Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
KAI
T he moment we entered the forest I knew that things were not going to be easy or smooth. The air was thick and had a bad vibe. For ten years Zamorra had been laying her web of evil plans. Her dark magic had spread through the whole forest. The forest looked like a dark version of what it had been. Zamorra's magic had spread through it. The eerie silence was broken by the howl of a wolf in the distance, a haunting reminder of the creatures that Zamorra controlled.
Half of the canines in the forest were in a deep, unnatural sleep, and their bodies were lying on the forest floor, as if dead. The other half, the ones who hadn't fallen asleep, were controlled by Zamorra. Their eyes had a strange, bizarre light that made them look like puppets. They moved stiffly and mechanically as if they were being directed by invisible strings. It was a scary sight, and I felt bad that honorable beings had been turned into tools to be used by evil.
I wanted to enter as quietly as possible because the further we got into the forest before Zamorra learned about our presence, the better for us all. I also didn't want to have to kill any of my people. Although they were under a spell they would kill me the moment they found me to be weak.
I stood at the edge of the shield and mustered all the courage I could. I looked up at the sky. The sun was about to come up. I looked at my hidden triplets, and then at Valeria.
I took a deep breath, "Valeria, Just in case... just in case something goes wrong…."
Valeria looked at me angrily, "Kai, don't talk like that."
"I have to," I said softly as I took her hands. "Please promise me that if I don't make it back you’ll return to Earth. Raise our kids on Earth there with your family. They deserve a life free of all this trouble and danger."
Tears were in Valeria's eyes and she shook her head, "No, Kai. You'll be back. You are going to do well, and we will raise our kids together. I refuse to believe otherwise."
I smiled and brushed a loose hair out of her face. "Val, I want to believe that too. But we need to be ready for anything. Even if I can't be with you, you and our kids deserve a safe and happy life."
Valeria's voice started to shake with emotion as she tightened her grip on my hands. "Kai, don't you dare talk about dying. I’ve lived alone my fair share, you need to come back to me. Help me raise our kids, you have to be there. I need you and they need their dad."
I leaned in close and pressed my lips against hers. I closed my eyes and enjoyed how close we were. "Val, I promise I'll do everything I can to get back to you. I'm going to fight with all of my strength."
Valeria whispered, "You better," and her tears were now pouring down her face. " I need you to help me. We've been through too much and come too far. I need you by my side."
I kissed her again to feel how much I loved and wanted her. When we finally split up, I looked her in the eyes, "Valeria, I love you. More than words can say."
"And I love you, Kai," she said softly. "Don't you dare leave me. Whatever comes, we'll deal with it together."
Eli nudged me. Valeria and I nodded in agreement and it was time to move forward.
As soon as I came from the shield, I felt like I needed to move quickly. A voice called out, "Kai!" Before I could move another inch, I saw my sister, Aria. I ran toward me with a desperate look on her face. The sound of her voice made me stop.
It was like a dream come true. I was finally in the middle of my kingdom after ten long years. My castle stood tall in front of me. The sun made the land look bright. She had changed from the little girl I remembered to a strong and beautiful woman. Her presence was a beacon of hope. When she hugged me a wave of emotions washed over me—pride, relief, and an overwhelming love.
“How are you Aria?”
“I am perfectly fine.”
I sighed, “You have no idea how much I missed you, missed our home, our world.”
“How did you cross the boundary?”
I was expecting her to ask about what took me so long to come back or about Eli, but she didn’t. I refrained from answering because something seemed strange, so instead I asked, “How have you lived all these years? Where are mom and dad?”
“Are you alone?”
“Why won’t use you answer, Aria?”
Aria paused for a second and then shook her head, “I have been living in shadows all these years. Every day is a quest to stay hidden from Zamorra’s spell.”
I held her arms, “Don’t worry, Aria. I am here to break the damn curse. Soon everything will go back to normal.”
Just as I was about to tell her about my army, the shield, our kids, and Eli, her eyes turned milky white. I gasped when I realized something was terribly wrong, but it was too late. She stabbed me violently in the gut with a blade. It hurt so badly that I fell to the ground and held on to the wound while blood dripped through my fingers.
As I lay there trying to figure out what had happened, I heard a menacing laugh coming from the trees. When I looked up, I saw Aria or someone I thought was Aria, laughing hard. The sound of her laughter echoed through the trees, making my dread grow even stronger.
