Yubel started his day as usual. He awoke, stretched his massive frame and blew a whiff of smoke to clear his nostrils. Yubel was a fully-grown male dragon, easily forty feet in length. He was just turning 870 this year, roughly young adult by human standards. He was a lovely shade of crimson, with awesome wings and an intimidating spiked tail. He shook the ash off of his body and moved out of his cave into the bleak sunlight. His eyes took in the familiar light of the massive volcanoes in the distance and the smaller one in which his cave was situated.
Even while he looked at it, the mountain began to shudder. There was no need to panic. It wasn’t erupting, simply waking up his friend. A huge blast of fire shot out of the top and fell toward Yubel. Spreading his giant wings, he took off into the path of the fireball. Opening his claws, he caught the contents of the blast. Landing smoothly, Yubel lay the creature gently on the ground. The creature in question was his oldest friend, Zephikel. Zephikel was a phoenix, and a magnificent one at that. She was reborn every day from the depths of her volcano and was as old as fifty Yubels. At the present, she was hardly bigger than a chicken, but she grew nearly a foot an hour.
She ruffled her brilliant plumage and stared at Yubel with beady, intelligent eyes.
“Good morning, Yubel. Thank you as always for catching me.”
“Any time, Zephikel. I just woke up myself.”
Zephikel blinked once and sniffed the air. Her eyes narrowed.

“Something the matter?”

“I don’t know. Something just smells…wrong. Can you smell it?”
Yubel, being a wyvern, had one of the best noses in the universe. But try as he might, he could not pinpoint what Zephikel was talking about.

“I cannot. Just the familiar smell of brimstone and lava. What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me.”
Yubel doubted it. Zephikel was known for her incredible instincts. Even in the other realms, the Firebird was a sign of rebirth because of her ability to escape danger.

“I doubt it. Perhaps we should be on the lookout for anything suspicious.”

“Yes, perhaps.”
A sudden, sinister feel in the air cut them both off. Both turned to stare at a spot on the ground which was slowly blackening. Out of that black spot, a figure began to rise. Both relaxed as they recognized the only creature native to the Empty Void.

“Boogey!”
Indeed, the Boogeyman (or Bugaboo) stood in front of them, slightly nervous. Contrary to the mortals’ beliefs, Boogey was a shy, lonely creature who enjoyed removing bad dreams from little children. He was tall, thin, and liked to keep to himself, courtesy of thousands of years of prejudice and fear from the kids he protected. He was not without defense, however. His long arms ended in large claws and his teeth were slightly pointed. His voice was very quiet however, and both had to strain to hear him.

“Hello Yubel, Zephikel. No bad dreams plaguing you, are they?”
Zephikel smiled. She was quite fond of humble creatures, and made sure to protect them when she could.

“No not at all, thank you. You do your job well.”
Boogey blushed, but composed himself.

“Lord Mikael demands the presence of every creature at the Holy Temple at once. It is a grave emergency. Please rouse the remainder of the creatures here and meet there when you can.”

“Of course. Thank you, Boogey.”
He bowed and vanished into the ground. Zephikel turned to Yubel.

“I knew it. Something wicked is in the air. But what…?”

“I do not know. We should gather the rest of the residents.”

“I’ll fetch Gorz if you go get Amaterasu.”

“With pleasure.”
Both took off to get the others. Gorz was a Lava Golem, a twenty-foot tall being made literally out of molten rock. He had a fiery temper and had a habit of giving off black smoke when he was angry. Amaterasu was an ancient Japanese God, a being made of pure fire. He used to blaze with a tremendous energy, but he was extremely old now and only burned a dim blue. He was polite and very well mannered, but sometimes tended to fall asleep in the middle of his sentences.

“Hmmm? An emergency you say?”

“That’s correct. Mikael has summoned all of us. I came to get you.”

“How very kind of you, young wyvern. I shall join you…”

“Amaterasu?”

