Thursday: 07/07/2033: 6:00 am. The group is asleep on a dried-up lava bed, the dragon snoring and covering Ares’veron with a large blob of hot, sticky mucus from its snout as it exhales, waking the latter. Woken by the sound of his master shouting with irritation at being covered in dragon snot, Rynaeron breaks down laughing at the sight. “Go back to sleep, you little fool!” Tutting at his predicament, he wanders over to a nearby stream to wash himself where he sees Hikari bathing the babies and dives in downstream to wash himself. “Good morning, Master.” “Good morning, Irakih. How is our child?” “They are developing well, Master. Are you ready to attack the Shadow Queen?” “I am, Irakih. Tonight, I will take over the Shadow Queen’s forces, and I will find one of the children of the brides and when the Door of Fate opens, everything shall belong to me. You will be my Queen as Empress Kohei’s sister, Princess Kii’ara once was, much to Rynaerë’s frustration. Of all the beauties I’ve known, especially of Tanir, she was the greatest. I almost regret putting her in the ground with 10 pregnancies, one after another. I blame that little traitor Yukan’na for bleeding her dry on her way out.” Hikari maintains her serene demeanor. “But I think your beauty is greater even than hers, Irakih.” Having washed off, he leans in to kiss the wet nurse, and with his eyes closed, he feels his lips touch hers, despite her having gotten up and moved further upstream from him, still bearing the stench of the dragon snot. Hikari then looks back on the day he attacked her people in 2004. Her elder daughter, Empress Kohei decided to stay and face him, and for that, she was killed when she refused to be his bride. Her younger daughter, Princess Kii’ara, tried to flee to the Blue Forest to join their mother, as Kohei ordered them both to seek refuge there and form a resistance force. Kohei also sent away her daughter, Crown Princess Daitan’na, to Earth for safekeeping where she never saw her mother, aunt, and grandmother again. From what she’d gathered from the whispered words of those who escaped his castle over the years, Ares’veron captured Kii’ara and forced her to choose between marriage or death and she chose the former, not out of fear, but out of vengeance and love for her people, and each childbirth weakened her, for she placed a portion of her own power into each child in the hope that they would be their father’s bitterest enemies. It was Yukan’na who received the largest portion of her strength, being made invulnerable to harm through her wings. Hikari loved her younger grandchildren despite him being their father and she trained them in the magical arts of Aurië after their stepmother Senshi brought them out of the castle and into the Blue Forest. “I fervently hope that you return safely from your mission, Master. It would grieve me greatly if you were to die before you accomplish your great destiny.” “If I do return, it shall be as your God-Emperor, Irakih.” “I look forward to your return nonetheless.” Ares’veron continues his preparations as Chuck still sleeps beside Rynaeron. Hikari, meanwhile, hopes for his safe return, if only to exact revenge for all the pain he brought to her people and her family.
9:00 am. “Lindsay! Get up!” “What is it, Ë’ia’tyr Lÿ’läao?” “My Mÿxi! We need to find her!” “Princess Ÿrûn’rûti?” “Yes, Lindsay. She must still be on Vädi.” I open up Percec and ask him where the Princess. “She is indeed on the planet Vädi in the company of Hrindyr, who shall soon become the Queen in less than a week.” “Then let’s go get her.” “Yes. We shall.” The child opens a circular doorway in the distance with the Castle in Hreikar on the other side, flies through the portal, pulling me with her by the hands. We come out in the Castle’s gardens where we are spotted by the Queen-to-be herself. “Vëla’mír’minnár! And the little girl. What brings you here?” “We’re here to find my Mÿxi, Your Majesty.” “I’m not the Queen until they put the crown on my head, but we do have Princess Ÿrûn’rûti safely in our care.” “Mÿxi is here?!” “Of course.” We are let inside the Castle’s great hall where we see a young Za’ur girl with short hair sitting with the Queen Mother. “Mÿxi!” “Xÿ’ryn Ë’ia’tyr Lÿ’läao!” The teenager sits up and rushes to embrace her child. “Where were you?” “I was hiding in the woods, Mÿxi.” “Ÿrûn’rûti Hgí saa’w?” “I am the Princess, the daughter of the High King of y’Za’ur’Ë’ia. Is my family safe, Immortal?” “Oh, yes, Mÿxi. Grandmother, Grandfather, Uncle, Auntie, and Great-Grandmother are very safe.” “Then let’s go see them. What planet are they on?” “Earth, Your Highness. They are living in my house where evil beings can’t enter.” “Thank you for sheltering my mother, Your Majesty. Good luck with your coronation.” We leave the Castle and return to my house with the Princess. As we enter the living room, the High King, who’d been sitting on the couch with Mason, stands abruptly upright upon seeing what must be his daughter. “Vûl?” “Xÿ’ryn Ÿrûn’rûti!” Balthazar embraces her, nearly in tears of joy. “Your daughter is so sweet, Xÿ’ryn. Your mother and brother won’t believe this!” He brings them into their room and the High Queen rushes to embrace her daughter. “Xÿ’ryn Ÿrûn’rûti!” “Mÿxi!” “We found her, Grandmother!” “I missed you so greatly! Who is the father?” “We don’t know who my vûl is, Grandmother.” “Oh, well, it doesn’t matter now that we have you back.” Merisor and Myr’na embrace the Princess and her daughter. Princess Ÿrûn’rûti’s hair is cut much like Mom’s hair, in a buzz cut, with streaks of gold mixed into the raven black fuzz. Her long, fluffy tail swishes back and forth as the King holds her in his arms and lap. “Thank you, Vëla’mír’minnár, for introducing Us to Our granddaughter, and reuniting Us with Our daughter. We are forever grateful to you and your family.” Lÿa Vela also hugs her granddaughter as I leave the Aviors to embrace and catch up with the Princess.
