Agent Of Lilith: Chapter 15 - Finale_(5) free porn video

"There it is…" breathed James, eyes still locked on the beautiful and intimidating idol.

The group's reverie was shattered by the loud clanking of metal growing closer, and they all whipped their heads around to see the two animated suits of armor clambering slowly down the stairs. Ash turned to James and took his hand in both of hers. "Go destroy the idol; we'll hold off these brutes." She kissed James on the lips, then turned to face the approaching knights.

"Hold on," said James, not liking the idea of leaving his sister and friends to try and fight off enemies he couldn't defeat with magic. "I don't-"

"Just go, dude!" said Mark, raising his fists toward the suits of armor, ready for another fight.

"We can take care of ourselves, James," said Jess, brandishing her pink taser once again. "You smash that statue."

James nodded reluctantly, unhappy about leaving them alone, but seeing no alternative. He turned and started to run across the room toward the statue just as the animated knights reached the bottom of the stairs. Putting his faith in his friends, James advanced on the great bronze idol. The sounds of fighting began behind him, but James ignored the shouts and metallic thuds, determined to trust the others and focus entirely on the task at hand.

He stepped over the rope barrier and stood – at long last – before the statue of Ishtar. The thing was nearly twice James' height, and it seemed to leer down at him maliciously, though its bronze eyes never moved. "Time to die, you miserable cunt," James said to the lifeless idol. He took a half step backwards and pulled back his right fist. Closing his eyes and channeling all the magic he could into his hand, James prepared for the deathblow. He snapped his glowing eyes open and drove his fist forward with an enraged shout. Into that punch, James poured all his strength, all his anger, and all his desperation.

And it amounted to nothing.

A small shockwave of magic rippled outward from James as his fist was stopped – inches from the statue – by a shimmering force field. James stared in shock, his hand throbbing with pain, and took a small step back as the idol's eyes began to glow, their radiance far outshining his own. His concentration was lost, and his magic faded as his determination turned to fear.

"James!" A soft, feminine voice called out, sounding distant and distorted. James' eyes opened wide, recognizing that voice anywhere.

"Lilith?!" he exclaimed, holding his aching hand and looking around for the demoness. She wasn't in his head… where was she?

"…James!" Lilith called again. It sounded like she was trying to say something else, but James couldn't tell what. Her voice was muted, as if she was shouting through a thick wall.

"Run, James!" she cried out. James realized then where it was the woman's voice was originating from. He looked up again at the statue, the eyes of which flashed subtly as Lilith spoke. "You-… match for… -tar!" she said, her words muffled and fragmented. Stepping closer and straining his ears, James managed to pick out more of what she was saying. "I can… hold her off! Just… run!"

James opened his mouth to respond but was silenced by a small yet powerful blast of magic that sent him stumbling backwards over the rope barrier, which fell to the floor along with him. Looking up into the statue's face again, he found it difficult to meet the idol's eyes because they were shining so brightly now. Again, a voice rang out from within the statue, but this time it wasn't Lilith's soft, warm tone.

"Now, now, Lilith…" spoke Ishtar's cold, singsong voice. "If your former agent wishes to seek death, we should not be so quick to deny him…"

Somewhere behind James, there was a loud crash followed by a scream. Something hit the ground hard with a resonating thud. James felt fear grip his heart and he looked to see what had happened at the exhibit entrance. His stomach dropped. Ashley lay slumped against the wall, unconscious. One of the animated knights had Mark pinned to the floor beneath him, a large metal knee digging into his back. The other suit of armor had Jess in a full-nelson, against which the blonde struggled in vain.

"Such a pity," sang Ishtar. "It seems you're on your own, James; Lilith won't be disturbing us again, either. Now it's just you… and me…"

The eyes of the statue shone brighter. With a flash, they issued forth a blinding white light that filled the room for a brief moment before dimming again. When the light cleared, James' breath caught in his throat and his heart began to hammer. Standing between him and the idol was the most beautiful woman James had ever seen. Slightly shorter than James, the woman wore a long, white gown that appeared to be made of shimmering scales. The material flowed gently over her curvaceous form though, framing the contours of her incredible body. The swell of her large cleavage was on full display thanks to the low cut of her dress. Her long, elegant neck supported a head held high, and her breathtakingly beautiful countenance was the very picture of pride and dignity. Her skin was flawlessly pale, and it seemed to glow with its own unnatural luster. Stark white eyes surveyed the room before the woman as a faint smile appeared on her full, soft-looking lips. Long, platinum hair cascaded past her perfect face and flowed down her back like silken water. Two enormous wings, white and feathery, spread out behind her. There was no mistaking her identity.

Ishtar's beauty was undeniable, but it felt cold and distant – not like the warm passion Lilith seemed to exude. The room was brighter for the goddess' presence, though the air felt inexplicably heavy, and James struggled to breathe as an enormous amount of magical pressure bore down on him. The woman's eyes locked onto James', and she smiled devilishly. She moved toward him, gliding gracefully and effortlessly over the marble floor, her shimmering gown trailing behind her.

"James…" spoke Ishtar softly as she approached. James was awestruck and paralyzed, lying on the ground helplessly before the beautiful goddess. "Are you afraid of me?" she whispered as she drew closer. She halted beside James, who was still immobilized by fear and the immense magical pressure that surrounded Ishtar. Kneeling down beside the man, Ishtar placed an icy hand on his arm and leaned in close. "You should be."

The effect was instantaneous – James' cock surged with temptation and desire as his body was suddenly flooded with magical lust. He gasped for air and moaned loudly. Against his will, his hips thrust upward and his muscles clenched as a powerful, spontaneous orgasm overwhelmed his senses. Ishtar pushed forward and smothered James' open mouth with her full lips. God, they were so soft… James' eyes rolled back in his head as a second climax followed the first. His balls pumped furiously as his cock twitched in ecstasy. His body tingled all over with maddening pleasure; his mind grew numb and his vision grew dark. Ishtar's long, graceful tongue danced seductively around his as she breathed in his otherworldly arousal. James was quickly losing himself to euphoria… He was slipping away…

Then, abruptly, it ended. Ishtar pulled away, breathing deep as she did. Closing her eyes, the goddess licked her lips and hummed softly. "Mm… delicious," she whispered. She stood back up and looked down at James. "I haven't gathered magic in this way in a very long time… but your sexual energy is too exquisite to ignore. It's a shame I have to kill you; you really would have made for a good agent."

