by Beth Hodgson
Kyle had no idea what direction or hallway to take, as there were no signs and no great entrance into the main sanctuary. He decided to take the middle hallway, as logic said that the sanctuary would be at the heart of the building. Hopefully.
Running down the shimmering golden halls, Kyle saw more guards running toward him, guns readied. Kyle gathered that they’d heard the platform squabble outside. As both parties approached, the guards began shooting.
Swinging his hand in an upward motion, Kyle created a red ice wall, letting the bullets bury themselves uselessly.
“Where is Princess Emerald?” Kyle yelled through the ice. The guards looked awestruck, staring wide eyed at the magical red ice. “I don’t want to hurt you!”
The raised their guns, about to shoot again.
“Please don’t,” Kyle said flatly. “I’m already having a shitty day. I woke my ass up out in the desert completely butt-ass naked, barreled through most of Arcadia, and just blew up half the platform out there.” The guards’ eyes looked worried, and they glanced at each other. “I really don’t want to hurt anyone. I just need to find the princess.”
“She’s down the next hall,” called out a voice from behind.
Kyle looked over his shoulder and saw five women in long white dresses. One woman with long brown hair stepped forward.
“You’re him! The one in her drawings,” the woman said.
Emerald. She had been thinking of him. The thought renewed his hope.
The guards began to shoot the barricade.
“I have been looking for you,” the woman shouted over the noise. “They have her now, under their control. A spell of some sort!” The other women went pale, afraid to even speak. All of them looked terrified, grasping on to each other as the bullets continued to ring out.
The ice barricade began to crack. Summoning power from within, Kyle shot another glowing red wall of ice, this time thicker than the last. The guards stopped firing.
Turning back to the woman, he asked, “Whose spell?”
The woman’s hazel eyes met his, inwardly pleading with him. “The prince’s new advisor, Ikaria. She is controlling the princess. I think it’s the circlet she is wearing. It glows a strange purplish-black color, controlling her mind.” The maiden lowered her voice to a whisper. “Emerald didn’t want to marry the prince. She went to break off the engagement with Derek but returned soon after under the influence of that advisor’s magic. I know that the prince is behind it too.”
Kyle’s blood burned, and the fire within him couldn’t be held back any longer. “God damn it!” he yelled, flames burning from his hands. He wanted to explode in the flames and let his soul burn with them, but the thought of Emerald imprisoned made him pull back.
The maiden stepped backward at the sight of his magic but otherwise wasn’t surprised by it. It appeared it wasn’t the first time she had seen magic.
Extinguishing the flames, he ran past the handmaidens to the next hallway, where the woman was pointing.
“Please, you have to help her!” the maiden called out.
Believe me, she’s not marrying anyone tonight. Not if I have a damn say in all of this! Kyle turned down the next corridor to the sanctuary.
***
In the distance, Kyle heard the sound of an organ. The solemn tune echoed through the halls, nauseating him.
The wedding had started.
“Hold on, Em!” he yelled. “Don’t marry that shithead!”
Kyle ran down the hall, turning to the next corridor over where the handmaiden had pointed. At the end of the hall stood the entrance of the main sanctuary.
Guards were stationed outside the doors, and they immediately saw Kyle approaching. They drew their guns.
Anger burned within Kyle’s soul, and a fiery red glow enveloped him, daring the guards to stop him. They shot their weapons, but it was too late.
Kyle was one step ahead.
A red-violet magic flared up from Kyle’s hands, causing all of the bullets to jam up in their weapons. Kyle flashed them a look of annoyance, then raised a hand, transferring his energy.
The guards’ weapons burned a bright red, then quickly turned a hot white. They screamed, dropping their scalding weapons, and their guns continued to smoke on the ground. Flashing his hands one more time, Kyle beckoned forth the power of the earth.
The earth responded. Giant rocks formed around the guards’ legs, cementing them into place.
That should keep them busy for a while, Kyle thought.
The music had stopped playing, and Kyle heard echoes of the ceremony starting. He felt sick all over again, his guts churning.
