Cory, Erin, Izzy, and Chase stared at the all-black figure standing in the blown-out wall of the hospital room. “I am Kid Eternity and I am going to destroy the false ringbearer!” it shouted as it glared at Cory.
“Seriously?” Cory asked. “I just came out of surgery. Can this wait a week or so?”
“Sepulchre thought destroying the Yongheng Temple would end having a ringbearer. Clearly that didn’t happen. Sepulchre created me in order to finally rid the world of a ringbearer,” the shadowy Kid Eternity explained. “Enough talking. Welcome to die,” he flew toward Cory but was blocked by a clear shield. He ran into it hard, cracking the shield, and fell to the floor.
“Yoshi,” Cory exclaimed.
“I got here just in time. I grabbed your ring for you. Thought you might need it,” Yoshi tossed the ring to Cory who put it on.
“Thanks. What is this thing?” Cory slowly got out of bed and had the ring change his hospital gown into something more comfortable.
“It was created by Sepulchre from darkness and nothing. I’m not sure what he plans to do with it,” Yoshi said.
The dark Kid Eternity stumbled back to his feet.
“I just wish Sepulchre would face me on his own. We can kill each other or not and we can get on with our lives,” Cory gave a little stretch then grabbed his side where his stitches were. “Ow. Can I have a rain check on a fight? Maybe when I’m feeling a hun…” the dark creature quickly jumped onto Cory and began striking Cory repeatedly. “Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow,” he said. He used the ring to push the dark Kid Eternity off of him and attempted to pin him underneath a rock creation.
“Are you okay?” Izzy asked.
“Everything hurts,” Cory creaked. “This has to end because I don’t think Dark Kid Eternity--Bizarro Kid Eternity?--will stop at me but try to kill all of you, too.”
Using the ring, Cory created some armor to cover his body and protect his wound. He launched himself at the Dark Kid Eternity and threw it at the hole it had made in the wall. He then flew into it at full strength and they slammed into the pavement below.
A sharp knife-like thing shot out of Cory’s fist and he began stabbing the Dark Kid Eternity repeatedly in the chest, neck, and face.
“Can’t you help him?” Erin shouted at Yoshi. “I thought you were in control of all time.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Yoshi muttered.
The hitting and the stabbing stopped. Cory stood up. “Nearly had to cut his head off but I stopped him. I know that I’m supposed to stay here overnight but I just want to go home.”
It was nearly two hours before Cory and Erin arrived home. Cory took off the ring and collapsed into his bed.
Several months had passed. Cory hadn’t put on the ring since the night of his appendectomy. School had let out for the summer and Izzy was going to a camp for the first month.
“I’m going to miss you,” she said to Cory.
“I’m going to miss you, too,” they held hands and then gently kissed.
“I could always stay or even just leave tomorrow,” she said.
“No, you couldn’t. You already paid for your ticket. You are going to have so much fun over the next month. Make sure you write,” Cory softly placed his hand on Izzy’s cheek.
“I will. You and Chase have a good summer.”
They kissed again, more passionately this time, then Izzy boarded the train. Cory watched the train although he didn’t see Izzy. When the train was out of sight, Cory left the depot. The train raced through the countryside. Izzy wasn’t watching everything to by, she was leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed listening to music.
The train continued on. Miles from anywhere, the train hit a slight buckle in the track and tipped over. It crashed hard on the ground and slid several hundred feet before landing still in a ravine.