“Zzzzzzzz.”

“Oh for the love of…wake up, Amaterasu!”

“Hum? What? Oh right, the meeting! Yes yes, my apologies! Let us go.”
He met back up with Zephikel at the volcano. Gorz was dripping lava and was smoking, not a good sign.

“I still don’t see why I had to be summoned to this. I’m never any help.”
Yubel leaned in close to Zephikel.

“I’ll say.”

“Yubel!”

“What?”
Amaterasu blinked his hooded eyes and sighed.

“Can we get on with this, please? I am starting to fall asleep again.”

“Of course. Let us go.”
They set off across the plains. The whole of Azrael, the home to every mythical creature, was divided into segments. Each segment contained a different kind of creature, such as aquatic, fiery, or icy. Every segment met at the Holy Temple, the home of the Arch Angel Mikael and his faithful disciple Alexiel. Both resembled humans greatly, but their power was something humans couldn’t even begin to understand. Mikael was the unspoken leader of Azrael, but no one minded. He was fair, kind, and sympathetic to everyone.

As the four of them arrived at the Temple, their eyes took in all the creatures that had chosen to show up. There were a decent amount present, probably a good fifty or so. Mikael stood on his throne, Alexiel at his side. Boogey arose from the shadows behind him and spoke to Mikael.

“All are present m’lord, except for Uriel.”

“Naturally. Very well, we may begin.”
Uriel was a Death Serpent, a thirty-foot giant snake who was easily the most selfless creature in Azrael. He never left his home in fear of killing the others (as a Death Serpent’s gaze is fatal) and only ate condensation and salt from his cave, as his breath was paralyzing as well.
Mikael raised his hand and the creatures fell silent.
“Good morning my friends. I hate to wake you all on my behalf, but I bring urgent news that must be heard. You are all familiar with Meta-Sevi, correct?”
Of course they all were. Meta-Sevi was the Asura Priest who was responsible for keeping Azrael in order. She had four arms, blue skin, and had a very Indian look to her. She conjured food and water, kept pesky humans out and informed the creatures of any dangers. She was the linchpin to Azrael, and if she had been injured…

“She has not been hurt, I assure you.”
The creatures relaxed.

“But she has fallen asleep. And she will not wake up. Her presence is vital to keeping our beloved Azrael in harmony, and if she does not wake, disaster may befall us. Does anyone have any idea why she has done this?”
No one spoke. No one could think of any reason why Meta-Sevi wouldn’t wake up. Unless…

All eyes turned to Boogey, who was standing in the corner of the Temple. His eyes shifted nervously and he clicked his claws together rapidly.

“Me? I wouldn’t dare…I wouldn’t want…”
Fuma, a selfish, arrogant minotaur, scoffed and spoke up.

“Don’t bother lying, little scamp! We all know you’re the only one who can access dreams! You clearly put Meta-Sevi into a coma!”

“What…? I would never…”
Gorz spoke up.

“How do we know? You never show your face, and you’re always hiding from us!”
Mikael’s face darkened. He hated bullies.

“Fuma! Gorz! Silence! Never accuse unless you can prove it! Now, Boogey, forgive them please. I especially need your help. I need you to see if you can find what’s happening inside Meta-Sevi’s mind. Can you do that, my friend?”

“O-of c-course, Lord Mikael.”

“Thank you, Boogey. And I’ve told you, it’s just Mikael.”
He snapped his fingers and Alexiel bowed. Retreating, he brought out the limp body of Meta-Sevi. The Asura was completely still, but the creatures could still see her breathing. He lay her down and Boogey shuffled up to her and bent down. He looked up at Mikael and the Angel nodded kindly. Boogey lightly touched Meta-Sevi’s head and closed his eyes. Silence ensued for a good minute. Everyone watched the process with intent interest. All of a sudden, Boogey’s head snapped back and his eyes shot open. He groaned with effort and dug his feet into the ground. The others all stepped back as a black mist rose from Meta-Sevi’s mouth and drifted into the air. The mist slowly began to solidify as Boogey forced the blackness out of Meta-Sevi. The other creatures watched in horror as the mist fully removed itself from Meta-Sevi and took on an oily, liquid appearance.

