Ceru's Arc

     Ceru wasn't first, it was his little sister Magenta. He wasn't technically in the Netherworld. He was somewhere else completely different. He was in Mendelaus' basement dungeon, waiting for his revenge. Magenta came to save him.
     Mendelaus (Men-del-ouse is how I pronounce it) was/is this creepy old warlock who captured magical beings to sap their powers. He brought them all to a place he called his "School". They were kept under a sort of hypnosis, where they all looked human to themselves and each other. They were all brainwashed and basically destined to rot in this place as Mendelaus used their power he gathered to fuel some nefarious plan or another.
     He was so close - and he had finally captured a Helldragon, one of the most powerful beings in the entire Netherworld:  Except it all went wrong. His containment magics weren't strong enough, and the blue Helldragon escaped. He attacked Mendelaus, spread confusion among the "students", and released almost all of the power Mendelaus had collected over many years. But the dragon was still weak from being caught - and Mendelaus managed to subdue him. But he couldn't kill him - and there was no way he could release him. So he trapped him in the lowest, darkest dungeon in his fortress-like School. He enchanted the remaining students to forget him - but the whispered name "Cerulean" still cycled through the school.
     Mendelaus underestimated Ceru - he was still able to turn into his dragon shape, despite all the curses he had layered upon him. This was sporadic, so he was at least able to keep Ceru in his cell when it happened. But Ceru still shook the School to its core whenever he changed. The name "Cerulean" came to be feared among the students - an enigma, a legendary student who had misbehaved. The cause of frequent earthquakes in the School. A menacing, evil power in the School's basement.

     When a little ten year old girl arrived at the School - a new student - two older boys took it upon themselves to protect her. At first, she seemed defenseless, naive, and in need of their help - but soon, she started to lead them. Her name was Magenta - and she told them quietly that she wasn't here to learn. She was here to rescue her brother.
     Jin-Ka and Ryan were suddenly dragged away, learning things they were never supposed to know about the school and its inner workings. How the students were tormented and brainwashed, and who their beloved Headmaster Mendelaus really was.
     It wasn't very long before an earthquake ripped through the school - and Magenta discovered that her brother was actually there. She shocked Jin-Ka and Ryan by telling them that Ceru - the infamous Cerulean - was her big brother.
     After a long journey and quite a lot of plot that I am skipping, the trio finally finds their way to the dungeon during the middle of an assembly…

     They arrive in the basement dungeon out of breath - and to the boys' surprise, find another boy their age; not the giant monster they had been expecting.  But he wasn't human - far from it. Silvery horns poked out from navy-and-white hair, sharp blue zigzags raced across his skin.  And yet, he seemed to be the most normal person they had seen in a very long time...

     "CERUUU~~"
     As soon as he hears his sister's voice, Ceru stands, shackles clinking on the floor.  Incredulous, he limps to the bars of his cell.  "Magenta? You came for me?" It seems that tears prick his eyes, but the boys can't be sure.
     "I did! I promised you I would." Magenta nods emphatically. "I had help too." She waves to the boys to come closer. They do so cautiously.
     Ceru's eyebrows shoot up. "A gargoyle and a saffincks?" He laughs. "You always pick the best, don't you Maggie?" She blushes. "I didn't pick them, they picked me!"
     Ceru laughs again. "They did, did they now?"
     Still confused, Ryan whispers to Jin-Ka, "What did he mean, 'a gargoyle and a saffincks?'" Ceru's long ears prick up as he overhears. He looks down at his sister. "They've never seen what you actually look like, have they?"
     Magenta shakes her head. Ceru holds out a hand to her and smiles, his pointed teeth making the expression appear sinister. Concerned, Jin-Ka reaches out, "Wait, Maggie, are you sure –"
     BLAM.
     A brilliant flash of light blinds the boys for a moment.
     When they can see again their little friend looks like her brother, only in the color that is her namesake. Fluffy dark-pink hair almost hides tiny nubby horns. The spade on her tail is blunt, just like the spines that run down the top of it. Magenta turns to them and giggles. Despite her now-sharp teeth, she still manages to look absolutely adorable.
     "Your turn." Ceru extends his arm out of the cell, offering his blue hand to the boys. "You've forgotten who you are, have you not?"
     "We - what?" Ryan stammers. Jin-Ka just stares at Ceru.
     "Come on. I've got enough magic to counteract Mendelaus'." A dark shadow crosses Ceru's face as he hisses the Headmaster's name.
     "See who - what - you really are."
     Magenta giggles again. "It's fine, guys. It won't hurt much."
     Ryan squares his shoulder. "I'll do it if you do, Jin."
     "I- " Jin glances at the floor.
     "Right!" Ryan grabs Ceru's hand.
     Flinching, Jin-Ka covers his eyes with his hand as Ryan abruptly flashes....
     Jin peers through his fingers as Ryan's shoulder blades suddenly flare out, huge wings unfolding from his back. Instead of reacting to that, though, Ryan instead grabs his head with a cry when horns twist from above his ears. Still holding his head, Ryan sinks to his knees, and Magenta puts a pink hand on his shoulder, shielding her own eyes with the other hand. The cuffs of Ryan's jeans slide up his legs as his feet widen into huge clawed paws.
     Just as Jin-Ka thinks his best friend's transformation is over, Ryan yelps once more as a long whip tail suddenly shoots out of the end of his spine. A spiked club sprouts from the end of it, and the white glow fades, leaving Ryan kneeling on the floor.
     Ceru puts his clawed hand on the bars of his cell. "Welcome back to yourself."

