Despite her healing powers, blood continued to pour from Christine. She moaned in agony. Her shoulder was broken and her bones were exposed.
Aaliyah screamed, "Why? Why can't I heal her? Why?"
Hybrid ran to Christine. He tried to help stop the bleeding, but it was no use. The blood seeped through and stained his hands. Meanwhile, Aaliyah tried to comfort Aaliyah.
Aaliyah’s anger rose. "How am I the savior of the realm if I can't even save my mother?"
Christine reached for her daughter, but her hand suddenly dropped. Her head fell back hard and her body laid motionless on the ground. Aaliyah screamed in hopeless anger. Her mind told her to control herself, but her anger was too great. Sensing her pain, Happy Dragon flew down to her.
Hybrid turned his head and stated firmly. "Aaliyah, stay put."
"No!" she yelled at him. "This is not my war! This is not the life I want! My mother is gone! Dad, she's gone! I'm not the savior! I'm not the one!"
With one swoop of the dragon’s wings, Aaliyah was gone.
5
A week had passed since that fateful day. Tears turned into a river inside Aaliyah's broken heart. Her only comfort was her dragon. She laid down beside him and his body wrapped around her. Meanwhile, news of Aaliyah had been spread abroad. Renee searched for her as did Damien, but she had flown far out of their reach … or so she believed.
The land was cold, icy, and desolate. There was no one around for miles and the emptiness reflected her soul like a mirror. She lie with her dragon, thinking of the love she’d felt from her mother and the road she felt she had to take alone.
She left her dragon and went fishing at the lake as her godmother and mother had shown her many times before. Suddenly, the sky around her became unusually dark. A scary chill swept over her body as the undead appeared around her.
A man with pale skin, salt and pepper hair, and eyes mixed colors of brown, green, and blue walked forward. He was dressed in black and adored with a long, flowing silk cape. There was a dark fog that seemed to hang off of him. He bowed before Aaliyah and introduced himself.
"Hello, I am Count Damien. Forgive me for asking, but aren't you the savior of realms?" He laughed sinisterly. "It’s really no matter. I know already know the answer. I came here to destroy you and claim what is rightfully mine."
She waved her hand for her dragon, but to her surprise he didn’t come to her aid.
Damien continued to laugh. "Your dragon will not wake for many hours. You see, vampires control dragons. That is why he aids you. While you are as powerful as a hybrid, I am still the Count!"
Surrounded, Aaliyah fearfully transformed into her golden form. Aaliyah looked like a cross between a golden goddess and a wolf. She heard the sound of footsteps in the distance.
Is it Dad? she thought to herself. As the footsteps drew closer, Aaliyah realized that it wasn't her father. No! Her mind screamed in horror. Renee and her pack appeared from behind the snowy trees.
"I see you have come to see my transformation," Damien smirked to the wolves.
"No!" she snarled. "I've come for your head."
How did they find me? Aaliyah wondered. There’s no way out. I’m surrounded. What do I do?
As if she were reading Aaliyah’s thoughts, Renee said, "If you wish to know how we found you, it's your dragon."
Damien smirked. "He gives off the distinct smell of brimstone, which is easy to find."
Aaliyah began to glow. As she prepared herself for what would possibly be her last battle, a battle cry suddenly came from afar. Led by Danielle, the Amazons arrived along with Hybrid and Aaliyah. Aaliyah still stood terrified as the wolves growled and the undead slowly closed in on her. The battle for the realm began. Renee locked horns with Damien while rest of the vampires and wolves began to fight.
"Protect Aaliyah!" Danielle ordered.
The Amazons ran toward her and surrounded Aaliyah and began to fight. The battle was bloody and fierce. The minutes seemed like hours as death reared its head.
Renee and Damien were at a stalemate, but many of their kind were dying around them. Amazons fought valiantly, but many were wounded. Aaliyah’s father finally reached her and grabbed her hand. A wolf attacked him from behind, biting at him in an attempt to pull him back onto the field.
Aaliyah’s fear turned to anger and then to rage at the site. With a scream of fury, she turned golden, but this time was different. She was flying high above the battlefield and saw her family and enemies fighting below her.
“Stop!” Aaliyah screamed, and as she did time stood still. She stretched her hand over them and a light engulfed the field, healing the wounded and transforming them back into their human forms.
Her father stood unchanged. As she lifted her hand to him, he flew. She pointed at Aaliyah, who was also flying.
Her father looked at Aaliya as Aaliyah exclaimed, “Peace to the realm!”
The strength of her magic faded as Damien and Renee realized what had happened. They were no longer cursed, but had been freed. They looked up to the sky and saw the savior the generations had foretold.
Aaliyah heard various voices praising her, exclaiming, “We have been saved! Thank you, Aaliyah. We have waited centuries for this.” Then with a wave, they went their separate ways. Aaliyah motioned her dragon forward and he took flight. Flying beside them, they headed back to the cave.
"I'm sorry about Mom," Aaliyah said to her father.
Hybrid smiled. "Little one, your mother is fine."
"What?"
"Yes, sweetie. It's what I was trying to tell you when you flew off. We are part undead as well as part alive. The living part of her healed fast, but the undead part heals more slowly and needed more time."
"Well, isn't that messed up!"
"What did you just say, young woman?" he chuckled.
"Nothing, Dad."
When they reached the cave, they made their descent and land on the ground. Once he landed, Hybrid rushed to the cave excitedly. He couldn’t wait to tell Christine that their daughter had returned.
Aaliyah walked into the cave with tears in her eyes. "Mom!"
Christine, who had been seated in a chair, slowly stood. "Yes, my baby?"
Before she could speak, Aaliyah noticed something peculiar. The second her mother was on both feet, Aaliyah’s jaw dropped as she saw it, the roundness of her belly. Her mother was pregnant!
Meanwhile, in a far away land, a rumbling occurred. The ground opened and something dark and sinister emerged…
* * *
The red glow of the sun proclaimed the birth of the second hybrid child. It was a boy!
Eighteen months had passed since the battle of the realms. It was now a time of peace and prosperity. The child was named Adam because the earth was at a new beginning. His eyes were green like emeralds and his hair black and dark like his father’s. He was about the size of a normal two-year-old, but not too tall or wide.
They discovered he was very strong. He had his sister wrapped around his wee little fingers. He spent his days with her and Happy Dragon while Christine and Hybrid helped rebuild the Amazon's damaged homes. During this peace, everyone had a wonderful time, if only for awhile.
The former pack, now human, built a small town and were living peacefully and in tranquility. BOOM! A loud echo was heard followed by the sounds of death and torture. Blood-curdling screams rose louder and louder as they came from the camp. A few escaped the dark creature that had come from the earth, but what was it? What was the creature that slowly made fear creep throughout the land again?
With the smell of brimstone and the sizzling of the grass, a massive, dark creature rose from the ashes. The father of all dragons had red eyes that seemed to smolder and scales black as night. His name caused the earth to tremble: Apocalypse.
He had been awakened from a century of slumber and he now wanted his kingdom back, the very one the Amazons reigned over. With each step, the ground trembled before him. He watched as a few pack members e
scaped as a sinister smile slithered across his face. This creature was pure evil. He went through the land destroying countless lives, but only one escaped. Renee had been deeply wounded, but she continued running. If she could just make it to the Amazons and to the Keeper of Realms, all would be okay.
Days turned into weeks and then to months as Adam grew rapidly, just as Aaliyah had. His strength nearly matched that of Aaliyah's as did his battling skills. Aaliyah had spent a lot of time teaching him to fight and he was nearly able to defeat her. With the evening breeze, he sat with his back to the wind and like always his sister came to his side. They talked of the dreams they shared and the times they had spent together. Their time alone was usually cut short because Christine came with them. She, like always, tickled, hugged, and kissed her two babies. They usually spent the night with each of them in her loving arms, but tonight she had left them to themselves.
* * *
Sunrise...
As the morning sun shone upon the beautiful meadow, the Amazons felt the breeze of winter sweep across the plain. The bitter cold came fast and as the Amazons prepared for the new day, a strange person entered the camp. It was a woman who appeared to be badly wounded. As Danielle and an Amazon tended to her wounds, she revealed her identity to them.
"I am Renee of the wolves."
"What?" Danielle said. "What's happened to you?"
"A creature attacked us. Not many survived. You need to find the savior. Find her and warn her. The battle of the realms is not over."
With that, her body finally succumbed to her wounds and she slipped into unconsciousness. Danielle sent her fastest Amazon to the cave and she was met by the overprotective hybrid.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Sir," she bowed. "There is a disturbance and we need your daughter’s help."
"What has happened?" Christine asked as she walked out to join Hybrid.
"The wolf queen, Renee, is injured and dying."
A chill swept over Christine. "Not again."
Aaliyah, overhearing their conversation, walked into the room. "Let me guess, I need to protect or heal someone?"
The Amazon bowed. "Yes, mistress."
Hybrid walked over to the Amazon and assured her that they would help in any way they could. As the Amazon left, Hybrid spoke to his daughter. "With great power comes great responsibilities."
Adam rushed in, hoping a battle would begin soon. He wanted to go to war. His heart yearned for the day he could fight to the death.
"Son, your time will come, but not yet," Hybrid said as they walked to the village to find out what had happened.
* * *
It had been two days since Renee had woken and told them of the dragon who called himself Apocalypse. Aaliyah and Adam were prepared and ready for the challenge. Their blood boiled and they ached for combat. Their mother and father explain that it was not the time to run in blindly.
"We must find out about this creature and how to kill it." Adam said.
Aaliyah walked to the lake like she had always done with her mother. She sat on the icy bank and prepared mentally herself for the battle. She imagined herself slaying Apocalypse and restoring peace. It was in the midst of her daydreaming that she heard someone holler.
