20: The Anubis Crystals Together At Last.

When everything returned to normal, Mason found himself on the ground covered with dust. He patted his clothes to get rid of the dirt and looked around. He saw nothing but a floor with a few buildings left standing. In front of him was a large hole on the ground, that can be seen from space, created by the explosion. He stared down the hole, but didn't find a soul. Just when he thought Dark was gone for good, he popped out of the ground.

"Huh? No way! I thought you were destroyed..."

"I'm indestructible!" Spectre laughed.

Mason was shocked to see Dark unharmed. He tried every idea he had, but nothing worked. For the first time Mason didn't know what to do. Suddenly, Dark realized something.

"Where's Blaze?"

Mason: "He left some while ago....h-"

Dark: "No!" He flew high into the sky, searching for Blaze. Just then Mason realized that Blaze has gone after the unguarded crystals.

Meanwhile, Blaze found the two hidden crystals. Some Dark Soldiers were guarding them, so he killed them. He carried them with him, and planned to reunite them with the other five.

"Those fools! While they're killing each other down there, I'll collect all seven crystals and destroy them all! The smarter one always wins!" He reached the building where Dark had left his crystals. Dark caught up with him and tried to stop him.

Spectre: "Stop!"

Blaze: "It's too late!"

Before Dark could make a move, Mason grabbed him from behind and held him. "Go ahead! Hurry!" yelled Mason.

Dark: "Let me go!"

"This is it for you."

"You idiot! Don't let Blaze get the crystals. He can't be trusted."

Blaze quickly put all seven of them together and awaited his destiny. "The crystals are flashing!" he exclaimed. Indeed, they were. Each crystal was reacting to one another, releasing a large amount of energy at the presence of the other crystals. Dark got really angry and frustrated, he formed dark energy in his palms and touched Mason's stomach.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" He was out.

The crystals sent their energy to Blaze and Dark winced from the brightness of the color. Blaze felt a lot of pain from the overload of the power, but he ignored it and continued to receive more power from them. Dark threw a fire ball at him, but a shield protected him.

Blaze: "You can't stop the process! Your end is now Dark Spectre!" Once Blaze was fully charged, the crystals lost their shine and became nothing more than mere stones.

Dark: "My crystals! No!"

"Those crystals are useless to me now! Now I am the most powerful fighter in the universe!" Now that he had enough power, he turned into a super sayan again and this time he's stronger.

"Noooo! Impossible!"

"No longer will I be at your mercy, nor shall anyone else! I will rid your evil off this galaxy!"

"Evil?! You have no right to call me that. You are just like me in many ways, Blaze."

"Don't flatter yourself! I'm nothing like you!"

"Sure you are, if you think about it. You are a traitor, just like I am. You also seek power and will do anything to get it. Am I right?"

Blaze: "Everything I have done in the past twelve years was for my revenge, to kill you! You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this day, Dark. As long as I have the power, I don't care how many people I hurt along the way. You have mercilessly killed thousands of others. The numbers I killed are nothing compared to yours."

Dark Spectre fired a beam, and it got disintegrated touching Blaze's shield.

Is the legend really true, that whoever receives the power of all seven Anubis Crystals is invincible? Is the super sayan Blaze really strong enough to defeat Dark Spectre? This time, the fate of all living things depends on the outcome of this battle.

Everything that Blaze, Mason, and Zelfire have worked hard was for this moment. To kill Dark Spectre.

The newly powered up Blaze and Dark Spectre fought like there's no tomorrow. Because if either of them loses, there will be no tomorrow for them. This one fight will determine everything.

Mason and Zelfire watched with wide open mouths.

Mason thought for sure he'd be the one to kill Spectre. But yet, Blaze is the last one standing. Is this why Master Lang spared Blaze? So he can have the ultimate showdown with Spectre?

Blaze kept on hitting Spectre with everything he's got. Wham! His speed was amazing, as he was hitting Spectre in the air, knocking him everywhere, just like what he did to Mason earlier. After getting kicked, Spectre's mask cracked some more.

"Damn you…you damn sayan!" He fired a blast full of dark energy, and Blaze got hit, and landed.

Dark gathered energy for the Death Star. Seeing this, Blaze gathered energy for the Cosmic Blast. They decided that its time for the final charge. They both reached their full power and gathered all the energy they could handle.

Mason: "No…it's too dangerous."

Zelfire: "I feel like my head's going to explode!"

Within an instant, they fired at each other and the energies collided. It was the most intense blast ever, it was so huge it could be clearly seen from outer space. A bright light flashed and covered a small piece of the planet. Everything near the blast disappeared, but Blaze and Dark remained standing still in the sky. They could barely see each other, as everything is covered by the explosion.

Mason and Zelfire were hanging onto something to keep from being blown away. But the current was too strong. They were blown away and out of sight.

Blaze screamed as the energy burned him in the air. Everything around him was white. Dark's mask cracked apart and revealed his scarred, monstrous face.

"Damn you…you sayan…"

He screamed for his life as his body turned into nothing. Then everything blew up. Kaboom!

A few minutes later, everything was quiet. Not a sound was heard from the whole place. The city was now completely gone, and the once Lost City had become literally lost. What was once a marble floor of the city ground was now a dry desert.

Suddenly, something on the ground moved - Mason's hand. His whole body was covered with dust and it camouflaged him as the ground. He slowly got up and patted his clothes to rid of the dust and sand. He looked around, and saw nothing but emptiness.

"Blaze? Zelfire? Anyone?!" He walked towards the bushes and looked behind it. He found a beautiful lake surrounded by a rich variety of trees - almost like a mirage. But he was sure it's no illusion. On the ground he found Blaze laying there, not moving a muscle. He walked over the body to see if he was still breathing. He was, but barely.

