Disclaimer;

Disclaimer;

I'm sure you all know the drill by now. I still don't own Xiaolin Showdown and I did not create it. Now it's time for the wheel of morality. Wheel of morality turn, turn, turn, and tell us the lesson we should learn. Let's see, the moral of today's story is; detonating cats is fun unless it's a cat in a hat whose name is Jack Sprat and thinks he's all that then dances on a mat, turns to you and spat so you put a bomb in his hat making him go splat.

A/N

I just wanted to thank those of you who took the time to read and review my story. I appreciate it and hope you all enjoy the final chapter. I also wanted to let you all know that I am thinking about posting another story featuring the evil Fallen. Be sure to leave a review letting me know what you thought of this last chapter and the story as a whole, so that I'll have an idea of what to give you guys next time.

Chapter Twelve

Battle of the Dragons

An uneasy silence filled the council chamber as light from the morning sun filtered through gloomy clouds. Angry eyes bore down the triangular table at Rin, which only made her smile more. An edge of annoyance lingered in her mind as she glanced around at the holographic images of Hannibal and Pandabubba. Wuya stood on her side of the table flanked by two Jack-bots. Rin glanced over her shoulder and found Alex, Bob, and Jack standing behind her.

"Why have you brought me here?" Wuya glared at Rin.

"I thought I told all of you to be here in person." Rin glanced over at Hannibal.

"My apologies, but ah had some business ta attend to," Hannibal replied.

"Why did you call us? We already know about your failure to finish the monks off and you're losing the Shen Gong Wu." The image of Pandabubba leaned forward.

"Ah say it's time we chose a new leader," Hannibal said.

Rin laughed, not surprised by his statement. "And who will lead in my stead?"

"Well ah'm the most qualified one here." Hannibal sneered. "You've blundered one too many times ta stay in charge."

"So that's how you all feel?" Rin smiled.

"Why are we bothering with these games?" Wuya turned to face Rin and fired a large wave of green energy at her. The mystical blast shot at the smiling Queen but just before the wave hit, it curved back and smashed into Wuya, sending her flying back into the wall.

"Wuya, have you forgotten that I was the one who restored your powers after Chase fell? Did you really think that I wouldn't make myself immune to them," Rin laughed then looked back to Hannibal and Pandabubba. "As for you two, if you insist on betraying me then I suggest you remember what happened to poor old Wuya."

Jack stepped over to the table and held up a small puzzle box made out of wood with a few metal parts. "I trust you'll remember this."

"Dashi's puzzle box, how did you get another one?" Wuya asked flabbergasted.

"Oh it's not the original. I tried to recreate the first box but I couldn't figure out all of the magical stuff, so I decided to go with a more scientific version. This box will disassemble your atoms and rearrange then into an ethereal specter then transport you to a pocket of sub-space." Jack laughed evilly. "But as ingenious as that is, I just didn't find that evil enough. So as an added bonus you'll be trapped in a small room with a moose eating an endless supply of walnuts."

"What?" Wuya stared at Jack dumbfounded.

"I know; its pure evil genius." Jack laughed manically and opened the box, aiming it at Wuya. A pale beam of light shot out of the box enveloping Wuya and melted her body away leaving, only a floating lavender ghost in her place. The beam quickly reversed itself and dragged Wuya screaming into the small box before the lid slammed shut. "Who's betraying who now? That'll teach you not to mess with Jack Spicer, Evil Emperor of Darkness. What you say? Jack Spicer."

Rin laughed as Jack continued to taunt the puzzle box then glanced back at the other two traitors. "Will anyone else attempt to fell her shoes?"

"You have made your point." Pandabubba glanced over at Hannibal just before both holograms faded. Rin turned and sat on the end of the table, enjoying the moment but her mood quickly began to sour as she thought about what Hannibal and Pandabubba were planning. She had figured that they were plotting against her and was planning on getting rid of them with Wuya, but clearly they had anticipated her actions. They were up to something however they were not her only worries. She still had to deal with the remaining Xiaolin monks and whatever scheme they were plotting.

