by Shoraz
CHAPTER FIVE
In Zerros, within the Grand Castle, Venetia was perched upon her throne as Alkazar entered the hall.
“My majesty, the last of the vessels has returned from the Xerrolux, and I have been informed that as you have requested, the Xerrolux and everything within it has been destroyed,” he said to her.
“Very well Alkazar, one less universe to maintain and worry about,” Venetia said to him, “And what of the sentinels, have they all been accounted for?” Venetia then asked.
“Yes my master, they have all been accounted for as having successfully returned from the Xerrolux,” Alkazar answered.
“And what of the portal to the Xerrolux, has it been sealed and secured?” Leonis asked.
“No, but the royal guards have strict orders that no one is to leave Zerros unless I authorize it my master,” Alkazar replied.
“Very good Alkazar,” Venetia said.
“My majesty, if I didn’t tell you this, I would be lying to myself, and more importantly I would be lying to you. Do I have your permission to speak freely?” Alkazar said.
“I know what you are going to say Alkazar, and I do not want to hear it,” Venetia said.
“How long will this go on? We cannot keep the portals closed forever. Life forms which we created and are under our rule are suffering because of this. There are many Zerrosians ready to help those in need. Please Venetia, open the portals and let us roam freely and help our creations. Please return Zerros to the realm that it was supposed to be.” Alkazar passionately said, in hopes that his pleading would make Venetia realize the mistake that she made in not allowing Zerrosians to travel freely to other worlds through the portals in order to help those in need and restore order in the plethora of universes under their control.
Then just as Alkazar finished his sentence, an infuriated Venetia screamed at the top of her voice and told everyone except Leonis, Zalde, Yram, and Alkazar to exit the hall. And as everyone rushed to exit at the command of Venetia, Alkazar looked at her unsure of exactly what she was going to say or do.
“Alkazar why do you think I am the ruler of Zerros?” Venetia asked.
“Because your clan won the battle my majesty,” Alkazar replied.
“No Alkazar, it’s not because we won the battle, it’s because no one else wants the burden of ruling Zerros,” Venetia replied as she looked at Yram, Leonis, and Zalde.
“Do you think the leaders of the clans of old are ready to rule Zerros? No Alkazar they are not ready for that, and they would crumble under the power of the throne. This I assure you,” Venetia continued saying.
As Venetia heard her own words, even she herself knew that there were threads of lies in each and every word she said, but she knew that she had to make Alkazar feel at ease again as he was the leader of the royal guards and the holder of the sword of power.
“Do you remember the sorcerers Alkazar? Their sorcery ruined this great realm, and if I did not defeat them, their archaic ways would have prevailed, and the law and order of Zerros would have been shattered,” Venetia continued saying.
“You are right my master; the other clans would crumble due to the power of the throne. The throne would make them full of greed and hate; and it would make them feel as if they have the right to abuse their power and they would rule Zerros with an iron fist. That is what they would do once the power of the throne was theirs, but not you your majesty; you are above that.” Alkazar said to Venetia with a hidden sense of sarcasm.
“I am glad that you understand Alkazar, you are free to leave now,” Venetia said, and with that Alkazar began walking towards the doors and exited the hall thinking that the madness of Venetia had no end in sight.
As he walked, he turned back to Venetia and said, “My majesty, as you are cleansing the universes from chaos as you have just done to the Xerrolux. Would this not be the time to check in on the many universes that you have given as gifts to your friends and those closest to you to ensure that the rules of Zerros are followed and that chaos and greed have not run rampant throughout the universes?”
“How dare you question the decision of Venetia?” Yram asked.
“I know that the universes that I gave as gifts are in good hands Alkazar, and I know that I have given them to Zerrosians that I have the utmost trust and confidence in,” Venetia said as she looked at Alkazar with an expression of disapproval and then continued saying to him, “You are free to leave now Alkazar.”