12:00 pm. “Forgive yourself, huri’on Lorwi.” “You’re right, Dassalenna. It’s what he would want.” Lorwi, Dassalenna, Ëostrë-Na’a’ni, Ar’temirë, and Frëya are gathered in Tûli’s tomb with the High Priestess chanting as the Dâvinin’apo’hfÿii is placed into Tûli’s hands, his body looking no different than it did when he was first laid to rest. His face is soft and peaceful, like he’s still only asleep, much to the surprise of the family. Not a single hint of decay, whether seen or smelt, is found anywhere on his body. “Strange. He still looks the way he was when We buried him.” “We miss you every day, Tûli. Ëi’ho yõ oën’x’i.” The Queen kisses his cheek before Lorwi seals the sarcophagus yet again, right as the candles flicker below his portrait, as if in response to the family’s greeting. Lorwi is wrapped in the gold wool blanket which his brother made for him; his arms wrapped around his daughter. “Hopefully my former body will be safe with him. A spell of protection sits at the threshold of this room. Doesn’t it, Pa’ônir’ë Ar’temirë?” “It does, Ônir’on’fëâr’zuë.” The Faârstans return to the Palace, where Lorwi spends much of the day with Ëostrë-Na’a’ni, reading to her and telling her all about her ancestors. “If Pa’hvang’panon was born to the Ju’menë curse of Tûrin’rrù, then why didn’t you and your brother show signs of the curse?” “No one knows, fëâr’zuë, why Tûli and I never showed any symptoms of the curse despite being born around the same time as the late King of Jûland.” “What if you’ll start showing symptoms not long from now, Panon? What if you never get to meet your grandchildren? It would probably kill Pa’hvang’marë to have to bury yet another Faârstan.” “Don’t worry too much, fëâr’zuë. Hopefully, if that is the case, this war will have been over for many years. I have to take you back to Vëla’mír’minnár now.” “Suppose you drink some of the Hmírri’qívum, Panon? Maybe it could protect you from the curse. Please stay long enough to drink some when you take me back to Xi’ôrrana.” The Princess puts her arms around her father, who wraps the blanket around them and holds her close.” “We’re all going to be okay, fëâr’zuë. I’ll drink some of the Hmírri’qívum before I leave you.” “Are you about to take her back to Vëla’mír’minnár now, Lorwi?” “Oî, Marë ix huri’ë.” “I’unë, Pa’hvang’marë ix Marë.” “I’unë, Ëostrë-Na’a’ni. We miss you.” “I miss you, too.” “I’ll be back in a little bit, Marë ix huri’ë.” “Good.”
