Jordan's anxiety mode had been activated it seems.

Most of the time he starts to freak out because we have an army at our door, or because we have a giant trying to smash our house, or because I got us lost in hell.

This time it was over packing. Packing for christ sake! I had seen him kill a fear demon - which were a myth before that happened, mind you. I had seen him kill his own zombie girlfriend - long story.

Packing was the thing that was dragging him down.

"You need to get ready to, ya'know!" Jordan screamed from his bedroom.

I decided to sit out in the hallway - looking down at the grand floor of the castle. His anxiety was making me anxious - and that was not healthy.

I was aware I needed to pack my pink backpack and be ready to leave the dimension in 5 minutes, but I really wasn't in the right headspace. I needed a few minutes to just chill. I did just get out of a coma.

Also let me tell you that comas are really boring. Nothing happened. I didn't have a neat dream where I had to go through trials to wake up. No medaness whatsoever. Like what type of joke coma is that! Give me something exciting next time!

Jordan grabbed onto one zipper end of his duffle bag and tried to zip up the overflowing clothes. I had told him he shouldn't have tried to fit his scrap metal in there.

"You know-" his words weren't coming out of his mouth that well because he was struggling to close a bag. "-that I'm not joking, right!"

"Ya, know you know I know," I mocked in a low pitch voice. I stood up brushing the dust off of my jeans. It was the third pair Martha had given me and I already had gotten rips in them.

Wasn't denim supposed to be strong?

I mean I already basically had everything I needed packed away. I was always prepared to run away in a hurry. What does a girl really need anyway other than her weapon, her boots, and her bra. All of those were either on me or in my bag. My bag was in the corner of the castle entrance with my watch, so I was prepared.

The castle doors clunked open and I expected it to be Guard Tom - who still was bunking with Jordan. Instead when I looked down I spotted Tom and Tucker.

Usually when Tom and Tucker were around each other they were either fighting (which was less so now) or they were laughing with each other. This time they were the exact opposite of laughing.

Tom's face had that white tone to it. That only happens when he's genuinely scared, which isn't often. Something really bad has to happen before Tom gets smacked back into reality.

Jordan finally got his bag zipped shut, and when he dragged it out of his old part time room I was amazed that the duffles fabric was able to stay together. Jordan's luggage looked like a too full water ballon ready to explode on impact. I predicated that it wouldn't last five minutes of the trek.

Jordan was a little more affected by the horrified faces of Tucker and Tom than I was. I usually shrugged off anything they got too excited about, because most of the time I was to young to be involved. I decided then and there that instead of shrugging off their fear of adventure I would get excited by it because I love adventure.

"What happened?" Jordan asked out of breath. The heavy bag landed on the floor with a plop as he shrugged it off.

Tom was still struggling to get breath wouldn't talk until he got it back. He held his chest in the overdramatic way he does.

"We had to run here." Tucker said.

"Obviously," I added. No one seemed amused by my comment.

Jordan slightly squinted at them, but then he picked up his glasses off his face and it turned out he just had to clean them. "You know," he said as he cleaned the glass with his grey shirt. "I made those watches so you wouldn't have that hassle."

Tom shook his head no, still unable to form words.

"Too dangerous," Tucker got out as air was still trying to get to his lungs. Some sweat had stained the collar of his shirt and he looked like he needed a cool glass of water desperately.

"Wha-" Jordan started to say, and then his watch lit up interrupting him. He gazed down at his watch, which was too dangerous to use. His pupils dilated in surprise.

I looked over the railing and saw Tom and Tucker on the bottom floor. They were no longer struggling for breath. Whatever was showing on there watch was to amazing for breathing.

I ran to the stairs. I slid down the oak railing, my watch in view. My palms were practically sweating with the idea of something final - some closure.

I always did love a good story.

I landed safely on the ground, and I didn't even notice the thud of my feet finding the first floor because I was do busy running to my bag.

I grabbed my watch, holding it so hard in my hands that I might have crushed it. The adrenaline rush of pre-battle had made my heart start to beat so quickly that I didn't know my own strength.

I saw the screen, illuminating my face with the flash of red, yellow, and black light. I stood for a while, not understanding what I was seeing. It didn't go through at first because it wasn't something exciting. I had thirst for danger with feeling since I got my feelings back, but not like this. When I saw what was in the screen I wasn't filled with wonder. I was too filled with fear.

Someone had hacked into our watches, and they were showing us a video with Urulu on fire. A hell on earth.

I made sure I had three things before this battle. The battle I liked to call hell on earth. Not because of the way Urulu looked, just for how ungodly hot it was. The humidity weighing down on me was enough to kill me.

Usually I plan out every scenario that could happen during a battle quickly, and then get everything prepared and packed. You never know what crazy stupid idea Hope's imagination will caboodle up.

