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❤️ Gwen and Kando (Part 2) ❤️

Storm was fast and levitated his mother and Kira with himself before they could fall inside the hole from the crack. Kando's wings sprouted out as he made himself and Gwen stay mid-air, his wings flapping around. Rumi rolled her eyes when they ignored her as if she wasn't with them and she helped herself by magically attaching herself with the wall of the cave. It was as if her eyes were still playing tricks with her because the man who she had decided to help was someone who looked like Storm. How did he know she had a big crush on Storm and came to meet her to become his ally. But her crush on Storm has sunk since she met Cando.

"Take them out of here and go back to the Palace," Storm said to Kando as he made them float out of the cave without another word being exchanged and Kando did as instructed. Kira took the horse Storm came with and he placed Gwen carefully on his own horse and together they left there. He could have flown Gwen to the Palace instead of his horse but he didn't want anything to happen to Kira. Storm will skin him alive.

Storm made sure none of the Ninja's moved and all of them fell down inside the large hole Edgardo had made on the ground. He returned his attention back to Edgardo. "Is this all you've got?" he asked.

Edgardo clenched his fists tightly as he glared at Storm. He started running towards the entrance of the cave, standing above the hole he had made on the ground. It was as if he didn't make any hole in the ground.

But Storm was fast, faster than Edgardo and punched him which pushed him back, his body making a big impact on the wall where he had bound Kira. Storm stood over the entrance, blocking the exit. Just like Edgardo, he was standing above the hole.

"To get to them, you have to go through me first and I am afraid you won't be able to." Storm told him.

"You have powers?" Edgardo asked as he observed Storm quickly. It wasn't surprising to him when Storm did the same thing he did. After all, he was a mirror of himself.

Storm shrugs. "It gets boring at a point, no worthy opponent to fight with so count yourself lucky to fight with me." He said to him.

"Don't you want to know who I am and why we look alike?" Edgardo asked. "My name is Edgardo, maybe you haven't heard of-"

"Save your breath Edgardo you will be needing them, I have my mother who will explain everything to me when I return home," Storm said Interrupting him as he started walking towards him, slowly as if he was counting his steps.

"This fight is bigger than you Storm," Edgardo said as he started walking towards him too. "This life is more than what you think, it's a mirror to your reality, the longer you live the more you realize that reality is just made of pain, suffering, emptiness and loneliness. If you had lived long like I do, you'd understand what I am saying."

"Enough of you talking, it irritates my ears," Storm said to him and ran towards Edgardo who also did the same.

Edgardo was the first to throw a punch at him but Storm didn't block or stop Edgardo punch from connecting with his jaw, tearing his lips and drawing out blood which coated Edgardo fingers and he punched Storm on his stomach and Storm held his hand twisting it and lifting up Edgardo effortlessly and fling him to the top of the cave. His body broke some rocks and Storm kicked him on the storm which sent him flying backwards and breaking the wall and he fell down panting out.

Edgardo stood up to his feet slowly and grinned at Storm. "I thought you are faster and your punches will break my bones, but hey look, my bones are still intact." He taunt Storm which provoked him and they towards each other.

Both met each other halfway and threw punches, Storm dodge Edgardo punch and with superhuman speed and went to his back, holding his head and twisting it so hard that he made his face turn to his direction. "Still yet, you are no worthy opponent." Storm said.

He let go of him and Edgardo fell down to the ground, entering inside the crack he made.

Storm punched the wall opposite his left leaving a crack which began to circulate around the cave, rocks began falling down. Touching and feeling his jaw, he let go when nothing was broken.

He started leaving the cave then paused to look above him and at someone. "Should I come and carry you or don't you know this place is about to fall apart?" he asked and didn't wait for Rumi to reply before he resumed his walk and came out of the cave, Rumi not far behind.

They watched as the cave fell apart.

"If you know you can handle the situation, why did you involve me?" Rumi asked.

Storm ignored her and began his way home, walking away from the cave as Rumi followed him.

"You know it's not fair to bring me out of my comfort zone to help you out only to find out you could help yourself out," Rumi said. "That's cheating." She added a second later.

"But it was fair to you when you nearly killed Juno and threw her in the hands of Dean, right?"

"I made a terrible mistake in my past which I am no longer proud of and I am so sorry for that, you don't have to keep reminding me."

Storm didn't say anything.

"Do you think he is dead? Will he come back?" Rumi suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had engulfed them.

"I don't know and I don't care, do I look like someone who cares if he magically returns?" Storm snapped at her and that shut her up until she got to the part where they needed to go their separate ways.

"I will come to the palace at dusk, I need some time to think." Rumi said to him but Storm didn't make any gesture that he acknowledge her words, he continued walking totally ignoring her. Huffing out in annoyance she headed home, angrily.

She was angry at Storm but more at herself. She would have been home relaxing but no she wanted to help out.

Once she got home and made sure everything was locked including her room door, Rumi sat down on the floor and her mind went back to the fight earlier on. There was something she noticed during Storm and Edgardo's quick fight but she wasn't sure yet to point it out. The question is why? Why?

Probably she was thinking too much and had imagined it. That could be the only explanation. She needed to see Sarah at least to inform her that Edgardo was still alive and not dead like she claimed.

***

Ashland Palace:

Storm made it just in time to meet the kingdom healer arriving at the Palace. A guard was waiting for the healer.

"I was told to hurry up that someone needed my attention in the Palace," the healer told him when he found Storm staring at him and hurried up to meet with the guard who was waiting for him to take him to meet Gwen.

Storm shrugs. He was worried about Gwen but at the same time he was thinking.