4:30 pm. Lorwi brings Ëostrë-Na’a’ni back to the hidden temple where I am mixing powdered petals from my tree with the water of the Lake of Light. “Kiri’që hzyrya, M’wë’hraxi’i.” “Kiri’që hzyrya, Vëla’mír’minnár. I would like some of the holy Hmírri’qívum before I go back home.” “Of course, M’wë’hraxi.” I hand him the apple bloom paste, which he eats heartily, his body visibly absorbing the energy of the paste. Ëostrë-Na’a’ni, on the verge of tears, buries her head in his chest and hugs him tightly. “I’unë, Panon.” “I’unë, oën’që fëâr’zuë.” “It’ll be okay. We’ll all be together again.” “I’unë, M’wë’hraxi.” “I’unë, Vëla’mír’minnár. Thank you for guarding my daughter.” “Hgí’w dimao, M’wë’hraxi.” Prince Lorwi returns to Danar, and I take the Princess inside. “For so long, Panon blamed himself for my brother’s death.” “At least he’ll be able to start moving on now.” “We noticed something strange when we were in Pa’ônir’on Tûli’s tomb earlier today, Vëla’mír’minnár.” “Hbax qi saa’t’ma, M’wë’hraxi?” “Remember how he looked on the day he was buried?” “Yes, M’wë’hraxi. He looked rather well, apart from being dead.” “The thing is, Vëla’mír’minnár, his body hasn’t even begun to stink.” “What do you mean, M’wë’hraxi?” “His body is still as fresh as he was six months ago, Vëla’mír’minnár.” “You’re kidding, M’wë’hraxi.” “No, Vëla’mír’minnár. I wonder if the holy Hmírri’qívum can preserve the dead or even make them rise.” “Raise the dead? I don’t know, M’wë’hraxi. I reckon it can slow the decomposition process, though.” Ëostrë-Na’a’ni yawns, her wings stretching all the way out as we enter through the back door. “I think I’ll take a nap.” “You can nap in my room, M’wë’hraxi.” “Hgí’do, Vëla’mír’minnár.” The Princess lays down on my bed in my tent as I go down to the kitchen to help Mason prepare dinner.
5:00 pm. All of the Shadow Court is gathered in the fortress’ great hall for the feast of Mëduza when the Queen takes her place at the head of the dais. “My children. Tonight, we’re gathered here to celebrate Mëduza’s ascension to godhood, and to give her the title of Divine Daughter to the Queen, so that she may live beyond death, and be a goddess alongside Us as We inevitably herald in a new age of the Shadow!” The orcs and goblins roar in agreement as Kehran, receiving an alert, excuses himself from the Queen’s table. “What is it, Kehran?” “The shield has been lowered, Mother.” “The shield? Well, turn it back on. We’re trying to celebrate tonight.” “Yes, Mother.” Kehran takes flight towards the control tower, hoping to find the source of the issue before too long.
In a dark cloud of fog and fire, the dragon, carrying Ares’veron and Rynaeron on its back, appears high in the skies over Kaledon.
Chuck, having arrived earlier to infiltrate the citadel’s automated systems, activates the runway lights.
“There it is, Master. That’s the signal, now let’s get him.” “No, Rynaeron.” “Hbax?” “After what happened yesterday, Rynaeron, he’s too much of a liability. We only escaped having our heads taken by the Faârstans because of the dragon. In any case, he’s outlived his usefulness to us.” With a warlike shout, Ares’veron commands the dragon to descend.
In the dungeons, Rynaerë struggles against her chains, hearing the sounds of elated shouting in the distance.
In the great hall, Sahra raises her glass to toast Mëduza when, with a suddenness that none could have sensed, the walls and ceiling of the room are caved in, collapsing atop the gathered crowd and the Queen as a wave of hot, sweltering black fire engulfs them all. The great hall is filled with the deafening roar of the fire-breathing beast, the thrust from its massive wings knocking out more walls, more towers as the black fire consumes them. Sahra is surprised so thoroughly that she only has time to wrap her own wings around herself for protection while everyone else around her, including her Tewir servants, are incinerated.
Kehran, still in the air flying towards the control tower, turns around to face the citadel once again and is horrified, knowing that his darling Siwa is still in there. He is then struck out of the sky by a projectile fired from the observation deck of the tower and he hears the cracking and snapping of his wing bones as he crashes down upon a field of sharp rocks, letting out a pained scream. Chuck leaps out into the rock field and stands over the defenseless Tewir. “Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Looks like I’ve finally got the big rooster after all.” He lets out a hacking laughter, his mottled face twisted with malicious mockery, his nearly mildewed teeth spread widely in a deranged grin. “You did this! You killed my Siwa!” Black blood drips from the corner of Kehran’s mouth. “Worm!”, he spits, attempting to lunge at Chuck to strangle him or cave his skull in with one of the many sharp rocks around them, only to be kept down by his shattered spine and his broken wings, much to the latter’s amusement. “Getting all ruffled, aren’t we?!” He kicks Kehran in the face repeatedly, only looking up when he sees the dragon flying towards them. “I’m ready, Master! Come and get me!” His excitement turns to horror as a stream of black fire pours out ahead of the dragon, shaking the ground so intensely that Kehran is thrown several tens of meters to the side and is partially buried by debris. Chuck is also thrown to the side, only for him to fall down into a steep crevasse as the dragon passes overhead. He sticks his head back up and calls out “MASTER!” one more time.