Just as Kyle was about to burst through the main sanctuary doors, he felt a sharp, violent jab in his side, punching him with an immense velocity, pinning his body against the wall.
The cyborg flashed into view, his eyes a bright vivid orange. Kyle struggled, unable to budge from the machine’s grasp. He placed his boot on the back of the wall, then pushed, forcing the cyborg to tumble with Kyle away from the wall. Calling forth the elements, red lightning forked from Kyle’s body to the cyborg’s, causing the cyborg to lose his grip.
The machine narrowed his glowing natural eye while the cybernetic lens made a sound, focusing on Kyle. He looked furious as hell.
The cyborg stretched out his mechanical hand, the tubes and wiring wriggling free from the damage that Kyle had caused. With a sudden jolt, five long, sharp blades appeared from his fingers and a ball of orange-red flames at the center of his palm. The cyborg’s image faded and shimmered orange as he began to multiply himself, surrounding Kyle.
The copies charged toward him, shooting their flames, blades ready to piece him.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Kyle yelled at him. “Fire likes me better!”
Reaching toward the flames, Kyle waved his arms, snuffing out all the fires within the copies of the cyborg’s hands. Pushing back his hand with much strength, a great wall of earth shot up around Kyle, then tidal waved toward all the copies of the cyborg. It knocked down the real one, causing all the other illusions to disappear like bubbles being popped.
Kyle threw back his hands, summoning frozen waters. Red ice encased the cyborg, freezing him in a solid block. Kyle saw the cyborg’s body illuminate to a bright orange, then he began to melt the ice from inside.
He didn’t have much time until the damn thing freed itself.
With no time to spare, Kyle ran, moving quickly up the stairs, then burst through the sanctuary doors.
Emerald was the first thing he saw. Her long beautiful emerald-green hair flowed down her shoulders. She was dressed in a white and silver gown, and her veil had been pulled back.
Kyle’s heart burst. Emerald was locked in a kiss with the prince.
He was too late. Just one fucking moment too late.
“NO!” Kyle screamed from the entrance.
With sudden alarm, Emerald and Prince Derek pulled apart, glancing in his direction. Emerald looked over her shoulder, gazing directly at Kyle, past his eyes and right into his heart. Her vacant expression told him all he needed to know.
Derek’s eyes flashed in anger at being interrupted.
“EM!” Kyle ran straight toward Emerald down the aisle and past the wedding guests.
Emerald gave him a confused look, remaining silent.
A deep-blue magic blazed from the prince’s body, enveloping him entirely. A blue hue poured over the sanctuary, casting the whole hall in its color.
Everything became eerily still. The priest, the wedding guests, the flickering of the candles. Even the dust particles had been frozen in time. Everything except Kyle, Prince Derek, and Emerald.
“I am sorry, but you were not on the guest list,” Derek said to Kyle smugly. Emerald shied away behind Derek, then put her arms around the prince, peeking at Kyle from behind.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” Kyle snarled. He whipped out his hands, calling upon red lightning from within. The elements responded to
his need, flashing in Derek’s direction. Emerald returned to her position behind Derek’s back for safety.
Before the lightning hit the prince, it froze midair, inches away, and turned blue.
“Two can play at this game,” Derek called out, laughing. A blue glow began to swirl around the prince, pulsating blue energy.
“Come and try, asshole!” Kyle shouted. He funneled his fury, channeling the earth to aid him.
Roaring at the top of his lungs, Kyle began to charge toward Derek, shifting the floor of the cathedral below him. The ground rippled forward with Kyle as he moved, responding to his command. As he neared the prince, Kyle quickly assessed where Emerald was standing, ensuring that she would not be caught in the line of debris. Luckily, she had retreated away from the prince as she saw Kyle’s magic coming at Derek with full force.
As Kyle was ready to unleash the tidal wave of a crumbled mass of stones and bury Derek within, the prince suddenly released the blue magic that enveloped him, causing the room to flash with a burning blue intensity.
