Miranda dashed into the woods. The attack had taken another turn. The Mintoval soldiers and sorcerers that had been absent from the palace had suddenly shown up and Miranda's troops were scavenging for their lives.Hela dashed ahead of her and suddenly pulled up a shield that blocked a large spear that was being shot toward Miranda. Miranda gasped as she saw how close she was to being dead just a few moments ago. The night was still dark and she could barely see what was happening around her"The horses. We have to get to the horses." She said to Hela who quickly nodded and blocked another spear.Someone suddenly fired an arrow toward her and the arrow pierced Hela's shoulder. She cried out as she fell and then Miranda turned around. Behind her, she could see two Mintoval soldiers standing there. One of them still had the bow with which he had shot Miranda.The soldiers hurled towards her and she quickly twisted her sword and met them in the fight. She quickly dodged the first strike
Damek walked back to the palace, his eyes roaming from side to side as he observed the terrible thing that has happened to them. He saw sorcerers on the ground, some dead, some wounded. The same thing happened to the mintoval soldiers he had brought along.The Mintoval king would blame him for it. Of course, Damek expected the princess to rise and try to fight for the throne but one thing he had not expected was his falling in love with Kevin. That was the only part of the whole drama he had not expected, the only equation he did not write. And it was messing with his head. The very thing he felt whenever he thought of the prince was anger, knowing that prince Kevin would never love him back. There were some things perhaps, even he could not change. He could have used a potion or a spell to bound Kevin but there had to be a moment when Kevin would consider the possibility of them being together.When he saved Kevin's life, he could feel that within the prince's mind. He wanted to use
Birds chirping.That was the very first thing Miranda heard as she began to recollect herself. Then came the warm ray of sunshine falling on her face which seemed to burn away all forms of sorrow and sadness she had been feeling.She slowly opened her eyes to the world around her, taking a moment to absorb what she could see. She was in some sort of garden, lying on a vast green field that stretched farther than she could see. The birds still kept chirping and they flew from one place to another. Some came around to fly over her head and she could not deny how mesmerizing it was. She smiled and chuckled as one of them perched on her hair, pulling off a twig that was stuck in it. It was a beautiful place, but where was she?Miranda stood up and looked around her. She knew she was no longer in the world of the mundanes for nothing about where she was suggested she was still in the real world. Was she dead? She remembered falling asleep again while Kendrick and Hela spoke to her. Did sh
"Princess..."Hela's voice rang through the barrier of space and time as Miranda began to wake up. "Princess...are you alright?" Hela asked again, and that time, Miranda's eyes were open. She was lying on a bed and gazing at her were the keen eyes of all her family members. Lord Henry was holding her hand on one side while Kevin stood behind Hela on the other.Kendrick and Bianca kept gazing at her and both looked elated that she was awake, especially Bianca which was a first. Miranda could feel someone's hand over her head and she turned to see a mage standing there. The mage was a healer and was only doing his job."We thought we lost you there. We tried all we could to get you to wake up but we could not. It was so scary." Hela said to her, holding the other hand gently. "I...um...must have fainted. I am sorry for causing you all to worry. But I am fine now." Miranda said and was about to get out of bed but they restrained her. She was surprised."What is this?" She asked them."
