THE ORACLE: "In the time that is yet to come she will grow even stronger but she will start to loose control of her powers as the struggle of light and dark continues in her heart. She not yet knows that in the end she loose everything and gain nothing should she continue on this path."
XAVIER: "But can she be saved. In the week she has been on the throne she has caused more damage than my brother did in his entire life."
THE ORACLE: "This I am aware of already."
XAVIER: "And what of the prophecy you showed the night I went to find her so many years ago. Will that still come to pass."
THE ORACLE: "Her future is very unclear. As long as he does not give up on her she can be saved but that again will change the coarse the future will take."
The second that Xavier escaped from Artimira's clutches he went strait to the Oracle of Danlei to try and find a way to free his brother and take back the kingdom. Vincent followed him. He too wanted some answers. He had hoped that Kai would be able to save her since he was now the elemental of light but the man refused to fight her in an elemental battle.
What was I thinking, relinquishing my powers to that little...he thought to himself often.
Right now, however he was more concerned about this prophecy Xavier was talking about. He had to know what is was about. But he did not dare blow his cover now. He waited until Xavier left.
"You can come out now." the oracle said to Vincent. He came out from his hiding place. "You want to know about that prophecy, right."
"If you will tell me I would very much like to know what else the future holds for the girl."
"The prophecy came to me on the night she was born. Xavier had been waiting for this for so long that I had to tell him. Never did I guess that he would find her so soon. She was unprepared and so was he..."
Vincent cut him off. "What was the prophecy? What did it say?" the man was getting impatient.
"Darkness born into the light, the key to victory in this fight." the oracle recited. "You know what that means."
Vincent nodded. "Exelvator needs her in for the upcoming war and the more the light onside her grows the less his chances of getting her back."
The oracle nodded.
* * *
After Xavier escaped, I lost control of my newly acquired kingdom I gave the reigns back to Exelvator.
"You saw how easy in was to overthrow you. Come after me again and I will lock you away so deep it'll take forever for you to escape. Do you understand me." I said to Exelvator and me and my men vanished.
I was back in my castle this night. If felt as though me heart was being ripped out of my chest. It was the middle of the night and I woke in cold sweat. The dream was the same as all the other years but this was the first time it affected me so. It was my ninety-fifth birthday today.
I wondered downstairs aimlessly. Gustav was waiting for me in the kitchen.
"Happy birthday my queen." he said presenting me with breakfast.
"Thanks." I mumbled the dream and how it had affected me was still on my mind.
"Oh boy, I know those eyes. It was that dream again. What happened this time?"
"I feel different. I miss them. More than ever I want to see them today."
"I know. It's your heart. Your fight is almost over, my Queen."
"I had a feeling."
For the past fifty years of my life I have tried to fight the darkness inside me as I fought against Vincent, the man how had been trying to save me since I had join the dark side, with no success. The darkness was always too strong for me to fight. It would always over power me when ever I needed to use my elemental powers, which was quite often lately.
Every year on my birthday I would have hope that I might one day win this struggle only to become a monster again the next day. It was because of my family that I wanted to change.
It was on my forty-fifth birthday that the fought occurred to me. All the families I had tormented and destroyed, what if it was my family? The thought horrified me and I promised myself I would find my way back to the light. But every day was a struggle to keep my eyes green. For when they were blue I was merciless and longed for chaos and destruction. Green eyes meant that I didn't have a heart of ice and could feel empathy for the people I hurt.
"Think he will come today?" I was referring to Vincent. He would always let the ones I am to fight on the given day of my birthday that I would not be coming. My "trainees", if I could call them that, had soon found out why and in themselves left me alone on my birthday. They were all sweet men. I had grown quite fond of them and our fights.
"It's Vincent. Of coarse he will." Vincent came to see me ever year as I looked out over my old home town and my family. He would never attack even though doing so would give him clean cut victory. He always said that it wouldn't be fair because I was vulnerable. He want to beat me when I was at my best. I still didn't understand that part. He was the ex light elemental, five times more powerful than me and still he never finished me.
