by Ryan Johnson
The fog disappeared soon after and ending the memory that was summoned by one orb that went through Valverno’s went like a ghost. And the orb was the only thing still floating when the black fog faded.
“Yes, Demigod. It was never the gods who destroyed the Titans or imprisoned them underwater; it was YOU! You destroyed the First Generation and the Titans.
“A day later after you were found by your mother, Celestreá la Mùne, and you turned into an infant. Your memories of that life were destroyed by your mother’s celestial power and used that to create a new land where Pangaeans. I briefly ruled that land, until that Dragon God did descend to the Mortal Realm and casted me into the Pool of Shadows.
“And that is what you truly became a ‘demigod’; you are no hero chosen by the gods, you’re the son of a Fallen Angel and a Celestial Angel born in the Mortal Realm that destroyed the First Generation!”
Lusìvar held up a hand and the orb floated back to his hand. “Now, you are not of which you say you are, false demigod. You are a Demon or a Devil, not a Demigod!”
Valverno was breathing very hard, seeing of what’s supposed to be him. He was too stunned to speak, seeing himself as the Demon Prince. He felt his strength leaving his legs and knelt down. “That can’t be true! I never brought down the First Generation.”
Those words were the only words that came out of Valverno’s mouth.
“Ask your half-sister. Tell him. You have the power to see between truths and lies. Tell him what you truly say and what you have seen, White Knight of Charity.” Lusìvar walked directly behind Sora. “Is this a lie of an illusion or is it truth of a past memory? The memory this orb casted from your big brother’s damaged mind.”
Sora suddenly dropped to her keens with a shocked look. “I can see it, honestly and truthfully,” said Sora. “I don’t wish it to be so, but I can through lairs and the people who speak truth. I see the dark truth: Lusìvar is right. You are the Demon Prince, the one who brought the Titans and the First Generation to an end. You are known as… Demon Prince Vaeludar!”
Valverno grunted and gasped; Lusìvar told the truth of Valverno. Knowing this dark, sudden truth was now changing Valverno’s perspective of his image. A mortal being born during the First Generation of Living Life and the one who brought it down. And according to the Shadow King, Valverno was transferred back into an infant by his mother, just like how Valverno remembers he was turned back into an embryo when the Shadow Men came and destroyed the hibernation process Valverno and his four White Knights were in.
“Now, everyone knows who you truly are,” shouted Lusìvar, walking away from Sora and closer to the hybrid. “You never were chosen by the gods. You were never a hero. You are a specimen who lied about being a messenger of the gods. You never were chosen by the gods in the first place. You were just a trickster wanting to see how stupid a giant mortal could get. Your demonic father and your angelic mother never should have descended upon the Mortal Realm. You should have existed. Everything became ruined and destroyed, because of you!”
“So, what if it did happen?” grunted Valverno. “So what if I did destroy the old Titans? Everything that has happened in the First Generation, everything happened in the past.
“This Demon Prince Vaeludar. My old name. It is all in the past. So, what if it is true of what you say and I did bring down the First Generation. It all happened in the past. It already happened. What already happened, the events that occurred, and the damage being done cannot be undone. No one has the power to change the past. You can only move forward with your life.
“You, however, can’t seem to let go of the past. You are letting the past take hold of you, Lusìvar. You and I are the same; you lost the Titans and I lost Pangaea. I was grieved when I lost Pangaea, but I learned to let my home country go. You, however, ruled over the early Pangaeans when they learned to grow from nowhere from the First Generation’s destruction.
“And I remember well: I am indeed chosen by the gods. I remember the lake of which I saw the Crystal Dragon. He asked me to be the gods’ weapon, which I agreed to. So, why chose me when I destroyed the First Generation? It must be of redemption for the evil deeds I have inflicted on the Titans. For whatever happened in the past, I will not be changed by it. I am Demigod Valverno, chosen by the gods to be the protector of the Mortal Realm.”
Suddenly, Valverno’s appearance change. It morphed back into the hybrid form he looked before Lusìvar casted a magic spell that altered the hybrid’s appearance. “I won’t let the past be a chain to my legs. Therefore I cut the chain, unlike you, Shadow King; you’re chained to the past, and you refuse to cut the chain. And put it this way, I am not like you nor will I be. I will love my people until the day I die.”