Mikael waved his hand and Alexiel ran to both Boogey and Meta-Sevi’s aid. Boogey shook his head and stared at the mysterious shape hovering above them.

“What is that, Boogey?”

“Something evil. I only see these once a century or so, and this is by far the worst!”

“But what is it, Bugaboo?”
A voice spoke out from the air. It was hardly more then a whisper, but every creature heard it like the voice was right next to them.

“It, as you so nicely put it, is a Nightmare. My name is Rociel, and I am here to put an end to your so-called harmony.”
The shape in the air slowly took on a humanoid appearance, long arms and legs tapering off of the slim torso. The head was elongated and frightful, and a wicked tail curved away from the body. It was easily ten feet tall and a very eerie looking figure. Fearless Mikael stepped forward and the thing pivoted to face him.

“I do not know what you plan to do, Rociel, but if you seek to harm any of the creatures here, I will have you know that I will not allow it!”

“Poor Mikael. You don’t have a choice in the matter. Your perfect little world is going to fall apart before your very eyes, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.”

“Watch me.”
Faster than the eye could follow, Mikael had both his trusty swords drawn and had sliced Rociel neatly in half. The creatures gasped as the halves simply reformed like two bodies of water.

“Oh that’s cute. You think you can stop me. Listen well, mystical creatures! Your reign of peace is ending! Too long you have been living in the mindset that everything you do is right! Too long you have lived off the hard work of others in contentment! I will show you all the real world in which you live in! I will show you how useless you all are without your protection!”
Mikael raised his hand.

“Enough, foul spirit! You will not spoil our peace!”
A powerful blast of light erupted from Mikael’s hand and blew Rociel into thousands of watery droplets. The other creatures suddenly remembered why Mikael was their leader. The droplets evaporated into the air, but the voice still rang in every creature’s ear.

“Watch me tear your little world to shreds. Watch me and then you may be able to understand how helpless you all are.”
The voice faded and silence fell. Finally Mikael turned to Boogey.

“Explain. What was that?”

“Th-that was a Nightmare.”

“I know that. You can dispel those! That’s what you do!”

“N-n-not like these, My Lord. Rociel is an immortal Terror, one who plagues the realms in order to destroy all that is good!”

“How do we stop him?”

“We don’t…I have always been powerless to stop him in the past. He always takes on different forms and powers to confuse me and throw the realm into chaos!”

“Why is he doing this?”

“Because he is evil, Lord Mikael. He is the very embodiment of Darkness. He just wants to watch innocent beings burn!”
The creatures murmured amongst themselves. Surely not! Their Azrael was their home! No one would take it from them, especially not some silly Nightmare!

“We will stop him, Boogey. We surely will! Right, comrades!?”
A hearty cheer went up from the creatures. That cheer was heightened when Meta-Sevi slowly sat up and shook her head. As Mikael tried to calm the creatures, Alexiel took Boogey off to the side.

“Bugaboo, you say Rociel tries to destroy realms.”

“Y-yes.”

“Has he ever succeeded?”

“Alexiel, he’s never failed.”

Yubel and Zephikel were rather apprehensive, to say the least. As Yubel paced back and forth in front of his cave, Zephikel spoke to him and Amaterasu, who had decided to try to comfort the two. Gorz had wanted no part in it and had trudged back to his molten pit.

“I don’t understand. This Rociel has no reason to try to destroy our home.”
Yubel nodded.

“I know. Meta-Sevi surely will be able to counteract his power now though, right?”

“I hope so. She may be the only one who is capable of it. I sensed a large amount of power in that form, Yubel, almost as much as Mikael.”