"Down to earth Storm," Kira's voice made him blink rapidly at her. "I have been standing here for almost thirty seconds and shouting your name in your face."

"Oh, I didn't hear you. Sorry about that."

"It's okay, Gwen is in serious pain so I had no other option than to send for the healer." Kira told him.

"You did the right thing my love, what about my mother?" He asked.

"She is with Gwen and oh, they are in our room." Kira said and wrapped her arms around Storm which he returned by wrapping his own hands around her waist and bringing their bodies close to each other. "I was worried about you." She added.

"I am fine and here. I was worried more about you."

"Edgardo has powers so I thought you wouldn't be a match for him."

Storm snorted at that. "He is not that powerful to beat me. Have faith in me will you," he said playfully. "Where is Kando?"

"With Gwen of course, where else could that lover guy be?" Kira said. "Anyway that's by the way, why did you bring Rumi?"

"I had to bring her along, for reasons known to me," Storm said with a shrug.

"What reasons?" Kira demanded sharply. "Do you secretly like her?"

He rolled his eyes. "You know you are the only one I like, the only one I am in love with, the only one I will like to spend the rest of my life with and not a thousand Rumi can change that." Storm told her in a serious tone. "I will tell you my reason soon, for now let me go and meet my mother and Gwen." he added and kissed Kira's forehead gently. "I don't know why they want you but you're now stuck with me forever. They should know that now." He said referring to Dean and Edgardo.

"I like that." Kira giggled as they started walking towards the late Emperor room.

***

Sarah's Prison:

"You are just coming and going from here as you like without attaching food with you, I am hungry or do you want me to die of starvation." Sarah grumbled when she saw Rumi. She was hungry.

"You survived before so I don't see why it will be a problem now." Rumi said but still threw a loaf of dried bread towards Sarah which she caught expertly with her hands and started digging in.

"Do you know who they called Edgardo?" Rumi asked as she watched Sarah eating her bread.

"Yes," Sarah nodded her head as she swallowed the bread in her mouth. There was no need in hiding the truth from Rumi. "An evil bas.tard who died years ago. Why are you suddenly asking of him, Rumiana?"

"Because he is back."

Sarah paused in her eating and was staring at Rumi with shock. Her mouth was wide open but she quickly got herself. "Impossible. You are joking with me. How can you tell me someone I watched died and was burnt to ashes will suddenly come back to life. It is unbelievable, tell me something else." She said and resumed eating and finished up before Rumi would say the next words.

"Edgardo and Storm fought not too long ago, in fact a few minutes ago, and Storm defeated him but I am scared..." she paused suddenly remembering who she was talking to and shook her head, "Anyway, why didn't you tell me that Edgardo looks so much like Storm? I mean they would have passed as twins. I made a deal with Edgardo, he was the unknown man I was telling you about." Rumi said.

"I was trying to figure out if he is truly Edgardo or not. I was surprised when I saw Storm that day at the Palace."

"And you didn't even bother to tell me. Was that why the spell I did on him didn't work?" Rumi asked and Sarah nodded her head. "Thankfully, I am glad it didn't work. I am just realizing that I would have made a huge mistake forcing him to like me." she added. "But Edgardo is alive whether you choose to believe me or not. I saw Edgardo with my own eyes today. He kidnapped my sister's and also Phoenix." she told Sarah.

"Phoenix is still alive?" Sarah asked in shock and surprise. "Why are the people I thought were dead suddenly coming back to life?"

"I hope you are not expecting me to answer that?" Rumi said trying to control her anger, how can Sarah wish Phoenix death? Sarah shook her head. "Good because I am not here to discuss death or anything related to that, I am here for you to tell me more about Edgardo. What I should know about him. You've lived with him, you've fought alongside him and dined with him. What should I know about him, telling me the truth might reduce your staying here." Rumi told Sarah knowing that would make her open up.

"Okay, the first thing you need to know about Edgardo is that he is a super genius, he is an evil genius I am telling you Rumi but then again he wasn't expecting that Dean and I would betrayed him if not victory would have been his and Ashland and Kudarma Kingdom wouldn't have existed. In his words 'Always expect the unexpected' believe me, keep that in mind while fighting with him."

Rumi listened attentively to what Sarah was telling her. "Okay, why did you call him an evil genius?"

"He is good at playing games, Rumi, he is always ahead of others. If truly Storm fought with him and Storm won, probably he wanted the poor boy to win against him or he wanted something from him. Never trust Edgardo even if he used his own mouth to tell you or beg you." Sarah warned.

"But still, he was defeated." Rumi reminded Sarah.

"That was because he didn't expect us to betray him. He thought we were on his side since we were evil like him and we're thinking alike but what he didn't know is that Dean wanted it all to himself."

"Expect the unexpected," Rumi repeated the earlier words of Sarah. "He didn't expect at all that he would be betrayed." she added. "But what if it was all part of his plan to deceive you all and went into hiding to come out years later to trouble Storm."

Sarah shook her head. "No, he died, we killed him and the one we killed was the real Edgardo."

"Then, how come he is back from the land of the dead? The man you said you killed, burned and buried his ashes was standing in front of me in flesh and blood, could you explain that logic to me."

Sarah was quiet for a while, "Maybe you're right, maybe he deceived us all and planned his own death or maybe he is playing with our mind."

"I doubt that. Storm defeated him and killed him but I doubt he is dead," Rumi said more to herself than Sarah. "So tell me more about Edgardo. What was he like then?"

As Rumi listened to what Sarah was saying and then her thoughts drifted back to what she had discovered in the cave. It all made sense to her now.