Lusìvar’s face was blank. Sora got back to her feet, and Flavius and Monico looked as Valverno stood back to his feet and grabbed the Crystal Sword back into his hand. Marina was overjoyed to see her husband not falling from grace. Then they all grabbed hold of their weapons and kept their eyes on Lusìvar.
“I knew this will happen, but it was all I had planned for you to feel the greatest despair as which you never felt before,” said Lusìvar. Then Lusìvar swung his red-blade sword the air horizontally and everyone was pushed backwards, including Valverno.
A wind power pushed everyone backwards in different directions. Valverno flapped his wings and stood against the blowing wind of Lusìvar’s swing. Valverno swung the Crystal Sword and brewed his own power of wind to counter against Lusìvar’s attack. When he did, Lusìvar jumped high into the sky and suddenly vanished from sight.
After seeing Lusìvar jumped from sight, Valverno saw his companions lying on the ground from Lusìvar’s attack. He quickly flew over to them and lifted them back to their feet. “Best try to stick to your feet, people.”
Sora, Flavius, and Monico were lifted back to their feet, with Valverno giving them a helping hand. The three White Knights lying on the ground stood back on their feet. Their own weapons were tossed from their hands and were somewhere else; the White Knights lost their weapons and were blown away from Lusìvar’s attack.
Valverno looked at three people who lost their weapons and didn’t see Marina with them. “Where is Marina? She can’t be…”
“There!” yelled Sora, pointing at the exploded tree.
Marina was running toward the gap of the tree’s bark they entered through and saw the last armor artifact. The Siren vanished from sight when she got through the gap of the exploded tree, which lost its entire top with the long branches with beautiful leaves. There was only smoke rising from the top.
Valverno grunted and gave waved his hand in the air. Each person’s weapon was blown back into their hands. “That will do, but I need to see Marina safe!” Valverno flew in the greatest speed and followed to Marina entered through the gap of the smoking tree’s gap.
Valverno entered through the tree and he suddenly lost his ability to maintain his flight. He landed on his feet so very closely to the cliff’s that were waved against the Pool of Light. He looked at the last armor artifact floating in midair, and Marina jumped over the pillared stones leading to it.
With her hands, she grabbed hold of the armor and heaved it down. Armament was caught in her eye that she was going to help her husband accomplish his mission. She turned to see Valverno coming to her, jumping over the pillared stones to her and retrieved the armor to fit it on his chest.
“Thank you, Marina,” shouted Valverno jumping over the last pillar and landing closely to Marina. “You’re really the lovable Siren and you gave a BIG helping… hand…” Valverno suddenly paused as he heard a wind gushing in his face and it smelt bad and he looked up.
Lusìvar came falling and landed behind the Siren, sending a powerful shockwave on his landing that sent Valverno flying and slamming toward a nearby wall of the tree’s interior wall.
He broke from the wall and lande
d on his feet. He quickly looked back at Lusìvar holding his sword up and…
… in one thrust, pierced Marina’s back and into her belly.
Marina gasped suddenly as she felt the red blade impaling through her back and through her belly, carrying her three seeds. “Val… ver... no…” Marina whispered, with tears coming out of her eyes.
A TRAGIC LOSS
“MARINA!” Valverno roared across the interior of the destroyed tree. He saw Marina pierced by the Shadow King. He felt the muscle of his legs weakened, ready for him to collapse.
Lusìvar smiled vilely as he pulled out his sword and let the Siren fall forward, releasing her grip of the armor artifact. The glowing armor fell from Marina’s grip, and Valverno dashed passed it. His tossed the Crystal Sword from his hand and grabbed hold of Marina falling after being stabbed.
“MARINA!” Valverno shouted again. He held the Siren both in his hands, and he saw her faintly breathing. Soft and loud breathes were inhaling and exhaling from Marina’s mouth. “Marina! Hang in there! I’m not going to allow you die under my watch!” Valverno placed his hand over Marina’s wound, which was bleeding out blood.