Ares’veron, high up in the air, hears Chuck’s pleas for help, but they are largely drowned out by the dragon’s roars as they continue to ravage the fortress, razing towers and ramparts one by one, all of them melt and crumble in the beast’s black fire, all except for the Queen’s inner sanctum. Then, a towering blast of black and white fire rockets up from the destroyed great hall and with it, another dragon of terrible power rises into the air to answer their challenge. Crowned with a frill of black crystal and smoke issuing from her beak, she charges at them, colliding with the dragon and digging her talons into its hide. Ares’veron leaves Rynaeron to direct the beast while he takes on his terror-bird form and charges at Sahra’s face, belching noxious fumes into her nose and mouth, only for her to breathe her black and white fire at him as she reverts to her usual form, striking out at him with her staff, a blow that misses him and injures the dragon’s face. The enraged beast blasts her with its black fire and she falls, having already been taken off guard by the dragon’s first blast at the great hall. Regaining consciousness one more time, she catches herself with her wings and lands on all fours on top of the rubble pile before passing out once again. “Aren’t we going to capture her, Master?” “No, Rynaeron. She injured the dragon. We must go back to Rhenya so that it can heal.” “Darn.” “Don’t I know it.” “It’s done, Master. We’re going home now, aren’t we?” “Yes, Rynaeron. This is our greatest achievement.” The attackers and their dragon disappear, leaving a swathe of destruction in their wake.
Rynaerë’s chains are broken, allowing her to escape from her holding cell just as the guards are pulled away in a futile attempt to fight the dragon. She emerges out onto the mountainside to see the entire fortress complex engulfed in black fire. “Master!” Her calls are too far away to be heard by her former lover. Dejected, she takes flight away from the citadel and hides in the dark forest. The mountains quake with the force of the dragon’s assault and what’s left of the fortress crumbles to pieces. The Alvearium is safe and hidden away.
5:30 pm. “So, are you going to watch the Squirrels game on TV tomorrow, Virgil?” “You bet I will, Lindsay. How are the Harris girls doing?” “They’re fine. Nadia is set to exact her revenge while the President distracts Arachne with a gala at the White House. Sharp wants us to help her capture Arachne while Ax and Helen go to extract Nadia, and the FBI will secure their house.” “What’s the cover story going to be?” “That she’s been under investigation for human trafficking.” “Going for something realistic, aren’t we?” “Well, it’s not that far from the truth.” “What about the high treason charge?” “The Immortal authorities, once we get a hold of her, will deal with that.” “How will we capture her?” “The President says that there is a way, but it’s too dangerous for mortals to attempt it, so the four of us will need to assist them.”
Rusty and Xãrri are walking through the Forest near the hidden temple. “Will you be watching the game tomorrow, Hraxi?” “Of course, Rusty. Who’s your favorite player?” “I still haven’t quite decided yet, Hraxi.” “I can’t wait for this war to end. I’d still be able to go back to Phaë’wéntë with my grandmother the Queen.” “I can’t wait until my Mum, and I can move back into our house. It was destroyed when my unfather attacked the Earth.” “Rusty?!” “I’m coming, Mum! I’ll see you later, Hraxi.” “I’unë, Rusty.” Rusty returns to the house and Vëla, who was admiring the Stream of the Stars, gets up, her white hair and dress shining brightly in the sunlight. “Will I find my true love one day, Xãrri?” “You’re only what, 14, Vëla. You have plenty of time not to concern yourself with finding a suitor.”
Danaë, who’d been napping in her room, wakes up suddenly, feeling a building rage within her. “It was him! The callous one!” She can hear her son and two daughters calling out to her. She receives a vision of Ares’veron on top of her unconscious body in that dungeon cell in Hreikar. “He did it to you! He means to use us and others to open the Door of Fate!” “He must be punished for his crimes!” “She will recruit his other enemies for retribution! You must join them!” “How? Where are they?” “She will bring them all together in spirit to confront him.” “When?” “Soon, Marë. Ëiho saa’x’i Xi’ôrr’qahxí.” The three children go silent once more, leaving Danaë horrified.
