Just as Cedric vanished, Henry ran into the coliseum, a heaving mess. Guards in the arena threw electric ropes at the beast, but it was all repelled.
Safe behind the protective barrier, the heavy knot in Henry's chest unraveled as his friends and family were unharmed. Scared shitless, but unharmed.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Henry has returned and... wait are those what I think they are?" Logan called everyone's attention to the four colourful rings decorating Henry's left hand.
The Gruff roared much louder, it's tail thrashing and bashing the barrier. It glitched so much it could break at any moment.
"Guards!" Abayomi threw electric ropes at the beast. "Control that tail! The barrier can break!"
"Sir!"
Henry took in the situation. As much as his veins beat like a stereo and his arms and legs were petrified, a nagging military sergeant spat in his face to get out there.
Move!
His rapid fire heartbeat could be explosive.
Help them!
His sense of time being skewed, the seconds of horror before him muddled in his mind.
Coward!
Towering bodies of fear, disappointment, and rage scowled at Henry. It was as if they imprisoned him in a cage, and the key was the short, stubby body of courage merely a hand-stretch away. But fear did its job. He didn't even twitch a finger to try. His feet remained rooted to the ground, and no amount of screaming and roaring could up heave those roots.
Gazing at the fight ahead, Henry jolted out of his trance when the Gruff's wings fluttered and golden, sparking dust trickled out. He moved in what felt like years of frightful stillness.
"Get away from it!" Abayomi ordered, and the men retracted their shining, white ropes.
"This is not good." Logan said. "Folks, the Gruff is transforming into an Agresea!"
The fear of death manifested itself in screams, horrified murmurs, and everyone trying to escape with their family and friends intact.
"Regents! Any thoughts on the situation?" Logan looked at the stand-in rulers.
"Citizens!" The temporary King Favian rushed to the front, mic in hand. "I know this is terrifying, but the barrier is the only thing protecting you all from the Gruff! If you leave, your loved ones will be in more danger than if you stayed! Not to mention it will follow the trail of humans running from the coliseum and strike your homes and whoever you have waiting there!"
Teeming with fright and dread, Henry's loved ones were the first to return to their seats.
"More chaos will only cause more chaos." Favian said.
The skeptical eyes searched for reassurance in their partners, parents, guardians, relatives, and friends. The Gruff flew to the air, growling, and everyone ran to their seats, putting all their shattering hope of survival in the barrier.
As the Gruff descended, Henry's faith in winning wilted, petal by petal.
Seeing an Agresea might be normal for the Equireldians, but it being his first time, he gaped horrifically at the massive creature. It's thick yellow wings could probably create hurricanes with a single flap. Or maybe it hid a tsunami or earthquake under its long flowery yellow dress.
As the cool air of the unsettling night approached, light stands beamed incredibly luminous light into the coliseum. Regrouping, Abayomi and the guards ran to Henry.
"So, you did it." Abayomi smiled at him.
"D-did what?"
He pointed to his hand of rings. "You activated the Chak-"
The creature growled, calling for attention. The Agresea raised its fleshy, yellow arm, and sinister clouds coalesced and rumbled, thunder zipping through the mass of gray. So this was what it controlled.
Henry pulled the lightning Chakram off, and it expanded to its full size. The Fairy-esque creature war cried and dropped its arm, lightning zig zagging out the puffy clouds and striking the group. Its hollow white eyes glowed with satisfaction and its pale yellow wings fluttered.
The crowd and even Logan gasped.
But as the dust cleared, Henry and the group were unharmed. As if that beam of lightning never struck at all.
"Where did the attack go?" Logan said.
Even the Agresea cocked its huge leaf-shaped head.
"Henry, what happened?" Abayomi asked.
Henry awed at the Chakram in his hand as a small cloud formed in the center of the circle. "All I did was hold it to the lightning strike, as it told me. I think it absorbed the shock."
"Wait, it spoke to you?" Abayomi asked.
"Well, yeah."
"Folks!" Logan called. "It seems the creature is not done!"
The Agresea walked forward, ready to attack again, and Henry stepped up, listening to the weapon. The lightning zipped through the small center cloud, yellow light illuminating the Chakram.
An unsettling hollowness in his chest and jitter in his feet made him want to sprint through the coliseum and throw the weapon at the creature. But this instinct wasn't his own. The absolute eagerness and weird excitement emanated from the Chakram and flooded his body.
Suddenly energised, Henry ran forward, throwing the weapon and just then the lightning caught inside the cloud zipped out and shocked the Agresea. It would take more than that to scare the beast. Its large hands rose again.
Zsho
"Zsho?" Henry recited the random word placed in his mind. He stared at the Chakram, and it glowed.
That was you? He thought. Clenching the weapon, the remnants of scattered courage converged in his hands and feet.
Henry ran to the beast, raised his hand and as it descended, he recited the word. "Zsho!"
Just as the Agreasea's arm came down, the two lightning strikes collided. A blazing, electrifying yellow light sparked between them, but the Agreasea was strong. Henry was being pushed back.
"Men! He needs help!" Abayomi said, and the guards watched each other. What can they do?
"Grab the electric ropes and wrap it around the beast! This time, don't let go!"
"Yes, Sir!"
The guards did as they were told and electric ropes flew in the air, curled around the Agresea and distracted it, giving Henry the perfect opportunity to have leverage.
He swung his arm down as vigorously as possible one more time, and the lightning strike hit the head of the Agresea. Gold outlined the primal creature and its white eyes dimmed to black, like a robot shutting down. The lanky creature fell. Henry and the guards moved out of the way and as the dust cleared, it spasmed.
"Quickly! Immobilize it!"
"Yes, Sir!"
The crowd sat awe-struck and silent. Some mouths hung open, some eyes bulged and others tittered at the edge of their seats. Even Logan gaped speechless. This surely wasn't the battle they came for, but from their applause and chanting, they thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Long Live Prince Henry! Long live Prince Henry! Long live Prince Henry!"
Henry dropped to the ground, his eyes just as wide and in disbelief as the audience. He shivered in the night's air, then picked up the Chakram with his left hand and it resized itself to fit the ring finger. He stared at his fashionable hand, all four Chakrams snug around his dirty fingers.
He looked to the cheering, chanting crowd. The light beams shining on him made the people look like clapping shadows. As his tears released the cocktail of emotions, if he didn't believe it then, he sure did now.
"I... really am the prince."
***
"So..." The hooded teen said while lightning struck in the distance. "They finally found him."
The lambent blue glow of the herkit fruits in the forest exposed most of his features; curious hazel eyes, flawless milky skin, and a head of black, unkempt, frazzled hair that had gone through too much hair dye.
"I've been waiting years to bring you back." He shrugged. "37 years in fact." Then smiled. "And now that I know who you are, princey... I'll take that ratchet stone from you and bring my mother back."
Voices echoed through the forest and he jolted, his smile wavering to a frown. As the cheerful sounds of the people closed in,
the dishevelled teen ran away. His hood billowing and soon, he melded with the darkness.
_______________________________________________
Yay! Chapter 7 is here!(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧
Thank you so much for spending some time here and I definitely hope you enjoyed( ꈍᴗꈍ)
Questy: The battle is over, the prince is found, what do you think will happen next?(◠‿◕)