“Sora !” shouted Sora’s voice. The White Knight of Charity came rushing to Valverno’s side and placed both her hands on Marina’s bleeding wound.
“Siren!” Monico flung a spear over Valverno’s and Sora’s heads. He was armed with another spear and charged toward Lusìvar.
“We’ll hold him off,” said Flavius, swinging passed the three people. Flavius was armed with a sword and shield joined Monico into fighting the Shadow King to keep him away from the two people healing the wounded Siren. The two men took charged at full speed and strength and rotated themselves around Lusìvar.
Valverno’s heart was pounding just as feeling a real heart attack. Right before his eyes, Lusìvar stabbed Marina through her belly. Lusìvar’s attack was quick and sudden Valverno didn’t have time to react to counter against him. He never been so frantic with fear, and he felt he was going to pass out.
He saw Marina bleeding out quickly and losing blood fast, and the wound wasn’t closing by Valverno’s and Sora’s healing magic. “Marina, I’m not going to allow you to die on me.” Valverno ceased his magic power and ripped the paperlike membrane of a wing and used it as a cloth to cover the wound.
The wound was thinly stretched yet blue blood squirted out faster than a frog flapping its tongue to catch a bug to eat. And the worst part: the gap wasn’t closing.
“Valverno… it is alright. There’s still… the other…”
“I’m not going to let you and the three little seeds die on my watch. You have three seeds you need to blossom. There are three kids I need to watch. We’ll raise them together. We’ll love them together. We’ll watch them grow up together. We’ll help them to sprout together. And we will… we will…” Valverno was beginning to breathe hard, losing words and his head began to feel it was going to the ground.
“And we’ll be watching you from the other side,” said Marina’s soft voice. “I will. We will. All of us will.”
“I’m not going to let you die in the Mortal Realm yet!”
“The Mortal Realm is where all mortals are born to die. And we wake up with new life in the Realm of the… Gods.” Marina coughed at the last word.
“I’m not going to let you leave me alone, Siren Queen Marina!”
“I’d never left your side, and I never will. No matter whom you were, what people think of you, what other girl you may love or come to love you... I will… be by your side… always… Demigod Valverno.” Marina placed a hand on Valverno’s left cheek. “You were always the one… who brought brightness into my heart the first time we met. You were my… destined loved one. Valverno. Vaeludar. No matter what name you…make take… you will always be my one true love. My human… dragon… hybrid… I love… you—” Marina’s drew breathe no more, her eyes closed if she was asleep, and her hand touching Valverno’s cheek fell toward his lap.
Tears dripped from Valverno’s eyes and his mouth was grunting. “No. No. NO! Sora! Sora, do something!”
Valverno breathily looked at Sora who was dripping tears down her eyes, and saw her healing power fading from her hands. “Elder. Brother! I’m… I’m sorry! I can’t… my healing power isn’t working. She’s not… she’s not… ever going to wake again!”
Valverno’s eyes were struck with sudden realization, and he roared loudly across the entire tree’s interior and echoed throughout the land…
…Marina the Siren was dead!
ANOTHER DARK SECRET REVEALED
Valverno’s roar soared across the sky and into the air. He tail pounded the ground and grieve had stricken his mind and heart; the love of his life was dead in his hands, before his eyes. His roar was a cry of grieve, and he was powerless to do the impossible.
Sora cried as well but she remained silent. Before her eyes, a Siren lay dead, and she viewed Marina as a sister. Losing her felt the same when Sora lost her mother and father. Sora remembers how she felt when she lost Pangaea, and she was feeling that emotion again; it was a Siren, something she once viewed as a fish. More importantly, she couldn’t understand why her healing magic couldn’t seal Marina’s wound.
Flavius and Monico withdrew from fighting Lusìvar and saw Marina lying dead in Valverno’s arms. Blood dripped from the wound Lusìvar inflicted to the Siren. Both men heard Valverno’s roaring cry of agony, but kept their eyes on one enemy withdrawing his attack.
