Day 157

Aelen- nowhere to be found. Dominique- unconscious. Ivelisse- sighing in relief that I've made it back. Markus, his seething eyes darting at me, watching my every move. They haven't forgotten the last time we fought. His skin is the shiny black obsidian, not the light pink on that day he destroyed the apartment I was living in. Ivelisse watches his moves too. Words won't cut it with him.

"Netedinark forced him into t'e state," Ivelisse tells me.

My body creates a large lightning bolt around itself upon that accursed name. A strike won't soothe me at this point, but I still have control. Markus doesn't. He made him lose control. Static winter surrounds me; frost exists in my breath.

"Don't try to kill him," I said to Ivelisse.

"Wasn't plannin' anyway."

He roars as he dashes towards me at high speeds. I hold off my ice attack as we fight with fists. It feels like I'm fighting with Bracus's combat tips and training. Both Markus and I received the same information, but I learned about Teketa's combatants too. Teketa doesn't fight with magic as much. Gaeriscelleh does. The only sorcery the Reveta do is to wield large weapons. They can be more useful and dangerous if they learn more about their abilities.

Markus crafts a shiv out of thin air and slyly stabs me in the chest. He grips the back of my neck while doing so. I can feel his hands heating up exponentially. He is going to have my cremation early while I'm still alive.

I blast ice onto Markus. I swear I see purple lightning in my attacks now. White mixed with purple looks more ominous than pretty. They're the opposite of the surface of the Sun. He lunges backward and crashes onto the ground. He gets up and his wings flap. He rises up into the air with a roar. I can feel the ground below me heat up. Molten cracks of lava don't affect me. Frost spreads from me as I make the ground frozen. I hear the ground sizzle as it cools down.

The ground begins to rumble. As I see the red glow from the ground growing stronger. I look back up at Markus.

"We're not enemies, Markus!" I say to him, "Please, fight from with- AH!"

A force slams me down to the ground. The frost melts and evaporates as the ground heats. It splits open, erupting lava everywhere. Lightning wakes up all around my body as the force slams me deeper underground. I don't feel anything from the magma.

"Nao!" I hear Ivelisse's heavily muffled screams as the ground seals me close.

Ivelisse

"Nao!" I shriek out to her without any call back. The crust near her seals her.

I look back at Markus. His ugly look threatens me.

Dark rocks that were carved into sharp daggers appear out of nowhere. I've already set a 'waypoint' nearby in case I get hit.

"Fight it," I repeat what Naomi said.

He growls as he charges at me, along with the daggers. Fist blocking punch while the daggers hit me at speed. They impale deep inside my muscles.

Ow. Ow! Owwww!

I quantum tunnel back to the waypoint. To him, I vanished. The stab wounds disappear due to time malfunction. What? There was no way I was stabbed the same time I set these waypoints. Haha!

I dart back at him with a shield, shoving him with mighty force.

"You missed," I taunt. I set up multiple waypoints around me. I'm there, but totally not. I can see and feel them as my translucent selves.

His head turns back to me sharply. He doesn't charge at me, but the heated surface warns me otherwise.

I quantum tunnel to another waypoint just as a minor eruption of gravel, dirt, and lava burst from where I was at.

"You missed again!" I said to him to his face.

He tries to punch me, but I tunnel away again.

"Woah! T'at was a close one!" I say with a smile, "But you've still missed."

A good heavy chuck of Netedinark's barren castle rises up in the air. It speeds at me.

"O' boy!"

I quickly set a waypoint in the same area he picked the debris up and tunnel to it.

My body warps into clones all with the same shields. We all take turns hitting Markus with the shield. Why am I havin' fun with this?

"Woo!" I cheer as I bonk Markus again and again.

Markus growls deeply before he swings his arms away as an invisible force speeds at my body, knocking out my wind as I launch away from him.

My chest and lungs throb with pain as I slowly get back up.

He smashes the ground, a tall wave of molten rock and debris cast out in all directions. I watch how fast it is going.