“Power to match an Arch Angel? Is that possible?”

“I guess so. But to take on an entire island at once? That’s sheer folly!”
Amaterasu spoke up.

“It may not be.”
Zephikel turned to him.

“And why is that?”

“Think. We may be a force united, but if you examine us closely, you will see we are all very different. If Rociel means to conquer us all, he will surely start with one area and move onto the rest. Think of it like this: say that the most populated areas such as the Endless Sea or Scorching Desert are like large mortal cities. The sparsely populated ones like our own Volcanic Wastes or Boogeyman’s Empty Void are small villages. An opposing army (in this case, Rociel) will not try to take over the large cities first. No, he will surely try to turn the small places over to his control before rallying them to easily defeat the large ones. We should really be joining up to fight Rociel, not going back to our separated homes.”

“My word, you’re right Amaterasu! We have to warn Boogey at once!”
A voice from behind them made them all jump.

“Too late, I’m afraid.”
They all whirled to see a disheveled Boogey standing behind them.

“Boogey! What happened?”

“Rociel had already taken over my realm before I even arrived there. With myself as the only resident, it was easy for him to do it.”

“So soon? My word, he’s ambitious! Boogey, I’m so sorry. We’ll get your home back, I promise. We should get Gorz before Rociel tries to take over this realm too.”
Gorz was of no help.

“I have no desire to help you. If Rociel tries to take over this realm, I’ll melt him into a puddle of goo. Go waste your time and I’ll tell you if anything exciting happens.”
Yubel started to say something, but Amaterasu waved his hand.

“Ignore him, Yubel my son. Leave him be, and let’s find others sensible enough to join our cause.”

“Very well. Good luck, Gorz.”

“Get lost.”
Zephikel scoffed and the four left Gorz to smoke in his pit. Not too long afterwords however, a slight sound caught the attention of the Golem. His eyes focused on the black smoke rising from his pit...and what was forming from the smoke.

“You!”
Rociel had no features, but he surely would have smiled if he did.

“Me.”
Fire roared around Gorz as he rose to his full height (which was quite intimidating).

“You have some nerve to show your face around here! I’ll roast you!”

“You’re welcome to try.”
Before Gorz could do anything, however, Rociel buried his tail in Gorz’s chest. The barb sank right into the lava and disappeared. Rociel whipped the burning stub out as Gorz laughed.

“Little scamp! A physical attack will do nothing against me!”

“Not my intention. You are so very aggressive, perfect for my purposes.”
Gorz started to say something, but stopped as a strange feeling ran through his molten body. He slowly felt his will being sapped away and he realized all too late what was happening. Blackness spread from the point Rociel’s tail had gone in and engulfed poor Gorz until the Golem had turned as black and venomous as Rociel.

“What...are your orders...My Lord?”

“We are going to take over this pitiful world, and you are going to be my army commander. Use my power to take over any creature you can find. I’d start with that judgmental Minotaur. He seemed quite unwilling to help anyone.”

“Yes,...My Lord.”
Gorz sank into the ground and Rociel chuckled.

“What fun this is. I’ll be done before sundown at this rate!”


As the four heroes walked past the Holy Temple, a grim sight met their eyes. Zephikel flew to the still form of Mikael lying on the stone.

“Oh no! Mikael!”
She turned his body over carefully and gasped.

“What is it, Zephikel?”

“He’s been horribly poisoned! I have to save him quickly. Yubel, bite my wing.”
Amaterasu tilted his head.

“What?”
Yubel understood.

“Okay, Zephikel.”
He nipped her wing lightly and Zephikel gasped. A small stream of blood trickled from her feathers and she dripped it into Mikael’s mouth. He coughed violently and sat up, blood and poison spewing from his mouth. After a while he calmed down and looked up at his savior.

“Thank you Zephikel. The wonders of the Firebird never cease to amaze me.”