Kyle was basked in glowing sapphire magic, and the only movement he could feel was in his face and the beating of his heart.
Derek flashed him a wicked smile, laughing.
“Just what the hell is so funny?” Kyle forced out of his mouth. He tried to wriggle his body from the blue power, but it remained still. The blue magic had frozen his body while the time magic funneled around him.
“You. I can’t believe she was persuaded by someone like you,” Derek said, then turned to Emerald. “Come, my love, let’s not have this man ruin our wedding.”
Emerald nodded in agreement, flashing a look of displeasure at Kyle.
“Em! Whatever the hell is going on, snap out of it!” Kyle managed to yell.
The blue magic began to intensify, vibrantly swirling around Kyle. A strange feeling took hold of him, as if his body was slowly fading away to another time or place. Grunting, Kyle beckoned his elemental power to surge through his body, hoping it could break the time magic’s grasp. Instead of answering him, the azure power swelled in size around Kyle as his body became transparent within the magic.
Kyle could see Emerald through the sapphire magic, her eyes burning a dark green. She gave him a look of disdain, her ruby-red lips sneering. “You… you ruined the day I have been waiting for,” she said in an empty voice.
“The hell I did! Em, snap out of it!”
With a jolt of her arms outstretched, Emerald emitted a dark-green halo around her body, enveloped in a dark energy.
The dark-green wave bolted from her body to his. Pain instantly cut through Kyle. The immediate overwhelming feeling of his flesh being pulled apart came over him, gripping his soul. The eerie green magic clung to his life-force, then both flew from his body, draining back into Emerald’s outstretched hand.
Second by second, Kyle’s power left him until there was almost nothing left.
Kyle heard Derek’s laugh echo throughout the sanctuary as his vision went dark. Twinkling white stars appeared in his eyes. Kyle would have doubled over, but the prince’s magic kept his body frozen, denying him any motion. Kyle felt his body shift from the cathedral to another plane of existence intermittently. An unfamiliar time or place. It was pitch black, cold. So very cold.
“Em… for God’s sake, please…” Kyle managed.
Every word was too much effort, the pain increasing every second. Kyle had very little magic and soul left in him, but somehow the red magic that remained continued to cling to him. It didn’t want to leave, causing friction between Emerald’s dark magic, Prince Derek’s, and his own.
Dammit! I can’t die yet! Kyle told his magic. I can’t leave Emerald in this mess!
Mustering the little energy he had left from within, Kyle felt the strange, terrible magic that he felt earlier, a magic that wasn’t the elements. A terrible force from within answered him.
Burning with red-violet magic, Kyle screamed, “EMERALD!”
Instantly, Emerald’s dark life-draining magic stopped. Kyle felt his vision returning as Emerald’s soul-ripping magic dispersed.
“Kyle?” her voice echoed in the blue world. Her eyes went wide, then she wildly turned around in confusion, suddenly conscious.
Kyle managed a faint smile. He felt weak at the expenditure of Emerald’s draining power, and his life-force was nearly gone, all the while still in the throes of the prince’s magic. But seeing her face made it all worthwhile and renewed his determination to save her.
“You need to leave, now!” yelled Derek. His eyes glowed a fierce blue, burning with magical power.
Kyle’s body began rapidly fading away to the foreign, dark world with Derek’s magic. He heard the prince yell something at Emerald, causing her to return to her vacant state.
Kyle tried to muster up his power to call upon the wind, but nothing answered him. Derek’s magic was too great, and Kyle had nothing left in his soul to give. He shook violently from the cold. His body was nearly in the alternate universe.
Grunting, Kyle screamed in frustration, hoping that the God of Light would somehow intervene.
But instead of the God of Light responding, a flashing purple magic answered. Vivid, glowing violet magic encased him, creating a shield of protection. Kyle was still unable to move, but at least he was no longer fading into oblivion or another dimension.
Through the glowing purple barrier, Kyle saw Derek, aghast, spinning around to find the new source of magic. Another blast of purple magic shot Kyle’s way, penetrating the barrier and into his soul. Kyle felt a healing wave of magic, returning his power and strength and renewing his spirit.
