I bat my wings as hard as I can… I can’t take it… All of the memories I suppressed for all this time come flooding back… The pain is overwhelming… I’m too weak. I lose control and crash down… I lay in the snowy mountains in my human shape… I don’t even have the strength to keep my form. So, I lay here. Gasping for air. I need to rest. Just for a bit. Just to get enough energy so I can get back to Laira and Emerald. I close my eyes. Bastard. How dare he… His words echoe in my ears. It’s my fault not yours… What made me furious the most… He was right. It was his fault. It was his fault for hurting me… My spirit was weakened and that led to the enemy taking advantage of me. But that’s where his part ends. I was the one who massacred all of those soldiers. It were my spells that struck them down. And that was the truth… I close my eyes. The images are popping up in my mind one after another… Crile and Viroma… Me in the arms of Starlight… The Royal Army… The battle…
“Are you sure you will be able to do this? There are plenty of other’s that can take your place you know…” Starlight was trying to make me back down, but it was too late. It was the morning of the battle and as a War Chieftain I wasn’t going to run and hide.
“I won’t betray my people, Ammi.” I put the last bracelet on and secured it in place.
“Fine.” She walked over to me. “Just promise me this.”
I looked at her. “What?”
“Don’t get yourself killed…”
"I hugged my best friend. “Never.” She hugged me back.
“You do realize our formation is the one thing that’s supposed to be in the middle of all the fighting. Are sure you will handle battling beside him now?” Starlight’s face darkened.
“I have no say in the matter. I need to be able to. Otherwise – what’s the point of being the Chieftain?” I took one last look in the mirror. The reflection wasn’t what I had expected it to be. The person in front of me wasn’t the same Deathbreeze Skyrider, the War Chieftain of the Concord. The person staring at me from the mirror was a dead body on vacation. There was no life. Nothing. Just an empty place of someone that used to be there.
“Let’s go.” I told Starlight and both of us left my tent. Crile was waiting nearby.
“Breeze.” He spoke to me, but Starlight cut him off. I kept walking forward, maneuvering in between the tents .
“Don’t.” I heard Ammi’s voice. Cold and sharp as ever. She had one of the gentlest personalities ever too. To hear her sound like that was surprising to say the least. But she had her reasons.
“Just don’t. Let her be. The only thing she needs from you now is for you to fight as if nothing ever happened. You can worry about your feelings after we get out of here alive. Got it?”
Crile didn’t answer. He just stood there. Starlight caught up with me.
“You ok?” She asked me keeping her voice low.
“I will be after I kill someone.” I was shaking. I had to get this fight started while I still had a grip on me.
Me, Starlight and Crile were walking in front of the Royal Army. Leading them into, what was about to be the biggest mistake in the History of the Concord. But we didn’t know that back then. And so, we fought. We charged the Castle of Despair as if it was just another normal day at the training grounds. No one showed any fear. We fought our earnest. Slowly, making our way towards the top. Losing our friends along the way. Bleeding. Hurt. Tired. Sleepless. Scared. Yet with each loss we suffered, we became stronger. For our comrades – we charged on. Nobody was going to let the Fallen Ones deaths' be in vain. And so, we continued to climb the horror. Even if it meant stepping over the corpses of our brothers and sisters in arms… We were in the middle of fighting for our lives when it happened. Where the most horrifying event took place. I was trying to fight off a couple of oversized ghouls when I heard a voice in my head. It wasn’t anyone from the Army. It was cold and frightening. It spoke to me and the sound of it froze my blood.
“You know you can’t win. Give up.” The Voice said.
“Are you going to surrender to us and cease the chaos you brought down upon our world?” I asked tearing one of the ghoul’s arms off.
The voiced laughed. “What do you think?”
“I think yours and my answers are the same.” I turned around and got hit in the side by the other ghoul.
“Foolish mortals.” The Voice echoed in my head.
“Nobody said we were wise creatures.” I roared. The damned brainless monster was snacking on my leg. I rose as much as I could and crashed down on my back dropping my whole weight on the ghoul. It didn’t kill it, but it knocked it out long enough for me to get my leg out. That will happen when a three-hundred-pound cat will fall on you.
“Breeze!” Starlight’s voice reached me in my mind. “You ok?”
“Peachy.” I closed my jaw on the ghoul’s skull and pressed. It cracked and a second later the bone crushed under the pressure. Blood gushed out covering my muzzle. The Voice spoke to me once again.
“Then perish!” This time it sounded stronger as if more power was added to it. Something was wrong.
