Love Is Like A Dagger

Full Potential

Agenshire, 1,502 years ago

A young girl with bouncy curls let out a dramatic sigh and flopped onto her mother's bed. "I don't want to go to tutoring anymore!"

Her mother smiled and sat down next to her. "Adira, how else are you ever going to grow intellectually if you don't learn? Let alone improve in your abilities."

"Ugh!" Adira thought of her brother. "But Jeriki isn't going to school!"

"That's because he's in battle with your father, fighting the Dark Elves. Remember?" her mother laughed. "And he already completed his academics."

Adira threw her arms in the air. "But we're GODS we shouldn't have to do academics!"

"Oh really?" her mother moved away from the bed and walked out onto her balcony.

Curious, Adira sat up and followed her outside.

"Sometimes in life," her mother began, "people come across hard things that they don't want to do. Even the 'gods'. But it is only during the hard times when we grow the most. You like it when I transform into your favorite animals, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you want to learn how to do that too, right?"

"Yes!"

"It takes a lot of work to learn how. If you aren't willing to study something as simple as math and literature, how can I trust you to learn something more difficult like magic?"

Adira shrugged. "I guess you can't."

Running her fingers through Adira's hair, her mother smiled. "So, then are you willing to continue in your academics?"

"I guess," Adira sighed.

"One day, you will come across a great challenge, and only then you can unlock your full potential as the Goddess of Joy."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that you will face your most darkest hour, feeling all sorts of sad things. The easy choice would be to give up. But, if you decide today, that you will never give up in life, then I promise you when that dark day comes, you will be prepared to prevail and triumph."

Adira's eyes lit up with excitement. "What will happen when my full potential is unlocked?"

"It's hard to say. It's different for everyone." But when those words didn't satisfy, her mother continued. "But I can tell you this much, you have so much light and joy in you, that your very continence could take out armies of evil."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, love. I do." Adira's mother smiled warmly.

***

Adira's mind stirred with memories as her body laid at the bottom of the crater her dragon form had created. Strangely, in almost every scene that entered her mind was of her mother. And within those memories, most of them were of her giving counsel.

Adira's body ached. Everything and everywhere was in pain. 

The only sweet solution was to let go and die. Then she would see her family and friends again. Then she wouldn't feel this pain. Physical and mental.

"But what of your new friends and family? And what of this lover named Loki I see in your mind?" She thought she heard her mother say. 

Adira remembered. Could she really be so selfish as to leave them behind to suffer at the hands of the Dark Elves? And what of Loki? Her heart stung at the thought of leaving him behind just after he spared her from the curse.

"And what of your promise? Are you really willing to come back to me without unlocking your full potential?"

"No." A small whimper escaped her mouth.

But what if she couldn't do it? She was too weak. She was seconds away from leaving this world. Darkness seemed to surround her mind, covering the voice of her mother.

Adira fought to stay. She calmed herself by forgetting her fears and focussing on the love of her family. They were her everything. She missed them dearly, but she knew she had to survive to keep their memories alive. She had to survive to rescue her friends and to free Loki of the curse. She had to survive because the Dark Elves needed to be put to justice. She needed to survive because she finally understood why she had been put through all those hard things during her life. 

But most importantly, she needed to survive because of the promise she had made to her mother.

Suddenly, the pain and darkness cowarded away as healing and light shot through her body, pulsing through her veins. A smile crept on her face, her eyes fluttering open. She stood herself up and looked at her hands.

She was glowing.

Never had she felt so alive. So energetic.

She laughed and let out a shout for joy. She could feel her loved ones standing beside her, guiding her and shouting with her.

"Mother you were right!" She jumped into the air and transformed into a white and golden phoenix. She soared through the air, flying towards the thousands of Elves.

In mid-flight, she changed back to her human form and dove to the ground, smashing her fist into the ground. The ground rippled and knocked down every Elf in the palace.

"Kill her now!" Malekith screamed.

Unthreatened, Adira smiled and stretched out her arm, using the light inside her to wipe away the Dark Elves before they could reach her. Using her newly found strength, she used the light to bring down the castle walls. Her body kept shining brighter and brighter, causing the Dark Elves to turn themselves away.

"Release my friends and I may let you live," she bargained, her long hair now flowing over her shoulders.

"Never!" Malekith snarled. He gave the signal and more Elves came pouring in. Despite of her light burning their skin, they ran towards her.

Adira waved her hand and conjured up an ancient sword, forged from the brightest and purest of sunlight. Raising it up, she gave another thanks to her mother, and stabbed into the ground, sending a wave of light and energy to pulse across the ground.

When Adira looked up, all the elves had been wiped out, their dark corpses burning away. The darkness was ceasing and the planet they were on seemed to be cleansing itself. The dark rock turned to ash and the ground began spouting forth grass and vegetation. The bloody sky began fading into a light blue and the white shards turned to clouds.

"Adira, child!" Frigga ran towards her. "How did you do that?"

Adira caught her in an embrace. "I unlocked my full potential."

Letting her go, Frigga scanned her up and down, still in shock.

Adira pulled her sword out of the ground and made it disappear again.

Thor stood himself from the ground, pulling the chains off of him. He shook his head laughing. "I am a fool for never recognizing how powerful you turned to be."

Nodding, she walked past him and knelt down by Loki. "This isn't over yet."

Loki stuck out his hand, grabbing Adira's. His skin was pale, with little grey specks. Black streaks ran down from his eyes, wrapping around his face and neck.

Adira squeezed his hand and put her other hand on his chest. "I know what I have to do."

Hovering over them, Frigga clenched onto Thor, trying her best to hold back tears.

Reaching behind her back, Adira once again conjured up the sword and stabbed it into Loki's chest.