Gabriel stumbled backward, confusion and anger running over his features. Kai clenched his hands at his sides, unsure of what to do. He couldn't hurt Linda, and The Dark Lord obviously knew that. He was enjoying the fleeting moment of seeing his enemies' uncertainty and annoyance and fear. Abby clapped the other hand over her mouth, her eyebrows set in a frown and angry tears filling her perfect blue eyes. 

"How dare you," Gabriel said, his voice a whisper. His hands balled into fists at his sides, his fingers shaking in anger. "How dare you!" he said again, this time much louder and more angry. "You have no right! You can't just... just- Take over her body like that!" 

"Oh, but I can," The Dark Lord said deviously, gesturing to Linda's body with her hand. "I've done so already, dear boy, and only I can choose when I want to leave. Don't even think about giving me orders." 

Gabriel seethed with anger but wisely said nothing else. 

Kai stood perfectly still, breathing in and out slowly so he didn't attack Linda out of anger directed at The Dark Lord. He looked Linda up and down, though he wasn't sure what he was looking for. There was no change in her, simply the voice cloaked with her own. 

Her right hand still held the key with the force of a trap, and the cloud of darkness flitted around it almost joyously, caressing Linda's fingers then snapping back into the circle again. 

Get the key away from her, Kai's mind told him. That's what he's using to possess her body. The Dark Lord isn't a spirit, like Thorn was. He's Darkness himself. He doesn't have to be out of the Abyss to take over one's body. He can take over anyone if they're holding the key, or maybe if they're simply near him. 

Kai moved toward Linda, and The Dark Lord used her body to take a step back.

With a small chuckle, he lifted Linda's hand and waggled her finger at Kai. "Naughty, naughty. I didn't say you could move." 

Kai expected to be held in place by Dark Magic, but nothing happened. He could still move, and he took another confident step forward, which made Linda's face crease into a frown. The Dark Lord was simply using Linda's body; therefore, he wasn't in his own. Which meant he couldn't use his own magic. 

In another's body, The Dark Lord was powerless.

This drew a smirk onto Kai's face. He could get the key away from Linda easier than he'd expected he could. She did know how to fight, but he was bigger and had magic that could trap her in place. Surely The Dark Lord didn't know how to work her powers, if he even could. 

"Kai," Abby's wary and panicked voice warned from behind him, "whatever you're thinking, don't do it." 

"You should listen to your girlfriend," The Dark Lord said through Linda's mouth, his hidden voice forcing Linda's to a slow, warning tone. "She has some sense. Attack me, and you will be dead in moments." 

"You're bluffing," Kai declared, pointing his finger at Linda. "You're still trapped in the Abyss. You aren't actually here. You're only using our friend's body to talk to us. If you're not here, you can't use your magic because Linda doesn't have the same power you do. If you can even use her power, I can defeat hers. You are powerless." 

Kai could feel Abby and Gabriel staring at him in wonder and confusion, but he ignored them and mimicked the smirk that had been on Linda's face some moments ago. 

"Smart boy," The Dark Lord tsked instead of denying it. "I'll give you that. Say, where is Shintaro? I want to see him." He started forward, but Kai blocked his path, drawing another frown from Linda's face. 

"Sorry," Kai said flatly, readying himself in case he needed to pin Linda down with his magic. "Shintaro can't see you right now. He's currently busy. I would say wait your turn, but you won't get a turn to see him." 

This made The Dark Lord throw back his head and laugh again. He continued to laugh until he lost his breath, then he leaned forward to breathe, occasionally emitting smaller chuckles between breaths. Finally, he straightened Linda's body and forced her eyes to lock with Kai's. Linda's mouth was grinning wildly again. 

"Adorable, really," he chuckled with malicious joy. "It's cute how you think you can tell me what to do.  But," he added, the smile leaving his face as he dropped his tone into a menacing one, "as soon as I'm free, dear boy, it won't be quite so adorable anymore." 

Kai clenched his fists and stepped toward Linda again, tentatively reaching out with his mind to see if he could brush her consciousness, if she was still in there somewhere. 

Good try, young one, The Dark Lord said in his head, making Kai flinch backward as Linda grinned at him again. But you won't be finding her mind, not while I'm in her body. 

"Then I'll just have to restore her mind," Kai said sharply, abruptly lunging forward. 

The Dark Lord wasn't even caught off guard. He made Linda's body back up two steps with a straight face, then her leg sailed off the ground and collided with Kai's skull, sending the teenager toppling sideways. 