"It's time we finished off our enemies." Rin looked up at her companions. "I've been far too lax and allowed my dream of a united Heylin rule to cloud my judgment."

"What did you have in mind?" Alex asked.

"I am going to wipe the slate clean. I know of a spell that will wipe out the Xiaolin and the other Heylin once and for all."

"Why haven't you used it before then?" Jack looked at her quizzically.

"It's dangerous, even for me. If I'm not one hundred percent accurate on the potion and incantation then we'll die along with the rest of the world." Rin stood up and looked over to Bob. "I'll need you two to come with me to Chase Young's palace."

"Why there?" Jack asked as a fly buzzed passed his face.

"I have been using Chase's place as a back up plan should I ever need one. I kept the more important Shen Gong Wu there and that's where I'll conduct my spell. I'll take Bob with me just incase someone tries to interfere." Rin glanced over at Alex. "I'll need you and Jack to stay here. Hannibal may try to attack and I want him distracted."

Alex smiled at her sinisterly. "So we destroy them all?"

"Every last one, and then we'll rebuild a new world in our image." Rin returned his smile.

(-)

"Are you sure you wanna go alone?" Jermaine looked back towards Raimundo.

"I'm sure." Raimundo nodded. The cold wind felt refreshing as Dojo flew high above the ground headed towards Rin's floating city. He ignored his friends concern, more worried about their safety than his own. A part of him wished that he could go with them but he knew he had to face Alex. He had to settle things for Kimiko.

"You should at least take more Shen Gong Wu than the Sword of the Storm and Serpents Tail." Omi looked back at him.

"Guys, I'll be fine." Raimundo smiled reassuringly. They continued on their way for a few minutes when Raimundo noticed a fly buzzing around his face. He swatted the bug away then returned his attention to the passing landscape, but the fly quickly returned. "Lousy flies."

"Manchurian Musca." The fly landed on Dojo's head and changed into Hannibal. "Why is that anyway ta greet an old friend?"

"Hannibal Bean, leave at once or be defeated." Omi pulled out his favorite Wu.

Hannibal held his hands up. "Now, now, ah'm not here ta fight ya. Ah came ta offer a bit a help."

"You help us?" Jermaine asked incredulously.

Ah see your all set ta storm the city, but ya might be interested in knowin' that Rin's fled ta Chase's old stomping ground." Hannibal glanced over the monks. "Seems she's plotin' some sort of doomsday plan."

"What plan and why should we trust you?" Raimundo glared at the duplicitous bean.

"'Cause ah don' wanna be destroyed by that witch any more than you. If she completes her spell then we all get ta kiss our backsides goodbye."

"Then we must stop her before she uses the spell," Omi declared.

"What about Alex and Bob? I'm sure they're gonna be guarding her," Jermaine said.

"Alex is waitin' in the city, so it's just Bob with Rin." Hannibal glanced at Jermaine.

"I'll take care of Alex. You guy's hurry and get to Chase's place." Raimundo stood up and unhooked his cloak.

"Ta take out the city you'll have ta sneak into the base of the tower and destroy the main power generator. That'll get the lightning rods attention and you two can have your fun." Hannibal whistled for the Ying-Ying Bird and hopped on its back.

"You are not going to help?" Omi asked.

"Do ah look like the helpin' type? With any luck you'll all destroy each other and save me the trouble. Course if ya'll lose ah won't be here." Hannibal laughed as his pet bird flew away and vanished in a flash of light, teleporting to the Ying-yang world.

"The rats are jumping ship." Jermaine looked at Omi. "What do we do?"

"We do like I said and stop Rin. I'll go and find Alex." Raimundo took one last look at his friends then jumped off of Dojo.

Calling on a strong gust of wind, Raimundo flew through the air and made his way towards the floating city. After about ten minutes, he finally reached his destination and flew towards the base of the central tower. Activating the Serpents Tail, he phased through the stone wall and found himself in a marble hallway. Raimundo walked carefully down the halls keeping an eye out for any sign of the room he was looking for. Another few minutes passed and he felt his agitation rising, but as he started to round a corner, he spotted Jack strolling down the hall with one of his bots.

