Chapter 8

In a few days – after a couple of more successful matings in the little love nest and more practicing with their powers – the guardians were fully healed, rested and prepared to wipe out the ghoul cave for once and for all. Corey was right about not letting such vile and dangerous creatures with their mutated leader roam freely in Jukai. The protectors had to keep the balance and wipe out this potential danger to their world.

They were hiding not just themselves but their presence too while crouching behind some bushes, looking down into the valley where the white ghouls were moving around. Paolo did a good job in studying their behavior and customs in these few days. With that gathered information they could come up with a plan to kill them quickly and effectively.

It was a simple one. Create a diversion to gather most of the ghouls in one place then burn them and cut down the survivors.

Oh yeah… Those successful matings they shared vice versa definitely helped on strengthening their new power and skills. Also their bond. They really became stronger than they ever could imagine.

The plan of the ambush was simple. But it had to be precise. The number of the ghouls was large and that mutant mixed leader was having his power around the entrance of the valley of the cave to feel any distractions. Corey, being a shaman and through the bond Matt could also feel that.

"I’ll make a small altar on that clearing to the left," Corey said pointing to said direction. "That will use shaman powers to pulse as a signal to our kind. But they will sense it only as if some shaman is near testing his power. So most, hopefully the leader also, should gather to check it out. We unleash our fire on them. Paolo stay in arm’s reach for our teleporting. We will use it again. It takes a lot out of me, but now we are stronger. And it's the best and safest and fastest way to go in then out."

"Got it," Paolo said with a nod, readying his bow with poisoned arrows to help in thinning the number of the ghouls once they attack.

Matt narrowed his eyes while cataloguing the patterns of how the ghouls moved and felt to his senses. It was a good plan. All of it. He just hoped all would go according to that. But before Corey could move to make that altar, he reached out to grab his forearm and look at him. "Be very careful. Both of you," he whispered to the other young men.

It was probably no secret to them that Matt was more cautious and maybe a bit reluctant to come back here after everything that'd happened to him in those caves. But he also knew it was necessary. But that didn't stop him from leaning in to give a proper good luck kiss to his mate before letting him go do what he had to.

After that kiss Corey moved without a sound through the rich undergrowth till the clearing. He wanted to place the trap far enough to give the trio a good target, yet close enough to make the ghouls feel brave to come out there. It was very risky and of course he also couldn't forget the last time they were around this place.

Placing the small token, he put it around with rune stones and silently chanted the spell that channeled some of his shaman forces into it. It was basically a radio to send those power pulses out if a shaman needed help. It worked like an S.O.S. signal.

Matt and Paolo were at the ready, waiting for Corey's return. Then they would finally move out. It took only a few minutes for them to sense the shaman power pulsing in the distance. Even with Corey hiding his real presence, of course Matt could feel him through the bond. He was on the move again.

Once he rejoined them, they waited a bit. It didn't take long for the leader to appear in the mouth of the cave where Matt was tortured. He sensed the trap. They could see him bark orders and the white creatures started running around, getting ready to check out what was going on.

"It's starting. Let's get into position," Matt suggested and that's what they did, lying low until the right moment presented itself for the attack.

Corey laid between them, so when the time was going to be right he can move all of them in the reach of the mates’ united power.

 But first he and Matt will unleash their fire on them. In the right moment after the leader gets brave and irritated enough too along with the not that smart other ghouls. That moment was getting closer too as the leader walked out further from the cave. By then already a dozen or more of his minions were at the clearing.

Corey nodded to Matt and let the shaman power from the altar flare up before he appeared there with the other two protectors. Thanks to Corey's force in the token reacting to its owner, they formed a tall and strong firewall, sweeping through the ghouls and all along the valley as quick as lighting. Only more deadly…

It was... liberating and kinda good releasing their full power on the ghouls. Many died instantly from the hot magical flames. Those who managed to get away from the flames were shot down by Paolo's poisonous arrows. It was also some revenge to Matt to see the leader getting caught helplessly in the cleansing of the valley.

Because they were the protectors of Jukai and their fire was magic-based and controlled, they realized during the practices that they could choose what to target and burn. That ability was tested on a bigger scale now and that's why only the ghouls were burned and no plants or trees caught fire.

