GWYNETH

Chapter 24 - Edit soon

"Why are you doing this, Zeena!?"

None of the Elder expect her to change so much.

Her glaring red eyes meet them and her wicked smile broaden.

"Revenge."

She points toward the Moon in the night sky and the hatred in her eyes intensifies, "Once I freed him, you will be the first to watch the world burn! And pay the price for taking them away from me!"

Before Elder Ronin could capture her, her mist wolves envelop her whole being and disappear into thin air. The wind he wields roared into life and howled furiously against the Elders who stood on the snowy ground with sad eyes. They had failed in their mission and her forbidden magic had grown stronger over the years. They should have seen this coming after they exiled her.

The Zeena they knew before was long gone. Gone is the sweet woman with a flower crown on her head and in its place is a vengeful woman with a black heart. All because of her depths of forbidden arts and loss of happiness. The Elders couldn't stop her until it was too late.

Too late to save King Zygoth and Queen Camellia from her claws.

Elder Ronin slows down his wind and clear up the mess they've made. Elder Finley and Malakai treat the wounded guardians while Elder Gregory looks over one dead body of Mist wolves. He crouched down and touched its cold body which crumbles to dust. Zeena's mist wolves are almost as perfect as the King of Rogues, he thought as someone approaches him.

The head guardian named Mirage had approached him and bowed as a sign of respect, "Thank you for answering our calls. We never thought she would come back here again after all these years..." The dark-haired man looks over the dead bodies of his fellow guardians and his heart is squeezed by how mangled it is. He opens his cloak and covers one of the bodies in shame. He had failed to protect them, his brown eyes moist with fresh tears and there's agony behind his voice,

"Is revenge all she could think of?"

Elder Gregory stares into the distance and closes his eyes, "You have seen the disappointment and sadness she endured long ago. We all failed to see her grief turns into hatred and jealousy. Those very feelings had blinded her for a long time and in the end, we lost two great rulers."

Mirage has gone quiet by his statement. Though, he still mourns the loss of his friends. All he wanted was to hunt down Zeena and let rage take over but he knew it would be reckless. It will give her an advantage and lastly, he too would turn into a mindless monster with a heart of endless animosity. He pulled away from his thoughts when Elder Gregory squeeze his shoulder and his sorrowful-gray eyes turn to the fallen guardians, "Let's give them a proper burial."

The guardians helped each other by collecting the bodies. They gather in the center of the forest, not too far from the ancient prison and their face had remorse looks. They are only thirty male and fourteen female guardians left standing in a circle. After piling up the woods and lining up each body on top of it, Elder Gregory summons his fire and burns the lower part of the woods with the last prayer,

"May you who have fallen be guided by her light and return to her in peace."

The fire spread upward and the Moon graces her light towards the pit of burning wood. Elder Ronin call his wind and let the fire dance in the gentle breeze under the Moon's watch. The guardians watch in amazement as the specks of light from the fire drift towards the Moon. It's like fairies carry each light to reach the Moon. The hair on their neck raises and a goosebump appears on their body when they saw a hand reach out to the lights and in a matter of seconds, the fire disappears. The bodies they burn not too long ago are all gone.