Reactivating the tail, Raimundo phased through the wall and snuck behind Jack. Quickly springing out of the wall Raimundo sped over to the bot and reached inside its head then yanked out its CPU. Surprised, Jack let out a girlish yelp and jumped away. Jack tried to aim a small weapon that popped out of his right gauntlet but Raimundo dashed forward, grabbed him by the collar and arm then slammed him back into the wall, smashing the weapon.

"Let go of me." Jack struggled to free himself.

"I got a better idea, take me to the generator room or I start using you as a punching bag." Raimundo held up a fist.

"It's a floor below us but you'll never get in. To even open the door you need a pass code."

"That won't be a problem." Raimundo smiled, glad that Jack was still just as cowardly as ever. Holding up the Serpents Tail, he phased the two of them through the floor and landed in the large power room. The poorly lit room was filled with turbines, cooling unites, and computers that controlled everything. With a smile, Raimundo dropped Jack and used his free hand to pull out the Sword of the Storm. "Kiss this taco stand goodbye."

"What are you doing?" Jack stepped back as Raimundo activated the sword and began twirling it around him, creating powerful gust of wind that began to rip the machines apart. "You'll crash the whole city."

"That's the idea." Raimundo raised even more wind and destroyed the last of the equipment. Jack ran passed him with a look of sheer panic and used another weapon on his gauntlet to blast a hole in the wall then jumped out activating the Jetbootsu. Feeling the city start to tip, Raimundo followed Jack through the hole. The impressive city began to fall slowly at first but as more and more of the Repulser disks began to fail the city quickly fell. The city crashed into the ground with a tremendous roar, kicking up dust and ruining many of the stylish buildings.

As the dust began to clear, Raimundo landed in the ruined streets of the fallen city and glanced around looking for Jack. He spotted Jack flying away in the distance when a bolt of lightning streaked down towards him. The bolt narrowly missed him but the force of the blast knocked him back, causing him to drop the Serpents Tail. He quickly jumped to his feet just as Alex flipped out of a purple portal and landed on a pile of rubble a few feet in front of him. "Long time no see." Alex slipped the Golden Tiger Claws off and tossed them aside.

"You and I got a score to settle." Raimundo felt his anger returning as he switched the Sword of the Storm to his left hand and pulled out the Blade of the Nebula with his right. "You're gonna pay for killing Kimiko."

"And you're gonna suffer for killing Ayane." Alex pulled out his Rikkaken and extended the Dragons Spark over his left arm. "The only down side is that you won't live long enough to see the world burn."

"I'll stop you." Raimundo extended his own elemental Wu. "Just like my friends will stop Rin."

"They'll try." Alex smirked then flipped over towards Raimundo. Landing with a flurry of attacks, Alex swung his sword high then low forcing Raimundo to block.

(-)

"Place hasn't changed much." Dojo looked around the desolate area.

"It has not." Omi hopped off of Dojo's back just as he landed in front of the gate to Chase Young's palace. A sense of dread rose within Omi as he stepped over to the door and tried to push it open. Finding the door locked, he quickly focused his chi then kicked the door open. "We must hurry." Omi ran into the front courtyard followed by Jermaine and a Dojo. They were about half way across when Omi noticed Bob walking down the stairs.

"Wasn't expecting you two, but I'll crush you all the same." Bob cracked his knuckles.

"Can you find the dungeon?" Jermaine leaned over towards Omi while Dojo hid behind a plant.

"Yes." Omi nodded.

"Then get going. I'll take this guy and buy you some time." Jermaine smiled down at Omi then charged forward. He met Bob at the base of the stairs with a trio of swift kicks. Bob blocked the kicks and countered with two punches but Jermaine rolled to the left to avoid them. Popping up to his feet, Jermaine blocked a back hand from Bob, grabbed his arm and spun behind him. Still holding Bob's arm, Jermaine used his free hand to block an elbow then hooked Bob's other arm. "Go now."

