Today is the trade. I’m super nervous. I wake up super early in the morning to train with Valley and Shinda. Shinda woke me up so I could fit in at least ten hours of training. I started at three in the morning and ended at one in the afternoon. It gives me time to prepare for the upcoming anxiety fest that will happen. What if they find out about the fake? It worries me so much. I take a bath and wash off two days worth of sweat. I’m getting better at controlling my powers and getting a lot stronger. But that doesn't calm anxiety much. The idea of Onyx being free is absolutely terrifying. I walk out of my room after I've finished my bath and changed into clean clothing to find that Kage and Hametsu have tied up like ten people. Said people do not look friendly.

“Care to explain?” I ask.

“Raiden spies,” Hametsu explains. He doesn't have that insane look in his eye anymore.

“They reeked of dark energy. They were snooping around your room and the archives most likely searching for the pendant.” Kage also explains. “Just give the okay and I’ll decapitate them!” He smiles psychotically and holds up a katana. The blade is long and has a dragon design in gold. The sheath has the same design on it in silver. I never noticed that he carries a katana with him.

I thought Hametsu was crazy. Hametsu lightly smacks the back of his head.

“Calm down ya psycho,” Hametsu scolds him. Kage looks at him and puts his katana back in the sheath, scowling, and holds it by his side. I had no idea Kage was also psycho. He seemed so chill on the surface. Excitable, but chill.

The people they tied up have the same black wings as Raiden. They’re Dark Fairies. That means the seal for them is even weaker. It's only a matter of time before it breaks. I can ask Valley if she can strengthen the seal. I look at Hametsu wondering if he can ask Shinda. He seems to know what I'm thinking. He closes his eyes and shakes his head.

“It’s not possible to reinforce the seal,” he tells me. “I already asked him.”

“What seal?” Kage asks.

“The seal to the Dark Fairies,” I tell him.

“Oh.”

“Could we ask the God of Time?” I ask.

“He’s not going to do it,” Kage says.

“How do you know?” I ask him.

“My dad is his best friend and second in command and my father-in-law is his grand-nephew,” he explains.

“Yeah and I’m the Easter Bunny.”

“I’m not lying!” Kage retorts.

“It’s very unbelievable that you have connections to someone that powerful.”

“It’s true,” Hametsu says. Yeah, I still don’t believe it.

“Whatever. Besides, we still have to ask to see if he could help us. He can totally strengthen the seal and buy us extra time since he has that kind of power!”

“Shinda knows him, and he’s asking right now,” Hametsu says. That sounds a lot more believable. “He’ll tell me his answer when he returns.”

“Alright,” I say. I head down to the archives and look for the area we kept the pendant in before. It takes a little bit, but I find it. I take out the pendant, making sure it's the real one, and put it in the small space. It's a small hole in the wall that seals itself and is well camouflaged behind the vines. It’s placed in a small carved out box. A very subtle way of knowing where it is that it's directly under one of the torches that light the archives. The third torch to the left of the center one.

As soon as the real pendant is in the box, the hole reseals itself and blends in perfectly with the surrounding wall. Then I mentally prepare myself for sundown.

Oh boy… this is nerve wracking.

At sundown, I make my way over to the temple. My brothers and Hametsu tried to come along with me, but this is something I have to do alone. I arrive at the temple just before the sun sets over the horizon. Raiden is there, waiting for me. This is the first time I’ve seen him in person when he’s not in a disguise. Roxy is tied up in rope and standing next to Raiden. She looks like she's been doing a lot of crying, I can tell by her red and puffy eyes. She also has dark rings under her eyes as if she hasn't been getting enough sleep.

“Roxy!” I cry out.

“Kal!” she cries back.

“Be quiet, both of you!” Raiden orders.

“You're not the boss of me!” I retort.

“Do you want your betrothed in one piece?” he asks, holding up a sword to her neck. I shut my mouth. “You know why you’re here.”

I reach in my pocket. I looked at the fake pendant, scared. It’s a good thing I took the string off before I left. Why am I scared if it’s fake? Because there's a high chance that Onyx will know it’s fake and order an attack on Avalon. Let’s not forget the seal to the Dark Fairies. It’s gotta be on the verge of breaking. Or maybe it's already broken. Whatever the case, the thought of all that happening is a terrifying one.

“Hurry up Kallan, I don’t have all night. It's the pendant or the girl. Choose wisely.” he says with this evil grin. Oh boy, is he in for a surprise.

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I hesitantly hold my hand out to Raiden, unable to meet Roxy's eyes. I can tell that she’s hurt by what I’m doing. He snatches the pendant from my hand.

“Wise choice,” he says. He cuts Roxy's ropes and shoves her forward. “You’re useless now, you filthy wench.”

Roxy sprints towards me and hugs me tightly. I hug her back, relieved that she's safe. I glare at Raiden.

“Don't call her that,” I demand. Raiden laughs a bit.

“Enjoy your last few days of freedom, because, in due time, the great Lord Onyx will be free and conquer all of you worthless bugs. You will all have the same fate as the Pixies and Elves.”

He flies away with a maniacal laugh.

Roxy and I fly back to the castle in silence.

“Kal… why did you do that?” She asks me. The sadness and betrayal in her voice hurts me.

“I’ll tell you when we get back…” I say, unable to meet her gaze. I do not want to see the sadness in her eyes.

