The day had come and gone. After catching a few hours of shut-eye in the office, Dameon and Jonas found themselves in the forest during just after sundown, sitting and waiting for the right time.

"Now," Dameon said, turning to Jonas who was leaning against a tree. "How exactly do we plan to call 'im out?"

"A beacon," Jonas said plainly. "He's very used to my energy signature. If I send up a white energy signal, way out here in the middle of nowhere, he'll follow it. Just like he did when he found me after that battle out here."

"Just like I followed you out here now?"

The brothers snapped their heads into the direction of the voice. It was Jupiter's. Easily. Looking all about them, Dameon reached over his shoulder for Flametongue sheathed on his back. Whipping around in front of him, he grabbed the hilt with both hands and held it in front of himself defensively.

"Show yourself," Dameon said calmly. "Stop 'iding in the shadows and let us see you!"

"The two of you have come out here by yourselves? Either you're very bold, or very foolish." Jupiter's words floated about the air as he stepped into the clearing, his arms held behind his back and the hood of his robe down. "So, pray tell, where is your little band of do-gooders?"

"We've declined their help," Jonas said, stepping forward and holding his staff in front of him. "You're our's to fight, not their's. We want the satisfaction of destroying you ourselves."

"Is that it? It's not for fear that I would destroy your little non-combative sister during the fracas?" Laughing, Jupiter brought his arms around to the front of him, clasping them before his torso and shaking his head. "You don't think I was watching you? Both of you? I assure you, after I take back what's mine and kill you both where you stand, I will take pleasure in felling your other Clanmates, one by one, and saving that cute little sister of your's for last. But maybe I'll spare Ness so that he can watch me torture her before he is sent into oblivion. I still owe him for surviving our last battle in the city."

"You will do no such thing," Dameon said, still standing calmly and looking Jupiter in the eyes. "And after we render you to ash, we will return to our Clan and be able to assure them once and for all that they are safe from you. You will not touch them again, for you won't leave this forest. Are we crystal?"

"I warn you, De'Mero," Jupiter said darkly, extending a hand out to face him, his eyes beginning to glow a deep purple, "just give me the boy, and you will be spared."

"I'll give you Jonas, mate," Dameon replied, grinning and bracing his feet into a wide stance, gripping his sword-hilt tightly, "over my bloody dead body."

And with that, Dameon's wings erupted from his back, his eyes turning a glowing crimson as he thrusted himself forward, his feet gliding mere centimeters from the ground as he glided directly for Jupiter, raising his sword over his shoulder and then barrelling it down in a downward diagonal slash at Jupiter's torso.

Jupiter threw his palm so it faced the ground, and shot a blast of dark energy downward, propelling himself upward into the air as Dameon passed below him. Coming back down a few paces from Jonas, he threw his palms toward him.

"Now," Jupiter said menacingly, "let's make that Demon of your's come out!"

With that, Jupiter began blasting a stream of dark energy bolts toward Jonas. Jonas replied quickly by throwing his staff in front of himself, firing a stream of holy energy bolts from his staff, colliding with and holding back Jupiter's dark energy.

"Jonas!" Dameon turned around and began running toward Jupiter, when out of nowhere a small black demon flew toward Dameon with claw's extended. Dameon spun about and slashed the demon in half, sending it's two halves flying off and bursting into black dust. Three more demons came up out of dark portals in the ground, all facing Dameon who was now looking around himself defensively. "What in the bloody 'ell?!"

"Have fun with those," Jupiter grunted, holding his stream of bolts against Jonas' white energy. "My fight is with your brother. My army can keep you entertained."

"Don't worry Dameon!" Jonas' eyes began glowing white, his wings thrusting out from underneath his cloak and spreading wide, steadying his balence as he held his holy energy against Jupiter's attack. "I can take care of this!"

"Just 'old on!" Dameon called to his brother as two of the demon's lunged toward him. He leapt at one, slashing it across the torso and spinning around to run his blade clean through the second, as they both exploded into ash. "As soon as I clear these buggers out I can 'elp you!"

As Dameon spoke, a group of demons appeared from dark portals before him, their eyes all focused upon him, claws bared and teeth grinning evilly.

"So that's how it has to be..." Jonas gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing brightly as he poured all of his energy into his holy magic bolts. "Then give me all you've got, Jupiter!"

Gasping and sliding back on the ground, Jupiter held himself enough to keep a grip on his attack. Thrusting his hands forward more, he sent all of his energy into his dark bolts, the clashing of the two magics exploding and flashing brightly with energy.

"You're mad!" Jupiter breathed heavily as he held his blast against Jonas', now expending every bit of energy he had into it. "Even if you do this, I won't be defeated! Your Clan will fall!"

Jonas narrowed his eyes, bracing himself for the final moments of this struggle. As he stood there, he sought out Dameon with his mind, locating him in the skies above the forest, fighting Jupiter's demons with Norgath.

Dameon, Jonas spoke silently into his brother's thoughts, when I give you the signal, you swoop down onto Jupiter. He will be distracted. Do what you need to do. Don't worry about me.

Dameon blinked, turning around and flying toward his brother and Jupiter, who were farther away now as he and Norgath's arial battle had moved them about. Slashing through several demons on the way, he slowed down as he got into diving range, looking down over the struggle between their energy blasts, clasping his sword in his hands as Norgath continued to fly around, blowing fire and slashing his claws at the demons attacking him, keeping them away from Dameon while he waited.