     Jin steps to Ryan's side. "Ryan! Jeez, are you alright?"
     To Jin-Ka's surprise, Ryan straightens up with a laugh. His skin is now tinted a stony gray, and his eyes a deep shade of red.
     "Are you kidding? That was amazing."
     Ryan touches his horns again, smiling. "I can't believe I didn't remember…"  Jin just stares, realizing it's probably rude but not really caring. Ryan flares his wings out, marveling at them, then turns to Jin.
     "Eyyy, your turn bro!" His smile widens.  Jin shakes his head frantically, taking a step back. "IIIII don't know, I- really..."
     "Do you want to be stuck as his personal generator for eternity?"
     Jin turns to the blue dragon-boy again. Ceru is staring at him with accusing eyes. "Come on, saffincks. Trust me. You're one of the most powerful ones here."
     "I- what?" Jin blinks at him, incredulous. "I can't be powerful. Seriously. I can hardly carry Maggie for more than a moment."
     Ceru's mouth twitches into a half-smile. "Magically, moron." He holds out his blue hand once more. "Come."
     Jin glances nervously back at Ryan and Maggie.  Normally he'd scoff, and declare that magic doesn't exist, but - what had he just witnessed? Ryan gives Jin a playful shove towards the cell and Ceru's extended hand.  "You promised, Jin." Jin opens his mouth to argue, but thinks better of it and just grabs Ceru's hand, flinching.
After a second, he opens one eye cautiously.
     "Not yet," Ceru whispers. With sudden strength, he yanks Jin closer to his cell, face to face. "I should warn you.... this is going to hurt like hell."
     Jin only has time to squeak before white-hot light blazes from Ceru's hand. Jin's vision turns to pure white as the magic spreads down him, so bright that it burns his eyes even as he closes them tight. Pain sears through him as it begins, and he can't help it - he screams. The sound echoes in his ears - and suddenly all goes quiet.
Ryan watches Jin crumple to the floor, curling in pain, his mouth wide in a silent scream. Ryan frightens himself when he growls at Ceru, startled by the sound coming from him throat.
     "What did you - why does it hurt him so much?" he demands, after getting over his momentary surprise.
     Ceru just shrugs, no longer holding Jin's hand. "He's just one of the most magical beings there is… besides Helldragons, of course."
     Jin-Ka whimpers, and Ryan turns his attention back to his brightly-glowing friend, squinting at the light. Peering through his fingers, Ryan can hardly see Jin's huddled form. It seems that his hair is growing, but Ryan can't be sure. Nothing seems to be happening to cause Jin so much pain until strangely shaped wings arch from Jin's back. They aren't feathered nor batlike; if anything, they seem to be carvings, with wide rectangular sections divided like an odd imitation of feathers. A skinny tail pokes out under Jin's jacket and curls around him, ending in a tuft of fur that poofs out of the tip as the tail finishes materializing.  With a groan, Jin-Ka suddenly stops glowing, and he holds his head in his hands. His hair has indeed become longer, down to the small of his back. Navy and gold stripes run horizontally through it, strangely metallic even in the poorly lit room.
     Ryan leaps to his side. "Jin! Are you okay, man? You were curled up so tight -"
Jin-ka mumbles something, and places a hand on the ground to steady himself. The skin on his wrists seems to be made of sandpaper, tiny rectangular scales coating his forearm and hand. His hand only has three fingers and a thumb, each tipped with a claw. Ryan touches Jin's shoulder. "Jin, I can't hear you."
     A sudden unseen force knocks Ryan and Ceru away from Jin as he stands up explosively, his face fixed in a snarl. "THAT HURT, YOU JACKASS!"
     Stunned for a moment, Ryan just stares at his friend. Black marks accent Jin's eyes, perfect matches of Egyptian hieroglyphs. His blue eyes blaze with fury as he rattles the bars on Ceru's cell. "COULD HAVE TOLD ME A LITTLE EARLIER AND LET ME BRACE MYSELF!"
     Ceru barks a laugh as he picks himself up. "But would you have done it if I told you?" he retorts, his mouth twisting into a sharp smile. Jin-Ka huffs in disgust, his pointed ears twitching as he whirls on his heel, putting his back to the offending Helldragon. His hair surprises him by swirling into his face, and he has a moment of spluttering indignation that leaves everyone but him laughing.
