by Ryan Johnson
“Am I glad to see the one we’ve placed as Shimabellia’s new ruler is doing well and doing his duties right,” stated the Griffin King.
Valverno sighed.
“They chose me to be their right ruling… hybrid. They have me a power to wield. To harness. To use. I need to make sure I use it rightly and must never abuse it. It is also a responsibility for me to use it wisely. I must handle my power and authority with the proper care or what the gods gave to me they can take away. I am maybe half god, but it can’t be compared to a full god.”
“Wise words of choice,” said the Griffin King.
“You mean, wise choice of words,” corrected Flarefur.
“Yes, that is what I mean,” replied the Griffin King.
Valverno smiled and saw only Griffins gathering around. He saw the rest of the flying Griffins land on the ground, but there were signs of other creatures coming to the open area. “Where are the rulers?” he asked.
“We left at the same time, but we Griffins have lighter body mass and faster wing flapping power,” said Flarefur. “There will be here in due time. And those by land will have by to shore by boat. So it is going to be a while before they get here.”
And there they waited for the other leaders to arrive.
It was about a good hour before others were showing up like a swarm of bees. Dragons were the first to come; the Dragon King was flying down with several different colored scaled Dragons behind him. Minutes after the Dragons showed themselves, a horde of Unicorns trotted across the plains, with the Unicorn King leading them. On the backs of the Unicorns were Fairies, for some reason, were not flying. Then droves of Centaurs and Pegasi came running as the last of the few creatures.
The Merpeople and the Sea Serpents couldn’t make it since any large waterholes were nearby and no crowd was gathered by beaches.
And they all were quite surprised to see the demigod in their midst. Each ruler of each species felt highly honored when Demigod Valverno was there with Flavius and a very special guest also worth honoring: Marina, the Siren Queen of Shimabellia.
“Welcome, to this huge gathering, Demigod Valverno and Queen Marina,” greeted the Centaur King. The Centaurs bowed their heads as soon their eyes laid on the wedded rulers.
“We are pleased to meet you,” said the Fairy Queen.
“You honor us all,” said the Unicorn Queen.
The rulers there all greeted Valverno and Marina like real people of royalty. Valverno was a half god, but he was greeted as a king. In the past, the rulers gazed at him with oddly looks. Now they look at him as an equal individual instead as an outsider.
Valverno was happier than ever that the creatures had accepted him as their ruler and an equal ruler to rule over the island of Shimabellia and kept in good relations with him.
Now the creature rulers had arrived. After the creatures had arrived, people riding on horses rode from the north and south came in unison. Over a hundred horse riders rode carried many banners with different symbols.
As the minutes passed, the leaders of different bannered flags dismounted from their horses and sat upon the cut tree barks.
Valverno recognized several of those people he saw three years ago who proclaimed him as their new ruler. The leaders of each bannered squad made their way to a cut trunk and sat down.
The subjects carrying the banners stayed mounted on their horses while their leaders dismounted and sat upon each different trunk on. About a dozen people dismounted from their horses and sat on the trunks of torn down trees, and each leader distant themselves from the other leaders so there wouldn’t be a lack of maneuvering space.
Leaders from different regions of Shimabellia have come to gather with Flavius to discuss the latest and resent news of what has been coming in the weeks past.
Then Flavius sat down and looked at the leaders sitting themselves down. “The Dragon King has all called us here to speak our daily reports, but first, we have an unexpecting guest joining us: Demigod Valverno.”
Valverno walked out in the middle of the open and sat on a trunk that was half way from Flavius and the furthest regional leader. Every regional leader present gave small greetings to see the Demigod there with them.
Soon after Valverno was seated, the creature rulers stood in different spots not occupied by their human comrades. There was enough room for all when everyone had settled to turn their eyes toward a speaker speaking.
Flavius was the first to stand. “The Western Region has been doing well in the past three years. Thanks to our ruler, Demigod Valverno, the people of the Western Region have prospered and our soldiers are increasing by the day. Any of those loyal to King Uragiru had been driven away from the Western Region, and I don’t regret to say Valverno has taken care of the last of Uragiru’s loyalists.” Then Flavius sat back down and the attention was drawn to Valverno.
Without hesitating, Valverno stood up and took a few steps forward. He saw many eyes staring at him: humans and creatures alike. “I am proud to announce the last of Uragiru’s loyalists have been eradicated, and they would be the leaders of the Snake Clan.”
He paused to hear a few whispers and mutters among the humans but none from the creatures who gave oddly looks.
“The Snake Clan is considered to be the last of King Uragiru’s loyalists, and they have met their match against me, even their leaders: the Council of Three. Those three people have met their end and their clan now has changed sides.”
“What do you mean?” asked one of the dukes.
“I mean, I didn’t kill the soldiers of the Snake Clan. And instead of killing them, I’ve allowed them to join me and remained them the Lizard Clan. I’ve gained a big ally in the fight against Teutates.”
“What?” said one of the other regional leaders. “You allied with the Snake Clan?”
“Yes, I have. The reason for that: brainwashed soldiers. They were soldiers brainwashed by ancient dark magic that dates back to ancient times when Pangaea still existed. The soldiers were forced against their will to serve the Council of Three and were ultimately brainwashed into serving the Snake Clan.