"Blaze..."

Blaze opened his eyes. "Mason…where's Dark Spectre?"

"He's gone. You did it."

He forced a laugh. "I did it. After twelve years of hard training, I finally accomplished my goal."

"Yeah, you did it. I always thought I would be the one who would win at the very end, but you did it instead. So this is what Master Lang predicted...you saved us all."

"...It looks like my goal h-has finally be-been accomplished...now I can d-die in peace..."

He closed his eyes and the wind blew hard on Mason. "Rest in peace, Blaze."

He looked at the magnificent lake and thought, (Finally, peace in the universe...Dark Spectre is gone for good.) The lake sparkled from the reflection of the suns. The fish swam and jumped happily, not having a care in the universe.

"Mason! I've found you at last!" Zelfire shouted. "I thought you were blown to pieces from the-"

"No. I'm still alive, see?" he interrupted.

"Where's Blaze…and Dark Spectre?"

"There's nothing to worry about anymore. Dark Spectre is dead. And Blaze died in the process."

"I see. So in the end, it was him who killed the tyrant of the Dark Empire.

"C'mon. Let's go get Margrit."

"I'll go contact Jerrell." Zelfire planned on finding the space pod Mason used to get here.

Mason tried to sense Margrit's signal but he could barely feel it. Her signal was weakening. But as he sensed her out, he finally understood one more thing. Why was he able to sense her signal when he first met her? And how has he been able to recognize her signal ever since?

When you truly care about someone, you will recognize his or her spirit. That spirit signal is a warm, comforting feeling. If you truly care about someone in this world, you will find him or her, no matter where he or she is.

Finally, he saw her lying on the rocks. She saw him, and despite the injuries, ran into his arms and hugged real tight.

"Mason!!"

"It's all over now." he said.

"It's finally over. We can finally have peace."

Piper looked at the sky and saw a star falling in his direction. He grinned happily and rushed to inform the others. Jerrell, Leila, Kane, Kyle and Piper waited anxiously for its arrival. The space pod landed in front of them and blew some dust away. The door opened, and Mason, Zelfire and Margrit stepped out.

"Guys!! You're alright!!" yelled Leila happily.

Jerrell: "Margrit! You made it!"

Mason: "Your resistance and hard work hasn't been a waste, Jerrell. Dark is gone forever."

They all yelled happily and hugged each other. Margrit and Mason hugged each other tight. Even Mason and Jerrell gave each other a pat on the back. Most of them were crying, and their tears sparkled in their eyes. This was the biggest celebration they ever had, and one that will never leave their memories.

Jerrell: "You did Mason! I knew you could do it!"

Mason: "Well, I can't take all the credit. The irony is that it was Blaze who really deserves the credit. He saved all of us."

Jerrell: "Blaze? He killed Dark?"

Zelfire: "It doesn't matter who killed Dark. What matters is that we are all safe now."

News of Dark Spectre's death spread rapidly throughout the cosmos. Leaders of planets involved in the Great War were shocked to hear this. They all feared and respected the sayan man who killed the acclaimed strongest warrior in the universe. The news has reached Arlia as well. The king of Arlia didn't know what to do now. The rebels rejoiced.

Rumors have it that the war will end soon. The Dark Empire, weakened without its leader, went on the defensive, as the rebels fought back aggressively. It will only be a matter of time before the war ends…

Later on…

In the colony, Kane told Leila and Piper that he can't join them back to Earth. "Jerrell needs my help. Besides, this place is my home." he said.

Leila: "We understand. Thank you for everything you've done."

Mason regretfully told Margrit he had to go back home. They were talking in the mist. "Margrit, now that this whole nightmare is over, I have to go home…back to Earth. You know that I can't stay…"

"I know...but-"

"Earth is my home...I'm sorry, I can't stay in this colony. I told you before, I can't stay here forever."

Tears were dripping from her eyes and she looked away.

"Go with him." To her surprise, it was Jerrell's voice. "Go with him to Earth. There's nothing left for you here. This colony has completed its purpose."

"But what about you?" she said.

Jerrell: "I must stay. I need to keep things peaceful here. Now that the Empire is gone, I'll go and pursue my dream of creating the ultimate police force. We're going to keep order in the galaxy."

Margrit: "I bid you good luck, brother." She gave him a hug, then went towards Mason.

Jerrell left the mist.

Whenever there is evil, there is good. No matter how powerful evil is, there is always an equally powerful counter-force that is good, a force of light, the light that overcomes the darkness. The darkness is jealous of the light. And the light is afraid of the darkness. The darkness wants to engulf the light, but the light shall shine over the darkness.

And one man from one colony is the light that overcomes the darkness. A century of darkness, a century of war. God bless those men and women who died for the sake of freedom. These men and women, like Mason's and Margarita's parents, died for a cause. Their deaths were not wasted. They will forever be remembered as heroes of the Great War.

Remember, it is up to the light to over shine the darkness.

"...And so, since that day we lived happily ever after. Dark Spectre, the baddest guy of all, is gone and the universe is once again safe from his evil." finished Mason, telling a story to a baby. The baby giggled happily and laughed, as if he understood the story.

Margrit walked into the room. She was wearing that beautiful white dress that she had from the colony. "I thought you were going to put him to sleep. Is this your idea of a bedtime story?"

"Hey, I was just telling him the true story about us. It's a great, epic story and I think our son should know about it."

"Well, I think he's a too young to understand anything you said, but he will when he grows older."

"Yeah...I hope when he grows up he'll be just like his old man. Saving the universe."

"I don't think he has to, you already did that." She turned to baby Tyson. "Isn't that right? Goo-chi goo-chi! You should be proud. Your father did some amazing things!"

The End

…Or is it?