by Ryan Johnson
Since then, everyone was under the direction of the new Demon Prince and his legion of Titans, which now have been tainted by demonic powers that Lusìvar himself had inserted. The Titans had become Demons, and they ruled the Mortal Realm with the greatest dread that could kill a child of the mere sight, until Valverno the Demigod came and destroyed the Titans and freed all the mortals chained and caged by Lusìvar.
Then on the second day, Valverno saw the weapons stored in each tower of the fortress were left unused. Sora told him the weapons were too strong for humans to use; she said the weapons response to a specific kind of genetic structure and human anatomy was a weakened structure compared to a Pangaean’s anatomy, which is thought to be a thousand more complex than a human.
So, Valverno took the time to fly by each of the towers that held such dreadful looking weapons and had them tuned to a different style, and have them respond to the genetics of the human anatomy and to a similar species: the Centaurs.
Since Centaurs also looked human, their skills in archery were going have to be greatly upgraded. There were several Pangaean-made bows that could cast magic arrows when a string would be pulled, and there were plenty for all the Centaurs and many humans.
A few magic staffs were greatly enhanced by Valverno’s Light and Shadow powers, which he drank from the Pools of Light and Shadow, and turned those into normal weapons such as spears. The human population wasn’t going to be trained in the art of magic-using, so he turned those into something weapons such as spears and swords the humans could use a future battle to come.
And Teutates had his own set of weapons: awesome looking weapons that closely resembled the weapons that Valverno and a few others found in the cave that held the Crystal Sword. And Teutates had mentioned the weapons he had was surely from the cave that was the apparent home of the two Cyclopes and Giants with a group of thieves found after Valverno fought the Minotaur.
Teutates stated he stored the weapons during the winter season Valverno spent his time with Marina after recovering the first artifact. Both he and Geraldus met in secret to have the weapons stored in the Seaport City and never to use until a certain time was needed. And the time has come for the weapons to be put to good use and have them be used against Lusìvar and his remaining forces.
And so, the entire second day was spent looking for weapons and turning them into useful. The bows were the only ones Valverno thought of would be the only magic-using weapons to fire arrows and not waste any arrows from a quiver. And from that point, more than close to a hundred thousand soldiers and fewer than fifteen thousand creatures were ready to fight.
Then Valverno spent the third day telling Sora, Flavius, and Teutates the reason why he was out for a full year and three months: he was at a settlement with one thousand Pangaeans. He told them he was out for a full year, drifting underwater for seven months and five months.
They were in the tallest tower, which was completely empty and used it as a war room. There were open gaps on the walls of which they could see what would go on outside. There was a large table in the center. It contained the two islands of Shimabellia and Isla Maeli. Both islands were built with objects matching of mountains, valleys, rivers, and the seas. Instead of looking plainly at a flat map, they had the opportunity to look at a large scale of both islands and the terrains and landscapes for each island.
“And so, for three whole months, without any magic using or any flight, I managed to make it to the top and complete that harsh. I needed the training. I just couldn’t rely on magic alone, so I needed to improvise. I had a chance to live again, to finish what I’ve started. Now, I have that chance to fight again and finish what I’ve started with my new set of skills I’ve learned from the Pangaeans and a hard-fitting personality to finish Lusìvar once and for all.”
Valverno finished with a sigh and looked at Flavius and Teutates looking back but Sora’s eyes wasn’t looking back, and he didn’t tell them about the revival of Marina the Siren. He placed his hand on the Crystal Sword’s hilt, which was attached on his back to a new scabbard of leather-made.
“Well, that explains it all,” said Flavius, “and who would have known you and Sora weren’t the only people from an ancient civilization.”
“Hard to imagine that,” said Teutates. “It’s been my duty to know what goes on Isla Maeli, and I have never found such lost colony of an ancient people. I wonder how they manage to evade me and my exiled ancestors for years.”