"Elle!"Miranda asked in shock and relief as Elle dashed towards her, her hands glowing with a green light that formed loops around her arms. She, who was smiling at First suddenly gasped and stretched out her hand towards Elle, shooting one of the loops at a sorcerer that tried to advance towards Miranda.The sorcerer flew in the air before he crashed to the ground. As Elle got to stand beside Miranda, the loop she had shot at the sorcerer suddenly replaced itself."How are you here? How are you still alive?" Miranda asked. She was so happy that it felt like she was dreaming.The sorcerers began to advance toward them and at the same time, the new fighters that had joined the cause dashed past Miranda and Elle and attacked the sorcerers. "Told you I had nine lives," Elle said to Miranda and chuckled. Miranda on the hand was not sure about that. She knew she would confirm it if the fight was over."Hello, Hela. You still managed to look beautiful. That's good. I'm jealous." Elle said
Miranda could see Bianca standing in the corridor, sobbing desperately. She had never seen her cousin look so pale and bad and the fact that Bianca looked that way made Miranda sad. Perhaps she must have loved her husband still. Love was a complex thing to understand and Miranda knew first-hand what that meant.But then, she saw lord Henry at Bianca's side, holding her as she cried and comforting her. Miranda had mixed emotions about that. It's not that she wanted lord Henry or desired to be with him but she just felt a little bit jealous and lonely. She was dying for attention like that. She wanted someone to hold her close.She wanted Alastair!"Your cheeks are heating princess. Do they upset you?" Elle asked her and she sighed."Quite the contrary. You know her husband died today. He was killed by the sorcerers. We could only save her son. Her husband's death still hurts her and she needs someone to be there to comfort her. I'm not sure I can even provide that comfort."Miranda sai
Miranda opened her eyes as the dreamscape faded away. It had been a passionate time with Alastair, a distraction she so earnestly wanted. That moment had given her time to think and she was able to plot out her next line of action.She stood up from the chair as Elle walked into the room, holding a potion in her hand and whistling as she did. She gazed at Miranda who was busy strapping her sword to her waist."Can I ask where you're going?" Elle asked Miranda who crunched to tie her boots."I realized something while I was here alone. If we are to defeat the mintovals and reclaim the palace, we will need help. A lot of help. Could you fetch lord Henry for me?" Miranda said to Elle and Elle nodded. She knew better than to try and persist with the questioning.The urgency in Miranda's tone made her dash out of the room without asking any other questions. She hurried down the hallway, dashing past guards and servants as she tried to find Lord Henry. She went back to the spot where he had
Miranda, lord Henry, and Elle mounted their horses and rode off to the manor. Kevin and Elle had asked what was happening and Miranda briefed them."I do not think it is such a good idea, Miranda. I have to agree with lord Henry on this." Kevin had said to her. "We just need to believe that it can happen. Every other thing will fall into place. All we need to do is believe.", Miranda tried convincing Kevin but his mind was made up."At least let me come with you. Should anything go wrong, you will need protection." He argued"I need you here with the soldiers, you and Hela. I need to know I have trusted people taking care of things here. Besides, the message I want to pass on will be more convincing if I go there with fewer people."Kevin nodded when she said so and let her go. As Miranda rode off, he held Hela's hand tightly and sighed."You did not say a thing. Do you not think it's a bad idea?" He asked her and she shrugged her shoulders."Miranda has never done anything that she
***Final Chapter***The monster hurled at the ship with a force so great that its punch pushed the ship backward. They were lucky not to have sustained a tear because Alastair and Blaize had formed a shield to block the punch. The shield, however, shattered immediately upon impact.The ship groaned and tilted from side to side, and what came next were screams from the crew as they fell into the sea. The captain struggled to find her balance, however, that was proving difficult. The ship groaned again and tilted to another side, shaking the captain's grip off her sword with which she had stabbed the deck.She screamed as she glided towards the sea, which at that time was already being occupied by monsters that looked like snakes. There was a multitude of them, and their hisses could be heard. They had killed the members of the crew that fell into the sea.As the captain was about to fall overboard, Blaize created a shield that blocked her path and pulled her back into the ship. She exch
"Set sail!"The captain's voice rang through the entire ship as men busied themselves with their jobs. The crew members ran Helter skelter as they tried to get the ship running, and in no time, they did. The ship roared as it sailed on the sea, a sight that sent shivers down Cara's body For Alastair, he just stood beside her and watched other members of the crew as they worked tirelessly. The captain was no longer with them. She was busy shouting orders, screaming at the men, and cursing them as they worked. Considering the fact that she was much smaller than most of the men on the ship, it was a funny sight to see.She soon sent Alastair a gaze and nodded to him. Alastair returned the gesture. As soon as the captain looked away, Alastair smiled softly. The time was finally approaching, and there was nothing to stop destiny from unfolding. He was still lost in thoughts when he suddenly began to feel like there was a pair of eyes looking at him.It was the same feeling he had gotten b
"Stand firm. Widen your stance and fix yourself to the ground. Strike with intent."Alastair instructed Cara as she sparred against him. Her moves had gotten better already but they still needed some more work. She groaned and struck Alastair, putting in so much of her energy that she tripped and fell down when Alastair made a false move."Predict where I will be. It will be what you need most of the time. You need to see the bigger picture when you are dealing with an opponent. Stand up and come at me again."Alastair instructed and Cara obeyed. She was past the stage of grumbling. She knew she needed to become stronger for what was coming.She charged and did her best to predict Alastair's moves. But they were too advanced for her. However, Alastair did not hold back. If she was to fulfill her destiny, she needed to become better than he was. Alastair decided to do a move to throw her off balance but Cara suddenly blocked it.Alastair was surprised. He pushed a bit further and intro