Dawn broke over the village were my family lived. They were just heading out the front door of our house to the field. There were people everywhere but they were alone of the field. Like the other towns people knew this was their day to have the field all to themselves. My brother and sister still lived with me parents. It was by choice. I had kept track on them and knew what everyone had done all these years since I had left. My brother was now an adviser for the Pretender army and my sister lived her life as the second best hunter in the world. My mother never changed and my father ranked number one as a hunter. My family was awesome. It would break their hearts if they knew what I had become.
"How long are you going to try to sneak up on me?" I asked Vincent as the day was drawing to a close and my family started to pack up the picnic.
Around noon I had heard the sudden rustle in the wind and had known instantly that Vincent had arrived. Now he came out from his hiding place.
"May I could if you weren't so good."
"I was expecting you. That's all." I said as he came to stand next to me.
He looked down at my family who was heading home.
"They're a broken family."
"Luckily they don't know that." I said confidant but deep inside I still remembered that day walked though the forest of chaos.
"Of coarse they know. They may mot know that they know but deep inside. In their hearts and souls they know. They know that a piece of them is missing."
I knew what he was saying was true. Why else would they come out here every year on my birthday. They somehow knew that this day was once important and that is was still to be celebrated.
I sighed. The dark was setting in and it was time to go back to my castle. On days that I could fight the darkness I actually cared that Gustav was waiting for me to come home.
Home? Sigh. A word which meaning I did not yet know.
"It's almost over. Isn't it?" I asked. I never asked why he had let me win all these years. I didn't really want to hear the answer so I left before he could tell me.
The last thing I remembered was the fireball coming for me. It was in one my fights against Vincent. It was a fight like non I have ever fought before. He and I were bout going all out. He was trying to kill me or save, which ever came first.
A third party got involved because we were too close to a town. The man, whom I had never seen before, tried to stop us fighting but we were in the heat of battle and weren't slowing down for nothing. The man went after Vincent but Vincent thought the man was coming after me and struck back with a fireball so intense it could incinerate a mortal. The other dodged it. It was clear that he was a good soldier but neither he nor Vincent saw the horror I did. The fireball was now heading strait for a little girl. She was playing on swings in a park. I couldn't let it hit her but the fireball was too powerful for even me to stop with my bare hands from this distance. What could I do?
I acted without thinking. I shadow-ported to right in front of the girl and blocked the fireball with my own body. It took all my energy to confine the explosion to prevent collateral damage. That was the last thing I remember.
Next thing I know I am waking up in a room with rice paper walls. Like the Japanese condo's on earth. I was lying in my side. When I opened my the first thing I saw was this little girl jumping up and downing on the bed.
"She's awake, she's awake." she said as she hopped of the bed and ran out the door. From the sound if the girl running I could hear the place has wooden floors.
I could see it was light through the rice paper walls. It must be midday at least but the question was: what day was it. I had people waiting for me. I had to go.
"See she's awake." the little girl came in with a tray of food.
"I see, now give that to the lady and leave her be." an older girl came in too. "Sorry about her. We don't have many important guests over and she's been watching over you. We were beginning to think you might never wake up. I am Lisa by the way."
There were so many things I wanted to ask. But no words would form in my mouth. So I just nodded and smiled as the little girl gave me the try.
"And I'm Sally. You've been sleeping for two week." now the words came too easily
"TWO WEEKS!"
"So you can speak." said Lisa
I wanted to be snippy but for some reason snippy made me feel sick so instead I just smiled and put some food in my mouth. I was starving.
"What's your name?" asked Sally jumping onto the bed again. She was no more than five or six.
I swallowed. "Ar..." I couldn't say 'Ariena' it felt wrong like a lie. What was my name. The one from before I became Ariena Dehante. I couldn't remember.