I murmured, "Aria," but it was hard to speak because of the pain. As I looked at her, her appearance started to change. The laughing became darker and meaner, and she transformed into Zamorra. This whole thing was a trick! It hit me like a blow to the chest.
I heard Valeria’s scream piercing through Zamorra’s evil laugh. Valeria's focus broke, taking down the shield that had kept Zamorra's dark magic away from our army.
Instantly chaos broke out in the forest. My army of shape-shifters started to change. Their human bodies began to melt away, revealing what they really were. Felines with sleek, strong bodies and sharp claws, Avians with long wings and razor-sharp claws, bears with huge strength and ferocity, and gryphons, which looked like a mix of an eagle and a lion. Even Eli had changed into his powerful form and started attacking all the possessed canines.
I called through my mind to Val, “ Val, listen to me. Look at me.”
There was no response.
I am alive, Val.
I felt like she didn’t want to listen to anything. She had blocked our link. She blocked everything that was coming toward her. I looked at the sky, it was still golden and bright with the rays of the sun.
As the soldiers charged forward as a fierce, unified force, the ground shook. The fighter felines sped through the trees with deadly accuracy, cutting through Zamorra's magical followers with their claws. Avians flew into the sky, their shadows making them look scary as they dove and struck with their beaks and claws. Bears charged through enemy lines, swatting enemies away with roars that could be heard all through the forest. The gryphons flew and jumped, showing how strong and quick they were.
It looked like my army would win for a moment. Zamorra's troops were pushed back by their unmatched bravery and ability to work together. Claws and fangs clashed, people cried out in pain and defiance, and the shape-shifters roared with victory as they pushed forward.
In the middle of it all, Zamorra raised her arms and started to chant a spell. Her voice was low and evil, and it had a strange power to it. Dark energy whirled around her and built up into a thick, scary cloud. Darkness grew in the sky, and the air seemed to fill with evil.
"Fall before my might!" The power of Zamorra's spell reached its peak as her voice boomed.
She let out a wave of dark power that moved across the battlefield like a dark tide. In the middle of the fight, the shape-shifters started to falter. Their strong bodies started to shake, and they moved more slowly. They began to fall one by one as the dark spell took away their power. The felines fell to the ground, and their smooth bodies stopped moving. Avians fell from the sky because their wings weren't strong enough to hold them up. The bears stumbled and fell, and their roaring ceased. Gryphons were now lying helpless on the ground.
Eli, who was strong and brave, gave in to the spell's power. He fell to the ground, unable to fight back.
Within minutes, there was a strange silence across the battlefield. My once-powerful army’s bodies were still. Just moments before, the forest was filled with the sounds of fight and hope. Now, Zamorra's evil laughter filled the air. Anna and Valeria were standing helplessly in front of Zamorra. Both thought Eli and I had died.
"You're a fool, Kai," Zamorra said, her voice full of hatred. "You and your pitiful army are no match for my strength. You will all fall, and this kingdom will bow to my will."
Pain emanated from the wound in my gut, but the pounding of my heart reminded me that I was still alive and fighting. Through the fog of suffering, I could feel the sorrow that had settled over the battlefield.
Valeria and Anna were standing in front of Zamorra and her rogue canines. The remnants of our fallen soldiers were spread about them. Everyone thought we'd lost the battle. Valeria's eyes were filled with a sorrow that went deeper than any wound. I knew that she feared she'd never have the opportunity to say goodbye to our children and her family. Anna was crying beside her, the weight of our defeat on her shoulders. Everything seems to have fallen apart.
In my head, I was wishing for dragon shifters. Dragons were the most powerful entities in Eldaria, resistant to both compulsion and evil magic. Their land was many years away, yet their power would change the course of this fight. However, I did not have the luxury of time.
I needed to connect with Valeria before the apocalypse hit Eldaria. Screams and sobs of the fallen filled the air. As the mates outside of the canine forest realized their loved ones were on the verge of death, mates' bonds weakened. Zamorra captured Anna and Valeria and placed them in heavy shackles.
I summoned the last of my strength and tried not to move while calling out to Valeria. Every moment was torture, but thinking about her and our children gave me the strength I needed to keep going. I had to tell her that I was alive so she could regain control of her powers.