As Alkazar left, he pondered upon the Xerrolux and wished that it was never destroyed, and he then pondered upon the many universes that Venetia had given as gifts to her friends and wondered if the universes and those residing within them were in good hands. And although he tried his best to think that the universes were in good hands with those that Venetia had put in power, he knew that this wasn’t the case as he remembered the celebration which took place a long time ago when the first wave of universes were given away to be looked after by those who were full of greed and those who had a never–ending appetite for power.
CHAPTER SIX
As the cloaked and mysterious Zerrosian led the way down the dangerous mountainside, they finally arrived at the carriage that lay in wait for them, and they quickly loaded the seven survivors from earth into it. As they did so, the shadowy Zerrosian made her way to her riding beast while Sevki, Shonar, and Galtra sat in the back of the carriage.
As the carriage began its journey, Sevki attended to Shonar’s wound while Galtra poked her head out of the front of the carriage and asked the cryptic Zerrosian, “Who are you?”
“My name is Astaria,” the cloaked Zerrosian answered.
“Why did you help us?” Galtra then asked.
“Because the Phoenix needs my help in order to reclaim her rule of Zerros,” Astaria answered.
“How did you know that we would be there?” Galtra then asked.
“Because this is all a part of Galiac’s plan,” Astaria answered.
“Where are you taking us?” Galtra inquisitively asked.
“I cannot tell you any more, for I myself only know so much. Go back into the carriage and look after our friends from the Xerrolux, especially the one known as the Phoenix.” Astaria said to Galtra and with that Galtra went back into the carriage and sat beside Shonar and Sevki.
“How are you feeling Shonar?” Galtra asked.
“I’m better now, but I’ll feel much better knowing what’s going on,” Shonar replied.
“All is known is that her name is Astaria and she knows Galiac. She didn’t tell me anything else other than to look after our friends from the Xerrolux, especially her.” Galtra said, pointing to Ava – the legendary Phoenix.
“Do you think it’s true? Do you really believe that this is the great Phoenix?” Sevki asked Galtra and Shonar.
“I don’t know what to believe Sevki, things in Zerros are changing faster and faster, and I hope that it is for the best, and I can only hope that Jinnack knows what he is doing?” Shonar replied.
“What about Astaria? Look at what she did to the royal guard. Do you think that we can trust her?” Sevki asked.
“I don’t know, I don’t know what to believe,” Shonar replied.
“She made the royal guard disappear. Do you think that she is a sorcerer?” Sevki asked.
“She can’t be, the sorcerers no longer exist,” Shonar replied.
“I’m going to ask her,” Galtra said, and she quickly poked her head out of the front of the carriage and asked Astaria, “How did you make the royal guard disappear?”
“Please, go back into the carriage. It’s for your safety, and more importantly, it’s for the safety of the Phoenix,” Astaria answered.
“Please Astaria, we’re confused, and we need to know what’s going on. We just returned from destroying the universe known as the Xerrolux because of the madness of Venetia. And we just brought the seven survivors back to Zerros, and one of them is supposed to be the Phoenix. So please help me – and help us – understand what’s going on,�
�� Galtra passionately said to Astaria.
As Astaria listened to Galtra’s words she felt somewhat obliged to tell her everything she knew about the history of Zerros and what really happened to the sorcerers after the Great War of Zerros, but she simply answered, “Yes, I am a sorcerer. That’s all that I can tell you for now.”
“You can’t be a sorcerer, your kind were killed off a very long time ago,” Galtra said in a confused state as she looked at Astaria and slowly went back into the carriage to tell Sevki and Shonar that Astaria was indeed a sorcerer.
However, what Galtra and almost everyone in Zerros didn’t know was that after the Great War of Zerros, a war which ravaged the mystical realm, the sorcerers were thought to have been destroyed, but what only a handful of Zerrosians knew was that a small band of sorcerers had escaped the massacre of their magical clan and went into hiding and patiently waited for their chance to once again help the Phoenix rise from the ashes and roam the skies of Zerros as the one true ruler of the great and magical realm, and the one who would one day hopefully bring back hope and prosperity to everything in existence.
