An army of former workers across the world soars under cover of a new moon to Garavis. Far behind us, Umpkin leads the rest of the fighters who can’t fly. They are our backup just in case we need the extra numbers. Lucky for me, I’m with Zazy’s group. I sit on top of him as he flies with a small army of flyers. We are moving fast through the sky at a uniform speed. I have my hair tightly wrapped, but I feel like letting it flow behind me. I’m so tempted to rip it off, but I’m worried we might be close to our destination. The last thing I don’t want to do is struggle to put it back in the wrap. My team and Zazy will need my full attention. I’m already a liability, plus my white hair will make me an easier target.
In front of all of us, Purah leads the convoy. She’s wearing the same black outfit everyone else is wearing. I’m amazed at how proper we look, especially how camouflaged we are in the dark. Honestly, I’m nervous, but I’m confident enough to not hesitate in protecting myself and Zazy. All I can hope for is a quick resolution to the hell we’ve suffered since we were born. I know he will enjoy this moment more than I might.
The horizon ahead begins to light up. Purah looks back at us and points her finger forward, telling everyone that it’s the city of Garavis. I lay down on Zazy, cupping my hands right around his big muscular chest to alleviate my anxiety. He presses my hands into his chest then whispers, “Are you okay?”
“Just... nervous,” I say.
“Me too. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Purah said this’ll be one attack, right?”
“She did.” He pulls both hands to his lips to kiss the knuckles. I crawl closer to his neck so I can rest my face on it. His natural aroma mixes in with the perfume I used last night after we ruffled up the feathers.
“You smell good.”
“Vodkis,” he says as if he’s going to laugh. “Stay focused.”
“Right.” I avoid his recommendation. Our scent is killing my anxiety for what lies ahead. I ignore my surroundings and stay motionless on his back. He must know I’m not complying because he’s constantly caressing my right hand. “Hey, Zazy.”
“Yes, Vodkis?”
“You smell really good.” His quiet laughter makes me laugh.
“Alright guys, we’re getting close,” Purah says. I look over Zazy’s shoulder to see what’s happening. We dip down to fly over a village on the outskirts of the city. The streets and houses are lit with lanterns. Melonians roam the streets. Some of them see us flying by.
“I guess we’re not going in stealthfully,” Zazy says. I overhear a woman to my right talking to a man flying next to her chatting about what they would do once they win. The two debate on whatt they might do to the Melonians after their kingdom falls. Most of their discussions are about what type of work the Melonians will do for them.
“Are you listing to this?” I say, whispering into Zazy’s ear.
“I am. They want the Melonians to do the same thing they did, but ten times the work,” Zazy says to me in a whisper.
“Do you think that’s fair for the ones who weren’t beating us?”
“Did you forget that they are benefiting from our suffering? You can’t just go for the individuals that made our lives miserable; we have to go out on everyone.”
“Are you saying we should... hurt them?”
“No,” he says, glancing over his shoulder to look at me. “As much as I dislike them, I won’t hurt civilians. I’m not that irritated.” I’m finding it difficult on what else to say. I’m happy with what he said, but I’m worried not all our people will have the same attitude. I know his life was more brutal than mine, yet knowing his main focus is not hurting civilians is good.
“I love you, Zazy,” I say honestly to break the silence. He chuckles, which throws me off a bit. I’m expecting him to say I love you back, not a quick laugh. “Say it back, you big dummy.”
“I’m sorry. I love you.” I further move up his shoulder to the point all he has to do is move his eyes to see me.
“Say it again, but with my name, pretty please.”
“I love you, Vod—”
“Everyone stop!” Purah shouts. Zazy clutches me tightly when he suddenly stops. I lift my head back to see what’s in front of us. A squadron of jetpack Melonian soldiers blocks our way into the city. “Do not do anything, but be on your guard.” She drops to the ground with her palm directed at us to stay in the air.
“That’s a lot. You better lock yourself tightly around my back,” Zazy says. He lets go of my arm so I can adjust myself. I lock my legs around his waist. If the Melonians start shooting at us, I can fire off an energy blast to cover him as he evades.
“I’m ready,” I say, clutching my thighs tightly into his waist.
“Good.” In the middle of their formation, the big muscular woman I saw Zazy and Arlic fighting steps out.
“Workers,” Shivera shouts with a low thunderous voice. “Return to your stations immediately!” We all remain silent, except for Purah, who’s laughing.
