Chapter 42: The Mysterious Energy

Reese let out a long sigh of relief as he glanced around the dimly lit chamber. "Well, that was a close one," he remarked, his voice laced with humor. "Note to self: add 'dodging death by giant serpent' to the list of things I never thought I'd have to do."

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. "Seriously, though, thank goodness for the Amethyst Orb," Reese continued, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "I owe you one. Remind me to buy you a nice polish when we get home," he joked as he looked towards the two children.

But before Reese could walk toward the two children, Reese felt the Amethyst Orb's urging; he couldn't help but wonder what it was trying to convey to him this time. With a mixture of curiosity and caution, he allowed the orb's energy to guide him back toward Serpenthia's lifeless form.

As Reese cautiously approached Serpenthia's motionless form, he noticed an eerie phenomenon unfolding before his eyes. A thick, swirling mist, darker than the night itself, began to seep from Serpenthia's body, tendrils of shadowy energy snaking through the air.

His eyes widened in astonishment, and a glimmer of hope sparked within Reese's chest. "Could this be...?" he murmured to himself, his voice tinged with excitement.

Without hesitation, Reese extended his hand towards the billowing mist, feeling its dark energy pulse against his skin. With a sense of determination, he called upon the power of the Amethyst Orb, willing it to draw in the mysterious mist.

As the mist was absorbed into the depths of the Amethyst Orb, Reese felt a surge of anticipation coursing through him. If his hunch was correct, this newfound energy could hold the key to helping him breakthrough to a higher realm.

With the mysterious mist safely within the Amethyst Orb, Reese couldn't contain his excitement. Every step he took seemed lighter, his heart pounding with anticipation. "This is it," he thought, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He could not wait to go home to transform the large amount of that mysterious mist into Amethyst Aura.

After the Amethyst Orb was done absorbing the mysterious mist, Reese took a deep breath and composed himself. With a determined yet relaxed demeanor, he turned back to the two kids and approached them.

As Reese approached the two children, he could see the fear etched on their tear-stained faces. He kneeled down beside them and began untying their bindings, removing their blindfolds and gags gently.

"Hey there, you two," Reese greeted warmly, his voice gentle and reassuring. "What are your names?"

The boy hesitated for a moment before answering. "I'm Tim," he said, his voice wavering slightly. "And this is my sister, Emily." 

Tim and Emily blinked up at him, their eyes wide with apprehension. "Who are you?" Tim asked, his voice trembling.

Reese smiled reassuringly. "I'm just a nobody," he replied, trying to sound as friendly as possible. "I'm here to help you get back to your mommy and daddy."

But instead of relief, Tim and Emily's faces twisted with even more fear. "You're one of them, aren't you?" Emily whimpered, her bottom lip trembling.

Reese's heart sank at the misunderstanding, but he knew he had to calm them down. "No, no, no!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him. "I'm not one of the bad guys, I promise! Look, I would buy you two a lot of ice cream when we get out of here," he promised.

The kids stared at Reese. "Really?" one of them asked, sniffing back tears. 

"Absolutely!" Reese replied with a grin. "You can even pick whatever flavor of ice cream you want!" 

The mention of ice cream seemed to do the trick, and the kids' tears began to subside. "Can we get chocolate?" one of them asked eagerly. 

"Chocolate it is!" Reese declared with a chuckle, relieved to see the kids starting to relax.

After assuring Tim and Emily that they would get ice cream, Reese's mind raced with ideas for their escape. Thinking about the Amethyst Orb, he thought this would be the ideal time to try to see if it could transfer another human being inside. He focused his concentration on the Amethyst Orb, intending to send the children within. However, to his confusion, the kids remained standing before him, their puzzled expressions mirroring his own.

Furrowing his brow, Reese tried again, pouring all his willpower into the command for the Amethyst Orb to transfer the children. Yet, despite his efforts, the Orb remained inert, refusing to heed his commands. 

As Reese pondered his next move, a sudden realization dawned on him. Remembering his master's words about the Amethyst Orb, he knew there was a way to make their escape unnoticed. With determination in his eyes, Reese approached Tim and Emily, his voice calm yet urgent. 

"Kids, I have an idea that might help us get out of here safely," Reese explained, his words laced with reassurance. "But I need your help."

Tim and Emily exchanged hesitant glances, uncertainty flickering in their eyes. "What do you need us to do?" Tim asked cautiously.

"I need a drop of your blood," Reese replied, his tone gentle yet firm. Reese did not even try to explain to the kids about his Amethyst Orb it would just be a waste of time.

The kids recoiled slightly at the request, fear flashing across their faces. "Is it safe?" Emily asked, her voice trembling with apprehension.

Reese offered them a reassuring smile. "I promise it's completely safe," he assured them. "It's our best chance to get out of here without anyone noticing."

After a moment of hesitation, Tim and Emily nodded in reluctant agreement. With steady hands, Reese found a small, sharp stick from the debris around them and pricked their fingers, collecting a single drop of blood from each child.

With the blood collected, his heart was pounding with anticipation. Focusing his thoughts, he willed the orb to absorb the essence of their blood, its surface shimmering with newfound energy.

Then, with a final surge of concentration, Reese commanded the Orb to envelop Tim and Emily, transporting them safely inside its mystical confines, and then the children vanished from sight. "It worked," Reese exclaimed happily.

Now that the kids were secure and safe within the Amethyst Orb.

Reese turned to the three remaining men; his expression darkened, his gaze piercing through them like daggers. The men, their mouths agape in shock at the sudden disappearance of the children, felt a shiver run down their spines as Reese's piercing, glowing purple eyes bore into theirs.

As Reese turned to the three remaining men, his expression hardened, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. The men, their faces drained of color as they realized they had caught Reese's attention, fell to their knees in a desperate attempt to plead for mercy.

"We.. We didn't have a choice," one of them blurted out, his voice trembling with fear. "The mistress, she... she would have killed us if we didn't obey her orders. We had to do what she said, or else..."

Their pleas for leniency echoed through the hall, each word tinged with desperation as they begged for Reese's mercy. "We'll tell you everything," another man chimed in, his voice cracking under the weight of his fear. "Just please, don't kill us. We didn't want any of this..."

Reese's eyes narrowed at their excuses, his frustration growing with each passing second. "Tell me everything," he demanded, his voice tinged with a hint of menace. "Or else..." 

Then Reese remembered how Batman would intograte bad people; he would beat them until they were dying before he ordered them to talk. 

The men's eyes widened in terror as Reese trailed off, the implication of his threat hanging in the air. But before they could respond, Reese's hand shot out with lightning speed, delivering a resounding thud to the nearest man's cheek. Then proceed to beat the three men until they could barely breathe.

Then Reese summoned his Batman voice and said, "Now, talk." 

'So that's what it feels like,' he thought as he laughed inwardly. 

The three men felt like crying after they heard Reese. They can even hardly breathe, let alone talk. "You're a menace," one of the men said.