James' mind reeled as he came down from his unwilling sexual high. He shook off the daze that had overcome his senses and tried to force himself up off the floor. "I won't go down so easily…" he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt as he battled through the fear and desire that clouded his mind. His cock still ached with unfathomable yearning, a lingering effect of the goddess' touch. James understood that had Ishtar wanted to kill him or turn him into a husk, she could have done so easily just now. Lilith was right; he was seriously out-classed. But he had to fight, nonetheless – he had to end this.

Ishtar smiled, clearly amused, as James struggled to his feet. Then, with the simplest snap of her fingers, she took those legs out from underneath him. James screamed in pain as he felt his left leg snap. Bones broken easily by Ishtar's magic, he tumbled to the ground in agony. "Fuck!" he swore through gritted teeth. "Fuck you!" he directed his anger and pain at the goddess, who just continued to smile patronizingly.

James conjured a small flame in his hand and threw it at the radiant woman. When the flame reached her, it expanded and consumed the goddess in a pillar of blue fire that shed light over the large room. James grinned victoriously, but it was short-lived. His face fell as the blaze he'd summoned was pushed back and snuffed out by a single lazy sweep of Ishtar's arm. The goddess was unfazed and unburnt. Still, she smiled down at James.

Her eyes flashed bright with cold light and James immediately felt the weight of her magic increase upon him. With little more than a thought, the goddess lifted James off the floor and threw him several meters back. James collided painfully with a marble column and fell back to the floor. He tried to force himself up, but his arms shook with fatigue and pain, and he couldn't lift himself off the ground.

Ishtar glided across the room toward James, her arm outstretched. From her palm, the goddess emitted waves of searing agony that washed over the helpless man. Writhing in anguish and screaming in pain, James was defenseless before the excruciating onslaught of magical power far beyond his own.

"JAMES!" shouted Mark and Jess in desperation. They fought pointlessly against the huge suits of armor that restrained them. Ash still lay motionless at their feet, her chest rising and falling slowly.

"What a disappointment," Ishtar sneered as she tortured James. "I see now that your narrow escape from the Temple of Venus was little more than luck," the goddess spat. "You're barely worth the pleasure of killing. After all you've cost me – you won't even entertain me with a good fight?"

Ishtar flung James against the pillar again. The sound of more bones breaking echoed through the exhibit. While James screamed in agony, the goddess continued her magical and verbal torture. "Pathetic… this is the best Lilith could find? I'll make certain to punish her even more severely…"

James wrenched his eyes open as he spasmed in pain on the floor. "No!" He managed a raspy and defiant shout through the pain.

"No?" Ishtar glared at James contemptuously. "You think I should not punish my slave for her mistake? You think you know better than I do, mortal? A failure like you, thinks they can tell me what to do?" Ishtar strode forward and kicked the man hard in the side. James tried to howl in pain as several ribs cracked, but the air was driven from his lungs by the magically-strengthened blow. "I am a goddess. You are a failure, a pretender… a filthy parasite that has latched onto Lilith and fed her lies."

"No!" James cried again, getting his voice back. But he was silenced when another magical wave of hellish pain struck him.

"Yes!" Ishtar shouted. "You filled Lilith's head with ideas of independence and freedom and love," she said, speaking the last word in a mocking tone. "And now I have to teach her all over again what it means to be my slave. You've wasted my time, James Marshall. There is no punishment too severe for you."

A new source of light flickered and filled the room. The eyes of Ishtar's statue were glowing again. The goddess whipped around and stared at the idol with confusion and anger. Lilith's voice, sounding strained and distant, called out from within the statue.

"Please, Ishtar! Please don't hurt him anymore! This was all my fault – not James'! Punish me but please, please don't kill him!"

"SILENCE!" the goddess exclaimed furiously, and the bronze idol's eyes went dark again. Ishtar spun around, her beautiful and terrible visage turning back to face James. Seething with rage, she spoke angrily. "I am a goddess! I do not take orders from humans or their whores!" James, despite the pain he felt and the hopelessness of the situation, glared fiercely at the pale goddess. "You've resisted me for the last time, Lilith," Ishtar continued, turning back to the idol. "Once I've finished with your agent, I will kill you in the most agonizing way possible."

James cried out in protest but was silenced by a vengeful look from Ishtar that left him immobilized. Unable to move or shout, he tried desperately to summon his strength and call upon his magic, but it felt so distant and weak. Had he exhausted too much of his power already?

Ishtar walked slowly away from the motionless man. She began to pace in the open area in front of her idol. She seemed to be calming a bit, and she spoke softly as she walked, her voice regaining its singsong quality. "Once I've finished with Lilith, I'll need a new slave to serve as stewardess of my Temple…"

The goddess' gaze fell upon James' friends, defeated and captured by Ishtar's animated soldiers. She glided over to them, stopping before the unconscious redhead. "Ah, the curator…" she said. With a lazy wave of Ishtar's hand, Ashley was awoken and lifted slowly off the ground. Floating a foot above the marble floor, she struggled uselessly against the goddess' telekinetic grip.

"You've looked after my vessel nicely," Ishtar said, addressing Ash. "Perhaps I'll give you the honor of living in it and make you my new demoness."

Ash stared back as defiantly as she could, but she couldn't help the tears that rolled down her face. Behind Ishtar, the eyes of the statue flared as Lilith tried to speak again, but the goddess silenced her easily. James fought back against the invisible magic that bound him, drawing out all his remaining strength as he struggled. He managed to open his mouth and shout, "No! Leave her out of this!"

"Leave her out of this?" said Ishtar incredulously. "You dragged her into this. And now, you'll watch as I take her from you."

The goddess turned back to the hovering Ashley and placed a hand lovingly against the woman's cheek. "So beautiful," she said. "You'll make an excellent succubus." Ashley gasped and shuddered at Ishtar's touch. A jolt of pleasure electrified her pussy and made her moan. Her body grew hot as her mind grew fuzzy, drowning in the goddess' euphoric magic. She came, body spasming and wracked with ecstasy as Ishtar poured her lust into the red-haired woman.

But then something happened. Pleasure turned to pain. Ashley screamed as skull-splitting agony overwhelmed her senses. Her eyes began to glow red as two sharp nubs rose from her head and began to grow and coil into a pair of horns. James shouted violently, his throat going hoarse as he begged Ishtar to stop.

