by Shoraz
Then, with the diamond army controlling the portal, the mighty Blue Dragon returned to the Realm of Zerros and the sorcerers and the people of Zerros waged war against him and his minions and even though they bravely fought against them, they were unable to kill the vile beast and his army. And then as an only option, Razen courageously ventured alone to meet the mighty Blue Dragon himself and with a form of magic that only Razen knew he somehow finally managed to put a spell on the Blue Dragon which put him and his minions into an eternal inertia never to be heard from again, and left them on the outer edges of the Ocean of Eternity as the four dragons and the diamond army slowly disappeared back to where they came from.
As the battle ended, the sorcerers tried to venture back into Dezzanor but were unable to do so as the portal was closed. Then, as time passed and the realization that the Phoenix would not be returning to her throne as the ultimate ruler of the Realm of Zerros became apparent, the people of Zerros as well as the sorcerers all wanted power of the now vacant throne of Zerros which also meant the power to control the Realm of Creation.
Then, as division and separation set in amongst the people of Zerros and the sorcerers, the people of Zerros divided amongst themselves and using their alliances and friendships they formed seven clans, each one laying claim to the vacant throne of Zerros.
Among the clans that formed was one led by Venetia, who believed with everything in her that she was destined to be the ruler of Zerros as she knew that the letter ‘V’ was imprinted above the throne of Zerros right beside the statue of the Blue Dragon, and she always thought that the letter ‘V’ made reference to her one day becoming the true ruler of Zerros.
As she rose within the ranks to rule her clan, she, together with Yram – another clan leader – concocted a plan full of deceit and treachery. At first, Venetia sided with the sorcerers and they fought together and lay waste to the three clans ruled by Denstra, Zornia, and Qanaye.
Then as Venetia and Yram ruled the Realm of Zerros they promised the sorcerers they would have control of the almost eternal Realm of Creation, and just as the sorcerers thought that the battle was over and Venetia had lived up to her word of giving the Realm of Creation back to them, she unleashed her wrath upon the sorcerers and together with the clans of Yram, Leonis and Zalde they betrayed the sorcerers and waged war against them leaving only one powerful sorcerer – the wise Razen – alive in order to keep the Dragon and his minions under the eternal spell.
At first, Razen tried to resist, but Venetia threatened him with the destruction of the Realm of Creation. And then, left with no choice Razen succumbed to her demands and Venetia quickly pounced upon him and so began his life of torture and pain under the command and rule of Venetia, who rose to become the sovereign of Zerros with Yram, Leonis and Zalde standing by her side.
However, unbeknownst to Venetia, Yram, Leonis, and Zalde a small clan of sorcerers managed to escape their evil clutches and hid in the vastness of Zerros patiently waiting for their chance to one day free their wise and tortured friend – Razen. And in addition to waiting for their chance to free Razen they also patiently waited for their chance for the one true ruler of Zerros – the Phoenix – to return back to her home and return it to the glory of what it once was and what it was always meant to be.
The end of the story of Zerros
As Astaria’s story of the history of Zerros ended, Sevki, Shonar, and Galtra looked at each other baffled at the truth of the story of which they only knew parts of.
As they contemplated upon what Astaria had just told them they were in shock and awe at the magnitude of what was just revealed to them and knew that the death of the Xerrolux was just part of a sequence of destined and unfathomable events which would hopefully lead to the Phoenix reclaiming her place as the rightful ruler of Zerros as well as the ruler of the mythical and magical Realm of Creation which housed and hosted the countless number of universes, galaxies and planets along with the billions upon billions of life forms in existence.
Unbeknownst to Astaria however, she only knew part of the story and what she didn’t know was that unperceived by the Blue Dragon and his minions, one of the sorcerers who they left for dead back in Dezzanor somehow survived their attack and with her last ounce of strength managed to forever close the portal from Dezzanor to Zerros.
And then – in a near miraculous event – she did the unthinkable and returned the soul and energy of the Phoenix back within her and once again the Phoenix was alive but only barely, and then, in the most unlikeliest of ways, the Phoenix became one with her creations and slowly but surely she began her improbable and unbelievable quest back to her home of Zerros.
CHAPTER EIGHT
As Razen quietly sat in his cell the door to it was slammed open and in walked Yram with a group of royal guards, and as Razen heard them he tried to scramble away from them. But as he tried to do so, the shackles that bound him to the walls of his cell kept him from moving very far and the royal guards pounced on him as Razen tried to fight them off.
“Please I have done nothing, and I bow to your ruler Venetia. She is the ultimate ruler of Zerros and of everything in existence,” Razen shouted.
“Word has reached us that you have been speaking to a royal guard and we have been informed that you have asked the royal guard to help you escape so that you may be free of Venetia,” Yram said.
“I have done no such thing Yram; and it is only through the mercy of Venetia that I am alive today and to her, I owe my life,” Razen replied.
“I see through your lies Razen,” Yram said to him, “Bring the royal guard in,” Yram then shouted, and the royal guard that Razen had asked for help was brought into his cell.
“Did he ask you for help?” Yram asked the royal guard as she pointed to Razen who was in shock that the royal guard had told Yram about his request for help from the evil clutches of Venetia.
“Yes he did my master, he asked me to set him free,” the royal guard said.
“I did no such thing,” Razen shouted, to which the royal guard shouted back, “Do not play with my life Razen. You asked me to free you so that you may destroy Venetia and her clan and destroy the Blue Dragon once and for all.”
Then suddenly, before Razen could say another word, the royal guards in the cell held his hands and feet while two other royal guards began beating upon his face and body as Yram left the cell.
“No, please stop,” Razen shouted, but it was to no avail as the royal guards continued their forceful assault upon the tortured sorcerer.
Then, after quite some time, the assault finally stopped, and Razen was left in a state of disarray and confusion as he lay on the floor of the prison cell, and as the royal guards left, a lone sentinel was allowed in to look after Razen after his brutal beating.
“Let me help you my friend,” the sentinel said, and with those words, Razen felt that he had finally found a friend that could help him in his quest to escape the despicable and vile clutches of Venetia.
CHAPTER NINE
As Alkazar walked away, he pondered upon the universes that Venetia had given to her closest allies and partners, and he wondered if those universes were in a better state than the now defunct and nonexistent Xerrolux had been prior to its destruction.
Alkazar then thought back to Venetia’s announcement of granting universes to her allies and as he did so a deep sense of regret coursed through him as he wished that he had interjected, but he knew the laws of Zerros, and he also knew that he had no choice but to oblige to the rules of the sovereign of Zerros – Venetia.
Flashback: The announcement of Venetia giving universes to her friends and allies
“Greetings and welcome my friends, thank you for joining me as we celebrate the success of Zerros,” Venetia said as she stood at the head of the table in the Grand Castle of Zerros.
“As you know, since our war with the sorcerers which ended in us eradicating Zerros of these fanatical maniacs we are in the process of reinventing how we support and ma
intain the universes under our control and I have invited you all here to tell you of the decisions that your leaders – Leonis, Yram, Zalde and I – have made in regards to this,” Venetia said as the crowd listened in silence and anticipation.
Yram then began to speak and said, “For eons the sorcerers controlled the universes, and unknown to us at the time, they have greatly mismanaged the universes which we now control, and now the time has come for us to take back control and manage the universes in the manner that they should have always been controlled to begin with.”
As the crowd listened, some of them believed what Yram and Venetia were saying, but for a few others in the crowd, they knew that Venetia and Yram only spewed lies and fabrications of the realities of Zerros.
But in truth, the sorcerers had wonderfully managed the universes within the Realm of Creation but after Venetia and her clan deceived and supposedly killed them all, or so they thought, except for Razen, who Venetia kept alive to control the mighty Blue Dragon, they had to fabricate lies in order to make the Zerrosians feel as if Venetia cared about the universes, when in truth, Venetia only cared for herself and her clan which came at the expense of everyone and everything, including the universes and the creations that lived within them.