Fun fades into extreme fright as I see it's not stopping. I rise up into the air and I see it closing upon Gaeriscelleh's troops and Teketa's.

Bracus will never forgive me if I let this happen!

"No!" I scream out as I dash towards Gaeriscelleh. The troops fought viciously. Some of them are trying to get away from the wave.

I warp a shield as giant as I can, but I know it is not enough. It will save only a little and vaporise plenty of people. I fight back the tears.

I'm sorry, Verantuvia.

My ears are deafened by the sound of a mighty explosion right in front of me. A huge crack forms on the ground, and purple lightning with a purple shield blocks the lava wave feet away from me.

"You've made him too mad, Ive," Naomi flies up as she keeps the shield up.

"Sorry," I quickly apologised.

"It's fine. I forgot to mention that part..."

"It's okay," I shout to her in relief and amazement, "At least, you saved Gaeriscelleh!"

The lava wave instantly stops trying to push through and quickly gets swallowed beneath the surface. It looks like it never existed except for the scorched trees part.

Naomi flies back down, noticing this too, "That wasn't me."

She turns around. All troops, both from Gaeriscelleh and Teketa, and also other empires here. Most of them stopped fighting. There are many slaughtered bodies on the ground. They were burnt to a crisp.

It doesn't surprise me. Even though it feels like hours, it has been days.

I have never stayed awake for a long time. I was too focused on handling Markus than sleeping. The only person that looks tired is Naomi. She has heavy bags beneath her eyes and hasn't cut her hair out like she always does.

"Was Markus handled?" She asks me.

My eyes widened, remembering he was at his critical point.

"Great..."

We all sprint back towards Teketa at dashing speeds. Markus is clutching his head as he violently twitches. A tall God next to him with thick and furry clothing. His hair is blonde and short with blue eyes. He stands beside Markus, so does Dominique.

"Stand down!" Blathnaid appears out of nowhere. Both of us grind to a halt. We are yards away from Markus.

I scream from Blath's sudden emergence. I might've pissed myself too.

"Ive!" Blathnaid and Naomi say in unison.

I quiet myself, but still panting.

"Thank you," Blath says as she glances back at Markus, "Forgison nearly killed him if he didn't realise Netedinark screwed him over." She sounds agitated when saying Netedinark's name.

"Who is Forgison?"

"Forgison, former ruler of Ferilocks in Verantuvia," she explains.

We watch Markus groaning in pain as his body goes from obsidian to flesh, obsidian to flesh over and over.

Loud shrieks echo pierces the sky, which Markus's squints. Naomi and I wince behind us. Judging by the distance, the shriek came from several miles away. I have no doubt that it came from Gaeriscelleh.

I hope that was a battle cry and not a dying scream.

Her attention goes back to Markus as his groaning and cries are more audible. We all wince back at him. The screams must've impeded his fight.

Over time, he quiets down again. His skin stays normal. He opens his eyes as he looks up. Ferilocks turns to us and nods his approval.

"You can fight against it," Blathnaid says to him, "It won't go away, but I hope it will get easier and less frequent as time goes on."

Naomi and I looked at each other with the same face: Confusion.

"We s'ould've talked to 'im," I say to her.

"He wasn't in the state that he could hear us."

"We s'ould've not attacked him."

"I've said not to kill him. His monster remembers me anyway as an enemy."

"'e did not budge for quite some time t'ough."

"It was more like he was calculating my death."

"'e could've been fightin' it."

"His eyes or flesh weren't switching back n' forth like he did with my mom or our last battle."

"We made it worse," I own up to it.

"I was trying to settle him. I guess he needed someone to counsel him like he needed all his life!" She sounds agitated, "I give up!"

"We've been tryin' to stop 'im for a day w'ile you were at in captive by Netedinark."

"--Are you saying that I've been gone for twenty-four ho-"

"Hey ladies, quit yapping! This isn't time for conversation," Blathnaid intervenes, "We need to check out Gaeriscelleh."

"Alig't!"

Naomi stays silent. It's an ugly silence. The silence you don't wanna hear.