Ashley began to moan again as the pain ceased and an odd, tingling sensation spread throughout her body. "Ohhhh," Ash moaned reluctantly as burning pleasure possessed her again. "My body's on fire!" she screamed. Her breasts began to grow, stretching her shirt through which her hard nipples poked. Her already large and shapely ass grew as well, threatening to rip her tight pants. Ashley fought mentally against the changes that were taking her, but she was no match for Ishtar's magic. A second powerful orgasm overtook the woman as her body's sensitivity was pushed to the maximum. She howled in forced ecstasy and groaned as a long, devilish tail sprang from her spine.

James could take no more. He couldn't sit by and watch while his sister suffered a fate worse than death. Fighting desperately against his magical restraints, he searched within himself for any semblance of remaining power – any lifeline that could save Ash and save Lilith. James clamped his eyes shut and forced his focus inward. Racing through his own mind and soul, he found himself in the deepest, darkest corner of his identity.

And there, he rediscovered it – that knotted up ball of magic that lived inside him. He didn't understand it, but he needed it, so he clung to it. "Please," James pleaded with himself internally, with his own power, "please… help me." He unspooled the dense magic and pulled it out. Like the first time he'd discovered and used the strange power, the magic came quickly and readily. It poured into him, filling him with vigor and strength. Like the first time, it didn't want to stop flowing out of James – seeking to ceaselessly empower the man with all the magic he could bear.

Unlike the first time, James didn't stop it.

He accepted the power; he took it all upon himself. His eyes snapped open, shining with the radiance and warmth of the sun. Ishtar looked over at the downed mage, stunned. But still James drew forth more magic. His body repaired itself rapidly, healing his wounds and filling him with the energy to go on. By the time the well was dry and he had emptied his reserves of power, James body was brimming with barely-suppressed magic.

The magic was oddly familiar to James, and not just because he had used it himself. Looking at the bronze idol out of the corner of his eye, comprehension passed through James. He had witnessed this magic once before – when an old man used it to repair a damaged statue. The presence of another soul pressed upon James' mind, but he welcomed it – finally understanding the nature of his power. If the king of Babylon wished to lend him his strength, then James would accept.

With extreme ease, he broke free of the invisible magic that bound him. It was like snapping twigs. He was well beyond the point of being contained by magic of that level. James lifted himself off the ground and stood, glaring at the pale goddess who tormented his sister.

Ishtar removed her hand from Ashley's face and stepped toward James just as the red-haired woman was beginning to sprout black wings from her back. Ash fell to the ground and groaned in pain as the demonic changes quickly reversed. She panted as her horns receded and her eyes changed back to their normal shade of brown. On hands and knees, she looked over to her brother – she barely recognized him.

James stood confidently at the center of the room. His eyes shone brightly with magical power, holding a determination that Ashley had never seen before. He had the air of someone in complete control of the situation, despite how things had been going ever since they had reached the Babylonian exhibit. But even Ishtar looked surprised and shaken by James' second wind. "Is that really the same James?" Ash wondered to herself.

The goddess strode forward to face the young mage, who watched the beautiful woman with disdain. James raised a single hand – crackling with energy – to eye-level before him. When he closed his fist, a small blast of power radiated outward and swept over the room. Ashley threw up her arms reflexively to prepare for impact, but the shockwave passed over her harmlessly. Ishtar shielded herself magically – though she seemed to have underestimated the power required to defend herself against James' magic, as she was forced to take a step back and brace herself against the blast.

Ishtar's animated servants were not so well defended. When the crackling energy reached them, the suits of armor immediately disintegrated into piles of fine, metallic dust. Jess fell to the floor when the knight that held her was destroyed. She went to help Mark, who was trying to pick himself up off the ground, though his injured leg was giving him trouble. Like Ashley, the two were otherwise unaffected by their friend's magic.

When the shockwave struck the great bronze idol, the same shield as before appeared to protect it. The bubble-like force field shimmered into existence just as the blast reached the statue. And though it absorbed and mitigated much of the damage, the idol still shook violently when James' magic passed through it. A few small pieces of bronze chipped off and fell to the floor.

Ishtar spun around and looked at her statue with shock and… was that fear on the goddess' face? James' smiled, pleased by the power at his command. He began gathering magic in his hands again, preparing for his next attack. When the goddess had turned to face him again, he spoke boldly in a deep voice that both was and was not his.

"This ends now, Ishtar," the dual voices rang out through the huge exhibit, echoing off the marble walls and pillars. The room seemed to shudder in response to the power James' voice held. A look of comprehension came over the goddess' stunning features, and she narrowed her eyes at the man.

"You…" Ishtar said angrily, staring daggers at James. Then, she too fell silent and readied herself.

The duel resumed. As if a gun only James and Ishtar could hear went off, the two moved at the same time. James conjured another ball of blue fire in his palm and struck out in the direction of the goddess, who moved in a flash, lunging toward the young man. The fireball James produced this time was far greater than his last, however, and the goddess wasn't able to shrug it off. A spiraling firestorm of blue flames exploded before Ishtar, and she was forced to dive out of the way with magically-enhanced speed.

Righting herself quickly, she snuffed out the flames that had caught on the train of her long white dress. She stretched out her hand and issued forth a blast of frigid wind that sent many of the artifacts in the museum flying. Large pots flew off their plinths and smashed against the walls. Tall glass displays containing priceless jewelry fell and shattered. James shielded himself as well as he could against the conjured blizzard, but he was pushed back toward the wall behind him. He channeled his power through his body as though he was about to create another ball of fire, using the heat from his magic to stave off the unbearable cold that threatened to overtake him.

Ashley, Jess, and Mark backed away from the elemental battled that raged before them, taking cover from Ishtar's magic behind a large pillar. They watched James with concern as he braced himself against the icy onslaught. By the time the goddess ended her attack and dropped her hand, her breasts heaving as she caught her breath, it seemed likely that James would be frozen solid.

But he wasn't. James stood there with his arms crossed in front of him, braced against Ishtar's cold wind. When her magic had passed, he lowered his arms and brushed a bit of frost off his clothes and out of his hair, otherwise unfazed by the blizzard that had destroyed much of the gallery. Ishtar, who was furious at the human's casual response to her powerful magic, made to charge again. She took one step and immediately froze, looking down in surprise as her movement was stopped.

The marble floor beneath her had turned to sand – a deep pit of sand that was restricting her movement. She looked up and saw James had raised both hands before him, channeling magic through him and through the earth. He clenched his fists and jerked his hands down as though it was he – and not the sand – who had the goddess in his clutches. The sand instantly began to compact around the goddess' feet, pulling her deeper into the pit at the same time.

