Chapter 7

I flew hard. The Phoenix was shooting out missiles of fireballs over and over at me, making me do twirls in midair.

Khor held on tightly, fear laced in his eyes as he didn’t want to fall off.

A few times, the fireball whizzed past my face and even burnt Khor a few times. Even his clothes were temporarily on fire as he had to pat them down.

I could also feel the powerful lull of the black fire lightly stinging my skin. It was not like any other fire I could get used to. Even though I was fireproof, there was something different about this fire.

“Khor, are you okay?!” I shouted, twisting in midair.

A breath of fire flew past me.

Khor mumbled and squeaked. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

“Khor?” I asked again. My eyes sharpened, looking in front of me.

The Phoenix was hot on my tail. So I took a sharp turn to the right, flying toward the Phoenix.

I couldn’t keep running away, plus I didn’t want to be the one being chased. I am a dragon, a dragon that does not flee!

With a huff of breath, my nose flared. There was no way a legendary creature was going to push me down, especially after I tangled with a few of them before.

“Hold on tight!” I roared.

A powerful lull of energy started to bubble in my chest. Then, blue light began to rumble, becoming bigger and bigger, where my chest swelled. Finally, a burst of magic expelled outward in a flash.

Bright blue flames escaped my lips, completely dousing the Phoenix in one go.

An earth-shattering screech could be heard.

Khor groaned in pain as the screech harmed his ears and made him numb. His hand slightly loosened, tilting to the side.

I could feel his body shifting, and I knew that he was going to fall.

It took everything out of me to correct my flight as I was at a weird angle. If I moved in a completely different direction, Khor would fall to his death, while at the same time, I had to fend off the Phoenix.

With a crooked twist in midair, I quickly readjusted. The Phoenix took this chance of my strange acrobat and dove in.

Khor breathed heavily; he gritted his teeth as he held back his pain. He reached out and grasped my scales, holding himself back in place from falling. Then, finally, he pulled himself up, getting back into position.

I, on the other hand, went into a full-on collision with the Phoenix.

The black heat from the Phoenix constantly barraged me. I could feel my scales turning unusually hot.

“You fake dragon!” The Phoenix screeched.

I snarled, showing off my teeth.

I hated that phrase as I knew I wasn’t a fake.

Reaching out, my claws dug into the Phoenix body, we flapped in midair, but we were falling down simultaneously.

Khor screamed at the top of his lungs in fear.

All three of us were falling straight into the very ground.

I did everything I could to not land on Khor.

With a loud thud, we landed on top of the Phoenix. I thought that I heard bones cracking under the heavyweight.

The Phoenix flapped his wings, trying to get out from under me.

I bulked and twisted.

Khor was thrown as he flew back, landing on the ground with a thud. He groaned.

My neck slithered, heading straight toward the Phoenix neck. I didn’t want it to escape from under my grasp as we fought tooth, nail, and beak, trying to overcome my power. But I didn’t allow it.

I could feel the heat blazing against my skin, but I snapped forward, trying to snap the phoenix neck in half. There was no way I would allow this monster to get away, especially at the rate they were going, heading toward the tree.

My tail whipped around, grabbing the Phoenix's left-wing. I yanked it down, causing the Phoenix to tilt, pinning it to the ground.

Wildly, the Phoenix pecked at me in an attempt to get me off.

My claws reached out, digging into its fiery body. I felt something squishy in my fingers, telling me that this creature still had some hard substance that I could tear.

The deeper my claws went into its skin, the hotter I could feel the flames licking my scales.

At first, it was a low pitch, but as time went on, I could feel my scales heating up, becoming a terrible itch.

I pulled back, realizing how painful it was starting to get.

“Squawk!” The Phoenix screeched, pulling its wing free. It stabbed its beak straight toward my face, where I barely dodged as its beak glazed against my face.

My left claw swung, smashing into the side of the Phoenix face, dazzling it temporarily.