“Starlight!” I reached out to her. “Get ready! Something’s about to happen!”
“Like what?” She asked me.
“Don’t know.” I felt a sudden surge of power. It wasn’t mine or anyone else’s I knew. My body froze. I tried to move, but I couldn’t. Something was happening to me. At that moment I heard Starlight scream.
“Breeze…” Her voice was so weak… I tried to look her way, but I couldn’t move an inch. Damn it!
“Looks like… you… will have… to go… on… without… me… I’m sorry…” Her voice died down. No! NO! I managed to turn my eyes enough to catch a glimpse of her lifeless body, with a giant whole gaping in her chest, get sucked into the abyss below us, as my hand lowered itself with silver flames blazing around it…
“STARLIGHT!!!” I screamed out. And then it happened. I lost control. My body was moving on its own. But I wasn’t in my fight form anymore. I was me. And the human me was casting spells out of her hands targeting the soldiers. What’s happening? I tried to stop, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t like me to use casting. I was a fighter. Why am I doing this?
“I told you, you would perish.” The Voice spoke to me again. “Now witness the demise of your comrades as they die by your hands! Hear them scream! Watch the life drain from them as they beg you to stop!”
I saw it all. One after another the soldiers dropped to my feet – dead. I couldn’t stop. My mind was still there, but I had no control over my body. No… No… Stop it! STOP! But it didn’t work. My body kept going forward leaving a path of corpses behind it… STOP, DAMN IT! I tried to snap out of it, but I couldn’t…
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“Do not resist. It’s pointless. You will perish and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. You will be the end of this Gazarria Stardust!” The Voice knew me… How? Who?... I heard it laugh… It made me sick… Someone! Anyone! Kill me! Please… At that moment I felt a sharp pain in my chest…
“Forgive me…” Crile’s voice reached me. I felt a cold blade pierce me an inch away from my heart. “I swear… You won’t die. But for now... I have to stop you… Forgive me, but I can’t let you to keep going like this! DO IT!” He shouted and jumped away from me. Bone-Chains were wrapping themselves around me… One of the Necromancers’ was casting them out of their body. The chains restrained me. Another caster approached me and began chanting. The girl put her hand on my head and yelled out a single word.
“RELINQUO!” Power smashed against my whole body.
“NO!” The Voice screamed. “You can’t!” He didn’t seem happy. The power surged inside my body, breaking each and every bone… I felt the foreign power die down a little. I grabbed that chance to take back control and I pushed the energy of the enemy out of me. The Voice screamed in my mind for the last time.
“This is not the end!”
“It is for you!” I spat the words out and screamed. This time with my own voice. The last of the demonic energy left my body in a burst and I collapsed to the ground.
“Breeze! Breeze! Can you hear me? Breeze!” I heard Crile’s voice.
“Commander! What now?” One of the remaining soldiers approached Crile.
“Retreat! Find anyone who’s still alive and get out of here! MOVE!”
“YES SIR!” I heard the voices of others’ , but I couldn’t say a thing myself.
“You’ll be alright…” Crile was still trying to communicate with me. A tremor shook the ground.
“Commander! The whole place is shaking! I don’t think it will be long before it collapses! We need to leave! Now!” One of the soldiers was next to Crile now. I heard and saw everything, even if I couldn’t do anything. All that was left for me was to pray. Save yourselves everyone…
“Go! Leave!” Crile stood up with my unmoving body in his arms. “Does anyone have any ideas how to get us out of here?”
“I might be able to…” Someone answered.
“Please!” Crile’s tone was demanding.
“Everyone, gather round me as close as you can!” The voice suddenly got a lot stronger. “For this to work you need to be next to me as close as you can!”
I saw the closets ones put their hands on the mage and the people behind them put their hands on the ones standing in front of them. Quickly they were creating a net around the mage with Crile and me in the middle.
“Last chance to get on board!” The mage shouted. There were rocks falling down on us. Flames blazing. Thunder roaring from under the ground. Crile gave one last check for any of the survivors.
“If anyone can hear me! Make your way toward us immediately! This is the last chance to get out of here!” Crile’s voice echoed in my head. He was using the Lector stone that everyone got before the battle.
“WAIT!”
“DON’T LEAVE YET!” A couple of voices answered his call.
“Hurry!” The others urged them.
“Can anyone sense from where they are coming from?” Crile addressed the soldiers.
“We don’t have much time left, Commander!” Someone spoke from the crowd.
“We will make time if it means we will be leaving with anyone who’s still alive!” Crile was holding his ground.