"Good luck my friend." Omi sprinted through the courtyard and down the dark halls. Navigating his way through the narrow hallways, Omi ran into the kitchen planning to take a short cut to the dungeons when he noticed a familiar cabinet. Remembering his time as Chase's apprentice, Omi ripped the door open and grabbed a can of the ancient potion off the shelves then continued into the next hall. Finding the chamber he was looking for, he jumped off the balcony and landed in front of five cell doors. Slipping the can into his sleeve, Omi slowly peered into each cell until he reached the last one.

Looking into the dank cell, Omi found Chase chained to the rear wall in his dragon form and looking as if he hadn't eaten in years. His green skin seemed pale and bore many scars. He leaned back against the wall, each labored breath revealing his frail ribcage. After a second Chase looked up at Omi and smiled feebly. "Have you come to gloat?"

"What has happen to you?" Omi stared at Chase barely recognizing him.

"Hell has no fury like an all powerful witch scorned," Chase mused weakly. "Why are you here?"

"I have come to ask for your assistance in defeating Rin."

"Even if I wasn't locked away, I am far too weak to battle anyone."

"And what if I could give you your strength back, would you then help me defeat Rin."

"How can you…" Chase let his question trail off as Omi revealed the can of Lao Mang Long Soup. "I see. Free me and I will help rid the world of Rin's foul presence."

Omi used his free hand to get the Orb of Tornami and froze the bars then ripped the top off the can and gave it to Chase. Slowly Chase began to drink the potion and as he did, his muscles began to bulge as his skin returned to its dark green. With a ferocious roar Chase crushed the can and ripped the chains off. Standing to his full height, Chase morphed into his human form and smiled down at Omi. "Come young one, let us put an end to Rin and her schemes."

Omi nodded then followed Chase up a long flight of stairs. They quickly worked their way to the roof of the palace and found Rin standing over a caldron on the opposite side. She was chanting in ancient Chinese with the Sphere of Dreams, and the Scepter of the Dimensional Orb behind her.

"Stop what you are doing at once and surrender the Shen Gong Wu." Omi stepped over towards her.

Rin looked up from the caldron and glared at Omi. "Do you think you can stop me all by yourself?"

"Who said he was alone." Chase walked over to where she could see him and smiled.

"You?" A look of rage washed over Rin's face as her gaze shifted to Chase. "I should have killed years ago."

"Just as I should have done the same when I had the chance." Chase shrugged. "A situation I will now remedy." Chase sprang forward and kicked over the caldron then threw a swift punch at Rin, but she floated above the strike and grabbed the Sphere of Dreams.

"This is my world now and you have no place in it." Rin's eyes turned jet black as four energy orbs formed around her then sped towards the two warriors.

(-)

With the Blade of the Nebula in his right hand, Raimundo blocked a series of attacks from Alex. Parrying one of the slashes to the right, Raimundo used the Sword of the Storm to blast a flurry of air at Alex but he flipped back to avoid the attack. Alex bounced off the side of a building and shot high into the air riding a streak of electricity.

"Sword of the Storm, Blade of the Nebula." Raimundo clapped the two weapons together and combined them to form a new sword with a golden hilt and a shimmering azure blade. Holding the Nebula Sword at the ready, he flew up after Alex and met him with a flurry of attacks. Drawing power from his weapon Raimundo parried a counter attack from Alex then swung his sword downward, sending Alex crashing through a wall into a fourth story building.

Flying through the hole Alex had made, Raimundo aimed a high strike at him but he managed to roll out of the way. Flying through the large hallways, Raimundo glanced over his shoulder and found Alex bouncing off the walls in pursuit. Raimundo landed then spun around swinging for Alex's head. Alex ducked under the blade then unloaded a rapid assault but Raimundo managed to block must of the attacks.

"Neat trick, where did you learn that from?" Alex drove his sword downward forcing Raimundo to block.