“Hey, chump! Come down here and talk to me. I’m the leader you want to speak with,” Purah says. Shivera, alongside two other men, heads down to Purah. “Good early morning to you all. My name is Purah. What are yours?”
“You heard our commander! Return to your stations,” the soldier on the left side of Shivera says.
“Ah, you’re the commander? Is your King sitting on his tiny throne?”
“Tiny?!”
“You heard.”
“You disrespectful dog!” He throws a quick punch aiming for her face. She tilts her head to the left to evade it, but at the same time, she counterattacks with a gut punch. The soldier coughs out a pool of green blood before falling over into her body.
“Let me ask a different question. What is your name, commander?”
“Commander Shivera Da Melo,” Shivera says, putting her hands on her hips like she’s not frightened and unimpressed by what she saw.
“Melo,” she chuckles. “Melo, Melonians, Melon. You couldn’t pick a better name?” She tosses the soldier to the side several feet to her right. “Shivera, tell Melon that his kingdom is finished. We are done being your workers, and we are taking our planet back.” Shivera stares at her for a long moment without blinking or moving. “Um, hello? Did I fry your brain?” A smile slowly emerges on her face, followed by a slow emerging laugh. Purah mimics her laughter. She stops, but Purah continues to make fun of her.
“Shut your mouth, dog!”
“My name is Purah.”
“I won’t be telling my King anything. This random rebellion will cease, and you all will be put back in your places. My King’s empire will continue to thrive on this glorious world for hundreds of years to come.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“What did you say?” She leans down to get in Purah’s face. Her height makes her tower over Purah. I lift my hands slightly off Zazy’s back to get ready to attack.
“That’s. Not. Going. To. Happen.” In less than a blink of an eye, she jumps up to evade Shivera’s punch. Her hand slams into the ground, causing a small explosion.
“Kill them!”
“For freedom!” A surge of adrenaline floods my body, making my lips tingle and my senses increase. Everything gets louder, I can smell the grass, plus my vision lights up the battlefield as if the sun got brighter.
“Let’s go!” Zazy says.
Everyone starts firing at each other in a hail of colorful lights. I unleash energy balls at any soldier I see. Most of my shots hit their target as Zazy whizz in quick different directions to evade getting hit.
“This is intense!” I say.
“Keep shooting!” Zazy says. He fires alongside me. I stop shooting to check on the status of our people. When I look over to my right, I spot a soldier without a weapon coming at us. Instead of warning Zazy to move out of the way, I leap into the soldier. He tackles me past Zazy. Zazy turns to witness me fly away with the soldier. The soldier and I slam the ground so hard that his body bounces off of me. I skid across the grass for a short moment before rolling on all fours to stop myself.
“That hurt!” I growl. The soldier and I enter into hand-and-leg combat. His fast strikes are causing me to nearly fail to block his powerful, painful blows. When I surprise him with a leg sweep to trip him, Zazy two-hand punches him deep into the ground. I shield my face from the dirt that kicks up. “Thanks,” I say, rubbing away the pain in my forearms. “That guy was nearly kicking my butt.”
“Are you okay?” Zazy says, emerging from the crater. I meet him halfway to be in the security of his presence.
“I’m fine. No need to worry. He just caught me off guard.”
“Thank goodness.” Something catches his immediate attention behind me. The verve inside of him spikes. I freeze when he bolts past me. My eyes lag behind him, but when I finally catch up to see where he’s going. I find him clashing with the commander.
“Oh crap!” Shivera kicks Zazy across the field. He plows into several of our people before falling to the ground. “Zazarel!” I try to perform a giant leap to reach him in a single jump but get punched back by her.
“Come here, dog!” Shivera says, charging me.
“Oh crap!” I say. She punches me square in the mouth. I partially black out from the impact when my head slams back on the ground. She continues to assault me with kicks to my stomach. One kick takes me into the sky, where I quickly regain my awareness to see her coming after me. I manage to pause in the air to surprise her with a double ax handle to the top of her head. She lands face-first into the ground from it. “Take that, you dog!” My short flight ends, and I begin to fall back down. Zazy catches me before I land. “You took your time.”
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“I had to fight my way through.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I got my butt kicked.” He squints momentarily when I tell him that. “That chiseled pack of meat got good shots in me.” The pain in my stomach pulsates more than the pain in my lips. “Hey, do I still have all my teeth?” I open my lips so he can see them. All he does is stare at me. “Is there something wrong?”