"Help! Please help me!"
She looked about only to see a hand rise and fall from the water. She floated over the lake and raised the boy from the lake with one hand. She flew him over to the bank and set him down. He was freezing cold until she removed the chill with the wave of her hand. Her powers flowed over his body quickly and he became instantly dry.
"Thank you," he said with a sigh of relief.
She looked at him now a little differently. He was tall and slender. His eyes were dark and his hair curly and black.
He has a beautiful smile, she thought to herself. She was yanked from of her thoughts as he waved his hand in her face.
"Yes?" she snapped.
The boy spoke. "My name is Absalon. What's yours?"
"Aaliyah." She giggled.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked.
"Well, you are naked."
The boy shamefully covered himself. He didn't realize his clothes were still in the lake. Offering him her coat, she turned away. The boy took it and put it on.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Well, to be honest, I was running away."
"Why?"
"I want to live life on my own terms. I don't want to be told what I must be. I just want to be me, you know?"
Nodding her head, she answered. "Yes." Then she told him of an Amazon village that may take him in. He nodded, following her. They arrived to the outskirts of the village.
"Hey, Aaliyah?" he asked.
"Yes?" she replied.
"Ummm, when you saved me, were you flying?"
"Yes. Yes I was."
"Well, why did we walk all this way?"
"Grrr!" she responded in frustration. "Just wait here."
After a long talk with Danielle, she explained to Absalon that he was to stay in a hut far away from camp. He was happy just to have a roof over his head. "Thank you," he said. He hugged her only to be pushed back by the blushing Aaliyah.
"Sorry," he said as he turned and walked into the hut.
Aaliyah returned to the cave to tell her parents of the events and as she told the story, Adam realized something.
"Hey sis," he interrupted.
"Yes, squirt?" she responded.
"Why are you blushing?"
She quickly kicked him under the table. Hybrid and Christine laughed, which embarrassed Aaliyah. She left the table and went into her room. Aaliyah, the Savior of the Realms, had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Her hair was brushed straight and her body had womanly curves. She paid a lot of attention to detail as to how she dressed and behaved like a normal teenager.
"Aaliyah!" her mother called.
"What?" Aaliyah said in irritation. "What is it, Mom?"
"Sweetie, go down to Aaliyah and see if they’ve caught any fish."
"Mom!" Aaliyah huffed in annoyance.
"Listen to me," Christine said calmly while stroking her daughter’s hair. “Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I was an Amazon warrior before I was your mother.”
Aaliyah slowly and unwillingly walked out of the cave andheaded down to the tribe.
"Parents! Gah! Here I am the Savior of the Realms and what do they do? They send me to get fish! I saved the planet once! Healed vampires, cured werewolves, oh and by the way saved them from being slaughtered! Could I get a little credit just once? Crap!" She screamed as she tripped and fell down the hill into camp. She groaned. "Great! Just freaking great!" Her leg was bleeding.
Danielle came to her aid. "Aaliyah, are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" she retorted sharply.
"I'm here to help you if you will let me."
"I know! I know! I'm the Keeper of Realms. Blah blah blah! Aaliyah!" she yelled. "Are you here?"
Danielle shook her head and walked silently away.
"Yes. I'm here!" Aaliyah shouted back. "Come over here!"
"Gah! Godmother, do I have to?"
"Yes. Yes you do, little girl."
Aaliyah stomped and trotted along and into the hut. "Mom wants to know if you caught any fish."
"Why?" Aaliya asked.
"Because she wants some. Duh!"
"Listen Aaliyah, you will not talk to me in that manner. I'm your godmother and I demand respect from you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Did you forget I saved your life? How easy it is to forget, huh?"
Aaliyah stood slowly and walked toward her. "It's happening, isn't it?"
"What's happening?"
"You’re growing up and I understand that, but calm down. It's all gonna work out."
Removing Aaliyah’s hand from her shoulder and picking up the basket of fish on the floor, Aaliyah walked out of the hut and back to the cave. Emotions were filling her. She had never felt like this befo
re. Suddenly, her dragon swooped down and landed with a thud.
"Hey, Happy Dragon!" She petted him, but stopped when she saw Adam on his back. "Why are you with my dragon?"
Her little brother shrugged. She grabbed his hand and walked into the cave. "Dad! Why aren't you watching Adam? Did you know he was flying around with Happy Dragon?" Aaliyah asked.
"Yes," Hybrid responded nonchalantly.
She slammed the fish down and walked quickly to her room. Aaliyah slammed her door shut and dropped down on her bed. In the meantime, Adam was sitting on the floor when suddenly, a golden light surrounded him. Christine yelled for Hybrid and Aaliyah.
"He's transforming just like I did," Aaliyah said.
As the glow faded, he stood up and was now about the age of fourteen. His hair had grown longer, his muscles rippled and like his father, and his skin was a bit darker. His voice had even changed as well as his knowledge.
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