Ishtar fought for a moment, trying to force her way out with raw strength, but James' grip was too tight. She glared spitefully at the man as the sand swallowed her up to her narrow waist. Then, she spread her vast angelic wings out behind her and brought them down hard. The wind pressure was incredible; if there were any parts of the exhibit left standing or undamaged by that point, they were now blown away by the powerful winds. It was like being trapped in a room with a hurricane; James and his friends were forced against the walls, where they raised their arms to protect their eyes from the stinging sand being thrown around by the gale. Ishtar flew straight up, having freed herself from James' sand trap with a single beat of her wings.

But James wasn't finished. He raised both arms again, pointing his open palms at the goddess who hovered overhead. Focusing his energy again and transforming it into heat, he released his magic through his hands and shot great jets of white-hot fire at the winged woman. Ishtar raised one of her own slender hands in defense, erecting a barrier between her and the blaze. James continued his assault all the same, throwing flames at the goddess in an attempt to break through her shield.

For a long time they both held strong, neither willing to let up. The temperature of the room rose rapidly, leaving Jess, Mark, and Ashley sweating where they hid in the corner. The magical barrier surrounding Ishtar's idol shimmered as flames rained down on it from above, and inside it, another small piece of bronze chipped away. At last, the heated standoff ended when Ishtar screamed in anger and pain – her shield had given way and James' flames had begun to burn her. She flapped her wings powerfully, blowing away the gouts of fire that threatened her and rising up higher. Holding her burned hand and scowling, she fixed James with a menacing look.

The ugly burn that marred her perfect skin immediately began to heal itself, and in a matter of seconds any trace of damage had been erased. James knew now, though, that he could hurt the goddess – and if he could hurt her, then he could kill her. Before he had the chance to press his advantage, however, Ishtar began her counterattack.

From where she floated, she could easily see the entirety of the exhibit below her, including the three humans huddled in fear behind a large marble column. With a devious smile, she directed her power at them, stretching out her hands in their direction and latching onto them with her mind. Ashley, Jess, and Mark immediately went rigid, their bodies suddenly stiff and unresponsive. Their eyes flickered around in surprise and terror as the goddess took hold of them magically.

Ishtar moved her hands slowly toward her, and her prisoners followed her movements exactly, awkwardly dragged across the floor by invisible strings. The goddess maneuvered them using her fingers – as though she were controlling a marionette. She pulled them into position before her and turned them toward James. She grinned maniacally at the man, as if daring him to attack her again and kill the innocents she now used as a shield.

James had watched in horror as his friends were captured, unable to react or summon his magic in time before they were dragged out into the center of the room. Now he merely glared angrily at the goddess, who grinned back arrogantly. Ishtar flexed her fingers and began moving her puppets forward toward James, who was still recovering from his last exhaustive attack and trying to figure out what to do about the hostage situation.

Tears ran down Jess' cheeks as she was flung at James, unable to resist the magic that controlled her and forced her to attack her best friend. James caught the blonde's wrists as she charged him, stopping her before she could scratch his eyes out. But he was left wide open to Mark, who ran at James with more speed than his injured leg should have allowed, clearly pushed beyond his limits by Ishtar's power. The thin man looked apologetically at his roommate and his fist connected with James jaw.

He staggered back and fell to the ground. Before he could react, his sister descended upon him as well. Leaping forward, she sat on his chest and wrapped her delicate fingers around James' neck, choking him with supernatural strength. Her teary, brown eyes met James' glowing white orbs, carrying a pleading look. "Stop us," they begged.

From his prone position, James raised his right hand toward the sky and began to channel dark, crackling energy into it. Before he could release the stored power, his arm was jumped on by Mark, who pinned the hand to the ground. The magic James was gathering withered and died as his concentration was broken. He was becoming light-headed and the strength was leaving his limbs. He struggled to summon the strength needed to lift his arm or use his magic. The light beginning to dim in his eyes, James focused all the power he had into his left arm. As he began to raise it, he felt Jess fall on top of it, trying to force it to the ground as well – trying to keep him still while his sister choked the life out of him. But James would not be deterred. He raised the arm – and Jess with it. Magical electricity arced between his fingertips and, with considerable effort, he slowly closed his fist.

A resounding "BOOM" echoed through the museum as James released the shockwave. The blast sent the growing mess of debris and ruined artifacts flying away from the center of the room where James lay. When the powerful pulse of magic reached Ishtar, she again attempted to shield herself with a conjured barrier. But it wasn't enough this time. The shield dissipated immediately, destroyed easily by James' magic. The shockwave's full force struck the goddess, and she was sent flying backward. Her concentration shattered, and the magical strings controlling James' friends snapped. The goddess hit the wall with a loud thud and fell to the floor below. The barrier around her statue faired slightly better; it was successful in deflecting much of the blast, but the statue was still rocked by the raw magical pressure, and more pieces of bronze and stone fell noisily to the ground at the idol's feet.

Shaking with fatigue and rage, pushed to her limit like never before, Ishtar rose slowly. She flexed her wings and winced with pain – one wing was definitely broken. She let her healing magic wash over her, though it was much slower to get the job done this time around. As she recovered from the blast, she watched James with pure fury in her alabaster eyes.

James was climbing slowly to his feet as well, helped by his friends. Having regained control of themselves, they were apologizing profusely. Ash held onto her brother and cried into his shirt, begging for his forgiveness.

"There's nothing to forgive," he spoke in his deep, two-toned voice. "Now, please, get back. This is far from over." Ash nodded and allowed herself to be pulled by Mark and Jess back toward the corner where they resumed watching, nervous for James' sake and frustrated by their inability to help.

James focused his mind inward again and began channeling his power. This time, he projected his magic inward – not outward. He closed his eyes and the room grew darker. Even Ishtar's radiance seemed to become duller and more muted as James' power increased yet again. He built up the energy within himself before snapping his eyes open and launching the stored magic at Ishtar – at her mind.

Immediately, Ishtar staggered backward, surprised by the mental assault. Before her eyes, impossibly dark shadows fell over the room. James and his friends disappeared from her sight as pitch black darkness surrounded her. She spread out her now-healed wings and emanated an aura of light from within her, but it did not pierce the shadows that engulfed her.