“No. You’re fine. Di— did she hurt you anywhere else?” His calm voice alarms me. It looks like he’s about to explode.
“Just my face.” The ground shakes from an explosion nearby. I turn too fast to see it, causing the pain in my stomach to surge. “Damn,” I whisper, getting on one knee as I clutch my stomach. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t good enough.”
“You’re doing great, my beautiful moonlight.” He helps me sit down on the ground. Shivera groans in pain when she pushes herself up.
“Oh, crap. I thought I took her out.”
“That hurt! You’re dead!” Shivera says. I power through the pain to get on my feet.
“Let me take her,” Zazy says, standing in front of me. “I’ll end this for you.”
“Excuse me? You will certainly not. I want to get even with this woman,” I growl. I’m getting annoyed by his need to protect me. The pain in my mouth and stomach slowly fades out the angrier I get. “Let’s do this together.”
“I’m fine with that.” We both attack her with mighty forceful power. As a commander, I expect her to at least stop most of our shots. When she tries to fly away to evade, Zazy keeps her down. “What’s wrong, Shivera? Are we too much for you?”
“Yeah! If this is hard, your training must suck!” Zazy takes her into the air and then throws her back to me. I jump to make her face meet the top part of my foot. She backflips into the sky, where Zazy blasts her away with a massive double-handed energy attack.
“Whoa! Oh my goodness,” I shout in a cheer. “You’re amazing!” He gives me a wink and thumbs up. I’m so happy that our training is showing some positive results. With our teamwork, I think we can take on anyone that dares to fight us. Out of nowhere, she spears him. They fly all over the place, hitting the ground and flying high in the sky. “Zazy, bring her down to me!” I chase after them to wait for a chance to assist him. When he breaks free of her, I jump on her back and lock her arms around her stomach.
“What the? Get off of me, dog!” Shivera says.
“Zazarel beat her up!” Zazy unleashes powerful blows to her stomach. I can feel his punches reach me. They hurt, but I’m not letting go until we win. “Keep going!” As she coughs, grunts, and groans, the weight of her body starts to fall on me. “Keep going!” I watch Zazy unload everything he has. His eyes are red again, and his fangs are long. Her blood is stained on his knuckles. I don’t feel sorry for what is happening to her, nor scared at his rage. Once her body goes limp, I let go. Zazy kicks her lifeless body far from us.
“Bastard,” Zazy says, taking heavy breaths. “Hey, Vodkis.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”
“You punch hard.” I clutch my stomach and fall forward. He cradles me into his body. His enlarged muscles are acting like a padded pillow. “Goodness, that was tough, eh? I don’t think I can continue on. If one person that strong can do that to me, then I’m done for.”
“Don’t say that. You’re resilient, Vodkis.”
“I’m not,” I deflect, chuckling at his encouragement to keep going. “Look at me. A few months of learning how to fight wasn’t enough.”
“You’re doing great. Comparing what I’ve known you to be versus now, you’ve come a long way. Don’t give up on me now. We’re so close to freedom. I need you, Vodkis.” I tear up at his words. “Don’t cry.”
“Why?”
“Cause I’ll cry.”
“Come here. Let me kiss you.” He leans down while I slightly sit to meet his lips. I giggle at the thought of us kissing while a war is going on around us. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Right. This is crazy. We’re fighting.” We laugh at the situation, then suddenly, in the center where most of the fighting is taking place, I can hear people shouting. “Ugh, what’s going on?” I lay my head back in his lap to rest. “What do you see?”
“We’re pushing back the soldiers to the city.” I force myself up to see the spectacle. The soldiers are flying away in droves. Purah has to stop a couple of our people from chasing after them.
“Oh, my goodness... This is actually working.” As the soldiers retreat, far in the distance, a swarm of more soldiers comes our way. “Za— Zazy... We’re not done yet.”
“Yup. Get ready.” He puts me on my feet but keeps an arm around my waist. The number of soldiers coming here almost covers the lights of the city. “Where is Purah’s back up?!” I look to my right towards the village we came through.
“I don’t know. I don’t see them.”
“Purah, where’s the backup?!” Purah looks, and the village then bolts towards it. “Where is she going?”
“Probably to find Umpkin.”
“Ah! Get ready. They’re closing in fast.”