“The spell is almost ready!” The mage spoke now.
“Hold it!” Crile’s voice was calm as ever. “Whoever is closest to the last survivors trying to reach us, go and assist them now! We won’t leave a living soul behind!” He chose his words carefully. If he had said he wasn’t going to leave anybody behind that would have meant taking the dead ones with us as well. However, there was no time for that. But anyone who was still alive had a chance and so Crile would give that last hope to them…
“Commander!” The mage was getting restless…
“Wait!”
A moment longer someone’s voice echoed. "We have them! GO!”
Someone else spoke. “Thank you!” The same voice that pleaded to wait.
“DO IT!” Crile barked to the mage.
“Hang on!” The mage responded and that was the last I remembered. I lost consciousness. When I woke up – days have already passed. The chest wound was healed. I was alone in a tent. The survivors were slowly making their way back. Once I realized what has happened back there, in the Castle, I snuck out with only one thought in mind. I killed them… I dashed back in my cat form. Emerald met me half way back to Araneum. I didn't return to the Royal City. I missed the ceremony that was held to honor the Fallen. The land was in mourning… I was not brave enough to face the people. I left and never looked back. Until now… I realize it was childish of me to do so, but I strongly believed that it was for the best if Deathbreeze Skyrider was no more...
I try to look up at the sky… I can’t see anything. It was a dream… Did I?... The snow fell down heavily. If I keep laying here like this, I will get turned into a popsicle. I have to move. Only trouble is – I’m too weak. Somehow, I manage to get to my knees. I look up at the sky again, take a deep breath and call out.
“STOOOORM!!!” I take in another lungful of air.
“STOOOOORM!!!” Please… A roar rumbles above me. Can it be? I call out one last time.
“Storm!” Another roar! It is her! Suddenly the snow stops. I look around. The blizzard has stopped only around me. The wind picks up. A strong gust almost blows me away. I dig into the ground with my hands trying to hold on. She roars one last time and I feel the earth shake under me. I raise my head up. There she is. My dragon. Storm lands next to me and engulfs me with her wing making a shelter for me. She slides her head in here as well. I pet her.
“You came…” I keep petting her, “I called and you came…” She makes a noise that comes deep from within her throat. I laugh. She usually made that sound when she wanted to reassure me… I look her over. For the part, as much as I could see - scars were covering her beautiful body. Scales missing at some places. It made my insides turn… It’s all my fault. I left her back then telling her to go and not stop. I didn’t promise her we would meet again. And yet… She came when I called for her…
“I don’t deserve you…” I pet her head. She nudges me. Her eyes so warm. She’s my dragon still. I smile.
“Thank you…” I whisper… We stay like that for a while. I was on the brink of passing out when Storm nudged me to snap me out of it. I shake my head.
“What you say we get out of here?” I look at my ride. Storm lets out a roar, stands up, shakes the snow of her and lowers herself just enough for me to climb on. I get up there, grab hold of her neck as hard as I can and say one word.
“Home!” Storm takes flight in an instant. She climbs to the sky with her strong wings, completely ignoring the heavy snow and winds howling around her. She roars once more, as if telling the world to shut up and flies off. I keep myself as low as I can. With no saddle and reins, there’s a good chance I will get blown away. So, I stay as close to Storm’s body as I can. I almost fall off, a couple of times, but that’s nothing. As much as this is one of the worst days of my life, I'm finally feeling relieved. After all, I got one of my friends back and I’m going to see Laira again. We are going to spend a lot more time now… Storm knew where she’s going, even without me telling her.
Home meant the place the three of us once shared on the outskirts of the Royal City. Me, Starlight and Crile, had built a small cabin with huge stables away from the city. None of us really liked staying at the Palace, even though I was born in one, and all of us had the full right to live there. It wasn’t for us. We felt out of place. So, we created our own safe haven. The reason for the huge stables was that our mounts and dragons would also have a place to rest up. That got me thinking about Starlight’s dragon. I wonder how Sky is doing… Is he even alive? Dragons were known to get extremely attached to their masters. If a dragon’s master gets killed, the dragon mourns them by flying off somewhere into the mountains and either waiting for death to come or finding a way to kill themselves… In all of those years, I never even thought about him… I have to find out what happened to Sky… I feel Storm circling in the clouds. I look down. We are right above the cabin.
“Good girl!” I pat the side of her neck. She begins to decent. Slowly batting her wings, she makes her way down into the open area next to the wooden house. I see Laira and Marcus step outside.