“So, this is everybody’s favorite hero?” mocked Lusìvar. “Crying loudly when a loved one in one’s arms? How pathetic! The hero chosen by the gods should be concerned with his opponent he’s been chosen to beat yet he is on his legs crying out for a dead mortal fish.”
Many tears dripped from Valverno’s eyes. The loudness of his crying roar quieted it softer by the second, and he wasn’t holding back his tears. He never felt his heart sinking smaller than or beating at a rapid paste. Losing Geraldus and Alaric didn’t feel the same heartbeat as losing Marina.
Marina was a balancer of Valverno’s life. She was his light and darkness, and Valverno was Marina’s light and darkness. Now, Valverno felt the light fading and a great shadow taking hold. “How could I not have saved her!? Marina was within my reach!”
“Your fishy wife was stabbed by my blade, which contained poison that can’t be cured,” answered Lusìvar, lifting up his crimson blade. “The same kind of substance that made the dagger and gave you that scar! The Pool of Shadows can give someone the ability to do unnatural things, if that person bathes in it. For me, however, I drank from it and I have power that succeeds you tenfold, even if you do place the last armor artifact on yourself.
“And just look at you. You! Everyone’s hero is sitting useless by a corpse. I was useless, but I felt awakened by your power. I was awed by it, and some kind of darkness ‘awakened’ within me. I wanted to use that power and experiment with it. And when I did, it was incredible. It made me feel like a god, which gave me an idea how I wanted to use against you. Such power gave me an insight of how weak you could be, and I was right.
“I had a feeling of how weak you would became, just how weak your mother was!”
Valverno’s stopped his crying of grieve so suddenly upon hearing Lusìvar’s words. The words Lusìvar spoke echoed in Valverno’s ear. His ears glittered with realization. He laid Marina’s body on the ground and stood up. He turned around to see Lusìvar with anger sparking in his eyes. “You mean you have…”
“Now, I’m going to succeed of what I failed to do TEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO!” Lusìvar kicked the two men out of the way and jumped forward and pumped his shoulder against Valverno and Sora..
Valverno grabbed the Crystal Sword and charge toward the Shadow King. They both clashed the metal blades of their sword at each other and the swords were being pushed against each other and their users p
ushing with great strength.
“You? You destroyed Pangaea! You killed my mother! You killed all the Pangaeans!”
“What you took from me is what I’ll take from you,” Lusìvar shouted, clutching his sword against Valverno’s harder. “And I’ll take from you slowly, day-by-day until you feel there is nothing more for you to lose!” Lusìvar pushed Valverno back with a push of his sword.
Valverno jumped back when he felt Lusìvar pushing a massive pulse of strength through one swing of his evil sword. Valverno’s jump had strength to flip him over to the ledge connected to the only exit through the tree.
“I see you have no intention of bathing in the Pool of Light,” said Lusìvar, walking over Marina’s corpse. “It would make sense that you don’t know its power, due to the fact the Pangaeans used the Pool of Light as their salivation only to end up becoming their damnation. The purity that runs in the Pool of Light ran in the hearts of the Pangaeans and formed into another form of greed and those people got too attached to their families and their homes.
“And when I rose from the Pool of Shadows, of which the Crystal Dragon god casted me into, I used its power to send a typhoon to raise the ocean waters, a giant earthquake, and a whirlpool to shatter the land altogether.
“And when I thought I had my revenge, Celestreá la Mùne and a few other people had casted their own magic power to save a few children. Of course, they did survive the catastrophes I made, by creating their own magical bubble barriers.
“However, I quickly subdued and killed them. They used up all their power to safe their children and themselves, in hopes of raising their children in the Third Generation. They had no power left when I fought them floating in the air and killed them!”
Valverno grunted in great anger. “You’re such a ruthless monster!”
“The same could be said about you, when you let Belverda and Uragiru fall over cliffs that led to their deaths. I see all mortals are meant to be monsters. As much as you hate me, hybrid, I loathed you even more so. I killed your loved ones and your homeland, but you took much more from me. There were more Titans than there were Pangaeans. I had everything a mortal could desire, but you had to come and destroy everything. Now I’m getting even with you and take things from you slowly.”