"HEY!" Abby cried, her voice panicked and angry. 

Kai's head and shoulder hit the ground first, and he tucked into a roll almost instinctively. He skidded to a stop with one leg and the other foot on the ground, studying himself with his right arm. His head immediately started throbbing in pain, but he ignored it and stood up again, spinning around to face The Dark Lord again.

Gabriel had realized Kai's plan and was firmly holding Linda's wrist, trying to pry her fingers open. The gem made a hissing sound, as if it was angry that it was being trifled with. 

The Dark Lord made an impatient scoffing sound, and his free hand clapped around Gabriel's throat, forcing a choked sound from Gabriel. Linda wasn't strong enough to lift him completely off the ground, but The Dark Lord, through her body, shoved Gabriel back and forced him down onto the floor. 

Abby was about to jump forward to help when Kai stepped in her way, trapping her in the doorway. She skidded to a stop with a startled cry, then grabbed Kai's hand before he could tackle Linda. 

He spun around toward her, catching her anxious eyes. 

"Be careful," she said simply, and her fingers left his. 

Kai whipped back around and charged toward his friend, making it look like he was simply going to reach for Linda's wrist. The Dark Lord fell for it and snapped Linda's arm back, but Kai dropped into a slide, wrapping his feet around Linda's left foot and bringing her to the floor. 

He sat up sharply and moved over Linda to pin her down, earning himself an angry hiss from The Dark Lord. Kai grabbed her right wrist, planted one leg on the floor by her side, pinned her other wrist down with his foot, and tried to remember to nerve on the human's hand that forced their hand open. 

Taking a deep breath, Kai pressed his fingers onto her wrist, and her fingers opened abruptly. He held back a shout of triumph and stood sharply, kicking the gem away and watching as it clattered into the wall and spun in a slow circle for a moment. 

When he looked back at Linda, her eyes with closed tightly and her hands were clenched at her sides. Gabriel sat up, rubbing his neck with a pained expression, and scooted toward her eagerly. Abby hurried over to Kai's side and entangled her fingers in his. 

"Ow," Linda said without opening her eyes, lifting one hand and touching the bridge of her nose. She said it in her own voice, her own mind, her own body. The Dark Lord's voice wasn't hidden in her throat anymore. He was gone. 

Kai breathed a sigh of relief and knelt beside her, gently pulling Abby down with him. He touched Linda's shoulder gently, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Ow, ow," Linda said again, pressing her other hand to her forehead. "Holy crap, my head hurts. Uuuuungh." She rubbed her face for a moment, then opened her eyes and glanced up at Kai, then down at her shoulder. "Okay, what just happened?" 

Gabriel carefully grabbed her shoulders and helped her sit up. 

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" she asked in a slightly flustered tone. "Why am I on the floor? Why does my head hurt like someone threw a truck straight at my forehead? Is the key destroyed? Come on, answers!" She winced at her own shout. 

"That son of a glitch Dark Lord took over your body through the key when you tried to destroy it," Gabriel said sharply, his voice slightly hoarse from when Linda had thrown him to the floor by his neck. 

Linda blinked at him for a moment, her jaw clenching as she mulled over what he'd said. "He... did what?" 

"He basically possessed you," Abby said quietly. "Like Thorn possessed Luke, except The Dark Lord isn't a spirit, so I guess he can do it to anyone, and he has his own body too." She rubbed her hand over her face, as if just realizing the truth of what she'd said. 

"Oh, he's so dead," Linda said flatly, frowning at the key that she had spotted. "He'll pay for doing that. He has no right." 

"That's what I said," Gabriel said hoarsely, balling his hands into fists angrily. 

A sharp cry from outside drew their attention to the front door, which burst open a moment later. 

Moon charged in, looking impatient and possibly even crazy, her eyes widened and her teeth gritted. She held Falte by the back of his neck, thrusting him in front of her and shoving him to his knees. Behind her, outside, Chase and Shintaro were leaning over Zeke, who was lying on his back on the grass. 

"The key," Moon said sharply, drawing Kai's attention back to her and his father. Panic and anger and terror bloomed in his chest as he watched Falte's terrified brown eyes dart around him. "Now, or he dies." 

~

Another cliffhanger!!

But this one is the biggest suspense yet, I believe! 

Is Falte gonna die? 

Is Shintaro right?

Is it too late to stop The Dark Lord?

Will they stop him? 

EHEHEHEHHE I love doing this to y'all XD

Well, thanks for reading!!! 

P3ac3!!~~~