A blast of powerful energy started to swell around the Phoenix body. I could tell that there was something sinister coming, and I knew I had to escape.

Pulling back, I darted back. My hand reached out, grabbing Khor off the ground.

I ran.

Suddenly, the burst of energy from behind me swelled to great lengths. A blast of black fire erupted out of the Phoenix's body. The heavy heat smashed into my body, making me squirm.

I hated it.

The darkness swelled with the intent to devour everything it could. Finally, the darkness around me hissed and silently crept back into the shadows.

Everything around the vicinity was burnt and gone.

A smell of burnt life lingered heavily in the air. The wind blew it straight in my face, making me take a quick short breath.

I could smell it.

Death and Destruction were everywhere.

It didn’t take long before the Phoenix shook as it got up, its black flames licking the surrounding with vigor. A couple flaps its wings to check to make sure that everything is okay.

On the other hand, Khor rushed forward. Shaking his battle hammer over his head.

“Khor!” I yelled. Shocked to see him go headfirst into the dark fire that would not quell.

Instead, the fire danced with vigor, becoming stronger and stronger.

Khor did not back down. Even though he was injured, he still fought on.

The Phoenix seemed to cackle with delight as it aimed to end Khor’s life.

Jumping to the side, Khor dodged the Phoenix's beak from impaling him. He rolled on the ground, pushing himself off the ground. Its beak was stuck in the ground.

Flapping its wings, it pulled its beak out.

Frustrated, the Phoenix opened its flaming black wings. A blast of fire was shot out of its mouth, aiming straight towards his Khor.

With a grunt, Khor reached over toward its neck and broke the chain.

A powerful hum echoed around him, covering him with a white barrier that appeared to save his life.

But even then, the Phoenix blew fire continuously over and over.

The powerful push of black fire continuously roared, making me rear back.

When the Phoenix finished blowing fire, it pulled back its head.

The fire cleared, giving Khor a momentary breather.

In the middle was Khor, standing a bit hunched over as the black fire cleared away. He was safe, nothing damaged or hurt.

A swell of joy burst inside me. I was excited at the bravery that Khor was showing, mostly

because he didn’t back down even without the legendary weapon.

Suddenly, I could feel the surge of energy in me.

The legendary weapon inside my body was budding with power. I knew I needed to summon it out as it was calling out to Khor.

With every powerful will of magic, the Legendary Weapon, a war hammer, Bone Crusher, appeared in Khor’s hands.

Khor was shocked, staring at the weapon in his hand. He didn’t expect such a powerful weapon would land in his hand, especially after he was rejected at first.

“Khor!” I shouted. I knew that he couldn’t stay in such a state for too long. Time was ticking, and the Phoenix was still creating havoc.

With a snap of his head, Khor grabbed Bone Crusher tightly in his hand, realizing instantly what he had to do.

The light in his eyes sparkled with conviction.

It didn’t take long for the powerful swirl of energy around Khor started to grow rapidly. Then, a blast of its own fire erupted out of Bone Crusher, giving Khor the boost he needed.

There was a pure whitish-blue fire that glowed in his hand. Every time he swung, I could feel a burst of energy swinging around Khor.

The Phoenix screeched, opening up its wings in the hope of intimidating Khor, but it did nothing but make Khor that much more adamant about taking the Phoenix down.

“Come and get me, you damn chicken!” Khor yelled with a ferocity that bubbled inside of him.

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He rushed forward, shaking his weapon over his head.

Its beak smashed straight into Khor. Khor raised up his Bone Crusher as he deflected the Phoenix attack.

Every peck, Khor countered, fighting head-to-head with the Phoenix without backing down.

Khor roared with a battle cry as each swing became stronger than before. The thrill to combat against his worst enemy brought a side that nobody ever saw before until now.

Even I was impressed that Khor was able to stand against the Phoenix with just as much ferocity.

I rushed in to help. But, unfortunately, there was no time to be watching.