“There were ten thousand brainwashed soldiers I’ve saved when I killed the Council of Three. The Council of Three was descendants of Dark Pangaeans the original White Knights and I fought long ago. The soldiers were kidnapped and taken as children to be brainwashed with dark magic. I killed the Council of Three and ended freeing all the soldiers from being brainwashed.
“After I save the soldiers, they chose me to be their leader. And by doing so, I’ve got a fleet that is guarding Seaport City on Isla Maeli. The city is where Teutates and the Lion Clan is where currently resides. No matter what you think of it, I did what I know what is the good natural choice.
“When I make questions of what is right or wrong, it is more like this: what is good from evil? Killing the entire clan would have been an evil choice for me to make, and I would be calling myself another Lusìvar. The Shadow King means to bring death, and I mean to bring life. Question my choices if you may, but I can’t other people’s opinions make the choices I make.
“So there, that is the end of my regional report: Uragiru’s remaining loyalists are dead.”
After Valverno spoke his last sentence, he sat down in order to let other leaders from around the circle speak of what reports they had to speak.
He listened to three leaders raising complaints that their scouts scoured many monsters on the eastern seaboard of Shimabellia. One other leader said there were strange sightings down in swamps down south.
Valverno paid close attention to what each leader was saying and there all were saying there were sightings of evil creatures in certain points but there were no attacks. Many evil creatures the leaders were claiming to be mindless minions of the Shadow King were sighted in different regions and all were flocking like a crowd of bees trying to find honey.
Many evil creatures sighted but no attacks or incidents had taken place. From the voices of it, Valverno guessed Lusìvar no longer cared of having any creatures or animals as his minions. Seeing how he had regained his body and is riding a flying chariot driven by evil Pegasi, Lusìvar no longer needs an army of animals roaming on the ground or sky; he had something far bigger and smarter: the Titans.
Lusìvar had his mind set on the Titans and they would be better use for tools than any creature Valverno can slay like a Minotaur, Basilisk, or even a horde of Harpies. Those creatures Valverno can easily kill. And with three White Knights at his side, he can overcome an army of those he now considers a little bug he can squash on.
But that was also another matter: Valverno needed to tell everyone about Lusìvar’s true form. While he listened to reports of creature sightings, he’s hesitant to mention Lusìvar. Should he mention the Shadow King or should he stay silent? Before he could answer, he saw Marina walking the center and walked up to him.
Marina’s graceful appearance killed the current speaker’s voice dead silent. “My lords, Demigod Valverno and I also have something to report,” she announced. She stood by Valverno and grabbed one of his hands. “Something existing that it could you knock you dead.”
There was dead silence.
Valverno remained silent with the crowd as well. He didn’t know if was supposed to be a joke to make the other leaders laugh or if it was supposed to mean something else than a bad joke.
However, Valverno stood up and he winked at Marina. He turned his hybrid eyes to the eyes glaring at him while he stood up and loudly said, “Queen Marina has become pregnant with triplets. She is going to be a mother of three kids, and I am to be a father.”
And there was a dead silence among the crowd.
Then Flavius was the first to stand and applied at the news Valverno announced. He was the first of have heard the news, so he knew right there and then what Valverno was meaning.
After seconds Flavius stood, several other leaders stood and applied at the news. The creatures stood where they were, but only the Centaurs who applied since they were the only creatures to have hands. Though the Fairies had sent out magic, white sparks flying into the air like fireworks.
The Dragons, Griffins, Unicorns, and the Pegasi lightly pounded their legs in the ground so they wouldn’t have to make an earthquake and shatter the humans standing on the ground. And it was a way of hearing some good news of new life that could sprout from another life.
“Not only there is a hybrid husband to a Siren, but there is going a hybrid father of three newborn Sirens,” said the Unicorn King. “It is a pity you couldn’t try to have the proper fun with her when in a house, Demigod Valverno.”
“I wouldn’t say that, King of the Unicorns,” argued Valverno. “Sirens can have their own kids without having a male partner to be with, but I managed to get through the loophole with a proper method of my own and gave her triplets.”
Everyone and the creatures had become silent; the same reaction Flavius heard when Valverno mentioned it to him. Their excitement dwindled down to pure silence. Flavius was the only one not surprised to hear the news, since he heard everything beforehand. And he didn’t want to know the two lovers manage to do it.
“What did you mean by that?” asked a Fairy.
“You heard me right: I was the person who managed to do it with Marina. Her kids are not just her kids, but my kids as well. My blood-born children. Despite not being a human without the necessary human qualities, I did manage it and Marina here is going to have my triplet children. I am going to be the father of three kids, and they may be hybrid children just like me.”
“A Pangaean Demigod and a Siren are going to have hybrid kids together?” said the Centaur King.
“Now, that is very unusual: a Siren with triplets to a cross-specimen who is already a child of two different species from an ancient land,” said the Dragon King. “A hybrid child born from a hybrid child born from two different species. Where is the life of evolution coming to? It seems every specimen on Shimabellia is going to have hybrid kids of their own.”
