The Avallon Chronicles (BOOK I)

50| Shattered

"What are you talking about?" Rei asked.

"Rei will not say that. He's not a gentleman either," Cithara replied, but among all the things she noticed about the Rei in front of her was that he didn't have his beloved cutlass with him.

"You barely even know me!" Rei argued, "I can still change my personality whenever I want to."

"The emotions I feel for you are missing," Cithara replied. The annoyance and curiosity that she felt for her friend Rei were not on that person in front of her.

The Rei beside her paused and turned his gaze toward her. A mischievous smile formed on his face, and his eyes slightly furrowed. With a blink of an eye, the man turned into none other than Alastair – one of the strangest creatures she knew.

"Alastair? This is unexpected!" she spoke with her arms crossed. "I already thought that you seemed suspicious."

"Amazing guess, my lady," he spoke.

"What do you want from me?"

"I know where you could find your missing friends," he answered innocently.

"Really? You are just playing with my mind again, aren't you?" Cithara asked.

"No, my lady," Alastair replied. "Now we need to hurry for us to save them!"

"Why? What happened?"

"I can't tell you, but I can show you," he replied, grabbing Cithara's arm once more. "I know how to save them, so let's go!"

The two headed off towards a series of forest fields with several kinds of trees frozen by the winter in the land. Without any interruption, they marched through the woods until finally, they reached a place that didn't contradict the one where they commenced.

"Are you sure that this is the right way?" Cithara asked. "I think we are just running in circles."

"Perhaps I'll just use the teleportation instead," he spiked as he drew an imaginary line that encircled them.

For just a quick moment, they came towards the entrance of the Liberian kingdom.

"What are we doing here?" asked Cithara.

Alastair didn't reply to any word. He just gestured for Cithara to get her crystal-gem and open up the portal.

"But the coronation is not until tomorrow evening," Cithara spoke in a curious voice. "What's happening here?"

Alastair led her towards the castle without letting any Liberian see her.

When they came, the scene of silence spilled throughout the land. No one was seen on the streets, and every house in town was noticeable to have closed windows and doors.

"That's weird," she whispered as they passed through the dead-quiet market.

After a few moments, the scene they saw was just an exposition for a more bizarre situation.

As they walked towards the castle, the guards weren't there, and the light crystals that gave light to the land were fading.

"Of course! Of course, it might be the time for them to prepare for the coronation. That is why all of them are busy inside their houses!" Cithara sighed in relief.

With her eyes wandering around Liberia, she didn't realize her aunt was sitting in the throne room.

"Welcome home, Cithara."

"Areia Aja?" she called. All of a sudden, she noticed the strange-looking creatures sitting beside the aisle.

"Who are they?" she asked.

"They are one of my visitors. They are here to plan the coronation with me," Aja replied.

"Alright," Cithara replied, somehow unconvinced about the situation.

"Come on here! You may join us," Aja spoke. "I know that you are good at this planning situation, so it is such a blessing that you are here to plan with us."

"Alastair, why did you bring me here?" Cithara asked in a whisper.

"They need you here, Cithara." That was the only thing that Alastair spoke to Cithara at that moment. A moment of silence followed. Then, after a while, Aja was heard laughing.

"Well done, Alastair," Aja grinned. "Now, what is it that you want to say to me again?"

Alastair put his right arm on his chest and bowed slightly in front of Aja. "O, hail, Hara Aja of Liberia! O, hail the most powerful and beautiful Hara of Alvanahan," he praised.

"Aunt Aja, what is going on?" Cithara asked. "I don't feel well about this. Please tell me what's happening."

Aja stood up from her amethyst throne, and so rose the people around them.

"This happened, Cithara," Aja replied with a grin on her face.

"What? What happened?!" Cithara asked firmly.

"With the help of the demons, we can rule over Enchantria. We can make Liberia rise from the other kingdoms and make it the most powerful kingdom of all the Enchantrian world," Aja answered.

"Demons?"

"Yes, Cithara," Aja stated, "Don't you desire to make the whole world free from their worries? To escape from reality? Well, with the help of the Eternal Night, the power of the Sacred Gem will be so powerful that it can make every creature fulfill their greatest dreams!"

Cithara pondered what she had just heard. "You're just like the former emperor of Everdaile!" she spoke.

"But my intention here is better," Aja explained.

"Better? With all their dreams coming true, their nightmares will come true as well," Cithara warned. "And without the ancient magic in Alvanahan being restored, it will just give rise to an inescapable disaster."

"But not if you can remove all those nightmares and make the magic of the Sacred Gem all positive," Aja stated.

"Even if I do such a thing, it doesn't mean that Enchantria will not suffer. The balance between good and evil should always be balanced for us to save our world!" Cithara exclaimed.

Aja was speechless, unable to say anything that could woo her niece. She was about to give up on her dreams and desires when all of a sudden, they were interrupted by one of the demons standing amongst the crowd.

"Enough!" he roared, catching both of their attentions. "There's no turning back! You had what you wanted, and now it's time for us to get what we need!"

Glossary

⚔️ Areia
- Elven word: Aunt

⚔️ Hara
- Liberian word: Queen