table. The dark-skinned techno-knight leant forward, hand unconsciously clasped around his wife's. "We talked to Electro Singer- she apparently went to see her?"
Grey raised an eyebrow at Endless. She shrugged. "I thought it might do her some good to see a friend."
"We should restrict contact until we understood what's happened to her."