“Pangaeans have excellent magic skills that keep them hidden away,” said Valverno. “They apparently have some barrier that keeps them invisible from other people; even Lusìvar didn’t appear to have found them. Other than that, they’ll do fine on their own.”
“Why? Why not us meet them?” asked Flavius.
“I can’t bring the last of my people into this way. They are the last of their kind, as with the human and creatures within this settlement are going to be the last of their kind. And no doubt the people at the Seaport City.” Valverno paused and looked at Teutates. “Humans there will also be joining with us. And from what I’m feeling, all five clans are here within the fortress, testing out the weapons I’ve enhanced for them to use, despite the fact those weapons were created by the ancient Dark Pangaeans.”
Valverno stopped and looked at Sora who still wasn’t looking at him. “Sora, what’s wrong?”
Sora finally looked at her brother with a small frown. “After all this time, all these years, I thought you and I were the last of our kind. If there were survivors, why did they hide themselves from us? You and I and our three friends spent two thousand years building and growing the cavepeople and the early creatures, and we found no traces of other Pangaeans. Why did they have to hide from us if they are considered to be Pangaeans?”
“I didn’t take the liberty to ask them, but if I had to guess, they went underground like our home city, Sora. Or a giant form of landmass didn’t drown but moved away toward the west while floating on water. However, their survival won’t matter; what matters is the Pangaeans still live and they are thriving.
“But even though they still live, one thing remains: Lusìvar. He still leaves and no doubt he retreated back to Shimabellia, the destroyed island. The Titans may have been annihilated, but Lusìvar still remains the biggest threat in the Mortal Realm. He thought by killing me and taking my demonic persona will make him think he would no longer have to worry about my mortal body and have complete dominion and slowly work his way up.
“But, in the end, he now knows as I remain half god he will fear me and try to destroy the Mortal Realm. A year ago, he thought himself as a god, but he now has faced the grim aspects reality. Now, he thinks, ‘If I can’t rule the Mortal Realm, then no one will.’ And that will mean he will try to destroy this Realm all mortals live in.”
“Let him try if he can,” said Teutates. “With the forces we have and the power you wield and the weapons enhanced by your balanced powers of Light and Shadow, we can surely win against him. The future is looking bright for us.”
“For once, I agree with you,” nodding Flavius. “We can finally rid the Mortal Realm of the Shadow King once and for all and end the last of the Titans and his monstrosity.”
“I wouldn’t get that far with him,” said Valverno.
“Why not?” replied Flavius. “He has destroyed Shimabellia and all its civilization, Demigod Valverno. The people who were chained and caged on this island are the last of humanity and the creatures. Not to mention you said there was also a thousand Pangaeans in a settlement. Few of which you mentioned had the greatest potential of having the strength of tens of thousands of human soldiers and a powerful Wizard. How can you not see him as a monster that he is?”
“He knows as long as there are humans to rule then he was a Realm to rule,” said Valverno, sitting himself in a chair, “and he has no desire to rule a kingdom of zombies. My mind is now connected to other mi
nds, and my ears are stretched a millionfold. I can feel and hear the screams and agony of the humans, and Lusìvar would prefer to rule the living instead of the undead.
“The living has sensitive feelings that zombies, undead corpses, will not have. For example, the heartbreaking shock Sora must have felt when Lusìvar showed her my wing and showing everyone the memory of him shooting me in the chest.”
Valverno looked to Sora. “Surely, you were heartbroken when you gazed such a grueling sight, dear sister.”
“Yes, Elder Brother,” Sora answered, nodding her head. “The pain my heart felt was too agonized and tormented, I felt like I was going to die. There were no descripting words or any adjectives of how I laid eyes on that memory and your wing, thinking you were permanently dead.”
“You see, Flavius and Teutates? Lusìvar has the desire to torture you, but not by the feel of a burning knife or the cracking of bones. He wants his victims to feel the pressure of losing a loved one like how I lost Marina in my arms. He wants all of humanity to the pain of the love of heart, not harm of the body.
