The announcer spoke, which calmed the boisterous fans. “This League Wars has proven to be one of the most eventful yet. After a controversial start with leagues battling for opening positions, to the first ever recorded double overtime. It is with great pride we are ready to...” he paused as everyone watched the heroes turn their attention away from the ceremony.
Fleagle rushed up to the middle of the stadium and held a hand up to his eyes. “What the hell is that?”
The BADGE space station emitted a brilliant orange glow. The dome on top was a beacon of this strange light. Next came a bright white light that replaced the orange and seemed to send it away.
The announcer spoke, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am not sure what is happening. We seem to be experiencing an interruption. If you could wait just...WHAT IS THAT!”
Suddenly a bright wave of orange light exploded out from the station. Like an ominous orange fog, this energy enveloped the station and continued to expand. The heroes all held their heads and stumbled around. A few fell over while some fought to stay upright.
Suddenly, Fleagle yelled, “STOP! NO! TREES, TREES ARE PEEING ON ME! NO!” he ran around, yelping and howling.
Other heroes screamed about being covered in spiders or roaches, some fought invisible foes that were defeating them. One of the league leaders sat down and cried with tears streaming down his face.
One of the arena’s workers ran by yelling, “RACCOONS! I HAVE TO GET THOSE RACCOONS BEFORE THEY GET ME!”
Every living thing in the stadium was lost in fears and terror. Not one of them used their powers.
Nova held his communicator, watching the broadcast. “This is madness. They’re all at his mercy.”
Krystal pulled out her comm and checked it, “Spirit has them locked in this illusion. No one even knows that the others are nearby.”
EB stated, “This is gonna really look bad on Earth. All those millions of people watching heroes wet their pants will kill ratings.”
Nova sneered at the bunny, “I’m not worried about people on Earth right now.”
“You should be,” The Wizard said as he pointed toward a window.
They all looked up to see that the growing nebulous orange cloud, heading for the planet.
“Damn,” Nova swore. He turned to Krystal, “What do we do?”
“I...I don’t know. We tried to disenchant this, and it didn’t work. Now, the spell is even bigger, stronger than before.”
The Wizard said, “What about us?”
“Who else do you think I’m talking about?” Nova stated.
“No. I mean, how come we’re immune to this? How did this happen?”
“Easy,” EB piped in, “you know it’s fake.”
“Explain,” Nova demanded.
EB shrugged, “This spell is a mind spell, it is only real in the mind. Once you know it isn’t real, the spell cannot work.”
The Wizard said, “That may be true. But we only know this because you broke the spell for us.”
Krystal asked, “How did you break it? Why aren’t you affected? Does it not work on Mythics?”
“Oh, it worked alright. But, he did something so wrong that I realized it couldn’t be true and the moment I realized that, the spell broke.”
The Wizard gasped, “THAT’S IT! We need to convince the others here that it’s not real.”
Nova said, “There are hundreds of heroes out there. EB doesn’t have the time to go wake them all up before this reaches the planet.”
EB hopped up, “No, this can work.”
“How?” Nova asked.
EB grinned at him, “What we need is someone to go in and tell them to wake up. Someone with a special power to command people.”
Krystal asked, “What’s he talking about, sir?”
Nova ignored her and grabbed EB, walking away with him. “You know I don’t like using my power. No one is supposed to know about it.”
“That’s okay. I won’t tell the others. It will still be our little secret. Once they wake, they won’t realize it was because of your unique talent.”
Nova set the bunny down and returned to the group. “EB has a point. I can help, but I don’t know how.”
EB pushed Nova to the middle of the group. “Okay, this is how it’s going to work. All three of us are going to direct a spell at you. Guys, follow my lead. You’ll know when it’s begun. At that moment, just tell the heroes to wake up, and they will listen. Hopefully, it will break the illusion down and destroy Spirit's hex.”
“Hopefully?”
EB shrugged, “Nothing is settled science, you know that.”
“Wait, maybe we...” Before Nova could finish his protest, a beam of white light hit him. Then another and another. The brilliance of this drowned out his sight for a moment. Suddenly, he could see faces, dozens at first, then hundreds. They were cast down, screaming, or filled with tears. There was no sound, just faces.