Venetia then began speaking and said, “To continue on from what Yram was saying, we, the leaders of Zerros, have decided that going forward we will choose who controls the universes and give them sovereignty and rule over their very own universe to govern and manage as they see fit. And to begin this great and exciting age in the evolution of Zerros, we have chosen one hundred Zerrosians, who we have carefully handpicked to begin this exhilarating new period in the existence of our creations.”
As the crowd heard the words from Venetia’s mouth, many of them cheered and applauded her while a few others were in utter shock at the announcement. Then one by one Venetia called out the names of the Zerrosians whom she had given the universes to, and as she called their names, it was quite clear that those who she chose were all close friends and associates of hers who had aided and supported her in her rise to power as the ruler of Zerros.
Among those chosen was Tenarius who pledged allegiance to Venetia and was instrumental in helping to devise the plan which ultimately led to the slaughter of the sorcerers. Also chosen was Oldar, who along with Tenarius was an important part of Venetia’s rise to power.
As the news of Venetia’s announcement echoed throughout Zerros, many Zerrosians who did not agree with the decision were appalled by what they heard but were unable to say anything as they knew of Venetia’s tyrannical ways and did not want to have her wrath upon them.
As Galiac heard the news he was ready to storm the Grand Castle with those loyal to him, but he knew that he needed to be patient and wait for the return of the Phoenix, but he also knew that greed and corruption was about to be unleashed throughout the universes and someone had to do something about it and protect the inhabitants of the Realm of Creation from the inescapable evil that was headed their way.
Then one by one, as Venetia’s allies and associates left the Realm of Zerros, they were given powers of magic and sorcery by a helpless Razen, who was forced by Venetia to give her friends and allies these powers or else he would suffer the consequences and watch the inhabitants of the Realm of Creation suffer at the hands of Venetia. Then, as Venetia’s allies and associates traveled through the portals to their new homes of which they were given sovereignty and rule over, Galiac knew that somehow he had to covertly infiltrate the universes that Venetia had given to her friends and allies and do what he could to prevent the evil that he knew was about to be unleashed from spreading like a pandemic throughout the universes within the Realm of Creation.
As time passed, and the one hundred Zerrosians that Venetia handpicked to rule their own universes were busy playing god with the inhabitants of their universes, a new batch of Zerrosians were chosen and were given another set of universes to manage and govern and do as they please without any guidance, structure, and governance in place.
Then, what Galiac always knew would happen began to take place, and one by one the universes began to unravel as greed, corruption, evil and insatiability were now running rampant through them with no end in sight; while goodness, happiness, joy, and bliss were slowly being siphoned out of them and there was nothing that the inhabitants of the universes could do about it as this was the new norm of existence.
Meanwhile, back in Zerros, while Galiac patiently waited for the Phoenix to return back to her rightful home and reclaim the throne that was abruptly and violently taken from her; he thought of a plan, and although his plan had flaws, he knew that it was the only thing that he could do to save the souls of those who were doomed.
Then, universe by universe, galaxy by galaxy, planet by planet and civilization by civilization; Galiac and his small band of Zerrosians, which included the sorcerers who had somehow escaped the wrath of Venetia, began their secretive mission to spread the message of hope, love, faith, peace and happiness throughout the universes in hopes that they would save the souls of everyone and everything from the very evil that was deliberately and deviously being etched and imprinted into the very fabric of life itself.
The end of Alkazar’s flashback to the announcement of Venetia giving universes to her friends and allies
CHAPTER TEN
Meanwhile back in the house of Zrakil she began her magical workings in order to bring Ava back to life and called upon ancient spells the likes of which had not been summoned for eons.