As the Trivium trio walked behind the flames like some kind of an executing squad – what they were at times when it came to the safety of their world – they cut down the injured and surviving few. Not many escaped the magic flames and that made them feel proud about doing their task well.

 ***

That day had earned them a name. Until then there has never been such a demon attack against the ghouls and the news have spread fast about it and the young protectors and their power. Many other fights followed that, but soon the ghouls and witches have learned that they had to count with the trio.

During their patrols and purging missions the demons became even stronger and more experienced with their own and also combined powers.

Trivium became a living legend and despite the occasional adding session musicians, the trio was called by the demons of Jukai like that with or without the band. A few years of working hard for that status, the lower race of the ghouls had learned to keep away from demons. Especially shamans. Corey has been helping a lot of the other clans to perfect their skills and call forth magical flames to protect themselves.

In time Paolo got his own legendary status as the playboy of Jukai. Their fame followed them everywhere and the demon women and men all over loved to show their affection and gratitude to the single one of the heroic protectors.

Like the high shaman, Maynard said when he'd met Trivium for the first time, Matt stayed the trio's official leader, but in truth they were one close-knit, democratic unit. They were usually on the move to make sure things were going well on all the lands and took care of the valuable whales and the forest too.

But during the years some things have changed too. They couldn't be sure if it was because of their successful fights against the ghouls and Earth witches, but their attacks to snatch children became less frequent in the past decade. There were still a few of those black floating masses left here and there, but the protectors tried to eliminate those. Still, witch activity from the other side seemed to cease. Was someone fighting them on Earth?

And could it be connected to that old prophecy that came more and more frequently into the protectors' mind?

Corey felt it even stronger. The wildly flowing magic in their world has changed. It got thicker and in a way constant without big outbreaks. That could be from the way it was not disturbed that much, because the attacks from Earth got less. Or because – like how Corey felt it inside – it was waiting for something to happen.

And the yellow shaman beast felt the exact moment the seemingly napping magic force got awakened and the vibes of the forest and sea have changed. He even told the other two about how he felt the magic somehow getting more alive but in a calmer way. Like something finally happened that should have in the first place. All that only strengthened their feeling of going back to the prophecy.

So when Trivium bumped into the three demons from Earth trapped in Jukai, suddenly everything made sense to them, even if the Earth trio was utterly confused and lost in a – mostly – unknown world.

Seeing the only red beast among them was still surprising to them, but not as surprising as recognizing Jay. It didn't matter that long years have passed since the last time they saw him screaming and kicking as he was dragged through that portal. His vibes were the same.

The Trivium trio was kinda speechless at first – and also cautious since they couldn't know what had happened to Jay on Earth. As far as they knew, his personality could have been completely altered. But luckily they haven't felt any twisted darkness or ill-will in him. He also kinda stayed in his role, guarding a mated pair like he was supposed to do. Even if it wasn't the Jukai Corey and Matt.

The slightly moving tattoo on the slender demon's side, the fact that he was a drummer and the way their powers reacted to Jay's closeness were enough proof that he was the long-lost friend they'd been missing for all these years. It was quite moving for the Jukai demons, but they agreed on not wanting to overwhelm the young male since the Earthly trio had already a lot on their plate. Still, as they were helping them out, the mated pair and Paolo dropped information about Jay's past and the prophecy to prepare them for what was to come.

Still it seemed that the red shaman beast and his half-blood mate were the ones who could fulfill the legend about the connected worlds. With awaking their powers and training they will be useful for all the worlds. Even if they seemed to be stubborn at first. Maybe also Jay's powers were going to awaken more with time at Jukai.

He definitely already showed signs of that now that his side wasn't itchy anymore. The protectors' energies were reacting more to Jay too as they were leading them to where they could get on top of a whale to get the Earthly demon kids. After all, since his kidnapping, the fourth protector's powers were kept alive in the remaining three and now that Jay was here, they recognized to whom they originally belonged.

That concerned Corey a bit. But talking to the high shaman he got reassured that Jay's protector powers were sealed inside them forever now. Maybe even setting an example for the future with three protectors to be born. All that awaking force in the young demon was the 'normal' powers of Jukai demons that he couldn't develop due to his kidnapping. Still it was good to know these.

 The other thing that the yellow beast shaman learned that those kids, adopted by the clan of the mated pair from Earth, were special too.