CHAPTER SEVEN
As the carriage made its way deep into the forest of Zerros it finally stopped at the home of Zrakil, and Astaria shouted, “We’ve arrived at our destination, bring the seven survivors inside, there is much work to do.”
Sevki, Shonar, and Galtra then carefully exited the back of the carriage and carried the seven survivors, including the Phoenix, into the home of Zrakil, and as they placed them on the floor, Zrakil asked that the Phoenix be brought into a separate room, and Astaria lifted Ava off of the floor and brought her into the room as Zrakil had requested.
Astaria then exited the room and left Ava with Zrakil, and as she came outside, she was met by three sorcerers who stood outside along with Sevki, Shonar, and Galtra. Astaria then looked at the sorcerers and said, “Get them ready, the Phoenix will need them when she awakes,” referring to the remaining survivors from earth which included Usain, Roma, Sarah, Stryker, Max, and John.
And with that the three sorcerers began preparing their spells in order to revive Ava’s friends for their lives in Zerros, while back inside the room, Zrakil began to perform her sorcery on Ava in hopes of bringing the light and life of the Phoenix into her and unleashing the one creature who Venetia truly feared, and the one creature who was capable of withstanding the power of the realm where all universes existed – the Realm of Creation. And the one and only creature that was capable of bringing hope and prosperity to everything that existed within the multi–dimensional realm, as well as to the plethora of universes under its control within the beyond mystical Realm of Creation.
Meanwhile, Astaria exited the house followed by Sevki, Shonar, and Galtra in order to give the sorcerers and Zrakil the time which they needed to perform their mystical workings, and as they stood outside all three of them looked towards Astaria and she could feel their fears and anxiety due to everything that was happening.
She then looked towards them and said, “My friends, thank you for bringing the Phoenix back home. Sit down and I will tell you the story of what really happened in the Great War of Zerros and the truth behind the downfall of our great home,” and with that, Astaria – the wise and spectacular sorcerer – began her story about Zerros, a story that was full of love, hate, deceit and destiny and was a story in which the Dragon and the Phoenix were center stage, in the ultimate battle of good versus evil.
The story of Zerros
A long time ago in the Realm of Zerros the Blue Dragon and the golden Phoenix roamed free, but for eons before that, it was only the golden Phoenix that ruled the mystical and magical realm.
As time passed and the Zerrosians were created from the fountain of life, the Phoenix gave rise to the sorcerers of Zerros, and with their supernatural powers, along with the magical Phoenix leading the way, they ventured into the Realm of Creation and began their masterful work which included the creation and formation of countless universes, galaxies, and planets along with billions upon billions of life forms.
As time passed the Phoenix inherited the role as the ruler of Zerros, and with it also came the responsibilities of ruling the nearly unending Realm of Creation as well. With the Phoenix leading the way, she gave light and life to everything within the Realm of Creation while the sorcerers created and sustained the countless number of universes within the unfathomable Realm of Creation.
As eons passed the Phoenix marveled at her creations – the universes – and left Zerros for eons at a time while traveling to universe upon universe ensuring that her majestic creations were taken care of and looked after, and that order and structure were being followed. As she returned to Zerros from her immeasurable travels, she was weak and exhausted and upon her return to Zerros from each trip, she would return to the edges of the Ocean of Eternity for her otherworldly powers to be restored and rejuvenated.
As she continued her many journeys within the Realm of Creation, she traveled to many different universes and she eventually arrived at the universe of Dezzanor, and there she found a mystical creature unlike anything that she had ever seen before, and it was a baby Blue Dragon.
As the Phoenix saw the little Blue Dragon, she was drawn towards it and formed a bond with it and brought it back to Zerros for it to live its life in the magical realm so that she could nurture and look after it.
As the eons passed, and the Dragon aged to adulthood, the Phoenix granted the Dragon an eternal life and it was taken to the land of the sorcerers within Zerros where the Phoenix granted the Dragon powers similar to her own, and the sorcerers – led by Razen – taught the Dragon the powers of magic and wizardry. And as time passed, the Blue Dragon caught on well and was now ready to traverse the universes to ensure that the creations of the Phoenix were taken care of and looked after and had lives full of happiness and joy.