The goddess lashed out with a blast of powerful magic, creating a shockwave of her own that shook the room, but still the darkness did not dissipate. She understood then that this was not physical darkness – but a mental trick. All she had to do was dispel the-

"Ishtar."

A deep voice whispered the name from behind the goddess. Ishtar spun around to see who had spoken, but she could not see more than a foot past her own eyes. Her skin crawled and the hair on her neck stood on end when she again heard her name spoken from somewhere next to her. She swept her arm out in the direction of the gruff voice, but there was no one there. Frustrated and growing paranoid, the goddess opened her mouth to shout at the impudent trickster who thought he could torment her.

Instead, she gasped in horror. From the darkness before her, a single figure emerged. Tall and thin, it stepped forward into her range, but the goddess was too shocked to react. Standing before her, inches from her beautiful face, was Sumis, king of Babylon.

"Ishtar…" he spoke quietly, his thin lips barely moving.

"No!" Ishtar said, abject fear entering her normally calm and pleasant voice. "No, you're dead! I killed you!"

Sumis' dark eyes stared right through Ishtar's own white pools and into her soul, suffocating her with his presence. In a frightened panic, the goddess struck out with a magically-empowered fist, but the blow went right through the shadowy man. A ghostly wind that Ishtar could not feel blew around the ancient king, moving his long hair and beard ever-so-slightly as his robes billowed around him. Ishtar had never before felt such overwhelming fear – and for a dead man of all things.

Anger grew within her, replacing the anxiety and horror that possessed her. She would not allow a mere illusion of her fallen enemy terrify her so. She hardened her heart and steeled her resolve, then – with a powerful pulse of mental energy – she dispelled the illusion. Shadows poured to the ground like a waterfall before disappearing completely. Sumis stared gravely into Ishtar's eyes as his form began to shimmer and evaporate. His dark eyes were the last to go, his gaze seeming to linger in her mind even after the illusion had ended.

The goddess took in her surroundings, readjusting to the light that filled the room – light that emanated from her own resplendent form. All around her, the marble columns that supported the roof were cracked and crumbling, having sustained damage from her earlier blast of reckless magic. Her idol too was in worse condition; the scepter held by her bronze likeness had half crumbled away, and the statue's face was now unrecognizable.

Her opponent, it seemed, had also been pushed back by the shockwave. James was slowly climbing back to his feet. He was breathing heavily, as was Ishtar.

"James!" shouted Lilith's voice from the statue, its eyes glowing once again.

Ishtar turned her wrathful gaze back to the idol and attempted to suppress the demoness within. But she was too weak. Having used so much of her own vast stores of magic, she lacked the strength to silence Lilith, protect her idol, and defend against James' attacks all at the same time.

"James!" Lilith said again, fighting through Ishtar's restraints and speaking out from within the statue. "She's weak! You can finish her! You can win!"

James attention went from the idol to Ishtar. He leveled his gaze at her, trying to gauge what strength she still possessed. He nodded and spoke quietly in his dual voices.

"Just hold on a little longer, Lilith."

He began gathering more magic in his palms, preparing an attack that would finish the goddess. James too was running low on strength though; he estimated he only had one or two powerful feats of magic left in him – even with Sumis' transplanted power. Mark, Ashley, and Jess watched from their hiding spot behind one of the damaged pillars as James' hands glowed red with raw power. The destructive magic pulsated and writhed in his grasp, desperate to be released.

"ENOUGH!" Ishtar bellowed angrily. Her shout blasted outward, carrying with it a small amount of magical power. James, surprised and unprepared, was lifted off his feet by the sonic attack. He flew backward across the room before slamming painfully into the wall. The magic in his hands vanished, dispelled by the loss of James' focus due to Ishtar's outburst. Aching and exhausted, he forced himself to rise again slowly.

"Did you think I would simply allow you to attack me again?" Ishtar said fiercely, her composure lost. "I grow tired of being underestimated by you filthy humans. It's time you learned that your struggles have all been in vain!"

The goddess spread her arms out before her and summoned a black, nebulous mass of dark energy that filled the room. Floating in the air like water in zero-gravity, the pockets of dark magic swirled and moved erratically as they spread to cover every inch of the ruined exhibit. James swatted at a pool of the dark matter as it neared him, but his hand passed through it harmlessly.

Ishtar began to close her fists slowly. As she did, the black cloud of churning magic began to coalesce and compact. It shrank away from James, from his friends huddled fearfully in the corner, from the walls and ceiling. The dark energy pulled itself together, forming a dense orb of roiling magic that continued to shrink in size. The entire museum began to rumble. A dull roar became audible from within the sphere as it contracted further, filling the room with noise and magical pressure. The very air began to quake violently, and James found himself forced to one knee by the sudden shaking of the floor beneath him and the magical gravity that pressed down upon him. He fought against Ishtar's magic and tried to rise up, but the pressure was too great. He could only watch as the orb compacted down to the size of a small marble, then stopped.

Now impossibly dense and emitting noise like a dozen jet engines, the miniature black hole created a gravitational field around itself ten times stronger than before. James immediately found himself driven farther into the ground and pulled closer to the center of the magical mass. Sliding slowly across the quaking marble floor, he struggled desperately to break free, but he could not.

Overhead, the ceiling shook and began to crumble. The great pillars that lined the room shuddered under the stress and started cracking apart. Also forced into prone positions by the immense gravity, Jess, Ash, and Mark shouted out in terror as chunks of the ruined pillars and ceiling rained down over the exhibit.

One heavily-damaged column cracked in half and fell in toward the center of the room. It crashed over the barrier that surrounded Ishtar's idol and crumbled to pieces, not even making a dent in the force field or the statue beneath it. Ishtar protected herself in a similar manner, letting rubble bounce uselessly off her magical shield. She smirked victoriously at James, who was peppered with falling rocks from above. The goddess – who was unaffected by her own magical gravity – stood by and watched, laughing at the suffering of the humans before her. She delighted in James' torment as he was drawn closer and closer to the dense black hole. Her rival's destruction was imminent.

James shouted in pain as each small piece of debris impacted his back and legs. The rocks fell far faster than normal and were effectively far heavier due to the increased gravity in the room; a single pebble could be deadly.

Fortunately, the black hole was pulling only James closer to the center where the gravity was strongest. Near the outer reaches of its influence, where James' friends lay, the pressure was significantly reduced. James was relieved to see, out of the corner of his eye, that Mark had been able to lift himself up enough to cover the girls' bodies with his own, shielding them from the rain of debris.