My claws flashed, smashing into the Phoenix side. While Khor shouted with a grunt, swinging his blade as it smashed into the Phoenix side.

Both of us hit both sides, becoming a powerful smashing hit that would have shattered or sliced a creature in half, but the Phoenix magic flared out. Its magical fire barrier surrounded itself, reflecting our attacks.

I didn’t stop.

My other claw followed after. This time, instead of a regular attack, I willed light energy into my claws and slashed downward.

Instantly, the fire barrier started to waver as my claws drugged in deeply into the very walls of the barrier.

I could hear a metallic screeching sound running down a chalkboard. Anyone who heard it would have wanted to grind their teeth, but it didn’t bother me.

With all my body weight, I kept pushing in. Pushing to the point where I could feel myself slightly tipping over. My lips snarled, showing off my white teeth.

On the other side, Khor was pushing Bone Crusher into the barrier with everything he got. The more the barrier resisted, the more adamant Khor was on breaking the barrier down. His brunt beard and soot-covered face were focused to the point where one would have thought that he would tip over from too much stress, but that wasn’t the case at all.

“You think this is all I got?!” Khor pushed and grunted. Bone Crusher was humming with excitement.

The Phoenix squawked back, replying to his answer. In response, the energy around the barrier flared up, healing the open wounds that were present.

His right foot lost balance, making him slip.

Whatever small opening I could make, I summoned up every energy I could get as it bubbled in my stomach. The hot heat traveled up my throat, lighting up my belly and chest. Then, pulling back my head, I opened my mouth.

Pure white and blue flames escaped from my mouth and into the holes I had created through the barrier. The flicker of flames tingled into the very hole, melting a bit more and allowing more flames to enter.

The sudden flare of fire from my breath caught Phoenix's attention. It reared back, blowing back with its own flames, matching my power to not get smothered by the energy that it was being destroyed with.

I blew as much as I could.

There was no stopping, and I knew it.

It took everything out of Khor to reorient his footing. However, the sudden fire flare had given him time to get back up as I kept the Phoenix distracted.

I knew I could suppress the Phoenix. The strength of my mind and soul was rapidly growing, becoming stronger.

Suddenly, A powerful surge of energy welled up inside of me. A sense of peace that hadn't come often as it was something that only came when I allowed the world to enter into me. It was deliciously powerful, allowing my clarity of self to become stronger and stronger. My mind was clear. The world around me seemed to slow down. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt it. The world

was alive.

I was moving at the moment as time didn’t seem to exist.

It was at that moment that the light inside of me blew with power. It washed away the surrounding area of darkness, completely clearing away the ground of black flames.

The sudden burst of energy smashed into the other legendary creatures that were in the vicinity.

They faltered by the sudden wave of powerful light.

It took a moment for them to turn their attention toward me as they reorient themselves.

The Phoenix screeched in pain as the darkness from its flames cowered in fear. It seemed to grow smaller than before. It shivered, looking at Khor with fear in its eyes. Knowing that its life would end in a blink of a moment if it did not move.

With fear growing, the Phoenix gave out the last screech as a powerful fireball burst out of its body as it went off into a blast of explosions and fireworks. Ugly heats of energy seared my scale, leaving behind patches of black soot.

I reared back, pulling up a magical shield in front of me. The sudden daze of explosions hindered my senses as I could not see but feel the deadly heat that washed over both of us.

Eventually, the energy started to settle. Finally, I opened my eyes, allowing myself to blink a few times.

A heavy smell of smoke and fire lingered in the air, making my nose tingle. It always had a stench of death every time the Phoenix blew its black flames. Anyone who wasn’t used to it would have hurled as it wasn’t a pleasant smell.

Wiggling my nose once more, I looked around.

The fire dimmed.

And the place where the Phoenix was was gone.

I grunted.

“Berry!” Khor yelled. He was blinded by the fire momentarily.

With quick steps for my size, I came over. My tail reached over for Khor to hold on, allowing him to grab ahold.