“I agree,” said the Griffin King. “Shimabellia is going to be a place of hybrids and crosspieces. I am starting to think maybe Teutates would have been made the better ruler.”
Valverno shock his head in their replies. He knew it was odd for two different species to fall in love yet alone to have hybrid children as a result. He was a hybrid himself and thought of two certain scientists were his parents, only to find out he had two different parents from an ancient land long gone.
“Anyhow,” he said, breaking what the other leaders were saying about him. “Marina and I are planning on a celebration tonight in Flavius’s village. If anyone wants to participate in the celebration, you are most certainly welcome to. Because today, I will be planning on to be the last day maybe I maybe the ruler of Shimabellia.”
“What for?” asked the Fairy Queen.
“I bring more news but the news is more dreadful than hearing the death of a loved one,” announced Valverno, “Lusìvar had regained his physical body and I did battle with him and nearly lost.”
Valverno told them of Lusìvar’s appearance was bigger than the biggest human known as Galvin. The demigod told them of his fierce prowess on the battlefield and how Valverno was nearly overpowered by the Shadow King. He did battle with his foe he was chosen to get rid of, and how close he could have been to getting killed.
Valverno went to say how Lusìvar got this body back when the big event happened, when Valverno summoned worth a god into the Mortal Realm. And the empowering pulse Origenes sent out, under an order of Valverno, casted away all black magic from the Mortal Realm and back into the Pool of Shadows. That was how Lusìvar got his body back.
After he announced the news, everyone muttered to themselves. Valverno’s ears picked up what the people were saying of terrifying things. Mostly why the many sightings of the evil creatures lurking around Shimabellia and not attacking. His special power of summoning a god may have also caused the evil creatures to go from loyal pets to animals living in the woods.
Those creatures have been brainwashed by Lusìvar and Valverno had given them their freedom. But he thought that kind of power should have worked on the Council of Three when they were brainwashing the ten thousand soldiers, but it didn’t work that way. How a god’s power didn’t work on Dark Pangaeans power is something Valverno couldn’t figure out.
“That is ill news,” said the Dragon King. “Our greatest enemy was an undead ghost haunting across our lands. Now, he has regained what the Crystal Dragon had banished long ago. And by Valverno’s odd power, the Shadow King has regained back he tried to get back for thousands of years.”
There were nods taking place and many of them Valverno thought weren’t nice. Valverno stepped forward until he was in the center of the circle of the regional leaders. “Many you now wonder if I am meant to be a ruler of Shimabellia and maybe Teutates should be the ruler of Shimabellia. By sometime tomorrow, I’ll be giving up the ruler of Shimabellia. This is because my fight is with Lusìvar and I can’t beat him without the last armor artifact.
“I know where it is: on Isla Maeli’s most northwestern corner. Tomorrow at dawn, the White Knights and I will depart for that point, and we will retrieve what rightfully belongs to me, which will reconnect to my divine power the gods gave me. And I will be powerful enough to battle against Lusìvar and will be able to defeat him.
“However, I do plan that he is there protecting the last armor artifact. Since I successfully retrieved the first two, the Shadow King isn’t planning on me winning that easily. He’s going to be there, and he is going to be protecting it with his full power.
“Tomorrow is going to be the defining day of what will be decided: will I succeed in retrieving what is mine and finally defeat our greatest enemy, or will I fail and let the Shad
ow King once again rule over lands? Tomorrow will be the fateful day that will change everything the future stands for. And that is all the news I have to bring you. Queen Marina, if you are willing, I’m heading back to the village. But first, we’re going to spend the rest of the sunlight by the seashores.”
Marina smiled and nodded her head. She strolled over to the demigod and he wrapped an arm around her waist. She saw she spread out his magnificent wings. The first time she saw those wings was when they were red like blood.
Valverno flapped his wings and soared into the air. “I’ll let you people finish with your reports while Marina and I plan for our future and what our kids would look like,” he called out. And with one flap of his wings, he flew off to the west but at a slow and steady speed like a snail flying in the air.
A SONG BY THE SHORES
Valverno was flying slower than the need to fly fast. Flying from the meeting place, Valverno drifted slowly over the land filled with lush green valleys. Valverno was enjoying the scenery he was passing over.
“What matter with your flying?” asked Marina. Even though she asked a rhetorical question, Marina was catching on as to why Valverno was flying slower than ever.
Valverno was seeing through Marina’s rhetorical question and dared not answer her. His only reply was a big smile, a big smile that would mean a kind of “secret hiding something from you that you don’t need to know” smile.
From the height he was flying at, they both saw the village and the people looking smaller than ants. Over the trees the village was seen, then disappeared behind another ray of trees. Valverno had the feeling of wanting to stop there, but his mind was focused on getting to the beach to watch the sunset with Marina and maybe the final sunset he will see.
The day he spent fighting a clan, talking with a half-sister and a Siren, and a meeting with regional leaders felt it was going to be the last day he would spend as a free demigod yet alone a free hybrid. The last day to enjoy the freedom he and Marina have. When tomorrow dawned; it would mean flying to the location to retrieve the final armor artifact and finally regaining his lost, divine power.