But at that moment, a loud, sickening "CRACK" rang out through the room, audible even over the deafening drone of the gravity well. James strained to look upward at the source of the noise and saw, to his dismay, that the roof had finally given and was beginning to cave in. Under the supernatural pressure emitted by Ishtar's black sphere, the ceiling crumbled apart. A huge block of stone broke away from the marble canopy and plummeted downward. James watched in horror as the boulder fell, seemingly in slow-motion, directly over Jess, Ashley, and Mark.

"No, no, no, no…" James thoughts raced. The rock continued to fall. "Do something, James! Do something!" he shouted at himself internally. Mark looked up and stared at the stone that would surely crush him and the girls. "Please…" James thought uselessly, as if gravity or time would halt for him. He struggled violently against the crushing weight of the black hole, but he couldn't move his body more than an inch. He tried to gather more magical power so that he might destroy the boulder that was falling toward his friends, but he couldn't focus enough to do so. He just needed everything to slow down… He just needed everything to-

"STOP!" James screamed through gritted teeth.

And everything stopped.

The falling boulder hung in midair. Beneath it, James' friends were frozen – shock and terror painted on their unmoving faces and in their unblinking eyes. The rain of rubble and debris had also ceased – the pieces of falling rock suspended in the air. James stared in awe at his accidental feat of magic. Without consciously meaning to, he had manifested his will for everything to "stop."

James looked up at the small black hole in the center of the room. It pulsed slowly, continuously emitting a low, rumbling noise. Through sheer mass, it resisted James' temporal magic. But the warp in time did affect it to some degree; James could feel a reduction in the immense weight that had been crushing him a second ago. Able to fill his lungs again, James found his strength and forced himself to stand. As he did, he looked across the room at Ishtar.

The porcelain-skinned goddess was frozen as well, her pale visage reflecting shock and rage at James' unexpected outburst of power. Her radiant, white eyes stared in disbelief at the human who tested her patience so. As James stood and took a few shaky steps, something in those white eyes caught his attention. Ishtar's eyes had moved. There was no doubt about it. However imperceptible, the goddess' gaze was following James; she was resisting his magic.

"Shit," James thought. "I've gotta hurry." He turned and walked toward the corner of the room where Mark, Jess, and Ash were frozen under the shadow of falling rubble. James' movement was labored due to the persistent gravity of the black hole, but it became easier as he got farther away from it.

Moving as quickly as he could, James grabbed Mark and carried him away from the dangerous battleground. He bore him down the scorched corridor toward the Egyptian section – the walls and ceiling of which were also heavily damaged by Ishtar's artificial gravity. Continuing down the hallway, James returned to the main entrance. He easily removed the obstacle he'd created to block the door there and entered the circular room. Like everything else in the museum, the husks trapped there were suspended in time. Half of the mindless creatures were still out-cold on the floor, but the others had congregated around the once-blocked doorway that James now stood in. With little more than a thought, James effortlessly knocked out the husks that were still conscious; he didn't want to deal with them again. With Mark still draped over one shoulder, James proceeded out of the museum and down the steps to the lawn outside. He laid his friend down in the grass before going back for the others.

Soon, Jess and Ash joined Mark on the museum lawn; James was confident they'd be a lot safer out here than inside the crumbling building. Retracing his steps one last time, James returned to the Babylonian exhibit. To Ishtar.

The goddess had moved again. In fact, she was still moving. As James reentered the room, his breathing becoming heavy and his head beginning to ache from maintaining such a taxing spell for so long, he found himself face to face with the furious goddess. Moving in slow-motion, struggling against the effects of James' temporal magic, Ishtar bore a look of rage and hatred. James stepped away from her, putting distance between the two of them.

White-hot pain lanced through James' mind and he clasped a hand to his head reflexively. The strain was becoming was too much now; he could restrain the flow of time no longer. Letting out a ragged breath, James let the spell end.

Immediately, the deep, loud whirring of the blackhole returned in full force and James was driven to one knee by the sudden return of the immense pressure it emitted. Chunks of marble resumed their plummet to the earth, and the large boulder that would have certainly killed James' friends crashed harmlessly into the floor below. The room shook violently as the effects of Ishtar's magic continued to break down the building.

Ishtar herself had stopped her agonizingly slow advance on James. She stood still now, catching her breath. Breasts heaving, she wiped her brow with a shaking hand. James watched. Evidently, he was not the only one who had grown tired from the desperate battle. Fighting against the weight that pressed down upon him, James found that he could resist the black hole's gravity more than before, even in his exhausted state. It was obvious then: Ishtar was weakening.

James forced himself back into a standing position. It took nearly all of his strength to rise up off his knee, but it was worth the look on Ishtar's face. The goddess stared with barely-masked astonishment and open contempt. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the loud crack of breaking rock. Another marble column was falling – falling right toward Ishtar's bronze idol. The protective sphere shimmered into existence around the statue just before the pillar reached it.

And then it disappeared.

As quickly as it had materialized, the magical barrier flickered and faded away. A resounding crash echoed through the ruined exhibit. And two sets of eyes turned to stare in shock.

The falling column had smashed right into the statue, breaking off one of the large, bronzed wings. Smaller pieces of the idol continued to chip away and fall to the floor as the room shook and debris fell upon it. The idol's ornate scepter had broken, half of the face had crumbled away, and both wings lay in pieces at the statue's feet. The ugly lump of stone and metal was no longer an awe-inspiring likeness of the beautiful goddess; now it was a monument to destruction and rage.

Ishtar's face contorted in terror and anger. With a wave of her hand she banished the dense, dark orb that had required so much energy to maintain. The crushing weight disappeared with it, and James was able to hold his head up again. The museum ceased its shaking and the ground stopped quivering. Ishtar rematerialized the shimmering force field around her idol, able to devote more magic to defense now that she had dispelled the black hole. The shield took longer to appear, however, and it looked thinner than ever before. Within the barrier, what was left of the statue's eyes glowed faintly.

"James!" Lilith's voice spoke from the idol.

"Be silent, whore!" snarled Ishtar, sweeping an arm angrily out in front of her and attempting to shackle the demoness again. But the light in the idol's eyes did not die, and Lilith's voice rang out once more.

"James! She's vulnerable!" she called.

"I said be silent, Lilith!!" screamed the frayed goddess, a crazed look in her eyes. But still, Lilith spoke.