"It's okay. You'll remember again. What can we call you in the meantime?" Lisa asked.
"A.J." I answered without thinking. That felt right somehow.
"A.J it is then." Lisa said and left. Sally stayed behind. For some reason I didn't mind. Something about me felt different. Lighter. Less violent.
"So Sally, would you like to see a trick." I asked. She looked rather excited. I wanted to show her how scrying worked. I had to se who was waiting for me today in order to know what day it was. I knew that no matter what my bounty hunters would always show up to train. They had vowed it to me long ago.
I took the glass of water and waved my hands over it as I focused me thoughts on the site I thought someone might be. The glass dropped without warning as it felt as though my brain was about to split open. The realization was too much to bare. I had to know for sure. When the pain stopped I looked for Sally. She was still there on the bed with me, her and on my back.
"It's okay, I am right here." she said.
She was young, unlikely to have mental defenses. I had to test my powers. And so I tried to read her mind but to no avail. It was useless. My powers was useless. I had to know why. I had to find Vincent, but first I had to know where I am.
"Sally, sweetie, where am I"
"You are in Sherkhana."
Great so how in the blazes did I get here. The answer was obvious. But why was I here and not at my castle. Surely Vincent could have asked one of my men to take me home.
"The man that brought me here..."
"He comes everyday just after sunset." Sally answered before I finished the question.
After I had finished my divine meal and taken a shower and gotten dressed the two girls showed around the place. It was a peaceful place to be. It looked like a county side settlement in the middle of a volcano. On the other side of the forest to the east and the surrounding mountain range there was at least four hundred leagues of lava flaming mountains protecting this place and the people that lived here. One could of course use any means instant transporting to get in and out but it was never that simple.
Sun set came and I waited for Vincent on the porch outside my room.
"Why?" was they only word that would come out of my mouth when I saw him.
He knew what I was referring to. "Because powers born in a dark soul can not function in a soul filled with light. The darkness that filled your heart was vanquished the moment you risked yourself to save another. I brought you for the same reason. You have to through the test of three and the forest of chaos again if you want to go back to your castle."
His words terrified me. After everything I had done my soul would be ripped apart.
"What about my powers. How do I fix them?"
"You start from scratch."
"I thought as much. What will happen to me now?"
"You will stay here until you are fully recovered and then join the pretender army."
"What about the bounty hunters and my men?"
"The hunters know that the Dark Queen is dead and your men will assimilate into Xavier's army until they hear from you."
"Okay, I can live with that." like I had I choice.
That night I went to bed crying. I had nothing here that was mine. Not even my backpack. The night became dark and I knew the moon had set when I woke up. On the dresser was a round black crystal with a note.
Put your hands on the orb and take in the content
You need the energy and you can't afford to feed here.
V
He was right. I did need to feed but I hadn't thought about it too much. I did as the note instructed and felt like a new person. I tested my powers again on the sleeping residents of the house and had to put me hand over my mouth to keep from screaming from the pain.
When the pain stopped my insides stirred. I had to go now. But I didn't know where. I just had to go. Followed my feet to the forest and just kept on walking.
I was in a daze. Where was I going. All my powers were useless, that meant my shadow-porting power too and not to mention that I didn't have any climbing gear on me to go over the lave mountains on the other side of the forest. A few hours later I realized I was lost. I should have reached the mountains by now but I hadn't. My father had once told that if you find yourself lost in the trees that you should just keep moving forward in one direction until you find your way out. And so that's what I did now.
Dawn broke and I took the last few steps out from the trees. I was at a village. It looked familiar to me. Why? Where was I. The forest and the mountain ranges was behind me now and here before me a village nowhere near Sherkhana.
I stood like a rock, dump stuck as the sun rose over the village and the two memories that had eluded dawned on me.
What was, no, what is my name and where had I gone.
. My name is Artimira Jade Atera. And after a very long time I had finally come home...