     Finally managing to tame his long hair, Jin-Ka holds it tightly in one hand behind his head, glaring daggers at the other three. "Maggie, can I borrow a tie or something to get this out of my way?" he grimaces, "This is going to be a pain to deal with…"
     "Sure!" Magenta happily selects a band from the collection around her wrists and hands it to Jin-Ka with a flourish. "I know how to make ponytails if you need help."
     "Thanks, but I've got this," Jin-Ka politely declines, twisting his hair up with practiced ease. "Remember that I apparently used to have long hair." Jin shoots a narrow look at Ceru, who just raises his eyebrows haughtily.
      "So how about getting me out of here?" Ceru nonchalantly rattles the bars on his cage. "They've got enough magic infused in them that I can't break them, but I think with you three here we should be all set."
     Ryan nods in assent. "We should probably hurry if we want to get out of here, the assembly is almost over, and we're pretty vulnerable here without all that noise covering us." As if to prove his point, the roar of an excited crowd vibrates the ceiling.
"And of course, we wouldn't ever want to miss that opportunity," Ceru grins mischievously, "Now! You, gargoyle –" he points at Ryan "- you start trying to wrench these things apart. And you, saffincks and Mags –" in turn he points at Jin-Ka and Magenta "- all I need you two to do is let me borrow some of your magic. Just touch my shoulders and I'll do the rest."
     The trio complies, surrounding Ceru in an uneven triangle. After a deep breath, Ceru announces, "Ready. Set… NOW." just a huge cheer explodes from the assembly room above.
Jin-Ka gasps as he suddenly feels immense power surging down his arm toward the blue Helldragon, straining with Ryan against the unyielding bars. Slowly, ever so slowly, they begin to bend apart with a harsh screech, tinny and ear-piercing. All four cringe at the sound, unable to do anything about it as they fight the strong magic.
     Finally, finally, the bars give. Ryan and Ceru's combined strength is suddenly way too much for them, and the two just barely escape pinching their fingers in between the bars. The flow of magic abruptly stops, and Jin-Ka has to catch himself from falling over from the loss of so much energy. Apparently not affected at all, Ceru shatters the shackle on his leg with a simple twitch of his tail and steps lightly over the threshold.
Music blaring overhead signals that the assembly is nearly over, and Jin glances nervously upward.
     "We really ought to get out of here -" he begins.
     "Yes!" Ceru interrupts him, "Time to crash the party!"
     "Wait, what? What do you mean, 'crash the party?' We need to escape while we –" Ryan demands anxiously.
     "I meant that we need to crash the party!" Ceru cuts him off, "What else is that supposed to mean?" His face breaks into a menacing smile. "Watch your heads!"
The ground unexpectedly rumbles, and Ceru flickers with a deep blue light, giving off walls of sheer force that blow dust up off the concrete floor. The remaining three cough and shield their eyes, struggling to remain standing as the floor shakes. Ceru yells, his voice momentarily a deep throaty growl; and suddenly pieces of the ceiling are crashing down.
     Shouts of fright come from all around the room above as dust billows from the brand new hole in the floor. A tall man in a top hat and a cape commands the center of the room, his face fixed in an expression of disbelief and loathing. "No…" he whispers, the sound echoing through the speakers mounted throughout the room, "He couldn't have."
     The cloud slowly dissipates, a lone silhouette outlined by the dramatic spotlights from the earlier performance.

     "The game's up, Mendelaus," a voice hisses threateningly.
The caped man scowls, disgusted. "Cerulean!" The entire room gasps and falls silent as the haggard blue Helldragon becomes fully visible through the dust. He is certainly not the huge monster the name had been associated with, but power seems to emanate from his skinny form.
     Ceru growls, baring his rack of sharp teeth, "Release them all now and I might decide to feel merciful for once." He lashes his tail like a whip.
Ignoring him, Mendelaus barrels on. "How did you get out?! I designed that cell specifically to –"
     "TIME'S UP!" Ceru roars, lunging at the caped man. Mendelaus sidesteps with a cackle.
     "I caught you once, dragon; I'll catch you again!"