"You won't be getting your demon," Jonas said, his eyes losing their white glow. "Goodbye, Jupiter."

NOW!

And with that sudden transmission into Dameon's thoughts, Jonas broke his attack, his holy energy dessipating into nothing as his staff flew out of his hand and off to the side. Jupiter's dark energy bolts, having been unleashed with the Warlock's full strength, blasted forward from the center of the energy clash and ripped fiercely into Jonas, who threw his arms to the sides and held his ground, allowing Jupiter's energy to ravage his body and tear through him, his head thrown back and his eyes closed.

Dameon, during this, wasted no time in thrusting his wings behind him, throwing himself downward toward Jupiter at breakneck speed, taking his sword and swinging it up so that the long blade was held out in front of him.

Jupiter, meanwhlie, was standing in shock at Jonas' actions, unable at this point to stop the torrent of dark energy as it blasted forth from his own hands. At least not until the charged up power had expended itself.

This left Jonas standing in it's path, until finally he lost all energy and was thrown back by it, slamming into a tree and being held there by Jupiter's attack.

Until Dameon reached him, that is. After a spray of blood and Jupiter's energy bolts crashing to a halt, Dameon was behind Jupiter, his left arm tightly wrapped around Jupiter's throat, and his right hand holting the hilt of the eight inch wide blade of his bastard sword that now found itself running directly through Jupiter's torso, and stabbed into the ground.

Jonas fell limply to the ground next to the tree as blood poured from Jupiter's wound. As he made a move to reach for Dameon, Dameon's eyes flashed red as he channeled his pyromancer energy into the sword, causing the blade to quickly glow red and erupt into flames. Jupiter began thrashing about as he was slowly incinerated from the inside out, his body slowly catching fire from inside of the wound.

Dameon released his grip on Jupiter's throat and took a step back behind him, keeping his right hand gripping the sword's hilt and his fire magic coursing through it as Jupiter, eyes wide and body flailing about, was held in place by Dameon's sword staking itself neatly into the forest floor. He soon ceased movement and fell limply against the sword, the blade jutting into him against his body's weight.

Dameon quickly pulled the sword from Jupiter, blood spraying from the swing, and spun around as Jupiter's body went down, sending his blade sharply through Jupiter's neck. As his body fell to the ground, his head flung off to the side, landing several yards away.

All at once, the small demons surrounding and attacking Norgath disappeared, each bursting into a cloud of black dust and ash, removed from existance at the fall of the Warlock who conjured them.

The moon shone it's light down onto the forest. Norgath swooped down slowly, landing next to Dameon and looking down upon him. Dameon raised a hand to gently stroke Norgath's muzzle, sighing and nodding to him.

"Thank you, friend." Dameon clasped Reanna's amulet, and felt her warmth and energy begin coursing through him. In a matter of seconds, the scratches and claw-wounds he had at the hands of Jupiter's demons were slowly closing up, the bloodflow from them ceasing, but his strength still languishing. His eyes faded from their fiery crimson back to their tranquil sapphire, his wings folding up and moving back underneath his clock, concealing themselves within the back of his body armor.

He nodded to Norgath as he began walking toward Jonas, and Norgath took to the skies, and disappeared into the clouds from whence he came.

As he reached his brother, he looked down upon him. Jonas was lying on his back, his eyes closed and his skin brutally charred. Large wounds were covering him from head to toe from the brutality of Jupiter's power. Tears filled Dameon's eyes as he took a deep breath, speaking to his brother in a shaky voice.

"We did it," he said, forcing a smile. "We defeated Jupiter... you did the only thing you could do to keep him from taking back that demonic energy... and you allowed me enough of an opening to take 'im down..."

He kneeled down next to Jonas, scooping him up in his arms and holding him, looking up into the night sky.

"Years ago," he said, sighing, "you and I made a promise that if either of us were to ever die in battle again... the other would not seek a reversal... I wish now I'd never agreed to it... else I'd take you to Sera, and 'ave 'er bring you back."

"But," he said, with the slightest ironic chuckle, "I guess that's why you didn't want them to come, eh?"

And Dameon stepped toward the forest path leading back to the city, moving sluggishly as he carried his brother's body in his arms.

Epilogue

In the early morning hours, the RhyDin Coroner's Office was peaceful and quiet. The lead Coroner was going through the list of examinations he needed to perform, checking off the ones he'd already done, and reviewing the cases he'd yet to see. scanning his index finger over the sheet of paper containing the list, he stopped on the next body in line.

"Can you bring me the body of De'Mero, Michael Jonas?" He asked his assistant as he made his way down the hallway to the autopsy room. The room was sterile, clean and almost eerie. The Coronor went over his tools and instruments as he heard his assistant come bursting through the door.

"Sir," his assistant said, "we have a problem with the body of Mr. De'Mero."

"What problem?" The Coroner looked at his assistant with narrowed eyes, placing his hands upon his hips. "If you've misplaced his paperwork, so help me..."

"No sir!" The assistant walked over to the coroner, shaking his head. "His paperwork is fine. It's in it's proper place. It's not the paperwork that's missing."

"Then what," asked the Coroner, "pray tell, is missing?"

"The body, sir." The assistant's eyes went wide as he spoke, his skin paling. "It's as though it completely vanished."