“Here goes nothing.”
Gar remained frozen, unable to move, filled with dread and fear. It felt as though he had been down here for years, but time passed so strangely those centuries he spent under the waters. He tried to calm himself and accept his fate, but it still scared him.
“Wake up!” A voice called to him.
The image of Nova stood before him, in the darkness of these depths.
“WAKE UP!”
“Director? You can’t be here?”
Gar sat up with a shot. He found himself in the grasses of the Arboretum. A brilliant orange glow bathed him from above. He looked up to the sight of that horrible pumpkin spirit.
Chromatic crouched with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head pushed down onto his knees. He cried, which was entirely unusual for him.
“WAKE UP!”
A sound! How did a sound break through his deaf ears? He looked up and saw Nova standing before him, in full color, calling out.
“WAKE UP!”
Chromatic gasped and opened his eyes. He was on his back, laying in a patch of daffodils in the arboretum. “What the hell?” He held a hand over his eyes against the blinding orange light directly overhead.
Chaz Hamilton continued his fall toward the Earth. Though he was in bare space, he could hear himself screaming in terror at the unspeakable height he now fell from.
“WAKE UP!”
He looked up to see Nova standing still in front of him. “This...is not possible. How is he not falling?”
“WAKE UP!”
Chaz jerked and opened his eyes. He lay on the metal floor of a random hallway on the BADGE station. His face was covered in drool and he was on his stomach, but he was no longer falling.
One by one, heroes all over the arena came out of their illusion. The spell over them was much weaker than the others. Each paused for a moment, either looking for the horrible thing they had just envisioned, or for where Director Nova had gone.
The wave of orange fog quickly evaporated, as if a wind had blown it away.
Furious Squirrel rubbed his face, “What just happened?”
Fleagle growled as he said, “I don’t know, but I’m gonna bite somebody's ass over this one.”
Just then, their communicators all gave off a unison emergency beep.
Nova blinked out the spots in his vision as the station came back into view. All three magical people lowered their hands.
“Well...did it work?” He asked.
Just then Chromatic came stumbling out of the Arboretum and Chaz came around a corner, looking particularly groggy.
Chromatic demanded, “What the hell just happened to me?”
Krystal quickly said, “We’ll explain later. Look!” She held up her communicator and they watched the heroes of the arena all coming around.
Nova smiled, “Good. We just have one more issue.”
“What?” The Wizard said.
To answer this, the bright orange, translucent Spirit of Halloween barged through the wall, furious. “WHO DARES INTERRUPT MY TRICK! THIS IS HALLOWEEN, IT IS NOT WELL TO INTERRUPT MY TRICKS THIS DAY!”
Nova boldly stated, “You’re done here!”
“BAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU DARE TO COMMAND ME, LITTLE ONE! I HAVE JUST BEGUN.”
An egg exploded against Spirit, and it thrust him back through the wall, into the Arboretum. EB readied another. “I never liked that jerk, anyway.”
Krystal grabbed The Wizard, “Come on, we have to contain him. No telling what he’ll try next.”
Nova followed the arcane people into the Arboretum. They used counter spells and other barrier magic to keep the Spirit from leaving the room.
“You’ve met your match!” Nova called out.
“HAVE I NOW?” The spirit rose, growing once again. The station trembled, and this time it was for real. That orange fog exploded outward again, heading for the planet.
Nova’s communicator beeped. He flipped it open and gasped. “He’s destabilizing the station’s orbit. Crap, he’s messed with all the major systems!”
“What do we do?” Krystal asked.
Nova said, “Keep him busy, you’re about to get help! You!” He grabbed Chaz by the arm, “With me.” He pulled Chaz out of the Arboretum.
“Thanks, sir, really. But now’s not the time for the interview,” Chaz said as he followed.
“What? No! I need hands and eyes in Operations.” Nova pressed the emergency signal, “HEROES, WE HAVE A CODE RED SITUATION ON THE STATION. GET HERE NOW! SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN MUST BE STOPPED!”
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