“Are you alright?” I asked, wondering what had happened to him.

“No.” Khor grabbed the end of my tail, exhausted and weak. This was his first time using Bone Crusher, and it took a lot out of him, mostly because he wasn’t used to it.

Khor stumbled, Bone Crusher sliding off his fingers as it clattered onto the ground. His body fell forward as he leaned onto my tail.

I knew I had to take him back to the city for him to recuperate. There was nothing I could do but wait for him to recover.

Wrapping my tail around his body, I picked him up and placed him on my back. Then I picked up Bone Crusher. For some reason, it didn’t want to get resummoned back into me. Instead, it was as if it wanted to stay out with Khor.

I couldn’t help but break out in a smile.

Khor had gone against the odds. His first encounter with Bone Crusher was rejected, but something in him called Bone Crusher, which eventually accepted him.

I was proud of his growth.

Instead, I picked up a Bone Crusher with my hand. Then, with a few pumps of my wings, I lifted off the ground.

The future was looking bright; another challenger against the Legendary Creature was born.

I turned around and headed straight toward Elven city.

*****

The forest was on fire. Everywhere Phil looked, he couldn’t help as his heart cringed with pain at the thought all of nature was being twisted into ugly knots.

The loss of the forest enraged him.

He could feel the bubbling anger swelling in his heart, and every time it took another life, his darkness simmered even more deeply into his core.

Phil despised the Destruction of the land, especially the land of the sacred tree that he had known for a long time. The elven part of him was raging.

“Move out!” Phil shouted. He was leading the group of Eleven Warriors that he was allowed to lead.

There were three major armies, and Phil was directing the third. He was allowed such honor because of his heritage, but he knew that the council only did it for show. The number of elven soldiers wasn’t the best, and they were considered the worst of the worst.

Still, he did not care. He knew what he had to do, and all the elven warriors felt it. They were going to fight to the death to protect the sacred tree.

Quickly but efficiently, they all headed forward to block the oncoming swarm of dark creatures that were pouring into the forest.

Each monster was filled with dark energy. Every step the monsters took eroded the very plants and contaminated the area. Soaking it to the very bones.

Phil felt his stomach-turning. It was a terrible feeling to see everything burning.

“Hold your position!” Phil commanded. He was leading in the front with his sword in front of him.

The elves ready their bows and swords.

The first monsters burst through the burning forest. Their morphed animalistic bodies were misshapen into bulkier muscles with terrible scales and spikes.

Large canine teeth and tusk protrude out of their lips as evil twisting horns curl forward. Some monsters had bull-like bodies; others were sublime and sleek, giving them a sense of speed.

More monsters appeared from above as miniature Phoenix-like birds that burst into black flames every chance they got to harm them.

“Fire!” Phil shouted.

The arrows were let go as they flew up into the air and took down as many monsters as possible.

A spike of adrenaline courses throughout his body. His eyes focused as he took down more and more monsters that were coming at him in droves.

There was no time to think about the sorrows of the fallen, the wounded, or helpless. All Phil could think of was getting as many of these monsters down before it overwhelmed his army.

They weren’t the best, but they were still his people that he needed to protect and keep alive.

“Get the sparks ready!” Phil roared. He knocked another arrow into his bow.

The elves started to push forward a cannon-like device that was brought to the front. With quick fluid movements, the cannon clicked and clanked and were put in motion. One of the elves lit up the wick.

A few seconds later, a loud boom erupted on the forest floor, shaking the very ground. The ground shook with heaviness as the cannonball flew.

Phil and a few elves, who had their arrows knocked, raised it up and shot into the air at the cannon.

Upon impact between arrow and cannonball, the cannonball unraveled in midair. Strings upon strings burst out from the cannonball and spread like a spider web as it cast its nets downwards.

Hundreds of monsters were wrapped up and tangled in the webs that wrapped around them upon contact. They crashed and fell to the ground. Upon impact, the vines, which had tiny blue flowers, sparked off, exploding like firecrackers.