"Like I'm gonna tell you." Raimundo called a strong wind as he pushed Alex back. The wind slammed into Alex and sent him fly through another wall and out in the ruined city. Flying through the hole, Raimundo glanced around and found Alex standing on the roof of another building.

"I can't believe I'm gonna have to use this." Alex grinned as he stuck his sword in the roof and pulled out a long black glove then slipped it on his right hand. "Mal Chi Glove." Electricity began to crackle around Alex as he grabbed his weapon and shot up at Raimundo.

(-)

Rolling to his left, Omi avoided one of the four black orbs' that zipped around the air trying to destroy him. Another orb darted towards him forcing Omi to back flip to avoid it then cartwheeled out of the way of another. Using the Orb of Tornami, he froze one of the orbs the kicked it right into another, causing both to explode. Spotting the last two orbs speeding towards him, he waited until the last second then jumped to the side allowing them to explode on the ground.

Looking back towards the other side of the roof, Omi saw Chase flipping and rolling to avoid energy blasts from Rin. Darting from left to right, Chase worked his way closer then jumped up aiming a punch at Rin but her protective barrier stopped his fist. Landing with an irritated look, Chase was again forced to avoid her attacks. Slipping the Wu back into his sleeve, Omi pulled out the Shimo Staff and charged forward. Leaping up behind her, Omi attempted to club Rin over the head but her barrier again saved her.

"Is this the best you can do?" Rin smacked Omi away then began to fling waves of energy at the two warriors. Catching a nod from Chase, Omi rolled to the right while he rolled left. The two then jumped up to Rin and started to bombard her barrier with kicks and punches. Omi could sense the field weakening and focused his strength into his weapon then with an angry shout he drove the staff down, shattering the barrier and knocking the Sphere of Dreams out of her hand. Chase quickly capitalized and smacked her with a harsh kick that sent her crashing into the ground.

Landing opposite of Chase, Omi rushed at Rin and hit her with blow to the ribs followed by a heelkick to the jaw. Chase quickly swept her legs, but before she could fall he grabbed her by the arm. "Roaring Phoenix." Swinging her by the arm, Chase spun around three times then forcefully slammed her into the ground. With out letting go of her arm, he held her at eye level then punched her in the stomach with a grin. "Is this better?"

Rin coughed up blood then spat in Chase's face. Her crimson blood hit his cheek and quickly turned black then exploded knocking Chase back and causing him to let her go. Omi rushed forward just as she turned towards him and grabbed his collar. Rin placed her hand on Omi's chest and fired a large beam of energy. Pain coursed through his body as the beam poured over him and bounced him off the ground.

Pushing his pain aside, Omi climbed to his feet and saw Chase attacking Rin with blood dripping down his face. He unloaded two swift kicks but Rin managed to raise her personal shield again and deflected the attacks. Channeling his own dark chi, Chase thrust his hands into the barrier and struggled to tear through the field. Snarling, Rin poured more energy into her field and started to slowly push Chase back.

Taking a deep breath, Omi sprang forward unleashing his chi. "Tsunami Strike." He hit Rin with a torrent of water from behind, distracting her long enough for Chase to rip her field in half. Enraged, Rin threw a sloppy punch at Chase but he avoided it easily then caught her with a roundhouse kick. Rin staggered back a few steps only to get sent flying by a blow from Omi's staff. "You are defeated; do not humiliate yourself any further."

"No." Rin struggled to climb to her feet but a swift kick to the ribs from Chase knocked her back down. She rolled to her side and shot Chase a fierce look of hatred. "Ezag Ynoga." Rin's eyes flashed and two thick beams of black light shot from her eyes and hit Chase. Chase cried out in pain and fell to ground as a black aura surrounded him. Rin quickly hit Omi with the same attack causing him to writhe in pain while she stood on shaky legs. "The agony gaze is quite the impressive trick. It stimulates the pain receptors in your brains, all of them. Now imagine that pain lasting forever, oh that's right, you won't have to."