At first the Phoenix was hesitant to let the Dragon go to a universe alone and she went along with him to a universe and showed him what must be done in order to keep structure, and prevent chaos from overtaking her creations, and as the now mighty Blue Dragon saw the sacrifices which the Phoenix made, it was astounded and was unable to comprehend why she would give so much of herself in order for her creations to exist in happiness and joy.
As they returned back to Zerros, the Dragon saw how depleted the Phoenix was and as she went into the Ocean of Eternity she gave the Dragon the powers to go into the universe of Dezzanor – the universe where it was born and found – in order to ensure that the creations of the Phoenix were looked after.
The Blue Dragon, who wanted to do more, asked the Phoenix for the powers to travel to all of the universes within the almost infinite Realm of Creation and even pleaded with his strict and stern teacher – Razen – who at first disagreed with the request of the Dragon and then in the final seconds before the Phoenix returned to the Ocean of Eternity changed his mind and asked the Phoenix to give the Blue Dragon the powers to travel to all universes within the Realm of Creation. But the Phoenix was not ready to give that amount of power to the Dragon and only gave it the powers to travel to Dezzanor alone.
As the Phoenix gave the Blue Dragon the power, it also gave it a warning to use these powers for only good and as the Dragon prepared to leave the Realm of Zerros for the first time on its own, the Phoenix used her magical powers to allow the Dragon to leave Zerros this one time and it then traveled to the universe known as Dezzanor.
As the Dragon roamed the vast universe it was not ready to do what the Phoenix did and was not ready to give its energy to Dezzanor and the creations within it, and then as it realized that the power it had was too much for it to handle, it unleashed its greed, evil and voraciousness upon the inhabitants of the magnificent universe, including some of the sorcerers of Zerros who had accompanied it on its maiden voyage.
Then, in the destruction that accompanied the wrath of the Dragon, one of the sorcerers escaped the clutches of the evil beast and returned to Zerros to wa
rn the majestic Phoenix of the evil of the Blue Dragon and as the sorcerer made its way to the Ocean of Eternity it awoke the Phoenix before she had time to fully rejuvenate herself.
As Razen found out what was happening, he pleaded with the Phoenix to stay in Zerros as she was not fully rejuvenated, but the Phoenix did not take his advice and went to the universe of Dezzanor to save her creations from the wrath of the Blue Dragon.
As she made her way to Dezzanor she vowed to fix this mistake and destroy the Dragon in the universe of Dezzanor, and then, armed with a band of sorcerers she went to Dezzanor in search of the Blue Dragon with the intent of destroying the beast who had tricked her into believing that he was full of goodness when in reality his soul was full of pure evil, greed, and hate.
As the Phoenix and her sorcerers found the Dragon they fought and the somewhat weak Phoenix and the sorcerers were on the verge of triumph, but as fate would have it the Dragon had learned to create his own creations and so was born the four dragons and the diamond army – who were an army of vengeful sorcerers created from deep within the mind of the Blue Dragon himself.
The diamond army was led by the one named Vylkrie and he wielded the diamond sword which was created from pure greed and evil and was one of only two things that could kill the Phoenix, with the other being the mighty Blue Dragon himself, as the only two things that could kill the golden Phoenix of Zerros.
Then from the verge of defeat, the Dragon and his minions fought back and then as the Phoenix knew that the end was near she sacrificed her life and ordered the sorcerers to return to Zerros and close the portal to Dezzanor. But before it could be closed the diamond army made their way through the portal and back to Zerros while the Blue Dragon and the four dragons remained in Dezzanor and fought the Phoenix.
As the battle raged on, the magical Phoenix valiantly fought back, but in the end, the evil of the Dragon overcame the power of good and the Dragon killed the Phoenix and left her lifeless body back in the universe of Dezzanor never to be seen or heard from ever again, or so he thought.