Pieces of their body exploded, disappearing as the vines devoured it into pieces, leaving behind a sapling. Then, it suddenly changed and grew, leaving in place was a shrub or a tree.

More and more canons were sent off into the air. Then, finally, the elves precisely hit the released cannonballs, allowing the plants to spark off and attach themselves onto the monsters as saplings littered the floor.

The elves moved with synchronicity, a lot better than the other army.

At first, they struggled. Then, getting the streams of monsters under control, a few handfuls were injured as the swarms bulldozed their way in.

Phil jumped into the fray of monsters that broke through, pushing them back or killing them on the spot. This allowed them to have better reaction time against the swarms of monsters. Quickly but efficiently, they moved with Phil’s command. Taking down the monsters that came in swarms.

The first wave of monsters, they were able to take down as many as possible, eventually helping the other army in the process.

Phil kept moving, jumping in and out between the monsters trying to take over and destroy everything in the path. At the same time, he was able to control the number of monsters that were trying to run havoc, which failed.

He saw flashes of light not too far away, followed by a thunderous roar that he instantly knew who.

Looking above, Berry and the Phoenix were fighting not too far. Clashing and spitting out the fire as light and darkness have battled for supremacy over time. At one point, the spread of darkness had taken a chunk of the forest area entirely, burning the other monsters that were unfortunate to be under the two fighting.

It was as if a flash of hot and cold were happening simultaneously, stripping and healing between darkness and light.

Phil, at times, herded the monsters under them, fighting as best as he could. This allowed him to take care of the monsters every time he felt the energy around Berry light up as he dashed away.

What was left behind was the slew of burnt-up monsters that left a black scorch mark on the ground.

Suddenly, Phil felt a prickling gaze from behind him. With a snap of his attention, he turned around. His bow and arrow were in hand as he pointed at the person who was standing not too far away from him.

“It’s you.” Phil glared. He wasn’t too thrilled to see Julia here of all places. The last time he remembered seeing her was when she summoned up all the legendary creatures to cause havoc. Now, she was back to cause the same problem over again, but worse.

“Yes, it’s me.” Julia smiled. She walked with confident steps toward him; her hips swung side-to-side.

“Why are you here?” Phil pointed the arrow at her. “Stop, don’t move.”

Julia stopped in front of him, holding up her hands above her. Showing that she was harmless, but Phil didn’t buy it. But, of course, he never did when it came to her.

“I did not come to harm you.”

“Lies.” Phil hissed.

“Truly, I am not.”

A shower of arrows was left loose as it rained down.

Julia raised her hand, and with a simple wave, a black and silver barrier formed around her, completely bouncing off all the arrows that tried to harm her.

The arrows fell down onto the ground.

“Pointless,” Julia replied.

Phil fired his own.

The arrow sliced through the air and smashed into the side. A chunk of the arrow cut through, leaving behind a gaping hole. But, it still missed as Julia moved her head slightly to the left, leaving an injury on her cheeks.

Julia frowned, not happy that she had a cut on her face.

Reaching up, she wiped her face.

The blood was wiped off, leaving behind a smudge of blood on her cheek.

“It would have been better if you had listened to me,” Julia replied, annoyed that she was harmed. “I only came here to talk with you.”

With a motion of her hands, she sent out a shockwave of energy that threw everyone back but Phil himself.

When she saw him still standing, she was impressed. “Not bad.” She shook her head up and down, observing him with interest.

Phil frowned. He was battered with cuts as he glared at her.

The elven army was all littered on the ground, dazed or unconscious.

“Then talk then.” Phil shook himself loose of his energy around him.

“Oh, I will, Love.”

“I am not your love.”

“But you will.”

“What are you talking about?” Phil was getting annoyed at her statement.

“Everything.” Julia smiled a big angelic grin that made her features even more beautiful. She stepped out of her barrier, and she disappeared. Reappearing in front of him.