All of us head back to Gaeriscelleh in a haste. All present are dead bodies, no one fighting each other.

"Where is everybody?" Dominique asks. "I highly doubt all of them are dead."

"I agree," Blathnaid nods.

"Has anyone seen Aelen?"

"'e dipped," I said to her.

Dominique looks very displeased.

"No, I didn't," I hear him reply behind us. He is in the same form as we fought against Markus.

"W'ere did you go?"

"They needed help with the front. Now they need help with medical assistance."

Dominique doesn't look unhappy anymore. She nods.

"I heard t'ier screams," I imply.

"We're helping all of them, including Teketa."

"Some Teketa just wanted to live and not be soldiers," Naomi adds sincerely.

We all rushed inside the hospital area in the castle. It's packed. Nurses and doctors are tending to the injured tenfold. The wide walls feel claustrophobic during this time of need.

Stories are being told about a rebellious group in the Teketa who snapped and fought against their own kind. They killed those who were still on Netedinark's side. They were tired of being told what to do and encouraged other Teketa to join to fight for their freedom.

There are functional soldiers helping the staff out with blankets, supplies, food, and medical supplies. We all hear cries, groaning, and the vocal wills of soldiers that feel they are not going to make it.

"All hospitals are like this, my liege!" An Archen nurse informs Dominique, "All staff are busy."

"I can see it with my eyes, Jisdt," Dominique says to the male nurse.

Her eyes turn wolf-like. "Attention medical staff and volunteers, advanced healing and resurrection spells are allowed for this time. Believe in yourself. We all will get through this."

"Dominique!" I hear an old male voice calling her name. I see Rick in a doctor's coat rushing to Dominique. "Good to see you again, Domin! This is hectic!"

"I'm aware, Rick," Dominique replies, staying cool, "Good to see you again too."

Rick looks at us. "Goodness, you all changed."

I can't help, but chuckle a bit.

"I think you can remember us all," Blathnaid tries to boost his confidence.

"You're Blathnaid," he responds. He points to every one of us and guesses it correctly.

"Well, I barely changed," Markus smirks and laughs a bit.

Yeah, you did.

The guilt hits me again. The same old past comes back. It's my fault that all of us are in this situation. We are all fighting for our lives because of me. I am to blame.

"Ivelisse, you okay?" Rick asks me.

I request to speak with Dominique alone. She takes me to the palace, where it isn't so busy. Her breathing and shoulders are tense. I don't think it's from me, yet our connection is screwed up by my actions.

I don't know how to say things without trying to look like I am rambling in reverse. It's hard to speak with tears and mucus against my throat. "You were rig't... I messed up big time. Ella is now dead because of me. Everyone is off t'e edge because of me... If you still want me to leave t'e coven, I would do so... I'm sorry."

She doesn't blow up; she eyes me down without any bloodshed. Her stare is still intense. Instead of an instant lashing, she gives out long-waited silence.

"It's not completely your fault for all of this. The war has been going on before we arrived; you happened to drag us along with it."

"I am still to blame for us gettin' into it."

"Yes," she says flat-heartedly. She pauses before speaking, "You don't have to leave the coven; it would be so cowardly to leave from a bad mistake, help us rebuild. Remember, Rick is the High Priest, not me. I think he would say the same thing."

"'e is too busy savin' lives," I remark, "I will apologise to 'im too."

She smiles genuinely, "You're saving lives too, Ive, think about it. Don't get down now. My doubt in you faded even when Ella got killed. You still tried to save her."

...Please don't bring that up. The flashback is still fresh and vivid. A cannonball hits against my eyes and legs at the same time. It's amazing how I am still standing.

"I didn't even get to apologise to 'er," I murmur.

"She would've forgiven you eventually."

It's hard to see that, including in my own sight. I ball my eyes out. Dominique waited until she let out a sharp breath. She marches to me and embraces me in her arms.

She tells me that it is okay to cry. I need to hold my humanity together. This is not the time to reconstruct the coven; the stars predict this way. I should not give up and finish this once and for all.