The fastest soldiers from the second wave attack everyone first. To keep the soldiers away from me, Zazy takes on two soldiers. He beats both of them quickly, but a third soldier evades his attacks and comes after me. Even though I’m injured, I’m quicker than the soldier. One backhand is all it takes for me to knock him out.
More soldiers enter the fray. Their numbers overwhelm everyone, including myself. I’m forced to take on four of them at a time. Each gets their punches or kicks on me. In the end, I prevail, but the pain is taking a toll. My arms are covered in bruises. Nothing is broken, but oh my goodness, these guys hit hard.
“Where the hell is Purah?” I say. An energy blast from out of nowhere explodes behind me, causing me to do a front flip. I land on my butt and skid across the grass. The wind gets blown out of my lungs. I gasp franticly for air to refill my lungs as I crawl aimlessly on the field. “Zazarel,” I call out, hoping he’ll save me or watch over me. “Zazarel! I can’t! I’m not strong enough!” I act like I’m dead, but I continue to call for him. “Zazarel, you big dummy.” There’s so much chaos around me, that I don’t think he’ll be able to see or hear me. I take off my head wrap to improve my chances of being spotted. “I’m gonna take a quick nap. You better find me, you big dummy.” When I close my eyes, something near the top of my head makes a thud sound. I open my left eye and brace for any beating I might endure. Lucky for me, it’s friendly. “Purah?!”
“Vodkis!” Purah says, kneeling down to me. Our backup runs past us, fueling more of the chaos. “You’re in bad shape. Let me help you up.”
“No. Leave me here. Laying like this is stabilizing the pain.”
“Alright. I’ll stay by your side until you’re well.”
“Thanks.” As I’m staring up at her, I notice her appearance is pristine. I don’t spot any scruffs, dirt, or scratches on her clothing. “Why do you look so clean? Aren’t you fighting?”
“I’ve told you, this isn’t truly my fight. I don’t want to steal anyone’s glory.”
“Screw glory. Go out and help us!”
“Vodkis, I..”
“Purah, they’re sending in more reinforcements. And... and...” Umpkin says, stuttering in his words.
“And what?′
“I see King Melon.”
Once again, I power through the pain to see the King. He’s sitting on what seems to be a floating throne, powered by a blue burning fuel. Around him are enormous guards. I’m shocked that such a creature can be that huge. They’re bigger than Shivera. Everyone stops fighting when he reaches the battlefield. My focus turns to finding where Zazy is.
“Zazarel!” I yell three times while I wonder past soldiers and my people to find him.
“I’m over here,” Zazy responds. I look to my left to find him hovering over me past a crowd.
“Zazy!” I’m so excited to see he’s okay that I open my arms out for him. In a flash of purple, I see three cone-like projections come through his chest. I catch him as we fall to the ground. “Zazy?” He’s gasping for air as if he is drowning. “Zazarel, what’s going on with you?” I roll him on his back to see what’s wrong with him. To my utter shock, he has three gaping holes in his chest. “No, no, no, NO, NO, NO!” The holes in his body are cauterized. I can see the grass on the other side of him. “Purah, help!” Purah instantly flies over to me.
“What happened?!” Purah says. I can’t answer her question due to me crying my soul out.
“Not like this! Zazy, please! No!” I clear my eyes and then search for the one who did this to him. When I check the King, I notice he puts his hand back into his lap as he sits back down in his seat. His guards shield him with their bodies like a floating wall. “That bastard...” My anger is beyond what I have ever been before.
“Vodkis, you need to calm down. Your verve is growing at an alarming rate. Control yourself.”
“I’m going to KILL HIM!”
“Vodkis, wait!” She stands in front of me when I take two steps. “Stop,” she says, holding my shoulders.
“Get out of my way, Purah.” Her eyes open wide when I make her move for a few feet. “Purah!”
“Vodkis, please. You—” She looks up at something behind me that makes her stop trying to prevent me from moving. “Ta— Tagenta?” She whispers with a smile on her face.
“Move!” I shove her away and run at Melon full speed. Any soldiers that try to stop me, I take out with one blow, whether it is a kick or a punch. No one can stop me.
“Vodkis, wait! Tagenta is here! Come back! He’s here!”
The more I get closer, the less I’m aware of what’s going on. It’s like my mind is going blank, but I know I’m moving. Once I lunge into the wall of guards, everything goes dark. I stay in the darkness for what seems like three seconds. My senses come back slowly. The first is my eyes. I see the sky. There’s no cloud in sight or anyone floating above. Purah comes into my line of sight from the right side, followed by a woman. I don’t recognize her. Her hair is tightly pulled back into a nice ponytail, and she’s wearing a green and blue dress. She has black hair and gorgeous blue eyes.