They were nose to nose. Julia's hot breath touched his cheeks as she whispered into his ears.

“I came for you, my demon king,” Julia said with a low chuckle.

Phil pushed her back. Flaring up his energy around him. He wiped his ear with his arm, disliking how she breathed on him.

Julia gave him a graceful bow. “Your highness.”

Phil snarled. “I am not your king.”

“Oh, but you are,” Julia said with enthusiasm. “The coming of the demon king was written since the beginning of creation. It is the sign of the end of all things and a beginning of new. When all six legendary creatures are reborn in the same era, the demon king shall rise to his rightful throne.”

“So, you are saying it's me?”

“Yes.”

“Bullshit.”

Julia chuckled. “You know just as well as I that this is the truth.”

“I don’t think you know me like that.”

“But, I do. Don’t you feel the lull of the darkness calling you?” Julia took another step forward towards him. “They call that you know for a fact that what I say is the truth.”

“No.”

“Then you don’t know what I am talking about.”

“Please explain. Why me?”

Julia spoke with a wag of her finger. She shook her head, looking at him with a coy smile. She then straightened up, took a moment to take a good look at him.

There was a strange atmosphere around Julia that Phil did not like. It made him itch and uncomfortable. The closer she got, he could feel his skin crawl.

“Because the call of the demon king has a mark on your back.”

Phil squinted his eyes at her with disdain.

Julia chuckled. She winked at him.

“I’m not coming with you.” Phil adamantly spoke.

“But, you will.”

“No.”

Julia strolled around Phil. “I know you love my naive little niece.”

Phil didn’t reply.

“She is your world, no?” Julia raised up his hand and placed it on Phil’s shoulder.

A shockwave of disgust ran up and down wherever Julia had placed her hand. Phil pulled back in disgust, baring his teeth at her.

Julia didn’t care. She took another step closer, invading his space even more.

Phil violently pushed her back.

Julia slid across the ground and hit against the tree. She blinked a few times, dusting off the dust, debris, and dirt.

“That’s not nice on how you handle a lady.”

“Well, you don’t know me then,” Phil replied. “It’s different from a bitch.”

Julia scowled. She got up and straightened herself.

“So, is that all you got to say?” Phil crossed his arms.

“Absolutely not. You won’t be able to say no after this.” Julia smugly replied, “Berry will die.”

“What do you mean?”

“After she finds all six heroes, she will die. This is the life of someone like her. All her energy

will be used to slay all six legendary heroes.” Julia bluntly replied.

Her words brought a shock into Phil’s heart. “You’re lying.”

“No, I am not,” Julia replied. “Do you think I am lying?”

“Yes.”

Julia cackled, throwing back her hair. “Oh, my poor demon king. You have a lot to learn about what fate has decided for you. You are born into this world to accomplish the impossible. This is what the world wished.” She waved her hand in front of her. “The people wish for a change, and in return, the world delivered it with a birth of a king.”

“Preposterous.”

“You can believe whatever you want, handsome, but this is the truth. Berry will die when all six

legendary creatures are dead.”

Her words shook Phil to the core.

“Make your decision, my King. Become who you are meant to be to stop the terror of the death that will befall on your love, or you can change all that and take upon your rightful throne.”

Julia showed her hand, showing him that she really came here not to do harm.

“So, would you take what I offer? To save Berry?”

Phil hesitated.

“I won’t bite.” She winked. “Time is ticking; Berry will die.”

Phil hesitated at first, then he reached forward, grabbing her hand.

“That is a wise decision.” Julia smiled. “I look forward to this relationship.”

“Don’t think too much about it.” He let go, disgustingly wiped his hand on his pants.

“Don’t worry, you won’t regret it.” A black portal appeared, stepping back. She disappeared, leaving him alone in the forest.

Phil wondered if he had made the right choice.

Suddenly, from behind, he heard a loud explosion that rattled the very ground and air.