"Why don't you put down the crossbow and we can talk this through like adults?" Alastair said to the captain who scoffed at his guts. Her eyes were blaring with anger, and the only thing in her eyes other than anger was turmoil, pain, and regret.She steadied the crossbow in her hand and fixed her gaze upon Cara. Her eyes never left her. It seemed like she could remember what happened that day, the fire that suddenly blasted them all apart. She could remember the smell of burnt flesh which filled the air, saturating every part of the house. She could remember the smell of her own flesh and the moment that hit her, her face twitched a little. She took a deep breath and pointed the crossbow at Cara. Alastair did not want to use his magic against her for he knew they would be needing her help if they were to get to the isle of mists. But how the captain survived was still a mystery. He was certain she had died."You! You did this to me!", The captain said and pointed to the scarred part
"You didn't even ask for her name." Cara said to Alastair as they walked down the busy road. Their short time at the pub had not turned out the way Alastair hoped. He just kept walking in silence, and the silence was what made Cara uncomfortable."I did not need to," Alastair replied and she scoffed."Why not? She was clearly into you and you liked her as well. What is stopping you?" Cara asked, but then she realized how insensitive her statement was. She should not say such things about Alastair's relationship."Is it because of Miranda?" She asked but he was silent."How do you know she is still waiting for you?" Cara asked again but Alastair still said nothing. She was right. He did not know. But the thing bothering him was that he might not live to find out. "I... I do not want to forget her. I want to cherish our memories together until there is nothing left of me. That is why I cannot look at another woman. But what do you know? You are just a child.".Alastair said and scoff
The night still ravaged on as Alastair and Cara kept walking down the streets. Alastair got the chance to see more of the town, like he had secretly desired. The town was a beautiful place, quite exotic as well.He did not know if it were the decorations, or the thrill in the air but he was certain that that town had seen alot of bad days in the past and they were trying to make out the future as best as they can. He could see a young woman and two kids which looked like they were hers.The woman glanced at him and smiled, a smile which melted Alastair's heart. He saw that she had twin boys, and the imagination of the kind of life he would have been living if he grew up with his mother and brother was vivid.One of the twin boys ran towards him and gave him a popsicle. Alastair smiled as he took the popsicle from the boy, and giving their mother a nod, she quickly led her eager boys toward a candy shop. Alastair sighed as he watched them. He did not even hear Cara stepping up before h
The journey was quiet, and although the moonlight shone upon them like the ever glowing beam of light that it is, Cara was not feeling it. She just kept walking, a step behind Alastair. Her head was bowed, her fists were clenched. Her nails were digging into her palms, although not enough to give her an injury, it still hurt.Maybe she wanted it to hurt. Maybe she just wanted to feel something at the end of the day. She had been so hollow ever since the fight. She could feel Asmodeus crawling around in her mind. She could feel the Phoenix slowly regressing. She could feel the terror that was coming, very one that she was destined to bring upon the world."Are you alright?" Alastair asked her, snapping her out of it. She nodded quickly and looked at him for a moment. "You look disturbed. Is there anything you would like to talk about?" Alastair asked her again but she shook her head. He decided not to press her. If she was ready to talk, she would."Do you miss it? Everything else bef
An energy blast escaped from cara's body and hit all those that were in close proximity to her, James and Denise included. The force of the blast was so powerful that it took them off their feet and crashed them onto the ground. Cara let out a guttural growl as energy began to radiate from her body. The red, hot, energy began to gush out even more as her powers levitated her slowly. The growls continued, and so did the fear on lord Karl's face. He has never seen anything like that. He and his followers were not sure of what to do at that point. They slowly stood to their feet and watched as she stretched out her hand toward them. Her yellow eyes fell on them and with a sudden spark, her energy surged again. This time, it did not hit James and Denise. Both were surprised that the energy phased right through them to hit a sorcerer standing behind them and when they turned around, their eyes beheld a horror unlike what they knew before.The sorcerer's body froze. His eyes stretched out
"Cara... Cara, are you alright?"Cara could hear Fristborn's voice call out to her. She opened her eyes slowly and what she saw was someone she never knew she could see any more. Was she dead, or was she dreaming? She gazed at Fristborn's face and in that split second, she reached out to touch him.But someone else quickly grabbed her hand and she turned and saw Denise standing there. Her eyes roamed back to 'fristborn' but was actually James that was kneeling beside her. She blushed in embarrassment as she quickly say up. They were no longer in the house. From what Cara could see, they were some distance away from the house and it was not too quiet. She could still hear the sounds of guards running around, trying to look for them. The three of them remained silent for a while."What happened?" Cara asked as she rubbed her eyes. It felt like she slept for a long time."You fainted," Denise replied to her. Cara tried to recall what had happened after she felt the surge in her magic b