“What happened, Mikael?”

“Alexiel was turned into Rociel’s slave. He’s created an army of his own followers, one powerful enough to overthrow me. Rociel tried to convert me too, but my powers were too strong. The dark magic is still a toxin to me, however. I would have died if not for your healing abilities.”

“An army? How awful! We must hurry to find as many helpers as we can!”

“I will go with you. Perhaps I can save my beloved Alexiel as well.”
Boogey sighed.

“Great. A team of five against an army.”
Mikael smiled.

“Do not fear, my friend. The numbers mean nothing. Our friendship is enough to trump Rociel.”
Amaterasu rolled his eyes and Yubel smiled. Friendship?

“Besides, you have an Arch Angel on your side. I will not be caught off guard again.”

“Speaking of, can you lend us your powers to find helpers?”

“Of course! Grab my arm, and the rest of you grab onto her. Teleportation is awkward the first time, so please focus. Where to, Zephikel?”
Yubel spoke up.

“We need to find Uriel. He could be the key to defeating Rociel.”

“Ah, the Basilisk. Yes, good idea Yubel. To the Scorching Desert! Hang on!”
In a flash they were gone and in a flash they had arrived at their destination. A stark cave stood in front them. Five lifeless bodies lay in the sand in front of the cave, including Fuma. Mikael stared down in sadness.

“It would appear Rociel has been here.”
A low hiss sounded from the cave.

“Leave me alone! I don’t want to kill you too!”

“Uriel, it is I, Mikael! We need your help to stop Rociel!”

“No! I cannot! I killed innocent creatures earlier! I’m trash!”

“You are not, Uriel! They were hypnotized by Rociel and forced to do his dirty work. Please help us stop that madman and bring peace to Azrael.”
There was a brief silence, but the voice sounded again.

“Okay, but I’m only going to kill Rociel. No one else.”

“You will not have to kill anyone else, Uriel. I promise.”

“You’re a liar, but I’m coming out anyway. I have my gear on, don’t panic.”
Uriel’s ‘gear’ consisted of a pair of mirrored sunglasses and scuba gear he had stolen from the mortal realm. Any other creature was safe with those on. He slithered out into the sunlight.

“Okay...I’m ready Lord Mikael.”
Boogey spoke up.

“Can we please go? This light is burning my skin.”
Yubel shaded the unfortunate soul with his huge wing as Mikael looked around.

“Are there any others left?”

“No. I am the only one. Rociel was saying how he’d taken over every area except the Endless Sea. We have to go to them!”

“Then we must hurry to the Endless Sea!”
Yubel, Zephikel, and Amaterasu let up a cry. Yubel snorted a brief whiff of smoke in annoyance.

“We can’t go there! We are creatures of fire!”
Mikael waved his hand dismissively.

“Of minor importance. My powers will protect you.”
Amaterasu was still uneasy.

“Are you sure? What if you are somehow injured? Will we all drown?”

“No. I will keep you all alive, I promise. Now, off we go!”
Zephikel flapped her wings in protest, but they all teleported before she could say anything. The three fire spirits clutched each other for support as waves exploded around them. They were all underwater, but everyone could breathe and move easily.

“See? Nothing to worry about.”
A huge shadow fell across them and they whirled to see Neos angrily hovering behind them. Neos was the biggest creature in all of Azrael, a four hundred foot water serpent and the king of the underwater society. He was quite majestic to look at, and the Endless Sea was the biggest area because of him.

“Are you trying to scare me, Mikael? We have a psychotic dictator trying to conquer us and you teleport in here without warning me?”

“I’m sorry Neos, but we were pressed for time. What’s the casualties?”

“None, I’m happy to say. We are ready for any assault Rociel throws at us. However, six of our friends have fallen victim to Rociel. They fell asleep and never woke up. They’re alive, but useless.”

“My apologies. We will stage our stand here and put an end to Rociel’s tyranny!”
Zephikel gulped nervously.