This time my planning was being monitored. Like when you have to pack for a plane. I'm sorry but not being able to have more than 3.4 ounces of liquid is insane. Get the hell out Nancy the flight whatever. Your blue skirt suit isn't that nice!

So the three things I brought were important. My watch, my sword (because if I have to make that again I'm throwing Tom off a cliff), and my wits. That's all I needed.

But I still had a feeling that there was a 50% chance that we were all going to die.

Hope somehow was even horrified of the events that had taken place, which didn't warm my heart in the slightest. Actually my heart was very cold. The weather outside had gone from nuclear warfare to the arctic.

I noticed now when I got outside with my duffle bag and backpack slung around my shoulders. Whatever greenhouse gas barrier this universe still had was going haywire. It went from "optimal beach weather" to "grounds so frozen I can throw snowballs" in a night.

I had to throw on as many jackets I had on as possible and shove my hands in my pockets just so I wouldn't be in pain from the windchill. It didn't snow because the sky refused to rain, but there was a thick layer of frost and frozen ground under me. The once lush kingdom had turned into a desert in a few weeks. I started to wonder if the sea being gone had any affect.

By the time I had gotten to Martha's Farmhouse the cold outside had made my face numb. The burning sensation of the houses heat on my nose only slightly distracted me from the mission at hand.

The fireplace at the corner of the room crackled, and even the slight heat from the fire was enough of a change to warm me up.

Wag had pushed all of the furniture around so he had enough room to work. We had nowhere near enough time to walk to Urulu. Not that the weather conditions would allow. Anxiety was even starting to build up in me on the fact that it was taking so long for Wag to get the teleportation spell up.

I was the last one to get to the farmhouse out of the whole crew of survivors. Since Urulu was in ruins and the rest of the world was practically destroyed by Mianite and his crypts, we were pretty sure we were the only ones left anyways. I could at least run away from the dying flames of this world with that reassurance.

Wag had drawn out his line for us to stand on because "if anybody moved the spell could be ruined!" Supposably he says.

"Okay," He spoke out. He pointed to his perfect chalk line. "You know the drill."

It was a spiral running, fighting, and killing. Insanity erupted as soon as we stepped foot in Urulu. I had the prediction that all of this unneeded violence happened strictly for the fact that Mianite didn't want us making it to Dianite's body or the portal.

I don't see myself as a violent person. At least not violent in the sense that I enjoy fighting or see a point in it. I personally believe that there could easily be a world where no one argued if we all became open minded and level headed. In another life I could have even been a pacifist, but when I saw the damage in Urulu I realized why that wasn't possible. At least not here. Everything had gone too far here.

The sand dune city with its irrigation system and agricultural. The lush cornfields had been turned into ash. The sand stone houses lined with tapestries had been fine grounded into the desert floor. Everything that was flammable had been lit and was burning.

The smoke tasted rancid in my mouth, but somehow it was still decent to breath. Wag must have had packed something else into the teleportation spell. Smoke this thick - so thick that I could only see the silhouettes of my team - would have made you pass out in only a few breathes and some coughing.

The heat was something that still affected you even with a spell. The air might have been bitterly cold outside of the confines of Urulu lines, but inside the huge bonfire gave enough heat to fuel a thousand Sonja restaurants. I knew I would at least definitely get tanner from this.

"The entrance to Matthew's laboratory is on top of those stairs!" Mot had to shout over the roaring of the fire. He pointed to a staircase completely across from the point we teleported too.

Good one Wag.

"Try to grab as many survivors as you can!" Mot yelled out. As he zoomed his eyes over the ones glorious city his hope diminished. "If there is any left."

I grabbed my daggers at my side. They lit on fire, which wouldn't be very helpful at the moment. As much as Tom may like to believe the term kill fire with fire, it's not actually a good thing. To be honest I had a sneaking feeling that I wouldn't be any use whatsoever to this battle.

The smoke billowed higher in the night sky. Stars were unseeable. Either because the smog in the sky was hiding them, or they had went back to dust. The only reassuring this about this universe dying was the fact that it would eventually go back. There would eventually be life again.

Tucker, Jordan, Wag, Tom, Hope and I took a longer route to the staircase. Mostly for the factor that our job was to try to see if any survivors were left and take them with us. The more lives we could save the better.

As the team and I started to near the staircase I tried to pay more attention to the ground. The lower levels, incase someone was trapped or hurt.

"Sonja are your shoelaces untied or do you want to trip," Tom asked more in a sentiment way. He, like normal, was trying to lighten up a pretty shitty mood.

I smirked. I felt a little bit of joy again, but then looking up - back at the destruction, the destruction we had made by just being there - made me all sorts of emotions again. Sadness, guilt, and frustration kept any instinct I had to be funny down.

"I'm looking to see if anybody could be under some of the rubble." I spoke to seriously. I stared back at the ground again.