It was the same as on Earth when she had been kidnapped and our mind link weakened because Valeria shut herself off. I was left with only one option and that was my triplets. I focused on them and called them and when they started giggling Valeria flinched, but she was smart enough not to look at them. She looked at me and my lips curled a bit up and I called out to her. “ Val, I am here.”
Valeria didn’t understand. Where are you? Does this mind link work even after dying?
I was in terrible pain but her question made me laugh, “ Val, focus on me, look at me through our link”.
You are alive?
Val, we don’t have much time, the sun is about to peak. You need to get control of the shield. Take the kitsunes with you, as you did before. Zamorra’s magic is not working on you or Anna. Work together to lift the magic from kitsunes and make the protection shield. Now
“ Is Eli alive?”
I nodded.
Valeria turned to Anna and looked into her eyes, “Eli is alive.”
“What should we do now?”
Valeria sighed, “The kitsune.”
Valeria and Anna closed their eyes and again made a perfect shield. Both were in shackles because they didn’t want to fight anymore. They threw a shield over the kitsune and they stood instantly. Anna and Valeria broke the shackles and along with the kitsunes they made a shield that spread over our army.
Everyone stood back up including Eli. Zamorra didn’t understand what had just happened. She didn’t know about Earth’s shapeshifter abilities. I opened my eyes and sought refuge under the shield. Valeria used her powers to keep her hand over my wound. She healed me and I stood up.
Zamorra was taken aback, “Which sorcerer have you taken to help?”
Zamorra screamed, “No one is more powerful than I am in the whole of Eldaria. Kill them all!”
I commanded my army, “Stay in the shield and whoever crosses the barrier, kill them.”
Now, I understood that I should have been ruthless from the start, winning a war requires great resolve. I used to have a soft spot for rogue canines, but now I knew I would have to kill every canine that stood in my way.
Unable to see the shield Zamorrawatched her doom unfold before rushing into the safety of the castle. I tucked my hand inside my jacket, where I found all three artifacts. I told everyone to make their way inside, as I had to perform the ritual to break the curse.
The moment the rogue canines entered the shield, my heart flinched, a reaction I had not anticipated. Under the shield, they emerged from Zamorr'a's enchantment. When a group of possessed canines' memories returned, they were unable to understand what the hell had happened.
I looked up and the sun was at its peak and I shouted, “Move inside.”
The shield was getting weak because the rogue canines kept coming inside to attack us, but the moment they stepped in and got back their memories and stayed the shield wasn’t big enough to hold all of us
Eli shouted, “Don’t let anyone come inside. Whoever attempts to come in just push them back out.”
The shield started to move and the moment we entered the castle I performed the ritual. A spark of light came from the middle of the circle. After hovering for a moment, it shot up through the castle's rooftop and straight into the sky. The spark grew and spread across the sky like a wave, lighting up the land.
As the light hit everyone outside, the battlefield went quiet. The dark magic that had held the canines and given Zamorra's followers power started to break. One by one, the warriors who had been in a deep slumber woke up and as the curse lifted, their power returned.
Valeria’s eyes lit up with hope. "Yes, Kai, it's working. It seems to be working!" The canines started to wake up from their eternal slumber and I started looking for Mom, Dad, and Aria. Eli and I looked at each other and rushed inside the towering building. I initially thought it was overwhelming to be back in our world, but the moment I stepped into my home, my sanctuary, where I grew up I calmed.
Everyone was looking for their family and now the sun was gone but still, our family was nowhere to be found. When we reached the hall where our dad used to sit on his royal chair Zamorra was sitting on it holding the leash of Mom, Dad, and Aria.
The angry screams of Zamorra could be heard all over the hall. She yelled, "You think this will save you?" Her voice was poisonous. "You cannot undo my power so easily!"
Eli and I ran towards the royal throne, but Mom screamed. She begged us to stop but we couldn’t and Zamorra trapped us in a magical net. Eli and I were dangling in the air. We looked at each other and nodded in agreement to change but Valeria saw us. She used the electric power in her fingers to untie the magical net and set us free.
Zamorraawalked up to the door with angry flames in her eyes and asked, “Who is this witch? Which coven does she belong to?”
Valeria laughed.
Zamorra was on the verge of losing control and attacked Valeria. Surprisingly, her powers backfired. Zamorra glared at us. Her body flickered as the light continued to weaken.
She hissed, "You will regret this," and then she disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke.