Chapter 8

Both the Black Gryphon and the Phoenix were slain.

The battlefield had once again changed in favor as the energy uplifted people from their own respective species, bringing with a gust of excitement.

Three out of the five legendary monsters were slain: The Titan, the Phoenix, and the Black gryphon.

New hope rose as two out of the five legendary creatures were left. The vigor inside the people was amplified, giving them a swoon of gusto that they much needed.

Even the monsters crashing against the army were being pushed back and cut down in large numbers. Spells of magic were cast as it rained with ice and fireballs.

Even I could feel the jubilation of the heroes pushing forward.

Two more.

My heart beat quickly.

The success of three slain legendary creatures made me excited.

On the other hand, the Leviathan fought even harder, realizing that death was close at hand if it stopped.

My father was swinging his blade, continually battling against the Leviathan, while Phil pushed against the Black Dragon. Stryd was in a flurry of a tornado-like run around the Phoenix, striking at it whenever it got the chance.

Stryd, Don, and Ginger had to pull back as they were exhausted back to the walls as they needed to recuperate. The final burst of magic that they had sent out had taken a heavy toll on them. Yet, even I felt the draw of my powers and the strength one needed to wield it.

The legendary weapons that they had turned into a small ball of light. It floated into the air, leaving them behind as it zipped straight towards me.

Three orbs of light merged into my body.

I felt a big sigh of relief. It was as if a part of me had finally come back home.

Still, I was tired.

I needed time to recuperate, and I could tell that the legendary weapons inside me had now become useless until the next time if they were required.

I kept steady over the battlefield, swooping in and out to assist wherever I could. Throwing blaze of fire at the monsters that scattered the ground, or I personally landed with fury as I swiped my claws and tails.

The monsters scattered away like roaches, trying not to get caught up in my rage.

With each swipe, the monsters died.

There were times when the monster tides would overwhelm the army, which I would quickly take part in.

Just when I got rid of one group of monsters, I flapped my wings and flew up into the air and saw another group of people being pushed back.

The tides of monsters coming from the land and the sea were overwhelming.

I did not understand where they were coming from.

A loud screech could be heard, followed by the sound of swords clashing against the horde of hellhounds that were ripping them apart.

I landed with a thud, kicking up dirt and dust. Then, swiping my tail to the side, I smashed the dogs away from the group of soldiers.

Even still, the hellhounds did not stop. Even though the hellhounds saw me and could feel the pressure, they mindlessly continued their attack.

Baffled by their courage, my claws swiped to the right, cutting them like butter.

My chest inhaled deeply as I let out a burst of flames from my mouth. The Flames scorched the ground, and the hellhounds were burnt alive by the holy flames. Their howls resounded in the fire.

“Look! More incoming!” One of the men cried out in disbelief.

With shimmering light, the black mist of portals opened all around us.

Where were the portals all coming from?

The moment the portals opened, a horrible stench of flesh and fire. I could see through the

portals the world they were spilling out from. It wasn't any place that I knew from this world.

Monsters twisted into ugly lumps that came out straight from the horror stories were spilling out of the portals. Zombies that were rotting from the core, stumbling out. Like Siamese twins, even monsters with multiple heads and legs conjoined by the hips stumbled out with gashing sharp teeth.

I even wondered how some of them were created and couldn't help but think that they were created by a sociopathic mad scientist.

Death and decay were eminent, and the foul stench these portals emitted made anyone near it sick to their stomach.

Even I, who had a sensitive nose, my stomach twisted into a few loops.

I looked around, trying to find the source.

Nothing.

Frustration rippled my mind.

I quickly flapped my wings, lifting myself into the air. I blew a stream of fire, creating a blockade for the army.

I saw my father, Stryd, and Phil fighting against the tide of war against their respective monsters and the army that they have brought.

They were slowly being overwhelmed.

Quickly, I continued to scan the ground from the sky.

Looking for any abnormalities that I could find.

My eyes sharpened, changing the scenery around me into an energy form. Colors mingled in the field, showing me the flow of the battle.

There were spots of black, swells of green, and even the wash of blue. From our blue side, that pushed against the tide of darkness appearing like cancer.

But out of them all, I saw a splotch of darkness behind a cluster of portals. It was a heavy swell of darkness that seemed to swirl like a small tornado, becoming bigger and bigger.

Without a thought, I headed straight toward the source.

Each beat of my wings drew me forward.

Energy swelled inside my core as it traveled up my throat. Then, within a range, I blew a torrent of fire.

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A magical barrier appeared before me, stopping my attack.

I blew harder and harder.

The barrier was wavering even more and more, turning reddish blue. The heat and the light magic from the fire were causing cracks in the barrier.

I could feel it about to break.

I blew harder.

With a crinkle, cracks became bigger and bigger.

I flew downwards until my body slammed into the barrier itself, and like glass, it shattered.