"Sonja," Tucker grabbed my attention. I glanced up to him and his face was hopeless. At least for the mission at hand right now. "I don't think there's anymore people to save."

I didn't understand what he was talking about until I heard something crunch under my foot.

I stopped and stepped back. Curiosity and dread took over me, making my chest feel empty and numb. I had stomped on a bone. A human bone. Possibly a humerus. I had broke it in half due to its charred consistency and size. It was too small to be an adults corpse.

Only the light from the fire flickering on the beige sand gave me the ability to see. As I looked up I noticed more charred corpses. The heat got incredibly worse as we walked closer and closer to the steps. Sweat has started to trickled down my back from the fire, and my breath was quickening.

The stairs were in view now, and Martha, Mot, and the Wizards were waiting for us at the entrance. I could hear the team in front of me sign out of relief. I seemed to be the most upset about the lack of survivors.

"WATCH OUT!" Martha's voice screamed out shrilly.

I backed up quickly just from the warning coming out of her mouth, but if I wouldn't have I would have been squashed.

The middle of the stairs cracked and crackled. The heat had bended their bearings to an extant where it couldn't hold any more, and the staircase fell.

We would of had to either turn around and find another entrance or rock climb up the cliff.

Thankfully Mot had been prepared for something like this. He reached through his duel green bag and brought out something. That something was a rope.

At least he packed something useful, unlike Tom who packed just strictly lunch meat for some goddamn reason.

He tied the rope to one of the arches standing in front of the lab entrance. Something that an extravagant architect had ones planned out and watched being built would now be our easy ticket up to the entrance.

"Ladies first," Tom gestured to the rope. Do I think he was being a gentlemen. Do I think he really cared if Hope and I were the first ones up to safer ground. No.

I was 100% sure that he was just to scared to climb up first.

I pointed to the rope with a lot more force than I originally meant too. "Gentlemen first."

"So that wouldn't be Tom," Wag piped in.

Tom looked personally attacked. "Hey-!" He started to whine.

"Now please!" Hope snapped. She had been anxiously holding on her brown leather jacket since we got to Urulu. I predicted it was because Andor had no idea about his father.

Tom held up his hands over his chest. "Alright," he backed up slowly to the rope. "I'm going."

Tom climbed up, and then like the strong independent ladies we are Hope and I followed.

Jordan was just about to climb the rope when something started to rumbled under us.

Jordan hoisted himself onto the rope as the rumbling got worse. The boom boom drumbeat, shaking harder and harder. The best growing louder and louder.

"Why can't anything normal happen?" Hope sighed in defeat, like she could smell crazy before it even happened.

The wall of the cliff crashed open, forcing Tom, Hope, and I to back up against the outermost of the laboratory for our lives. I stepped on some burned shrubbery and prayed for the old landscaping.

The stomping echoed in the crevice of the newly developed cavern in the cliffside. Some soft growling continued as the steps grew closer and closer to Jordan.

When the cliff wall turned into ruble Jordan had fallen off the rope. He was now splayed on the cobble path. His head looked like it would have serious bumpage on it later.

If there was a later.

A tall shadow of a creature loomed over Jordan. Something with green scales and thick claws. The lizard like tail flicked, and even that was so huge that a mini earthquake presented itself every time the creature moved and inch.

It became so ginormous that it's three heads that we were directly standing behind were taller than us.

"Hydra," I whispered out, and I didn't even mean to have the words come out. It was like a muscle moving on its own.

I remembered Hydras from fairytales and mythology. Especially from Hercules, a story that I only remembered faintly. I think purely for the fact that the Hydra scarred me as a child.

When I looked down at Jordan he didn't even seem a little frightened. Not even curious in the way where he finds an interesting bird or lizard that he wants to study. He honestly just had a disappointed glaze look over his eyes.

"Don't they just," Jordan tried to grasp for extra words. He didn't run and fight for his life. He only sat crouched on the ground. "Don't they just grow extra head."

The Hydra growled in a high pitch tone. The ground shook as each syllable rang out of its mouth. This thing was humongous.

Jordan still don't move, and even though he was feeling fine, everyone else was having a level five panic attack.

"They breath fire you dumbass!" Mot screamed out, who couldn't hold back the anxiety any longer.

Even as all of the humans in the proximity attention went to Mot, the beast still had its red flowing eyes affixed on Jordan. He was its target. He was what it had to install fear in.

Jordan gave Mot a funny look. "No it doesn't," he scoffed.

Mot motioned to everything around us, especially on the flaming piles of rubble. "Look around you!"

The Hydra sniffed in the toxic smoke air like it was a nice sunny day. Then, almost to prove Mot's obvious point it painted the ground in front of Jordan with fire.

The new crackling flames illuminate Jordan's now horrified face, and even before the Hydra got done with its first fire spray, Jordan was safely hidden behind a big chunk of rubble.