"The statue reflects her power, James! And vice-versa!"

James turned his attention from the statue to Ishtar. Her long gown was torn and tattered, her platinum hair was dirty with dust and soot, her pale skin glistened with sweat and her chest rose and fell with deep, labored breaths. Scrapes and bruises from falling rubble marred her perfect skin, and for once they did not heal. Indeed, Ishtar was certainly weaker than before. But so was James. Knowing the goddess was vulnerable and being able to do anything about it were two very different things. He too was low on energy, and his body was close to giving out. But he wouldn't give in – not yet.

"You can do this James," Lilith said calmly. "You can do this."

James nodded slowly. "I can do this," he thought. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists, readying himself for the final push.

"Enough!" shouted Ishtar, and she focused all her anger and magic on her idol, silencing the demoness inside.

James seized the opening. He rushed forward, vaulting over a large piece of rock and sprinting at the distracted goddess. Ishtar turned to face the charging man, her insane eyes aglow. She raised a hand over her head and accumulated magic in her palm. The white energy elongated into the shape of a javelin that gave off an intense heat.

But still James advanced, undeterred by the dangerous weapon. He was ten feet away. Ishtar reeled back, preparing to the hurl the spear at James. But still he charged. Five feet away. With all her strength and power, Ishtar whipped her arm forward, intent on putting the white-hot javelin right through James' chest. One foot away.

James lunged forward, grabbing the goddess' wrist in his hand. The tip of the magical spear pressed against his shirt, burning a hole in the material and searing the skin beneath. He tightened his grip and Ishtar grunted in pain as her wrist was crushed. Her hand forced open, the javelin slipped from her grasp and began to disintegrate, turning back into energy and light as it fell harmlessly to the ground and disappeared. Unlike before, James was able to touch Ishtar without his body betraying him. The goddess had no strength left in her, no magic that could break the man's will or possess his mind.

James reached up with his other hand, grabbed the pale woman behind her neck, and pulled her down. Right into his knee. Ishtar gasped in pain and surprise as the wind was driven from her lungs and she crumpled to the filthy floor below. James stood over her, breathing heavily, staring down disdainfully at the foul goddess. He took a step back and turned to look at the bronze idol. Its barrier had disappeared. James stepped over the rubble and debris, making his way toward what was left of the statue.

"Wait!" wheezed Ishtar, clawing her way onto her hands and knees. "Please! Wait!"

But James walked on. The eyes of the statue came alive with light again, and Lilith's voice filled the room.

"Do it."

James strode up to the idol, stood upon the chunks of broken bronze and stone that littered the floor around it, and reeled back a tightly-clenched fist. Ishtar cried and pleaded somewhere behind him, but he didn't hear her; James' mind was elsewhere. He was focused on the sound of Lilith's voice. On the scent of her skin, the warmth of her touch. He was focused on her smile, on her laugh. He was focused on her bright blue eyes, eyes he wanted to see again, swimming with tears of joy.

Focused on this, James imbued his fist with power. Then, with all the force he could muster, he drove it forward and punched the statue with all his might.

"NOOO!" Ishtar screamed, but it was too late.

Cracks spread from the point where James hit the idol. Light filled the cracks and shone outward onto the room as the statue began to shake. Then, with a sound like thunder and a brilliant flash of blinding light, Ishtar's idol shattered into a thousand pieces.

Its wreckage rained down over the room and its occupants. James shielded his eyes from the light and the bits of flying rock and metal. As the echoing boom of the statue's destruction faded away and the radiant light dissipated, James became aware of a hand on his arm. Soft and warm, its touch was delicate and light. His breath caught in his throat; his heart skipped a beat. Daring to hope, James slowly opened his eyes.

There, where the statue had stood moments ago, on a pile of rubble and debris, was Lilith.

She was there, but without her horns. Without her wings or tail, her hooves or towering height. It was just…Lilith – naked, olive-skinned, raven-haired, blue-eyed Lilith. Bearing an enormous smile, a single tear rolling over her cheek, the woman leapt into James' arms. That single tear was soon joined by more, as the two embraced. Lilith held onto the man she loved for dear life, smiling into his chest and dampening his shirt with her tears of joy. James smiled like never before, picked up the woman, and spun her around as he returned her hug. Gently setting her back down on solid ground, he pulled away slightly and placed a dusty hand against her cheek. Lilith closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

"Lilith…" James spoke in a voice that was entirely his own. "Lilith, I-"

"Shh," said Lilith, putting a finger to his lips and smiling. "I know."

She then replaced that finger with her own lips. She kissed him softly, just wanting to feel him, to know that he was really there with her, that they were together at last. When they parted again, they had no words for each other, just knowing looks and a shared happiness. James took Lilith's hand in his own, and the one-time demoness smiled warmly before turning to look at what was left of her former captor.

Ishtar was a wreck. Surrounded by broken bits of stone and plaster, lying on the ground, sobbing and shaking, she stared pathetically up at the couple. Fresh tears carved a path through the dust that dirtied her porcelain skin. Her white eyes swam with tears of anger and loss. She struggled to rise up off the floor, trying and failing to muster any power, but all strength had left her body – magical and otherwise. Her wings disintegrating, her dress fading into nothingness, her magic was gone.

"What do we do about her?" Lilith asked coolly.

"I've got an idea you'll like," answered James with equal contempt for the pale woman before them.

As the two lovers stepped carefully over the rubble – very carefully in Lilith's case, as she was adjusting to not having hooves – Ishtar extended a hand and tried to call forth some remnant of her magic. A small amount of crackling white energy formed in her hand before detonating prematurely and knocking the disgraced goddess back down with a tiny explosion.

"Fuuuck!" she cried in exasperation and anger. "Fuck you! Fuck both of you! I am a goddess!" She lay naked on the floor, panting, large breasts rising and falling rhythmically as she repeated the words, "I am a goddess…"

James approached Ishtar slowly, focusing his mind as he did. He had little power of his own left after their battle, but he found strength enough for what came next. Channeling his remaining energy into his most basic application of magic – the first magic he'd learned – he directed it at Ishtar.

The effect was immediate. Weak, defenseless, and naked, the woman was an easy target for James' magic. A wave of artificial desire hit her as she tried again to rise to her feet. Her knees gave out under the sudden rush of arousal and she fell on her ass. "Wha...? No!" she cried out, comprehending the situation but unable to stop it.