I blew through the barrier. I saw in the middle an ugly-looking humanoid creature with raggedy armor that reminded me of a mage. Half of its face was bones, and the other half was flesh. I don't know how it was still alive, but all I knew was that it was the culprit of the gates that were appearing.

The mage was alarmed at my entrance. It pointed its wand straight at me. A large swirl of fireball magic mixed with electricity was aimed straight at me.

The electric fireball whizzed past me as I swept to the left.

Another followed quickly after to my right.

It was becoming a rain of magic that bombarded me.

With a flash of my own magic, I spurted out a blast of a fireball. It went zooming straight toward the mage, which he quickly set up a barrier.

The fireball bounced off, leaving behind a few sparks. Again, I felt an uncomfortable heat.

I shot again, creating a stronger force than before.

I hovered over the barrier and kept spitting out more and more.

With a hiss, the barrier spider cracked even more.

The fireball finally entered through the crack, devouring the mage in one fell swoop.

The moment the mage died, all the portals around the area quivered and disappeared.

Satisfied, I looked around, checking if there were any other portals. The tide of war was once again slowly but surely shifting in our favor. Most of the portals around the area were gone, but I could see that others were still open. The conclusion was that there were two more.

Flapping my wings, I flew in the air, looking for other mages that were becoming a problem.

I saw two more other swirls of dark energy hidden behind a barrier that nobody could see.

Banking to the right, I went straight toward the next nearest mixture of darkness. It didn’t take long for me to break through the barriers and kill the mage.

Instead, I was trying to plot my next course for the next. I followed the trail of the energy, which would be running across the Leviathan and my father's fight.

With the second mage found, I headed straight towards the next.

Olivio was fighting against the Leviathan diligently in his human form. The sword in hand glimmered with a powerful force of light.

Luckily for me, it didn’t hurt mine, but I did have to squint a little to see what I was seeing.

In the shroud of the light, I saw him swinging his blade. The sword chipped a few scales off as the Leviathan pulled back his head.

I quickly descended, searching for the mage that was hidden away. My eyes caught the image in the corner of my eyes, trying to hide in an illusion of magic. I stumbled a little and did a funny little walk that made me look a bit stupid. But I didn’t care.

I rushed forward, heading straight towards the mage.

Everything was happening in seconds. I moved quickly and efficiently as possible, changing into my human form.

Starlight appeared in my hands, shining white.

I headed straight toward the mage that was chanting a spell.

Blitzing forward, my sword smashed into the very barrier that it had created. It shattered into pieces, leaving nothing behind.

My blade cut through the mage, becoming half.

The places began to shimmer, disappearing into nothingness.

I was glad that I was able to get rid of the next.

Another burst of hellhounds and monsters that I had never seen before appeared from behind me. Circling around me, trying to put me in its place as I was surrounded.

At the same time, I heard Olvio yell as he was sprayed with hot water.

I didn’t have time to look in his direction anymore as I battled with the hellhounds that surrounded me.

My first swing was toward the right, taking a hellhound head with one swing.

The next was the monster on my left that tried to get me blindsided and keep me from making another mistake.

The lull of my mind was ringing with a few phrases. Kill the mages. Help my father, and destroy the black dragon.

The swarms of monsters continued their onslaught, trying to keep me immobilized in place. I continued to swing, fight, and try to keep these monsters back, but they were too much.

Was it something that I could handle in my human form? I gritted my teeth. Yes, I could. I wasn't going to allow them to overcome me.

Starlight hummed, glowing with energy.

Each swing, I could feel the pulsating power that told me to keep swinging, keep taking the life of my enemy as it fed off the life force of its deceased. Every monster killed, the more powerful it became.

I could even feel myself getting stronger.

The blood gushed through my body, making my heart palpitate. I was getting excited at the anticipation of what was going to happen.

The rushing possibilities of what I have in mind. It was always possible that it might not happen, but that wasn’t something I cared enough for.

On the other hand, I wanted it to happen. So I ran towards the battlefield, where there was the worst heat of action.

Why was I doing this?

This was suicide, but something was telling me that this wasn’t at all.

There was a fine boundary of suicide and a miracle. Fighting in the balance and not crossing the threshold was the ticket to creating miracles.

My mind was abuzz with this idea.

The boundaries of life and death. The dance put us through a test of our limits.

That was what all these heroes were being pushed to grow and evolve over time.

The question was, how was I going to evolve. How was I going to change and become better?

I knew it was to be able to walk the thin line. To test my courage, my words, and my commitment. Knowing where I could push and where I could not.

Knowing when to dive into the places where I could test myself and where needed. My wings burst out of my back, opening up to their full glory.

With a swoosh of my wings, I lifted up into the sky with Starlight in my hand.

Olivio could move out of the way to get to where he needed to be. Pulling the Leviathan out of the water.

The Leviathan tried to slink back in, but Olvio didn’t allow it either.