As her wizardry filled the room with lights and sounds bursting with mystery and enchantment, the soul and energy of the Phoenix slowly but surely began its reentry into the mind of Ava. And after everything that she had been through on earth, including her death by the blue spear of the beast, which she herself created, she was now ready to be reborn in Zerros and ready to again become one with the legendary and mythical ruler of Zerros – the Phoenix.
As Zrakil’s magic and wizardry tried to guide the soul and energy of the Phoenix into the mind of Ava, she physically stood in the room of her home, but in reality, both she and Ava, as well as the mystical Phoenix were in a realm that was encompassed within the sorcery of Zrakil. And inside the world in which Zrakil’s magic had created stood a lifeless Ava, and beside her stood Zrakil, while in the not too far distance, hovering in the skies above stood the apparition of the Phoenix.
“Come to her my ruler, she awaits you,” Zrakil said as she pointed to a motionless Ava.
As the Phoenix heard Zrakil’s words, it flew higher into the sky towards the Ocean of Eternity, at which pointed Zrakil used her magic and shouted to the Phoenix, “Come back my ruler, the fate of everything awaits you.”
As the Phoenix heard those words something inside of her made her turn back to look at Zrakil and Ava, and as she came closer, she looked carefully at a lifeless Ava and said to Zrakil, “How can something so fragile handle the fire that burns within me?” in reference to Ava.
“I will help her my great ruler, and I will do everything in my power to make you and her become one,” Zrakil said.
“And what if she is unable to handle my powers? If that is the case she will most certainly die,” the specter of the Phoenix said to Zrakil.
“That is why I am here my majesty as it is only to help you, and her, become one. Once my purpose is fulfilled, I will then be on the cusp of my return to the One Great Creator,” Zrakil said.
“Are you ready Zrakil? Are you ready to meet your Creator?” the Phoenix asked.
“I’ve been ready for eons O great Phoenix, I just have one more task to complete,” Zrakil said.
“Are you ready to become one with her?” Zrakil asked as she looked at both Ava and the Phoenix.
“Yes, I am ready,” the Phoenix replied, and with those words she began to fly towards Ava and as their bodies clashed, the Phoenix fused herself into the mind of Ava, and then Ava’s eyes suddenly opened and as Zrakil looked at her she cou
ld see the eternal fire of the Phoenix burning within Ava and as she screamed in pain from the ferocity and power of the Phoenix, Zrakil began to chant her spells of sorcery and as her magic engulfed the body and mind of Ava, as well as the Phoenix, who was now within the mind of Ava, so began the taming of the Phoenix.
And with that, Zrakil embarked on her final and most important mission of her astonishing life, and as she did so, she knew fully well that once Ava and the Phoenix became one, her return to the One Great Creator would soon follow.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Back outside of the room, the sorcerers began their spells on the rest of the seven survivors – Sarah, Stryker, Usain, Roma, John and Max – in hopes of reviving them and giving Ava the Phoenix a sense of security and comfort knowing that her friends from a past life had made the trek to the Realm of Zerros to help and support her in the battle against the Blue Dragon and his minions.
As they chanted their spells the first to rise was Usain and as he rose and saw the sorcerers standing above him and his friends from earth laying on the ground he drew his weapon and began to fire upon the sorcerers but to his surprise it was of no use, and as he stood up and began to run towards the sorcerers they continued to bring back to life the rest of the seven survivors and Usain fell to the floor and then slowly began to rise under the power of the sorcerer named Mikaelos.
Second to rise was Max and similarly to Usain, as he awoke from his prolonged slumber he pulled his weapon out and just as he was about to fire it at the sorcerers, a sorcerer named Zurial waved her hand and Max was no longer in control of his body.
Sarah, Stryker, and Roma then awoke, and the sorcerers greeted them to their bewilderment and astonishment as Sarah looked around for Ava but she was nowhere to be seen and as she tried to ask the sorcerers where Ava was the words were unable to come forth from her mouth. Then, as Usain, Roma, Sarah, Stryker, and Max looked on, and the sorcerers continued their enchanted workings on John, he finally awoke.