“But now that I am back, he has fled to Shimabellia. The humans still live, but there holds a demonic power that kept them all alive when the comets came flying down. It destroyed the island, the plants, the animals, and the buildings, but the humans still live. In order to have his enjoyment of torturing people, he needs them alive for them to feel the heartbreaking feeling. And if we beat Lusìvar, it may come to the fact he will destroy all the people.”
“If he can’t rule the Mortal Realm, then no mortal will,” said Teutates.
“Yes, and humanity won’t be so lucky; they don’t have any magical means to survive any catastrophe. And if another worldly catastrophe were to happen, there will hardly be any left to help any mortal to survive: it would all end.
“When I was the Demon Prince Vaeludar, I had all the power to destroy all of the Mortal Realm. Now Lusìvar has that power, and he could destroy all mortals and end this Realm with only a wave of an arm or a snap of his fingers. And everything will end quickly. So, he would be enjoying what he has felt before I come marching to his front door and battle him to the death. As long he has people feeling the dread in their hearts, he will be ruling. But, if all mortals are set free, he will end all of mortality.”
“Then we need to stop him and put an end to him,” said Sora.
“But he still will have his small minions at his disposal,” muttered Flavius.
“Then we’ll invade with all the soldiers and creatures we have left,” said Teutates. “We’ll launch a full-scale army and end his army of evil creatures. We also have an army of creatures, so Dragons can be helpful when the time comes to invade.”
“And you’ll all forgetting one important thing,” said Valverno.
“What?” the three people said in unison.
“He is a full Demon, not a half specimen or half mortal. He is going to be dangerous and his army will greatly be enhanced to the level of a Demon. We won’t be dealing with mortals; it will be more of dealing with an army of ghosts. Not to mention he has his cult of Shadow Men, all of whom were once Dark Pangaeans and the first of the kind: the Dark Pangaeans.
“But I’m a half god, which means I’ll have half the strength of the Dragon God. Our powers will place us at odds against each other. He will have the power to destroy the Mortal Realm, but I will have the power to counter against it. That will also give us an advantage in our favor. I guess it comes down to the end: me and him. Only one can be victorious.”
“And we’ll be with you the entire steps of the way, Elder Brother. You can count on us, the White Knights to be with you all the way.”
“Not this time, Sora,” said Valverno, standing up and walking to her. “You and the White Knights already endured enough of agony and torment. For too long, I’ve cowered of my own power and let Lusìvar have his ways with the mortals. Now the time has come to me to finish my mission, which I must do alone.”
“You’re going to abandon us? Again?”
“Not again! Not this time, Sora. The mortals and creatures here are going to be traumatized from their year-long experience. And they’re going to be looked after. You’re the person who has been the closet to me than anyone. This is a task that was appointed me and me alone, by the gods themselves. If I can’t partake in it, then no one else will.”
“But either way you are still abandoning us. You have been with us for three days and now you’re going away again.” Sora’s was crying and wrapped her arms around her brother. “I don’t want you to go again. I can’t take the bare of you leaving us again. I no longer can take the pain of seeing you dead. I tried my best to stay strong, even in the darkest of times. But I don’t know how much more pain I can take. But we’ve already been through so much together. Why can’t we…”
Valverno pushed Sora away from him, leaned over and kissed her cheek, which made her quiet suddenly. Flavius and Teutates stayed quiet and looked elsewhere than to see a demigod kissing his half-sister. After a while, Valverno removed his lips from Sora’s soft cheeks, and this is his third time doing it.
“You made promise to me you won’t abandon me, and you kept it, by showing Lusìvar you never gave up hope I would return. Now I’ll be making a promise I won’t abandon you, Sora. It’s more than likely I will become a god one day, and that happens; I’ll be watching over you and the others.”
“I hope that goes for me as well, my dear husband,” yelled a female voice from the entrance.