“Who are you?” Derek called out in bewilderment.
“Someone who has come to put a stop to this,” a woman’s voice answered.
Another surge of violet magic penetrated Kyle’s protective barrier, causing the blue magic to disperse, allowing Kyle movement once again.
Kyle drew renewed strength from his magic, feeling a new powerful force from within. Shooting his hands up over his head, red lightning grew within his grasp, swelling in size and power. He felt the forceful magic flowing over him, enhancing his lightning, growing with rage. He shot out his hands, casting the massive red sparks at Derek.
Derek sneered, yanking Emerald toward him, holding her. Suddenly, blue magic washed over them, and they disappeared where the red lightning landed. As quickly as Derek and Emerald disappeared, a mysterious dark woman reappeared in their place. The red lightning struck the woman, but she flashed one of her fingers, and a transparent black half-dome barrier appeared in front of her, blocking Kyle’s magic. Derek and Emerald reappeared off to the side of her, the prince’s eyes narrowed at Kyle.
This dark woman had to be the prince’s advisor, Ikaria, the woman that the handmaiden warned Kyle about. She was the one behind Emerald losing control of herself.
Kyle glared at Ikaria with hatred, funneling his fury through his veins. The fires of Kyle’s soul raged, burning within the palms of his hands. Charging toward the advisor, another power flowed over him, in the color of purple, multiplying his power tenfold. He released the fire from his hands, hurling the fireball at the woman.
Ikaria raised her eyebrow, uninterested. The fireball made contact with a black transparent barrier, flashing into view as soon as the fire struck. The magical barrier absorbed the fire, quenching it.
Fuck this shit. I need to get Emerald out of here!
The advisor laughed at him as if she’d heard his thoughts. “Yes, you do,” Ikaria agreed, giving him a wicked smile. “However, that’s not going to happen. The princess isn’t going anywhere. Not today, at least.”
She stretched out her hand, and Kyle’s body instantly flew across the sanctuary in her direction. Her black magic pulled him, not allowing him any control over his body.
But when Kyle was halfway to Ikaria, another woman appeared. A woman that Kyle had seen before out at the edge of Arcadia’s borders. Dressed in tight black leather and thig
h-high boots, the olive-skinned woman still rocked the purple mohawk, earrings, and the small jewel on her forehead. In her hand she held a large staff, its orb glowing a vibrant purple color.
The mohawked woman released a colossal purple shock wave of epic proportions, slamming everyone back into various parts of the sanctuary, all except Ikaria. The woman’s violet eyes glowed a hot-white purple, matching the color of the orb of the staff, and she extended her hand in the advisor’s direction.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t you,” Ikaria said, eyeing the staff in the woman’s hands. “The strange gifted working for the High Court. They always seem to find someone foolish enough to try and take me out. Sadly for you, I always survive.”
“I won’t let you destroy this earth!” the woman called out, enraptured in an intense purple magic. The violet power swirled around the woman, then drained into the staff. With a sudden jolt, the woman flashed the staff forward, releasing the magic.
Ikaria suddenly bent over, shrieking, her face strained with pain. She continued to yell in frustration as she fought off the woman’s invisible magic. “You can’t get inside my head,” Ikaria screeched, shooting black lightning aimlessly in the other woman’s direction.
The mohawked woman disappeared, then reappeared from the side.
“You are right. It would be difficult to unlock your mind, as we are the same,” the woman agreed, flashing her staff again. “But I can get inside hers.” Turning her staff, she aimed at Emerald, shooting violet magic toward her. Emerald doubled over, falling to her knees.
Ikaria screamed, stretching her arms out to her sides, summoning a vortex of black magic. The magical black void swirled through the sanctuary, blowing everyone aside as if they were leaves in the wind. All those not locked in time were flung to the ground as they tried to move through the magic that whipped violently against their bodies. Ikaria’s eyes narrowed as the magic intensified, the vortex glowing onyx.