Chase tried to stand back up but the aura around him intensified and he cried out again much to the enjoyment of Rin. She stepped over to Omi and smiled down at him. "Since Chase like's you so much, he can watch you die."

(-)

Flying up the side of the building to avoid Alex's attack, Raimundo looked down and was surprised to see his opponent sprinting up the wall after him. Crackling with energy, Alex sped ahead of Raimundo and began to slice through the side of the building. Raimundo followed after him until Alex reached the top of the building and suddenly stopped running. Unable to stop his momentum, Raimundo flew straight into Alex's falling kick. Feeling the burn of electricity as Alex jumped off of him; Raimundo was pushed back towards the distant ground and fell for a long moment before finally catching himself on a gale of wind.

Raimundo heard the sound of crumbling stone and looked up just as chunks of the building began to fall towards him. Realizing that was why Alex had run up the side of the building, Raimundo quickly began to fly back up, avoiding the smaller chunks or blasting through the larger ones. Finally clearing the debris, Raimundo looked around for Alex only to catch a lightning bolt to the chest. He bounced off of one roof and crashed onto a lower one then rolled to avoid a second bolt. Popping up to his feet, Raimundo saw Alex land on the roof and charge forward.

The two combatants met with a hail of attacks. Each swing of their swords caused another gust of wind or crackle of lightning. Increasing his speed, Alex alternated between low and high slashes trying to penetrate Raimundo's defenses. Raimundo blocked a low strike only to get elbowed in the face. Alex pressed his attack and scored with two slashes to the torso then hit Raimundo with a sidekick to the jaw. Staggering back, Raimundo ducked under another slash then parried Alex's blade to the left.

Stepping forward, Raimundo kicked Alex in the gut then swept his legs. Raimundo let his sweep bring him back around a slammed the handle of his sword in Alex's temple, knocking him down. Raimundo then tried to slash his exposed midsection however Alex managed to block then kicked him back. Alex rolled back to his feet just as Raimundo unleashed a string a high slashes forcing Alex back as he parried or swayed to avoid getting cut. Spotting a pattern in Alex's evasions, Raimundo swung his sword downward, except when Alex parried, Raimundo reversed the direction of his blade and slashed Alex across the chest.

A gust of wind knocked Alex back but he recovered quickly then dashed forward and attacked with an angry strike. Raimundo blocked the blow only to receive a harsh, electrified punch to the face. As Alex's fist collided with his face, a burst of energy sent him sailing over the edge of the building. While Raimundo fell, Alex stood on the edge of the building and hurled another bolt of lightning, hitting him square on the chest and sending him crashing onto the roof of a lower building.

Raimundo landed hard on his back and struggled to get to his feet. He looked up and blocked Alex's attack as he landed in front of him. Alex threw another high attack which Raimundo barely managed to parry however Alex followed the strike with a heelkick catching him on his already tender jaw. Alex promptly hit Raimundo with a roundhouse then finished his attack with a harsh spinning back kick. The last kick had landed exactly where the lightning had struck Raimundo and sent a fresh wave pain racing through his body as he fell back against a cooling duct. Alex bounded forward with his sword aimed to finish Raimundo as he slumped against the duct. Raimundo cried out in pain as the cold steel of Alex's sword pierced his stomach.

Breathing heavily, Alex twisted his sword and smiled. "The woman you loved is dead, your friends are going to die, and then the world is gonna burn. So why are you fighting so hard when you've lost everything you loved. What could you possibly have left?" Alex again twisted his sword; sending more waves of agony through Raimundo's body. "Tell me so I can have the pleasure of taking it away from you."

The edge of his vision began to blur as Raimundo felt the life draining out of him. An over whelming sense of despair filled his mind as he thought about his friends, when he suddenly felt a familiar presence.

Don't give up. I know you can win Rai.

Hearing Kimiko's voice, Raimundo forced his vision to clear and pushed his pain back. He thrust his left hand forward, knocking Alex back with a strong gust and climbed to his feet. "Don't you get it? It's because I love this world that I'll keep fighting till the end."