Instead, it would only worsen for the Leviathan as Olivio moved inwards. This was becoming a problem for the Leviathan. It thrashed, sprayed water, tried to tear Olvio down, but Olvio did not allow it and stood their ground.

Olivio didn't budge. He was moving with much precision.

The way he swung his sword, it was as if it was part of his body. I could tell that he was a master swordsman.

The Leviathan hissed, his fin tail curled around, smashing straight towards her.

Olivio ducked under as splashes of water drizzled down his head.

With great strength, he grabbed the Leviathan with the flipper. Then, he jerked the Leviathan out of the waters with a swing of his hips.

I could see that he was trying to get to the point where I wanted to go.

Heading straight towards the next target, I found the mage I was looking for. I dove from above, pointing my swords downward. My heart thumped with excitement. I could taste the enemy not too far away as the blade thirsted for the mage's blood.

The mage saw me, squealing in fear as he raised his hand and sent out a barrage of fireballs at me. I quickly swung my blade, cutting them down. Then, I sliced through the mage with a single swing in one hit.

Instantly, the last remaining portal summoner was cut down, causing all the leftover portals to close down.

I sighed with relief as most of the trouble of the portal was over. I swung my blade, wiping away the blood.

Olivio flew past me as he smashed into multiple trees, leaving behind destruction in his wake.

The Leviathan spat out a jet of hot scalding water towards him.

I dashed forward, raising my hand as I created a barrier. A hot hiss and fog erupted outward as it repelled the water. I could feel the horrible heat from the scalding water creating heat not too far away from me.

Water was pulled out from the ocean, creating a small cyclone of a water tornado, heading straight at us. It tore through the docks, picking up the ships like toys and throwing them.

People dodged out of the way at the hurtling pieces. Some unlucky ones were squashed as they could not run away fast enough.

“Father!” I shouted, looking over my shoulder.

Olivio was slumped backward, blacked out from hitting his head.

I cursed.

I quickly went over towards him to make sure that he was okay.

His eyes fluttered, dazed from the throw.

“Are you okay?” I asked with concern, reaching over to check his vitals. When I felt his pulse, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Yea…” Olivio opened his eyes, pushing my hand aside. He rubbed his temple slowly. “What happened?”

“You got thrown.”

“How?” He looked up at me.

“The Leviathan.”

“The who?”

Shoot...This wasn’t good. He had temporary amnesia.

I pointed him towards the giant Leviathan, roaring and summoning more water cyclones around him.

“The Leviathan,” Olivio repeated the words under his breath. His demeanor changed, slowly getting up. He faltered.

I unconsciously reached out to help him.

“The Leviathan,” Olivio repeated it. There was some force behind his words. I could tell that the energy around him was getting stronger. “The Leviathan.”

“Yes, father, the enemy.” I sighed, hoping that he was okay. But, unfortunately, the hit on his head was a little harder than I thought. “Are you okay to fight?”

Olivio shook his head. He wavered one more time, which I caught again.

He stopped me. “I have to kill him.”

“Yea, but your memory….”

“Pieces of memories are coming back." Olivio pointed out. "I can feel it. This sword is telling me that I must destroy the Leviathan now.” Olivio pulled away from me. I couldn’t stop him. I knew the destiny of all Heroes: to fight against their natural opponents that they were summoned for.

Even if I hid them away, fate would naturally pull them together. Right now, even though I wanted to as I did not want to lose him too, I could not stop him even if I wanted to.

“Just a little bit more rest until you get all your memory back,” I shouted from behind him, trying to stop him.

“No.” Olivio looked back at me once more. “For your mother.”

His words stung me in my heart, but I could see the swirling dedication in his eyes. There was something in him that was powering him forward.

I could even feel my body humming alongside the legendary sword Gala as he made his way, my spirit becoming stronger with him with every step he took.

“I’m coming with you!” I shouted, running up next to him. But he raised up his hand to stop me.

Olivio stopped not too far away. He reached up to his neck, where he had a small golden star chain hidden away in his clothes. He brought it up and kissed it once. “To my love.” He then leaned a bit forward, getting into position as his right foot was in front of him.

Gala glowed dangerously gold and red; there was something beautiful about it. His hand was on the sword's hilt that was by his hips.

The Leviathan sensed danger. It turned his attention towards Olivio. Then, with its teeth barred, it growled as it shifted the Water cyclones in Olivio's direction.

Inhaling sharply, the Levianth spat out another jet of water that sprayed straight towards Olivio.

At that moment, I held my breath.

It all happened in seconds.

Silence filled the air.

Everything happened so quickly that blinking, and I would have missed it.

The cyclone and the water jet were cut in half, splashing onto the ground.

Suddenly, the Leviathan stopped spewing out water. Its head slid off cleanly to the side with a loud thump.

The Leviathan was dead, and the ocean calmed right after.