Everyone looked where a female specimen stood wearing emerald tunic and small brown skirt over a pair of brown trousers. Dark red hair that tied down to a straight pony tail and blue fish scales ran across the woman’s cheeks. In a hand, she was armed with a shining, silver bow.
Valverno smiled to see his wife Marina ready to fight.
A VENGEFUL SIREN AND COMPANY
Marina stood nearly armed and ready for battle. The Siren stood by the entrance with a big grin and she looked at Valverno. “Kissing your sibling, are we? Don’t I get one? A promise of my own? That you will never leave my side as I never left yours, without me making a promise of you own?”
“Marina!” grunted Valverno.
He quickly rushed toward the fully armored Siren armed with a bow. He grabbed her by the waist and heaved her into the air. He playfully swung her around in a full circle before placing her back on her feet.
“Marina! Marina! My Siren! How wonderful to see you here!”
“How wonderful to see me alive? How wonderful to see you not as a Demon!”
Marina and Valverno quickly kissed each other. A year apart. Both in separate areas. One dead Siren and one lost hybrid. Yet both haven’t forgotten the love they had for each other. And they both shared a kiss after being a year away and not being able to hold each other’s bodies. But it has only been a few day since they last saw each other at the Pool of Light.
“H-h-h-h-h-h-h… HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?” Sora’s voice yelled across from the room.
Marina and Valverno removed their lips and looked at Sora, who had a shocked expression. Flavius and Teutates also shared the same expression as the White Knight of Charity. The last time they saw the Siren was when she had died, pieced through her belly by the sword of the Shadow King Lusìvar. Three more lives were taken by one stab through Marina’s belly, and four should have died.
“Marina! You should be dead! How is it your still alive!? Not just you but your children! How is this even possible? No one can come back from the dead. The Pool of Light doesn’t have the power to bring the dead back to life!”
Sora’s tone of seemed traumatized. She knew the grim reality of death, but never before has she seen one dead come back to life armed with a bow.
Flavius and Teutates remained silent as they allowed Sora to scream at the sight of the resurrected Siren.
“Thanks to my divine husban
d here, I managed to make it through the dead and live again, if it weren’t for him cutting out half his heart to give to me,” said Marina, slyly.
“Cutting out half his heart? What do you mean, undead Siren?”
“Not undead Siren, Sora, look here,” said Valverno. Valverno strolled away from Marina and walked to Sora. He placed his hand on his chest and warped his fingers in his skin. Then all his insides, his guts, showed to Sora and the two men. He pointed to his beating heart: one half was missing.
“This is what she means, Sora. I cut out half my heart to give Marina more life. Indeed she was dead, but her Spirit remained within her body. The power that flows through the Pool of Light can keep a Spirit within a dead body. However, outside the radius of the Pool, Marina’s Sprit surely would have left her body and to join the others in the Realm of Paradise.
“But not without great consequences I left on myself. By cutting out half my half, I cut my life-force…”
“In half,” said Sora. “The years you’re supposed to live. The tens of thousands of years of a Pangaean lifespan. Each armor artifact you attach ages you quickly, and by attaching the last armor artifact you regained the ten thousand years you been asleep. The ten thousand years you were imprisoned in an embryo have awakened and aged your physical age to the point.
“Now, you’re ten thousand years older than you were a week ago. And your remaining lifespan now has been cut in half to bring someone you love back from the dead. I know such power exists.”
“Then you know the abilities my husband has and yourself,” said Marina, walking to join her husband’s side. “I know it, too. I felt it, even in death. I felt the power he holds and the heavy burden he carries. Normally, I won’t want revenge against another, but I feel the greatest anger as I never felt before. For what Lusìvar’s done, what he did not just to me but my own children.”
Marina placed her hands on her belly. Her eyes glittered with anger and rage. The same rage she felt when she saw four witches that held jewels thought to be diamond artifacts from Sirens’ remains.