“Rociel threw our whole realm into chaos in less than a day, Mikael. Will we really be able to stop him?”
Neos laughed.

“You surface dwellers have no idea of true might. Under the sea, we have a different idea of how to fight. Watch and learn, but thanks for your help.”
A voice sounded through the water.

“They’re coming, Neos! Front Gate!”

“Mark up ladies and gents! This is it!”
They swam for the Gate. Peering over the top, they gasped as they saw the power of Rociel’s army. While not numerous, Rociel had found the most powerful creatures and marred them with his dark magic. Rociel himself was leading the swarm. His look was very different. Spines and spikes adorned every part of him and his tail was much more sinister looking, with a dripping claw at the end. Spying the frail opposition behind the Gate, his blank face ripped open into a terrifying grin. Razor sharp teeth and a forked tongue made even Mikael shiver.

“Hello again, Mikael. So happy to see you’re alive. I see you’ve amassed a tiny opposition, lovely. I’ll go easy on you.”

“Do not underestimate us, Rociel. The small are mighty, and our power will devastate your so-called army.”

“By all means, try me.”
Uriel whipped off his glasses (with his tail, of course) and two creatures dropped. Rociel was prepared, however. Blackness covered the eyes of the others and Uriel hissed.

“He’s covering their eyes. I’m no good anymore.”
Mikael didn’t look at him directly.

“Not true, my friend. Your breath is still of use and you are a valuable fighter.”
Neos was impatient.

“Enough sap talk. My warriors, attack!”
It was incredible. The Siren blasted out with her sonic shriek, Leviathan conjured massive tidal currents, and even Nessie tried to bite whoever he could. Zephikel gouged foes with her claws and Yubel used his fire to blast columns of hot steam to blind them. Mikael was a deciding factor for sure. Nothing stood in his way as he obliterated enemies with holy blasts and his two swords. Neos was too massive to be hurt by anything and his coiling body slammed enemies with crushing force. Boogey was vicious despite his nature, his claws ripping into anyone who attacked him. Amaterasu and Uriel were a great duo, Uriel paralyzing foes with his breath and Amaterasu crushed them with his massive fists.

But that’s not to say the opposition wasn’t powerful. The black magic healed any physical injury and boosted the enemies’ power. Gorz was limited in the water but was still dangerous with his size and strength. Rociel was a whirlwind of destruction, his tail and claws shredding the unfortunate Mermaid and the unlucky Giant Squid. Neos hissed and the biggest tentacle anyone had ever seen arose from the depths. That was followed by eleven more as Kraken arose from his abyss. Even Rociel faltered at the sheer size of it. It was almost as big as Neos, and easily twice as intimidating. But Rociel was a Nightmare for a reason. Conjuring a black void, he let energy flow across the sea. Mikael protected who he could, but huge Kraken and Neos were put to sleep instantly.

Rociel smiled in satisfaction as he drained the poor creatures’ minds. Rociel grew even more spooky as blazing red eyes lit up and two massive wings formed from his back. He surveyed his losses and shook his head.

“You poor animals. You are doomed beyond hope. Surrender and I shall let you go into exile.”
Mikael was tired, but far from beaten. They hadn’t lost many, but every creature counted.

“Not a chance, Rociel. I will take you down myself if I have to.”

“But you won’t. Because you’ll be fighting your beloved protege.”
Mikael’s eyes widened as Alexiel stepped forward, blackness coating his eyes and clothes.

“Monster!”

“And proud of it. Alexiel, take him out.”
Alexiel drew his sword and ran at Mikael. The others could not go to his aid and Mikael could not kill his disciple. He dodged and managed to avoid every strike from his mindless student, but would not fight back. He did not see Rociel appear behind him and Yubel screamed out.