“Vodkis, can you hear me?” Purah says in a muffled, echoed voice.
“Zazarel,” I say. I don’t hear myself clearly, so I continue saying his name.
“Vodkis, please.” She puts her hand over my mouth to shut me up, but I slap it away.
“Where is he? Is he okay?” The woman next to Purah glances at her. Purah side-eyes her and sighs.
“He doesn’t have much time. I’m so sorry.” Several blurs fly over her head, causing her hair to smear across her face. The other woman looks the opposite way and then looks over to the direction the blurs are going.
“Take me to him.” Purah is too busy watching whatever is flying, but the woman reacts to my command. In her left hand, she holds a golden staff with silver and black plating I didn’t see before. She touches my forehead with it, and it suddenly restores all my senses. In every direction, everyone is yelling. “What’s going on?!” I frantically look around, fearing for my safety. There are what seem to be Spargarian soldiers wearing blueish-green uniforms running after Melonian soldiers who are retreating into the city. “Who are these guys?” Their outfits are not black like mine. It’s the same tight-fitting design I’m wearing, but they’re wearing a loose-fitting tunic held by a waist belt. In the mix of them, my people run alongside them.
“The end of Melon’s kingdom. Such a wonderful sight, don’t you think?” The woman tells me. I ignore her comment. My focus remains on finding where Zazy is. “I’ll take you to him.”
“Huh?”
“Your lover, Zazarel.”
“Oh. Please.”
“Prepare yourself.” She uses her staff again to transport me. In one quick motion, I’m standing next to Zazy. Two of those special-looking Spargarians are on their knees beside him. The one on his left gives him drops of a red liquid from a small vial into his mouth. Whatever it is, it is making him cough.
“What are you doing to him?!” I shove the person away from him with such force, they have to hover to stop themselves.
“Easy there, Vodkis. They’re trying to soothe Zazarel’s pain,” the woman with the staff says.
“Vodkis? Are you here?” Zazy calls out to me in a quiet voice.
“Right here,” I say, cupping his cheeks. His warmth is gone, and his breathing is slow. “What happened to him?”
“You were there. You saw what happened,” the woman says.
“I did?”
“King Melon shot him. You went after him and literally ripped him apart and fifty of his soldiers.”
“What? How? I don’t remember any of that?”
“You went demented. It’s a state of mania with overwhelming power your people can transpose into.” I squint at her when she says, ‘your people.’
“Are you not one of us?”
“No. I’m a cherub.”
“A what?”
“I had the same reaction, too,” Zazy says in a weak voice. “Tagenta’s armada came moments after I got shot.” He starts laughing, but his wounds are making it hard to laugh without groaning. “Her name is Nion. She’s the one that stopped your rampage with a flick to your neck.” His voice is slowly getting quieter the more he talks.
“Stop talking. You need to rest. Let these healers fix you up.”
“They can’t fix me up.” I shake my head, denying this is the end of him. “My wounds are fatal. I’m shocked I’m still here speaking with you.”
“This is all my fault! If I didn’t call for you—”
“It’s not your fault, Vodkis. You needed me, and I came.”
“Don’t leave me,” I beg, crying. “I need you. We’re supposed to live together free from Melonian rule.” His tears pour out of his eyes like a leaky well. “Stay with me... stay with me. Don’t die you, big dummy. Fight it, please!”
“I love you, Vodkis.”
“I love you too!”
“Can you make a promise for me?”
“Yes!”
“Live in the freedom we fought for.” I kiss him several times. On the fifth kiss, his lips stop moving.
“I promise!”
Two big shadows emerge over his entire body. I turn to see what’s blocking the sun. Two men with different colored hair look down at us. The one on the left has whiter hair than mine, and his eyes are orange like Purah’s. The second man’s hair is whiteish green, and his eyes are red. I can sense a subtle weird power emitting from him. It suddenly stops when his hair reverts to the same white color the other man has, and his eyes turn orange too. He has two streaks of orange hair going down the side of his head.
“Who are you?” I say. The man with the orange streaks points at himself. I shake my head no and point at the guy on the right. “You. What’s your name?”
“My name is Tagenta,” he says.