When we get back to the castle, I take her down to the archives and to the spot where the real pendant is hidden. The look on her face is priceless.

“Wait… if that’s the real pendent… then the one you gave Raiden-”

“Was a fake!” I say proudly. She punches my arm.

“Oh my god, you asshat. You had me so scared!” she exclaims. I laugh and keep the real pendant on me once again. We exit the archives. I feel more relaxed than I have in the past week. Roxy is back with me again. The pendant is safe. Things seem to be looking up. However, I know they’re going to find out it’s a fake. We have to be ready for it. Who knows what they’re going to do.

“Hey Kal!” a voice calls out. I turn in the direction of the voice. It’s Hametsu jogging up to me.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“Shinda got the answer from the Time God.”

“What did he say?”

“He said the seal has been broken for about a century and when asked about resealing them… he gave Shinda a harsh lecture about how it’s not his job to fix things in other worlds,” Hametsu explains.

Well crap. Looks like it’s time to worry once again!

“Oh, hey Roxy!” Hametsu greets, finally noticing her.

“Hello…” she says, with some unease in her voice. I take it she’s still uncomfortable around Hametsu. She clings to me tightly. Being with Raiden and Onyx must’ve been horrible for her. I hug her.

“Honey it’s okay,” I reassure her. I feel her calm down. I hear her stomach growl.

“Roxy, did they feed you at all?” I ask, worried sick

“Hardly. It was one meal a day and it was hardly a meal,” she explains.

“What was it?” Hametsu asks, worried for her.

“It was only a piece of stale bread and some water. Whenever I asked for more, Onyx would tell me to shut up and be grateful that I was being fed at all. I was kept in a cage, like an animal!” she starts crying. I console her and soothe her. Hametsu tries to do the same, but Roxy keeps pushing him away.

I don't think I have ever been angrier with them than in this particular moment. How dare they mistreat her! They already completely destroyed her town and slaughtered her people, which in itself is downright evil, but to make her suffer even more than she already has is just demonic and definitely a personal attack on me. He may have done the same thing with the pixies and elves too.

I immediately have dinner made for her. I believe manners are the last thing on her mind because she just scarfs it down and then chugs her glass of water.

“Clean water…” she sighs. I take it the water they gave her was of poor quality. She wipes her face with a napkin and leans back in the chair. I scoot my chair closer to her and hug her again.

“I wish I was there to help you,” I say, tearing up and feeling completely useless. I wish I went to her town sooner, then I could’ve prevented its annihilation and kept her safe. I can never forgive myself for not being there to protect it.

“It’s okay Kal… Raiden was too strong. I don’t think you would’ve been able to handle him.”

Roxy’s right. Before then, I was barely able to fight with my powers. I wouldn't have been much help and probably would’ve been killed.

Raiden may have won that battle, but the war is far from over. I’ll make sure he pays for all of his crimes, every last one of them.

He will be given no mercy. Someone as evil as him doesn’t deserve it.

My mind is firmly made up. Raiden will be executed.

***********

Onyx’s shadow rests in his stone body, awaiting his freedom. Raiden walks in and kneels before the statue.

“My great Lord Onyx, I present the pendant that you desire,” he says presenting the pendant, completely unaware that it’s fake.

Onyx’s shadowy spirit comes out of the statue and stands in front of Raiden. He takes one look at the pendant and uses his powers to destroy it. Raiden is shocked.

“Master! We’ve spent centuries trying to get it! Why did you just-”

“QUIET!” Onyx barks. Raiden shuts his mouth and is taken aback by Onyx’s sudden outburst. “You are, absolutely, the most IDIOTIC fairy in both realms!!” Onyx uses his powers to harshly throw Raiden across the cavern. Raden lands against the wall and falls to the ground with a thud. He sits up and immediately bows before the angry deity.

“Forgive me my great master for questioning you.”

“How could you be so stupid as to not realize the pendant that little flea gave you was a fake?!” Onyx roars at him. Raiden is floored by this revelation. His face goes from fearful to one of absolute rage.

“I swear I thought it was the real one!” he exclaims as he punches the ground. “It seemed identical!”

“I warned you not to underestimate him, you insect,” Onyx growls. He circles Raiden. “How are you going to remedy this issue?”

Raiden is scared. He frantically thinks of an answer, wanting to please his master. An idea suddenly dawns on him. It’s a dangerous one for him, but he’s desperate to get his vengeance on Kallan for making him look like a fool in front of his great master and for causing him to fail his mission.

“Take possession of my body,” Raiden offers.

“Excuse me?” Onyx asks, taken aback by the strange request. Raiden sits up.

“I humbly beg to be your vessel for the time being.”

Onyx thinks about it for a second before a wicked smile crosses his face. His shadowy form enters Raiden’s body and proceeds to take control, causing Raiden to scream in agony. He knew it would be painful and possibly cost him his life. His eyes turn from ruby red to a sinister purple as Onyx completely takes over his body.

“Ah, it feels great to have a body again,” Onyx says, once he has complete control over Raiden’s body. “I’ll be sure to reward you greatly once my real body is free, Raiden.”

Onyx moves around, getting used to his temporary body, practicing his fighting, using his powers, and flying. He uses his powers to teleport to the entrance of Otrya.

“Get ready Prince of Life,” he mumbles to himself as he flies into the forest. “Because soon, you’ll be in for the fight of your life.”

End of Book 1