“Mikael! Behind you!”
He turned too slow. Rociel drove his tail through Mikael’s chest. In a fit of rage, Yubel savagely bit his foe in half and charged Rociel. Rociel smiled and vanished, leaving Yubel to catch Mikael’s body. Crimson tears stained the wyvern’s face as he glared at Rociel.

“Oops, I broke my toy. I guess I better get a new one.”

“You sick fiend. You’re mine.”

“Come and get me, then.”
Zephikel was locked in combat with a wayward pegasus but managed to shout to Yubel.

“Don’t do it, Yubel! He’s luring you!”
Amaterasu walked over to Yubel and put his hand on the Dragon’s shoulder.

“Don’t do it alone, at least. Together.”
Uriel slithered over and Boogey walked to their side, his fear gone.

“Don’t count us out.”
Zephikel engulfed her opponent in fire and flew to their side.

“I’m in. Let’s do it.”
Mikael’s last sight was his beloved creatures standing together. He smiled before closing his eyes. Rociel was not a stupid being and wasn’t overly arrogant either. He couldn’t take all of them on at once.

“Gorz, Alexiel, to me.”
The two walked to his side, ready to fight. Mikael’s body began to shine with a blinding light. The light shone and Alexiel’s eyes lost their murkiness. He blinked twice, shook his head, and Rociel promptly knocked him out.

“I don’t think so. Night night.”
Amaterasu cracked his knuckles. The countless years melted off his face as he blazed with a fire not even Zephikel had seen.

“Time to show you young’uns why I’m a god in Japan.”
He clapped his hands and two swords of burning fire appeared in his hands.

“I never liked you Gorz. Uriel, if you’ll be so kind.”

“Of coursssssse. Let’s go!”
They charged Gorz and the Golem fell under the tremendous power of the two. The three heroes ran at Rociel and the Nightmare hissed. Yubel shot a great fireball at him and he sliced it in half with his tail. Out of the fireball, Zephikel rose like the Phoenix she was and gouged a deep wound in Rociel. Before he could heal, he was set upon by noble Boogey, his claws slashing the Nightmare with a fiery passion. Screeching in pain, Rociel let out a massive dark pulse. Everyone was put to sleep, even his own army. Only Boogey and he remained.

“Ssssstupid dreamcatcher. You are a fool! I have taken over countlessssss realms before and you have always been powerlesssss to stop me!!”

“Before, yes. But not now. Now, I have friends I have to save. Now, I can erase you from all our minds. Now, you’re nothing more than a bad dream.”
Boogey’s confidence shone like a light. Rociel realized how outmatched he was, and decided to play it safe.

“Fine. Take your ssssssilly Azrael back. I will tear apart another miserable realm, one far too weak to stop me.”

“That’s what you think, Rociel. As long as even the weak stand up for what they believe in, evil like you will never prosper.”

“A weak proposal, Bugaboo. Begone.”
And Rociel was gone. Boogey clapped his hands and the darkness vanished. Neos, Kraken, Alexiel and all the others awoke. The possessed creatures blinked and shook their heads, Rociel’s cruel presence erased. With Mikael’s last burst of power, he had resurrected every fallen comrade. But he could not save himself. Yubel and Zephikel stood over the fallen leader.

“Can you do nothing?”

“His wounds are too great. Not even a firebird’s magic can bring him back.”
The creatures cried for a while, but realized that Mikael’s work had not been in vain. The separated creatures had united to fend off Rociel, and they were closer than ever.
Zephikel was declared the Queen of Azrael, and Yubel her faithful advisor. Amaterasu was given the highest honor and Uriel was presented with more suitable gear to wear as well as a nice medal. The other creatures were happy to live in their presence. Neos and Alexiel became Supreme Commanders of a fine army, and Gorz was the first to sign up. As for Boogey, he shows up from time to time. He is much happier now, and perhaps it’s showing. Children don’t fear him as much, and sometimes he leaves little gifts. He’s just angered because kids call him the Tooth Fairy now.

Finis