A damp heat she had never felt before grew between her legs. Her pussy gushed involuntarily, responding to the lust now coursing through her veins. A chill ran through her body and her nipples hardened like diamonds. She gasped at the sensation and looked up pleadingly at James and Lilith. The two just stood there, smirking down at the compromised goddess.

"Please… ah!" Ishtar cried, feeling another pang of pleasure strike her in her most sensitive of places.

Her pale face growing redder, she clamped her eyes shut as the forced arousal from James' magic continued to flow into her. She tossed her platinum-haired head back and forth, muttering "No, no, no…" as she fought in vain against mounting pleasure. She clenched her fists and resisted with all her might the urge – the need – to touch herself. To rub her clit… to pinch her nipples… to fuck herself. She wanted it so bad, but her pride would not let her submit. But fuck, did she want it…

Ishtar opened her eyes and gasped at the sight before her. Lilith had freed James' cock from his pants and was stroking him slowly, getting him nice and hard. The two stood side by side, looking down on Ishtar literally and figuratively, relishing in her torment.

"Please… fuck. Please, no…" the goddess begged, unable to move – unable to do anything but watch helplessly and stare lustfully at James' growing member. She wanted it so fucking bad. "This can't be happening," she muttered. "I'm a goddess. This can't be happening."

James stepped forward and dropped to his knees between Ishtar's legs. "You're no goddess," he said, placing his cock against her moistened entrance. "You're just a whore." And with that, he plunged his dick all the way into Ishtar's soaking wet pussy.

She screamed in ecstasy at the intrusion, her body overpowering her mind and responding honestly to James' cock. Instantly, the pale woman's back arched dramatically, and she sucked in a deep breath as her walls clamped down around the dick now deep inside her. A bolt of electric pleasure struck her brain and the effects were immediately felt throughout her entire body, most powerfully in her sensitive pussy. "Aaaaahh!" the goddess cried. Orgasming loudly, she involuntarily vocalized her euphoria as her mind fought in vain against James' hold over her.

While basking in unwilling pleasure, Ishtar felt what little magical energy her body still possessed being siphoned out of her. Like a sexual lightning rod, James' cock absorbed her essence as she came, and it felt so fucking good. Her head feeling light and her pussy convulsing blissfully, Ishtar realized what fate awaited her.

"N-no!" she pleaded, understanding finally. "Anything but that!"

James grabbed both of the woman's tits roughly, squeezing hard as he began to thrust rapidly inside her. Rubbing her sensitive, inner walls with his cock, he caused the goddess to moan and writhe. Moments later, a second powerful orgasm crashed over Ishtar's senses.

Mind-numbing pleasure erupted inside her once again, and to it she lost more of her power – more of her sense of self. Ecstasy was all she could feel. Fucking was all she could think about. Everything else was becoming muddled and distant, easily forgotten and easily discarded.

Ishtar stared blankly forward at James as he fucked her, her brilliant silvery eyes becoming a muted shade of gray. Her mouth wide open, she gasped and moaned with delirious delight as her beautiful porcelain skin grew even paler. She tried to shout out her dissent, tried to struggle, but words were lost to her and fighting back in the face of such glorious pleasure seemed impossible.

"It's over…" she realized deep within the remnants of her consciousness. "I've lost…"These were the last thoughts of the goddess Ishtar before she completely lost her mind to the climactic bliss of her final orgasm. James stopped thrusting as his own pleasure peaked and he spilled his seed inside the newborn husk. Pulling out of the mindless woman, he fell back on his haunches, breathing heavily.

Lilith was there immediately, kneeling beside him, a hand on his shoulder. She looked deep into his soft brown eyes and smiled. They leaned into one another and shared an intimate kiss, charged with all the emotions they could not put into words. They sat together and held one another there in the ruined museum. The battle was finally won. Freedom was finally theirs.

A few moments later, Ashley, Jess, and Mark came running into the destroyed exhibit. They found James and Lilith together, holding hands and looking contentedly up into the night sky through the ruined ceiling. Mark stopped a few meters short of them to stare down at Ishtar, who lay limply on her back, a vacant smile on her lips as her twitching pussy leaked cum.

"Woah, dude," said Mark, impressed, "you really fucked her up."

Ash and Jess hurried over to Lilith and James' side. The redhead fell to her knees next to the duo and hugged them both. "I'm so glad you're okay. Both of you," she said, fighting back tears.

"You must be Lilith," spoke Jess with a friendly smile as she approached the former demoness with her hand outstretched. "I'm Jessica. It's nice to finally meet you."

Lilith extricated herself from Ashley's grasp and rose to her feet. Ignoring Jess' proffered handshake, she opted instead for another big hug. "Thank you," she said, embracing the blonde warmly before kissing her on the cheek and pulling apart, smiling. When Mark limped over to introduce himself, he received a similar grateful embrace. The trio joined James and Ashley back on the floor, where they all sat together and enjoyed a short, well-deserved rest.

Ashley, her head resting on Mark's shoulder, stared sadly at the destruction around them. "You really did a number on this place," she said.

"Yeah… Sorry about that," answered James.

"So what happened?" asked Mark. "How did you beat her?" he gestured at the degraded goddess before them. "No offense, but you seemed pretty screwed there."

James nodded. "I was, yeah. I probably would have lost if I was alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Jess curiously.

James looked to Lilith, a silent question in his eyes. The blue-eyed woman smiled and nodded back. "Lilith's magic isn't the only magic I could use," James began. "I've always had… something more. Something hidden inside me. I didn't know about it or how to use it until after I met Lilith, but I think it must have always been there. Or rather, he had always been there."

"He?" queried Ash, not following.

"Sumis."

The others looked at him confused, except for Lilith, who continued to smile supportively and lightly rub her thumb over James' hand in her own. "Who's Sumis?" Mark asked after a few seconds.

"Sumis was a king," James answered, "Lilith's king. He was a powerful mage who died a very long time ago. Lilith told me once that he'd been seeking a way to preserve his magic after his death, but Ishtar killed him before he could achieve that goal. Or so we thought."

The looks of confusion began to fade, and Jess was the first to speak up. "So… what, you've got some of this dead king inside you?"

James raised an eyebrow. "In a way…yeah," he responded. "It was Sumis, and his magic, that gave me the strength I needed to fight back. He was the source of magic that I've been relying on."

"Was?" asked Ashley. Her brother nodded wistfully.

"I think his help was a one-time thing. His magic was never really mine, just borrowed. It's not like I can store up more of it; onc