"So… You say the girl is a beast and has yellow shaman powers. Right? Like mine?" the Jukai Corey asked the red shaman beast while the whale was swimming in the sky.

 "Yeah... Your kind I suppose. Probably taken from here. You have anything to claim with her too, like with Jay? Told you, he is our drummer now…" the short Corey replied in his usual manner, only making the long-haired one smile. He liked that jumpy fire in the wilder creature.

 "Just was asking… The shaman power usually chooses the same gender. That's why we are rare. Two males or two females not always breed offsprings. The boy is a shaman too and has blue powers, right?" he asked, more like thinking aloud. And from the way all eyes turned to him questioningly and a bit irritated made him tell all.

"The prophecy also talks about how the other universes will open up again. The one where the blue-powered demons are too. And about how a new kind unites all the powers of these three bigger planets. The children of the two worlds shamans who holds the third one's teachings. And their offsprings are going to be a new class. With green magical forces."

"Wait a minute! Time out!" Jim exclaimed, making a "T" with his hands to take a moment and process what he was hearing. Of course the Jukai demons looked at him strange from the gesture, but understood what he wanted and stayed silent.

"So... how many prophecies are there that can affect us all? Or is this a several pages long one?? I mean... this is crazy," he said, starting to work himself up on all the new information and what those might imply. It wasn't enough that they were sitting in shit up to their necks and had to find the kids, now this too?

"Are you saying that Pauly and Gaby should mate to create this new class with the green forces?! They are like siblings! What if you're wrong about the prophecy meaning them?" he frowned, nervously playing with a hair band on his fingers.

"And I'm a blue one too. Does this mean that I come from the same dimension as Pauly? And what kind of dimension is that? You surely have legends of that too..." he said, talking probably the fastest the Jukai demons have ever heard from him. At the end he had to take a few deep breaths to calm down a bit.

Corey took a deep breath too and looked at the others before he opened his mouth. "Actually.... We have. And you and your spicy red shaman mate can learn to keep portals open. Then you can visit that dimension too. With all the blue forced demons and the mixed breeds with the people living there. Making half-bloods, like you. Those are fierce warriors and keeping a strong close-knit unit there. That's why the kidnapping is rare there."

Matt seeing and understanding most Jim's personality stepped closer to the trio from Earth to speak. "Jim, calm down. Please. The prophecy tells about one direction of the future happenings. But time is always in motion and many different futures can happen. But the thing about your origin is true. And you two have the power to travel between all the dimensions."

Nodding to Matt's words Jim focused on calming down. After all, the heavily tattooed warrior was right. He knew that the future that would come depended on many decisions. It was like an intricate web of cause and effect and the turns it would take depended on many factors. "Well... this traveling between dimensions thing is still kinda mind-blowing," he finally sighed, exchanging a look with his short mate.

"As we mentioned before, Corey's red clan did it all the time," Paolo said. "You're going to be able to do it soon, too," he added. It was true. The Jukai demons kept an eye on the mated pair's progress during practicing. And after that visit in the high shaman's secret cave, things have changed too.

"Once you master it, you could sometimes drop me off to jam with these dudes," Jay chimed in, trying to lighten the mood too. Which, of course, earned an eye roll from Jim, but also a grateful look.

"That would be great. Someone to play with while these two play 'buddies'." That was Paolo nodding at the Trivium mates, laughing.

Matt already opened his mouth. As the leader he felt he had to defend the seriousness of their culture and legends and the sacredness of the mating and mated pair. After all, their combined forces helped them win a lot of battles.... But his mate sensed his thoughts just in time and with a chuckle and a wink at the others, the buff shaman Corey of Jukai pulled Matt into his arms and kissed him shut.

Everyone laughed it off but it was more for easing up the heavy thoughts.

From the fogged horizon they could make out the curves of the cliffs. The other floating world was near. And while the two guardians chatted and laughed about all kinds of silly things they would do once those portals get open, even some inter-dimensional touring came into their minds. Debating on which band will be opening to the other... The whale chimed in with a long note echoing back from the by then clearly visible land. They arrived to search for the kids...

"Nice, nice. But before all that amazing legendary shit we should find our kids, no? Prophecy or not. I'm not having good feelings about their well-being," the red beast said silencing them all. First things first. They have a duty before becoming 'inter-dimensional heroes' or some shit...

The End

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