"Whatever." Alex held his sword at the ready and began to build his energy.

Raimundo quickly focused all of his remaining strength into his weapon. The howling wind around them calmed into a gentle breeze as the blade of Raimundo's sword started to glow. "Dragons Cyclone." Raimundo swung his sword downward just as Alex started forward and unleashed a devastating tornado. Just as the twister reached Alex an azure dragon shot from out of Raimundo's sword and bore straight through him, leaving a gapping hole in Alex's chest.

Alex's lifeless body was blown from the roof and landed on the ground below as the wind died down. Smiling, Raimundo let his weapon drop from his hands as he fell onto the cold roof and stared at the cloudy sky. His breathing became more labored and a deep cold washed over him. He closed his eyes for a long minute then opened them to find Kimiko standing over him.

You did good Rai. You can rest now.

"Kimiko…" Raimundo let his eyes close too tired to hold them open and let himself fall asleep in Kimiko's arms.

(-)

Pain wracked his body as Omi struggled to escape Rin's grasp. Rin placed her bloody hand on Omi's neck, burning his skin. A movement caught Omi's attention and he glanced over to see Chase sweep the legs out from under Rin. The two fell to the ground and Omi rolled away, clutching his throat. He spotted the sphere and scrambled towards it only to have his ankle grabbed by Rin. Chase climbed on top of Rin and punched her repeatedly forcing her to let go of Omi to defend herself.

Pushing through the pain, Omi reached the Sphere of Dreams and held it over his head. "Enough Rin, you have lost."

Chase punched her one last time then rose to his feet. He aimed both fists at the beaten and bloody Rin as they started to glow. Rin rolled over to her stomach and looked over at Omi. "You can't do this. You can't destroy my world. I united the Heylin, but if you undo my work you could create a future that is even worse. How can you know if your future will be better?"

"Because it has to be." Omi hurled the Wu into the ground, shattering the orb into pieces.

"Your reign as queen is over. Repel the Beast." Chase unleashed a blast of energy that slammed into her back and smashed her through the roof of the palace. Omi slowly stepped over to where the scepter had fallen and picked it up. Chase walked over to his side and smiled down at him. "You did well Omi."

"Thank you." Omi looked up to him. "But what if she was right? What if by fixing history I make a future worse than this?"

"You must decide young one on what future you want to live in. You can live in this future where your enemies are all but dead, or you can choose one with your friends and face the future together." Chase placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Remember, the future is not written and can always be changed."

"I understand." Omi nodded solemnly then held the Wu up. "Scepter of the Limbo Orb."

Focusing on the world he remembered, Omi used the Wu to return history to its proper course. All around him a raging storm began to melt away everything. Chase faded into the growing blackness while the palace blew away in the wind. Omi found himself floating over the Land of No Return as the horizon was swallowed by the dark clouds. The dark clouds began to spiral around him swallowing every bit of light until Omi could see nothing. After a long minute, Omi heard a thunderous roar and the dark clouds vanished, replaced by a blinding light.

(-)

A cool gentle breeze blew against his warm skin causing Omi to open his eyes. Adjusting to the light he found himself standing next to Raimundo, Kimiko, Clay, and Dojo in the Xiaolin temple courtyard.

"What the blue blazes just happened?" Clay asked looking around.

"Weren't we just in Malintaria?" Raimundo stepped over to the stairs and sat down.

"I do not remember how it is we were returned to the temple, but for some reason I am extremely glad to see you all." Omi smiled as he looked over at his friends.

"Whatever happened, it doesn't matter. So long as we're together we'll deal with whatever comes our way." Kimiko sat next to Raimundo.

Omi shrugged then walked over to join his friends, but as they began talking and joking around, a movement caught his attention by the far wall. He glanced over and for the briefest moment he thought he saw an older version of himself smiling at him. Blinking his eyes, he looked back only to find the wall staring back at him. Dismissing the image as a trick of the light, Omi returned his attention to his friends and smiled. So long as they were together they could weather any storm the future might throw at them.