8:00 pm. The fires have largely burned out and the fortress lies in ruins. From under ashes and charred rubble, a hand with long black nails emerges, as does a pair of large jet-black wings. The intense heat destroyed her black gown, leaving only her black leather corset and petticoat, a scar visible from where she was stabbed in the heart by Ares’veron back in June. Still in shock, Sahra stands up and surveys the destruction. “Ares’veron!” She looks down to see the charred corpses of her Tewir servants as they crumble into slightly glittery black ashes. “Oh, Siwa.” Remembering Kehran, she takes flight towards where the control tower once stood. Landing in the rocky terrain, she follows a weak wheezing sound from under some debris. Moving the rubble aside, she finds Kehran, dying of his wounds. “Mother.” “They’re gone, Kehran.” Curling into a ball on his side, the Tewir mourns his wife, son, nephew, and their wives. “We promise you, Kehran. They will be avenged and once this realm is fully Ours, We will resurrect all who have fallen for Us.” “Even me, Mother?” Tears roll down his cheeks as she, kneeling, picks him up and holds him in her arms, laying his head upon her lap as she wraps her wings around them. “Yes.” “Worm. The worm, Mother!” “Crawford? He’s here?” “He did this to me, Mother! He broke my back, my wings!” “Where is he, Kehran?! Tell Us!” Kehran begins spitting up his black blood and choking as it fills his lungs. “Forgive me, Mother! So- so sorry. For everything!” With his final, labored breaths, he sees holding him a woman with golden hair and shining wings before he goes limp. He can’t hear what she’s saying, but nonetheless feels at peace as his life slips away. Sensing his death, Sahra lays him back down and immediately, his body crumbles into glitter and is scattered by the bitterly cold mountain winds. “With the power of Our champion, We will resurrect you all, Our Tewir children.” Realizing she’s lost her staff, she takes flight over the mountains.
8:30 pm. “You have no idea how happy we are to have you back with us, xÿr’yn Ÿrûn’rûti. We feared for so long that you were killed.” “I was also afraid that I’d lost all of you as well, Mÿxi, Vûl. Every day I give thanks to the Goddess that my daughter and I survived and that the soon-to-be Queen of Vädi found me. I had run away from the Castle earlier in the year and I went into hiding in the forests, not sure how many of those wretched orcs were still around. Hrindyr even extended an invitation to our family to her coronation in three days.” “Three days?” “Yes. On Sunday the 10th, Vûl.” “We would be glad to attend and pay tribute to her and her people.” “May I go as well, Grandfather?” “All of us will go, Lÿÿn Ë’ia’tyr.” “I shall create a tribute myself.” “On Monday the 11th, we shall return to our people, to y’Za’ur’Ë’ia, and to Our Palace in Ahanûri, no matter the state it’s in.” “What’s it like, Grandfather? The Palace?” “Oh, it is, or at least, it was, a beautiful edifice made of ancient wood and built around one of the largest and oldest trees in our world, the great Ë’ia’tyr, believed to have been created from one of the tail bones of Mÿxi Ë’ia. All the High Kings and Queens of y’Za’ur’Ë’ia, before they can be crowned, must undergo a ritual wherein they climb the tree and eat one berry, which will give them a vision of their ancestors and their future as ruler, a vision of which they do not speak aloud, except to the High Priest or Priestess. If they awaken, it is because the Goddess deemed them worthy of the High Throne. When one of them dies, they are buried beneath the roots of the tree. One day, Ë’ia willing, your uncle will climb the tree, and She will consecrate him as Ë’kÿÿn.” “Not for a very long time, Ë’ia willing, Vûl.” Ë’ia’tyr climbs into the King’s arms and he holds her, her wings wrapping around him. “I wonder what our people will think of me, since I’m not a Princess, especially with my horns and wings.” “I’m sure you’ll be loved regardless, and I’ll always think of you as a Princess.” He kisses her on the forehead, his golden hair cascading down his back, shoulders and chest, like the hair of Prince Apo’lorwi’on, but thicker.
9:00 pm. Sahra, having flown over the mountains, finds her staff sticking into a cliff face, cracks radiating out from the hole. With a grunt, she pulls it out and flies back to the ruins. Upon her return, she slams into the ground with incredible force, sending a great shock wave through the surrounding area. From her landing spot, tall spires of black crystal, glowing gray from within, grow upwards, forming a newer, more robust fortress and citadel. Last to form is a new throne, whereupon she regains her sword that had been stuck since June. Over her corset and petticoat forms not a new gown, but a suit of armor like cast iron and black quartz. Raising her sword and staff into the air, she summons all her remaining forces to her and millions of her tainted children join her. “What is the Queen’s command?” “Find the enemy Ares’veron and his followers. When you do, kill them!” “What about the enemy Rynaerë Visarenga?” “Look for her if you wish, but I find it highly unlikely that she survived the assault. Search this entire Galaxy. They’re somewhere.” “Yes, our Queen. It shall be done.” The evil spirits go out into the Galaxy to search for Ares’veron, Rynaeron, and the dragon. Sahra then resumes her throne, declaring “They have not seen the last of Us yet.”
Previous Episode: One Step Too Far.
Next Episode: A New Queen Rises.
